Something is Rotten and it Ain't Just in Denmark

There are still folks who were swept up by cops in Copenhagen while protesting the climate summit controlled by Big Capital locked up in Denmark today. They've got something to say.

The following is from Mobilization for Climate Justice.

Statement from those still imprisoned in Denmark
January 1st, 2010


Something is rotten (but not just) in Denmark. As a matter of fact,
thousands of people have been considered, without any evidence, a
threat to the society. Hundreds have been arrested and some are
still under detention, waiting for judgement or under investigation.
Among them, us, the undersigned.
We want to tell the story from the peculiar viewpoint of those that
still see the sky from behind the bars.



>A UN meeting of crucial importance has failed because of several
>contradictions and tensions that have shown up during the COP15. The
>primary concern of the powerfuls was the governance of the energy
>supply for neverending growth. This was the case whether they were
>from the overdeveloped world, like the EU countries or the US, or
>from the so-called developing countries, like China or Brazil.
>
>At odds, hundreds of delegates and thousands of people in the
>streets have raised the issue that the rationale of life must be
>(and actually is) opposed to that of profit. we have strongly
>affirmed our will to stop anthropic pressure on the biosphere.
>
>A crisis of the energy paradigm is coming soon. The mechanism of the
>global governance have proven to be overhelmingly precarious. The
>powerfuls failed not only in reaching an agreement on their internal
>equilibrivre but also in keeping the formal control of the
>discussion.
>
>Climate change is an extreme and ultimate expression of the violence
>of the capitalistic growth paradigm. People globally are
>increasingly showing the willingness of taking the power to rebel
>against that violence. we have seen that in Copenhagen, as well as
>we have seen that same violence. Hundreds of people have been
>arrested without any reason or clear evidence, or for participating
>in peacefull and legitimate demonstrations. Even mild examples of
>civil disobedience have been considered as a serious threath to the
>social order.
>
>In response we ask - What order do we threaten and who ordered it?
>Is it that order in which we do not anymore own our bodies? The
>order well beyond the terms of any reasonable "social contract" that
>we would ever sign, where our bodies can be taken, managed,
>constrained and imprisoned without any serious evidence of crime. Is
>it that order in which the decision are more and more shielded from
>any social conflicts? Where the governance less and less belongs to
>people, not even through the parliament? As a matter of fact,
>non-democratic organisms like the WTO, the NB, the G-whatever rule
>beyond any control.
>
>We are forced to notice that the theater of democracy is a brokenone
>as soon as, one approaches the core of the power. That is why we
>reclaim the power to the people. We reclaim the power over our own
>lives. Above all, we reclaim the power to counterpose the rationale
>of life and of the commons to the rationale of profit. It may have
>been declared illegal, but still we consider it fully legitimate.
>
>Since no real space is left in the broken theater, we reclaimed our
>collective power - Actually we expected it - to speak about the
>climate and energy issues. Issues that, for us, involve critical
>nodes of global justice, survival of man and energy independence. We
>did marching with our bodies.
>
>We prefer to enter the space where the power is locked dancing and
>singing. We would have liked to do this at the Bella center, to
>disrupt the session in accord with hundreds of delegates. But we
>were, as always, violently hampered by the police. They arrested our
>boddies in an attempt to arrest our ideas. we risked our bodies,
>trying to protect them just by staing close to each other. We value
>our bodies: We need them to make love, to stay together and to enjoy
>lif. They hold our brains, with beautifull bright ideas and views.
>They hold our hearts filled with passion and joy. Nevertheless, we
>risked them. we risked our bodies getting locked in prisons.
>In fact, what would be the worth of thinking and feeling if the
>bodies did not move? Doing nothing, letting-it-happen, would be the
>worst form of complicity with the business that wanted to hack the
>UN meeting. At the COP15 we moved, and we will keep moving.
>
>Exactly like love, civil dosibedience can not just be told. We must
>make it, with our bodies. Otherwise, we would not really think about
>what we love, and we would not really love what we think about. It's
>as simple as that. It's a matter of love, justice and dignity.
>
>How the COP15 has ended proves that we were right. Many of us are
>paying what is mandatory for an obsessive, pervasive and total
>repression: To find a guilty at the cost of inventing it (along with
>the crime perhaps).
>
>We are detained with evidently absurd accusations about either
>violences that actually did not take place or conspiracies and
>organizing of law-breaking actions.
>
>We do not feel guilty for having shown, together with thousands, the
>reclamation of the independence of our lives from profit's rule. If
>the laws oppose this, it was legitimate to peacefully - but still
>conflictually - break them.
>
>We are just temporarily docked, ready to sail again with a wind
>stronger than ever. It's a matter of love, justice and dignity.
>
>Luca Tornatore - from the Italien social centres network "see you in
>Copenhagen".
>Natasha Verco - Climate Justice Action
>Stine Gry Jonassen - Climate Justice Action
>Tannie Nyboe - Climate Justice Action
>Johannes Paul Schul Meyer
>Arvip Peschel
>Christian Becker
>Kharlanchuck Dzmitry
>Cristoph Lang
>Anthony Arrabal

Fight Racism and White Supremacy: 2010 and Beyond

The struggle against racism and white supremacy is far, far from over. Whoever happens to be in the White House means very little to "young people in the hood." Ikemba S. Mutulu, a man well known within the Nevada prison system as a beloved teacher, as a man who knows of what he speaks, as a person one can turn to in times of troubles, as an organizer who is resolute in the fight for justice even behind bars, says, "There are no magic bullets or symbolisms that can kill the stink of racism in America." All of us who are refuse to accept the twin scourge of racism and white supremacy must redouble our work to eliminate them. 2010 is just another year.

The following is from the San Francisco Bay View.

The struggle ain’t over

by Ikemba S. Mutulu

Every day I see it, from the block to the college campus, on the idiot box (TV) and in the music. “My president is Black, my Lambo is blue, and I’ll be god damned if my rims ain’t too.” OK and I’m diggin’ this renewed sense of community as well, brought on by a Black man in the White House – especially one of Mr. Obama’s background, which is a step forward for all Americans to take pride in.

But the struggle ain’t over. Those who’ve given in to the euphoria of the moment need only speak with young people in the hood. Try telling them how far we’ve come from the lynchings, trained attack dogs, our leaders murdered and shut up in these pens on trumped up charges. Those youngsters will tell you that’s the same shit they see every day.

One Time just smoked a brotha at a liquor store last week. And their mothers and fathers are in the pen right now for some shit they didn’t do. Check what’s happening in the prisons throughout the country. The criminalization of religions identified primarily with people of color, and all of our true teachers and s/heroes from the slave rebellions on up to the civil rights era – we get slammed in the hole just for speaking their names.

Here at Ely State Max in Nevada, they’ve removed all Islamic literature from the library. But you can read up on witches and warlocks all day. No shit! And here it is I’ve never been part of a gang, but I am labelled a gang leader for teaching these young brothers about the history of struggle and rebellion against oppression among our people in America who our true teachers and leaders were: men and women like Marcus, Malcolm, Assata, Huey and George.

