Human Rights

Egypt: “We Don’t Need Permission To Protest”

December 1, 2013 Comrades from Cairo, www.roarmag.org Resist! Egypt, Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Human Rights

The protest law, draconian and kafkaesque in its very essence, is not the first time that laws effectively criminalizing protest have been passed since 2011. The army and the Muslim Brotherhood both attempted and failed to pass and enforce such laws. This new one comes under the trappings of the rule of law, supposedly free of political weight, but its intention is clear: to crush dissent and further empower the police to use violence and lethal force. Egyptian lawmakers even have the gall to use oppression abroad to justify a crackdown at home. This is not a call to reform the protest law. This is a rejection of all such laws and the system behind the law — a system that is merely a new face to the one we confronted on January 25, 2011. Following the military’s coup on July 3, the army’s head of command appointed a government that is made up of liberals, retired police and military generals as well as a few individuals considered participants in the January 25 revolution. In their attempt to outlaw any opposition on the street, the role of the liberals and deemed “revolutionaries” is to whitewash the violence of the security regime. These figures are the handmaidens of the attempt to re-create a pre-January 25 Egypt where the regime’s murder and torture becomes the norm. It is their role to prevent outrage on the street.

Troubled Youth Prison Company Wins Even More Contracts

November 30, 2013 Chris Kirkham, www.huffingtonpost.com Educate! Corporatism, Criminal Justice and Prisons, Human Rights

Despite voluminous evidence that inmates have suffered violence, sexual abuse and neglect inside the facilities of a private juvenile prison operator, the state of Florida has in recent weeks awarded fresh contracts to the company. Since late October, Florida has granted Youth Services International two new contracts to operate youth prisons, while signaling that YSI is in line to win a third contract to run a facility near Miami. The decision came after The Huffington Post published an extensive investigation that documented more than two decades of abuse at the company's juvenile and adult facilities. Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice has continued to award tens of millions of dollars worth of prison contracts to YSI, despite a civil rights investigation by the Justice Department and probes into negligence and violent conditions by authorities in at least five states.

Sailing Winds Of Freedom With Kids From Gaza

November 30, 2013 Mahfouz Kabariti, www.gazaark.org Resist! Human Rights, Palestine

The effects of the blockade on children in Gaza will be described by speakers representing different civil society organizations in Gaza. This mini-Ark action focuses attention to the devastating conditions for children living inside the Gaza Strip, as fuel to run their basic needs and other essentials have been denied to them. Baroness Jenny Tonge writes from Westminster, U.K. “The children of Gaza are trapped in a horrible and life threatening situation through no fault of their own. They do not have enough food, the water is undrinkable and they wade through sewage to and from school, now that the sewage pumps no longer work, due to the mean and cruel actions of the Israeli government.” U.S. playwright Naomi Wallace adds: “As historian Howard Zinn noted, All wars are wars against children. The Mini Arks are sailing to honor the rights of children, that they may live in peace and safety. May the strong winds of justice fill their sails.” Gaza's Ark and our supporters around the world stand with the children of Gaza today and as long as it takes to end the blockade.

The Prawer Plan: Ethnic Cleansing In The Negev

November 30, 2013 the Institute for Middle East Understanding, www.imeu.net Educate! Human Rights, Israel, Palestine, Sovereignty

In 2011, Yaron Ben Ezra, the director of the settlement division of the World Zionist Organization (WZO) stated that the purpose of building new Jewish communities in the Negev is "to prevent the continued invasion of state lands by the Bedouin and to prevent the creation of Bedouin or Arab [territorial] contiguity." (The Bedouin are effectively regarded as foreign invaders by Israeli officials even though they lived on their ancestral lands in the Negev for centuries before the creation of the state of Israel.) Along with the Jewish National Fund (JNF), the quasi-governmental WZO plays an important role in government efforts to “Judaize” the Negev and other parts of Israel.

Britons Protest Over Israel Plan To Remove 70,000 Palestinian Bedouins

November 30, 2013 Harriet Sherwood, www.theguardian.com Educate! Human Rights, Israel, Sovereignty

More than 50 public figures in Britain, including high-profile artists, musicians and writers, have put their names to a letter opposing an Israeli plan to forcibly remove up to 70,000 Palestinian Bedouins from their historic desert land – an act condemned by critics as ethnic cleansing. The letter, published in the Guardian, is part of a day of protest on Saturday in Israel, Palestine and two dozen other countries over an Israeli parliamentary bill that is expected to get final approval by the end of this year. The eviction and destruction of about 35 "unrecognised" villages in the Negev desert will, the letter says, "mean the forced displacement of Palestinians from their homes and land, and systematic discrimination and separation".

