Lula Freed, Chilean Protests, Bolivian Elections, Corbyn & more -- The Week in News, Opinion and Videos November 3 - 10

This week's list of articles, news items, opinion pieces and videos that I see as a must if you are looking for a roundup that should be of interest to The Left Chapter readers.

This list covers the week of November 3 - 10.

Breaking: President Evo Morales Resigns Amid Right-wing Coup

Bolivian President Evo Morales was forced to resign Sunday after senior army chiefs called on him to do so following weeks of right-wing unrest and violence against his Oct. 20 elections victory, in what his government has called a coup by opposition forces in the country.

Breaking: Bolivian President Evo Morales Calls New Presidential Elections

Telesur

Bolivian President Evo Morales said Sunday that he was calling new presidential elections after a night of major unrest and violence across the country led by right-wing opposition in what the Bolivian government has denounced as an attempted coup.

1) Socialist Kshama Sawant declares victory in Seattle City Council race

Katherine Khashimova Long, Seattle Times

The District 3 race, which Sawant is almost certain to win, attracted national attention in recent weeks as business interests poured money into the contest, coming to signify for some a referendum on the influence of companies like Amazon over the Seattle City Council.

Hundreds of people marched through Sydney in a loud and colourful show of solidarity with Chilean protesters demanding the resignation of President Sebastian Pinera, on November 2. Up to 1.5 million Chileans mobilised to demand Pinera's resignation on October 25, in what was the largest protest in the nation's history. It came after weeks of protest triggered by a rise in subway fares. Video clip by Peter Boyle for Green Left Weekly.



2) Hundreds of Thousands Gather Against Conservative Govt in Chile

Telesur

As Chile is starting the third week of demonstrations against the government of President Sebastian Pinera, hundreds of thousands gathered on Plaza Italia this Friday amid fierce police repression.

3) Chile: Court to Investigate Piñera for Crimes Against Humanity

Telesur

Santiago's 7th Guarantee Court on Wednesday agreed to process a legal action filed by NGOs Popular Defense, Vergara Toledo Bros Defense Committee and Legal Cooperative, which requested that Chile's President Sebastian Piñera be investigated by his political responsibility for crimes that have taken place over the last weeks amid massive unrest in the country.

4) Conquistadors tumble as indigenous Chileans tear down statues

Laurence Blair, The Guardian 

As peaceful protesters and rioters alike have thronged the streets of the Chilean capital of Santiago to protest against inequality and state repression, a string of no less symbolic blows has also been struck 650km (400 miles) to the south.

5) Chile Prosecutor To Probe 14 Policemen for Alleged Torture

Telesur

A Chilean prosecutor on Wednesday said he would seek court approval to investigate 14 police officers for allegedly torturing protesters during almost three weeks of intense unrest and rioting in the country.

6) Chile protests: Chileans demand new constitution amid unrest

Sandra Cuffe, Al Jazeera 

Although it has undergone reforms over the decades, Chile's constitution was written during the Pinochet dictatorship.

7) Chileans Reject Piñera's Measures to Criminalize Social Protest

Telesur

Chile's President Sebastian Piñera on Thursday announced a package of bills whose purpose would be to halt protests through further criminalization of citizens who barricade streets and hide their faces during demonstrations.

8) Brazil: Thousands Await Lula Da Silva's Speech Outside Union

Telesur

After having spent 580 days as a political prisoner in Curitiba, Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Saturday arrived at the ABC Union of Workers of Metallurgical Industry, which is located at Sao Bernardo do Campo, the city where he began his political life as a worker leader.

9) Brazil: Journalist Glenn Greenwald Assaulted During Live Broadcast

Telesur

The Intercept's co-founder Glenn Greenwald was assaulted during a live broadcast Thursday by far-right Brazilian journalist and pro-Bolsanaro supporter Augusto Nunes after a heated argument regarding baseless accusations against Greenwald’s family.

10) Bolivia: Audios Linking Civic, Ex-Military and US in Coup Plans

Telesur

The Radio Education Network of Bolivia (Erbol) leaked 16 audios involving opposition leaders who are calling for a coup d'etat against the government of President Evo Morales, a political action which would have been coordinated from the U.S. embassy in the Andean country.

11) Bolivian Opposition Protesters Attack Socialist Mayor

Telesur

A mob led by the right-wing opposition Wednesday set fire to the Vinto Town Hall and dragged socialist mayor Patricia Arce down the street, where they humiliated her physically and verbally.

12) US Applies More Than 8,000 “Sanctions” to 39 Countries, Affecting 1/3 of Humanity

 Orinoco Tribune

The imposition of arbitrary measures or “sanctions” by the United States against numerous countries around the world was denounced by the Venezuelan delegation present at the XVIII Summit of Non-Aligned Countries, held in Baku, Azerbaijan. The Venezuelan ambassador to the United Nations Organization, Samuel Moncada, denounced the economic terrorism executed by US President Donald Trump, which affects a third of humanity with more than 8,000 measures in 39 countries.

13) UN Overwhelmingly Votes in Favor of Resolution Ending US Blockade Against Cuba

Telesur

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday overwhelming voted in favor of the resolution demanding the ending of the U.S. blockade against Cuba with 187 countries voting in favor, three against while two countries abstained.

14) Cuba lashes Trump, issues rallying cry to fight imperialism

Marc Frank, Reuters 

Cuban Communist Party leader Raul Castro, President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro signaled on Sunday punishing U.S. sanctions would only stiffen their resolve to stick together and support social change in the region.

15) 'People Are Rising up Against Neoliberalism': Maduro

Telesur

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro celebrated in his closing statement at the III Anti-Imperialist Congress against Neoliberalism held in Cuba Sunday, that people from across the region are rising against “savage capitalism” especially the neoliberal model pushed by the International Monetary Fund.