Back in California, the Terminator said it all when he gave the OK to murder Bro. Tookie, condemning him for acknowledging his teachers who helped to redeem him as a man, transforming himself from a destructive force in the community to a positive force for peace and unity. The fact Mr. Obama felt he had to bite his tongue and apologize for being critical of the Cambridge police who unlawfully arrested his friend, Professor Gates.

It’s all testimony to the fact: The struggle ain’t over. We must understand the momentum of this feel-good moment will not carry us – just as MLK needed Malcolm X for people to know what the alternatives would be if people of color in this country were not given their civil rights.

The thousands – largely young and Black – who demanded Tookie’s freedom outside San Quentin’s gate the night of Dec. 13, 2005, and agonized through his half hour long, torturous execution vowed that the struggle ain’t over. – Photo: Minister of Information JR

We need that same warrior spirit now – which is why even though I retired my G-hand long ago to push for peaceful means of change and working together, I refuse to repress or hide my anger at the brutality and barbarism I see every day, a lot of it taking place in our name. And I will not condemn the young Gs out there who carry that spirit of rebellion, or who maybe feel the way Bro. Lovelle did when he held court in the street. These are not monsters; these are young men who have been failed and betrayed by a corrupt system that doesn’t work.

It troubles me so many people actually believe somehow racism died upon the election of a Black president. But these courts are still falsely convicting and excessively sentencing Blacks and Browns by the thousands, the prisons are still implementing these archaic policies to strip us of our strength and humanity, the police are still murdering us like wild animals in the streets.

And the government’s foreign policies dealing with nations of color are still as racist as ever. They ignore the plight of our friends and neighbors, Haiti and South America, living in extreme poverty, while pursuing the mythical terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan – sending these unmanned drones to drop 200-pound bombs on the heads of innocent women and children, that are ironically navigated from a joystick right here in Nevada.

Shit, we still got judges in this country who refuse to marry interracial couples. And it is troubling still to hear some Whites speak as if Blacks and Browns owe them something for electing a Black president and allowing us to put a Latina on the Supreme Court. As if these things were given to us as a gift from the goodness of their hearts, rather than won from the blood and sacrifice of our own.

Ikemba, aka Marritte Funches, is legendary in Nevada prisons as a beloved teacher and has long been a friend and supporter of the Bay View.

That’s how you know the struggle ain’t over. Nothing in the history of America has ever been given to people of color. And, truth be told, the future of this country depends on us – on our efforts to bring America from under the shadows of its past.

But we as a country must shake off the fog and understand there are no magic bullets or symbolisms that can kill the stink of racism in America. We must continue to be conscious and work together to remove the flaws in our system that foster the divides of race, class, gender etc. We must clean up the courts, reform the prisons and bring personal accountability to the police departments, so that if a cop kills an innocent civilian, uses excessive force or lies to falsely incarcerate someone or cover up a mistake, they’ll be prosecuted just like anyone else.

Maybe when we do this, and we as a country have learned to reconcile our past, not only in our minds and monuments, but in our schools and textbooks, when politicians are no longer allowed to be bribed or bought off, when health care and higher education are respected as rights rather than privileges for rich people, then real progress can be claimed. But for now, the struggle ain’t over.

Send this brave and brilliant soldier in the struggle some love and light: Ikemba S. Mutulu, s/n Marritte Funches, #37050, P.O. Box 1989, Ely, NV 89301, and check out his work on the August Initiative at Augustinitiative.org.

Today Becomes Tomorrow or What the Hell is Going on Out There

For an interesting view of a world that might yet be, take a look at the novel, "The Execution Channel" by Ken MacLeod.

The following is from Socialist Review.

The Execution Channel

Book Review by Vicky Williamson, May 2007

Ken MacLeod, Orbit

The world of Ken MacLeod's The Execution Channel is a disturbingly familiar place. The flu pandemic has happened, as has the war with Iran. Omnipresent CCTV and security surveillance have destroyed civil liberties, and the "crisis" has destroyed democracy.

Sucked into instability by war, debt and "natural" disasters, the US is struggling to maintain its position as the world's lone superpower. Even its allies are reviewing their options.

Climate change has displaced millions of people, now eking out a living in Federal Emergency Management Agency camps, on the streets or as low paid factory fodder. Communist India leads the world in skills and China in manufacturing.

Britain, as ever, is placed in the precarious position of needing to ally itself with either the US or Europe. Troops are posted across the Middle East and Asia up to the Chinese border. But technological breakthrough may be about to end the stalemate.

Despite featuring MacLeod's often visited themes - near future dystopia, techno geekery and contemporary political concerns - The Execution Channel is quite a departure from the form of his nine previous books.

In an interview with SFSite MacLeod talks about what led him to write this novel in the light of other science fiction based on massive catastrophic events:

"Their catastrophes were always things that weren't likely to happen - walking plants, a wind from nowhere, giant wasps, volcanoes in Wales - instead of the catastrophe that everyone really feared. It was as if they were deliberately averting their gaze from nuclear war. That got me to the first point: to focus on what we really fear: nuclear attack, terrorism, torture."

More spy thriller than science fiction, The Execution Channel is full of the paranoia and the obsessive zealotry of security services in a world where power struggles between states obscure all else.

The story centres on James Travis, an IT engineer. His daughter, Roisin, is part of the anti-war movement, and his son, Alec, is in the army. Despite taking neither position, Travis is headhunted for French intelligence, ostensibly due to having made the statement: "I just hate the Yanks." When a nuclear explosion destroys a US controlled airbase in Scotland Roisin is witness to it as part of a peace camp outside.

The story is of the Travis family and of US conspiracy theorist and blogger Mark Dark trying to make sense of the events amid lies and disinformation.

Frequently in the wrong place at the wrong time, the characters are often surrounded by horrific violence-violence already taking place across the world today.

We've all seen reports of hooded prisoners naked, raped and terrorised in the news on a frighteningly regular basis. But most of us have seen the anti-war movement too. The movement that marched in its millions against war, and its associated racism and violence are mentioned in passing as a force too weak and ideologically divided to prevent the breakdown in society.

While politically I can't agree with many of the conclusions the author seems to hint at, what kind of dystopian vision of the future would it be if I could?

MacLeod is known for his ability to mix politics with science fiction and this is his best and most intense effort to date. It has a fast, witty and complex narrative, which keeps you turning the pages until the very end.

It may be too close for comfort, but we should be scared, we should be disturbed and therefore we should act.

The novel almost serves to prove how accurate the tag line is: "In a war on terror only terror can win."

Free Carrie

Carrie Feldman remains behind bars for refusing to give in to a crazed prosecutor and a repressive grand jury in Davenport, Iowa immersed in a witch hunt apparently aimed at anyone who has anything to do with animal rights activism.

The following is from Support Carrie and Scott.

Carrie to remain jailed pending appeal

As mentioned previously, an appeal of Judge Jarvey's ruling denying Carrie's release has been filed. The initial schedule would have taken more than 30 days, and so Carrie's attorneys filed a petition for her release pending the appeal. In response, it was merely rescheduled to be wrapped up within 30 days, and so Carrie will remain in custody at least until this is resolved. We have been informed that everything in her case now is sealed, and so do not have written motions to share. However, we will continue to update as things happen.

Please continue to write her, send her books, and to fundraise for her and Scott's defense fund. Info on all of those and more is available on our "What You Can Do" page.

