“Speaking at the university's graduation ceremony, [Shruthi] Kumar … criticized the university administration's stance on Gaza.
“Kumar, who is of South Asian origin, noted that their messages of freedom of expression and solidarity with Gaza were penalized shortly before graduation, saying: ‘I am deeply disappointed by the intolerance for freedom of speech and the right to civil disobedience on campus.
“‘The students had spoken. The faculty had spoken.’
"’Harvard, do you hear us?’ she further said, receiving a standing ovation.”
Alarm as German climate activists charged with ‘forming a criminal organisation’
“This is the first time in German history that a climate protest group that uses measures of peaceful civil disobedience is charged as a criminal organisation."
“Paragraph 129 of the German criminal code is to combat organised crime. Its application to non-violent protest criminalises civic engagement and thus restricts democratic freedoms."
Public Participation
The Aarhus Convention and its Protocol on PRTRs empower people with the rights to access information, participate in decision-making in environmental matters and to seek justice. They are the only legally binding global instruments on environmental democracy.
>> https://unece.org/environmental-policy-1/public-participation
NOT THE TREATS!!! Mayor Jeremy Levi says: "This isn't a movie scene. It's downtown Montreal, where the pro-Hamas group disrupts commerce for everyone, not just Jews."
"Val Plante, where's your courage to stop this madness?"
Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories: Conscientious objector detailed in Israel: Yuval Dag (Urgent Action | Amnesty International, 2024-04-13)
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“20-year-old Yuval Dag is serving a 20-day detention order at Neve Tzedek military prison in Tel Aviv for refusing to enlist in the Israeli army …”
“Yuval Dag is a prisoner of conscience. The Israeli authorities should release him immediately and unconditionally.”
German civil servants demand ‘immediate’ end to Israeli arms supplies (Al Jazeera, 2024-04-07)
📣 ✊ 🔥
"A group of German civil servants have written to Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other senior ministers calling on the government to 'cease arm deliveries to the Israeli government with immediate effect'."
"According to the organisers of the five-page statement, around 600 civil servants have voiced support for the initiative, which has slowly been gathering traction for months through professional networks and word-of-mouth across a range of ministries."
"The civil servants sent the statement via email to ministries last week, with the disclaimer that 'due to the sensitive content and the excessive state repression that criticism in this area is met with, we want to remain anonymous'."
That's a good clip, but I wish i had something good for a #WordPress embed. And... #wikipedia i mean, can change, etc. I'd like a good, #USGov resource. Surely there's a #civilrights#CivilDisobedience website specific to US Congressman John Lewis out there.
I dunno. Just a random thought. I think it's important to act on random thoughts sometimes.
I never get anything accomplished. But it's always good to have resources for when I do have some time. If anything comes to mind, please don't hesitate to make a note in a comment. Thank you!
Today in Labor History February 19, 1990: After a 10-month strike, rank-and-file miners at the Pittston Coal Co. ratified a new contract. Ninety-eight miners and a minister occupied a Pittston Coal plant in Carbo, Virginia, inaugurating the year-long strike. While a one-month Soviet coal strike dominated the U.S. media, the year-long Pittston strike received almost no media coverage. The wildcat walkouts involved 40,000 miners in Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky. Over 2,000 people occupied Camp Solidarity. Miners and their families engaged in Civil Disobedience, pickets, work stoppages and sometimes sabotage, vandalism and violence. Over 4,000 were arrested.
This hits home for me. I worked with Klee's family and provided #MutualAid when I was reporting on #BigMountainResistance years ago. My heart goes out to the Benally family and all those whose lives he touched. #RestInPower Klee. Link to fundraisers via #IndigenousAction at the end of the post.
"Our hearts are broken by the sudden passing of our friend Klee Benally. Reflecting on Klee's life, we remember the words of #CheGuevara that the true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love.
"Klee never surrendered, he never surrendered to #capitalism, the media, or the forces of conformity that sought to change who he was.
"Ultimately, Klee taught us to regain our power, regardless of the road that led us to the present.
