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Category: Protest

  • Protesters condemn Fiji ‘complicity, silence’ over Israel’s Gaza genocide

    Asia Pacific Report

    A Fiji solidarity group for the Palestinians has accused the Rabuka-led coalition government of “complicity” in Israel’s genocide and relentless war in Gaza that has killed more than 44,000 people — mostly women and children — over the past year.

    The Fijians4Palestine have called on the Fiji government to “uphold the principles of peace, justice, and human rights that our nation cherishes”.

    “We urge our leaders to use their diplomatic channels to advocate for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, to support international efforts in providing humanitarian aid to the affected regions, and to publicly express solidarity with the Palestinian people, reflecting the sentiments of many Fijians,” the movement said in a statement  marking the UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

    The group said it was “ashamed that the Fiji government continues to vote for the genocide and occupation of Palestinians”.

    It said that it expected the Fiji government to enforce arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s former defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

    The Fijians4Palestine group’s statement said:

    It has been over one year since Israel began its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

    Over the past year, Israeli attacks have killed more than 44,000 Palestinians living in Gaza, equal to 1 out of every 55 people living there.

    At least 16,756 children have been killed, the highest number of children recorded in a single year of conflict over the past two decades. More than 17,000 children have lost one or both parents.

    At least 97,303 people are injured in Gaza — equal to one in 23 people.

    According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, every day 10 children lose one or both legs, with operations and amputations conducted with little or no anaesthesia due to Israel’s ongoing siege.

    In addition to the killed and injured, more than 10,000 people are feared buried under the rubble.

    A Fiji protester with a "Your silence kills" placard
    A Fiji protester with a “Your silence kills” placard rebuking the Fiji government for its stance on Israeli’s war on Gaza. Image: FWCC

    With few tools to remove rubble and rescue those trapped beneath concrete, volunteers and civil defence workers rely on their bare hands.

    We, the #Fijians4Palestine Solidarity Network join the global voices demanding a permanent ceasefire and an end to the violence. We express our unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people.

    The Palestinian struggle is not just a regional issue; it is a testament to the resilience of a people who, despite facing impossible odds, continue to fight for their right to exist, freedom, and dignity. Their struggle resonates with all who believe in justice, equality, and the fundamental rights of every human being.

    Families torn apart
    The images of destruction, the stories of families torn apart, and the cries of children caught in the crossfire are heart-wrenching. These are not mere statistics or distant news stories; these are real people with hopes, dreams, and aspirations, much like us.

    As Fijians, we have always prided ourselves on our commitment to peace, unity, and humanity. Our rich cultural heritage and shared values teach us the importance of standing up for what is right, even when it is not popular or convenient.

    Today, we stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, not out of political allegiance but out of a shared belief in humanity, justice, and the inalienable human rights of every individual.

    We unequivocally condemn the State of Israel for its actions that amount to war crimes, genocide, and apartheid against the Palestinian people. The deliberate targeting of civilians, the disproportionate use of force, and the destruction of essential infrastructure, including hospitals and schools, are in clear violation of international humanitarian law.

    The intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group is evident. The continuous displacement of Palestinians, the destruction of their homes, and the systematic erasure of their history and culture are indicative of genocidal intent.

    The State of Israel’s policies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, characterised by racial segregation, discrimination, and domination, amount to apartheid as defined under international law.

    Oppressive regime
    The construction of settlements, the separation wall, and the system of checkpoints are manifestations of this oppressive regime. Palestinians are subjected to different laws, regulations, and treatments based on their ethnicity, clearly violating the principle of equality.

    We call upon the Fiji government to uphold the principles of peace, justice, and human rights that our nation cherishes. We urge our leaders to use their diplomatic channels to advocate for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, to support international efforts in providing humanitarian aid to the affected regions, and to publicly express solidarity with the Palestinian people, reflecting the sentiments of many Fijians.

    We are ashamed that the Fiji government continues to vote for the genocide and occupation of Palestinians. We expect our government to enforce arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s former defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

    The silence of the Fiji government is complicity, and history will not forgive their inaction.

    Our solidarity with the Palestinian people is a testament to our shared humanity. We believe in a world where diversity, is treated with dignity and respect. We dream of a future where children in Gaza can play without fear, where families can live without the shadow of war, and where the Palestinian people can finally enjoy the peace and freedom they so rightly deserve.

    There can be no peace without justice, and we stand in unity with all people and territories struggling for self-determination and freedom from occupation.

    The Pacific cannot be an Ocean of Peace without freedom and self determination in Palestine, West Papua, Kanaky and all oppressed territories.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Activists push back against Black Friday and ask ‘do you REALLY need to buy that?’

    On Friday 29 November, in the midst of the Black Friday rush, three activists from Scientist Rebellion and Growth Kills scaled the façade of INNO on Rue Neuve in Brussels using a seven-metre ladder to perch on the building’s cornice:

    Black Friday

    Black Friday: is this really the future?

    Once there, they sprayed a 13-metre advertising hoarding with washable paint, applied with a fire extinguisher. Once the advertising was covered, they stuck up a series of posters with water-washable glue to form the following slogan: ‘What future do we want?’ Beneath this question, a five-metre-wide banner bore the statement, ‘Let’s decide together!’:

    Simultaneously, around ten other activists arranged a circle of chairs to sit in and engage in a discussion on various themes linked to overconsumption and its central role in the ecological crisis. At the centre of the circle, a banner displayed the same question: ‘What future do we want?’, surrounded by multicoloured lines symbolising the links between the participants and this collective reflection. The session began with a declaration.

    Meanwhile, near the action, scientists in white coats approached passers-by to raise awareness, interview them, amplify their answers over a loudspeaker and invite them to join the discussion circle. Finally, two other activists unfurled a banner bearing the message: ‘Let’s redirect the collective energy towards what really matters!’

    Several actions also took place in the Netherlands and Germany around Black Friday, as part of this campaign. In shops on the shopping streets of twelve cities, clothing labels were replaced with awareness-raising messages, while second-hand clothes were added to the shelves to promote recycling as an alternative to fast fashion. In Amsterdam, activists visited the offices of Adidas and Amazon to confront them about human rights abuses in their supply chains. On 23 November in the Netherlands, activists blockaded the Inditex distribution centre.

    Economic growth doesn’t bring happiness

    With this action, the activists aim to highlight the existential danger posed by the ecological crisis, and the central problem of over-consumption that is its main cause. They denounce the myth of infinite economic growth, which serves as a pretext for extracting ever more resources while destroying ever more of the biosphere on which our survival depends. They propose a solution: degrowth; that is:

    • A drastic reduction in our consumption of resources, whatever the effect on GDP.
    • A transformation towards an economy that puts the well-being of all people and the planet before the interests of a handful of ultra-rich people.
    • The creation of assemblies of citizens drawn by lot which, as past experience of citizens’ assemblies has shown, are far more capable of taking rational decisions than politicians guided by short-termism and lobbies.

    These concerns and the call for degrowth align with numerous systemic scientific studies linking ecology and economy, as well as a report from the European Environment Agency and an open letter signed by leading experts and over 100 civil society organisations.

    In a written statement, Growth Kills and Scientist Rebellion declared:

    The belief that economic growth is essential for our well-being is a myth that mainly serves the interests of a wealthy few. Instead of endlessly increasing production, we should focus on producing what is truly essential for everyone’s well-being and ensuring fair distribution.

    The belief that economic growth can align with environmental respect is equally misleading, as climate disasters multiply, pollution worsens, and biodiversity continues to decline without signs of improvement. Economic growth is inherently tied to overconsumption, driving the relentless extraction of resources at the planet’s expense. We must urgently rethink the economy to reduce resource consumption while ensuring everyone’s well-being, regardless of economic growth.

    Our campaign, rooted in collective ecological restoration, aims to inspire a global grassroots movement that empowers individuals to restore balance and biodiversity through shared responsibility. Connected with one another, we can rediscover our power to act and restore life.

    A campaign rooted in collective energy

    The activists are calling on all citizens of the world to follow their example by taking back control of public space, dominated by advertising and the consumerist infrastructure, in order to organise talking circles similar to their own, with the aim of launching a mass popular movement in favour of degrowth and participatory democracy.

    Manua, strategy and global campaigns coordinator at Scientist Rebellion, said:

    The aim of this action is to spark a global citizens’ movement by reclaiming public spaces with circles of chairs, creating opportunities for reflection on degrowth. By aligning the launch of this movement with Black Friday, we seek to present an alternative way of living together.

    While Black Friday promotes a narrative that is ecocidal, consumerist, and insular—driven by social inequality and the endless growth of commodities—we propose these people’s assemblies in public spaces. These assemblies invite us to rediscover social bonds, engage with the living world through constructive dialogue, unlock new collective imaginations, and emerge strengthened to question our lifestyles and societal activities.

    There is an urgent need to revive the ancient tradition of the agora and forum, where political life was inseparable from the daily lives of citizens. These spaces were arenas for discussion and exchange, essential for “making society.” We believe that such “talking circles,” open-air democratic forums, can serve as a catalyst for future sovereign citizens’ assemblies with binding decision-making power at all levels. In the face of biodiversity collapse and the climate crisis, we aim to restore everyone’s power to act.

