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Riot police battle thousands of anti-government demonstrators in Bangkok.
Thailand's five-month political stand-off boiled over today as police
battled thousands of anti-government protesters who attempted to storm the
parliament buildings in Bangkok. Thailand's five-month political stand-off boiled over today as police ... more -
Mexicans commemorate 1968 killings
Demonstrations Thursday marked the 40th anniversary of the Tlatelolco massacre in Mexico City. On October 2nd, 1968 Mexican forces fired on hundreds of students and workers, just a few days before the Olympics. No official has ever been jailed for their involvement in the killings. Amnesty International is calling on President Felipe Calderon to prosecute those responsible.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlatelolco_massacre Demonstrations Thursday marked the 40th anniversary of the Tlatelolco massacre in Mexico City. On October 2nd, 1968 Mexican forces fir... more -
Democracy threatened in Thailand
Thailand's political crisis is growing. The Constitutional Court has forced Prime Minister Samak Simdaravej to resign and no obvious replacement is in sight. Thailand's political crisis is growing. The Constitutional Court has forced Prime Minister Samak Simdaravej to resign and no obvi... more
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Iraq War veterans play an active role at Democratic convention
Iraq war veterans are playing an active role at the Democratic convention, where they've marched, staged mock foot patrols on downtown sidewalks and met with a former first lady to discuss veterans' health care. Iraq war veterans are playing an active role at the Democratic convention, where they've marched, staged mock foot patrols on dow... more
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Georgian demonstration against Russia
Protesters gathered outside the UN building in New York on Saturday calling on the international community to intervene in the conflict in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia. Protesters gathered outside the UN building in New York on Saturday calling on the international community to intervene in the conflic... more
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China 'to allow Olympic protests'
In a surprising move, China has decided to allow protests of the Olympic games. That is, demonstrators must apply to protest in advance, and they can only demonstrate in three parks.
This sounds like a US "free speech zone."
Do you think this regulated protesting will work?
Is this paving the way for freedom, or is it just another illusion? In a surprising move, China has decided to allow protests of the Olympic games. That is, demonstrators must apply to protest in advanc... more -
Protesting Quake Parents Detained
HONG KONG—Authorities in the southwestern province of Sichuan detained at least 10 parents whose children were killed when school buildings collapsed during the May 12 earthquake, after hundreds of bereaved relatives staged rowdy protests outside government offices in quake-ravaged area.
Several hundred parents staged a sit-in outside municipal government offices in Deyang city Tuesday, calling on local government officials to meet with them. Similar protests were reported in towns across the areas worst hit by the earthquake, in which at least 70,000 people died, an estimated 10,000 of them schoolchildren.
In nearby Shifang city, about 1,000 parents from at least five nearby towns staged a similar protest at proposals by local officials to hand out almost 100,000 yuan (U.S.$14,600) in payouts per household, if parents signed an agreement waiving their right to sue the government over allegations of shoddy construction in school buildings.
"They characterized the money as a government subsidy, not compensation," a bereaved father surnamed Lei from Shifang said.
Refusal to sign
"If we took the money, we then would not be able to call the collapsed school buildings 'shoddy construction.' All the parents refused to sign the agreement," Lei said.
He added: "We wanted a thorough investigation into the shoddy construction allegations, but authorities have blocked our efforts to pursue it. We need to find out if it is the policy of central government to use money to silence us."
Instead of accepting the government's offer, grief-stricken and angry parents across the province have vowed to file lawsuits and continue to call for investigations into construction standards at the schools, a disproportionately high number of which collapsed totally in the 8.0 magnitude tremor, killing hundreds of staff and students in each.
In Deyang, parents were calling on local officials to make good on their promise to publicize the results of an investigation into the collapse of school buildings in the area Tuesday, but no statement came.
The municipal government instead made a similar financial offer of "government assistance," saying it was to be administered by village committees according to circumstances. Here too, parents would have to sign an agreement giving up any legal proceedings against the government.
"We were told to sign a piece of paper," a bereaved mother in Deyang surnamed Liu said.
Claims ignored
"The wording was carefully drafted, saying that children died in the collapsed buildings in the earthquake. It didn't mention that they were dangerous buildings in the first place."
