State Violence

Capitalism And Political Violence At Home And Abroad

February 28, 2021 Robert Urie, Counterpunch. Educate! Capitalism, Libya, Police abuse, State Violence

Question: why do both conservative and liberal governments in the U.S. install right-wing governments abroad if ‘the U.S.’ opposes right-wing political violence? While right and left politics may seem to have limited descriptive value in many current conflicts, the interests of capital, broadly considered, represent an unwavering motive for them. Why then would military conflict in the interests of capital not be considered a left / right concern within the American political frame? Part of the answer is the Cold War conceptual shift away from conflicts between nations to a battle of ideologies. Another is the way that these conflicts are sold. To be clear, there are plenty of American nationalists who support militarism outside of their direct economic interests.

Honduras: Solidarity Needed As More Activists Are Killed

February 28, 2021 Christine Blower, Labour Outlook. Organize! Honduras, Indigenous Activist, State Violence, US Regime Change

Two Indigenous activists were murdered in Honduras during December in less than a week, confirming the country as amongst the deadliest in the world for those opposing land grabs and environmental destruction. The killing of Tolupan Indigenous leader Adan Mejia took place three days after the murder of Lenca farmer leader Felix Vazquez. They join a death toll of over a hundred Indigenous people murdered in the past decade defending their lands against illegal exploitation through dams, mining, logging and agribusiness. An ongoing international campaign is also demanding answers from the Honduran authorities about the July 2020 kidnapping in the Caribbean coastal town of Tela, of four members of OFRANEH, the Afro-Indigenous Garifuna Peoples’ organisation of Honduras, by heavily armed gunmen wearing national police uniforms and badges.

Border Patrol Policies Kill Hundreds Of Migrants Each Year

February 24, 2021 Tina Vásquez, Prism. Educate! Border Patrol, Migrants, State Violence

Each year, untold numbers of migrants disappear in the borderlands after being pushed into dangerous and remote terrain by Border Patrol, the same agency that is then tasked with responding to migrants’ search and rescue emergencies. A new report released Wednesday found that the federal agency does not respond to 40% of these emergency calls. In a series of reports published over the course of five years, the southern Arizona organizations No More Deaths and La Coalición de Derechos Humanos have cataloged and reported the specific Border Patrol policies and tactics that have fueled a crisis of death and disappearance in the borderlands. The first report, released in 2016, detailed the 1994 Border Patrol policy “Prevention Through Deterrence” in which the United States militarized

As Farmers Expand Their Agitation, Indian Government Intensifies Repression

February 21, 2021 Wasantha Rupasinghe, WSWS. Resist! Farmers, India, State Violence, Strike

Pushed on the back foot by the popular support for the farmers’ agitation against its pro-agribusiness farm laws, India’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is systematically intensifying state repression against protesters and their supporters. Since late November, tens of thousands of protesting farmers, principally from the nearby states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have been encamped on the outskirts of the Delhi National Capital Territory. Their Delhi Chalo (Let’s go to Delhi) protest, which is demanding the repeal of all three recently-enacted farm laws, was prevented from entering the capital by a massive police mobilisation organised by the Modi government.

Haiti: ‘No To Dictatorship’

February 18, 2021 Aaron Maté, Pushback. Resistance Report Dictatorship, Haiti, State Violence, US Regime Change

Haitian president Jovenel Moïse has cracked down on a wave of popular protest as he tries to cling to power. While tens of thousands of Haitians have taken to the streets in the face of government repression, the Biden administration is backing Moïse’s effort to remain in office for at least another year. Haitian activist and radio host Daoud Andre discusses the background to Moïse’s power grab; the continued US deportations to Haiti; how the US coerced Haiti into betraying longtime ally Venezuela; the enduring popularity of Jean-Bertrand Aristide — twice overthrown in US-backed coups; and how the Biden administration’s support for Moïse continues a long legacy of US attacks on Haiti’s popular movements and backing of right-wing autocrats.

Crisis In Buenaventura

February 18, 2021 Maya Hernandez, Alliance for Global Justice. Resist! Colombia, Poverty, State Violence

Buenaventura is the main port for Colombian foreign trade and the second largest city in the prosperous state of Valle del Cauca. Historically, the territory has been inhabited by Afro-descendants, indigenous peoples, and campesinos. Despite the diversity and cultural richness of this territory, it is primarily known for its high levels of poverty, difficulties in accessing public services, health, decent housing, and education. These conditions have derailed the lives of the inhabitants to unimaginable extremes. Violence and threats against the inhabitants of the poorest neighborhoods of Buenaventura have become increasingly commonplace.

Protests Demanding Resignation Of Haitian President Intensify

February 11, 2021 People's Dispatch. Resistance Report Haiti, Jovenel Moise, State Violence, US Regime Change

In response to protests, Moïse’s government has cracked down on opposition, arresting several leaders and unleashing violent repression on protesters in the streets. Protests in Haiti, which have been going on for a month now, have garnered more strength as president Jovenel Moïse refused to step down. On February 8, Haitian opposition political parties and social organizations appointed Supreme Court Judge Joseph Mécène Jean-Louis as the interim president.