(Related: Canadian hypocrisy and double standards in South and Central America on full display)

16) Ecuador: Judge Orders Preventive Prison For Another Leftist Opposition Leader

Telesur

An Ecuadorean judge ordered preventive prison for the former lawmaker and left-wing opposition leader, Virgilio Hernandez, Tuesday following the Attorney General’s Office accusation of alleged participation in acts of violence during the mass anti-government demonstrations in early October.

17) Colombia's Minister of Defense Resigns After Killings

Telesur

Colombian Defense Minister Guillermo Botero resigned his position on Wednesday, amid controversy over an Army bombing where eight minors were killed. The incident was hidden for months and presented as an operation in which FARC-EP dissidents died, who recently returned to arms.

18) Argentina: Fernandez Affirms Non-Interventionist Stance on Venezuela

Telesur 

Argentina’s President-elect Alberto Fernandez on Wednesday reiterated his position in favor of the non-intervention of the United States in Venezuela during a conversation with Mauricio Claver-Carone, Advisor to the U.S. President Donald Trump for Hemispheric Affairs.

19) TEXAS PREPARES TO EXECUTE RODNEY REED AMID A FLOOD OF NEW EVIDENCE POINTING TO HIS INNOCENCE

Jordan Smith, The Intercept 

DEKE PIERCE WAS wearing civilian clothes as he took to the lectern in a narrow press room inside the Texas Capitol in Austin last month, but it was still obvious that he was a cop. He stood with his feet wide and his arms slightly away from his body, a stance molded by years in a uniform encumbered by heavy gear. He was there to make an extraordinary announcement: He and 12 other members of law enforcement with more than 250 years of combined experience had filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of a Texas death row prisoner named Rodney Reed, slated for execution on November 20.

20) Philippines: Stop Trade Union Repression! Unionizing is a Right! Free Our Unionists!

International Action Center 

The Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) on behalf of all its member federations and allied unions in the Philippine labor movement ask the international labor rights community and all human rights advocates to help us in our own efforts to denounce, resist, and fight against the Philippine government’s infamous scheme to outlaw progressive unionism and arrest unionists, workers, and their supporters.

21) Portugal’s Welfare State Is Still in Danger

David Broder, Jacobin

Victory for the Socialists in last month’s Portuguese election rewarded its successes in easing austerity. But for the Left, the fight isn’t over — especially as the European Union tightens the screws on the country’s public spending.

22) The Man Who Couldn’t Save East Germany

Jacobin

Egon Krenz told Jacobin about his time as East Germany’s last Communist leader.

23) What was it like to grow up under communism in the old cold war?

Zsuzsanna Clark, The Morning Star 

VIKTOR ORBAN, the current Hungarian Prime Minister, has described my generation — those whose fate was sealed by the “failure” of the famous 1956 uprising against the communist government as — “the lost generation.”

24) TI's hymen checks are horrific. So is the entire concept of virginity

Jill Filipovic, The Guardian 

The rapper’s revelation about his daughter should remind us of the misogyny inherent in valuing sexual inexperience.

25) Indigenous communities: ‘They used to shoot us. Now they kill us with their policies’

Coral Wynter, Green Left Weekly 

“We have to rely on bottled water to bathe our babies. There is no fresh water to drink,” explained local Aboriginal elder Brendan Adams. “The bore water is heavy and a dark colour. Our skin is dry, our hair is like straw.

26) Ardern says New Zealand on 'right side of history' as MPs pass zero-carbon bill

Eleanor Roy, The Guardian

Jacinda Ardern’s landmark climate legislation has passed in New Zealand parliament, with historic cross-party support, committing the nation to reduce its carbon emissions to zero by 2050 and meet its commitments under the Paris climate accords.

27) Jeffrey Epstein: ABC stopped report 'amid Palace threats'

BBC News

Leaked footage shows a US TV anchor complaining that editors "quashed" a story about paedophile Jeffrey Epstein due to pressure from the Royal Family.

28) Haiti Enters Eighth Consecutive Week of Anti-Government Protest

Telesur

Haiti on Monday entered the eighth consecutive week of anti-government protests, with a curfew decreed yesterday by opposition sectors, who are asking people to stay home.

29) Iraqi Communists condemn repression, say “moment of real change” has arrived

Steve Sweeney, People's World 

Iraq’s Communist Party called for a new type of government and for the momentum of the current uprising to continue until its demands are realized as roads were blocked in Baghdad on Sunday.

30) Iraqi Forces Kill 10 Protesters in Baghdad and Basra

Telesur

Iraqi security forces shot dead at least six anti-government protesters in Baghdad on Thursday and killed four others as they broke up a sit-in in the southern city of Basra, police and medical sources said.

31) People seek to build a new Iraq

Green Left Weekly

Huge protests have erupted on the streets of Iraq. Green Left Weekly’s Sam Wainwright spoke to Khalil Albawy. Albawy is a member of the Iraqi Communist Party and Secretary of the Iraqi and Australian Friendship Society in Western Australia.

32) Communists will work for election of left-led Labour government

The Morning Star

THE Communist Party reaffirms its commitment of September 23 to work for the election of a left-led Labour government in the forthcoming general election.

33) The wheels are coming off the Tory election vehicle

The Morning Star

IN Jacob Rees-Mogg the Tories have a figure who effortlessly drives reasonable people to insurrectionary thoughts.

34) Windsor Halloween display opens generational wounds of racist violence

El Jones, Halifax Examiner 

African Nova Scotian community members in Windsor, Nova Scotia say they are facing harassment after speaking out about Halloween decorations displayed by a local family.

35) The Massacre That Spawned the Alt-Right

Shaun Assael and Peter Keating, Politico 

Forty years ago, a gang of Klansmen and Nazis murdered five communists in broad daylight. America has never been the same.

