2020-06-12: News Headlines

The Lancet (2020-06-13). [Editorial] Medicine and medical science: Black lives must matter more. thelancet.com Emblematic of the profound sense of outrage at the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black men and women at the hands of law enforcement, hundreds of thousands of protestors took to the streets in the USA and across the globe. They set aside the risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2, judging that what they were marching for was more immediately urgent. Marches have been held to draw attention to the continued murder by police of Black people and to the persistent, pervasive racism that exists across societies.

Jeremy Brecher (2020-06-12). Black Lives and the Green New Deal. zcomm.org The Green New Deal may be a vehicle for building the broad movement for structural change necessary to truly make Black lives matter…

Maicol David Lynch (2020-06-12). Young Communists hit the streets in New York with Black Lives Matter. peoplesworld.org NEW YORK—"How do you spell racist? NYPD!" the crowd chanted as it proceeded up Fifth Avenue towards Central Park from Washington Square Park in Manhattan. The Young Communist League Organizing Committee of New York wasted no time mobilizing its members to participate in and even lead the dozens of protests which have taken the streets …

Shimbun Akahata (2020-06-12). Activists in Japan join the global Black Lives Matter movement. peoplesworld.org TOKYO—In response to the Black Lives Matter movement spreading from the United States to the rest of the world, several rounds of anti-racism demonstrations in Tokyo and Osaka have seen massive turnout—even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. On June 7, the chant "Black Lives Matter" echoed throughout downtown Osaka City. The rally was …

Staff (2020-06-12). Georgia's Elections Were A Voter Suppression Horror Show. therealnews.com Georgia's primary election could be a warning for what's to come when Americans head to the polls in November.

Fight Back (2020-06-12). The time is now to join a revolutionary organization: Join Freedom Road Socialist Organization. fightbacknews.org If you have been out in the streets this past few weeks, the odds are good that you've been thinking about the difference between the kind of change this system has to offer, and the kind of change this country needs. Capitalism is failed system that thrives on exploitation, inequality and oppression. The reactionary and racist Trump administration has made the pandemic worse. The unfolding economic crisis we are experiencing is the worst since the 1930s. Monopoly capitalism is a dying system and we need to help finish it off. And that is exactly what Freedom Road Socialist Organization is working for. | Freedom…

Collective 20 (2020-06-12). From 'Movement Moments' to Change, From the Red Summer to Black Lives Matter. zcomm.org "I think we really are on a trajectory for something different"

Eoin Higgins (2020-06-12). Black Lives Matter Movement in Seattle Occupies Six-Block "Autonomous Zone" zcomm.org "We cannot have a pacified movement."

David Schultz (2020-06-12). The Killing of George Floyd and the Final Fracturing of the Democratic Party, Labor, and Civil Rights Coalition. counterpunch.org George Floyd being killed by a police officer in Minneapolis is not simply about the death of one Black man. His death also killed an historic but uneasy alliance among the Democratic Party, labor unions, and the civil rights movement. The reaction to his death is ending the last vestiges of the historic New Deal

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-12). Europe's top human rights court overturns French conviction of BDS activists. peoplesdispatch.org A French court had convicted 11 BDS activists for 'incitement to economic discrimination' after they organized a boycott protest against Israel outside a supermarket in France during the Israeli invasion of Gaza in 2009-10…

Unicorn Riot (2020-06-12). Denver Police Served Temporary Restraining Order Amid Nationwide Protest Repression. unicornriot.ninja Denver, CO — Late in the evening on June 5, 2020, Federal District Judge R. Brooke Jackson (PDF) ruled against the city and county of Denver in a class-action lawsuit filed on June 4. A Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) was put into place applying to…

Derrick Broze (2020-06-12). Journalist Derrick Broze Arrested for Simply Covering a George Floyd Protest in Houston. theantimedia.com Derrick Broze was arrested and jailed for 16 hours last week.