"We think that is misleading, and that it is cheating us. We will not accept it," she said, adding, "We will spend our whole lives seeking justice."
In Deyang city, police detained at least 10 protesting parents, according to several eyewitnesses, during protests outside the municipal government offices.
"They probably arrested at least 10 people, maybe more," a bereaved mother of a high-school student surnamed Yang said. "The parents staged a sit-in in the entrance to the government office buildings, calling on officials to come out and meet with them." HONG KONG—Authorities in the southwestern province of Sichuan detained at least 10 parents whose children were killed when school buil... more -
Police Attack Rainbow Family Gathering in Wyoming
Here was my original posting: http://current.com/items/89079458_aclu_investigates_hip...
This is an update...
Editor’s note: Harmless hippies, gathering since 1972, are attacked by the feds, who consider their peaceful event a threat requiring “incident management,” that is to say rubber bullets and pepper spray. “Scientists who studied the group say it provides a chance to offer medical help or counseling to people under 30 who are falling through the cracks,” the AP writes in a caption to a photo showing members in tie-dyed t-shirts in a pastoral setting. Helping people who fall through the cracks? Makes sense the feds won’t stand for that.
U.S. Forest Service officers pointed weapons at children and fired rubber bullets and pepper spray balls at Rainbow Family members while making arrests Thursday evening, according to witnesses.
“They were so violent, like dogs,” Robert Parker told reporter Deborah Stevens of the libertarian-oriented, Round Rock, Texas-based We the People Radio Network [www.wtprn.com] after the incident.
“People yelled at them, ‘You’re shooting children,’” Parker said during an interview on the network’s “Rule of Law Show.”
About 7,000 people have arrived at the gathering near Big Sandy in the Wind River Mountains for the annual Gathering of the Tribes, a seven-day event of fellowship, partying including illicit drug use, praying, and living on the land.
They camp on Forest Service land around the country every year, but the Rainbow family’s nonhierarchical methods — no one can speak for the Rainbows, much less sign a land use permit — often have stymied their relationships.
But rarely do the tensions escalate into violence.
The Forest Service’s Incident Command Team in Rock Springs issued a press release Friday morning, saying officers were patrolling the main meadow of the gathering Thursday evening when they contacted a man who fled and was later caught. Another Rainbow was detained for physically interfering.
Officers began to leave the area with the subjects and were circled by Rainbow participants, according to the news release from Rita Vollmer of the Incident Command Team.
Ten officers were escorting the detained subjects when about 400 Rainbows surrounded the squad, and more officers were requested, according to the news release.
“The mob began to advance, throwing sticks and rocks at the officers. Crowd control tactics were used to keep moving through the group of Rainbows,” the news release said.
Other law enforcement agencies were called to the scene, the news release said.
Continued in article. Here was my original posting: http://current.com/items/89079458_aclu_investigates_hippie_arrests_pelleting_and_pepper_balling ... more -
Foreclose the War Not Our Homes
The NSTAR Electric Co. was the focus of an angry picket line July 3 initiated by the Women’s Fightback Network and the youth group Fight Imperialism, Stand Together.
Passing cars honked their approval<br>of protest message.
This greedy corporation, with assets of $7.8 billion, sent 100,000 Massachusetts residents electric and gas utility shutoff notices at the beginning of May. NSTAR earned $59.2 million in the first quarter of 2008 but was shutting off people owing as little as $100. The NSTAR Electric Co. was the focus of an angry picket line July 3 initiated by the Women’s Fightback Network and the youth group Fig... more -
Peace March in Barranquilla, Colombia 4 Feb 2008
The "No Mas FARC" demonstration started on Facebook. The movement spread across Colombia and around the world.
It is the single largest demonstration of any kind in recent Colombian history. The "No Mas FARC" demonstration started on Facebook. The movement spread across Colombia and around the world. ... more -
El Pueblo Unido
April 10, 2006, New York City. Over 125,000 demonstrators converge to protest HR 4437, a bill designed to 'amend and strengthen the Immigration and Nationalization Act.' April 10, 2006, New York City. Over 125,000 demonstrators converge to protest HR 4437, a bill designed to 'amend and strengthen t... more
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