Moldovan Church Blames Their Own Anti-Semitism on Jews

According to Moldovan Church leaders, Jews are responsible for the anti-Semitic rally a few weeks ago where a priest tore down a Hanukkah ( חֲנֻכָּה) Menorah and replaced it with a cross. Moldovan church leaders claimed. "We believe that this unpleasant
incident in the center of the capital could have been avoided if the
menorah had been placed near a memorial for victims of the Holocaust,"
officials of the Moldovan orthodox church said. Although the
church expressed respect for the "feelings and belief of other cults,"
it added that it was "inappropriate to put a symbol of the Jewish cult
in a public place connected to the history and faith of our people,
especially because Hanukkah… symbolizes the victory of Jews over
non-Jews."

What rubbish!

The following is from Jewish Heritage Travel

Moldova -- Anti-Semitism on Show

Photo from jurnaltv.md

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

This deviates somewhat from what I usually post here, but the video is so graphic that I decided to put it up. If you've never seen anti-Semitism in action, here's your chance. TV footage on jurnaltv.md of a group of 100-200 Orthodox Christian fundamentalists in Chisinau (Kishinev), the capital of Moldova, led by a priest, removing a Hanukkah Menorah placed by the Jewish community, replacing it with a cross, and then taking the Menorah and positioning it -- symbolically -- upside down. The priest and crowd spout paranoid anti-Semitic slurs.

Reactions have come from the Moldovan blog morninginmoldova.com and the MCA -- The Center for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism in Romania.


The following is from the Jewish Telegraph Agency.

Moldovan Christians tear down public menorah

December 14, 2009

BUDAPEST (JTA) -- Some 200 fundamentalist Orthodox Christians in Moldova took down a public Chanukah menorah and planted a wooden cross in its place.

News footage showed a bearded priest leading the group in chanting anti-Semitic slogans during Sunday's incident. The menorah had been installed by the Jewish community in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau.

The group removed the large, metal menorah, which had been set up on downtown Europe Square, and placed it upside down on Stefan cel Mare Square, at the base of a statue of King Stephen the Great. Neither police nor onlookers intervened.

"The Jews can try to kill us, to traumatize our children," but Moldovan Orthodox believers will resist, the priest said, speaking into a sound system. Moldova, he said, was an Orthodox country, and the Jewish people are trying to "dominate people." Allowing the menorah to be set up had been "a sacrilege, an indulgence of state power today," he said.

Justice Minister Alexandru Tanese condemned the incident. The Orthodox Metropolitan promised to investigate and take action, according to reports.

Incitement to racial and religious hatred in Moldova is subject to a fine or imprisonment of up to three years.

"It's a despicable act. We hope the government will take appropriate action against the perpetrators," said Mark Levin, executive director of NCSJ, an advocacy group for Jews in the former Soviet Union. "This is obviously something that should never have been allowed to happen."

In neighboring Romania, the Center for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism issued a statement urging authorities to take "immediate measures" against the perpetrators.

"Such an act committed by a priest with the Orthodox Church is totally inconceivable, and it takes us back to the days when the local population, if it did not participate, witnessed with indifference the crimes committed against the Jews," the center's statement said.

“The Moldovan government and the Orthodox Church must punish the perpetrators of this despicable anti-Semitic crime and send a clear signal to Moldovan society and to the Jewish community that the government and the church will not tolerate anti-Semitism,” said Abraham H. Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League.

In a letter to Nicolae Chirtoaca, Moldova’s Ambassador to the United States, ADL called on his government “to apprehend and punish the perpetrators of this anti-Semitic crime.” The ADL letter said it was particularly shocked at reports that 15 to 20 police officers were at the site during the protest, but did little to intervene.

INTERPOL in Bed with the Killer Regime in Iran

This report is two weeks old, but I was unfamiliar with the cooperation being provided by INTERPOL to the repressive regime in Iran.

The following is from the Workers Communist Party of Iran.


Warning! The Terrorist Islamic Republic Conspires Against Opposition Forces!


The Islamic Republic of Iran has embarked on a new round of terror against its opponents outside Iran. The Islamic Republic has recently lodged warrants with the INTERPOL for the arrest of a number of prominent and well respected opposition political leaders and activists accusing them of being involved in terrorist activities and organised crime. The INTERPOL has irresponsibly published the photos and details of these activists under its list of wanted people.

The INTERPOL has to date published the details of the following people: Asad Golchini; Ali Abdaly, Rasool Bnavnd; Rahmat Fatehi, Abdullah Darabi, Khaled Haj Mohammadi, Rahman Hosseinzadeh, Koorosh Modaressi, Mozaffar Mohammadi, Tofiq Pir-Khezri, Saleh Sardari and Salam Ziji, These people are all members or sympathisers of the Worker-communist Party of Iran – Hekmatist and veteran political activists and political leaders within the opposition movement in Iran.

The Islamic Republic authorities who have requested the arrest of these people are all guilty of mass killings in Iran and are currently being prosecuted in a number of courts in Europe and America for the murder and assassination of Gholam Keshavarz, Sedigh Kamangar, Abdulrahman Qasemlu, Sadegh Sharafkandi, Shapur Bakhtiar, Abdul Rahman Broomand, Fereydoun Farrokhzad, as well as bombings in France and Argentina. Responding to the request of a state notorious for its criminal and murderous behaviour is a shameful act on the part of the INTERPOL.

These days, thanks to greater political opposition to the Islamic Republic outside Iran and the awareness and defiance of the Iranian people, the regime is unable to dispatch its teams of terrorists to hunt the opposition activists. The INTERPOL has now been called upon to assist the Islamic Republic and hunt these activists and carry out the surveillance and supply the Islamic Republic with intelligence and if possible to capture and hand them over. Underestimating this collusion and the viciousness of the Islamic Republic will be a fatal mistake.

This action of the INTERPOL has already put the lives of theses people and the entire opposition forces in jeopardy. The INTERPOL's action has also led to an increase in level of intimidation and fear amongst the Iranian political activists. The INTERPOL is playing into the hands of the Islamic Republic in restricting the activities of the exiled Iranian political activists. The INTERPOL, intentionally or otherwise, is assisting the Islamic Republic with its terrorist activities outside of Iran

The Islamic Republic will not be content with the current list of its opponents. If this conspiracy is not thwarted the list of names will undoubtedly grow longer and extended to all political opposition activists.

If today the most respected and popular political activists and the victims of the Islamic Republic's terror are accused of terrorism and organised crime; if the jailed president of Tehran Bus Driver's Syndicate- Mr Mansoor Ossanloo, is accused of possessing illegal weapon and US dollar, we should be expecting more outrageous fabricated accusations levelled against other opponents of the regime.

If the Islamic Republic is left unchallenged, the opposition activists will have to endure fear and indignity at the hands of the one of the most murderous regimes in the contemporary history of humanity. The only way to foil this conspiracy is to tackle it head on.

The Hekmatist Party strongly condemns the INTERPOL for issuing arrest warrants for the opponents of the Islamic Republic. We demand that the INTERPOL withdraws these warrants. We will hold the INTERPOL and the police forces of its member states responsible for any harm inflicted on the Iranian opposition forces. We also hold INTERPOL responsible for the increased political oppression inside Iran as a result of its co-operation with the Islamic Republic.