Adriaan Alsema (2020-06-12). When honest cops are jailed you know Colombia has become a mafia state. colombiareports.com The jailing of the policemen who discovered President Ivan Duque pseudo-party plotted with narcos to rig the 2018 elections ended all doubt Colombia has become a mafia state. It's not…

Fight Back (2020-06-11). Thousands march for Black lives in Dallas. fightbacknews.org Dallas, TX – On Saturday, June 6, about 5000 people rallied in 100-degree weather at Belo Garden Park across the street from the Earle Cabell Federal Building in downtown Dallas, to demand justice for victims of police violence, community control of the police, and the resignation of Renee Hall, the chief of the Dallas Police Department. | The protest was called by the Dallas Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DAARPR), Progressive Student Union at the University of Texas at Arlington American Muslims for Palestine Dallas, Migrante Texas, and Black Youth Project 100-Dallas. First the crowd heard spe…

MBNJSD (2020-06-11). Defund the Police, Defund the Military. dissidentvoice.org Defund the police, defund the military (Credit: CODEPINK) On June 1, President Trump threatened to deploy active-duty U.S. military forces against peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters in cities across America. Trump and state governors eventually deployed at least 17,000 National Guard troops across the country. In the nation's capital, Trump deployed nine Blackhawk assault helicopters, …

Jamal Rich (2020-06-11). #ShutDownSTEM: Scientists strike, halt research to focus on Black lives. peoplesworld.org On June 10, the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) academic research community held a work-stoppage in response to the mass uprising following Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and the countless other police murders and to challenge the racist ideas and institutions that still prevail in their own field. The Particles for Justice, organized by Black …

Adriaan Alsema (2020-06-11). Colombia jails policemen who discovered 2018 election fraud conspiracy. colombiareports.com A judge agreed to jail the policemen who discovered Colombia's ruling party plotted with the mafia to rig the 2018 elections in favor of President Ivan Duque. In a controversial…

Staff (2020-06-11). 'We Can't Wait' Defund The Police Has Its Moment. therealnews.com Photo courtesy of The movement to defund the police has grown exponentially in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on May 25. The idea of defunding police is rooted in the decades old prison abolitionist movement. In the midst of increasing protests, and increasing police violence against protesters, It's become a topic of national conversation. | "The movement is aimed at creating a world where public safety is not defined by police and crime but how communities use their resources to care for each other," said Ralikh Hayes, Depu…

RT (2020-06-11). Nigel Farage LOSES his LBC radio show after comparing BLM to Taliban. rt.com Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage's contract with LBC has been abruptly terminated, the UK radio station confirmed. The move comes after he compared Black Lives Matter protesters to the Taliban, over their attacks on monuments. | The decision was announced by LBC on Thursday in a short statement, but the station did not give any particular reason for the sudden move. | "Nigel Farage's contract with LBC is up very shortly and, following discussions with him, Nigel is stepping down from LBC with immediate effect. We thank Nigel for the enormous contribution he has made to LBC and wish him well," the station said.

Staff (2020-06-11). Headlines for June 11, 2020. democracynow.org As U.S. Confirms 2 Million Coronavirus Cases, Hospitalizations Surge in Many States, White House Coronavirus Task Force Goes Quiet as Mike Pence Flouts Social Distancing, British Research Backs Universal Adoption of Face Masks to Slow COVID-19, Coronavirus Pandemic Worsens as Global Infections Reach New Records, George Floyd's Brother Asks Congress to Ensure "His Death Is Not in Vain", Louisville, KY Police Filed Nearly Blank Report After Killing Breonna Taylor, Black Lives Matter Protests Held for 16th Consecutive Day, Statues of Columbus and Confederates Toppled in Cities Across U.S., Trump Will "Not Even Consi…

SV BLM March (2020-06-12). Wednesday 6/10: Black Lives Matter March in Scotts Valley. indybay.org Meet at Siltanen Park, 127 Vine Hill School Road, Scotts Valley | March to MacDorsa Park, 1 Civic Center Drive, Scotts Valley…

Sit.Walk.Listen. and SF Sanghas (2020-06-12). Sunday 6/14: Sit. Walk. Listen. Because Black Lives Matter. indybay.org Civic Center Plaza (McAllister & Polk)…

Tha Hood Squad (2020-06-12). Friday 6/12: Black Lives Matter – Justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor – East Palo Alto. indybay.org Jack Farrell Park | 2509 Fordham St | East Palo Alto, CA…

Faith in Action, NAACP, UNIDOS US, others (2020-06-12). Thursday 6/11: #Equity For All Forum: Racial Equity in HEROES Act & End Anti-Black Police Brutality! indybay.org Online…

National Lawyers Guild (2020-06-12). Statement in Support of #8toAbolition. indybay.org The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) supports the #8toAbolition campaign, which builds on decades of work by Black feminist abolitionists to demand an end to policing and prisons, and community investment that prioritizes the lives and safety of Black people.

