Monthly Archives: December 2020

2020-12-23: News Headlines

G. Dunkel (2020-12-23). Black Lives Matter and France's Global Security Law. workers.org It is sometimes hard to realize the worldwide impact of the Black Lives Matter movement. Language, culture and media indifference can all get in the way. Some countries just don't have the type of events — protests, marches, rallies — for a variety of reasons, where the influence of BLM . . . |

Kim Petersen (2020-12-23). Are There Any Good Cops? dissidentvoice.org Yes, there is a pandemic. And, yes, the COVID-19 numbers and deaths are rising in certain locales. In the Canadian province of Alberta, lockdown measures were put into effect that include shutting all casinos, gyms, dine-in restaurants, and bars. Mask wearing, despite what science says, has been mandated. As well, all outdoor and indoor social …

Ted Kelly (2020-12-23). Black Panther in struggle: The continued imprisonment of Russell Maroon Shoatz. workers.org Since 1972 — nearly half a century ago — Russell Maroon Shoatz has languished in a prison cell built on stolen land, poisoned and irradiated by the fossil fuel industry. A Black Panther Party member and soldier in the Black Liberation Army, Shoatz was falsely accused of killing a cop . . . |

Drillminister (2020-12-23). My wish for 2021? We all start fighting back, now. thecanary.co Boom. Bam. You know who it is. Yung Drilly, aka Drillminister — writing for The Canary. I'm running for London Mayor in 2021. And with the mess that our politicians have made in the past 12 months, we need radical change and quickly. So, here's my message as we head to towards the New Year.Black Lives Matter. But do they really?: This year has laid bare the open corruption and political violence in our society. It held a magnifying glass to the hate. And even though it's obvious for all to see — nothing has changed.The UK saw the reverberations of George Floyd's murder echo across the streets of…

Ronnie Kasrils (2020-12-23). Against the witch-hunt. mronline.org Veteran of the fight against Apartheid RONNIE KASRILS warns that the IHRA is being used to suppress left-wing supporters of Palestine, just as anti-communist hysteria was used against the national-liberation movement in South Africa…

Attorney Kellie Walters (2020-12-23). Outrage After Sacramento Police Illegally Detain and Terrorize 14-Year-Old African-American. indybay.org An African-American mother has expressed outrage at the ongoing practice of illegal detention by the Sacramento Police Department after the City's police officers detained and harassed her under aged son without provocation for the second time in fifteen months.

Angelique Scott (2020-12-23). Black Lives Matter. thenation.com Black Lives Matter…

Online News Editor (2020-12-23). Chinese-Australian writer accused of spying sends messages from prison. laprensalatina.com Sydney, Australia, Dec 23 (efe-epa).- Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun, who was arrested in China at the beginning of 2019 for alleged espionage, said in a series of messages from prison that he is "stronger than ever" and that he has "some confidence in the court" to receive a fair trial. "I think they will give …

Margaret Flowers (2020-12-22). This Is How We Fight for Our Human Rights. dissidentvoice.org Person arrested protesting for Medicare for All. New York City. 2009 (HealthcareNow.org.) It was ten years ago last week that the Arab Spring began. I recall it well as the day before Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in Tunisia and ignited a revolutionary movement, I stood in the snow for hours protesting outside the …

teleSUR (2020-12-22). Rio de Janeiro's Mayor Marcelo Crivella Arrested for Corruption. telesurenglish.net The mayor of Rio de Janeiro and evangelist pastor, Marcelo Crivella, who is accused of corruption linked to the municipal tourism company Riotur, was arrested on Tuesday in a joint police operation with the participation of the state prosecutor's office. | RELATED: | The arrest is based on an investigation into an alleged bribery scheme in the mayor's office of the capital city of Rio de Janeiro, of which police author…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-22). Iraqi army arrests 4 ISIL elements in Basra province. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 22 (MNA) — Iraqi Army has identified and arrested four ISIL elements in an operation in Basra province.