We would like to declare that we are able to defend ourselves against the Islamic Republic ad its co-conspirators. We shall make them regret their action. We shall also fight this battle in courts of law in different countries across Europe and America. Furthermore we shall mobilise the widest possible number of Iranian opposition forces, groups and individuals as well as international institutions, trade unions, political ad cultural organisations and personalities and the public opinion against the Islamic Republic and the INTERPOL. We shall forge widest possible co-operation and counter the state terrorism of the Islamic Republic through our united and consorted efforts.

We, members of the Hekmatist Party, in the company of those appalled by this decision of the INTERPOL, will present ourselves to the INTERPOL and will force them to disregard the Iranian authorities request and thwart this conspiracy.

We call on all concerned political parties, institutions and progressive individuals to join this campaign in any way deemed appropriate. We shall, in due course, inform the public of any new developments and provide further information in this regard.


Worker-communist Party of Iran-Hekmatist

December 15, 2009

Marchers to Converge on Two Sides of Gaza Checkpoint

The Israeli Coalition Against the Siege will mark the first anniversary of the Gaza December 31, at 10.30 am by joining the rally at Beit Hanoun (Erez) Checkpoint initiated by the Monitoring Committee of the Arab Population in Israel. They will be met at the opposite site of the checkpoint by citizens of Gaza The group is made up of a variety of Israeli peace, left, anarchist, human rights and women's groups. An international group of solidarity activists will also be marching into Gaza on the 31st. So far the Egyptians have only allowed one hundred marchers to cross the border.

The following is from WAFA.

Rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday to Call for Ending Siege of Gaza

TEL AVIV, December 30, 2009 (WAFA)- To mark the first anniversary of the destructive offensive on Gaza, and protest the ongoing siege which causes terrible suffering to the inhabitants of the Strip, the Israeli Coalition Against the Siege will hold a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, December 1, 2010 at 6.30 pm. The Coalition said in a press release that the procession will leave the Rabin Square (corner of Frishman and Chen) and march to the Tel Aviv Museum Plaza, where a rally here will take place. Tomorrow, Thursday December 31, at 10.30 am, Coalition activists will join the rally at Beit Hanoun (Erez) Checkpoint initiated by the Monitoring Committee of the Arab Population in Israel. This action will take place simultaneously with a mass procession by inhabitants of the Strip in the direction to the checkpoint, initiated by the civil society organizations in Gaza. The press release said a year has passed since the Israeli offensive on the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, in which more than 1,400 people were killed, an additional 5,000 were injured and tens of thousands were left homeless. The blockade on Gaza continues and becomes ever tighter, making Gaza into an isolated enclave, whose inhabitants are cut off from their family members, from possibilities of study and livelihood and from the cultural, social and political life of their people. The press release added that those responsible for war crimes have not been prosecuted. They continue to walk free among us, as if they were not responsible to systematic and well-planned crimes against millions of human beings. The press release said that Coalition Against the Siege is composed of: Ahoti , Indymedia , Anarchists Against The Wall, Balad, Banki , Bat Shalom, Coalition of Women for Peace, Gush Shalom, The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, Social TV, The Alternative Information Center, The Campus is Not Silent, The Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow , Hitahabrut-Tarabut, Zochrot, Hadash, Yesh Gvul, Combatants for Peace, The Highscool Refusers' Letter , Israeli Communist Party, Women In Black, Sadaka-Re'ut, New Profile, Student Coalition – Tel Aviv University, Ra'am-Ta'al, Movement of Democratic Women, and Ta'ayush.

Protests Inside Israel Against the Gaza Siege

Israeli Jews and Palestinians have been protesting all week inside Israel against the brutal siege of Gaza. There is plenty more to come.

The following is from Anarchists Against the Wall.

A week of action against the siege on Gaza

Be'er Sheva demonstration

As part of the events marking the first anniversary to Israel's brutal attack on Gaza, a small demonstration was held Tuesday in Be'er-Sheva, near the Ben-Gurion University. The demonstration called for the end of Israel's occupation and the prolonged siege on Gaza and held some 20 Palestinian and Jewish participants.
About 30 minutes before the time scheduled for the demonstration, early comers were shocked to see that vast numbers of police forces where already setting up near the university gates. There were 4 large 'Transits', 2 of them riot police, 2-3 regular police cars and about 20 police officers and 15 border policemen. The chief of police on the scene informed protestors that the vigil was illegal (which was of course untrue) and that he was already authorized to disperse the event and make arrests. Eventually demonstrators managed to carry their protest – with the police promising that next time they will surely arrest anyone demonstrating.

Be'er Sheva police

Meanwhile, both the Jerusalem (Hebrew) University and the Haifa University have canceled the permit given to students to hold memorial and protest events within university grounds, commemorating the attack on Gaza one year ago. These attacks on voices of dissent are in their own right a reminder of the days of the Gaza war, when 800 Israeli (mainly Palestinian) were arrested for demonstrating against the brutal attack.

Jaffa demonstration, 26.12.09

Earlier this week, launching the one week long international campaign against the siege on Gaza, on the occasion of the first anniversary to Israel's war on Gaza, 500 Palestinian and Jewish demonstrators marched the streets of Jaffa Saturday night. Demonstrators were calling to end the siege on Gaza and the occupation as a whole, linked the local struggle of Palestinians inside Israel against policies of ethnic cleansing to the broader Palestinian struggle, and called for the prosecution of Israeli war criminals.
The demonstration ended with a remembrance rally near a local mosque.

Beach action, 27.12.09

On the very next morning, Sunday, 25 Israeli activists tried to directly breech the siege by marching south towards the Gaza Strip on the Israeli beach of Zikim. As the activists were getting closer to an army barrier they were stopped by soldiers and police. A high ranking officer present told the demonstrators that he could not promise that he and his men will avoid opening fire at them if they proceed.
Challenging the legality of the siege, activists tried to cross the line of soldiers, and some even got into the sea, trying to swim around the barrier. The activists were soon stopped by the police, using motored water vessels and horses. 16 were arrested in suspicion of violating a military order, later to be released at the Sderot police station, but barred from returning to the area near Gaza for two weeks.

Trying to break the sea-ge

All the coming week's activities will be updated to this post as they happen.

THE LITTLE KNOWN CRISIS IN SUDAN

Darfur isn't the only place in Sudan where thousands are suffering. On the eastern side of the country refugees who have poured in largely from Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia are surviving in barely livable conditions. Female refugees are especially at risk from human traffickers, and are often targets for rape and other forms of physical abuse.

The following is from AllAfrica.com.

Sudan: Refugees Continue to Pour Into East in Little Known Crisis, UN Reports

30 December 2009

On the opposite side of Sudan from the better-known crisis of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the conflict-plagued Darfur region, refugees are flocking into the eastern part of the vast African country at the rate of 1,800 each month, according to latest United Nations estimates.

The 66,000 refugees in camps in eastern Sudan - mainly from Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia - face difficulties accessing basic services, education and protection, creating immense challenges in harsh surroundings, Africa Bureau Director of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) George Okoth-Obbo said.

"Acute poverty, persistent drought and deprivation, lack of access to health care and education, high levels of unemployment as well as land degradation and shrinking pastures" are hardships that refugees as well as the local population grapple with, he added.

