G8 // Current

Photojournalist's Six Year Stun Grenade Battle Ends

In 2003, while covering the protests against the G8 Summit in Geneva, photojournalist... more

JasonNParkinson
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4 days ago
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Copenhagen, 2009: You Can't Leave The Room

Available in HD on YouTube... "Tech Transfer" is a phrase everyone who's serious... more

stephenthomson
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1 month ago
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6 comments

Rebellion doesn't exist

The two most important news of these days are those that have received less space on... more

hyperion74
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1 month ago
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La ribellione non esiste

Le due notizie più importanti di questi giorni sono quelle che hanno ricevuto minore... more

hyperion74
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1 month ago
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Genoa G8, harsh sentences in appeal

Eleven sentences from the Appeal Court to the people who were marching in Genoa: about... more

bibabiba
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1 month ago
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G8 Genova, condanne dure in appello

Undici condanne della Corte d'Appello per i dimostranti che devastarono Genova nel... more

bibabiba
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1 month ago
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Alice in Chains are back, sort of

Alice in Chains were one of the greatest bands of Grunge, the musical movement started... more

hyperion74
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1 month ago
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Gli Alice in Chains rivivono, in parte

Gli Alice in Chains erano una delle band più famose del Grunge, il movimento musicale... more

hyperion74
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1 month ago
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U.N. Assembly President Leaves With Warning

In his final day of his presidency at the UN General Assembly, Miguel D’Escoto... more

The_Global_Report
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1 month ago
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G8 Torino University Summit BLOCK IT

corteo studentesco contro il G8 dell'universita' a Torino

danieledevincenzo
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2 months ago
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Blog: Senser Resistance Now

The new single and music video from Senser has been released. The video features my... more

JasonNParkinson
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2 months ago
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New Single From Senser: Resistance Now

Today Senser released the new single Resistance Now from their forthcoming album How... more

JasonNParkinson
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2 months ago
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Brown, Gaddafi, Lockerbie and the G8

Today the Guardian reported Brown's meeting with Gaddafi at the G8 summit, where the... more

JasonNParkinson
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3 months ago
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G-20: City adopts Iran/China-style free-speech policies

If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.
-George Washington

Less than two months after president Barack Obama, politicians, and other assorted celebrities declared themselves to be outraged by the repression and violence used against the people of Iran, a similar mindset has lead to a similar scenario being engineered for the streets of Pittsburgh. After years of red scares and wars on (certain) drugs and (certain forms of) terror which have long rendered the founding document of the US, the Constitution a meaningless artifact, the City of Pittsburgh's decision to declare any and all forms of dissent against the G-20 to be unlawful should come as little surprise to anyone paying the slightest bit of attention. Free expression is a human right and has nothing to do with dusty (and inadequate) relics in the Smithsonian (even for crazy right-wingers who want Wall St. to continue to make their health care decisions instead of DC) and requires no permit.

Organizations who applied for various demonstration permits have been summarily denied them by the City. Aside from outlawing dissent and broadcasting a message of intolerance for free expression, the City also hopes to demoralize and waste the time, energy, money, and other resources of the people organizing against the G-20 and its disruptions of our lives in both the short and long term, challenging the City in the courts. This also makes organizing for these events much more difficult when you are unable to finalize plans due to a lack of venue.

Applying for a demonstration permit is usually a pretty good indication that a group does not intend for their action to be any rowdier than a parade (St. Patrick's Day doesn't count) making the participants less likely to be attacked and/or arrested. These kinds of actions are a good choice for many people, who for various reasons, are unable or unwilling to be arrested, such as families with young children, people with health conditions, and people who would lose their jobs if such a thing occurred, to name a few.

Shortly after several other cities declined to host the G-20 and the gullible Boy Mayor accepted, State Senator Jim Ferlo applied for a permit to use Point State Park for what he referred to as:

...a large rally and cultural event involving national and international speakers and cultural figures around issues of the G-20, It would involve a broad spectrum of the community here, labor, faith-based organizations.

This permit was denied. Instead, the park will be used as a staging area for the armored personnel carriers, chemical weapons, riot armor, and of course the people who play with these kinds of toys, whose job is the same everywhere on earth: violently oppress the common people for the sake of the elite. Period. Whether it is Tehran, Beijing, Belfast, or Pittsburgh, the job description does not change.

Why are City employees, using City funds, to oppress and disrupt the lives of City residents, on behalf of a handful of finance ministers from other places?If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep... more