_____ (2020-12-21). Ex-UK Ambassador On Syria And Propaganda. popularresistance.org Former UK ambassador to Syria Peter Ford on how the US and its allies continue to wage war on Syria via sadistic sanctions, an illegal US military occupation, the OPCW cover-up, and media propaganda that masks the brutality. | Syria and its allies prevented regime change, but the US and its allies are continuing to squeeze Syria's population with crippling sanctions on all aspects of civilian life and a US military occupation in Syria's northeast breadbasket. Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria, analyzes the state of the Syria proxy war and the ongoing propaganda campaign to whitewash it.

Chris Gelardi (2020-12-21). Detroit is Suing Black Lives Matter Protesters for "Civil Conspiracy" zcomm.org The city's lawsuit came after protesters won a restraining order against Detroit cops for their violent response to the George Floyd protests…

2020-12-22: News Headlines

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-22). Iraqi army arrests 4 ISIL elements in Basra province. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 22 (MNA) — Iraqi Army has identified and arrested four ISIL elements in an operation in Basra province.

Online News Editor (2020-12-22). A year that could mark the 'end' of Hong Kong. laprensalatina.com By Shirley Lau Hong Kong, Dec 22 (efe-epa).- China has rapidly increased its control over Hong Kong this year, approving a stringent and controversial national security law to curb protests, which has significantly cut down the freedoms enjoyed by the former British colony until now. Numerous activists and lawmakers have been arrested, jailed or fled …

Attorney Kellie Walters (2020-12-22). Outrage After Sacramento Police Illegally Detain and Terrorize 14-Year-Old African-America. indybay.org An African-American mother has expressed outrage at the ongoing practice of illegal detention by the Sacramento Police Department after the City's police officers detained and harassed her under aged son without provocation for the second time in fifteen months.

Kiki Monifa (2020-12-21). Kwanzaa During the Pandemic. progressive.org Ordinary folks are finally seeing what Black people have experienced in this country for more than 400 years.

_____ (2020-12-21). Ex-UK Ambassador On Syria And Propaganda. popularresistance.org Former UK ambassador to Syria Peter Ford on how the US and its allies continue to wage war on Syria via sadistic sanctions, an illegal US military occupation, the OPCW cover-up, and media propaganda that masks the brutality. | Syria and its allies prevented regime change, but the US and its allies are continuing to squeeze Syria's population with crippling sanctions on all aspects of civilian life and a US military occupation in Syria's northeast breadbasket. Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria, analyzes the state of the Syria proxy war and the ongoing propaganda campaign to whitewash it.

Chris Gelardi (2020-12-21). Detroit is Suing Black Lives Matter Protesters for "Civil Conspiracy" zcomm.org The city's lawsuit came after protesters won a restraining order against Detroit cops for their violent response to the George Floyd protests…

Aaron Maté (2020-12-20). Ex-UK Ambassador: war on Syria continues with US occupation, sanctions, propaganda. thegrayzone.com Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria, on how the US and its allies continue to wage war on Syria via sadistic sanctions, an illegal US military occupation, the OPCW cover-up, and media propaganda that masks the brutality. Syria and its allies prevented regime change, but the US and its allies are continuing to squeeze Syria's population with crippling sanctions on all aspects of civilian life and a US military occupation in Syria's northeast breadbasket. Peter Ford, the former …

teleSUR, ce (2020-12-20). Bolivian Court Releases 24 Arrested During 2019 Senkata Conflicts. telesurenglish.net A Bolivian has granted the release to 24 people detained during the November 2019 anti-coup protests in the Senkata district of the Indigenous city of El Alto. | RELATED: | The Prosecutor's Office found no evidence to support the claim and Justice determined the release, reported the representative of the Human Rights Assembly of El Alto, David Inca. | "A total of 24 people have been deprived of liberty since Nove…

Tiago Correia (2020-12-20). Elderly 110 lb. woman shot and killed by jail guard in Spokane, Wa. liberationnews.org "We demand justice for Nancy King, which begins with a thorough and independent investigation and by jailing killer cops."

Tony Murphy (2020-12-19). Cops and landlords go hand-in-hand in New York City. workers.org WW PHOTO: Tony Murphy With the looming Jan. 31 expiration of the federal ban on evictions — and landlords already evicting tenants — protests, stoop defense and militant housing actions are spreading. In Brooklyn, a Dec. 11 downtown protest that began at housing court made the just demand to stop . . . |

Ben Slowey (2020-12-19). Milwaukee Common Council votes No to COPS Grant. liberationnews.org "I didn't expect it," said Christiaan Cocroft of Party for Socialism and Liberation Milwaukee. "With the way the capitalist system is built and how the people in charge run it, decisions like that don't really get passed."