36) Remembering the Greensboro Massacre of 1979, When KKK & Nazis Killed 5 People in Broad Daylight

Democracy Now

Hundreds gathered this weekend to mark the 40th anniversary of the Greensboro massacre, when 40 Ku Klux Klansmen and American Nazis opened fire on an anti-Klan demonstration in Greensboro, North Carolina, killing five anti-racist activists in a span of 88 seconds. Those killed were members of the Communist Workers’ Party. Ten other activists were injured. No one was convicted in the massacre, but a jury did find the Greensboro police liable for cooperating with the Ku Klux Klan in a wrongful death. Local pastors in Greensboro are now calling on the City Council to issue an apology for the events that led to the 1979 killing. We speak with Dr. Marty Nathan, the widow of Dr. Mike Nathan, who was killed in the 1979 Greensboro Massacre.

38) Outrage after leaked video shows Israeli officer shoot Palestinian in the back

Yumna Patel, Mondoweiss 

Palestinian social media erupted over the weekend as people expressed their outrage over a leaked video showing and Israeli border police officer shooting a Palestinian in the back as the man walked away from the officers, his hands raised in the air.

39) Pushed Out, Attacked & Criminalized: San Francisco’s Unhoused People Speak Out Amid Housing Crisis

Democracy Now

Amid skyrocketing housing prices and rising inequality, the number of unhoused people across California is booming. Homelessness in San Francisco has spiked at least 30% since 2017. In Oakland, it’s grown by nearly 50%. As more people have been forced onto the streets, encampments have popped up from Los Angeles to the Bay Area and in other city centers. But while advocates push for more affordable housing solutions, instead city governments have been cracking down on unhoused people with increasingly punitive measures that criminalize homelessness. In a special report, Democracy Now! traveled to San Francisco to speak with unhoused people and their advocates about conditions there.

40) ETFO triggers countdown to potential strike saying it's 'tired of waiting' for government

Desmond Brown, CBC News

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) announced on Monday a countdown to strike action as its latest move in its labour dispute with the government of Premier Doug Ford.

41) Elizabeth May steps down as leader of Green Party

Maham Abedi, Global News

Elizabeth May has stepped down as the leader of the Green Party of Canada, effective immediately.

Christchurch Aftermath, Venezuela, Israel, Climate Change & more -- The Week in News, Opinion and Videos March 17 - 24

This week's list of articles, news items, opinion pieces and videos that I see as a must if you are looking for a roundup that should be of interest to The Left Chapter readers.


This list covers the week of March 17 - 24.


1) Christchurch terror attack: ‘Politicians have blood on their hands’

Ahmed Aboushabana, Green Left Weekly

When are we going to learn that they do not care about us? They only care about their seats, their comfortable seats [in parliament].

They do not think twice about sacrificing any of us to keep these seats.

They say “We are all Muslims”?

Really?

We remember when they said they were going to fight Islam for the next 100 years. We remember their double standards; we will never forget it.

Finally, I want to thank my First Nations brothers and sisters for their usual support and solidarity. Thank you for always being there for us.

I’m sorry for not showing the same support when your people are killed in custody, when your lands are stolen and when your kids are taken away. We can do better and we will do better.

I also want to thank Will Connolly: thank you for egging that racist scumbag. You’ve done well. You are good brave man and thank you.

2) Islamophobia is practically enshrined as public policy in Australia

Jason Wilson, The Guardian 

In the period of the country’s enthusiastic participation in the War on Terror, Islam and Muslims have frequently been treated as public enemies, and hate speech against them has inexorably been normalised.

3) 'Egg Boy' to donate money raised for him towards victims of Christchurch attack

New Zealand Herald 

"Egg Boy" is going to donate most of the money raised for him towards the victims of the Christchurch mosque attacks.

4) New Zealand Suspect’s Actions Are Logical Conclusion of Calling Immigrants “Invaders”

Murtaza Hussain, The Intercept 

Tarrant’s words are both lucid and chillingly familiar. His references to immigrants as invaders find echoes in the language used by the president of the United States and far-right leaders across Europe. And that is why it would be a mistake to dismiss them as the incoherent ravings of a madman.

5) Will Trump go for Bolivia next?

Ken Livingstone, The Morning Star

With Evo Morales campaigning for re-election in Bolivia later this year, the left must raise awareness of the threat of growing US hostility.

6) Canada’s next target after Venezuela: Cuba?

Yves Engler

“First we take Caracas then we take Havana.”

7) “No War for Oil” as Thousands March Against US Intervention in Venezuela

The Real News Network

As part of an international day against US intervention in Venezuela, a mobilization in Washington, DC with speakers Daniel Ellsberg and Jill Stein emphasized that Trump is only interested in Venezuela’s resources, not in its human rights.

(Related: Puerto Rico puts the lie to America's supposed "humanitarian" concern for Venezuela's blackout) 

8) VENEZUELA: US IMPERIALISM IS BASED ON LIES AND THREATS

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, Popular Resistance

We are completing what became more than a week-long peace delegation to Venezuela organized by the US Peace Council and the Committee for International Solidarity in Venezuela (COSI). The trip was complicated by American Airlines cancelling all flights in and out of the country, leaving us scrambling for ways to get there and get home. We also arrived in the midst of the attack on Venezuela’s electrical system, which caused further complications.

9) On the Ground in Venezuela vs. the Media Spectacle

Paul Cochrane, Counterpunch 

British photojournalist Alan Gignoux and Venezuelan journalist-filmmaker Carolina Graterol, both based in London, went to Venezuela for a month to shoot a documentary for a major global TV channel. They talked with journalist Paul Cochrane about the mainstream media’s portrayal of Venezuela compared to their experiences on the ground.

10) Juan Guaidó: From self-proclaimed President to sacrificial lamb

 Raúl Antonio Capote, Granma 

History is full of self-proclaimed kings, presidents and governors. Many are to be found in literature, as well, and some of these real and fictitious figures marked eras, while others end up as protagonists of some hilarious anecdote or after-dinner joke.

11) Indian Workers’ Convention in Solidarity with the people of Venezuela Against the Imperialist Aggression

WFTU

The Convention appeals to the Indian working class and the patriotic people of the country to mobilize mass of the people in support of the people of Venezuela.