Risks that female refugees in particular face are human trafficking, sexual violence, abuse and rape, he stressed, adding that ensuring protection is a high priority for UNHCR.

"Six thousand of these children lack primary education because refugee schools have not the capacity to absorb them," he said, noting that there are 15,000 children in the 12 refugee camps in the East. "Many more fail to attend secondary school because families cannot afford the fees."

Speaking about Sudanese refugees, Mr. Okoth-Obbo mentioned the successful repatriation in the south of nearly 330,000 refugees from neighbouring countries, 75 per cent of those in exile at the beginning of 2005, when the Government and southern rebels signed a peace agreement ending one of Africa's longest and bloodiest civil wars.

In Darfur, nearly seven years of war between the Government, its militia allies and rebels seeking greater autonomy have killed at least 300,000 people and driven 2.7 million more from their homes.

Copyright © 2009 UN News Service. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).

Anti-Fascists Take on Fascist ELAM on Cyprus

The Anti-Fascist Initiative (AFI) confronted the fascist group National People's Front (ELAM) in Nicosia, Cyprus on Sunday. The anti-racists outnumbered the racists by about seven to one. AFI marchers chanted "Fascism will not pass; Racism will not pass" and "ELAM equals Golden Dawn, neo-Nazis out of Cyprus". The two... groups were kept apart by scores of police.

The following is from the Cyprus Mail.

'We'll come at night and find you, traitor'
By Charles Charalambous Published on December 29, 2009

Far-right protestors cover their faces to hide identities

SUNDAY’S demonstration in the centre of Nicosia by far-right group National People’s Front (ELAM) and the counter-demonstration by the Anti-fascist Initiative passed off without incident, thanks to self-restraint by the marchers but also a very strong police presence which kept them apart.

The ELAM march “against illegal immigration” – estimates varied between 80 and 150 people participating – started at 5pm from their office near the Commerce Ministry, carrying a banner saying “‘Every foreign worker equals an unemployed Greek”.
Most of the predominantly young marchers were dressed in jeans and black tops, and carried Greek flags on thick short poles.

They headed down Makarios Avenue towards their stated destination of Eleftheria Square. They got as far as the intersection with Grivas Dighenis Avenue, where they were stopped by a deep line of police. They then spent an hour or so chanting slogans such as “ELAM, race, blood and honour”, “Foreigners out of Cyprus”, and “We’ll come at night and find you, traitor”.
Ending his address to the march and media representatives, ELAM representative Stratos Karanicolaou said: “We don’t want further adulteration of the Greek race in Cyprus. We are Greeks and Cyprus is a Greek island.”

The counter-demonstration organised by the Anti-fascist Initiative (AI) – a recently-formed informal network of anti-racist and anti-fascist groups – numbered between 700 and 1,000 people of all ages, and included members of Action for Equality, Support and Anti-racism (KISA), Alert, AKEL, EDEK and the Greens. Spotted among the marchers were Nicosia mayor Eleni Mavrou and Greens deputy George Perdikis.

KISA director Doros Polycarpou told the Mail yesterday that the turnout was gratifyingly higher than expected, despite the lack of formal representation by the main political parties, most of which had condemned the ELAM march in earlier public statements. He added that it was regrettable that the AI counter-demonstration was presented by some parts of the media as “just another KISA demo”, and the day was “over-simplified by some into an anti- and pro-immigrants matter”.

The AI march set off from Eleftheria Square at around 4pm, and headed down Makarios Avenue with the stated aim of peacefully preventing the ELAM march from proceeding towards Nicosia’s old town. They were stopped by police some 600 metres short of the intersection with Grivas Dighenis Avenue, and greeted the ELAM march with chants such as “Fascism will not pass; Racism will not pass” and “ELAM equals Golden Dawn, neo-Nazis out of Cyprus”.
The two demonstrations broke up peacefully at around 7pm. Police maintained a visible presence at strategic points in Nicosia throughout Sunday night, with the express aim of preventing any isolated incidents involving the marchers.

Speaking to state broadcaster CyBC yesterday, KISA president Doros Michael said that ELAM makes a point of playing on the general tendency – also reflected in the media – to emphasise the nationality of anyone charged with committing a crime or involved in a socially-questionable incident. “Unfortunately, many surveys have shown that Cypriots are very xenophobic, and ELAM is seeking to capitalise on this.”

Polycarpou said that AI will be continuing its efforts to engage the political parties, trade unions and other groups in setting up a more permanent network to prevent fascist organisations like ELAM from using the democratic process to further their anti-democratic views.
He said: “It is important to systematically address all aspects of ELAM’s activities, starting by looking at whether the things they are saying are legal under the Constitution and EU law, both of which forbid incitement of racial hatred. We need to raise awareness about their real political aims and slogans, compared to their statements against illegal immigration.”
Polycarpou added: “We have to consider the prospects for the future, with a possible solution to the Cyprus problem. It would not be difficult for inter-communal violence to be provoked with such people around.”

Health Care Reform: Not If You Are Black or Hispanic

Think the health care so-called reform bill is a vast improvement? Chances are your white.

The following is from New American Media.

Blacks and Hispanics Still the Biggest Losers in Health Care Reform Bill Gut

New America Media, Commentary, Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Posted: Dec 28, 2009

President Obama, every Democratic and Republican senator and House member, the private insurers, major pharmaceuticals, liberals, progressives and many conservatives are virtually unanimous in claiming that the big reason for waging the health care reform war is to insure all, most, or many of the estimated 50 to 60 million uninsured Americans. Blacks and Hispanics have the most to gain from real reform. They make up more than half of America’s uninsured. Private insurers, pharmaceuticals and major medical practitioners fought a seven-decade battle against national health care regulation in large part out of horror at having to treat millions of uninsured, unprofitable, largely unhealthy blacks and Hispanics.

The overwhelming majority of black and Hispanic uninsured are far more likely than the one in four whites, who are uninsured, to experience problems getting treatment at a hospital or clinic. A study by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies found that they are far more likely than whites to suffer higher rates of catastrophic illness and disease, and are much less likely to obtain basic drugs, tests, preventive screenings and surgeries. They are more likely to recover slowly from illness, and they die much younger. The cost of treatment and care for the millions who suffer chronic and major diseases—cancer, diabetes, asthma and heart disease--is exorbitant. Blacks and Hispanics have far greater incidences of these ailments than whites. According to a Kaiser Foundation study, a family of four without insurance currently would spend an estimated 15 percent of its total income on health insurance, if it had the money.

A fully functioning and funded public option might have covered a moderate number of those totally shut out of access to affordable, quality medical coverage. Obama and top Senate Democrats snatched it off the table in backdoor talks at the White House with private insurers and the pharmaceutical industry in the first months of his administration. The House version of the public option is cautious, moderate and would not fully kick in for a decade. Even then it would cover only a small number of the uninsured.

The House public option almost certainly will be the first casualty in the second round of warfare when House-Senate conference negotiators try to reconcile their two wildly-at-odds health care reform bills. The plan to extend Medicare coverage to millions more would have made a small dent in the number of uninsured and it was lightly floated and then just as quickly tossed. But the Medicare extension had even less chance of getting Senate traction than the public option.