    This global initiative is part of a campaign launched last June in Brussels by the Growth Kills and Scientist Rebellion collectives, kicking off with a week of bold actions, including a blockade of the European Commission on the eve of the European elections. Following this week of action, since September activists from both movements have taken to the streets to engage directly with the public, igniting conversations around shared concerns, hopes, and visions for a sustainable future.

    They have collected the responses of citizens using a microphone. Depending on the action, they either amplify them directly in the public space using a loudspeaker, or record it and use it in the form of quotes displayed in place of advertisements.

    Black Friday: it doesn’t have to be this way

    In this way, they transform the public space from a space of consumer propaganda into a genuine democratic forum. Through this approach, the activists put forward a holistic vision of activism, aiming to build a grassroots movement that strengthens the social fabric as a basis for preventing future disruption and instability in our lives.

    Manua concluded:

    Our mission is to reawaken the creative spark within each of us, pouring this energy, with love, into public spaces. To reclaim the imagination of these spaces, we must come together as a collective whole, united by purpose and possibility.

    We believe this shared reflection can reawaken the strength within us all, restoring confidence and grounding us in a community poised for action. Our commitment to public engagement embodies our conviction: only a genuine grassroots movement can ignite the societal shift essential for true sustainability.

    Through collective action, we work to rekindle life and restore harmony in our fractured world. Together, we reclaim, we restore, and we create anew.

    Black Friday

    Featured image and additional images supplied

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Here’s everything you need to know for Saturday’s March for Palestine

    Pressure is growing on the Labour Party government to end its support for Israel’s war crimes as tens of thousands are set to march in London on Saturday 30 November in solidarity with Palestinians – on the 22nd major demonstration for Palestine since October 2023.

    March for Palestine number 22

    It comes the day after the annual UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and a national workplace day of action on Thursday 28 November that was backed by the TUC.

    The march will continue the demand for the UK government to abide by international law, ending all complicity with the Israeli genocide, including an immediate arms embargo.

    Tens of thousands of demonstrators will march through London on Saturday to highlight their anger and frustration with the UK government’s continuing refusal to take meaningful action to end their complicity with Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Last week the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and former defence minister for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

    The UK government signalled it would enforce the warrants if the wanted men arrived in British territory, but continues to allow arms exports to Israel to commit the crimes the ICC has judged to be indictable. Indeed, the UK Government refuses to describe Israel’s actions as a genocide, despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that that is plausibly the case.

    This week the Palestinian solidarity movement in the UK has held a series of actions to show the breadth and depth of the opposition to the government’s illogical and immoral position.

    On Wednesday hundreds of Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) supporters came to parliament to lobby their constituency MP in person. Then, there was a national workplace day of action backed by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), in which workers and students organised a wave of protests and meetings around the country.

    Never stop

    Ben Jamal, PSC director, said :

    Keir Starmer and David Lammy are still hiding from their responsibilities under international law, but their cover is blown. The world’s highest courts have confirmed that our leaders are giving political, military, diplomatic and financial support to a state carrying out war crimes and crimes against humanity.

    The resistance to their complicity from ordinary citizens is growing in strength and spreading form the streets into workplaces across the land. This week saw unprecedented support for our latest workplace day of action with the backing of the TUC representing millions of British workers.

    We will never stop lobbying, protesting, and boycotting until our Government, corporations and public bodies end their complicity with Israel’s decades of oppression of the Palestinian people.

    The march will leave Park Lane at 1230pm. It ends with a rally at Whitehall at 2:30pm.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Gallery: Palestinian musicians, poets and solidarity partners in vibrant celebration

    Asia Pacific Report

    Palestinian diaspora poets, singers and musicians gathered today with solidarity partners from Aotearoa New Zealand, African nations — including South Africa — in a vibrant celebration.

    The celebration marked the UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and similar events have been happening around New Zealand today, across the world and over the weekend.

    Images by David Robie of Asia Pacific Report.

    UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
    1 of 15
    1 UN Palestinian Solidarity Day at Fickling Cultural Centre. Image: David Robie /APR
    2. UN Solidarity Day . . . Palestinian introductions. Image: David Robie/APR
    3. UN Solidarity Day . . . more introductions. Image: David Robie/APR
    4. UN Solidarity Day . . . support from Africa. Image: David Robie/APR
    5. UN Solidarity Day . . . Angi Taulua from Tonga. Image: David Robie/APR
    6. UN Solidarity Day . . . South Africa and Palestine’s destiny intertwined. Image: David Robie/APR
    7. UN Solidarity Day . . . South Africa and the Bo-Kaap murals for Palestine. Image: David Robie/APR
    8. UN Solidarity Day . . . ethnicities ensemble. Image: David Robie/APR
    9. UN Solidarity Day . . . message from a midwifery researcher. Image: David Robie/APR
    10. UN Solidarity Day . . . an attentive audience. Image: David Robie/APR
    11. UN Solidarity Day . . . beautiful singing. Image: David Robie/APR
    12. UN Solidarity Day . . . Maher Nazzal, Janfrie Wakim and part of the audience. Image: David Robie/APR
    13. UN Solidarity Day . . . Kia Ora Gaza’s Roger Fowler sings “Palestine”.
    14. UN Solidarity Day . . . Bo-Kaap “Murals for Gaza” in Cape Town, South Africa. Image: David Robie/APR
    15. UN Solidarity Day . . . Bo-Kaap – “Peace for Palestine”. Image: David Robie/APR


    This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Palestine Action just scored a hat trick against genocide-complicit UAV Engines

    With two visits to UAV Engines Staffordshire plant already this week, Palestine Action went for the hat trick today – which this time targeted the factory roof.

    Palestine Action does the triple against UAV Engines

    From 4.45am on Thursday 28 November, two activists scaled the high roof of the building next door, giving them a vantage point to target Elbit’s Israeli drone maker:

    The activists managed to throw bricks to break through the roof of UAV Engines, spray red paint inside the building and damage contents within the Israeli weapons factory:

    On Monday 25 November, Palestine Action started the week by shutting down the UAV Engines plant, locking-on inside vehicles, to block the factory gates. On Wednesday 27 November, they were back again, to once more blockade the gates to the Shenstone plant, and close production down.

    Now, Palestine Action returned, and this time its actionists scaled the roof of one of the factory’s two buildings. The action coincides with blockades at the Department of Business & Trade and the Foreign Office by allied groups, including the Palestinian Youth Movement.

    In addition to these actions, on Tuesday 26 November, the UAV Engines factory was the scene of a well-attended protest by Palestine solidarity activists from the local community.

    Complicit with Elbit

    UAV Engines is operated by Elbit Systems, Israel’s biggest weapons manufacturer, and produces engines for Elbit’s killer drones. In addition to making engines for Elbit’s Hermes 450 drone, which has been deployed as a mass-murder device throughout the Gaza genocide, the UEL AR731 Wankel-type rotary engine, produced at the Staffordshire factory, is being used in Israeli Harop Kamikaze drones, which are currently being upgraded to kill autonomously.

    Elbit have dishonestly claimed that they do not export to Israel, but this is disproven by export license data for military end use.

    Every day UAV Engines factory loses production, Palestinian lives are saved, and Palestine Action have been targeting the plant since the start of our four-year long direct action campaign. Blockades, occupations, vehicular lock-ons, and now another assault on the factory roof, have shut the plant down repeatedly.

    UAV Engines most recent accounts show that the company is now losing money – nearly half a million by the end of 2023.

    This week’s actions come in the face of mounting state repression, designed to stifle protest, by terrorising activists, and locking them behind bars.

    So-called anti-terror laws have been used to smash into people’s homes, detain family members, and hold activists for days at a time, without charge. Yet, none of these people have subsequently been charged with any ‘terrorist’ offence. Palestine Action now have 22 political prisoners in Britain.

    Do not intimidate Palestine Action

    A spokesperson for Palestine Action said:

    Our level of activity this week, should be seen as a clear rejection of the attempts to intimidate us, and show that we will not be cowed. It is the State’s thugs who are the real terrorists, along with those involved in producing the weapons used by Israel to bomb hospitals, schools, mosques, and now even tents. The British government itself, is a participant in the Genocide, and one day it will be them, and their Israeli pay-masters, who will be facing trial, and imprisonment, for their crimes against humanity.

    Featured image via screengrab

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Cry harder, Elbit: Palestine Action SHUT UAV Engines for second time this week

    Palestine Action were back in Staffordshire on Wednesday 27 November – blockading Elbit-supplying UAV Engines factory for the second time in a matter of days; disrupting Israel’s weapons supply chain in the process.

    Palestine Action blockade UAV Engines for a second time

    Following on from Palestine Action’s blockade of UAV Engines on Monday 25 November, when activists locked on inside vehicles, blocking both gates to the site, others returned today, to once again disrupt the weapons factory:

    UAV Engines Palestine Action ElbitLock-ons were once again carried out inside vehicles that blocked the factory’s main gate:

    UAV engines Elbit Palestine Action

    UAV manufactures engines for the killer drones of Elbit Systems, Israel’s biggest weapons manufacturer. As well as producing engines for Elbit’s Hermes 450 drone, which has played a central role in the Gaza Genocide, the UEL AR731 Wankel-type rotary engine, produced at Shenstone, is being used in the Israeli Aerospace Industries (IMI) Harop Kamikase drone, which is currently being upgraded to kill autonomously.