A Guest Author (2020-12-19). Ramsey Prison Unit: The terror of Texas. workers.org By Nanon M. Williams Nanon Williams was arrested in 1992 at age 17 for capital murder and spent years on death row. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled people under 18 could not be sentenced to death. His sentence, along with 70 others, was commuted to life and he . . . |

Vijay Prashad (2020-12-19). Ten years on, hopes of 'Arab Spring' snuffed out. zcomm.org Ten years after the Arab Spring, there is little to celebrate. Great hopes have been set aside. Old cynicisms have returned, the cynicisms of arms deals and of energy deals, the cynicism of brutality…

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2020-12-19). Health Care and Black Lives Matter. zcomm.org "The backlash in which white people proclaimed All Lives Matter clearly had no understanding of the issue. Blacks weren't saying that Black lives mattered more, they were emphasizing that, the way the system works now, Black Lives Matter … Less."

2020-12-21: News Headlines

_____ (2020-12-21). Ex-UK Ambassador On Syria And Propaganda. popularresistance.org Former UK ambassador to Syria Peter Ford on how the US and its allies continue to wage war on Syria via sadistic sanctions, an illegal US military occupation, the OPCW cover-up, and media propaganda that masks the brutality. | Syria and its allies prevented regime change, but the US and its allies are continuing to squeeze Syria's population with crippling sanctions on all aspects of civilian life and a US military occupation in Syria's northeast breadbasket. Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria, analyzes the state of the Syria proxy war and the ongoing propaganda campaign to whitewash it.

Kiki Monifa (2020-12-21). Kwanzaa During the Pandemic. progressive.org Ordinary folks are finally seeing what Black people have experienced in this country for more than 400 years.

Chris Gelardi (2020-12-21). Detroit is Suing Black Lives Matter Protesters for "Civil Conspiracy" zcomm.org The city's lawsuit came after protesters won a restraining order against Detroit cops for their violent response to the George Floyd protests…

Tiago Correia (2020-12-20). Elderly 110 lb. woman shot and killed by jail guard in Spokane, Wa. liberationnews.org "We demand justice for Nancy King, which begins with a thorough and independent investigation and by jailing killer cops."

Aaron Maté (2020-12-20). Ex-UK ambassador: War on Syria continues with US occupation, sanctions, propaganda. thegrayzone.com Former UK ambassador to Syria Peter Ford on how the US and its allies continue to wage war on Syria via sadistic sanctions, an illegal US military occupation, the OPCW cover-up, and media propaganda that masks the brutality. Syria and its allies prevented regime change, but the US and its allies are continuing to squeeze Syria's population with crippling sanctions on all aspects of civilian life and a US military occupation in Syria's northeast breadbasket. Peter Ford, the former UK …

Tony Murphy (2020-12-19). Cops and landlords go hand-in-hand in New York City. workers.org WW PHOTO: Tony Murphy With the looming Jan. 31 expiration of the federal ban on evictions — and landlords already evicting tenants — protests, stoop defense and militant housing actions are spreading. In Brooklyn, a Dec. 11 downtown protest that began at housing court made the just demand to stop . . . |

Ben Slowey (2020-12-19). Milwaukee Common Council votes No to COPS Grant. liberationnews.org "I didn't expect it," said Christiaan Cocroft of Party for Socialism and Liberation Milwaukee. "With the way the capitalist system is built and how the people in charge run it, decisions like that don't really get passed."

