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Austerity

Can’t Talk Amtrak Derailment Without Talking Infrastructure

At least six people have died and more than 140 people are injured in the wake of the deadliest Amtrak derailment in recent history. Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188 rolled off the tracks while rounding a bend near Philadelphia, according to NBC Philadelphia, while carrying 238 passengers and five crew members. As officials sort through the wreckage and try to determine the cause of the tragedy, the Northeast Corridor — Amtrak’s busiest and most profitable route between Boston and Washington — will be shut down for an indeterminate amount of time. Already the densest rail route in the U.S., aging Northeast Corridor trains are grappling with more riders than ever. The route has steadily broken ridership records every year for more than a decade — last year, 11.6 million people rode a Northeast Corridor train.

7 Teenage Girls Organize Mass Protest Against Austerity In The UK

Thousands of people flooded the streets of Bristol in an anti-austerity demonstration which was organised by a group of young yet determined women. A group of seven teenagers organised the march, which opposed the Government's austerity measures, on social media. Support grew rapidly for the group, which called itself Bristol Against Austerity, and evening thousands of people packed every corner of Park Street as the demonstration snaked round the city centre. Many of those who attended were angry, and the majority were young people bearing placards, who said they were disgusted at the Government's attitude to the NHS and welfare spending.

Greek Anti-Austerity Protesters Occupy Siemens Office In Athens

A small group of demonstrators occupied the Athens headquarters of German industrial group Siemens on Monday, police and company officials said, in a protest against the austerity policies imposed on Greece by its lenders. About 30 people entered the building in a northern Athens suburb, occupying the Siemens offices and hanging a banner outside the main entrance ahead of a scheduled rally to the German embassy planned for later this month. "We are not negotiating with domestic and foreign capitalists," read the banner. The protesters also threw flyers saying: "We won't become a colony of Germany or any other Imperialist power". Many Greeks blame Germany for the harsh austerity policies that the country's international lenders have demanded in exchange for 240 billion euros ($268 billion) of bailout funds since 2010.

Protests Greet 37% Tory Government At Downing Street

The anti-Conservative protesters, some holding placards reading "I pledge to resist" and "Stop the cuts", took part in the rally organised just a day into the new Parliament. Much of the protest was peaceful, with many attending calling for the introduction of proportional representation after the election results on Friday. A number pointed out that the Tories only won 37% of the vote, while minority parties like the Greens and UKIP came away with only one MP despite polling millions of votes between them. Police were pictured holding batons as they confronted the crowds and controlled what they called an "unplanned" demonstration. Scuffles broke out when the demonstrators, blaring hooters, banging pots and chanting obscenities, confronted lines of police outside the gate leading to the prime minister's Downing Street residence. At one point a bicycle was hurled at police.

Greece’s Tsipras Threatens Referendum On EU If No Deal Reached

In a three-hour appearance on private TV channel Star TV on April 27, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras spoke extensively about the challenges confronting the anti-austerity government led by the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA). The program began with a grilling of Tsipras by interviewer Niko Katsinikolao and ended with questions from a 50-strong audience. A lot of questions reflected growing concern that talks with the country’s creditors — mainly the “Troika” of the European Union (EU), European Central Bank (ECB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) — were stalled. A recent Greek poll showed 45.5% agreed with the government's negotiating strategy (down from 72% in February), but 39.5% say the strategy is wrong (up from 28% in February). Tsipras’s appearance came after an April 24 meeting of eurozone finance ministers (the “Eurogroup”) in the Latvian capital Riga. The talks failed to make headway in negotiating an agreement over terms for releasing some of the €7.2 billion earmarked for Greece under the second Troika “bail-out” package.

Arrests Made After Protesters Occupy Bank In Cardiff City

Demonstrators shouted ‘the banks caused the crisis’ and ‘say no to austerity’ while handing out leaflets to staff members. Graffiti saying ‘Tax HSBC’ was written in pink chalk on a poster. Around nine or ten police vehicles were called to the scene to deal with the protesters and the bank was shut early for the day “due to unforeseen circumstances”. The event was a celebration of International Workers’ Day and a protest against austerity and cuts by the coalition government. President of the Cardiff Trades Council, Katrine Williams, said: “We’re bringing together not just trade unions but people in our community who are angered by the cuts we are facing. “Our trade unions and the people of Cardiff want an end to austerity and cuts and they want to see more jobs created. “The richest 1% carry on getting richer while people are living in poverty and going to foodbanks. “There is £123bn in unpaid tax which could be used to fund the NHS and public services while creating a future for young people.”

Bank Occupied In Liverpool, Turned Into Homeless Shelter

We make this document a Statement of Intent regarding the old Bank of England building on Castle Street, Liverpool. The intentions are as follows to feed, cloth and help all those who seek it and for the local community to help resource this project. We intend to use this building for the community, to inspire a feeling of community, which is lacking. We do this in direct response to a local council and government who are lacking in their efforts to help those in need and in fact, the local Council and government seem intent on making matters worse for the people by putting more and more austerity measures in place. We wish by the direct action of occupying an empty unused building and using said building to provide certain needs for the street people or for that matter anyone else who needs to use what is provided by donations, which come from the local community.

Jamaica Suffering ‘Most Austere Budget In The World’ By IMF

Ahead of President Obama’s trip to Jamaica this week, a new paper from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) finds that Jamaica is running the most austere budget in the world, with a primary surplus of 7.5 percent, due to its IMF agreement, and that the government’s interest payments on the debt and austerity have brought public investment to a low. The paper, “Partners in Austerity: Jamaica, the United States and the International Monetary Fund” by Jake Johnston, notes that Jamaica has a debt-to-GDP ratio of nearly 140 percent and its public interest burden is one of the very highest in the world, at over 8 percent of GDP last year.