12) Maduro: US Withholding $5bn of Medical Supplies in ‘Criminal’ Measure

Paul Dobson, Venezuela Analysis 

The US government is withholding US $5 billion which was meant for the purchase of medicines and raw materials used in medical production, President Nicolas Maduro claimed Wednesday.

13) US Sanctions Venezuelan Bank After Guaido Aide Accused of Leading ‘Terrorist Cell’

Ricardo Vaz, Venezuela Analysis 

The US Treasury imposed sanctions against the Venezuelan Economic and Social Development Bank (BANDES) on Friday.

14) Cuban-Venezuelan Program Returns Eyesight to 700,000 Bolivians

Telesur

Operation Miracle, the free Cuban-Venezuelan eyecare program has brought back sight to more than 700,000 Bolivians in the last 12 years.

15) OTTAWA’S INDIGENOUS POLICIES IN SHAMBLES

People's Voice 

As fallout from the SNC-Lavalin scandal spreads across the landscape, the record of Justin Trudeau’s election pledges to Indigenous peoples could affect next October’s federal campaign. Back in 2015, voter turnout on reserves across Canada jumped to 62%, up from 47% in 2011. One reason was anger among Indigenous peoples against the Harper Tory government’s Bill C-45, which removed federal protections for forests and waterways, sparking the emergence of the Idle No More movement. Trudeau’s Liberals took advantage, promising to implement a “new nation-to-nation relationship”. It has been estimated that higher Indigenous voting may have helped swing up to 22 ridings to the Liberals.

16) The Case Against Joe Biden: How the Former VP Fueled Mass Incarceration & Protected Big Banks

Democracy Now 

Speculation is growing that former Vice President Joe Biden will soon enter the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. We continue our conversation with Andrew Cockburn, Washington editor for Harper’s magazine, about what he sees as Biden’s dangerous track record, from his 1994 crime bill to his close ties with big banks. Cockburn’s latest piece is headlined “No Joe! Joe Biden’s disastrous legislative legacy.”

17) MIAMI POLICE ARREST THOUSANDS OF HOMELESS BUT LEAVE RAPES, ROBBERIES UNSOLVED

Meg O'Connor, The Advocate

In 2017, over 2,000 homeless people were arrested on charges including drinking in public and panhandling. That same year, roughly 1,400 people were arrested in Miami-Dade County for rape, murder, and robbery.

18) College admissions scandal highlights inequality of American education system

Paulina Cachero, Yahoo Lifestyle

However, as the country fixates on the gross extortion by those who have the means to provide the best academic resources and advantages that money can buy, others are using the opportunity to try and shed some light on the realities of America’s unbalanced education system — specifically, the prosecution of struggling, working-class citizens fighting for equal opportunities for their children.

19) ‘The neoliberal nightmare’ is over in Mexico, Amlo declares

The Morning Star 

The Mexican President promises ‘markets won’t replace the state’

20) This family of five lives in a laundry room, a sign of Nunavut's housing crisis

Kieran Oudshoorn, CBC

Maniapik is one of thousands of Nunavut residents struggling with inadequate housing. Nearly half of the territory's population of 38,000 people lives in overcrowded conditions, and Inuit leaders in Nunavut say unless decisive action is taken now, the territory's housing crisis will only get worse.

21) All the Ways Bernie Might Lose: A Socialist Critique of Social Democracy

Andrew Dobbs, The Hampton Institute 

There are six generally possible outcomes for this exercise, each with clear historical antecedents that demonstrate the ease with which the ruling class would blunt any electoral effort even calling itself socialist. It is crucial that DSA members remember this history and resist the well-trod path to embarrassment they are considering right now. Here are the ways history has shown a campaign like this one can be destroyed.

22) 'Military Keynesianism is Back!': Democrats and Trump Agree on Pentagon Increase, Quibble on Details

Eoin Higgins, Common Dreams 

President Donald Trump's requested military budget is another record breaker—and Democrats are countering with their own increase.

23) Lorenzo Orsetti: a modern-day partisan

Rosa Gilbert, The Morning Star


ROSA GILBERT salutes her comrade, the Italian revolutionary killed this week in the fight between Isis and Kurdish-led forces in Syria.

24) Ilhan Omar Calls US Iraq Invasion 'Illegal' on 16th Anniversary

Telesur 

On the sixteenth anniversary of the day when former President of the United States George W. Bush, and his British ally, Tony Blair, decided to invade Iraq arguing that they will turn the country into a model of democracy and spread freedom across the Middle East, Ilhan Omar, the U.S. congresswoman from Minnesota, said in a series of tweets that the George W. Bush administration's invasion of Iraq was "illegal."

25) Looking for Loopholes: On the Misuses of Lenin’s “‘Left-Wing’ Communism”

Doug Greene, Left Voice 

Lenin’s “‘Left-Wing’ Communism” is often misinterpreted to justify betrayals of revolutionary principle, here we set the record straight.

26) Quebec interns want wages, and they want them now

Savannah Stewart, Briarpatch 

Last fall, Quebec saw over 58,000 students participate in a week-long strike. From November 19 to 24, students at universities and junior colleges (CEGEPs) walked out on classes, held street marches, and formed picket lines in front of their schools to enforce strike mandates.

27) Unpaid internships hit female students harder because 'women's work' is devalued: expert

CBC Radio 

As thousands of students strike over unpaid internships in Quebec, one expert argues that the issue disproportionately affects women.

28) Winnipeg Labour Council boss stepping down after alleged 'degrading and disgusting' remarks

Austin Grabish · CBC News

The president of the Winnipeg Labour Council says she plans to resign, alleging her male colleagues in the labour movement bullied her, made sexist remarks and pressured her to quit.

29) The Sudanese uprising further escalated since December

ICP

In Sudan, the mass protest movement against the dictatorial regime that started in December has greatly escalated and spread to all major cities and towns since then. Following the appeals of the Sudanese Communist Party, a number of communist and workers’ parties had issued a common statement on January 9, expressing support for and solidarity with the struggle of the Sudanese people "against the dictatorial regime, for democracy and social progress."