RT (2020-06-11). 'Weapons of oppression': Scottish Parliament votes for suspension of UK rubber bullets, tear gas and riot-shield exports to US. rt.com The Scottish Parliament has voted for the immediate suspension of UK rubber bullet, tear gas and riot-shield exports to the US, in a show of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement following the death of George Floyd. | The motion, which was overwhelmingly backed by Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) — 52 votes to 0, with 11 abstentions — was proposed by the Green Party's Patrick Harvie. | Addressing fellow MSPs on Thursday, Harvie said it was "important that we stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement," in light of police brutality, calling for the UK government to hal…

yenisafak (2020-06-12). FETàñ 'infiltrated' US missions in Turkey, says Foreign Ministry. yenisafak.com His comments came a day after a Turkish court sentenced Metin Topuz, a US Consulate employee, to eight years and nine months in prison on charges of helping FETO, the terror group behind the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey.Shortly after the court's decision, the US embassy questioned the decision, saying its observers "have seen no credible evidence to support this conviction and hope it will swiftly be overturned."In response, Hami Aksoy said Turkey anxiously observes how the US has become a safe haven for members of FETO."Essentially, Metin Topuz is not the only FETO affiliated person working in the US representati…

_____ (2020-06-12). Scottish Parliament Votes For Immediate Suspension Of 'Weapons Of Oppression' Exports To US. popularresistance.org The Scottish Parliament has called for the immediate suspension of exports of riot gear, tear gas and rubber bullets to the United States, in light of the police response to the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests. | A successful motion, which was backed by 52 votes to 0 with 11 abstentions, says the parliament "stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and considers that the UK government must immediately suspend all export licences for tear gas, rubber bullets and riot gear to the US". | Patrick Harvie, the Green MSP who proposed the successful amendment, said the "weapons of oppression", which…

_____ (2020-06-12). Who Supplied The Weapons Used Against #BLM Protesters? popularresistance.org In response to the murder of George Floyd by a member of the Minneapolis police department on 25th May, thousands of people across the United States joined protests demanding justice for his killing, radical reform of police forces, and driving home the message that Black Lives Matter. Many of these protests face militarised police responses, including the use of rubber bullets, sting balls, stun grenades, battons, police charges, and chemical weapons like tear gas and pepper spray. | Twitter users have photographed a large number of canisters that were fired during the protest. Many appear to have been produced…

_____ (2020-06-12). Martin Gugino — The "Buffalo Protestor" And Our Friend. popularresistance.org Martin Gugino worked together in Witness Against Torture for years, a close-knit group dedicated to closing the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo and opposing torture. Our community is beside itself. | None of us is surprised that it was Martin meeting the police line in a posture of non-violence. Martin is gentle, principled, and undaunted. Allied with the Catholic Worker tradition, he is also deeply committed to a tapestry of causes, from fair housing to immigrant rights. Guiding his activism is belief in the sacred power of non-violent resistance to injustice. If that makes him an "agitator," as Buffalo's police…

Pien Huang (2020-06-11). WHO Believes That Mass Protests Are Important Even in a 'Pandemic' Provided They're More Popular Than WHO. anti-empire.com In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization took time at its daily press conference to address another pressing issue: the wave of protests against police violence and racial injustice. The demonstrations began in the U.S. when George Floyd died on May 25 after a police officer had pressed a knee into his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while detaining him in Minneapolis. | The protests are now spreading around the world to Europe, Africa and other regions. | "WHO fully supports equality and the global movement against racism. We reject discrimination of all kinds," said WHO director…