Protests Shut Down Austerity At Point Of Production

On March 21st, the first day of spring, Quebec students went on strike over the Liberal Couillard government’s austerity policies; those numbers swelled to over 60,000 striking students by Monday the 23rd. Approximately 140,000 total Cegep (pre-university vocational college), college and university students will hold strike votes with renewable mandates this spring. As the constituent power and momentum of the strike builds one general assembly at a time, at least 105,000 students have voted to shut it down at the point of production on April 2nd.Printemp 2015 is attempting to unite striking student unions with 400,000 public sector workers in contract negotiations in a province-wide “social strike” May 1st.

Newsletter: Austerity, Debt & Environmental Degradation

Last week, we wrote about the epidemic of neoliberalism. This week, as major protests erupt in Canada, Mexico and Belgium, we discuss its sister, austerity. In neo-liberal economics, wealth is funneled to the top through increasing privatization of the public and cuts to social services. This can only occur if those who are not at the top are subjected to austerity measures. Those at the bottom are squeezed, suffer financial insecurity and the inability to meet basic needs. Rather than these realities weakening our ability to stand up we must stand together in solidarity to take care of each other and build our power in the struggle. People are becoming more aware that their individual struggles are against system-wide problems and are seeing that when the people are united, they can win. Let’s keep building solidarity and unity of action so the muscle of people power grows.

Four Reasons Québec Is On The Streets Fighting Austerity

Night demonstrations -- a fixture in the 2012 Quebec student movement -- were held on Tuesday in Montreal and Quebec City, and again on Friday in Montreal, with thousands filling the streets as well as hundreds of armoured police. The mobilization against austerity measures was met by strong police reaction. On Thursday of the same week, the Quebec Liberal government tabled a budget "balanced" by large cuts to education, health care and other social services spending. A Popular Protest Against Austerity and the Petro-Economy was held on Saturday March 21 with between 5,000 - 10,000 taking to the streets of Montreal. The event was repeated with another large turnout on Saturday, March 28, with more protests held in Montreal and around Quebec.

Thousands Protest Austerity In Brussels

Tens of thousands demonstrated in the streets of Brussels Sunday to protest against austerity measures introduced by the new Belgian government. ​Officials estimated the crowds at 20,000, while march organizers claimed that up to 120,000 people participated in the rally, one day before Belgian labor unions called for a series of strikes. Marchers came from across the country, chanting slogans like, "Yes, there is an alternative to government savings.” They also called for a fair tax system and a better distribution of government spending. The rally was organized by the social NGO “Hart boven Hard” (Heart Over Hard) and according to local press about 7,000 demonstrators are expected in Brussels Monday for the strikes, which are expected to disrupt public transportation.

Aggressive Police Response To Quebec Anti-Austerity Protest

MONTREAL – A student group is denouncing the police after a protester was shot in the face with part of a tear-gas canister at an anti-austerity demonstration. Naomie Tremblay-Trudeau told various media Friday she is considering legal action against the police after video of her being shot at point-blank range in Quebec City circulated on YouTube. Camille Godbout of the ASSE student group says it wasn’t an isolated incident. She said a police dog attacked a protester earlier this week in Quebec City and that another demonstrator was injured after being allegedly struck by a police baton in Montreal.

Italy: Thousands Of Students Protest Education Reforms

In Italy, thousands of students took to the streets Thursday in Milan, the second most populous city in the country, to protest against education reforms. "This is another attack on public schools. Let us return to the streets to demand our rights. Greece is an example to follow in the fight against austerity, "said a protester. The clashes erupted when students approached the building of Lombardy, the main seat of government. As the cops cut over the protesters, they began throwing eggs, stones, smoke bombs and bottles with paint. Also, similar demonstrations took place in cities like Turin, Pisa and Rome (capital). "We are against an idea of ​​education they are proposing, and we have an alternative. We have many alternatives and are a factory of ideas, "said a student from Rome. Riot police also arrested several students, but have not yet been revealed information on the number of wounded, according to local sources. This is another attack on public schools. Let us return to the streets to demand our rights. Greece is an example to follow in the fight against austerity ". "This is another attack on public schools. Let us return to the streets to demand our rights. Greece is an example to follow in the fight against austerity, "said a protester. The clashes erupted when students approached the building of Lombardy, the main seat of government. As the cops cut over the protesters, they began throwing eggs, stones, smoke bombs and bottles with paint. Also, similar demonstrations took place in cities like Turin, Pisa and Rome (capital).

Newsletter: Changing Our Story

Alnoor Ladha and Martin Kirk of The Rules write in "Capitalism is Just a Story and Other Dangerous Thoughts" that our system of neo-liberal capitalism is one story that is told about the way the world works. In this story, natural resources are turned into commodities so they can be monetized. As in the feudal age, the wealthy few are taking more and more, cutting the rest of us off from the treasures we once shared and expanding the wealth divide so that more of us become 'serfs'. 1neofeudalLadha and Kirk go on to say, "our only absolute limitation is our collective imagination, expressed through our will to change the mythologies that hold this house of cards together." For once we see neo-liberalism and its related "isms" of colonialism, imperialism and racism for what they are and what they do, we are closer to being free of their grip and creating a new story.
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