Daily Archives: January 31, 2021

2021-01-31: News Headlines

Fight Back (2021-02-01). Philippines: Mark the 50th anniversary of the Diliman Commune. fightbacknews.org Fight Back New Service is circulating the following February 1 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines. | Today we mark the 50th anniversary of the Diliman Commune, a 9-day uprising of the students of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. The Diliman Commune was part of the widespread strikes and protest actions against oil price increases, imperialist control of the economy and police brutality under the Marcos regime. | The student uprising was part of the continuum of the surging national democratic mass movement of students and workers from the previous decade. It broke out…

WSWS repost (2021-01-31). Nine arrested in San Jose, California anti-eviction protest. indybay.org In the heart of Silicon Valley, there are 25-30 eviction hearings a week despite the ongoing pandemic and an extended federal moratorium on evictions.

MEE and agencies (2021-01-31). Israel to give few Covid-19 vaccines to Palestinians amid 'apartheid' accusations. middleeasteye.net Israel to give few Covid-19 vaccines to Palestinians amid 'apartheid' accusations | Israel's defence ministry says it agreed to transfer 5,000 vaccines to Palestinian medical workers | Sun, 01/31/2021 – 11: 46 | A Maccabi Health vaccination centre worker administers the Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine in the Givatayim mall parking lot, Tel Aviv, on 26 January 2021 (AFP) | Israel said on S…

Liberation Staff (2021-01-31). Tacoma activists clean encampments, dump trash at city manager's doorstep. liberationnews.org The message: Provide services like trash pickup and housing to our houseless community. Pay for it by firing her and killer cops!

_____ (2021-01-31). Students Continue To Pressure Northwestern University To Abolish The Police. popularresistance.org After several months of continuous pressure on Northwestern administration to abolish University Police and divest from policing and other militarized entities, NUCNC is continuing their work into the new quarter. | Since their campaign of more than 30 days of consecutive actions, the group has not held any mass protests or demonstrations, but they continue to pressure the University and practice mutual aid — a core tenet of prison-industrial complex abolition. | "Prisons are the biggest social service we have," NUCNC member Eliza Gonring said. "So poor people, homeless people, Black people are just getting…

_____ (2021-01-31). Policing And Punishment In Minneapolis' 'SafeZone'. popularresistance.org The criminal "justice" apparatus faces increasing criticism for emphasizing punishment, violent abuse and incarceration of criminals rather than rehabilitation. However, few observers recognize the active role community "justice" programs and businesses play in this displacement. The public/private SafeZone initiative launched in downtown Minneapolis in 2004 serves as an instructive example of how programs lauded as reforms can still impose punitive "law and order" tactics onto targeted populations. | "A month ago I was driving down Nicollet going to pick up my girl, somebody shot at me, twice!" Demetri (whose re…

RT (2021-01-30). 'You must do more': Chelsea captain pleads with social media giants for protection after English FA condemns yet more racist abuse. rt.com Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta has urged Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to "do more" against trolls who have sent racist abuse to youngster Reece James, adding that he cannot fathom how bullies "have such hate in their heart". | The worsening crisis of online abuse against footballers took another grim turn on Saturday when Chelsea defender James revealed messages calling him a "monkey", "trash" and telling the England prospect he had "dirty black skin". | Shortly afterwards, West Midlands Police announced that they had arrested a 49-year-old man near Birmingham on suspicion of sending racial abuse to Roma…

Online News Editor (2021-01-30). French police arrest 35 at protests against proposed security law. laprensalatina.com Paris, Jan 30 (efe-epa).- Thirty-five people were arrested Saturday amid sporadic clashes between police and some 33,000 people who took to the streets of this capital and other French cities to protest against a proposed new security law, authorities said. All but seven of the arrests took place in Paris, where the number of protesters …

_____ (2021-01-29). Toward A Revolutionary Left Framework On An Age-Old Debate. popularresistance.org Activists in the U.S. have debated race and class for decades to no resolution. Nonetheless, in this moment of U.S. imperial decay and crisis, the debate over whether race or class takes precedence in the struggle for liberation from U.S. capitalist and imperialist domination rages on. Two prominent strands of the debate have emerged over the last year which intersect with the rise of Bernie Sanders-led "democratic socialists" and the uprising against racist policing led by the slogan "Black Lives Matter." For many leaders of the Sanders camp, white supremacy is either a distraction or a secondary issue that can…

Richard Moser (2021-01-29). Cops, Vigilantes and the Ruling Class. counterpunch.org As more and more evidence comes in, much of it reveals collusion between the neo-fascists who were the hard-core and vanguard of the mob and the police, military, politicians and President. While some of the overwhelmed Capitol Police resisted the mob others welcomed it, opening barriers and treating them like tourists — selfies and all.

