Monthly Archives: May 2021

2021-05-02: News Headlines

Staff (2021-05-02). International 1 May actions call for liberation of Palestine, freedom for Georges Abdallah. samidoun.net Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network chapters and members participated in a wide range of global activities, demonstrations and mobilizations marking 1 May, International Workers' Day, as did many advocates for justice and liberation for Palestine and for Palestinian political prisoners. The flag of Palestine and banners of liberation were raised at many international demonstrations, calling for freedom for the prisoners and liberation for Palestine from the river to the sea. Samidoun Deutschland members took to the streets in Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, and Berlin, among other cities in Germany. In Frankf…

Binoy Kampmark (2021-05-02). Forgetting Citizenship: Australia Suspends Flights From India — OpEd. eurasiareview.com As India is being devastated by COVID-19 cases that have now passed a daily rate of 400,000, affluent and callous Australia has taken the decision to suspend all flights coming into the country till mid-month. The decision was reached by the Morrison government with the blessing of the State Premiers and the Labor opposition. | Not happy with banning flights from India, the Morrison government promises to be savage in punishing returnees who find ways to circumvent the ban (for instance, by travelling via a third country). Citizens who breach the travel ban can face up to five years' imprisonment and fines up…

Moderator (2021-05-02). Why the ACLU Abstained From the BLM Censorship Controversy. scheerpost.com Victoria Pickering / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0] By Glenn Greenwald / Substack Enormous sums of money have poured into racial justice groups since the May, 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis Police Department officer. "The foundation widely seen as a steward of the Black Lives Matter movement says it took in just over $90 million last year," according to a February Associated Press review… |

Anonymous669 (2021-05-02). Iran Claimed Breakthrough Prisoners Swap Deal With US, UK. Washington Denies — Reports. southfront.org © Flickr/ peyman abkhezr | Iran is about to reach a breakthrough prisoners swap dead with the US and the UK, the al-Mayadeen TV reported on May 2. | An unnamed Iranian source told the Beirut-based channel that Iran and the US may soon finalize a prisoner exchange deal that would see Tehran freeing four Americans who were charged with spying for their country. | In return, the US would release four Iranian who were charged with violating sanctions imposed on Tehran. The US may also un-freeze Iranian assets worth a…

_____ (2021-05-02). Massachusetts House Rejects Distorted Definition Of Antisemitism. popularresistance.org Cambridge, MA – The Massachusetts House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected an amendment to the state budget which would have Massachusetts adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, a definition that equates criticism of Israel with antisemitism, within its law on religious discrimination | The problem amendment, called "Condemnation of Antisemitism and Adoption of IHRA Definition", was submitted by Rep. Howitt (R. Seekonk) as amendment #300 to the state budget bill, H.4000. | With only two days to respond before the amendment was considered, Jewish Voice for Peace- Boston, Massachusetts Peace Action, the A…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2021-05-02). End 'Forever Wars,' Biden Told as White House Releases Document on Trump's Secret Lethal Force Rules. commondreams.org "Secretive and unaccountable use of lethal force is unacceptable in a rights-respecting democracy, and this program is a cornerstone of the 'forever wars' President Biden has pledged to end. He needs to do so," said the ACLU's Brett Max Kaufman. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/biden-releases-trump-era-lethal-force-rules.jpg

Unitarian Universalist Society of S.F. (2021-05-02). Wednesday 5/5: Vigil for Refugee Rights Stop Child Detention Recognize Asylum. indybay.org 1187 Franklin Street @ Geary…

_____ (2021-05-02). 'Golden Rule' Peace Boat Sets Sail From Hawaii. popularresistance.org After 21 months in the Hawaiian Islands, the historic anti-nuclear sailboat Golden Rule will depart from Honolulu, Hawai'i for the West Coast of the U.S. The Golden Rule first sailed from California to Hawai'i 63 years ago, in 1958, on her way to interfere with U.S. atmospheric nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands, the site of 67 U.S. nuclear bomb blasts from 1952 to 1958. Under orders from the Atomic Energy Commission, U.S. Coast Guard stopped the boat from leaving Honolulu. The arrest and jailing of the captain and 1958 crew garnered international media attention and increased opposition to nuclear testing a…

sputniknews (2021-05-02). UK Downplays Reports of £400 Million Deal With Iran to Free Woman Jailed for Spying. sputniknews.com Iranian-born Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in April 2016 before boarding a flight back to the UK and jailed for five years for sedition against the government. Hopes for her release last week were dashed when she was handed an additional one-year sentence for propaganda activities.

