2019-12-05: News Headlines

PACBI (2019-12-04). Indian University Agrees Not to Host Future Israeli Government Events Following Student Protests. bdsmovement.net Indian University Agrees Not to Host Future Israeli Government Events Following Student Protests: UpdateIn a courageous show of solidarity, students in New Delhi held firm against the university administration's violent crackdown on protests of an Israeli government event until their demands were met. | Academic BoycottNovember 20, 2019 | By:…

Mohamed Elmaazi (2019-12-04). 'NATO is a threat to the very survival of life on earth', says peace campaigner Medea Benjamin. thecanary.co Medea Benjamin, of the US-based peace group CODEPINK, joined hundreds of people in bitterly cold London on 3 December to denounce US president Donald Trump and the western military alliance of NATO. The demonstration and speeches began in Trafalgar Square and then slowly moved to Buckingham Palace where leaders of NATO countries, including president Trump, were reportedly having dinner. | 'NATO always needs an enemy': | Benjamin, a veteran peace activist, told The Canary she came to the UK to 'Say No to NATO' because: NATO is all about militarism and it [always] nee…

Fight Back (2019-12-04). Activists decry Minnesota investments in border militarization, climate destruction. fightbacknews.org St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota State Board of Investment (SBI) held its quarterly meeting at the State Capitol December 2 and got sharp criticism from immigrant rights and anti-war activists, as new documents revealed a nearly $1 million increase in investment in a controversial military technology company. Youth climate strikers also highlighted the SBI's inaction over state ties to environmental destruction. Both groups were met with vacillation and excuses from the board which is tasked with the responsible investment of public pensions and related funds. | At issue was Elbit Systems, an Israel-based manufacture…

Fight Back (2019-12-04). Immigrant rights activists protest ICE detention at Sherburne County commissioners' meeting. fightbacknews.org Elk River, MN – Immigrant rights activists mobilized to the Sherburne County commissioners' meeting at 9: 00 in the morning Tuesday, December 3 in Elk River, a town of around 20,000 people an hour northwest of Minneapolis. They held signs throughout the meeting, and several of them spoke passionately during the public comment section of the agenda, appealing to the commissioners to stop participating in and profiting from immigrant detention in the Sherburne County Jail. | The Sherburne County Jail has a contract for 300 beds to detain immigrants for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), making it the la…

David Bacon (2019-12-04). Twenty Years After Seattle's WTO Protests. progressive.org On November 30, 1999, thousands of activists flooded downtown Seattle, protesting the global economic order and forging a new understanding of the world, a vision very much in play today.

Staff (2019-12-04). "Alternative Nobel Prize:" Right Livelihood Award Celebrates 40 Years Honoring Grassroots Activists. democracynow.org The Right Livelihood Award is marking its 40th anniversary. The award was established in 1980 to honor and support those "offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us." It has since become known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize." Over the past four decades, the award has been given to activists and grassroots leaders around the globe. A number of them have gone on to win the Nobel Peace Prize. This year's winners are: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg; Sahrawi human rights leader Aminatou Haidar, who has challenged the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara for decades; Chi…

Fight Back (2019-12-03). Miami activists unite against U.S. imperialism in Latin America. fightbacknews.org Miami, FL – On December 1, immigrant groups representing several different countries in the Caribbean and South America rallied together at the Torch of Friendship to show unity and strength against U.S imperialism and far-right political violence in Latin America. Various groups of immigrant activists united in what they said was just the beginning of a new movement in South Florida to bring together the various struggles in Latin America against neo-liberalism and neo-colonialism. | Activists representing Chile, Bolivia, Puerto Rico, Colombia and Brazil spoke out against neoliberal policies, U.S militarism, and…

Medea Benjamin (2019-12-02). Medea Benjamin: Donald Trump Was Right, NATO Should Be Obsolete. mintpressnews.com In an age where people around the world want to avoid war and to focus instead on the climate chaos that threatens future life on earth, NATO is an anachronism. It now accounts for about three-quarters of military spending and weapons dealing around the globe.