The still undetermined number of uninsured will have to buy health insurance at a still undetermined cost from private insurers, and they’ll have to rely on the major pharmaceuticals for their prescription drugs. The government promises to provide subsidies to those too poor to pay (which will almost certainly be virtually all of the uninsured), enforce a mandate for private insurers to provide coverage to any and all, and to keep the cost of their coverage and drugs down.

That’s the promise. How much the government can and will pay is vague and tenuous. And with public jitters rising over the trillions of government spending and dueling projections on the end cost of health reform creating even more jitters, any dollar figure put forth on the amount of government subsidies for the poor is just guess work. But even if the government has the billions promised to underwrite insurance for those too poor to buy it, even under the most generous provisions of the subsidy plan, according to a Congressional Budget Office Report more than 40 percent would still not get a nickel of help. Yet they’d still have to pay the estimated hikes in premium coverage that they’d be forced at penalty to buy.

The ban on denial of coverage due to preexisting conditions won’t go into effect until 2014. The unanswered question when it finally does take effect is just how tough the government will be in policing the private insurers to make sure they don’t wiggle out of their agreement not to deny anyone coverage on medical grounds, or to arbitrarily raise the cost of coverage. The House and Senate bills are filled with talk of commissions, panels, task forces, integrity councils, and a big role for the departments of Health and Human Services and Justice to prevent fraud and abuse. There’s absolutely no mention of enforcement procedures, or what fines and penalties will be imposed for skirting the ban.

The House bill partly addresses some of the massive problems the uninsured face in getting coverage. The Senate bill addresses almost none of them. As it now stands, health reform is still not the cure for the chronic absence of health care that ails the millions of black and Hispanic uninsured.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His forthcoming book, How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge (Middle Passage Press) will be released in January 2010.

Six Counties Remain Occupied in the North of Ireland

It ain't over until it's over...and it ain't over yet. For example, in Northern Ireland Britain maintains a garrison of at least 5,000 troops.

The following is from Eirigi.

Welcome to Occupied Ireland
December 22

The tens of thousands of shoppers from the Twenty-Six Counties who have been crossing Britain’s border in search of a bargain have been greeted by adverts of a distinctly different nature than normal in recent days.

The ‘adverts’, unveiled by éirígí in Newry and other border areas of the Six Counties, inform shoppers that “You Are In Occupied Ireland – Garrison to 14,000 British troops and paramilitary police”.

The first banner to go up was placed by Newry-based éirígí activists on the bridge of the Belfast-Dublin railway line to be seen by thousands of passing motorists.

éirígí general secretary Breandán Mac Cionnaith said the initiative was aimed at highlighting the ongoing occupation of the Six Counties.

“People in the Twenty-Six Counties have been bombarded with propaganda in recent years proclaiming that the national question has been conclusively dealt with and all grievances in the North have been resolved.

“Nothing could be further from the truth. Britain maintains a garrison of at least 5,000 troops in the Six Counties, at least one of its regiments – the Special Reconnaissance Regiment – is back on a war footing on Irish soil, the PSNI is harassing nationalists, firing plastic bullets and raiding homes on a daily basis and MI5 is running hundreds of agents from its massive base in north Down.

“This is the reality of Britain’s involvement in modern-day Ireland – it is that of a military and political occupation.”

Mac Cionnaith continued: “In the absence of any meaningful coverage of this occupation from the so-called national broadcaster and the corporate media, éirígí will be increasingly highlighting the ongoing repression in the North among the population of the Twenty-Six Counties and encouraging people to do something about it.

“We will not allow Britain’s occupation of Irish territory to go unchallenged.”

Black Bloc Asks "What's Up With That"

Copenhagen Black Bloc asks, "So just how do you want to proceed?"

The following is from Guerrilla News.

GreenPeace/GreenPolice: Communique of Copenhagen Black Bloc

This communique was given out by a portion of the Black Bloc during the march to the Bella Centre on Saturday at the protests against the U.N. COP-15. Shortly after releasing this communique, windows of the Danish stock exchange and Foreign Ministry were broken. When the police attempted arrests, the Black Bloc was physically prevented by some members of Climate Justice Action from joining the “System Change Not Climate Change” bloc. While the COP15 is over, the debate over the role of internal policing and the “non-violence” code of Climate Justice Action has just begun in the European autonomous movements.

Amongst thousands of people who want to save the world, we are getting together to march to the Bella Centre, but something feels wrong. The slogans just seem too familiar. “Traditional wisdom and new technology must go hand in hand.” Haven’t we been reading them on the ads all over town?

Everyone is playing their role in the summit, just like in a movie. And there are even different versions of the same stage, distinguished mostly by their budgets. The building of the Klimaforum resembles a space station mixed together with a contemporary art museum. Amongst the graffiti, drugs and reggae music in Christiania, the dream is cheaper but more entertaining. Inside the perfectly sterile and opulent Bella Centre, the NGOs are working hard with the delegates on a treaty to rescue us all. Outside, the same faces tell us on loudspeakers to apply “political pressure” to influence the negotiations.

There seems to be a common logic between the government delegates, the NGOs who control the march, and even the radical ecological activists: we are all saving humanity together. Who would not want to fight for this? And even if you did not, do you even have a choice? No one seems to have the time to take a pause and think about what we are supposed to save, what humanity means. What does it imply to have faith in the existence of a single political unit that binds us all together? In the united and pacified world imagined in Copenhagen, politics become obsolete. What if the mobilization of the entire city and even the protests were nothing but an immense peacekeeping operation?

In times of war, there is a call for submission behind every call for unity. Everyone agrees that capitalism is in crisis, that the previous forms of management will not suffice. This summit may be the most obvious sign yet of the shape of the management to come, where everyone’s contribution is obligatory. This step could be described as social engineering. An utopian attempt to produce an entirely controlled life, a totally calculable existence by making us forget that some struggles cannot be reduced to power games, that sometimes friendships are more than just economics. This living excess cannot be described but can only be experienced. What can be described though is how this operation functions: our living is first fragmented into several quantifiable bits and pieces and then resold to us as the real thing. “Hope in a bottle”.

The enthusiasm with which all political stripes have been converted to ecology teaches us about the true nature of this new green universal religion. From the heart of the Bella Centre to the most passionate of activists, beyond all differences in tone, one can hear the single and only call to submit yourself. To sacrifice everything that makes life worth living in the name of life itself. To adjourn the present to save the future. To control our desires, and most of all, to not disturb the delicate equilibrium. Ecology presupposes the same conception of existence that characterizes the police: danger is everywhere, and first of all, in ourselves.

When the success of this summit depends on the participation of the population in every city centre,

WHERE DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD GO?

And if police, in all its forms, is the new essence of global politics,

WHAT DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD DO?

Iran: They Say They Want a Revolution

You Say You Want A Revolution...or...Revolution Number 9?

The following is from In Defence of Marxism

Iran: Power slipping to streets

Over the last few days, mass demonstrations have erupted again in Iran. Millions are on the streets and there are reports of the people taking control of the streets, burning down police stations and even of police refusing to fire on demonstrators. These could be the last days of the hated IRI regime. If a revolutionary leadership were present, the hours of the Islamic Republic would be counted. We publish this article with lots of eyewitness reports from the ground.

