Protest

Anti-World Cup Protests Countdown To Kick-Off

June 14, 2014 Jonathan Watts, www.theguardian.com Resist! Brazil, Police, Protest, world cup

Riot police fired percussion grenades and teargas at anti-World Cup protesters in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro on Thursday as the countdown to the kick-off was marred by demonstrations in at least 10 Brazilian cities. Just hours before the opening ceremony at the Itaquerão stadium, about 100 protesters started fires and threw rocks at police in an apparent attempt to block a road leading to the venue. The confrontation led to at least one arrest and five injuries, including a suspected broken arm suffered by a CNN producer who was hit by a teargas canister. Amnesty International accused the police of using excess force. "The Brazilian authorities must, without delay, investigate why excessive force was used against peaceful protesters, bring those responsible to justice and ensure this does not happen again," said Atila Roque, director of Amnesty International Brazil. The "Our Cup is on the Street" protests are targeting the high cost of the stadiums, corruption, police brutality and evictions. Similar demonstrations have been organised via social networks in 100 cities, including several that host World Cup games, such as Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre and Recife.

After Year Of Protests Bulgaria Cabinet To Resign

June 13, 2014 The Sofia Globe, www.sofiaglobe.com Resist! Bulgaria, Elections, Protest

Bulgaria should hold early parliamentary elections at the end of July 2014, with the cabinet resigning in coming days after the National Assembly rejects the latest opposition motion of no confidence in the cabinet, Bulgarian Socialist Party leader Sergei Stanishev told a plenum meeting of the party on June 10. The date of the end of July is at variance with calls by other parties, notably centre-right opposition GERB, to hold early parliamentary elections at the end of September simultaneously with a referendum on electoral reforms. Stanishev was addressing the meeting of the BSP national council against a background of the decisive defeat dealt to the party in Bulgaria’s May 25 2014 European Parliament elections. The dismal performance of the BSP at the European Parliament elections, the latest defeat to which Stanishev led the party – including its second place in May 2013 parliamentary elections – reignited calls for the resignation of the government. Stanishev’s announcement came just a few days before a planned mass rally in central Sofia to mark the anniversary of the June 14 2013 beginning of hugely-supported public protests

Thousands Protest Oil In Naked Bike Ride

June 13, 2014 ShelSebens, www.reuters.com Organize! Oil, Oregon, Protest

Thousands of bicyclists, many of them stark naked, poured into the streets of Portland, Oregon on Saturday night for the 11th annual World Naked Bike Ride, a protest that promotes bike riding as an alternative to driving cars. Nude cyclists with lights flashing in their tire spokes rang bells as they barreled down avenues lined with cheering spectators, while a naked, apparently pregnant woman rode in a bike trailer. "This is a party, but it's also a protest," said Carl Larson, a ride spokesman. "It is about oil dependence, cycling vulnerability and body" image. Cyclists showed up in Normandale Park an hour before the ride, shedding garments according to the ride theme "as bare as you dare". The rides are held in more than 75 U.S. cities and in more than 20 other countries, but Portland's is believed to be the largest, with more than 8,000 participants last year. But unlike events in other cities, the Portland ride works with local police, being considered as a protest. Officers direct traffic during what is generally a trouble-free event.

First Nations Vow: No Tar Sands Pipeline

June 13, 2014 Andrea Germanos, www.commondreams.org Resist! Canada, First Nations, Pipeline, Protest

There will be no tar sands pipeline. That is the message stressed by First Nations communities who say that even if Canada's Prime Minister Harper gives the federal OK to Enbridge's Northern Gateway project, First Nations law and their "responsibilities to future generations" will stop the project dead in its tracks. A federal decision on the project, which includes a 1,200-kilometer pipeline that would carry half a million barrels per day of crude from the Alberta tar sands to coastal Kitimat, British Columbia, is expected in the coming days. Chief Fred Sam of the Nak’azdli First Nation, one of the Yinka Dene First Nations communities who have joined in opposition to the Northern Gateway, stated, "Our decision to refuse consent for the Enbridge pipeline is a decision according to our own laws. It is binding and clearly set out in the Save the Fraser Declaration." That declaration, the Yinka Dene Alliance explained, bans Enbridge's pipelines and tankers from First Nations territories.