    At Shenstone, cops faffed around – unsure of how to deal with Palestine Action as usual. After several hours, they finally made arrests:

    Today’s action, and the one on Monday, came in the face of unprecedented state repression.

    Unparalleled state repression – thanks to Elbit and Israel

    22 Palestine Action activists are currently being held in British prisons, for resisting complicity in genocide, with some subject to repressive ‘counter terror’ powers, even though none of these political prisoners are charged with any terrorist offence.

    UAV’s Shenstone factory has been targeted since the beginning of Palestine Action’s four-year long direct action campaign, and since October 7th 2023, we have shut the site down repeatedly, with blockades, occupations, and vehicular lock-ons. Our relentless commitment to closing them down, has led to the Staffordshire firm reporting its first ever operating loss.

    A spokesperson for Palestine Action said:

    As the British government’s complicity in the Gaza genocide becomes more and more exposed, their answer is repression, and attempting to intimidate those fighting to end their complicity. In the face of this repression, our direct action campaign will not waver, our political prisoners remain strong, and history will judge those with blood on their hands, and those fighting to end the genocide.

    Featured image and additional images via Martin Pope

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • BREAKING: four Insulate Britain activists NOT GUILTY after judge allows truth to be told in court

    Four Insulate Britain supporters have been acquitted at Woolwich Crown Court for actions taken during Insulate Britain’s 2021 campaign of nonviolent civil resistance demanding the UK government insulate Britain’s cold and leaky homes; a campaign that was later called prescient by a number of commentators.

    Insulate Britain: not guilty and speaking truth to power

    Emily Brocklebank, Ruth Cook, Ana Heyatawin and Iain Webb were on trial before Judge Grout for common law public nuisance for participating in a roadblock on 27 September 2021 at M25, J14, near Heathrow.

    After a six day trial, the 12 person jury took only an hour to return a unanimous verdict of not guilty.

    In a marked contrast to earlier Insulate Britain public nuisance trials under Judge Silas Reid, Judge Grout allowed defendants to speak about the climate crisis in their closing speeches.

    They were allowed to describe their motivations for taking action with Insulate Britain, to talk about their concerns for their families in the light of expected climate impacts, the poor state of Britain’s housing stock and the fact that civil resistance is necessary when successive governments have failed to prepare for what is coming.

    In her closing speech, Ruth Cook, a grandmother and director of a small training company from Somerset said:

    You have heard that I am a Quaker. The essential thing about Quakers is that they are known for speaking truth to power.

    She went on to talk about her fears about climate breakdown, her previous experience working for a charity in providing food aid to refugees in Greece and about the recent flooding across England and Wales.

    She posed the question of what will happen to Woolwich and the surrounding areas when the Thames Barrier is no longer sufficient to protect against rising water levels? Ruth had been late to the proceedings on Monday because of travel disruption caused by the extensive flooding across England and Wales, including her hometown.

    Threatening all of us

    In his closing speech, Iain Webb explained that the climate crisis threatens all of humanity and likened the government’s response to that of a fire brigade attending a house fire and doing nothing. He said:

    Throughout history people have taken action knowing that the odds were stacked against them but they did anyway because it was the right thing to do… 2023 was the hottest recorded year in our lives and sadly it will be the coldest year we will know going forward as the crisis only will get worse. This is why we were on the road and we will continue to do the right thing and raise the alarm.

    Following the verdict, Ruth said:

    I am incredibly proud of what Insulate Britain achieved – taking to the streets day after day, knowing we risked being remanded in custody. Our aim was to shame the government into addressing the climate crisis by insulating our homes. The UK has the worst housing stock in Europe, leading to thousands of preventable deaths from cold and damp, as well as forcing people to choose between eating and heating.

    At 72 years old, I was a law-abiding citizen until September 2021. Insulate Britain – its demands, the people I met, and the trust we shared in taking action together—showed me that nonviolent civil resistance was the only way to ensure our voices were heard.

    Ana Heyatawin, a grandmother and Samaritan from Somerset said:

    Truth and reconciliation are the tasks at hand, and the time is now. I have the privilege to speak the truth and honour my conscience. What greater purpose could there be than striving to save our children?

    In the 23 Insulate Britain jury trials for public nuisance charges to date, four trials have resulted in a hung jury, three trials have resulted in acquittals, thirteen have resulted in a guilty verdict and three have been deferred. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has applied for retrials in three cases where the jury failed to reach a majority verdict.

    The CPS has chosen to summon a total of 56 supporters to answer at least 201 charges of public nuisance across some 45 jury trials, with trials planned up to June 2025. These trials have been heard across Inner London, Hove, Lewes, Reading, and Woolwich Crown Courts.

    Featured image via Insulate Britain

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Action is happening for Palestine three days this week. Here’s what’s on.

    This week marks a critical moment in the movement for Palestine solidarity. With Israel’s devastating violence in Gaza ongoing, it’s so important to continue to raise our voices for justice. The International Criminal Court’s recent issuance of arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant – as well as Hamas commander Mohammed Daif – highlights the growing global condemnation of Israel’s actions.

    Now, we need to escalate the pressure. So, there are three days of events happening for the rest of this week.

    Thursday 28 November: Workplace Day of Action for Palestine

    Thousands of workers and students across the country will take action in workplaces, colleges, and communities, demanding an immediate ceasefire and an end to Britain’s complicity in Israel’s crimes. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Unison have endorsed the day, and actions will range from rallies and walkouts to bake sales and wearing Palestinian scarves and colours.

    Some rallies include:

    SOAS Rally, 1pm, Malet Street, London: Staff and students from across London will gather to defend the right to protest on campus. Speakers include Jeremy Corbyn, Lindsey German, Andrew Feinstein, and Haya Adam.

    Bradford Royal Infirmary Lunchtime Rally, 12:30–1:30pm, Main Gate (Smith Lane): Health workers will call for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the genocide in Gaza.

    Cambridge Divest Now Rally, 12pm, Great St Mary’s: Staff and students will rally and hold a post-event assembly to demand universities divest from Israeli assets.

    This workplace day of action is shaping up to be the biggest yet. Whether you organise a small event at work or join a rally, every action counts. To find out more and for a full list of actions go here, and support the day using #Workplaces4Palestine.

    Also on Thursday, workers will be taking action in central London in the early morning as part of the People’s Arms Embargo movement. This action is called by Workers for a Free Palestine, Sisters Uncut and London for a Free Palestine.

    Friday 29 November – International Day of Solidarity

    On Friday it is the UN’s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people. A host of actions are taking place, and people are encouraged to put a poster in their window as a show of solidarity and to help mobilise for the National Demonstration the following day. Click here to download a poster or you can use the pull out from the latest copy of the Morning Star newspaper.

    Saturday 30 November – National Demo

    The next National Demonstration for Palestine will be on Saturday 30 November in Central London.

    Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators are set to march to Whitehall from Park Lane on Saturday in demand of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, for an end to Israel’s drive to war in the Middle East and for the US and UK to halt arms sales to Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

    There will also be demands on the UK government to confirm that the Israeli prime minister, who faces an ICC arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity, will be immediately arrested should he set foot in this country.

    Speakers at the rally outside Downing Street announced so far include actors Juliet Stevenson and Khalid Abdalla, Oxfam CEO Halima Begum, Palestinian Dr Ahmad Mukallalati, and MPs Kim Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn.

    • Date: Saturday 30th November
    • Time: Assemble 12pm
    • Location: Park Lane, London, W1K

    It’s vital we keep up the pressure on those in powers – in our workplaces, in our communities and on our streets. Together, we can show that the people of Britain stand in solidarity with Palestine.

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • From Tragedy to Resistance: ‘white paper’ protest anniversary | Radio Free Asia (RFA)


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • From Tragedy to Resistance: ‘white paper’ protest anniversary | Radio Free Asia (RFA)


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Overseas activists mark Urumqi fire, ‘white paper’ protest anniversary

    Dozens of overseas activists gathered to light candles in London over the weekend to mark the second anniversary of a fatal lockdown apartment fire in Xinjiang’s regional capital Urumqi that sparked nationwide protests.

    At least 30 activists from China and Hong Kong converged on St Mary-At-Hill church in Billingsgate to mark the anniversary of the Nov. 24, 2022, fire, which left at least 10 people dead, all of them Uyghurs.

    According to media reports, the death toll was likely higher because the COVID-19 lockdown prevented fire and rescue teams from reaching the building in time.

    Firefighters spray water on a fire at a residential building in Urumqi in China's Xinjiang region, Nov. 24, 2022.
    Firefighters spray water on a fire at a residential building in Urumqi in China’s Xinjiang region, Nov. 24, 2022.

    The fire prompted a spontaneous protest and commemoration by mostly young people at Urumqi Road in Shanghai, many of whom held up blank sheets of paper to symbolize their desire to protest — and their awareness of Chinese censors who are quick to clamp down on any slogans or protests critical of the government.