RT (2020-06-11). Boston music college begs forgiveness for letting police use their toilets during protest. rt.com Top officials at the Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts have apologized profusely for 'perpetuating feelings of oppression' by letting Boston police use their restrooms during a recent Black Lives Matter protest. | After receiving messages of "hurt and anger" from the "campus community," both personally and over social media, President Roger Brown, Vice President Mac Hisey and campus police chief David Ransom issued a groveling apology, pledging to "consider the effects of our actions" and that something like this will not happen again. | We understand that many members of our community feel betrayed. W…

RT (2020-06-11). 'Literally putting a band-aid on racism': Iconic bandage company goes woke in latest corporate pander-fest. rt.com Band-Aid has released a line of bandages in five different skin tones, pledging to donate to Black Lives Matter to combat systemic racism. Unfortunately for its woke aspirations, the joke is right there in the brand name. | The brand posted an image of its new bandage colors fanned out from light to dark to Instagram on Thursday, accompanied by a verbose and somewhat stilted paean to diversity ("we are committed to launching a range of bandages in light, medium and deep shades of Brown and Black skin tones…") and a promise to make a donation to Black Lives Matter. | Tellingly, the size of the donation was…

Eli Frances (2020-06-11). Wednesday 6/10: Filipinos For Black Lives. indybay.org Meeting at Grand Oriente Filipino Hotel in SOMA and marching all the way to I-Hotel in Kearny. San Francisco…

R. Robertson (2020-06-11). Tsuru for Solidarity Vigil: Black Lives Matter/Free Families Detained by ICE. indybay.org Tsuru for Solidarity, a community of Japanese Americans, supports the Black Lives Matter movement and calls for the release of families detained by ICE. On June 7, at Orange Park in South San Francisco, they offered prayers and performed bon odori dance for all the lives lost to state violence. As part of their sojourn, some laid paper cranes in the memorial garden at the former site of the Tanforan Assembly Center where 7,800 were imprisoned in 1942 for just one "crime"–their Japanese ancestry.

SLV Black Lives Matter March (2020-06-11). Saturday 6/20: Black Lives Matter March in San Lorenzo Valley. indybay.org San Lorenzo Valley High School | 7105 Hwy 9, Felton…

California Nurses United (2020-06-11). Saturday 6/13: UCSF Nurses Say – Black Lives Matter! indybay.org UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay, 1825 4th St, San Francisco, CA 94158 (in front of the Adult Hospital Entrance)…

_____ (2020-06-11). How Black Lives Matter Forced Us To Imagine A World Without Police. popularresistance.org Prior to the historic groundswell of protest over the last two weeks, many in the media had written Black Lives Matter's obituary — either lamenting or celebrating its supposed demise. But that narrative was clearly premature. | Not only was the movement not dead, it was simply progressing through the natural life-cycle of all successful social movements. There are stages where the masses are out on the streets, inevitably followed by quieter — but no less important — periods of strategizing for the next phase of the struggle. In the case of Black Lives Matter, it dramatically shifted the conver…

_____ (2020-06-11). Black Lives Matter Everywhere: Its Time To Defund The US Military. popularresistance.org While the U.S. war on the black population at home is now exposed for all of America—and the world—to see, the victims of U.S. wars abroad continue to be hidden. Trump has escalated the horrific wars he inherited from Obama, dropping more bombs and missiles in 3 years than either Bush II or Obama did in their first terms. When retired generals speak out against Trump's desire to deploy active-duty troops on America's streets, we should understand that they are defending precisely this double standard. Just as we are exposing the rot in U.S. police forces and calling for defunding the police, so we mus…

Marwa Osman (2020-06-11). Israel's Arbitrary Detentions—MES EP.57. thealtworld.com Tough Israel regularly arrests Palestinians and keeps them under illegal detention for months, the number of such arrests have risen in the last couple of months. In complete violation of all established human rights norms, Israel has continued the practice of holding Palestinian detainees without any charge or formal trial for months before they are formally charged with baseless accusations and unfairly tried or released. | To discuss this issue with us from Madrid is Alberto Garcia Watson, activist and member of the International Solidarity Movement. | Dozens of people in the southern countryside of Syria's no…