Opposition Choking Tar Sands Industry

June 12, 2014 Danielle Droitsch, www.switchboard.nrdc.org Resist! Fracking, Keystone XL, Protest

Yesterday, a major tar sands company Total E&P – who is also a confirmed shipper for the proposed and now delayed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline – announced it would put on hold indefinitely its plans for the massive tar sands Joslyn mine. The company said the economics for the $11 billion plan no longer added up. Over its lifetime, the tar sands mine would have pumped hundreds of millions of metric tons of carbon pollution into the air equivalent to putting 2.4 million cars on the road for 45 years according to Oil Change International. This announcement severely undercuts oil industry arguments that the expansion of tar sands development is unavoidable. In fact, there is clear and compelling evidence that the growth of the tar sands industry is directly linked to the availability of pipelines like Keystone XL. It is why the State Department must reject tar sands pipeline projects like Keystone XL because they it would directly enable the growth of the carbon polluting tar sands industry. The plans for the Joslyn tar sands mine were approved by the Government of Canada in 2011 and would have produced 874 million barrels of bitumen over its life span (production rate of 100,000 barrels/day). The mine would have commenced production in 2020. The announcement to indefinitely suspend the project came only a few months after the process for the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline was put on hold as the State of Nebraska resolves legal issues over the route of the pipeline through the state. Was this a coincidence? Perhaps not.

Spying On Protesters Becomes Political Issue

June 12, 2014 Mark Kennedy, www.ottawacitizen.com Educate! Canada, Protest, Surveillance

The Conservative government is defending its surveillance of public demonstrations throughout Canada, insisting that peaceful protests can sometimes become violent and pose threats to national security. But the official Opposition isn’t buying it, and says the civil rights of Canadians are being violated by how the federal government is using bureaucrats to keep watch of legitimate protests. The issue was discussed in the House of Commons on Friday, after the Citizen revealed the surveillance activities of the government earlier in the week. New Democrat MP Niki Ashton was among members of her caucus who pressed the government for an explanation. “Let us be clear about what we are talking about,” Ashton told the Commons. “This is about the ministry of public safety maintaining a registry of demonstrations to spy on Canadians who protest. How can the minister justify turning the ministry of public safety into a spy agency that keeps tabs on peaceful protesters?” Roxanne James, parliamentary secretary to the public safety minister, fielded questions on behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s governing Tories. “Protests and rallies are public events,” said James.

Cab Drivers Gridlock Europe In Protest At ‘Unregulated’ Taxi App

June 12, 2014 Alexandra Topping, Ashifa Kassam, www.theguardian.com Resist! Protest, Regulation, Uber

Several major European cities ground to a halt on Wednesday as licensed taxi drivers took to the streets in mass protests against the smartphone taxi app Uber. Demonstrations in London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Milan and Rome caused travel chaos and long tailbacks, as taxi drivers protested against the app, which they argue is unregulated and threatens their livelihood. In London, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall were jammed from the start of the planned "go slow" at 2pm, as thousands of black cabs gathered honking their horns, bringing total gridlock to the centre of the capital, while supporters waved banners and started occasionally chanting: "Boris, out!" A spokeswoman for Uber, the US start-up which links minicab drivers to passengers via a GPS-based smartphone app, said the protests had boosted new users in London by 850%, as people tried to cope with the gridlock. But the company, based in San Francisco and backed by Google and Goldman Sachs, came under increasing pressure to be more transparent about its tax set-up. Taxi associations claim Uber routes its payments through headquarters in the Netherlands to minimise its corporation tax payments in France, the UK and Germany – in a similar manner to Apple and Starbucks, which have found themselves in the firing line for the practice.