    The sheets of paper sent the message that people were upset, but that authorities gave them no voice.

    Protests spread to other cities across China as the fire became a catalyst for a wider outpouring of public anger at the loss of freedom and the damage done by pandemic lockdowns to the economy.

    At that time, many social media accounts showed footage of people in cities holding up white sheets of A4-sized printer paper, with some of them even chanting for the removal of President Xi Jinping.

    People gather for a vigil and hold white sheets of paper in protest, in Beijing, over coronavirus disease restrictions, during a commemoration of the victims of a fire in Urumqi, China, Nov. 27, 2022. (Reuters/Thomas Peter)
    People gather for a vigil and hold white sheets of paper in protest, in Beijing, over coronavirus disease restrictions, during a commemoration of the victims of a fire in Urumqi, China, Nov. 27, 2022. (Reuters/Thomas Peter)

    In the wake of the demonstrations, which came to be known as the “white paper protests” and which subsided after a few days, the ruling Chinese Communist Party moved quickly to end the three-year zero-COVID restrictions.

    But many demonstrators were still targeted in a subsequent crackdown on dissent.

    ‘Human awakening’

    Singing and lighting candles for the victims, participants in Saturday’s event, organized by the overseas pro-democracy group China Deviants, also displayed a replica sign that read “Urumqi Road.”

    They also read out anonymous messages of support from Chinese nationals who were unable to attend in person for fear of political reprisals.

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    “Human awakening requires knowledge and information before it can form a personality capable of independent thought and action,” one message said. “Right now, the conditions for that don’t exist in mainland China.”

    “Even if people are awakened, they still have no choice but to grow old in silence, lonely and desperate,” the message said. “Bless you, all of young people, for carrying on the struggle with such passion.”

    A speaker addresses the gathering at St Mary-At-Hill church in Billingsgate, London, marking the second anniversary of the fatal lockdown fire in Urumqi in China’s Xinjiang region, Nov. 23, 2024.
    A speaker addresses the gathering at St Mary-At-Hill church in Billingsgate, London, marking the second anniversary of the fatal lockdown fire in Urumqi in China’s Xinjiang region, Nov. 23, 2024.

    A young man who gave only the pseudonym Youhan for fear of reprisals said he was “stunned” by the “white paper” protests when they broke out.

    “I saw people in China daring to stand up, and shouting slogans that nobody had shouted since 1989,” Youhan said, in a reference to the weeks-long pro-democracy movement on Tiananmen Square and in other Chinese cities, that ended with the June 4 Tiananmen massacre.

    “I came here today to commemorate my compatriots who died due to pandemic lockdowns,” he said. “Judging from recent developments, the kind of struggle we saw two years ago could break out again soon, because China’s economy hasn’t shown any sign of economic recovery [since restrictions were lifted].”

    Similar vigils were held in Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam and Tokyo, the organizers told RFA Mandarin.

    Imprisoned Hong Kong activists remembered

    Some activists in London also displayed information about the recent sentences of up to 10 years handed down to democracy activists and politicians in Hong Kong, who were jailed for “subversion” under the 2020 National Security Law for organizing a democratic primary election.

    A woman holds a blank sheet of paper as demonstrators protest the deaths caused by an apartment complex fire in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China, at the Langson Library on the campus of the University of California, Irvine, in Irvine, California, on November 29, 2022. (AFP Photo/ Frederic J. Brown)
    A woman holds a blank sheet of paper as demonstrators protest the deaths caused by an apartment complex fire in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China, at the Langson Library on the campus of the University of California, Irvine, in Irvine, California, on November 29, 2022. (AFP Photo/ Frederic J. Brown)

    A recently-arrived Hong Konger who gave only the nickname Wai for fear of reprisals said many activists in Hong Kong and China share the same beliefs.

    “It was the anti-extradition protesters in Hong Kong who passed on the will to protest to young people in mainland China, who then took part in the white paper movement,” Wai said. “It was the desire to stand up and oppose injustice.”

    “The saddest and most infuriating thing about the Urumqi fire was that the authorities actually locked people in their homes and didn’t let them out due to pandemic restrictions, and even locked the fire escapes, which is tantamount to murder,” Wai said.

    Dozens of young Chinese — many of them women — were quietly detained across the country for taking part in November’s “white paper” protests.

    A police officer asks a woman to leave as she holds white sheets of paper during a commemoration of the victims of a fire in Urumqi, in Hong Kong Kong, China November 28, 2022. (REUTERS/Tyrone Siu)
    A police officer asks a woman to leave as she holds white sheets of paper during a commemoration of the victims of a fire in Urumqi, in Hong Kong Kong, China November 28, 2022. (REUTERS/Tyrone Siu)

    Sources familiar with the crackdown in Beijing said at least 40 people are missing and believed detained following a protest at the city’s Liangmahe district on the night of Nov. 27.

    A former “white paper” movement protester who gave only the pseudonym Dan Mu for fear of reprisals told RFA Mandarin in a recent interview that she had attended the Liangmahe protest after witnessing an online deluge of public anger, sadness and mourning in the wake of the Urumqi fire.

    “I didn’t forward a single message to my friends, nor did I write anything,” she said. “What I was thinking at the time was, what’s the point? If you have the guts, you should take to the streets.”

    “Just then, the people of Shanghai took to the streets, and Beijing was the following day,” Dan said.

    “We walked to the south bank of Liangmahe [river], where a lot of people were shouting slogans, like ‘freedom not lockdowns!’,” she said.

    “I was very scared when I left the house,” she said. “I didn’t know if I would make it back OK, but I still wanted to go.”

    Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Jasmine Man for RFA Mandarin.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Keir Starmer has corrupted the UK – all to protect genocidal Israel

    The following article is a comment piece from Jewish Network for Palestine (JNP) on the Labour Party government, Keir Starmer, and British state using anti-terror laws against journalists and activists.

    Ever since the coming to power of the Labour Party government in June 2024, headed by a famous ex human-rights jurist, the British government has used police forces in the UK and its dependencies in a highly controversial, arguably illegal, and deeply damaging manner, to support Western imperialist interests rather than using its influence to oppose Israel’s illegal and immoral genocide against the Palestinians, and now also against other countries in the Middle East.

    The British state: bending to the will of genociders

    Highly respected journalists, academics, and retired politicians were arrested through the improper use of the Terrorism Act 2000, and in Jersey under the Terrorism Act 2002.

    The arrest few days ago of a senior civil servant, Natalie Strecker, is but the latest legal atrocity enacted against public figures who are acting for the end of the genocide in Gaza, the release of the hostages on both sides, and a peaceful, just, and negotiated solution to the colonial conflict in Palestine.

    Strecker, a lifelong peace activist supporting Palestinian human rights, joins a long list of well-known and respected others who have been intimidated by the unlawful use of the Terrorism Act, both the UK and its dependencies.

    Journalist Richard Medhurst, former ambassador Craig Murray, respected journalists Sarah Wilkinson and Asa Winstanley, the Israeli activist and second-generation Holocaust survivor Yael Kahn, author and activist Tony Greenstein, historian and author Prof. Haim Bresheeth-Zabner, and now Natalie Strecker, were all arrested on false pretences and a misuse of the anti-terror legislation.

    Are all these people terrorists, or do they support terrorism in any manner? Why are so many of the arrestees Jewish anti-Zionist peace activists? We find this behaviour totally uncalled for, unacceptable and illegal, an abuse of the legal system, and an undermining of the rights of the British people.

    Why is all this taking place such a short time after the coming to power of the famous jurist, Sir Keir Starmer?

    The answer was provided by Keir himself, more than once.

    Keir Starmer must stop this campaign against peaceful activists and journalists

    Starmer is a committed and unreconstructed Zionist, as he keeps telling us all.

    He has been using a new approach against critics of Israel by using the law for illegal purposes of silencing, intimidating, punishing, and criminalising a totally legal, moral, and principled position taken by these people, and many thousands of others. It is a position mandated by international law, International humanitarian law, UN numerous resolutions, and the Genocide Convention of 1948, requiring us all, everywhere, to act against genocide or attempted genocide in every way they can, and against those who support and abet genocide.

    As a committed Zionist, Starmer chose NOT to conform with the law, but to oppose it.

    Instead of accepting the view of the International Court of Justice – the highest UN court on earth – he denies their interim ruling in March 2024 that Israel is committing ‘plausible genocide’ and demanding it puts a stop to the mass murder in Gaza.

    We call on the government to stop this campaign of besmirching and hounding peaceful activists such as Strecker, to stop supplying arms to states under genocide investigation, and to actively support international law and international humanitarian law.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • It’s Monday, which means Palestine Action are blocking arms factories with vehicles

    Palestine Action started the week with a bang – despite the state having locked up so many of their activists. Undeterred, people once again shut down a weapons factory in Staffordshire crucial to the supply of arms to genocidal Israel and war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu.