30) Trudeau continues Canada's war in Iraq with little critical media coverage

Brent Patterson, Rabble 

There has been little mainstream media attention -- or context -- given to the Trudeau government's announcement earlier this week that it would extend the deployment of Canadian troops in Iraq until March 2021.

(Related: Canada extends Ukraine military mission against alarming backdrop of rising fascism and neo-Nazism) 

31) 11 Pinochet Ex-Military Convicted For Burning Protesters Alive

Telesur 

In a triumphant win for victims and survivors of the bloody Pinochet military dictatorship, the Chilean Justice system closes the "Caso Quemados" (Burnt Case) and sends 11 retired military personnel to prison for up to 10 years for burning two young protesters alive in 1986.

32) Report: Great Lakes feeling effects of rapid climate warming

JOHN FLESHER, AP Environmental Writer

The Great Lakes region is warming faster than the rest of the U.S., a trend likely to bring more extreme storms while also degrading water quality, worsening erosion and posing tougher challenges for farming, scientists reported Thursday.

33) Macron’s military reaction to the gilets jaunes is a sign his government has lost control

Pauline Bock, The New Statesman 

Rather than appease protesters with social change, the French government has demonised them as criminals to justify repressive tactics.

34) Court calls Canada’s treatment of ‘safe country refugees’ unconstitutional

Nicholas Keung, The Toronto Star

The Federal Court has struck down one of the last remaining planks of a controversial revamp of the refugee asylum system introduced with great fanfare by the Harper government as a way to root out what it called bogus claims.

35) Brazilian Social Leader and 'Defender of Life' Dies

Telesur

Brazilian social leader, Dilma Ferreira Silva, and other activists were killed Friday in the rural Parana, Brazil, the Movement of the Affected by Dams (MAB), an organization which fights for water and electricity rights for the public, reports.

36) The EU has derailed left governments at least three times - don’t let Corbyn be next.

 Chris Nineham, Counterfire 

With the backing of wider forces, the right in the Labour Party is trying to push Corbyn into agreeing to stay in the European single market and the customs union. This would water down Brexit to the point where it was barely a Brexit at all. The single market and the customs union come with a host of conditions guaranteeing, amongst other things, corporate ‘market access’ to industries and services, which would effectively neuter Corbyn and McDonnell’s plans for renationalisation and rule out all kinds of state intervention in the economy.

37) ‘I work in the civil service – and it will resist a Corbyn government’

Fred Wrigley, Tribune 

An anonymous civil servant writes for Tribune about the politics of senior Whitehall figures and why they will aim to frustrate a Corbyn government.

38) Southeastern Europe’s New Left

Igor Štiks & Krunoslav Stojaković, RLS

The emergence of a New Left in Southeast Europe—varying from state to state in terms of its impact—can be traced back to the financial crisis of 2008.[1] Following two decades of ideological hegemony under neoliberal and neoconservative political actors, the crisis gradually created spaces for the public articulation of anti-capitalist criticism throughout the post-socialist Balkans. The spectrum of left-wing political actors that has since then formed—and, in part, continues to form—ranges from more informal alliances in the context of concrete political and social struggles to radical left-wing non-governmental organizations that emerged from Southeast Europe’s active student movement, to smaller party-style organizations to more or less stable political parties and party coalitions, especially at the local level. In the following, we will try to provide an overview.

39) 'Fascist, violent, dangerous': protests planned as Bolsonaro arrives in Chile

Anna Jean Kaiser, The Guardian 

At the end of his first state visit to Washington DC this week, Jair Bolsonaro hailed his meeting with Donald Trump as a “historic moment”, claiming he was returning home with a sensation of “mission accomplished”. Today, Brazil’s far-right leader begins his second official trip – to Chile, where he is poised to receive a much less warm welcome.

40) From Liberal ‘Ideology’ to Massive Cuts: Ford’s Education Policy for Ontario

Dudley Paul, Socialist Project Bullet 

Education Minister Lisa Thompson, walked up to the podium at the Ontario Science Centre on Friday to tell Ontarians about her plan for education. But first, she took a shot at the Liberal Party. Liberal “ideology” she claimed, got it wrong on education from the “social experiment” of the 2015 sexual education curriculum to Discovery Math. It was “not a moment too soon” she said, that the government of Doug Ford stepped in to set Ontario schools on a new “sustainable path.”

41) Israel's Top Court Bans Kahanist Leader From Election Run, Okays Arab Slates, Far-left Candidate

Yotam Berger, Haaretz

Israel's Supreme Court banned on Sunday Kahanist leader Michael Ben Ari from running in the April 9 general election and reversed the disqualification of Arab joint slate Balad-United Arab List and Ofer Cassif, a member of political alliance Hadash-Ta'al.

42) 'Endless Trip to Hell': Israel Jails Hundreds of Palestinian Boys a Year. These Are Their Testimonies

Netta Ahituv, Haaretz 

They’re seized in the dead of night, blindfolded and cuffed, abused and manipulated to confess to crimes they didn't commit. Every year Israel arrests almost 1,000 Palestinian youngsters, some of them not yet 13.

43) Video: Israeli Troops Arrest 10-year-old at Palestinian School

Telesur 

Israeli forces arrested a 10-year-old boy from his classroom and beat the deputy head of the school in the West Bank Wednesday. Activists posted a video of the incident.

44) Pompeo Says Trump Sent by God to Save Israel

Telesur 

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo proclaimed Thursday that “The Lord is at work here” regarding Trump’s meddling in Middle East affairs between Israel and Iran, in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network.

45) Trump Offers Netanyahu Part of Syria to Boost Israeli Leader’s Flagging Re-Election Campaign

Robert Mackey, The Intercept 

WITH A TWEET posted on Thursday, President Donald Trump dismissed five decades of international consensus on the status of the Golan Heights, Syrian territory seized by Israel in 1967 during a pre-emptive war, declaring that the United States would recognize Israel’s annexation of the region.