Indigenous National Day Of Mourning: “We Are All Human Beings”

November 28, 2013 Lee Stephanie Roscoe, www.popularresistance.org Educate! Human Rights, Indigenous Rights, Solidarity

A banner proclaimed that “corporations have more rights than native peoples.” Speakers called on us all to reject the corporate and corrupt values of materialism and competitiveness which were causing harm to fellow human beings and to the earth. “When they have killed the last human and the last plant and animal, the warriors will arise to heal the earth, using the power, the secrets of the wind and stars,” the Mayan elder foretold. It was not just about the wrongs done to indigenous people, but to thank all like-hearted people for being part of the circle. “We are all one. We are all human beings” was a theme throughout. It was not just the suffering of native peoples, but of immigrants, of victims of war in Afghanistan and Pakistan, victims of oppression in Palestine, victims of poverty and hunger; those affected by global warming -- by terrible typhoons in the Philipines. This legacy of ecocide and genocide linked by the speakers.

No Thanks To Thanksgiving

November 27, 2013 Robert Jensen, www.alternet.org Educate! Human Rights, Indigenous Rights

One indication of moral progress in the United States would be the replacement of Thanksgiving Day and its self-indulgent family feasting with a National Day of Atonement accompanied by a self-reflective collective fasting. In fact, indigenous people have offered such a model; since 1970 they have marked the fourth Thursday of November as a Day of Mourning in a spiritual/political ceremony on Coles Hill overlooking Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, one of the early sites of the European invasion of the Americas. Not only is the thought of such a change in this white-supremacist holiday impossible to imagine, but the very mention of the idea sends most Americans into apoplectic fits -- which speaks volumes about our historical hypocrisy and its relation to the contemporary politics of empire in the United States. That the world's great powers achieved "greatness" through criminal brutality on a grand scale is not news, of course. That those same societies are reluctant to highlight this history of barbarism also is predictable. But in the United States, this reluctance to acknowledge our original sin -- the genocide of indigenous people -- is of special importance today.

Thousands Converge On US School of Americas In Annual Anti-War Protest

November 25, 2013 Staff, www.soaw.org Resist! Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Human Rights, Latin America, School of Americas, Wars and Militarism

"The 2013 November Vigil energized the movement. The weekend gathering was vibrant and featured creativity in many different facets. Many participated for the first time in the annual vigil. On Sunday, November 24, thousands walked in a solemn funeral procession and commemorated those who have been killed by SOA/ WHINSEC graduates and U.S. militarization. The procession transitioned into an upbeat celebration of life and resistance, after Oscar Romero's last sermon was blasted through the stage speaker system, and a banner with our message, and thousands of soap bubbles crossed over the barb-wired fence."

Egypt Passes Law Restricting Public Protests

November 25, 2013 Gregg Carlstrom, Resist! Egypt, Human Rights

Egypt's interim president, Adly Mansour, has signed a restrictive new "protest law" that would require Egyptians to seek approval days in advance before organising demonstrations. The law will take effect later this week once the final text is published in the official state register. It gives police wide latitude to use force against demonstrators, which could give the government a pretext for a widespread crackdown. The law has gone through numerous revisions, but rights groups say the latest version requires protesters to seek approval from police three days in advance, and allows the interior ministry to block rallies that could "pose a serious threat to security or peace". Election campaign events are subject to a 24-hour notification period in some drafts, and "processions" of more than 10 people are only allowed for "non-political" purposes. Violators could face fines of up to $4,360.

SOA Watch Vigil This Weekend, Fort Benning, GA

November 20, 2013 SOA Watch, , www.Peace Resist! Human Rights, Wars and Militarism

The 2013 SOA Watch Vigil at Ft. Benning, GA is two days away. With this year's November Vigil only two days away, we are looking forward to seeing you at the gates of Ft. Benning to say "NO MORE" to U.S. militarization and repression in Latin America. With over 70 workshops, as well as an amazing lineup of speakers and performers, this year's vigil is surely going to be an extraordinary expression of our collective energy and solidarity! Also, this year will mark the sixth time that SOA Watch is joining local activists at a rally and vigil to shut down the Stewart Detention Center, a for-profit immigrant prison located in Lumpkin, Georgia. Then, on Saturday November 23 we will take our opening plenary to a new level as we host our first People's Movement Assembly (PMA)!

Meet Me at the Bill of Rights: America’s Common Ground

November 19, 2013 Rivera Sun, www.risingsundancetheater.com Strategize! Criminal Justice and Prisons, Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Human Rights, Police abuse

United we stand, divided we fall. The old adage appears to be the maxim of the elite: keep the populace divided and they will do the dirty work of subduing themselves. Keep the people fragmented and they will never be able to overthrow the elite. Keep the masses fighting over crumbs tossed from ivory towers and they will never seize the treasure troves that the wealthy horde. Throughout all of history, this is how the masses are controlled by the few. United we stand, divided we fall. Political leaders haul the old phrase out of storage to rally us to their causes, support their wars, and frighten us into obedience. They quickly stuff it out of sight, however, when people start to organize together. For beneath its common understanding as a warning, it also contains the formula for revolution. United we stand . . . many of us find it laughable to contemplate unity among the seemingly deeply polarized American people. Every conceivable bone of contention is tossed at us by the media. We are told that even the smallest political issue leads to shouting matches. Families don’t dare discuss politics at the dinner table. The pundits tell us that Americans could never come together . . . liberals and conservatives are oil and water. They don’t mix. And so, divided we fall, exactly as the powerful intended.