    Palestine Action target Elbit in Staffordshire

    On Monday 25 November, activists from Palestine Action returned to the site of UAV Engines, locking on inside vehicles in front of the gates of the factory to prevent production of Israeli drone engines:

    Operated by Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons company, the site has once again been targeted by Palestine Action activists, refusing to bow to unprecedented police repression:

    Palestine Action Staffordshire

    UAV Engines manufactures drone engines for Elbit’s drones, which are tested on Palestinians and are currently used for genocidal attacks against Palestinians in Gaza. While the company denies it exports to Israel, export license data for military end-use by the State of Israel proves their denials false. Elbit’s and its UAV Engines-designed and produced parts have been linked to documented war crimes, including the murder of seven aid workers in Gaza in April 2024.

    Currently, 22 Palestine Action political prisoners are detained in Britain for resisting complicity in genocide, some subjected to repressive ‘counter terror’ powers. So, activists have made clear in Staffordshire today: Elbit are the criminals. Those resisting Elbit’s role in genocide will not relent:

    After tireless action by Palestine Action, the Staffordshire firm last year reported its first ever operating loss, with continuous impacts on productions and profits caused by those determined to see Israel’s arms trade forced out of Shenstone.

    Since 7 October 2023, in the face of continual government participation in the genocide, activists have worked without fail to intensify actions against Elbit’s Shenstone operations: shutting it down with occupations, blockades, and vehicular lock-ons again and again, against a factory targeted since the very start of Palestine Action’s four-year long direct action campaign.

    Featured image and videos via Palestine Action

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Islamabad Locked Down As Imran Khan’s Supporters Plan To Protest


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Supporters out in force as more Palestine Action activists imprisoned on bogus terrorism charges

    At Westminster Magistrates Court, eight more Palestine Action activists have been remanded to prison – after being raided and arrested after an action against Israel’s Elbit arms factory in Filton, Bristol, on 6 August. In an appeal at the Crown Court they will apply for bail – ahead of a trial in November 2025.

    All eight, as with ten others charged in August, face criminal – not terror – charges, despite having been arrested and interrogated under Terrorism Act powers deployed to deny them their rights.

    Palestine Action: more Elbit Filton activist remanded to prison

    People came out and rallied in support of the Palestine Action Filton activists:

    Palestine Action Filton Elbit

    All eighteen are political prisoners, subjected to abuses of power and process by Counter Terrorism Policing South East and other police forces – for alleged acts of resistance against complicity in genocide. In August, activists drove a van into and dismantled the Filton, Bristol research hub of Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms company, causing £1m in damages against products including quadcopters.

    Despite their repression, they are said to be faring well, smiling in the court in front of a packed public gallery – steadfast in the knowledge that they have been imprisoned by a state acting out of its deep complicity in Israel’s genocidal campaign.

    They have all been charged with aggravated burglary and criminal damage, while six have also been charged with violent disorder – none charged under the terror laws which police have abused against them.

    They continue to be investigated through Counter-Terrorism Policing investigatory powers, with rights experts having expressed alarm over these powers being deprive Palestine Action activists of the legal protections that should be afforded to them.

    Severe restrictions

    Those imprisoned for over a hundred days so far have been subjected to arbitrary and severe restrictions, including being denied reading materials, religious practice, medical privacy, and being prohibited to communicate with other prisoners:

    From 5am on Tuesday 19 November, police raids broke down doors and detained the eight, along with others detained and not charged. The individuals and their families had property destroyed in police raids, with many family members unable to return to their homes since Monday.

    At Westminster Magistrates Court and at the Hammersmith and Newbury police stations where activists were being held, hundreds have mobilised in solidarity with the Palestine Action political prisoners:

    Featured image and additional images via Guy Smallman

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Elbit loses MoD contract worth £2.1bn – probably thanks to Palestine Action

    Elbit Systems UK has lost its largest-ever British arms contract, worth over £2.1bn, after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) scrapped its Watchkeeper drone programme with Elbit subsidiary UAV Tactical Systems (U-TacS). It comes after Palestine Action sustained years of direct action against the company – which had already resulted in it losing several other contracts.

    Elbit: £2.1bn down the shitter

    Elbit, Israel’s largest weapons company, had spent over twenty years on the Watchkeeper programme with partner-firm Thales. Their joint venture, U-TacS, has been subjected to over three years of relentless direct action by Palestine Action, causing significant damage to premises and disruption to their operations.

    The government has claimed that the move is part of their decommissioning of outdated models. Yet, the Watchkeeper drone has only been in service for six years, and the MoD asserted in 2022 that the Watchkeeper’s ‘out-of-service’ date was not expected to be reached until 2042.

    The drone, custom-made for the British MoD, is modeled entirely upon the Hermes model made by Elbit for the Israeli military. The Hermes 450, is routinely used to massacre and surveil the Palestinian people, and is marketed as “battle-tested” upon them as a result. The Hermes has been linked to documented war crimes committed by Israel, both during and before the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Given the close compatibility of parts between the Watchkeeper and the Hermes, U-TacS is also involved in direct supplies of weapons parts to Israel.

    While U-TacS has consistently denied that it sells weapons to the Israeli military, U-TacS’ export licenses for sale of goods for ‘military end-use’ in Israel suggest that their statements are false.

    All Palestine Action’s fault?

    Disruptive action by Palestine Action activists at the U-TacS site has been ongoing since May 2021, when four activists stormed and occupied the factory – remaining on the roof for six days. In the years since, ceaseless actions and disruption at the site have massively hamstrung the factory’s operations.

    Since the genocide in Gaza commenced in October 2023, actions against the site have intensified including vehicular lock-ons to prevent entry, while the most recent action at U-TacS saw a lorry smash into the building before activists took to the roof to occupy the site.

    From atop the roof, activists used paint filled fire extinguishers to damage drones inside the factory. This action led to structural damage of the premises, halting operations for several weeks.

    This constant disruption, forcing the site shut for days-on-end, causing severe delays to production. In 2023, Elbit Systems UK CEO Martin Fausset stated that “The culture in the UK is if you’re one day late, you might as well be six months late. It’s equally unacceptable. So that understanding is something we have to be very careful with”.

    Elbit: out of business in the UK?

    This is not the first instance in which Elbit has been forced out of MoD contracts by direct action, having two contracts worth £280m revoked in 2022 for failing to meet “operational sovereignty” standards.

    A Palestine Action spokesperson said:

    Elbit losing its biggest contract signifies the beginning of the end for the Israeli weapons maker’s presence in this country. Direct action undertaken by hundreds of activists has consistently disrupted the operations of Elbit Systems, leading to significant delays in production, as well as damage to weaponry. There’s no doubt that direct action works, and it’s more necessary than ever to deploy effective tactics against the Israeli war machine

    Featured image via Palestine Action

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • New film from the makers of The Big Lie will expose the ‘censoring of Palestine’

    The recent arrests of 10 Palestine Action activists and other activists using counter-terrorism laws are just the “tip of an intimidation iceberg” of attacks on freedom of speech and dissent, according to the producer of a new film. It is from the makers of The Big Lie – and will be called Censoring Palestine.

    Censoring Palestine – at any cost

    Norman Thomas of Platform Films said:

    We are seeing a state-sponsored clampdown designed to silence anyone who speaks out or demonstrates in support of Palestine. The arrests we’ve seen so far are just the tip of an intimidation iceberg. The government is criminalising dissent.

    Thomas’s comments are based on research carried out for the new Platform Films documentary Censoring Palestine which will be released in December.

    In recent weeks police raids on activists including Sarah Wilkinson and Asa Winstanley, and the arrest of the Jewish academic Haim Bresheeth, have caused outrage and anger, but, according to Thomas, these in no way reflect the true scale of the problem.

    He said:

    In the course of making our film, we’ve coming across so many cases of people who’ve been treated scandalously by the police and whose only crime has been to protest against the genocide in Palestine.

    Police break down their doors, impose curfews on them, restrict where they can and can’t go, limit their use of social media, confiscate equipment they need for work and, in some cases, treat them with brutality.

    Thomas says they are also collecting more and more many stories of “doxing” — Palestine supporters being reported, often anonymously, to their employers.

    He says “people are being smeared to their employers as antisemitic simply for going on a Palestine demo. Some even lose their jobs. Teachers and students in particular have been attacked in this way”:

    This kind of victimisation and intimidation thrives on being kept secret. We are appealing to anyone who has been targeted, whether by the police or in their workplace, to come and tell us their story. We will respect total confidentiality but we must expose the extent of what’s happening.

    ‘It was a scam’ – but on a far, bigger scale

    Platform Films are the producers of Oh Jeremy Corbyn – The Big Lie, which tells the story of the rise and fall of the Labour Party leader and was shown across the country last year. Mr Thomas says the current attacks on pro-Palestine activists have a strong echo of the way antisemitism was weaponised against Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters.

    He said:

    The same people determined to smear Corbyn are now taking part in a campaign to smear the pro-Palestine protesters. But this is all on a much bigger scale and, I think, reflects the desperation of the pro-Israel lobby and the size of the Palestine solidarity campaign.

    The film Censoring Palestine, which stars legendary filmmaker Ken Loach, will be released next month and local groups are being invited to set up screenings. Thomas said “as with our previous film about Jeremy Corbyn we will make no charge to screen the film, but donations will be welcome”.

