Green Left Weekly
Californian hunger strikers fight on despite death
For more than a month, more than 400 prisoners in seven Californian prisons have refused to eat in protest at the use of long-term solitary confinement and other abuses.
This is the longest hunger strike in California’s history and is provoking a predictably savage response from prison authorities. Prisoners are being denied medical attention, those accused of being representatives of the strikers are put in administrative segregation to further isolate them and many are being denied their mail.
GLW issue number 977
Australians' hidden opposition to WWI revealed
In The Shadow of Gallipoli: The Hidden History of Australia in World War 1
By Robert Bollard
New South Publishing, 2013
223 pages (PB), $32.99
Every year, around ANZAC day on April 25, hordes of Australian tourists and backpackers descend on the shore of Gallipoli in Turkey to commemorate the first battle in which Australians took part in World War I in 1915.
ANZAC day has experienced a resurgence in popularity over recent years. Governments have helped by promoting nationalistic myths about how the unsuccessful campaign was “where Australia was born”.
Letter from the US: Chevron targetted by 'Summer Heat' protests
One year after a huge explosion and fire at the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California, there was a demonstration of thousands of people directed against the oil giant on August 3.
Richmond is part of the sprawling San Francisco Bay Area, where I live.
A significant aspect of the action was that it brought together environmentalists from the Bay Area and nationally, and activists from the Richmond community.
PHOTO STORY: New York rallies against NSA spying, to 'Restore the Fourth'
A rally, titled '1984 Day' was held in New York on August 4 to protest the National Security Administration’s surveillance programs exposed by whistleblow Edward Snowden. It was organised by a group called Restore the Fourth, which campaigns to restore the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution that bans unjustified searches by state authorities. Photos by Edward Leavy.
Elections an opportunity to challenge racism, offer solutions
A great part of being a candidate for the federal elections is that people want to talk to you. They want to tell you what’s happening in their lives and they want to let you know their opinion on lots of different issues.
Recently I was invited to address an Electrical Trades Union branch meeting in Geelong, Victoria. After I’d had my say, some members told me they agreed with me.
Wollongong remembers the bombing of Hiroshima
About 40 people gathered in Wollongong on August 6 to commemorate the 68th Hiroshima Day.
The day marks the anniversary of the atomic bomb being dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima by the United States in 1945. The bomb caused tremendous devastation and instantly killed between 70,000-80,000 people. By the year’s end the bomb had claimed 140,000 lives.
PHOTOS: Redfern rally for Trayvon Martin
The Koori community and supporters rallied on the historic Redfern Block in on August 3 to show their solidarity with Trayvon Martin, the young black man who was followed and shot by a neighbourhood watch volunteer in Florida, and to oppose racism and racial profiling anywhere in the world.
The action was organised by Koori community activists Chris Bonney and Dan Munro. Bonney told Green Left WeeklyIt is 2013 and I don't want my children to grow up experiencing the racism all us Kooris experience today. It is not right in the United States and it is not right in Australia."
Mine details will do in the devil, say campaigners
Campaign group Save the Tarkine has condemned federal environment minister Mark Butler’s July 31 decision to approve an iron ore mine in the Tarkine wilderness in Tasmania’s northwest, saying it could guarantee the extinction of the Tasmanian devil.
The Tarkine is home to more than 60 rare and endangered animal and plant species. It is also home to the last remaining disease-free population of the Tasmanian devil. Since 2008, the devil has been listed as an endangered species.
Market myths and the inclusion of people with disabilities
The National Disability Insurance Scheme, now to be known as DisabilityCare, has become a central theme of Australia’s national debate. This is a tribute to the many thousands of people who have campaigned tirelessly for better support for and inclusion of people with disabilities in society.
Carlo's Corner: Climate's not an emergency, desperate people on boats is an emergency
I was very glad to read about the US military exercise that involved bombing the Great Barrier Reef, because let's face it, climate change is just taking too damn long to kill the thing.
Rally for Refugee Rights
Not PNG and not Nauru. Rally for Refugee Rights. Murray St. Mall.
Event date: Sat, 24/08/2013 - 1:00pm - 2:00pm Event time: Sat, 24/08/2013 - 1:00pmRally for Marriage Equality
Rally one week before the election to keep pressure on the politicians.
Stirling Gardens, cnr Barrack & St Georges Tce, Perth city.
Organised by Equal Love WA
Event date: Sat, 31/08/2013 - 1:00pm - 3:00pm Event time: Sat, 31/08/2013 - 1:00pmSam 4 Freo: Socialist Alliance Election Launch
Support the campaign to elect Sam Wainwright to the seat of Fremantle
Socialist Alliance election launch - all welcome
6:30pm Thurs 22 August
Hilton Community Centre
1 / 34 Paget Street, Hilton
Ph 9218 9608, 0413 976 638
Hosted by Sam Wainwright, Socialist Alliance candidate
Event date: Thu, 22/08/2013 - 6:30pm - 8:30pm Event time: Thu, 22/08/2013 - 6:30pmSocialist Alliance Pot Luck Dinner
6.30pm Sat August 17
Bring along your signature winter dish and pay $10
No time or inclination to cook: Pay $25
This is a fundraiser for the Socialist Alliance federal election campaign for the seat of Fremantle.
Drinks available by donation. All enquiries to Janet Parker: 0433 539 639.
NTEU WA Bluestocking Week Forum "Holding the Line: Women Leading in the Public Eye"
2013 has been a tumultuous period for gender politics. This makes Bluestocking Week an even more critical moment for women working in higher education. The necessity of resistance to sexism in public life has perhaps never been so pronounced and this year the theme is "Holding the Line", with the focus being on women in leadership, either through formal roles or through informal networks and channels.
Event date: Wed, 14/08/2013 - 5:30pm - 7:30pm Event time: Wed, 14/08/2013 - 5:30pmIran: Rouhani sweeps to victory
Iran's presidential election on June 14 resulted in a large victory for self-described moderate, Hassan Rouhani, who received 50.7% of the vote in the first round, a high enough vote to ensure a second round vote was unnecessary.
Rouhani's win led to celebrations in many cities across Iran, as his candidacy had picked up momentum during the campaign. There were big pro-Rouhani mobilisations ahead of the vote.
No irony in Snowden's bid for asylum in Ecuador, Venezuela, say experts
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden finally left Moscow's airport, where he had been stuck for weeks evading capture by the United States government, on August 1 after being granted political asylum for one year in Russia. Snowden had sought to apply for asylum in places such as Ecuador and Venezuela.
Uruguay moves to legalise pot, place gov't at centre of legal industry
Uruguay took a major step on July 31 towards becoming the first country in the world to put its government at the centre of a legal marijuana industry.
President Jose Mujica's Broad Front coalition narrowly squeezed the measure through the lower house of Congress after 13 hours of debate, with all 50 government deputies overriding the 46 opposition MPs present. The measure will now go to the senate, where it is expected to pass.
Israeli minister: 'I've killed lots of Arabs'
A member of Israel's cabinet has declared his backing for killing Palestinian prisoners, rather than bringing them to trial, 972mag.com reported on July 29.
The Huffington Post said on July 29 that Israel announced it would release 104 Palestinian prisoners, as part of the US-brokered plan to renew peace talks with the Palestinian Authority.