A year ago it would have been impossible to believe or even think about it, but as this article goes to print, the power of Islamic Regime is being eroded in Iran and the power is slipping to streets under the massive pressure of people. The equation is simple: millions of people are on streets and there is just not enough police and military forces to contain them.

December 26 and 27 this year was concurrent with the traditional Shiite days of mourning, Tasoa and Ashoora. Shiite Muslims traditionally mourn on these days to commemorate Imam Hossein, a grandson of Prophet Mohammad, who was killed on “Ashoora”. However, like any other religious tradition it has been generally treated like a street carnival by masses. This year, in the midst of a revolutionary movement that started six months ago and has shook Iranian society to its foundations, people had decided to use it as a day of protests. It was therefore for some time generally acknowledged that December 26 and 27 will be days of massive protest.

However, one could say what happened was more massive than most expectations.

While hundreds of thousands demonstrated in cities all over Iran on December 26, the real showdown came on Sunday, December 27. On this day, and as we are writing this article, millions of people filled streets in cities all over Iran and came into an open fight with forces of the regime. Not only that. Many streets, especially in central areas of Tehran, were actually occupied by people and are currently under their control. People have started taking over police and Basij stations, in different cities of Iran, setting fire to some and attempting to acquire guns from others.

Demonstrators attacking BasijAnother very important development is some reports that show a number of forces have refused to shoot people, dismissing orders from their commanders. A report from Jaras (Green Way Movement network), one of the most credible news sources, said:

“Jaras correspondent reports that clashes all over Tehran are intensifying and police has lost control of many neighborhoods. Military commanders have asked their forces in central Tehran to use direct shooting to disperse demonstrators. But forces are refusing the command, causing disputes between forces and commanders.”

A Jaras correspondent present around Enqelab Square clashes says: “After this dispute, one of the guards said: ‘I will never kill the people of my own country’, he was then slapped by his commander who threatened him with martial court.” (Special Guard Forces Refuse to Shoot People).

Protests were by no means limited to Tehran and included hundreds of thousands coming out in Kermanshah, Shiraz, Isfahan, Qom, Mashhad, Arak, Lahijan, Najaf Abad, Salmas, Naqade, Robat Karim and etc.

A demonstrator who was shot during anti-government protests in Tehran on Sunday, Dec. 27, 2009.But like any revolution, most eyes were on Tehran, the capital. It witnessed the fiercest battles between people and forces. At least 8 people have been killed there (including Seyed Ali Mousavi, a young nephew of Mirhossein Mousavi, Islamic Reformist presidential candidate, whose death will have political consequences). The regime was so terrified that “certain police and Basij stations [in Tehran] were evacuated to prevent guns from getting to people.” (Basij and Police Stations Evacuate to Prevent Guns Reaching People & Reports from Isfahan).

Let’s have a quick look at the facts: people are not only fighting back against regime forces but conquering police stations and putting streets under their own control; refusal of some forces to shoot at people; slogans like “This is the month of Blood, Khamenei will be overthrown” and “Khamenei should know, he will be overthrown soon”. It is evident that power is slipping onto the streets!

What does this remind you of?

A revolution, of course.

And this is exactly the mood amongst most youth and people in Iran. A lot of political personalities, almost everybody who has access to mass communication, did their best in the last few months to make revolution a “dirty” world, saying people should not go toward another “failed revolution”. But now the word is used more than ever. Iranians from all walks of life, even those who were defending a reformist position a few days ago, are saying: “A revolution is coming”.

This proves correct our perspectives which said from the very beginning that this is the beginning of a revolution.

What lies ahead?

As this article is being written, the night festival of Shaame Ghariban (on Ashoora’s evening) is starting and protests are going on everywhere. De facto martial law is in place in a few cities. Some central areas of Tehran are in effective control of people. There have been attempts by people to take over the National TV & Radio building. It is unclear what could send people home.

If there was any sort of leadership for the movement, the regime could fall in a matter of days. Lack of such leadership might delay the regime’s collapse but will not stop it altogether. The regime days are numbered… literally.

The most important absent element is the direct role being played by the working class. Workers coming on the scene, with their very own general strike, putting a pause to society would be truly the final death sentence for the Islamic regime. However, the lack of a revolutionary leadership and poor organization of workers is the cause of this not happening yet.

Events of December 27 proved once more and more decisively than ever, the regime’s power is being eroded and it will come down, this or that day, with this or that method.

The fall of the regime, however, will be only an introduction to a period of acute class struggle in Iran. The duty of Iranian Marxists remains forming a revolutionary independent party of the working class that could lead the workers to victory in this period. Important battles lie ahead!

Note: most of the factual information in this text comes from Persian2English Blog, a website run by a few activists from Toronto who are also getting help from people in Europe and other regions. These activists, the present author among them, have been keeping awake for the last 2 days, receiving news and translating it to English it as it happens so as to break the wall of regime’s censorship.

ANOTHER ANTI-MINING ACTIVIST MURDERED IN EL SALVADOR

The second anti-mining activist killed this week in the small community of Nueva Trinidad is 32 year old Dora "Alicia" Recinos Sorto. The young woman is a board member of the Environmental Committee of Cabañas, an organization that formed to educate the community about health and environmental risks of cyanide contamination from gold extraction.

The following is from CISPES.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 28, 2009 Contact: Alexis Stoumbelis, CISPES – (978) 394-0425 Another Protester of Pacific Rim Mining Corporation’s El Dorado Site Assassinated in El Salvador Second community activist killed in less than a week On December 26, Dora “Alicia” Recinos Sorto, age 32, was assassinated, the second anti-mining activist killed this week in the small community of Nueva Trinidad in the department of Cabañas. Recinos Sorto was eight months pregnant and carrying her two-year old child when she was shot on her way back from doing laundry at a nearby river. She and her husband, José Santos Rodriguez, were outspoken opponents of the non-operational El Dorado mine which Pacific Rim, a Vancouver-based mining company is desperate to reopen despite widespread community opposition. Rodriguez is a board member of the Environmental Committee of Cabañas, an organization that formed to educate the community about health and environmental risks of cyanide contamination from gold extraction. The Committee’s vice-president, Ramiro Rivera, was gunned down on December 20 despite having been under 24-hour police protection since being shot eight times in August. Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes vowed to investigate the murder, stating, “I hope this case will not remain in impunity the way that so many others do.” These attacks follow the late June kidnapping, torture and assassination of Marcelo Rivera (no relation), in the nearby municipality of San Isidro. Earlier this year, Recinos Sorto reported that her husband was receiving death threats and that unidentified men had come looking for him at their home. Oscar Menjívar, the man accused of shooting Rivera in August, had previously attacked Rodriguez with a small machete. Menjívar’s neighbors report that he was one of Pacific Rim Mining’s paid “promoters”. According to Rodriguez, “It is Pacific Rim who is responsible for this, because Oscar and I were great friends before they arrived. They are the source of all of this.” The ongoing violence in Cabañas, including assaults, attempted kidnappings and death threats, seems to be centered around the controversial presence of Pacific Rim Mining in the region, with prominent anti-mining leaders coming under attack. Pacific Rim ceased operations at El Dorado after local protests forced the company out and the Salvadoran government subsequently denied extraction permits. President Funes also stated his opposition to the project during his presidential campaign earlier this year and University of Central America polls show that over 62% of the population opposes gold mining. In response, Pacific Rim opened an investor-state arbitration case against the Salvadoran government in April under the U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA (Pacific Rim filed the suit through a recently acquired subsidiary, Pac Rim Cayman, based in Reno, Nevada.) According to Pacific Rim CEO Thomas Shrake, the company is seeking “hundreds of millions” of dollars in the arbitration, which is scheduled to begin in early 2010. In November, Pacific Rim received notice from the New York Stock Exchange that it is in danger of being delisted after posting net losses for five straight years; the company then announced that it will seek to generate CDN $2.36 million by selling shares of stock to finance its legal case against the Salvadoran government. The company does not have any other mining projects in operation.