A Call For A Crowdsourced Worldwide Wave Of Action ~ #www

November 16, 2013 Resist! Corporatism, Democracy, Environment, Finance and the Economy, Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Human Rights, Occupy, Police abuse, Surveillance, Whistleblowers

Let's pick a three-month span, perhaps throughout this coming spring, and unite our collective actions into an unprecedented Worldwide Wave that cannot be ignored by anyone. Let's crowdsource a relentless global wave of action that protests the corrupt, while also rallying around and celebrating effective alternatives and solutions to the vast problems we are confronted by. Imagine thousands of nonviolent guerrilla armies swarming corrupt targets and rallying for viable solutions for a sustained three-month cycle. If we begin preparing now, a massive spring offensive can lead to a summer of transformation. Staying true to the vital nature of the movement, you lead, in your own way. Pick whatever issues concern you most and run with them, knowing that likeminded people throughout the world will also be fighting in solidarity, in whatever way they can, at the same time you are. This time the police state will not be able to crush us. We will not have stationary targets. We will be everywhere, fluid and evasive. The movement will be an unstoppable crowdsourced, decentralized and autonomous revolutionary force. We will engage in a diversity of nonviolent tactics, from large-scale mobilizations to small daily acts. Most of you already know the actions and tactics that are needed. Our ability to take part in civil disobedience is multiplied by our ability to easily record the actions on video and spread them throughout the Internet. By flooding social media with these inspiring videos, we will create a positive feedback loop that translates into more action on the ground. Radical change is urgently needed, so let's make transforming the world the cool thing to do. Let's create a culture of transformation. Let's blaze a contagious nonviolent wave of action through mass consciousness, signaling the end of the old world, ushering in a new paradigm. Now is the time.

5 Signs Bank Of America Has No Humanity

November 12, 2013 Kevin Mathews, www.care2.com Educate! Corporatism, Finance and the Economy, Housing, Human Rights, Worker Rights and Jobs

If corporations are people, then Bank of America is a sociopath. The nation’s largest bank continually demonstrates that it doesn’t play nicely with other people. While the institution will gladly take your money, don’t expect it to have any respect for you in return. Here are five recent signs that BoA lacks humanity: 1. Stealing Homes Heartlessly foreclosing on homes and leaving families homeless is definitely greedy. However, when Bank of America is caught illegally fudging paperwork and rules to steal homes from families who met the terms to keep their property, that’s when it’s clear how despicable the institution is.

Peace Team In Palestine: Football And A Face-Off In Al Masra

November 9, 2013 Ellen Davidson, www.stopthesewars.org Resist! Human Rights, Palestine, Wars and Militarism

The Veterans Peace Team delegation in Palestine came face to face with the Israeli Defense Forces in the West Bank village of Al Masra today. The group of three men and three women is in Palestine to participate in the struggle against the U.S.-backed Israeli occupation. Five of the six are U.S. military veterans, and all are members of Veterans For Peace. Al Masra, south of Bethlehem, is one of many villages that have developed Popular Committees to nonviolently resist construction of what Israelis call the “separation barrier” and Palestinians and their supporters refer to as the “apartheid wall.” In places, it consists of 26-foot-high concrete slabs and it snakes through the West Bank, sometimes following the “Green Line” that marked the border between Israel and the West Bank before the 1967 invasion and occupation, but more often cutting deep into Palestinian territory to take lands with valuable resources and to make room for existing and planned illegal Israeli settlements.

Hundreds Rally Outside Metrodome To Protest ‘Redskins’

November 8, 2013 Staff, www.AP.org Resist! Human Rights, Racism, Video

Hundreds of American Indians and their supporters rallied outside the Metrodome Thursday night to demand the Washington Redskins change the team's nickname, calling it racist and disrespectful. Carrying flags, signs and staffs and led by American Indian Movement co-founder Clyde Bellecourt, the crowd marched to the downtown stadium to hear speakers before the Minnesota Vikings played Washington. Opponents call the Redskins' nickname offensive to Native Americans. As drums beat, protesters chanted, "Hey hey, ho ho, Little Red Sambo's got to go." Some carried signs with messages including "We are not cartoons! Respect us!" and "Racism is unsportsmanlike conduct." Mario McBrogan, 24, of Minneapolis, who is Cherokee, was there to watch the game and to support changing the Redskins' name. He said the name should be changed "out of respect to every Native American."

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