Poor People's Campaign, NC NAACP, more (2021-05-02). Tuesday 5/4: Moral Emergency Speak-out Against Fatal Police Shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. w/ PPC & NAACP. indybay.org Online via livestream…

Fight Back (2021-05-02). Lenin on May Day. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following 1904 article by the great Russian revolutionary VI Lenin. | Comrade workers! May Day is coming, the day when the workers of all lands celebrate Their awakening to a class- conscious life, their solidarity in the struggle against all coercion and oppression of man by man, the struggle to free the toiling millions from hunger, poverty, and humiliation. Two worlds stand facing each other in this great struggle: the world of capital and the world of labour, the world of exploitation and slavery and the world of brotherhood and freedom. | On one side stand the hand…

RFE RL (2021-05-02). Iran: Baha'is Told To Bury Loved Ones Atop Mass Graves Of Political Prisoners. eurasiareview.com By Golnaz Esfandiari | ( The Baha'i community in the Iranian capital has for years buried its dead in a special section of Tehran's Khavaran cemetery, near the resting place for hundreds or even thousands of political prisoners who were victims of mass executions in the late 1980s. | Cemetery officials have in recent days reportedl…

Staff (2021-05-02). US rejects prisoners' swap deal with Iran: Price. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 02 (MNA) — The US Department of State Spokesperson Price announced on Sunday that the United States would not reach an agreement with Iran on the prisoners' swap.

Staff (2021-05-02). Terrorists escape from prison in S Iraq: report. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 02 (MNA) — An informed Iraqi security source said Sun. that a number of terrorists and drug traffickers have escaped from prison in Al Muthanna Governorate, south of Iraq.

Paul Goble (2021-05-02). Banned Navalny Movement Now Goes Underground With Uncertain Consequences — OpEd. eurasiareview.com The Putin regime has banned the Navalny staffs, the public face of the opposition leader's efforts to promote public policy in Russia. Now, at least some of his supporters will continue to function underground, something with uncertrain consequences for the future of the movement and of Russia as a whole. | No one in the Putin regime or among opposition circles believes that the suppression of the Navalny staff will lower the level of anger in the population or the propensity of the Russian people to take part in demonstrations in the future, but the two groups view the future very, very differently. | Those w…

Editorial Team (2021-05-01). YCL on May Day 2021: "The choice for Britain's youth is socialism or barbarism — socialism or extinction" challenge-magazine.org The Executive Committee of the Young Communist League has released a statement to mark International Workers Day 2021. | The Young Communist League sends comradely greetings to the workers and youth of the world on May Day 2021! | Even in the depths of this COVID-19 pandemic, it is the struggle of working people against oppression and our solidarity with each other that have been a bright light in a bleak world. | This year's May Day comes as we slowly emerge from lockdowns and restrictions. Now is the time to energise and rededicate ourselves to the struggle for peace, democracy and socialism. | International…

Staff (2021-05-01). International Workers' Day: Palestinian workers on the front lines of resistance. samidoun.net On 1 May 2021, International Workers' Day, Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network stands with the working class and popular classes of Palestine and the world on this day of struggle for liberation from exploitation, capitalism, imperialism, racism and Zionism. Samidoun organizers are taking to the streets today with their comrades in cities around the world to celebrate and advance our collective struggle. As we march and organize for the global liberation of workers — including the workers of Palestine — we urge all international workers' movements to join the struggle for Palestinian libe…

Jamie Weed (2021-05-01). Draconian Texas bill attacks healthcare rights of transgender youth. liberationnews.org Senate Bill 1646 seeks to amend the definition of abuse under the Texas Family Code to include administering or consenting to a child's use of puberty suppression treatment, hormones, or surgery for gender-affirming care/transition.

Staff (2021-05-01). My Child Is Incarcerated. One Second in This Unjust System Is Too Much. truthout.org For several years, I have met weekly with a remarkable group of mothers and one father who, like me, are fighting for the release of their adult children from Chicago-area prisons. We call ourselves the

Staff (2021-05-01). Many So-Called "Alternatives" to Mass Incarceration Are 21st-Century Shackles. truthout.org As the public narrative begins to acknowledge the harm caused by mass incarceration, many are shifting to so-called "alternatives" — from predatory diversion programs to invasive electronic monitoring — designed to turn communities into cages and further exploit people. Having spent billions acquiring these "alternatives," private prison corporations are now among their biggest proponents. Today, there are more than four million people on probation and parole subject to this type of c…

Anferny Jimauri Moore (2021-05-01). A Year Later: The Black Lives Matter Movement in Sonoma County 2020. indybay.org BLM has become a "tool" social activist, the local government and political representatives sought to use the momentum of POC and the community to capitalize and align themselves with accountability, instead of the go-to white supremacy.