Castro Has Something To Get Off His Chest About Copenhagen

Fidel discusses the failures of the climate summit where, "...the blind selfishness of a privileged wealthy minority tries to bring the burden of the necessary sacrifices to weigh heavily on the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of the planet." Castro called the brutal attacks on protesters a reminiscent of the Nazi occupation of Denmark.

The following is from Earth Times.

Fidel Castro unveils the causes of Copenhagen summit failure

On 26 December 2009 European Council on International Relations published two letters by Fidel Castro analyzing the results of Copenhagen Climate Summit. The letters entitled The Moment of Truth and the second one The Truth About Copenhagen : The truth of what happened at the summit are a cold, full of valuable inside information and précised description of the causes the led to the failures of the Summit Climate. We present small selections from these important documents describing the atmosphere and the tension of the Copenhagen summit. In a press conference that presented to the public this letters Professor Anton Caragea, president of European Council on International Relations described the two letters as documents on the way that leaders of the world failed to agree on important issues regarding conservation of life on the planet, two letters of extensive information, powerful analytic skills and decisive stands wrote by a world renowned intellectual and political figure: Fidel Castro.

In this letters Fidel Castro writes: „ As it is widely known, the UN Agreement on Climate Change was signed in Kyoto in 1997. This instrument bound 38 industrial nations to cut down their greenhouse effect gas emissions to a certain percentage in comparison with those of 1990. The European Union countries committed to an 8% as of 2005, the year when most of the signatories had already ratified it. George W. Bush, then President of the United States, –the largest greenhouse effect gas producer country which is responsible for one-fourth of such emissions—had rejected the agreement since the midst of 2001. The other UN members continued their efforts. The research centers proceeded with their work. It is evident by now that a major catastrophe is threatening our species. Perhaps the worst could be that the blind selfishness of a privileged wealthy minority tries to bring the burden of the necessary sacrifices to weigh heavily on the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of the planet. That contradiction can be perceived in Copenhagen where thousands of people are standing firm by their views.( …) The social movements will not be allowed to attend. After that show, the "Summit" will resume its works in the plenary hall until its inglorious closing. Since television has carried the images, the world has seen the fascist methods used against the people in Copenhagen. The protesters, most of them young people, have won the solidarity of the peoples. Despite the maneuvers and deception of the leaders of the empire, their moment of truth is drawing closer. Their own allies are losing confidence in them. In Mexico, the same as in Copenhagen or elsewhere in the world, they will be met by the growing resistance of the peoples that have not renounced the hope to survive. (Fidel Castro –The Moment of Truth).

In the second letter Fidel Castro is even more clear in pointing the finger to the responsible of the Copenhagen failure : " If anything significant was achieved in the Danish capital, it was that the media coverage allowed the world public to watch the political chaos created there and the humiliating treatment accorded to Heads of States or Governments, ministers and thousands of representatives of social movements and institutions that in hope and expectation traveled to the Summit's venue in Copenhagen. The brutal repression of peaceful protesters by the police was a reminder of the behavior of the Nazi assault troops that occupied neighboring Denmark on April 1940. But no one could have thought that on December 18, 2009, the last day of the Summit, this would be suspended by the Danish government –a NATO ally associated with the carnage in Afghanistan– to offer the conference's plenary hall to President Obama for a meeting where only he and a selected group of guests, 16 in all, would have the exclusive right to speak. Obama's deceitful, demagogic and ambiguous remarks failed to involve a binding commitment and ignored the Kyoto Framework Convention (….) A small number of countries firmly insisted on the grave omissions and ambiguities of the document promoted by the United States, particularly the absence of a commitment by the developed countries on the reduction of carbon emissions and on the financing that would allow the South countries to adopt alleviating and adjustment measures (…) After a long and extremely tense discussion, the position of the ALBA countries and Sudan, as President of the G-77, prevailed that the document was unacceptable to the conference thus it could not be adopted. In view of the absence of consensus, the Conference could only "take note" of the existence of that document representing the position of a group of about 25 countries".( Fidel Castro-The Truth about what happened at the Summit )

Season's Greetings from Leonard Peltier

Leonard Peltier sends seasons greetings as the government's crime against him continues unabated.

The following is from Radio Havana Cuba.

Season's Greetings from Leonard Peltier: U.S. Political Prisoner

Lewisburg, December 25 (RHC)-- American Indian Movement leader Leonard Peltier, one of the longest-held political prisoners in the United States, has sent a holiday message to his supporters around the world. Leonard Peltier is a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) who was unjustly convicted and sentenced in 1977 to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment for the murder of two FBI agents. The agents died during a gun battle on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1975, but Leonard Peltier didn’t kill them.

Having been locked up for more than 33 years, Leonard is one of the longest held political prisoners in the U.S. and is currently incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

The special holiday message from Leonard Peltier reads:

Greetings and Happy Holidays. I hope this letter finds you all enjoying the spirit of the season with family and friends.

My August parole denial was appealed in short order. We are expecting a response to that appeal sometime very soon. It has occurred to me that the viciousness of this system knows no bounds, and so I believe strongly in the coming days we will hear of another loss, another denial. This one will be timed and intended specifically as a twisted Christmas present for me, such is the nature of those in charge. With no sense of balance, fairness, or decency, I await my own personal stocking stuffer.

We all know the so-called justice system of this country is more about revenge and retribution than finding true and just resolution. It doesn’t take into account the plight of the wrongfully convicted, nor does it allow flexibility as human endeavors always require. This system has always been about making money at the top, furthering careers in the middle, and forgetting those at the bottom.

Their reason for denying my parole is that I refuse to admit guilt and show remorse for the deaths of two FBI agents. I know the righteousness of my situation. I know what I did and didn’t do. I will never yield.

I also know what this country did and continues to do to me and many others. While they demand I make a false confession for the sake of my freedom, they show no remorse for the loss of much of my life, or the lives of Joe Stuntz and countless others they have murdered over the generations simply for being who they were. Those lives are meaningless when compared to their precious FBI, I guess. And now, some of the very ones responsible for the deaths and suffering of so many of my people, are peddling books and claiming to be a friend of the Indian. We’ve seen this before, and I’ll speak more about this soon.

I remain proud of what I have stood for and mindful of what real justice is. In this season of love and forgiveness, please say a prayer for all of those who never knew justice and others who have such difficulty in finding it still today.

My love and my prayers go out to all of you.

Happy Holidays.

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, Leonard Peltier