Minouche Kandel (2020-06-11). My Abortion Allowed Me to Control My Own Destiny. Millions of Others Deserve The Same Chance. aclu.org I never expected to get an abortion. But I knew I could tell my mother. I grew up in New York and abortion was still illegal when I was born. One of my earliest memories is being in the car with my mother when she turned to me and told me that if I ever needed an abortion, I should let her know, because she "knew a lot of doctors." My mother survived the Holocaust by hiding in a Catholic boarding school in the South of France. Her parents were active in the Jewish French resistance, and my grandmother helped my grandfather escape from Beaune-la-Rolande, a French-run Nazi transit camp which fed Jews to Auschwit…

Paige Fernandez (2020-06-11). Defunding the Police Will Actually Make Us Safer. aclu.org This OpEd first appeared on

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-11). World over, people agitate against structural racism. peoplesdispatch.org Across the world, people are rising up against racial discrimination and injustice. These protests have been sparked by the murder of George Floyd in the US. But they are as much against the structural racism and oppression in their own contexts.

Fight Back (2020-06-11). LA killer cop Frank Hernandez charged for brutal beating. fightbacknews.org Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced the filing of charges on Los Angeles Police Department cop Frank Hernandez, June 9, for the brutal beating of local Chicano resident Richard Castillo. DA Lacey's decision comes after video of the incident caused uproar in the community of Boyle Heights where the attack took place, leading to protests and a widely-circulated petition demanding the firing of Hernandez. | Officer Hernandez was arrested and released on his own recognizance in less than an hour. He should have had a bail amount and made to spend time in jail. He was charged with o…

Staff (2020-06-11). Report: 340 Palestinians Abducted in May by Israeli Forces. imemc.org A new joint report by a coalition of Palestinian NGOs has found that Israeli forces abducted 340 Palestinians in the month of May 2020 and brought them to military bases for imprisonment and interrogation. In their monthly joint report, the NGOs stated that the recently imprisoned Palestinians include 25 children …

IMEMC News (2020-06-11). Soldiers Abduct A Palestinian Detainee Minutes After He Finished Serving A 15-Year Prison Sentence. imemc.org The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported that Israeli soldiers abducted, Thursday, a Palestinian man merely minutes following his release after he finished serving a prison sentence of fifteen years and six months, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported. The PPS stated that the re-arrest of the detainee, Salah …

Staff (2020-06-11). Israeli Court Changes Prison Term to Life Sentence for Palestinian Arrested at Age 15. imemc.org Two prisoners, both of whom were arrested when they were 15 years old, have had extensive sentences handed down by the Israeli Ofer Military Court. The now-19-year-old prisoner, Omar Samir Rimawi, had his sentence changed from 35 years to Life in prison with no possibility of parole. Hi co-defendant, Ahmad …

yenisafak (2020-06-11). Norway mosque attacker sentenced to 21 years in prison. yenisafak.com A Norwegian court on Thursday sentenced a man who staged an attack at a mosque to 21 years in prison, the maximum prison term possible, according to local media reports.On Aug. 10 last year, Philip Manshaus, killed his 17-years-old stepsister at home and stormed the nearest mosque during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha in Baerum, outside Oslo.Manshaus opened fire on people in the mosque but was overpowered by one of the men in the mosque. One elderly man was injured.He was charged with the murder of his stepsister and the terrorist attack at the Al-Noor Islamic Center and found quilty, according to the Norwegia…

Staff (2020-06-10). "Out of Options in Terms of Reform": Khalil Gibran Muhammad on the Racist History of Police in U.S. democracynow.org Protests in defense of Black lives and calls to defund the police continue across the U.S., from Los Angeles to Minneapolis and New York. We speak with Khalil Gibran Muhammad, a professor of history, race and public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Suzanne Young Murray professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, about the significance of this moment and the history of policing in the U.S. "We haven't seen a moment like this in at least half a century," Muhammad says. "It's hard to know for sure where we're going to go from this moment, but it's clear that when we look at the history of po…

Afroze Fatima Zaidi (2020-06-10). 'Voter suppression' could be happening in Black communities while American politicians say 'Black Lives Matter'. thecanary.co Primary election voting On Twitter, many people Pittman Park polling location didn't open until 8: 10am. The 1 machine they dedicated to this l…