Unitarian Universalist Society of S.F. (2021-05-01). Wednesday 5/5: Vigil for Refugee Rights Stop Child Detention Recognize Asylum. indybay.org 1187 Franklin Street @ Geary…

Poor People's Campaign, NC NAACP, more (2021-05-01). Tuesday 5/4: Moral Emergency Speak-out Against Fatal Police Shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. w/ PPC & NAACP. indybay.org Online via livestream…

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2021-05-01: News Headlines

Jamie Weed (2021-05-01). Draconian Texas bill attacks healthcare rights of transgender youth. liberationnews.org Senate Bill 1646 seeks to amend the definition of abuse under the Texas Family Code to include administering or consenting to a child's use of puberty suppression treatment, hormones, or surgery for gender-affirming care/transition.

Staff (2021-05-01). My Child Is Incarcerated. One Second in This Unjust System Is Too Much. truthout.org For several years, I have met weekly with a remarkable group of mothers and one father who, like me, are fighting for the release of their adult children from Chicago-area prisons. We call ourselves the

Staff (2021-05-01). Many So-Called "Alternatives" to Mass Incarceration Are 21st-Century Shackles. truthout.org As the public narrative begins to acknowledge the harm caused by mass incarceration, many are shifting to so-called "alternatives" — from predatory diversion programs to invasive electronic monitoring — designed to turn communities into cages and further exploit people. Having spent billions acquiring these "alternatives," private prison corporations are now among their biggest proponents. Today, there are more than four million people on probation and parole subject to this type of c…

Anferny Jimauri Moore (2021-05-01). A Year Later: The Black Lives Matter Movement in Sonoma County 2020. indybay.org BLM has become a "tool" social activist, the local government and political representatives sought to use the momentum of POC and the community to capitalize and align themselves with accountability, instead of the go-to white supremacy.

Unitarian Universalist Society of S.F. (2021-05-01). Wednesday 5/5: Vigil for Refugee Rights Stop Child Detention Recognize Asylum. indybay.org 1187 Franklin Street @ Geary…

Poor People's Campaign, NC NAACP, more (2021-05-01). Tuesday 5/4: Moral Emergency Speak-out Against Fatal Police Shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. w/ PPC & NAACP. indybay.org Online via livestream…

Betsey Piette (2021-04-30). Rally demands: MOVE children deserve to rest in peace. workers.org Philadelphia YahNé Ndgo opened the rally outside the Penn Museum in Philadelphia April 28 by denouncing the University of Pennsylvania's sadistic desecration of the remains of two young Black MOVE family members. Ndgo, representing Black Lives Matter Philadelphia, stated: "We can never forget the humanity of Black people, and we . . . |

Staff (2021-04-30). Arizona Is on the Verge of Adopting Voter Suppression Laws. truthout.org Arizona is taking center stage in the relentless effort to rein in voter participation in the name of "election security," advancing the first in a batch of bills aimed at making vote by mail harder. These Republican-led efforts are based on the discredited lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and mail-in voting is insecure. Yet, it was only after the statewide federal elections in Arizona were won by the opposing political party suddenly Arizona's mail-in voting processes became untrustworthy…

Ron Jacobs (2021-04-30). From the Foggy Dew. counterpunch.org April 25th was the anniversary of the 1916 Easter rebellion in Ireland. A military failure, that moment in Irish history serves as one of the most important markers of the long struggle for Irish independence from England. After several of the participants were executed or jailed, others fled the country. The nation of Ireland was

Staff (2021-04-30). Headlines for April 30, 2021. democracynow.org India COVID Cases Continue to Soar as Arundhati Roy Decries "Crime Against Humanity", Deaths Soar in Latin America; Brazil COVID Death Toll Tops 400,000, 44 Ultra-Orthordox Jews Die in Stampede at Religious Site, Abbas Postpones Palestinian Elections, USAID Watchdog Criticizes Trump's Politicization of Aid to Venezuela, Thousands Flee into Thailand as Burmese Junta Launches Airstrikes Near Border, Florida Approves Sweeping Voter Suppression Bill, West Virginia, Florida & Texas Bills Target Trans Youth, Biden Vows to Close Private Detention Centers in Response to Georgia Protesters, Right-Wing Extremists Face New…