Chile: Political Parties Urge Dissolution Of Carabineros

February 9, 2021 Telesur English. Resist! Abolish Police, Chile, State Violence

Chile's political parties and social leaders on Monday demanded the dissolution of the Military police (Carabineros) three days after an agent shot dead juggler Francisco Martinez, 27, during an identity check. "We demand the Senate to debate on the re-foundation of Carabineros," Progressive Party (PRO) Senator Alejandro Navarro tweeted, recalling that police brutality is part of the "nefarious legacy" of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship (1973-1990). Chile's Communist Party (PC) Secretary Eduardo Artes also demanded the resignation of President Sebastian Piñera, "who has defended the Carabineros despite the brutality with which they have responded to the people's protests."

The Foreign Roots Of Haiti’s ‘Constitutional Crisis’

February 8, 2021 Mark Schuller, NACLA.org. Educate! Haiti, Jovenel Moise, State Violence, US Regime Change

As per usual, news on Haiti in the United States remains limited, except for during periods of “crisis.” As if on cue, U.S. media began reporting on Haiti’s “constitutional crisis” this week. Sunday, February 7 is the end of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse’s term, according to the constitution. He refuses to step down. This week, the opposition called for a two-day general strike, uniting around a transition with the head of Haiti’s Supreme Court stepping in. Most reporting failed to note the international role, and particularly that of the United States, in creating this “crisis.” And nearly all focused only on one segment of the opposition: leaders of Haiti’s political parties.

Scheer Intelligence: The Egregious Price America Exacts For Integrity

February 5, 2021 Robert Scheer, ScheerPost.com. Educate! FBI, Left Politics, Oppens, Podcast, State Violence

“George and Mary Oppen were branded enemies of the state,” writes Joel Whitney in a recent essay for The Poetry Foundation titled “The Violent Years.” “Their FBI files document just how deep their activism went, and the price they paid for it.” The author of “Finks: How the C.I.A. Tricked the World’s Best Writers” has long been interested in the links between the world of literature and the U.S. surveillance apparatus that grows more unwieldy by the day. As he finished his most recent book tour for “Finks” just as Donald Trump and neo-fascism were on the rise, he tells Robert Scheer on this week’s installment of “Scheer Intelligence,” Whitney kept hearing a few lyrical lines ringing through his mind.

On Contact: Radical As Reality Itself

January 31, 2021 Chris Hedges, RT. Resistance Report Civil Rights, Legal System, Michael Ratner, State Violence

On the show this week, Chris Hedges talks to Michael Smith about civil rights attorney Michael Ratner's recently published memoir, "Moving the Bar – My Life as A Radical Lawyer". Smith was a close friend and collaborator of Ratner's for over three decades. Michael Ratner was one of the most important civil rights attorneys in our era. He spent his life fighting on behalf of those who state and empire sought to crush, from the leaders of the prison uprising at Attica to Muslim prisoners held in Guantanamo, to Julian Assange.

Nigeria: End SARS And Fanon’s Mission

January 28, 2021 Kehinde Alonge, Red Pepper. Strategize! #EndSARS, colonization, Nigeria, State Violence

‘Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it,’ wrote Frantz Fanon. It has been 60 years since Nigeria achieved its independence from Britain, yet these words reverberate both as anthem and creed in all corners of Nigeria today. In October 2020, thousands of Nigerian youth from across the country chose to take a stand against the extra-judicial killings committed by the Nigerian police branch known as SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad). Amidst a global pandemic and an economic recession, Nigerians stood firm in their resolve to fulfill the mission of their generation – ending police violence and corrupt governance, by any means necessary and, in many cases, at the cost of their own lives.

Arrest Warrant Issued For Ex-Florida Data Analyst Rebekah Jones

January 18, 2021 Josh Fiallo, TampaBay.com. Educate! COVID-19, Florida, Legal System, State Violence

The state has issued an arrest warrant for ex-Florida data scientist Rebekah Jones. Jones announced Saturday on Twitter that she learned of the warrant and plans to turn herself in on Sunday. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed there is a warrant for Jones’ arrest but said it cannot disclose what charges she faces until she is in custody. Agency spokesman Gretl Plessinger said in an email to the Tampa Bay Times that “agents have been working with her attorney to have her turn herself in.” Jones once managed Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard. Then she was fired in May from her position as the geographic information system manager for the Florida Department of Health’s Division of Disease Control and Health Protection.

Killer Cops: Police Killed Over 1,000 Americans In 2020

December 30, 2020 Alan Macleod, Mintpress News. Educate! George Floyd, Police violence, Rebellion2020, State Violence

American law enforcement officers have killed well over 1,000 people in 2020. Between January 1 and December 15 of this year, the Mapping Police Violence project has recorded 1,066 people nationwide killed at the hands of the police, an average of around three killings per day. Despite the fact that 2020 has brought with it a pandemic forcing Americans to stay off the streets (and, presumably, out of trouble) as much as possible, there have only been 17 days recorded this year where the police did not kill someone. The project also compiled statistics on the racial backgrounds of the victims. Black people are three times more likely than white people to be slain by police, and more likely to be unarmed when it does happen.

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