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State Repression

A Call To White People: Join The ‘Reparations Contingent’ At The Black People’s March On The White House

September 15, 2023 Uhuru Solidarity Movement. , , , ,
On Saturday, November 4, 2023 the Black is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations will hold its 15th annual Black People’s March on the White House raising the demand, “Drop the Charges Against the Uhuru 3!” The Uhuru Solidarity Movement calls on every white person who believes in reparations and justice for African people to get to Washington DC by bus, plane or car and march in the “Reparations Contingent” at this history-making mobilization! Co-sponsored by the Hands Off Uhuru Fightback Coalition, the March is rapidly gaining momentum with a wide range of forces uniting under the leadership of the emerging anti-colonial free speech movement.

Meet The Shadowy Network Vilifying Climate Protestors

September 15, 2023 Amy Westervelt and Geoff Dembicki, DeSmog. , , ,
Earlier this year, news footage began making the rounds on social media of young activists from the German climate organization Letzte Generation (Last Generation) being assaulted by their fellow citizens as they obstructed streets in an effort to draw attention to the German government’s inaction on climate. A young woman, with her hand glued to a road was ripped off the road by her hair; a young man was run over by a truck driver; a passerby punched the protestors and was cheered on. A few months later, German police raided the homes of Last Generation activists and seized their bank accounts. It all seemed like a gross overreaction to a pretty tame form of protest.

Stop Cop City Activist Facing RICO Charges Speaks Out About Repression

September 13, 2023 Justin A. Davis, Waging Nonviolence. , , , , , ,
For the past two years, calls to “stop Cop City” and “defend the Atlanta forest” have shaken the political and corporate establishment of Georgia’s state capital. Although Atlanta City Council has approved a lease and funding for a massive Public Safety Training Center in the city’s Weelaunee Forest, the sustained, popular #StopCopCity movement has effectively halted its construction. In response, local and state government have used a variety of tactics to move things forward — including police raids (which led to the killing of protester Manuel “Tortuguita” Terán), domestic terrorism charges against activists and a highly-controversial “signature verification process” that could undermine a proposed referendum.

Progressives Condemn Persecution Of Ukrainian Communist Leader

August 21, 2023 People's Dispatch. , , ,
Leftist and progressive groups have condemned the arrest of veteran communist and leader of the Ukrainian Anti Fascist Committee, Georgi Buiko, by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). On August 16, the SBU announced that they had arrested Buiko, who is accused of participating in “anti-Ukrainian activities” and having communist and “pro-Russian” publications in his home. The persecution of Buiko is a continuation of the crackdown unleashed by the post-Euromaidan regime in Ukraine which has been marked by de-communization attempts, and the banning of communist party and its publication.

New Broad Anti-Colonial Free Speech Movement Demands ‘Free The Uhuru3’

July 24, 2023 Margaret Flowers, Clearing the FOG. , , , ,
Nearly one year ago, on July 29, 2022, the FBI simultaneously conducted a heavily-militarized raid on seven facilities associated with the African People's Socialist Party and the Uhuru Movement in Missouri and Florida. The federal government seized computers, phones and archival material. This was later used to fabricate federal charges against three members, Chairman Omali Yeshitela, Penny Hess and Jesse Nevel. Clearing the FOG speaks with Chairman Yeshitela about the raid and prosecution and the new anti-colonial free speech coalition launched this month. Chairman Yeshitela explains why the coalition is specifically anti-colonial and why this broad movement is necessary to protect our First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly.  He also urges everyone to support Black is Back's November 4 March on the White House. For more information, visit HandsOffUhuru.org.

Anti-Colonial Free Speech Movement Launched

July 20, 2023 Hands Off Uhuru, Popular Resistance. , , , ,
A fierce blow was struck against the weaponized FBI and U.S. government’s targeting of Black Liberation, anti-colonial, anti-war and free speech movements on July 8 with the formation of the Hands off Uhuru! Fightback Coalition. The Coalition, made up of over 30 organizations and individuals and led by black and anti-colonial movements, coalesced around a Statement of Unity that reads, in part, “Today we are facing a watershed moment in human history when our movements for freedom, liberation and democracy can fight on to victory or be pushed back, silenced and defeated. This is the moment when we must come together to vigorously fight as one, and win.” 

The State’s Constant Attack On Black Liberation

July 15, 2023 Margaret Kimberley, Black Agenda Report. , , ,
Black people who assert their rights to be sovereign and liberated have always been treated as enemies to be silenced or destroyed. Even enslaved people who sought to escape from bondage were labeled as sufferers of “drapetomania.” The effort to pathologize and stigmatize the fight for freedom never ended. To this very day Black liberation is diminished and discredited as being wrong headed or dangerous. The descendants of those who bravely attempted to escape chattel slavery were treated in the same manner. Black radicals such as Paul Robeson, Claudia Jones, and W.E.B. Dubois were destroyed by McCarthyite witch hunts.