_____ (2021-04-30). Mumia Abu-Jamal: State Running Scared, Trying To Make Sure He Dies In Prison. popularresistance.org Ann Garrison: Mumia has finally had the open-heart surgery that his team and his wife had such a hard time getting any information about beforehand. | Johanna Fernandez: That's correct. But Mumia's chosen doctor, Dr. Ricardo Alvarez, has not been given access to the surgeons. Mumia was finally able to call his wife Wadiya Abu-Jamal several days before the surgery, but at that point he was very weak and was only able to whisper to her that he would be undergoing surgery two days later. He was allowed to call her after the surgery, and she said he sounded strong. | AG: Was there any response to the campaign to remo…

Staff (2021-04-30). The Supreme Court Considers a Cheerleader's Off Campus Free Speech Rights. aclu.org This week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that has huge implications for the free speech rights of students. The case involves then 14-year-old Brandi Levy, a cheerleader at Mahanoy Area High School in Pennsylvania, and her post on the social media platform Snapchat. One of her cheerleading coaches saw…

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2021-04-30). DeSantis Says 'Of Course' He Will Sign Into Law Florida GOP's Massive Attack on Voting Rights. commondreams.org "Simply put, S.B. 90 is undemocratic to its core," said the ACLU of Florida. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/desantis_florida_voting.jpg

Anferny Jimauri Moore (2021-04-30). A Year Later: The Black Lives Matter Movement in Sonoma County 2020. indybay.org BLM has become a "tool" social activist, the local government and political representatives sought to use the momentum of POC and the community to capitalize and align themselves with accountability, instead of the go-to white supremacy.

sputniknews (2021-04-30). First Photo Taken in a Year Shows Maxwell With 'Black Eye' Amid Claims of 'Humiliation' in Jail. sputniknews.com Since cameras and recording devices are not permitted at trials where the friend of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's has recently been denied her third bail application, Maxwell has only been seen in court sketches until this moment.

The Canary (2021-04-30). Neo-Nazi police officer jailed for membership of banned group. thecanary.co The first British police officer to be convicted of belonging to a neo-Nazi terrorist group has been jailed for more than four years. | Ben Hannam was found guilty of membership of banned right-wing extremist group National Action (NA) in 2016 until September 2017, following a trial at the Old Bailey. | He had been working as a probationary officer for the Metropolitan Police for nearly two years before he was found on a leaked database of users of extreme right-wing forum Iron March and arrested last year. | Benjamin Hannam attending an outdoor boxing event which was shown to the jury during his trial at the Old…

Poor People's Campaign, NC NAACP, more (2021-04-30). Tuesday 5/4: Moral Emergency Speak-out Against Fatal Police Shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. w/ PPC & NAACP. indybay.org Online via livestream…

Abayomi Azikiwe (2021-04-30). Racism in America: Biden Police Reforms Prove Inadequate to End Misconduct and Brutality. globalresearch.ca As demonstrations erupt across the United States against the oppression inflicted …

Stansfield Smith (2021-04-30). The US Plan to Imprison Businesspeople in Other Countries for "Violating" Illegal US Sanctions: The Cases of Alex Saab, Meng Wanzhou, Mun Chol Myong. orinocotribune.com By Stansfield Smith — Apr 27, 2021 | The The US uses sanctions as a tool to overthrow governments that do not kow-tow to it. Sanctions are a weapon of war on civilians. They destroy the economy of a country ("make the economy scream") by causing hyp…

Tom Anderson (2021-04-30). Calls for solidarity with a prisoner 'facing retaliation' for standing up against the prison system. thecanary.co Family and supporters of Kevan Thakrar held a demonstration outside the Ministry of Justice offices in London on Wednesday 28 April. Thakrar The protesters demanded an end to the targeting of Thakrar by the prison, and also that he's moved out of HMP Full Sutton to HMP Whitemoor where he can receive the support he needs. | Freedom for Kevan: | A statement by the demonstrators reads: Friends…

Andrew Emett (2021-04-30). Former Louisiana police officer charged with assaulting arrestee on video. nationofchange.org If convicted, Hudson faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

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