Category: Actions & Protest

Mass Protest in Ecuador Force President to Flee

by Gerry Foley/ May 2005 issue of Socialist Action   An estimated 30,000 people marched on the presidential palace in the Ecuadoran capital of Quito, demanding the resignation of the president, Lucio Gutierrez, AP reported April 20.  The same day, an emergency meeting of legislators voted to remove the discredited demagogue from office. Subsequently, he … Continue reading Mass Protest in Ecuador Force President to Flee →

Mexican Protests Halt ‘Preemptive Electoral Fraud’

by Roman Mungia Huato / May 2005 issue of Socialist Action     Mexico protests halt ‘preemptive electoral fraud’ On April 28, the Mexican president, Vicente Fox, was forced by huge mass protests to retreat from the attempt to remove the most popular prospective candidate for next year’s presidential election, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Fox … Continue reading Mexican Protests Halt ‘Preemptive Electoral Fraud’ →

Which Way Forward for the GLBT Rights Movement?

by Donny Lessard /  April 2005 issue of Socialist Action   In 1947 the state of California made a historic move and struck down that state’s ban on interracial marriages. At the time, 48 states had bans on interracial marriage. According to some polls from the time, approximately nine out of 10 Americans said that … Continue reading Which Way Forward for the GLBT Rights Movement? →

Frightened Jurors Convict Attorney Lynne Stewart

by Jeff Mackler  /  March 2005 issue of Socialist Action   On Feb. 10 a New York federal district court jury convicted progressive attorney Lynne Stewart on five felony-count charges of conspiracy to aid and abet terrorism, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and making false statements to the government.   The frame-up charges stemmed … Continue reading Frightened Jurors Convict Attorney Lynne Stewart →

College of St. Scholastica Tries to Block Vagina Monologues

Below is an interview conducted by Socialist Action newspaper with a pair of student activists at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth. The Vagina Monologues is a performance that highlights violence against women and girls, and has become an important fundraiser for numerous programs dealing with these issues. It has become an annual event … Continue reading College of St. Scholastica Tries to Block Vagina Monologues →

New Evidence in the Case of Kevin Cooper

by Rebecca Doran – February, 2005   On the evening of Jan. 18, the gates of San Quentin State Prison in northern California once again became the scene of protest as officials prepared the death chamber for its next victim.   Over 400 anti-death-penalty activists rallied outside, braving hours of bitter cold temperatures in the … Continue reading New Evidence in the Case of Kevin Cooper →

Bolivia Re-Ignites Beacon for Latin American Struggle

by Gerry Foley – February, 2005   The mass mobilizations that forced neoliberal  President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada to flee to the United States in Oct. 2003 left an open volcano of revolutionary aspirations and organization. It erupted again on Jan. 10 with general strikes in Santa Cruz, the commercial center of the country, and … Continue reading Bolivia Re-Ignites Beacon for Latin American Struggle →

Right Wing Mobilizes Against Women’s Rights

by Rebecca Doran – February, 2005   Jan. 22 marked the 32nd anniversary of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which made the right to abortion legal in all states.  Anti-choice advocates took advantage of this date to spread their right-wing agenda of so-called family values.   Bearing religious icons, American flags, and signs … Continue reading Right Wing Mobilizes Against Women’s Rights →

Sonoma High Schoolers Hold Anti-War Walk Out

by Mark Ostapiak– February, 2005   SANTA ROSA, Calif.—History shows that youth often provide the spark for social and political awakening. They have been in the forefront of this country’s greatest past struggles for civil rights, women’s rights, independent Black and Chicano political parties, and an end to global capitalism.   Many of today’s youth … Continue reading Sonoma High Schoolers Hold Anti-War Walk Out →

Bush’s ‘State of the Union’ Rings Alarm Bells Around the World

Bush’s State of the Union address was largely a pep-rally speech for his chauvinistic lower-middle-class electoral base. (Some commentators were impressed by Bush’s lack of "bashfulness.") But its triumphalism alarmed international public opinion and apparently even the Bush regime’s closest international ally, the British government, which has good reason to fear being dragged by its … Continue reading Bush’s ‘State of the Union’ Rings Alarm Bells Around the World →

Results of Ukrainian election rerun – Some things won’t change

by Gerry Foley   The outcome of the rerun Ukrainian presidential election held on Dec. 26 was never in doubt. The mass mobilizations in support of Victor Yushchenko and in protest against the large-scale electoral fraud perpetrated by the campaign of his rival, Victor Yanukovich, in what was supposed to be the final round of … Continue reading Results of Ukrainian election rerun – Some things won’t change →

Dim prospects for new Palestinian Authority leadership

by Gerry Foley The apparent sudden reversal of Marwan Barghouti, a Fatah leader jailed for life by the Zionist rulers, who has now allowed his relatives and supporters to register him as a candidate for president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), is a new upset in the tumultuous search for a successor to Yasir Arafat. … Continue reading Dim prospects for new Palestinian Authority leadership →

Decisive test nears for both the Iraqi resistance & the U.S.

by Gerry Foley As was generally expected, the long prepared massive U.S. military assault on Falluja ignited a series of explosions throughout the predominantly Sunni areas of Iraq, including the Sunni neighborhoods of Baghdad, which belied the claims of U.S. military commanders that they had crushed the head of the insurgency. About 10,000 troops were … Continue reading Decisive test nears for both the Iraqi resistance & the U.S. →

Ukrainian election conflict sets masses into the streets

by Gerry Foley In the wake of the second round of the Ukrainian presidential elections on Nov. 21, the contradictions that have marked the independent Ukrainian state since its origins in 1991 reached the brink of civil war. The conflict threatened not only open war in Ukraine but the first major clash between the Western … Continue reading Ukrainian election conflict sets masses into the streets →

Was the vote for Bush a vote for war?

by Joe Auciello Leading up to the 2004 presidential election, some prominent figures on the left, including Tariq Ali, author of “Bush in Babylon” and an editor of New Left Review,” urged the defeat of George Bush. Ali’s voice was a surprising addition to the “Anybody-But-Bush” crowd. As a socialist, Ali would have been expected … Continue reading Was the vote for Bush a vote for war? →

Report on the Ontario NDP convention

by Sean Cain More than 600 delegates converged on Hamilton, Canada’s steel town 45 minutes west of Toronto, for the Ontario New Democratic Party’s (ONDP) 22nd convention, held Nov. 19-21. North America’s only major labour-based political party was founded in 1961 as a successor to the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF). Although the NDP has rebounded … Continue reading Report on the Ontario NDP convention →

Michael Jordan Wears Armband for ‘Resistance’

By SUE DOUGHNEM   Basketball superstar Michael Jordan, who recently announced that he will return for a second season with the Washington Wizards, has decided to display solidarity with a variety of causes by wearing a black armband during games. After discussing his new season with the Wizards at a press conference, Jordan was asked … Continue reading Michael Jordan Wears Armband for ‘Resistance’ →