    Watch the trailer below:

    Featured image via screengrab

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • “Trillions, Not Billions”: Climate Activists Protest as COP29 Closes in on a “Bad Deal”


    This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • “Trillions, Not Billions”: Climate Activists Protest as COP29 Closes in on a “Bad Deal”

    Seg1 protest

    On the final official day of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, it is still unclear if this year’s United Nations climate summit will lead to an agreement before the end of the official conference or if talks will extend into the weekend. The COP29 presidency has released a draft text that calls for a $1.3 trillion in annual climate financing by 2035, but it only obligates rich countries to provide $250 billion of that total. Climate justice activists and members of civil society who held a protest at COP29 on Friday say that amount falls far short of what’s needed, demanding “trillions, not billions.” Democracy Now! was there.


    This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • DEFRA gets in hot water over bottom trawling – as 200,000 people step in

    On World Fisheries Day, Thursday 21 November, a coalition of ocean advocacy NGOs gathered outside the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in London to deliver a petition signed by almost 200,000 people from across Europe. The petition calls for an immediate ban on bottom trawling fishing within the UK’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to protect these vital ecosystems from harm, and biodiversity in the oceans more broadly:

    bottom trawling fishing

    The group included the Transform Bottom Trawling Coalition, Oceana UK, Blue Marine Foundation, Environmental Justice Foundation, outdoor brand Patagonia and wildlife filmmaker and marine biologist Inka Cresswell:

    Ban bottom trawling

    Despite over 35% of UK waters being designated as Marine Protected Areas, many of these regions remain at risk due to bottom trawling—a highly destructive fishing practice that involves dragging heavy nets across the seafloor.

    This method not only destroys fragile habitats but also threatens marine wildlife, undermining the very purpose of these protected areas. According to analysis of satellite data from Global Fishing Watch by Oceana UK, 33,000 hours of suspected bottom-trawl fishing activity took place in the UK’s offshore MPAs last year alone. The coalition argues that without a comprehensive ban on bottom trawling, the UK’s ability to protect 30% of its seas by 2030 will fall short:

    The two sites with the most apparent bottom trawling activity, the Western Channel MPA and Southwest Deeps (East) off the Cornwall coast, are both critical biodiversity hotspots, supporting species like small-spotted cat sharks and cuckoo rays. The Southwest Deeps also stores 1.67 megatons of carbon, which are equivalent to the emissions of over 1 million return flights from London to Sydney.

    The petition was delivered ahead of the next phase of the Marine Management Organisation’s (MMO) consultation on the protection of MPAs, a key opportunity for the government to step up and enact meaningful change. With the MMO’s review under way, the timing of this petition delivery is crucial, as it highlights the public’s growing demand for the UK government to take definitive action to protect marine biodiversity.

    An ocean emergency which the UK government is contributing to

    Tom Collinson, Advocacy Manager at Blue Ventures said:

    Small-scale fishers and fish workers are on the frontlines of the ocean emergency. As marine life is destroyed by heating seas, overfishing and pollution, their livelihoods are hit hardest. The UK government must take urgent action to protect both our oceans and the communities that depend on them. Banning the most destructive practice – industrial bottom trawling – from sensitive protected areas should be the starting point.

    Amy Hammond, Campaign Lead at Oceana UK, added:

    Any marine ‘protected’ area being bulldozed by bottom-trawl fishing is protected in name alone. We cannot continue to praise politicians for meaningless lines on a map – the public expects action. Eight in ten adults in the UK feel that bottom trawling should be banned in protected areas, our polling showed, and today, with our allies, we present Environment Secretary Steve Reed with a petition of over 180,000 voices from the UK and EU calling for an end to this destruction of our shared seas.

    Clare Brook, Blue Marine Foundation CEO, said:

    Bottom trawling indiscriminately ploughs through precious marine habitats.  This destructive practice is allowed in the vast majority of so-called marine protected areas in the UK.  Blue Marine has been working to end bottom trawling in MPAs since 2010.  Banning bottom trawling from MPAs supports the recovery of habitats, fish stocks and low-impact fisheries.

    The petition is part of a broader campaign, with deliveries also planned for the Spanish, French, German and Dutch governments up to December 2024. The final delivery will be presented to the newly appointed European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, in January 2025.

    Featured image and additional images via Duncan Nicholls  

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Human rights activists face reprisals for opposing extractive industries, says report

    Peace Brigades International calling for new act to force companies with links to UK to do due diligence

    Human rights defenders have faced brutal reprisals for standing up to extractive industries with links to UK companies or investors, according to a report calling for a law obliging firms to do human rights and environmental due diligence.

    Peace Brigades International (PBI) UK says a corporate accountability law requiring businesses to do due diligence on their operations, investments and supply chains could have prevented past environmental devastation and attacks.

    Continue reading…

    This post was originally published on Human rights | The Guardian.

  • Bristol students scale landmark over their university’s complicity in Israel’s genocide

    Students from the University of Bristol working with local peace and Palestine campaigners braved snow-showers to carry out a daring banner-drop from the Cabot Tower on Bandon Hill in Bristol this week.

    Bristol sees striking action in solidarity with Palestine

    On Tuesday 19 November afternoon, a giant three by six metre Palestine Flag was unfurled from the top balcony:

    Bristol Palestine protest Cabot tower
    Cabot Tower, Bristol, November 2024. Photo credit: Simon Holliday / simonholliday.com

    The 105ft (32m) Cabot Tower was chosen being one of the most iconic locations in the City and close to the University of Bristol. Two more protesters standing in the gardens near the base of the tower held a banner with the figure £92,890,934 and chanted in support of Palestine:

    Cabot Tower, Bristol, November 2024. Photo credit: Simon Holliday / simonholliday.com

    The website DEMILITARISE EDUCATION lists this as the value of Partnerships that the University of Bristol has with arms companies, many supplying Israel.

    A student, who wishes to be anonymous, said:

    Israel has destroyed all the universities and most of the schools in Gaza, a process now called EDUCIDE. It’s now impossible to count the dead but estimates range up to hundreds of thousands. Bristol University is complicit having massive links with arms companies some of which are supplying technology & know-how to the Israeli war machine. Universities should be about education NOT educide. I can’t sleep at night thinking of the suffering of countless thousands of people in Gaza and I’m doing my utmost to draw attention to this cancer in our city.

    Israel’s genocide continues

    The Lancet estimated the true number of deaths in Gaza could be over 186,000 due to indirect deaths (starvation and lack of health care etc). University of Edinburgh academics estimate a higher figure of 335,000 deaths.

    Last academic year students protested against the university links with the arms industry by occupying University buildings for several weeks followed by a tented encampment on Tyndall Avenue opposite the Senate House.

    This bold action comes ahead of a massive “END THE EDUCIDE – DIVEST NOW!” demonstration planned for this Sunday 24 November organised by the group Bristol Palestine Alliance (BPA).

    Protesters will assemble outside the Senate House on Tyndall Avenue, BS8 1TH. Following an opening rally the march will follow a route down Woodlands Road, Park Row, Park Street to a closing rally on College Green.

    Speakers will include students, university academics, health professionals, press workers, trade unionists, Palestine Action, Just Stop Oil, Extinction Rebellion, CND, LGBTQ plus other Palestine campaigners from around the region.

    People are asked to wear black and to bring flags, placards, whistles and banners

    An BPA organiser said:

    Join us on Sunday 24 November to call out Bristol University and put pressure on them to divest from Israel.

    While UoB continue their partnerships with military companies that are helping Israel murder innocent men, women, children and babies, they also enable the destruction of educational institutions; there are no more universities in Gaza.

    If you are as outraged as us about the continued genocide in Gaza and the role our universities are playing, join us.

    All welcome – Bring your banners, flags, your placards, form blocs we welcome educators, students, medics, press, families, XR, CND, LGBTQ and others most importantly bring your voices.

    They continued by saying that:

    It gets worse.

    Despite a long-running divestment campaign, University of Bristol continues to use Barclays Bank to manage millions of pounds in student fees, research funding, and staff salaries. Barclays holds over £2 billion in shares, and provides £6.1 billion in loans and underwriting, to 9 companies whose weapons, components and military technology are being used by Israel in its attacks on Palestinians. We say the blood of people in Gaza and around the world is on their hands. We say this is truly shocking. We say this is truly evil.

    Bristol rallies for Palestine

    Speaking at the rally and carrying specially-made placards on the demonstration will be health professionals honouring Dr Adnan Al-Bursh.

    Dr Adnan Al-Bursh was a Palestinian orthopaedic surgeon and the Head of Orthopedics at the Gaza Strip’s largest medical facility, Al-Shifa Hospital. Last December Dr Al-Bursh was taken by Israeli forces and died in April this year in the Ofer Prison in the West Bank. Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, has expressed her extreme alarm at the news of Al-Bursh’s death.

    Just days ago, as the Canary reported testimony from fellow prisoners was released by Sky News, saying that Dr Al-Bursh died as a result of brutal torture.

    Large numbers are expected to join the demonstration this Sunday.