Uranium Mine Clean-up Movement Claims Victory, Vows To Go National

June 12, 2014 Talli Nauman, www.cipamericas.com Resist! Congress, Law, Protest, Uranium

With the imminent release of a congressionally mandated report on the legacy of abandoned uranium mines in the United States, peace and environmental justice advocates are rallying for a nationwide clean-up. Nearly 100 people from both grassroots and high-profile environmental groups across the country gathered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, May 1-5 to strategize about reducing the devastating role of uranium mining in the nuclear energy cycle and to challenge the growth of other non-renewable energy industries. Taking part in the Third Extreme Energy Extraction Summit, activists from throughout the uranium mining territory of the Inter-Mountain West linked up to inform themselves of opportunities for working together on a shared agenda. Chief among prospects for progress they discussed was the recent $5.15 billion settlement of a landmark lawsuit against Kerr-McGee and its parent Anadarko Petroleum Corp., for fraud in the abandonment of some 2,700 uranium and other hazardous and mining sites in 47 states. The U.S. Justice Department, lead plaintiff in the case, announced the settlement on April 3, noting that $4.4 billion of it will go to fund environmental recovery and related claims, in what it called “the largest payment ever for the clean-up of environmental contamination.”

Chile Rejects $8bn Dam Project In Patagonia

June 12, 2014 Al Jazeera, www.aljazeera.com Resist! Chile, Dam, Environment, Protest

President Michelle Bachelet's government has rejected a huge $8bn hydroelectric project in Chile's Patagonia region, citing its adverse impact on the environment. The decision by the Chilean cabinet to shelve the controversial seven-year-old scheme was a victory for environmentalist groups which fought the proposal to build five dams in a pristine river basin. "The Hidroaysen hydroelectric project is hereby rejected," said Pablo Badenier, the environment minister. Hundreds of people on Tuesday cheered the decision in the streets of Santiago and in the region of Aysen, about 1,300km south of the Chilean capital. Patricio Rodrigo, executive secretary of the Patagonia Defence Council, called the decision "the greatest triumph of the environmental movement in Chile". It "marks a turning point, where an empowered public demands to be heard and to participate in the decisions that affect their environment and their lives," Rodrigo said. The joint Spanish-Chilean venture formed for the project now has 30 days to challenge the decision in the Environmental Court of Valdivia in southern Chile.

Brazil Puts Missiles On Apartment Buildings

June 11, 2014 Revolution News, www.revolution-news.com Resist! Brazil, Military, Protest, world cup

Today people of Rio de Janeiro, residing in the area of the Maracanã World Cup stadium, woke up to find out that missiles have been placed on the roofs of their bloc of flats. Not just missiles, but actual military bases have been set up over night on their homes. The Navy of Brazil are “positioning airspace surveillance and air defense equipment” on the terrace of a building with 15 floors and 90 apartments in Tijuca north of Rio, 600 meters from the Maracanã. They want to “defend the anti-aircraft Maracana.” Residents of the building Chateau Grenoble have noticed army soldiers on their roof. Retired economist Almir Gomes Cardoso, 72, says he was shocked to see the marines on the roof. “They (the military) confirmed that they will install a missile on the roof,” said Cardoso, who lives on the top floor. Just like that. Nobody asked him anything: “The landlady did not report anything. It was a fait accompli.” The military say the missiles are meant to defend the “airspace” on an area of 13 to 15 km around the stadium Maracana, as well as around the other 12 stadiums where the games for the cup will take place. But the reality is that from the roofs of the building they will be actually spying on and monitoring protestors on the ground – this is their main concern. A state army of 200,000 uniforms, a third of which are army soldiers, are deployed for FIFA’s most expensive show ever — and the biggest theft from Brazil’s public budgets: -> ”A gigantic theft of public resources would take place. For us that was clear from the beginning. But we had not anticipated that the fraud would be as big as he is now! Beginning it was said that the Copa (World Cup) would make do with a budget of 2 billion U.S. dollars. Now, over 10 billion U.S. dollars spent been! That’s why the people are outraged!

