Category: Actions & Protest

NY award gala mocks Haitian misery

By MARTY GOODMAN On June 19, a quickly called protest was organized against a glitzy award gala in Manhattan that featured a “Leadership in Education” award for the corrupt and repressive Haitian president, Michel “Sweet Mickey” Martelly. On the same program, a “Lifetime Achievement Award” went to Martelly’s political patron, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, … Continue reading NY award gala mocks Haitian misery →

Earth Day protests demand ecological justice

By CARL SACK  Protests in more than 20 cities around the U.S. marked Earth Day on April 22. Many were organized as part of a series of “Earth Day to May Day” events sponsored by a coalition of left groups dubbed the Global Climate Convergence. The nationwide effort sought to link the fightback against attacks … Continue reading Earth Day protests demand ecological justice →

Boston activists demand jobs, not jails

By MARILYN LAVIN — BOSTON — Long overdue, the unfinished civil rights movement of the last century is being reborn. Unlike the earlier focus on voting and southern segregation, the nascent movement is taking to the streets to protest the “new” Jim Crow of mass incarceration and police misconduct expressed in the “Stop and Frisk” laws … Continue reading Boston activists demand jobs, not jails →

‘One Nation Under Surveillance’

By ERNIE GOTTA  “I ask you, how many times does Barack Obama have to lie to you before you get it?” journalist and author Chris Hedges asked the crowd of over 200 gathered in Torpe Theater at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) on March 29. Hedges was the keynote speaker at the 2nd annual civil … Continue reading ‘One Nation Under Surveillance’ →

Hancock drone protesters go to trial

 By JUDY BELLO On Jan. 25, 2012, 17 people were arrested for symbolically blocking the gates at Hancock National Air Guard Base, near Syracuse, N.Y. This is a site where MQ 9 Reaper drones are piloted over Afghanistan, and the domestic center for training MQ9 Reaper pilots and technicians. We stood in front of the … Continue reading Hancock drone protesters go to trial →

Edward Snowden vs. U.S. government

BY JEFF MACKLER Edward Joseph Snowden, 30, former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor and the world’s most ardent whistleblower, continues to be the bane of U.S. government surveillance and spy operations. Rarely does a week pass when government denials of gross spying operations are not almost instantly refuted by a Snowden release of damning classified … Continue reading Edward Snowden vs. U.S. government →

Socialism, Then and Now

By MARK T. HARRIS — When William F. Buckley Jr. Debated the Marxists — Not long ago I watched an online video segment from conservative writer William F. Buckley, Jr.’s old TV public affairs program, Firing Line. The year was 1968 and Buckley’s guests were two socialists, Fred Halstead and Paul Boutelle, who were then running as … Continue reading Socialism, Then and Now →

Racist ‘Redskins’ football name protested

By ADAM RITSCHER — MINNEAPOLIS — On Nov. 7 over 800 people turned out to protest the racist name of the Washington Redskins football team. The protest was held just before the Washington team was scheduled to play the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. The event was organized by the American Indian Movement, the … Continue reading Racist ‘Redskins’ football name protested →

March on Washington ignored fightback

By ANDREW POLLACK The 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the 1963 March on Washington, held on Aug. 24, drew perhaps 100,000 participants. The main conclusions to be drawn from the day’s happenings are how very far we need to go to organize, educate, and mobilize around the issues that were raised, and especially, how far we … Continue reading March on Washington ignored fightback →

What one ‘neighborhood watchman’ did

By JOE AUCIELLO Sooner or later, every politician in the United States learns to handle an unwanted or uncomfortable question, either by answering a different question than the one that was asked or by simply changing the subject. Something similar is happening in the national dialogue in America with the conclusion of the Trayvon Martin … Continue reading What one ‘neighborhood watchman’ did →

Trayvon Martin verdict stirs mass outrage

By MICHAEL SCHREIBER The acquittal of the vigilante killer, George Zimmerman, gave notice to the world that racism is alive and well in the United States. For many days after the verdict was handed down, protesters repeatedly took to the streets of cities and towns throughout the U.S. and internationally. The initial marches and rallies … Continue reading Trayvon Martin verdict stirs mass outrage →

May Day celebrated around the world

By LISA LUINENBURG International Workers’ Day, May 1, commemorates the anniversary of the Haymarket riots in Chicago. When workers struck for an eight-hour day in 1886, an unknown person (likely a police provocateur) threw a bomb into the peaceful crowd, killing several people and provoking a riot. Over 100 years later, with austerity measures and … Continue reading May Day celebrated around the world →