"#LouiseBenally, #Dine' of Big Mountain, said, 'Klee was our spokesman and leader. His departure only means we have to rise and carry on the work for justice for #nature and humanity. I will miss him Greatly and Honor him highly.'
"His roots come from Big Mountain, grandson of the late #RobertaBlackgoat.
"'He was an honorable young leader, well respected and moved with a lot of compassion. My nephew brother and my leader. A truly beautiful and amazing person who really lived up to his beliefs, and was not driven by money but by needs and concern, a real warrior.
"'He was our shining Star, he will continue to shine on us from the other side.
"'He always honored me, I will miss that,' Louise said.
"#MichelleCook, Dine', said, "We are deeply saddened and shocked by the news of the passing of our beloved warrior Klee Benally. We ask for prayers for his family during this time. For decades Klee led an uncompromising position, for the liberation of our peoples and lands developing and synthesizing an embodied praxis of #Indigenous-based political, economic, and social resistance against all forms of #SettlerColonialism that degrades people and the planet.
"Klee was our North Star guiding with his heart and mind. While some may not have shared his positions, no one can question his dedication, determination, and sheer drive to protect his people despite the risks and danger.
"He risked his life through forms of #CivilDisobedience and #DirectAction to protect our Dook’o’oosłiid, #HolyMountain, from development to maintain our ceremonial practices and way of life.
"Klee taught us all to be brave to fight against #genocide, the co-optation of our movements by the non-profit #IndustrialComplex. To be steadfast in what is right and wrong. To honor our ancient law and the sacred teachings of our ancestors and Grandmothers. His departure leaves a void in #DinehNation and #IndianCountry," Michelle said.
"Now with his absence from this material plane, we have no choice but to pick up his work, pick up the slack, carry on, and continue our journey as Dineh in a beautiful way.
"Klee's development and articulations of Indigenous peoples and archaism remain relevant for social movements within and outside of #TurtleIsland.
"He will forever remain in our hearts and minds as a guiding light and a growling voice, screaming freedom, for our earth and peoples. We love you Klee.
"Rest now our sacred warrior. Your work is done. We are so proud of the legacy you cultivated and left for this world. Journey well our sweet warrior until we meet again in the great Star Camp beyond," Michelle said.
"Klee passed to the Spirit World on Sunday, after being hospitalized.
"We send our sincere condolences to his family, his wife Princess, family Jones, Berta, Jeneda and Clayson, and all those who knew and loved him.
"From locking down in U.S. #BorderPatrol headquarters in Tucson, to chaining himself to equipment in defense of Sacred San Francisco Peaks, to battling the auctioneers of the sacred ceremonial items in Paris, and leading the #HaulNo movement to protect the #GrandCanyon region from #UraniumMining, to feeding the #unsheltered in Flagstaff, and standing strong for #Palestine, Klee's powerful actions remain a moving force to resound, and rivet us all, to struggle for a world without compromise.
"Klee recognized that the non-profit industry was designed to water down the resistance and turn the sacred movements into an ATM machine for a select few.
Peaceful coal port protesters prosecuted like bikie gang on bail
"Sixteen Rising Tide protesters who were arrested in a peaceful (and approved) blockade of Newcastle Coal Port on Sunday were held in custody until they agreed to oppressive and unclear bail conditions." Wendy Bacon reports
"If our government fails in that duty to protect my generation against the greed of the coal and gas barons, we have a duty to stand up – because unionists, suffragettes, and civil rights campaigners fought and died for our right to do so."
We really need to stop buying into the argument that #ClimateActivists are "radical" or "destructive". The opposite is true: the nature of the protests have been peaceful and, on the whole, pretty tame.
The idea that, say, sitting on a road is "radical", "extreme" and "criminal" came from a bunch of #FossilFuel aligned think tanks, parroted by the media.
Reject them.
The framing needs to be: Fossil fuel companies are radical, extreme, criminal.
"The UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders under the #Aarhus Convention, Michel Forst, released a position paper on state repression of environmental protest and #CivilDisobedience: a major threat to human rights and democracy.
The paper concludes with five calls for action to States to make a profound change in how they respond to environmental protest, and also urges the human rights community to coordinate their efforts to support this call for action."