    Featured image and additional images via Simon Holliday

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Fossil fuels bosses were giving each other awards last night – until campaigners got involved

    Activists took on planet-wrecking fossil fuel criminals over their contribution to the climate crisis, during a swanky awards dinner in central London. Of course, there’s something twisted about Big Oil patting itself on the back for killing people and planet – and campaigners made this clear, as they gatecrashed the industry do from the World Energy Council Assembly.

    Gatecrashing the World Energy Council Assembly

    Campaigners from Fossil Free London interrupted the World Energy Council Assembly’s dinner at the Hilton in Mayfair on Tuesday 20 November, where oil and gas executives gathered to present and receive industry “achievement awards”. Among the award nominees and attendees were Shell, BP, Equinor, ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, and Chevron:

    The campaigners addressed oil and gas executives, suggesting awards the corporations present could receive instead. They presented “the award for over 200 dead in Spain” to Shell, “the award for over 200 people dying in floods in Pakistan” to BP and “the award for causing Hurricane Helene in the US” to Equinor:

    The corporations receiving awards this evening are continuing to explore and develop new fossil fuel projects, contradicting warnings from climate scientists, the International Energy Agency, the IPCC, and the UN that expansion of fossil fuel production is incompatible with a safe climate.

    The World Energy Council Assembly action came after Fossil Free London staged a week of action over COP29. This included protesting outside the offices of legal firms that have fossil fuel companies as clients, and targeting BP over its deadly activities.

    Fossil fuel bosses are destroying us all

    Joanna Warrington, a campaigner at Fossil Free London, said:

    While fossil fuel executives clink glasses, pat themselves on the back and dance around the truth, communities are being torn apart.

    The floods, wildfires, and hurricanes fueled by their continued expansion of oil and gas will only get worse, and have devastating consequences on our societies and economies.

    As governments and people across the world are already struggling with the consequences of the climate crisis, these executives are knowingly crunching into the brick wall of ecological limits.

    Tonight, we crashed their party to remind them that their relentless greed is nothing to celebrate.

    Featured image and additional images via Fossil Free London

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • BREAKING: cops use COUNTER TERROR powers AGAIN against Palestine Action

    Counter-terror cops have raided the homes, and then arrested, another 10 people in connection to Palestine Action’s action against Israel weapons company Elbit Systems. It shows that the British state continues to abuse counter-terrorism powers against activists in order to protect the interests of Israel’s genocidal campaign.

    Palestine Action: the state yet again abusing counter terror powers

    On 19 November, counter-terrorism police raided and arrested 10 more people in relation to an action taken by Palestine Action against Elbit’s Filton-based research and development hub on 6 August 2024.

    Reports of the raids undertaken today, include family members and roommates being expelled from their own homes by counter terrorism police for up to three days. The mother and younger brother of one arrested today were also cuffed during the initial raid, despite not being accused of any offence.

    These arrests were made in relation to the case of the ‘Filton10’ – ten individuals who have been detained since August, following an action which cost Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms company, over £1million in damages.

    As the Canary reported at the time, during the early hours of the morning of Tuesday 6 August, Palestine Action activists were arrested after they broke inside and damaged weaponry inside the highly secured Bristol manufacturing hub of Israel’s largest weapons company, Elbit Systems.

    A larger group from Palestine Action used a prison van to smash through the outer perimeter and the roller shutters into the building. Once six were inside, they began damaging the contents inside, including machinery and Israeli quadcopter drones.

    Elbit: actively enabling genocide

    Elbit’s Horizon facility at Belvedere Close in Filton is a key premises for the arms company, described as a research, development, and manufacturing hub for electronic warfare, land vehicle, simulation, and vision technologies. Freedom of Information disclosures show Filton’s ‘Elbit Systems UK’ has existent export licenses for the sale of weaponry to Israel.

    The Filton site was opened in July of last year, with Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotevely in attendance to show off the Bristol produced-weapons technologies of the “Israeli defence company”. Also in attendance was Elbit’s CEO Bezalel Machlis, who recently boasted, too, of Elbit’s crucial role in supporting the ongoing genocide and of the gratitude received by Elbit from the Israeli military for their services.

    Products seen inside the factory are the same as those used in the Gaza genocide, including Elbit’s ‘Torch-X Command and Control’ systems, Thor quadcopter drones and its nv33 Night Vision technologies.

    Elbit Systems, more broadly, supplies up to 85% of Israel’s military drones and land-based equipment, while its British exports to Israel mostly concern drone and aircraft components, military electronics, and target and acquisition systems.

    Palestine Action are not the terrorists, here

    Despite being arrested under the Terrorism Act, the Filton10 were all charged with non-terror offences including aggravated burglary, criminal damage and violent disorder. However, the police have continued to use counter terror powers to deploy authoritarian powers against further people in relation to the case.

    Amnesty International UK has issued alarm that British police are using these Terrorism Act powers to “circumvent normal legal protections”. The Filton10 are being held on remand ahead of a November 2025 trial, and are subjected to arbitrary and severe restrictions.

    A Palestine Action spokesperson said of the counter terror raids and arrests:

    The British state are wielding counter-terrorism powers against those they accused of being engaged in direct action against Israel’s weapons trade. They are acting to protect the interests of a foreign genocidal regime, over the rights and freedoms of it’s own citizens.

    The only ‘terrorists’ here are those assisting and arming Israel’s genocide. Palestine Action will not bow to this repression.

    Featured image via Palestine Action

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Tyre Extinguishers strike AGAIN in Edinburgh – hitting Chelsea tractors with some home truths

    Members of the Tyre Extinguishers group in Edinburgh, Scotland have hit SUVs for a second time this month in protest of the environmental and safety dangers of massive cars in cities.

    The Tyre Extinguishers: at it again

    Some SUVs were decorated with mock surveys so the public can participate:

    Others were decorated with photos of two schoolgirls killed by an SUV in Wimbledon, London, earlier this year:

    As the Canary previously reported, the Tyre Extinguishers are right to be angry about SUVs:

    Tyre Extinguishers SUVs

    There were over 360m SUVs on world roads in 2023, producing 1bn tonnes of CO2, up 10% on 2022. As a result, global oil consumption rose by 600,000 barrels/day, more than a quarter of total oil demand growth.

    One of the main issues with SUVs is their fuel consumption. SUVs consume approximately 25% more energy than medium-sized cars, which leads to a substantial increase in CO₂ emissions per mile driven.

    Stop SUVs

    With more powerful engines and increased weight, SUVs demand more fuel, and their lower fuel economy translates directly into higher emissions. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the rise of SUVs was the second-largest contributor to the increase in global CO₂ emissions from 2010 to 2018, surpassing emissions from the aviation sector.

    Additionally, SUVs are often marketed as rugged, all-terrain vehicles, but in reality, most are driven primarily in urban settings where their off-road capabilities are unnecessary. This widespread use of large, powerful vehicles in cities contributes to air pollution and road congestion, exacerbating their environmental impact.

    Beyond CO₂ emissions, the manufacturing of SUVs also has a large carbon footprint due to the increased materials needed, particularly steel and aluminum. Heavier vehicles require more energy in production, which amplifies their overall environmental impact.

    Little wonder, then, that the Tyre Extinguishers felt compelled to take action – as people needlessly driving around city centres in off-road vehicles are directly contributing to the climate crisis – and therefore, the deaths the world saw in Valencia:

    Keep on tyre extinguishing

    Luke, a Tyre Extinguisher, said:

    We think it’s well past time for a public debate about these monsters taking over our streets. The people who drive these Chelsea tractors have assumed it as their right to dominate our streets and poison our planet – we want to open this up for discussion.

    And SUVs are ruining far more than just Edinburgh. If SUVs were a country they’d be the world’s fifth most polluting. As Valencians, Floridians and Brazilians continue to grapple with the cost of this year’s horrifying extreme weather, global leaders at COP 29 make only dirty deals and empty promises.

    If our spineless politicians won’t take meaningful action against emitters, then we will.

    Real people are dying. Today we posted memorials of Izan and Rubén Matias, aged 5 and 3, who were swept out of their father’s arms by the Valencian floodwaters. Every single two-tonne tank out on the street is sending a flagrant message that its owners do not care about the damage they are causing every day. It’s time to hold them to account.

    The Tyre Extinguishers are active in 22 countries. More information on the group can be found here:

    Featured image and additional images via the Tyre Extinguishers

    By Steve Topple

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Just Stop Oil marched with the right-wing NFU today – but hear them out…

    On Tuesday 19 November, Just Stop Oil joined the farmers’ march called by the National Farmers Union (NFU) in solidarity with agricultural workers. Now, Just Stop Oil and the right-wing farmers union may not seem natural bedfellows at first. So, the group’s support for the march may raise eyebrows.

    However, Just Stop Oil’s explanation is actually thought-provoking.

    Farmers’ march: a load of old bull?

    As the Canary previously reported, farmers (and far-right grifters looking for a political fight) are up in arms about the Labour Party plans for inheritance tax. We noted that, based on the data, it seems that the right-wing NFU and far-right foghorns like Jeremy Clarkson (not a farmer by the way, just a tax avoider) are looking for a stick to bash the Labour government with.

