by Clay Wadena A brutal police crackdown on youth protesters occupying the central square of Barcelona has backfired against Spanish authorities. Early on May 27, over 120 youth were injured when police shot rubber bullets and beat protesters with batons in an attempt to clear the square under the dubious pretext that a soccer celebration … Continue reading Youth Rising in Spain!
Month: May 2011
Slutwalks – Grassroots Uprising Against Sexism
by Ona TzingerOn Jan. 24, Toronto police officer Michael Sanguinetti stood before a group of students at York University and volunteered his misguided assessment of the route to rape prevention, stating: “to prevent victimization … women should avoid dressing like sluts.”Sanguinetti couldn’t have anticipated the backlash that followed this unbridled display of sexism in remarks … Continue reading Slutwalks – Grassroots Uprising Against Sexism
Condemn Police Repression of Socialist Activists in Kazakhstan
The statement below was approved by the Political Committee of Socialist Action-US The world economic crisis has sparked the beginnings of a fightback against poverty and austerity enforced by the pro-capitalist regime of Nursultan Nazarbayev. Nazarbayev, the former Communist Party head of Kazakhstan when it was a Soviet Republic, has presided over a repressive capitalist-restorationist … Continue reading Condemn Police Repression of Socialist Activists in Kazakhstan
The Assassination of Osama bin Laden
Statement by the United National Antiwar CommitteeThe U.S. government has used the pretext of finding Osama bin Laden to justify their invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. Now that bin Laden is dead, they can no longer claim this motive. Our demand remains the same: Bring the troops home NOW!The Obama Administration does not intend to … Continue reading The Assassination of Osama bin Laden
Mumia Wins Critical Court Decision
by Jeff Mackler, the director of the Northern California-based Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia ruled on April 26 that world-renowned and innocent death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal must either receive a new sentencing hearing within six months or have his 1982 jury-imposed death-penalty sentence reversed and … Continue reading Mumia Wins Critical Court Decision
Egyptian workers organize for political and economic rights
by Andrew PollackOn Friday, April 8, hundreds of thousands gathered in Tahrir Square to demand that Mubarak and his clique be put on trial for their crimes. In the early hours of the next morning, the military savagely attacked those still in the square, killing two. But in a sign of the depth of the … Continue reading Egyptian workers organize for political and economic rights
Syria intensifies repression
by Andrew PollackBy the end of April, protests in Syria involved hundreds of thousands in every major city and town. In response, the Bashar al-Assad regime sent tanks, soldiers and security forces into several towns, including many suburbs of Damascus, and conducted raids on homes, detaining hundreds. Security forces have been following the wounded into … Continue reading Syria intensifies repression
Palestine: Support the Right of Return!
by Andrew PollackOn May 15, Palestinian refugees from camps in countries surrounding Israel will march to its borders and demand to be allowed to enter and return to the lands from which they were ethnically cleansed in 1948.The date is commemorated annually as Nakba (Catastrophe) Day. This year refugee and political organizations in the camps … Continue reading Palestine: Support the Right of Return!
French, UN forces install new president in the Ivory Coast
by Michael Schreiber Weeks after Alassane Ouattara replaced Laurent Gbagbo as president, the Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivroire) remains in chaos. The capital city, Abidjan, has been wracked by looting and gun battles by rival armies professing loyalty to Ouattara. The discord came to a head on April 27, when Ibrahim Coulibaly, commander of the so-called … Continue reading French, UN forces install new president in the Ivory Coast
Gulf Oil Spill: One Year Later
by Christine Frank On April 20, the anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon Rig explosion, Gulf Coast residents held sunrise memorial vigils for the 11 workers who were killed as a result of the criminal negligence of British Petroleum. Others held similar actions elsewhere around the country in solidarity. One year later, the media has been … Continue reading Gulf Oil Spill: One Year Later
Japan nuclear crisis continues unabated
by Christine Frank On March 11, Northeastern Japan was struck by a Magnitude 9.0 megathrust earthquake, followed by a powerful tsunami from which the nation is still struggling to recover. The human-made part of the disaster is also still in progress at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant One, where three of its six reactors … Continue reading Japan nuclear crisis continues unabated
Pennsylvania blowout unmasks fracking dangers
by Wayne DelucaPHILADELPHIA—On April 19, a natural gas well in Bradford County in northeastern Pennsylvania had to be shut down for several days in order to stop a leak of fluid used to break rocks and force out gas buried deep underground. The well is being sealed, while drilling has stopped at seven fracking sites.Fracking … Continue reading Pennsylvania blowout unmasks fracking dangers
Malcolm X biography marred by political confusion
by Clay Wadena“Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention,” by Manning Marable. New York, Viking Press. $30.As a student of Malcolm X’s life and powerful ideas, I eagerly waited for Manning Marable’s new biography “Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention.” Here, I thought, would be an exhaustive presentation of Malcolm by an academic heavyweight out of … Continue reading Malcolm X biography marred by political confusion
Canada: Build on historic gains for NDP!
by Barry WeislederTORONTO—Voters in Canada made history on May 2 when they catapulted the labour-based New Democratic Party into Official Opposition status. Relegated to distant third place is the former main party of business rule, the Liberal Party. Its leader, Michael Ignatieff, lost his own Toronto seat and resigned as party leader. And despite a … Continue reading Canada: Build on historic gains for NDP!
Above the Law
by Gaetana Caldwell-Smith“The Conspirator,” directed by Robert Redford, written by James Solomon, starring James McAvoy, Kevin Kline, and Robin Wright. On this 150th anniversary of the opening of the Civil War, Robert Redford and writer James Soloman have created a beautifully shot, intense legal drama of the period that parallels much of the U.S. administration’s … Continue reading Above the Law
MAY DAY 2011
Socialist Action salutes all workers on May Day 2011—the 125th anniversary of International Workers’ Day! We recognize that workers have built our society and that we have the power to change its course towards democracy, justice, sustainability, and socialism. The international working class today faces many struggles, and we take this moment to reflect on some of the current challenges, … Continue reading MAY DAY 2011
Illinois teachers-union leaders bow before the Democrats
by David BerntCHICAGO—State houses and governors throughout the U.S. have put forth bills aimed at cutting education, firing teachers, and curtailing their union rights. A similar bill pending before the Illinois Senate would virtually end teachers’ seniority for job security, severely limit their ability to strike, and allow school boards to unilaterally impose working conditions.But while … Continue reading Illinois teachers-union leaders bow before the Democrats
Profit system fuels food crisis
by Barry WeislederGlobally, more than 935 million people go hungry every day. The dramatic rise in food prices adds millions monthly to the mass of starving people. It precipitated the “Arab Awakening” from Tunisia to Egypt. It sparked food riots in Bangladesh, and now confronts Afghanistan with a 50 per cent shortfall in funding for … Continue reading Profit system fuels food crisis
April 9 & 10 protests show a new and diverse antiwar movement
by Christine Marie The extrajudicial killing of Osama bin-Laden by U.S. special forces in Pakistan, and the Obama administration’s celebration of it, increase the likelihood that the U.S. government will seek to prolong its wars in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa—and even to launch new wars in the region. We can also expect a … Continue reading April 9 & 10 protests show a new and diverse antiwar movement