Demonstrations Block Roads From London To Berlin

June 11, 2014 Amy Thomson, www.bloomberg.com Resist! Europe, Protest, Uber

Uber Technologies Inc., the car-sharing service that’s rankling cabbies across the U.S., is fighting its biggest protest from European drivers who say the smartphone application threatens their livelihoods. Traffic snarled in cities from London to Madrid and Berlin to Paris as strikes and gatherings by more than 30,000 taxi and limo drivers blocked tourist centers and shopping districts. They are asking regulators to apply tougher rules on San Francisco-based Uber, whose software allows customers to order a ride from drivers who don’t need licenses that can cost 200,000 euros ($270,000) apiece. While similar demonstrations this year have led to smashed windshields and traffic chaos in Paris, a united front in Europe highlights the challenges for Uber’s expansion after a funding round that values the company at $17 billion, almost five times the figure in an earlier round. Out of some 128 cities it serves, 20 are in Europe, including Manchester, Lyon and Zurich. “European cities have tended to regulate taxi drivers much more than the U.S.,” said Charles Lichfield, an analyst at Eurasia Group in London. “I do think the protests have a better chance of succeeding.” In London, thousands of black cabs and private hire cars descended on the tourist hubs of Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square, blocking some of the city’s busiest streets. Scooter and motorbike riders studying for the cab-driver exam joined in, honking their horns as the police tried to regulate traffic.

Protestors Occupy Vacant House, Rally For Housing

June 11, 2014 Claire McNeill, www.bostonglobe.com Resist! Foreclosure, Organizing, Protest

The hardest part of battling eviction is the not knowing, Lavette Sealls said. “You’re always living on edge because you know eventually you might have to move,” she said. “You go on fighting as hard as you can.” The 58-year-old Hyde Park resident told her story to a crowd of more than 60 at a rally for affordable housing in Dorchester on Saturday. The day’s main event was the occupation of a vacant home owned by Fannie Mae, a symbolic step toward reclaiming a neighborhood plagued by rising housing costs that have led to foreclosures and evictions. “We’re making a demand here today that Fannie Mae create affordable housing,” Maria Christina Blanco shouted into a megaphone, receiving cheers. “We’re here to hold them to it.” A community organizer for City Life/Vida Urbana, which is part of a coalition that held the rally, Blanco said the event was about creating a home for a family who lost their Roxbury house after a foreclosure. Paul and Renée Adamson, the couple moving into the house, said they would risk eviction in order to make a statement: Housing is a human right.

NSA vs USA

June 11, 2014 Creative Resistance, www.creativeresistance.org Create! Creative Resistance, Music, NSA, Protest

This article is from our associated project, CreativeResistance.org Lyrics: Verse #1 (thought crimes, oppression by rotation) The NSA breaks the law every day it doesn’t matter who you are or what you say they monitor your phone calls and emails anyway Corrupt Congress and courts paving the way There’s a lesson you’ll learn someday… …watch what you say. They spy on your mind, record your calls for posterity Commit daily executive crimes with impunity. They’re the authorities, here to keep us safe… Until the boot ends up on your face. NSA CHORUS It’s the NSA versus the Constitution We the people are the ones our government is abusing

Brazilian Military Deployed Two Days Before World Cup

June 10, 2014 The Real News, www.therealnews.com Resist! Brazil, Military, Protest, world cup

The Brazilian government has launched one of the largest Military operations since the 1950s. Over 200,000 troops have been deployed all over Brazil in preparation for the World Cup. Meanwhile, around Salvador's Fonte Nova stadium, security forces have been tasked with forcibly removing the homeless. As workers continue to intensify their actions, Amnesty International warns the Brazilian government's response to protests and strikes could lead to indiscriminate violence.

Time to March Against Fracking and FERC!

June 10, 2014 Ted Glick, www.tedglick.com Organize! Fracking, March, Protest

The July 13 March on Washington to Stop Fracked Gas Exports (http://stopgasexports.org) is happening at just the right time. Sign up and make plans to come and bring others! The reason this date was initially chosen was because, in May, the federal agency which needs to approve proposed export terminals for natural gas announced that it would be making a decision by sometime in August about the proposed Cove Point, Md. export terminal. What is that federal agency? It’s FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, a little-known but very important entity that, among other tasks, approves or rejects gas industry proposals for interstate natural gas pipelines and compressor stations and related infrastructure, as well as liquefied natural gas (LNG) import and export terminals. Actually, that possibility of a rejection is essentially a theoretical possibility, because FERC has approved virtually all proposals brought to it by the gas industry for the infrastructure it says it needs. FERC is a rubber stamp agency, but two new developments over the past 10 days may well be harbingers of some badly-needed changes.

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