46) UN report: Pillaging Palestine’s resources a ‘crime against humanity’

Green Left Weekly 

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) met on March 18 to investigate the human rights situation in Palestine and issued a report that focused on the impact of the occupation on the environment and natural resources, the ongoing use of excessive force by Israeli security forces against demonstrators in Gaza, and the near-humanitarian catastrophe in the territory caused by the blockade.

47) Jewish Lawmaker Shoots Dead Arab Colleague in Campaign Video; Complaint Filed

Jack Khoury, Haaretz 

MK Jamal Zahalka, the chairman of the Arab-majority Balad party, filed a complaint with the police on Tuesday against MK Oren Hazan (Likud) for incitement to murder.

48) England could run short of water within 25 years

Damian Carrington, The Guardian 

England is set to run short of water within 25 years, the chief executive of the Environment Agency has warned.

49) Ending climate change requires the end of capitalism. Have we got the stomach for it?

Phil McDuff, The Guardian 

Policy tweaks won’t do it, we need to throw the kitchen sink at this with a total rethink of our relationship to ownership, work and capital.

See also: Christchurch, International Student Climate Strikes, Venezuela & more -- The Week in News, Opinion and Videos March 10 - 17

Christchurch, International Student Climate Strikes, Venezuela & more -- The Week in News, Opinion and Videos March 10 - 17

New Zealand Vigil for Victims of Christchurch Terrorist Attack

This week's list of articles, news items, opinion pieces and videos that I see as a must if you are looking for a roundup that should be of interest to The Left Chapter readers.

This list covers the week of March 10 - 17.




In addition to a general overview of news and opinion this week's installment begins with a section of articles and videos devoted to the white supremacist terrorist attack in Christchurch, the international student climate strikes, and to Venezuela.

1) We told you the threat is white supremacy. You ignored us

Randa Abdel-Fattah, The New Arab

We told you the threat is white supremacy and you fueled it, gained from it, enabled and permitted it.

2) A horrifying pattern of white supremacist attacks

SPLC

Our government – particularly policymakers and law enforcement – must begin to view what we call “domestic terrorism” through a global lens and recognize the growing white supremacist movement for what it is: a clear and present danger around the entire world.

3) The massacre in Christchurch: individual terrorism was nurtured by state terrorism

Redline 

Redline stands in solidarity with the bereaved family and friends of the victims.  And we stand in solidarity with the peoples of the Third World who are on the receiving end of the bombs and bullets delivered by order of people like Scott Morrison and Jacinda Ardern.

"Heartbroken. On the left is 3 year old Muca Ibrahim, the youngest of all of the victims murdered by the white supremacist terrorist in New Zealand. Here he is with his older brother Abdi." - Shaun King on Facebook

4) White Nationalism Is an International Threat

Patrick Strickland, The New Republic 

The Christchurch attacks point to a disturbing web reaching from the United States, to the United Kingdom, to Greece, and beyond.

Halfway through the New Zealand shooting, as dozens around him lay dead, a single unarmed worshipper rushed the shooter, doing whatever he could to make him stop.
Some people will publicize the villain. 
Let's remember the heroes instead.
This is Naeem Rashid.
Even as his son Talha was shot and people around him lay bleeding in the mosque, he rushed the gunman, with no weapon, just his bare hands.
Both he and his son lost their lives.
#NewZealandTerroristAttack#christchurch
(Words from @muhammadlila) - Shaun King on Facebook 

5) 'Hello brother,' first New Zealand mosque victim said to shooter

Diana Pereira, CITY TV News 

The hashtag #HelloBrother is gaining traction on Twitter following the massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand.

6) SCHEER’S TWEET ABOUT THE NEW ZEALAND WHITE SUPREMACIST TERRORIST ATTACK IS A DISGRACE

Geoff Sharpe, The Cable

Canada’s Conservative leader Andrew Scheer issued two tweets denouncing the attack on “freedom”. Glaringly missing was any mention of Muslims, denunciation of white nationalists, or characterization of the killings as a terrorist attack.

7) New Zealand PM vows to toughen gun control laws after Christchurch attack

Jon Swaine, The Guardian 

New Zealand’s gun control laws will be strengthened following the massacre of 49 people in Christchurch mosques, the country’s prime minister has said.

8) White Supremacist Kills 49 Muslim Worshipers in New Zealand as Islamophobic Hate Crimes Rise Globally

Democracy Now

In New Zealand, a white right-wing extremist killed 49 people in an attack on two mosques in the city of Christchurch during Friday prayers. It is the deadliest shooting in New Zealand’s history. Police have arrested and charged a 28-year-old Australian man named Brenton Tarrant with the attack. The gunman live-streamed the attack and published a manifesto in which he praised President Donald Trump as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose.” We speak with human rights activist and lawyer Qasim Rashid, who recently launched a campaign to run for a seat in the Virginia state Senate. And we speak with Farid Hafez, a lecturer and researcher at the University of Salzburg, senior research fellow at The Bridge Initiative at Georgetown University and expert on Islamophobia.

9) MARCH 21: #UNITEAGAINSTRACISM | CROSS-CANADA DAY OF ACTION

Migrants Rights Network 

Now, more than ever, we must bring together people across the country from all walks of life around an anti-racist, migrant justice vision. Let us #UniteAgainstRacism and demand #MigrantJusticeNow!

Newcastle #YouthStrike4Climate demo



10) Arctic now locked into devastating temperature rise, UN report says

Walter Strong · CBC News

The Arctic is now locked into a destructive degree of climate change regardless of what measures are taken to halt global greenhouse gas emissions.

11) Spanish youths start getting organized against climate change

Miguel Bayod, El Pais 

As worldwide protests get underway on March 15, youngsters in Spain are using social media to create groups aimed at pressuring politicians and civil society leaders.

On 15 March over one million students walked out of school to protest climate destruction in 2000 places across the globe. The youth are showing the way forward!