Millions join protests against Monsanto

By MICHAEL SCHREIBER An estimated 2 million people demonstrated worldwide on May 25 to protest Monsanto. The corporation, headquartered in St. Louis, is the largest producer and distributor of genetically modified seeds (GMOs)—which are a grave and growing threat to the natural environment, the livelihood of small farmers, and a healthful food supply. GMOs are … Continue reading Millions join protests against Monsanto →

Days of Action against Drones

By MICHAEL SCHREIBER April saw a coordinated series of protests against the Obama administration’s steadily escalating drone-warfare campaign. The National Days of Action Against Drones was endorsed by a number of U.S. groups, including United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC), No Drones Network, Code Pink, the American Friends Service Committee, and ANSWER. Thousands of people in … Continue reading Days of Action against Drones →

Occupy’s “Strike Debt” Campaign

By ANDREW POLLACK From its beginning Occupy Wall Street has had a focus on debt—student, homeowner, health care, etc.—and has encouraged debt refusal and resistance. Part of the logic behind that focus is the tens of millions affected by debt, and their common interest in rejecting the misery imposed on them by the huge financial … Continue reading Occupy’s “Strike Debt” Campaign →

European workers mobilize against austerity

By MICHAEL SCHREIBER Last month saw huge street mobilizations in several European countries in which the working class has been besieged by austerity demands by their governments and the European Union. Demonstrations and general strikes took place in Portugal, Spain, and Greece. On Sept. 26, over 100,000 people marched in Athens as workplaces closed down … Continue reading European workers mobilize against austerity →

Join fall protests against war & repression!

By CHRISTINE MARIE  Antiwar groups around the United States have designated the weekend of Oct. 5-7, the 11th anniversary of the launch of the U.S. war on Afghanistan, as a time for public demonstrations and major educational events. The United National Antiwar Coalition hosted an Aug. 29 national phone organizing meeting attended by 49 representatives … Continue reading Join fall protests against war & repression! →

AFL-CIO calls unions to ‘Stand for America’ rally

By BILL ONASCH Last month, AP ran a story about union officials expressing their displeasure with Democrats by organizing what was described as a “shadow convention” in Philadelphia prior to the boss parties’ nominating rituals. But those organizing the Workers Stand for America rally on Aug. 11 reject that term. I suppose they don’t like … Continue reading AFL-CIO calls unions to ‘Stand for America’ rally →

QUEBEC: Mass struggle continues / Election pending

By ROBBIE MAHOODMONTREAL—As many as 80,000 protesters hit the streets of Montreal on July 22, proof that the mass struggle over the Liberal government`s unilateral decision to raise university tuition fees has far from dissipated. The central slogan this time was “Out with the Neo-Liberal Parties,” reflecting the growing radicalization produced by the struggle and … Continue reading QUEBEC: Mass struggle continues / Election pending →

Chicago Teachers Union authorizes strike

<!--[if !mso]><![endif]--> CHICAGO—In a strong show of rank-and-file unity, close to 90% of the membership of the Chicago Teachers Union authorized the union to strike if the union’s leadership is unable to negotiate a contract with Mayor Rahm Emmanuel’s handpicked school board. The strike vote was conducted as the mayor has conducted a union-busting campaign against … Continue reading Chicago Teachers Union authorizes strike →

NY protest against ‘stop & frisk’

<!--[if !mso]><![endif]--> On Father’s Day, June 17, several thousand marched behind a banner demanding that the New York City police “End Stop and Frisk” and “End Racial Profiling.” Said NAACP President Ben Jealous, a central march organizer: “Stop and frisk is the most massive local racial profiling program in the country.” The ethnically diverse rally … Continue reading NY protest against ‘stop & frisk’ →

Quebec Student Revolt Continues

<!--[if !mso]><![endif]--> MONTREAL—On May 19, Quebec’s Liberal government passed draconian legislation, Law 78, to smash the mass student strike that has shaken Quebec society over the past four months. The so-called Loi de Matraque (truncheon law) is an attack on the rights of association, demonstration and free speech. It suspends academic sessions at all Quebec … Continue reading Quebec Student Revolt Continues →

Report on May 20 Anti-NATO Protest in Chicago

Led by Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, 15,000 people took to the streets of Chicago to protest on May 20, the opening day of the NATO summit. The demonstration was the largest antiwar demonstration in the U.S. in several years. The mass demonstration was the culmination of a week of activity against NATO and the … Continue reading Report on May 20 Anti-NATO Protest in Chicago →

May 20: March to protest NATO summit in Chicago!

The NATO war-makers, fresh from their missile barrage on Libya, are coming to Chicago this month for a summit meeting. We can expect that U.S. politicians and the compliant media will spare no effort to glad-hand the NATO representatives on their arrival. But protesters, who are weary of the endless war in Afghanistan and dazed … Continue reading May 20: March to protest NATO summit in Chicago! →