A Guest Author (2020-12-19). Ramsey Prison Unit: The terror of Texas. workers.org By Nanon M. Williams Nanon Williams was arrested in 1992 at age 17 for capital murder and spent years on death row. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled people under 18 could not be sentenced to death. His sentence, along with 70 others, was commuted to life and he . . . |

Vijay Prashad (2020-12-19). Ten years on, hopes of 'Arab Spring' snuffed out. zcomm.org Ten years after the Arab Spring, there is little to celebrate. Great hopes have been set aside. Old cynicisms have returned, the cynicisms of arms deals and of energy deals, the cynicism of brutality…

teleSUR, ce (2020-12-19). Chilean Police Arrest at Least 30 Anti-Piñera Protesters. telesurenglish.net Santiago de Chile was again the scene this Friday of protests to demand the resignation of the President Sebastián Piñera, which ended with the arrest of at least 30 protesters. | RELATED: | The militarized police reported that they had arrested that number of participants in the demonstrations, whose objective was also to demand the freedom of people who were imprisoned during the protests that broke out in October…

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2020-12-19). Health Care and Black Lives Matter. zcomm.org "The backlash in which white people proclaimed All Lives Matter clearly had no understanding of the issue. Blacks weren't saying that Black lives mattered more, they were emphasizing that, the way the system works now, Black Lives Matter … Less."

MEE staff (2020-12-18). New York Times says Caliphate podcast probably made up by 'con artist'. middleeasteye.net New York Times says Caliphate podcast probably made up by 'con artist' | Newspaper says award-winning 2018 series failed to meet its standards for accuracy after main subject arrested in Canada on hoax terrorism charge | Fri, 12/18/2020 – 13: 50 | Rukmini Callimachi (R) and Andy Mills pose with the New York Times' 2018 Peabody Award for 'Caliphate' (AFP) | The New York Times admitted on Friday that its award-w…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-12-18). As Pandemic Rages On, Analysis Finds 1 in 5 People in US Prisons Infected With Covid-19. commondreams.org The new data follow the ACLU's warning that America's "unique obsession with incarceration has become our Achilles heel when it comes to combating the spread of Covid-19." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Workers World Party (2020-12-18). PDF of December 17 issue. workers.org Download the 12-page PDF. 'Red House on Mississippi Ave.' Portland activists block eviction Fight for Mumia's freedom; NYC cops & landlords, hand in hand; Boston solidarity with workers, farmers in India; Buffalo anti-racists face down fascists; Michigan: Confronting white supremacy; Justice for Casey Goodson! Attack on anti-ICE marchers; Indigenous land . . . |

Steve Martinot (2020-12-18). The Killing Just Keeps Going On. counterpunch.org It is a Monday in late November, 2020, and I catch Amy Goodman ("Democracy Now") looking back on the weekend. A couple of months have passed since the massive demonstrations against police brutality, people shaking governments by the collar demanding that the pointless wanton arbitrary killing of black people stop. Organizations had formed and the

Greg Hyver (2020-12-18). Free Speech Protest in Downtown Santa Cruz. indybay.org Watch the free speech protest held on Church Street on December 11th in downtown Santa Cruz, challenging for city of 1st and 14th Amendment rights violations. Also, recently published survey results of Santa Cruz County residents on political issues ranging from their media to Black Lives Matter. Eye-opening.

2020-12-20: News Headlines

Aaron Maté (2020-12-20). Ex-UK Ambassador: war on Syria continues with US occupation, sanctions, propaganda. thegrayzone.com Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria, on how the US and its allies continue to wage war on Syria via sadistic sanctions, an illegal US military occupation, the OPCW cover-up, and media propaganda that masks the brutality. Syria and its allies prevented regime change, but the US and its allies are continuing to squeeze Syria's population with crippling sanctions on all aspects of civilian life and a US military occupation in Syria's northeast breadbasket. Peter Ford, the former …

Tiago Correia (2020-12-20). Elderly 110 lb. woman shot and killed by jail guard in Spokane, Wa. liberationnews.org "We demand justice for Nancy King, which begins with a thorough and independent investigation and by jailing killer cops."

Tony Murphy (2020-12-19). Cops and landlords go hand-in-hand in New York City. workers.org WW PHOTO: Tony Murphy With the looming Jan. 31 expiration of the federal ban on evictions — and landlords already evicting tenants — protests, stoop defense and militant housing actions are spreading. In Brooklyn, a Dec. 11 downtown protest that began at housing court made the just demand to stop . . . |

Ben Slowey (2020-12-19). Milwaukee Common Council votes No to COPS Grant. liberationnews.org "I didn't expect it," said Christiaan Cocroft of Party for Socialism and Liberation Milwaukee. "With the way the capitalist system is built and how the people in charge run it, decisions like that don't really get passed."