12) Australian School Students Have Gone On Strike For Climate Change

Hannah Ryan & Lane Sainty, BuzzFeed News 

Tens of thousands of Australian students skipped school on Friday to demand politicians take action on climate change.

Photo: Australian Climate Change Strike via Green Left Weekly on Facebook

13) YOUNG PEOPLE FEEL BETRAYED BY ADULTS OVER THE CLIMATE CRISIS. TODAY, THEY’RE GOING ON STRIKE.

Sharon Lerner, The Intercept

“They think threatening us with arrest and suspension will stop us, but it won’t,” said Tierney. “The climate crisis is way more frightening than that.”

14) NYT’s Exposé on the Lies About Burning Aid Trucks in Venezuela Shows How U.S. Government and Media Spread Pro-War Propaganda

Glenn Greenwald, The Intercept 

EVERY MAJOR U.S. WAR of the last several decades has begun the same way: the U.S. government fabricates an inflammatory, emotionally provocative lie which large U.S. media outlets uncritically treat as truth while refusing at air questioning or dissent, thus inflaming primal anger against the country the U.S. wants to attack. That’s how we got the Vietnam War (North Vietnam attacks U.S. ships in the Gulf of Tonkin); the Gulf War (Saddam ripped babies from incubators); and, of course, the war in Iraq (Saddam had WMDs and formed an alliance with Al Qaeda).

15) US Regime Change Blueprint Proposed Venezuelan Electricity Blackouts as ‘Watershed Event’ for ‘Galvanizing Public Unrest’

Max Blumenthal, The Gray Zone


The US-funded CANVAS organization that trained Juan Guaido and his allies produced a 2010 memo on exploiting electricity outages and urged the opposition “to take advantage of the situation…towards their needs”

16) Venezuela: 100% of Electricity is Back On

Telesur

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro ordered the creation of a commission to investigate the events, which he considers an act of terrorism against the Venezuelan people. It will also request the support of international experts for research.

17) Cuba: Electric Sabotage Against Venezuela is Terrorism

Telesur 

The government of Cuba has rejected and described as a terrorist act the attack on Venezuela's electricity system which occurred last Thursday.

(Related: Puerto Rico puts the lie to America's supposed "humanitarian" concern for Venezuela's blackout) 

18) Pompeo: US To Withdraw All Personnel From Venezuela This Week

Telesur 

In a Monday night tweet U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says his office will send home the last remaining diplomatic officials in Venezuela.

19) Trump Admin Wants $500M to Fund Its Intervention in Venezuela

Telesur 

U.S. President Donald Trump asked Monday Congress to cut aid to Latin America but allow the U.S. Department of State to use US$500 million to fund its interventionist policies against the government of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela which the Trump administration refers to as "democratic transition".

20) Guaidó Claims He Can Authorize Foreign Military Intervention in Venezuela

The Real News Network 

Temir Porras, Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs under Hugo Chavez, says Guaidó’s assertion on Fox News is a violation of the Venezuelan constitution; Porras says the only way to avoid a blood bath is a negotiated political solution

21) Trudeau’s position on Honduras reveals hypocrisy about Venezuela

Yves Engler 

The hypocrisy is head spinning. As Justin Trudeau lectures audiences on the need to uphold Venezuela’s constitution the Liberals have recognized a completely illegitimate president in Honduras. What’s more, they’ve formally allied with that government in demanding Venezuela’s president follow their  (incorrect) reading of that country’s constitution.

22) Ricardo Hausmann’s 'Morning After' for Venezuela: The Neoliberal Brain Behind Juan Guaido’s Economic Agenda

Anya Parampil, Venezuela Analysis 

If you’ve followed Venezuela-related news on social media, you’ve undoubtedly stumbled across a video released by comedian Joanna Hausmann in which she promises to tell you, “What’s Happening in Venezuela: Just the Facts.” Despite a title designed to instill confidence in the uninformed viewer, upon closer examination the “facts” presented in Hausman’s video hardly stand the test of reality.

23) Veterans Call on U.S. Troops to Resist Illegal Orders to Invade Venezuela

Veterans For Peace

Refuse to be used in an illegal war. Follow your conscience and be on the right side of history.

24) Democrats and Death Squads in Venezuela

Lucas Koerner, Venezuela Analysis 

The 1980s appear to be back in vogue these days, and Elliott Abrams is not the only wretched corpse recently exhumed and returned to national political life.

25) SP Zambia joins ‘Hands Off Venezuela’ solidarity campaign

Oliver Chisenga, The Mast

The fight against Venezuela is a fight against humanity and we cannot fail,” he said. “So we hereby joining our comrades all over the world in shouting; Hands Off Venezuela.”

26) Prostitution is central to women’s oppression – so why do many on the left defend it?

Thain Parnell, The Morning Star 

Support on the left for the exploitative sex trade must stop if we are to claim we stand in solidarity with the oppressed, which rightly should include the class of prostituted women.

27) PARTY GUESTS SUING OVER MASS ARREST FOR LESS THAN AN OUNCE OF MARIJUANA

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg, The Appeal

Attorneys representing the arrestees in Cartersville, Georgia, say they were mistreated in jail, lost jobs, and endured public humiliation.

28) A GOP BILL IN GEORGIA WOULD JAIL DOCTORS WHO PERFORM ABORTIONS IN A POST-ROE AMERICA

Rachel Cohen, The Intercept

WHEN BRETT KAVANAUGH was named a Supreme Court justice last fall, a world in which access to abortions would be significantly limited, if not downright illegal, became more likely. Late last month, Georgia joined a handful of Republican-led states positioning themselves to lead the charge if Roe v. Wade, the seminal Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion, were to be overturned.

29) Kentucky Just Banned Abortion

 Brigitte Amiri, ACLU

The Kentucky Legislature passed two bills on this week, and unless a court blocks them, abortion will effectively be banned in the state.

30) Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East? Netanyahu’s comments have shattered that illusion

Ben White, The Independent

His comments that the country belongs to ‘Jewish people alone’ strike to the heart of the nature of Israel.