Cop City And The Escalating War On Environmental Defenders

July 15, 2023 Basav Sen and Gabrielle Colchete, In These Times. , , , ,
The fight in Atlanta over Cop City, a massive police training facility, has turned into ground zero for overlapping crises facing our country: the climate emergency, vast political and economic inequality, ever-militarizing police forces and systemic racism. If we want a democracy healthy enough to solve these crises, it’s worth paying attention to what is happening in the South River Forest. On May 31, in a disturbing move shortly before Atlanta’s City Council approved more funding for the facility, Georgia law enforcement arrested three members of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, which provides activists with legal support and bail money.

New York: National Actions In Solidarity With The Tampa 5

July 14, 2023 Sharif Hall, Fight Back News!. , , ,
New York, NY - 20 activists held a solidarity rally at City Hall in Manhattan to demand that charges be dropped against the Tampa 5. The Tampa 5 are campus activists arrested for protesting the attacks on education by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The solidarity rally was part of a national day of action on July 12. On March 6, four members of Tampa Bay’s SDS and a union worker were arrested for protesting for more diversity on their University of South Florida campus. They rallied and marched against the repressive laws that DeSantis passed in Florida, specifically around the bills that target LGBTQ people, and diversity, equity and inclusion programs in higher education.

Police Brutality, Racism And Poverty Underlie Youth Rebellion In France

July 6, 2023 Abayomi Azikiwe, Black Agenda Report. , , , ,
A 17-year-old youth of Moroccan and Algerian descent named Nahel M was gunned down by the French police on June 27 sparking a nationwide series of mass demonstrations and rebellions throughout the country. Several videos released on the shooting show clearly that Nahel, who was driving a vehicle, was posing no threat to the police. There were two other people in the vehicle with Nahel, one of whom has given evidence to the authorities while the third person is being sought by prosecutors. The policeman has been indicted for voluntary homicide. In addition, reports suggest he has apologized for the fatal shooting.

Chicago Rally Demands Drop The Charges On The Tampa 5

July 2, 2023 Liz Rathburn, Fight Back News!. , , ,
On Saturday, July 1, more than 70 students and activists gathered in downtown Chicago. They joined the nationwide campaign by Students for a Democratic Society and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression demanding that the charges on the Tampa 5 be dropped. The Tampa 5 are Gia Davila, Laura Rodriguez, Chrisley Carpio, Lauren Pineiro and Jeanie Kida. They are students and workers in Florida who were beaten and arrested, and now facing ten years in prison, for protesting DeSantis’ far-right attacks on diversity in education. The Chicago rally was called by Students for a Democratic Society and endorsed by a dozen other organizations.

Rishi Sunak Boasts: Oil-Funded Think Tank ‘Helped Us Draft’ Crackdown

July 1, 2023 Adam Barnett and Sam Bright, DeSmog. , , , ,
Rishi Sunak has confirmed that a fossil fuel-funded think tank helped to draft his government’s laws targeting climate protests. Speaking at Policy Exchange’s summer party on Wednesday (28 June), the prime minister boasted that the think tank’s work “helped us draft” the government’s crackdown on protests, according to Politico. OpenDemocracy reported last year that Policy Exchange’s US wing, American Friends of Policy Exchange, which provides funds to the UK branch, received $30,000 (roughly £23,700) from oil and gas giant ExxonMobil in 2017. Two years later, Policy Exchange published a report entitled “Extremism Rebellion”, in reference to the environmental protest group, calling for the police and the government to clamp down on eco protests.

Israel Cannot Rebut Apartheid

June 30, 2023 Vijay Prashad, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. , , , ,
On 24 June 2023, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) Herzl Halevi, Chief of Shin Bet (Intelligence) Ronen Bar, and Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai released a joint statement. They pointed to ‘violent attacks… by Israeli citizens against innocent Palestinians’, which they characterised as ‘nationalist terror in every sense’. Such a statement is rare, particularly the description of the violence as ‘nationalist terror’ and the rendering of Palestinian victims as ‘innocent’. Typically, high-ranking officials in the Israeli government portray such attacks as retaliation for terror attacks by Palestinians.

Atlanta’s Attack On Cop City Protesters Should Be A Warning To Us All

June 30, 2023 Angela Y. Davis and Barbara Ransby, Truthout. , , , , ,
The ongoing attack on the network of environmental and abolitionist activists in Atlanta should make all people concerned with the right to protest, the future of the environment and the rise of militarized police forces take notice. At 5 am on June 6, after over 200 community members had spoken against moving forward with the facility, the Atlanta City Council voted to allocate $31 million in public funds toward construction of a militarized police training center dubbed “Cop City.” This was the most recent development in a fierce and violent struggle over police expansion and forest preservation in Georgia, and has repercussions well beyond the state.

Futuro Vegetal Against The British State

June 17, 2023 Palestine Action. , , ,
Futuro Vegetal activists dyed the UK embassy in Madrid building red and black using fire extinguishers. The protest denounces the repression of British activists who have been sentenced to more than two years in prison for non-violent protests in the UK. On 16 May, Mike Lynch-White, co-founder of the group Scientist Rebellion, was sentenced to 23 months in prison for an action by Palestine Action in 2021 [1], in which they disrupted the production of UK-made military components that were to be supplied to the state of Israel [2]. Futuro Vegetal activists carried posters with Mike’s picture on them, which they stuck to the windows of the building.
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