A Guest Author (2020-12-19). Ramsey Prison Unit: The terror of Texas. workers.org By Nanon M. Williams Nanon Williams was arrested in 1992 at age 17 for capital murder and spent years on death row. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled people under 18 could not be sentenced to death. His sentence, along with 70 others, was commuted to life and he . . . |

Vijay Prashad (2020-12-19). Ten years on, hopes of 'Arab Spring' snuffed out. zcomm.org Ten years after the Arab Spring, there is little to celebrate. Great hopes have been set aside. Old cynicisms have returned, the cynicisms of arms deals and of energy deals, the cynicism of brutality…

teleSUR, ce (2020-12-19). Chilean Police Arrest at Least 30 Anti-Piñera Protesters. telesurenglish.net Santiago de Chile was again the scene this Friday of protests to demand the resignation of the President Sebastián Piñera, which ended with the arrest of at least 30 protesters. | RELATED: | The militarized police reported that they had arrested that number of participants in the demonstrations, whose objective was also to demand the freedom of people who were imprisoned during the protests that broke out in October…

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2020-12-19). Health Care and Black Lives Matter. zcomm.org "The backlash in which white people proclaimed All Lives Matter clearly had no understanding of the issue. Blacks weren't saying that Black lives mattered more, they were emphasizing that, the way the system works now, Black Lives Matter … Less."

Workers World Party (2020-12-18). PDF of December 17 issue. workers.org Download the 12-page PDF. 'Red House on Mississippi Ave.' Portland activists block eviction Fight for Mumia's freedom; NYC cops & landlords, hand in hand; Boston solidarity with workers, farmers in India; Buffalo anti-racists face down fascists; Michigan: Confronting white supremacy; Justice for Casey Goodson! Attack on anti-ICE marchers; Indigenous land . . . |

MEE staff (2020-12-18). New York Times says Caliphate podcast probably made up by 'con artist'. middleeasteye.net New York Times says Caliphate podcast probably made up by 'con artist' | Newspaper says award-winning 2018 series failed to meet its standards for accuracy after main subject arrested in Canada on hoax terrorism charge | Fri, 12/18/2020 – 13: 50 | Rukmini Callimachi (R) and Andy Mills pose with the New York Times' 2018 Peabody Award for 'Caliphate' (AFP) | The New York Times admitted on Friday that its award-w…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-12-18). As Pandemic Rages On, Analysis Finds 1 in 5 People in US Prisons Infected With Covid-19. commondreams.org The new data follow the ACLU's warning that America's "unique obsession with incarceration has become our Achilles heel when it comes to combating the spread of Covid-19." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Steve Martinot (2020-12-18). The Killing Just Keeps Going On. counterpunch.org It is a Monday in late November, 2020, and I catch Amy Goodman ("Democracy Now") looking back on the weekend. A couple of months have passed since the massive demonstrations against police brutality, people shaking governments by the collar demanding that the pointless wanton arbitrary killing of black people stop. Organizations had formed and the

Greg Hyver (2020-12-18). Free Speech Protest in Downtown Santa Cruz. indybay.org Watch the free speech protest held on Church Street on December 11th in downtown Santa Cruz, challenging for city of 1st and 14th Amendment rights violations. Also, recently published survey results of Santa Cruz County residents on political issues ranging from their media to Black Lives Matter. Eye-opening.

John Wojcik (2020-12-17). Video shows Chicago cops terrorizing Black social worker in her home. peoplesworld.org CHICAGO—Video finally released after almost two years shows police in Chicago terrorizing an innocent Black woman social worker who had just undressed in her home after a long day on her job of two years. Brandishing a completely baseless search warrant which was itself issued under highly questionable circumstances, they burst into her home as …

Fight Back (2020-12-17). People of Milwaukee defeat the COPS grant. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – On December 15, the Milwaukee Common Council, after a backlash from the people, voted no on approving a grant that would give the Milwaukee Police Department $10 million. The grant would be given through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program with the expectation that Milwaukee Police Department would carry out tasks through a federal program called Operation Legend. Operation Legend's stated purpose is to cut down on violence in cities. The reality is that Operation Legend is terrorizing oppressed nationality neighborhoods. | The defeat of the COPS grant was only possible through…