31) We need roses too: Student voices in revolutionary Cuba

Aretha Green, Education for Tomorrow 

IN OCTOBER 2018, I was privileged to take part in a six-day National Education Union delegation to Cuba. This short article is a reflection on some of what I experienced there and the lessons for our own education system.

32) Dozens killed and injured by new attacks in western Yemen, UN coordinator condemns ‘outrageous’ toll

UN News

Reports from Yemen’s Hajjah Governorate indicate that scores of civilians have been killed following attacks on residential areas over the past two days. Medical sources suggest that at least 22 have died, with more than 30 injured during the bombardment.

33) Brazil: 2 Former Police Arrested in Marielle Franco Murder

Telesur

Two former policemen were captured Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro as suspects in the murder of Marielle Franco, a councilwoman and human rights activist who was shot on Mar. 14, 2018.

34) Study Finds Racial Gap Between Who Causes Air Pollution And Who Breathes It

Jonathan Lambert, NPR

Pollution, much like wealth, is not distributed equally in the United States.

35) Emergency workers summoned to Amazon warehouses 189 times over suicide concerns, breakdowns: report

Emily Birnbaum, The Hill

“It’s this isolating colony of hell where people having breakdowns is a regular occurrence,” Jace Crouch, a former warehouse employee from Florida, told The Daily Beast, adding that it is “mentally taxing to do the same task super fast for 10-hour shifts, four or five days a week.”

36) Social Democratic Party of Kenya changes name to Communist Party of Kenya

Brian Ukaya, Standard Digital 

The Social Democratic Party of Kenya (SDP) has changed its name to Communist Party of Kenya (CPK).

37) Meritocracy is a myth invented by the rich

Nathan Robinson, The Guardian 

The elite college admissions scandal in the US is a reminder that wealth, not talent, is what determines the opportunities you have in life.

38) Gov. Gavin Newsom to block California death row executions, close San Quentin execution chamber

Phil Willon, LA Times

Gov. Gavin Newsom will sign an executive order on Wednesday to impose a moratorium on the death penalty in California, vowing that no prisoner in the state will be executed while he is in office because of a belief that capital punishment is discriminatory, unjust and “inconsistent with our bedrock values.”

39) ‘HOW TO SPOT A JEW’: POLISH NEWSPAPER FRONT PAGE GIVES READERS ANTI-SEMITIC ADVICE

David Brennan, Newsweek 

A right-wing national weekly newspaper in Poland has published an article on its front page that explains to its readers “how to recognize a Jew.”

40) Puerto Rico’s demand for independence more alive than ever

Nuria Barbosa León, Granma 

Puerto Rico’s demand for independence was reaffirmed by the patriot Oscar López Rivera recently, insisting that this is the inalterable demand of the island’s people.

41) Activists Demand Cancellation of Puerto Rico’s $72 Billion Public Debt

Democracy Now

And in New York City, activists rallied outside federal court in Manhattan Wednesday, where a judge is overseeing Puerto Rico’s municipal bankruptcy proceedings—the largest such case in U.S. history. The protesters are demanding Judge Laura Taylor Swain cancel Puerto Rico’s $72 billion debt. This is activist Nicole Torres-Bruno.

42) Sanand Ford India workers protest against meager wages

IndustriALL

For the past 27 days, workers at the Ford India plant in Sanand, Gujarat, have been boycotting food provided by the company in protest against management’s refusal to increase wages in collective bargaining negotiations.

43) Australia Aboriginals win right to sue for colonial land loss

Bill Code Al Jazeera 

The ruling in favour of the Ngaliwurru and Nungali groups paves the way for billions of dollars in compensation.

44) 'Racist and fascist' - Spanish right attacked over baby offer

James Badcock, News Europe

Spain's conservative Popular Party (PP) has pledged that pregnant illegal immigrants will be able to avoid deportation by giving their baby up for adoption, if the party wins April's general election.

45) Four Left parties to contest together in Jharkhand

The New India Express

The leaders of the Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Marxist Coordination Committee and Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist decided to go for an alliance.

46) Les 10 propositions du PCF pour la France

PCF

Face au mouvement des Gilets jaunes, aux mobilisations populaires, le président de la République a du ouvrir un grand débat national. Celles et ceux qui se sont exprimés y ont porté un message clair. Ils disent vouloir vivre dignement et être respectés. Ils disent que le travail doit payer. Ils disent que les injustices sociales et fiscales sont une honte. Ils disent, à l’échelle de leurs quartiers, de leurs lieux de travail, qu’ils veulent pouvoir décider. Ils disent que la fin du mois ne doit pas être opposé à la fin du monde. Ils attendent des réponses fortes et ambitieuses.

47) The Profound Emptiness of Beto O’Rourke

Alex Shephard, The New Republic 

After months spent teasing his supporters and the political media, Beto O’Rourke surprised absolutely no one Thursday when he officially announced his candidacy for president. “We are truly now more than ever the last great hope of Earth,” he said in a video posted on social media, channeling The Lord of the Rings. “At this moment of maximum peril, and maximum potential, let’s show ourselves and those who will succeed us in this great country just who we are and what we can do.”

48) The German Revolution’s Bloody End

Ralf Hoffrogge, Jacobin 

The decisive battles of the German Revolution ended in March 1919 with the bloody crushing of the workers’ uprising. Why did it meet such a fate?

49) Brazil Moves to Open Indigenous Lands to Mining

Sue Branford and Maurício Torres, EcoWatch 

For many years, international and Brazilian mining companies have dreamed of getting access to the mineral wealth lying beneath indigenous lands. And finally, the government of Jair Bolsonaro seems determined to give them that opportunity. On March 4, while Brazilians were distracted by Carnival celebrations, the new Minister of Mines and Energy Admiral Bento Albuquerque announced plans to permit mining on indigenous land.

See also: Ilhan Omar, IWD, Venezuela & more -- The Week in News, Opinion and Videos March 3 - 10