Medea Benjamin (2019-12-02). Trump Was Right: NATO Should Be Obsolete. dissidentvoice.org The three smartest words that Donald Trump uttered during his presidential campaign are "NATO is obsolete." His adversary, Hillary Clinton, retorted that NATO was "the strongest military alliance in the history of the world." Now that Trump has been in power, the White House parrots the same worn line that NATO is "the most successful …

Aaron Maté (2019-11-30). Abby Martin: Gaza's fight for freedom needs global solidarity. thegrayzone.com The Empire Files' Abby Martin and Mike Prysner discuss their new documentary "Gaza Fights For Freedom," a vivid account of…

Wiepke (2019-11-29). Apartheid Free Zone Campaign in Italy Has Grown by 50 Percent Since Launch in June. bdsmovement.net Apartheid Free Zone Campaign in Italy Has Grown by 50 Percent Since Launch in June: Update150 commercial, cultural and sporting activities in Italy have declared themselves free of Israeli apartheid Apartheid Free ZonesNovember 12, 2019 | By: | | BDS Italy

Fred_F (2019-11-28). Vigil for West Papua. greenleft.org.au international solidarity Bernadette SmithIssue 1247 Australia West PapuaNovember 28, 2019Human rights activists are holding regular vigils outside the Indonesian Consulate in Sydney, calling for a United Nations-supervised referendum to allow the people of…

Julie Hollar (2019-11-27). We're Still Waiting for 'Early and Often' Climate Debate Questions. fair.org As the Democratic Party prepared for its first presidential primary debates in June, climate activists pushed the DNC to schedule a single-issue debate on the climate crisis, given the urgency of the problem and the lack of attention given to it in previous debates. DNC chair Tom Perez refused, saying he had "the utmost confidence" that climate disruption would be discussed in the debates "early and often" (FAIR.org, 6/18/19). | Now that seven nights of debates have passed, and multiple…

Staff (2019-11-27). 20 Years After The Battle of Seattle: Vandana Shiva & Lori Wallach on Historic 1999 WTO Protests. democracynow.org Twenty years ago this week, tens of thousands of activists gathered in Seattle to shut down a ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization. Grassroots organizers successfully blocked world leaders, government trade ministers and corporate executives from meeting to sign a global trade deal that many called deeply undemocratic, harmful to workers' rights, the environment and Indigenous people globally. On November 30, 1999, activists formed a human chain around the Seattle convention center and shut down the city's downtown. Police responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets into the mostly peaceful cro…

Joshua Cho (2019-11-26). Media Wonder: Why Can't Venezuela Be More Like Bolivia? fair.org Western corporate media outlets have often cried foul when foreign elections don't go the way the US empire wants them to, and find roundabout ways to label the violent attempts by vocal right-wing minorities to use military forces to overthrow leftist governments as "protests" rather than coups (FAIR.org, 5/16/18, 5/1/19). But it's still rare to see them blatantly call for a right-wing coup without a hint of…

patrick (2019-11-20). Palestine is a climate justice issue – Israeli apartheid is not "green" bdsmovement.net Palestine is a climate justice issue – Israeli apartheid is not "green": Update Click to download and print this Fact Sheet.November 21, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)

SAMIR (2019-11-19). Responses to Aurora's Tel Aviv shows. bdsmovement.net Responses to Aurora's Tel Aviv shows: PACBI StatementResponses to Norwegian singer Aurora's concerts in apartheid Tel Aviv | Cultural BoycottNovember 19, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)

Moon Of Alabama (2019-11-19). There Are Riots In Iran And The Usual Suspect Are On It. thelastamericanvagabond.com There are a few riots in Iran and Amnesty International is on it: Amnesty International @amnesty — 15: 50 UTC ∑ Nov 19, 2019 At least 106 protesters in 21 cities have been killed in #Iran, according to reports we have received. Verified video footage, eyewitness testimony & information gathered from activists outside Iran reveal a harrowing …

SAMIR (2019-11-18). Catherine Ringer: Cancel Apartheid Tel Aviv Concert. bdsmovement.net Catherine Ringer: Cancel Apartheid Tel Aviv Concert: Open LetterPalestinians appeal to French singer Catherine Ringer to cancel her December 19th concert in apartheid Tel Aviv | Cultural BoycottNovember 18, 2019…

Hatewatch Staff (2019-11-13). Evangelical Franklin Graham Addresses Anti-LGBTQ Hate Group's Event. splcenter.org Influential evangelical leader Franklin Graham has continued his anti-LGBTQ associations by speaking to a hate group that brands "trans" activists as guilty of harming children.

Ricardo Vaz (2019-11-01). Venezuelan Leftist Parties and Unions Stage Protest, Demand Gov't Answers. venezuelanalysis.com Dozens of activists demanded better wages and respect for collective bargaining rights.