Royce Kurmelovs (2021-01-29). Who is Alexei Navalny? Behind the myth of the West's favorite Russian opposition figure. thegrayzone.com Despite facing repression, Alexei Navalny is no hero. Russian writer Katya Kazbek reveals the Western-backed opposition figure's real history. This interview was originally published at Royce Kurmelovs' Raising Hell Substack newsletter and republished with permission. Compressed into a two-minute soundbite, the story of Alexei Navalny and the recent protests that have erupted across Russia seems simple enough. The Russian opposition figure who recently survived an attempt on his life — an alleged poisoning delivered via Novichok-laced pants — was arrested and convicted …

RT (2021-01-29). Black Lives Matter movement nominated for 2021 Nobel Peace Prize by Norwegian MP. rt.com The Black Lives Matter movement has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize by a Norwegian MP Petter Eide, who claims the impact of BLM's anti-racism rallies has been felt far beyond the US alone. | "I find that one of the key challenges we have seen in America, but also in Europe and Asia, is the kind of increasing conflict based on inequality," Eide said. | Black Lives Matter has become a very important worldwide movement to fight racial injustice. | In his nomination papers, the MP hailed the movement for its ability to "mobilize people from all groups of society," including in his native Norway, wher…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2021-01-29). After Altercation, Rep. Cori Bush to Move Office Away From Far-Right Marjorie Taylor Greene for Team's Safety. commondreams.org Bush cited Greene's support for executing Democrats and "renewed, repeated antagonization of the movement for Black lives." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

sputniknews (2021-01-29). Congress MP, Veteran Journalists Charged With Sedition Over 'Fake News' on Farmer's Death in Delhi. sputniknews.com A 26-year-old farmer protesting India's new farm laws was killed in central Delhi on 26 January after his tractor rammed into a barricade. Farmers at the site claimed that the killed farmer was shot by cops before the accident. Police in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh state have said that they didn't find any gunshot mark on the farmer's body.

Allan Boesak, Wendell Griffen, Raouf Halaby, Lauri Umansky (2021-01-29). Will the U.S. End its Support for the Apartheid Israeli Regime? counterpunch.org The world is exhaling following the end of the vicious incompetence and corruption of Donald Trump's presidency. Journalists and political commentators applauded the inaugural address delivered by President Joe Biden, and expressed varying levels of hope about what is called a "return to normalcy" in US public policy. Meanwhile, we wonder whether the Biden administration

Staff (2021-01-28). Exposed: Proud Boys Hate Group Leader Enrique Tarrio Was "Prolific" FBI & Police Informant. democracynow.org We speak with Reuters investigative journalist Aram Roston, who has revealed a leader of the extremist hate group the Proud Boys, which played a key role in the Capitol riot on January 6, has a prolific history of cooperating with law enforcement. Court records show Enrique Tarrio was an FBI and police informant in Florida who went undercover in multiple drug and illegal gambling investigations after he was arrested in 2012. This comes as the Department of Homeland Security warns of a heightened threat posed by "ideologically-motivated violent extremists" angry over Joe Biden's inauguration.

Frida Berrigan (2021-01-28). 'I Ain't Marching Anymore' chronicles 260 years of war resistance and conscientious objection. juancole.com From the American Revolution through the Global War on Terror, author Chris Lombardi tells the inspiring stories of people who refused to kill. By Frida Berrigan | — ( Waging Nonviolence) — Everywhere I look, violence is the answer. Geopolitics and foreign policy, criminal justice and incarceration, education and housing policy, entertainment — especially entertainment. …

Steph Houten and Kimberly Barzola (2021-01-28). Boston activist arrested for assault that didn't happen. liberationnews.org Boston activist Ernst "Shimmy" Jean-Jacques Jr. is facing racist charges for an assault and battery that never happened.

MEE correspondent (2021-01-28). Iranian press review: Outrage after lawmaker slaps and intimidates traffic officer. middleeasteye.net Iranian press review: Outrage after lawmaker slaps and intimidates traffic officer | Meanwhile, Iran's football federation tells a women's football referee to stop researching discrimination, and the true cost of Iran's brain drain | Thu, 01/28/2021 – 13: 50 | Iranian dailies accuse politicians of acting above the law without accountability (AFP) | Outrage after lawmaker slaps and i…

RT (2021-01-28). Political scientist published by New York Times arrested for acting as secret agent for Iran. rt.com A man, who has penned at least one article for the New York Times, has been arrested and accused of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and of getting paid hundreds of thousands to promote pro-Iran policies in the US. | In a federal complaint, prosecutors alleged that political scientist Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi, has collected over $260,000 in payment from the Iranian government and also received health benefits typically reserved for Iranian diplomats deployed to the US. | Assistant Attorney General for national security John C. Demers, accused Afrasiabi of being a "secret employee" of Iran and of…