    This is because the figures just don’t add up. The reforms announced will affect roughly 15% – 20% of estates that include agricultural property.

    According to CenTax research based on HMRC data, between 2018 to 2020, an average of £900 million in Agricultural Property Relief went to around 1,300 estates per year. Almost two thirds (64%) of all Agricultural Relief went to roughly 200 estates per year that each claimed more than £1 million in relief, with an average estate value of £6 million.

    The government’s own analysis suggests that 73% of estates with agricultural property won’t be affected by these changes.

    Many people invest in agricultural land as a way of reducing their tax bill, with little direct interest in farming itself. This is shown by CenTax’s report, which reveals that among estates that benefited from Agricultural Relief between 2018 and 2020, less than half (44%) of individuals had received any trading income from agriculture at any point in the five years prior to death.

    Only 10% of all beneficiaries of agricultural relief received an average of more than £10,000 per year in agricultural income over the five tax years prior to their death.

    The point being – the people who will be hit by Labour’s changes in inheritance tax are mostly NOT actually farmers.

    Just Stop Oil out with the NFU…?!

    However, the march in London went ahead regardless. And it seems in the midst of a lot of right-wing bluster, Just Stop Oil were there to make some more valid points.

    Starting at 11am, a group of Just Stop Oil supporters joined the farmers to march along Whitehall to Parliament Square:

    People at the farmers’ march seemed… well, bemused by Just Stop Oil’s presence:

    farmers march Just Stop Oil

    However, a spokesperson for Just Stop Oil made some salient points. Namely, they recognised that – aside from the inheritance tax furore – successive governments, and corporations, have screwed farmers over:

    The spokesperson said of the group’s presence at the farmers’ march:

    We understand the anger from farmers, we recognise they have been failed by government after government who seem content for farming policy to be set by Tescos. The Chancellor’s tax changes have hit the legacy small scale farmers can leave to their children, however the realisation that our inheritance is not going to be what we expected is going to hit us all, very soon.

    Food production, the rural and urban economies, our health, education and transport systems have been designed for a climate that no longer exists. There is no evidence that farming can survive the 2C of heating that is now predicted for the 2030’s. That’s everyone’s inheritance down the pan. That’s why there are 24 people in prison who stood up to demand a decent future for all of us.

    Just Stop Oil recognises that UK farmers are going to be on the sharp end as we enter this era of consequences. Farmers and farming cannot adapt to a future in which the weather will be either too hot, too dry, too wet or too cold to grow food. The crisis in farming is about so much more than inheritance tax, it’s about political elites betraying ordinary people.

    While Just Stop Oil didn’t nod to whether or not it agreed with Labour’s inheritance tax plans – it did cause a bit of a stir on X with its presence at the farmers’ march:

    Some people didn’t agree with Just Stop Oil’s reasoning:

    Farmers should be on the streets

    However, Sam Griffiths, one of those marching, said:

    If we are going to have a future worth inheriting then we need farmers, growing food and protecting the countryside we cherish. Small scale farmers have been hung out to dry, caught between powerful supermarkets, cheap imports and government policies designed to benefit large landowners. Farmers should be on the streets, they should get a decent price for their produce, and like all of us they should get a countryside worth inheriting.

    So, do you agree with Just Stop Oil out supporting the right-wing NFU march? Let us know in the comments.

    Featured image and additional images via Just Stop Oil

    By Steve Topple

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Sense at last, as two of the Palestine Action Thales 5 are released from prison

    On Monday 18 November, two members of the Palestine Action Thales Five were released from prison in Scotland, having been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment in August. They will serve the remainder of their sentences in the community.

    Palestine Action Thales activists: free at last

    The two women were part of a Palestine Action team who, in June 2022, occupied the Thales weapons factory in Govan, Glasgow, shutting it down, and costing the French arms giant more than £1 million.

    This was Palestine Action’s debut action in Scotland. The action at Thales sought to disrupt the French arms giant’s operations, targeting the factory due to Thales’ considerable links with Israel’s largest arms firm, Elbit Systems, along with its direct supplies to the Israeli military during an ongoing genocide in Gaza.

    Thales is one of the world’s biggest weapons manufacturers, producing missile systems, armoured vehicles, and drones, as well as working in partnership with Elbit Systems, Israel’s own largest weapons firm.

    While the two former prisoners are still subject to restrictions, including having to wear an electronic tag, despite Israeli interference in Scotland’s judicial system they have been freed after three months behind bars.

    Palestine Action said it was overjoyed to see the release of the two women, including life-long activist Eva Simmons, and it says it retains hope that the three remaining Thales 5 prisoners will be released soon.

    The fight continues

    They include Stuart Bretherton and Calum Lacy, who recently challenged their imprisonment in court, as well as Sumaya Javaid. As the Canary previously reported, Bretherton and Lacy were refused their appeal for immediate release from HMP Barlinnie. In a 5 November appeal hearing at Edinburgh’s High Court of Justiciary, two judges reduced their 12 months sentences to 10 months.

    In total, there are now 14 Palestine Action prisoners in Britain, with five more globally, all having taken direct action in response to Western complicity in Israel’s Genocide, occupation, and Apartheid in Palestine.

    A Palestine Action spokesperson said:

    We are pleased to see the release of these two brave women, who with our other comrades, opened the Scottish front against the weapons manufacturers who enable Israeli Genocide. While the British government actively assists in the slaughter, and too many people turn a blind eye, they acted with courage, and remained steadfast. We welcome them back as heroes.

    Featured image via Palestine Action

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Vietnam police arrest 8 people during violent protest

    Read more on this topic in Vietnamese.

    Police in Vietnam have arrested eight people – including five members of the same family – after violent clashes during an attempt to build a road in An Giang province.

    The project requires the relocation of 641 households. Six of the families have refused to move.

    On Monday morning, according to the An Giang news site, police were called to help protect workers trying to upgrade the road to Kien Giang province.

    Eight people were accused of blocking the area with excavators and attacking police and soldiers with petrol bombs and other weapons. Five law enforcers were injured, according to the news report, although it did not show pictures of injuries or alleged damage to machinery at the construction site.

    The police arrested Le Thi Ngoc Nhan, her husband Le Van Dien, along with their two sons Le Phuoc Hoang and Le Phuoc Sang, and nephew Nguyen Van Loc.

    Three other residents were arrested, Le Cong Triet, Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy and Le Thi Thuong.

    One photo shows Le Phuoc Hoang holding a lit Molotov cocktail on a rooftop, while another shows him wearing a bloody shirt.

    Radio Free Asia was unable to verify the information published by state media.

    Land disputes have become common in Vietnam in recent years, as incomes and land values have risen and also as a result of authorities promoting cash-crops plantations and encouraging people to move to the countryside to work on them.

    RFA called Tinh Bien town police to ask for more information about the incident but the person who answered the telephone asked the reporter to come to the agency’s headquarters to get information.

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    According to the An Giang news site, in 2019, the district government offered to pay Ms. Nhan’s family the equivalent of US$10,500 for just over 120 square meters of land they needed for the road project. The family complained but were offered only a tiny increase in compensation in 2021.

    The family then petitioned the central government but were told the complaint was not valid.

    Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang.


    This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Vietnamese.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Worldwide protests call on politicians and businesses to STOP their obsession with GDP

    On Saturday 16 November, activists from Scientist Rebellion and Growth Kills took part in civil disobedience actions in several cities around the world. They were out to highlight how politicians, businesses, and leaders obsession with growth and GDP as measures of human success was killing us all. In doing so, the groups were calling on people to start to consider so-called ‘degrowth’ as a viable and crucial option to stop, and reverse, the climate crisis and biodiversity crisis – but also so much more than these.

    Degrowth: essential to save the planet

    In Peru, Mexico, Ecuador, and Panama, activists employed a variety of actions, including building projections, banner drops, street mobilisations, and more. This was Mexico:

    degrowth
    Mexico

    In France, the Netherlands, Norway and Germany, they replaced advertising posters with ones featuring citizen quotes and plastered additional posters across public spaces:

    France

    degrowth
    Netherlands
    Norway

    In Brussels, Belgium, in broad daylight, activists replaced advertising posters in bus shelters in a crowded square, then interacted with the public, interviewing them, amplifying their words over a loudspeaker, until the police stopped them:

    Belgium

    Economic growth doesn’t bring happiness

    A single core message unites all these actions: only a shift towards degrowth can lead us out of our social and ecological deadlock.

    The ecological crisis poses an existential threat to life on Earth. The IPCC estimates that on our current trajectory it is very likely that we will exceed even the 2 degree limit, and that several tipping points will be crossed, beyond which global warming will accelerate uncontrollably and extreme weather events will become the norm.

    Around 50 to 80% of the world population could be exposed to one month per year of deadly heat by 2100. A recent review article predicts 1 billion premature deaths in the coming century. Global warming will dramatically increase the ongoing mass extinction, while we have lost 75% of the insects and ⅔ of vertebrates already.

    Climate change isn’t even the most worrying environmental crisis. With the collapse of biodiversity and pollution of all kinds, humanity has crossed 6 of the 9 planetary boundaries, causing irreversible damage to life on Earth, and threatening food and water security. The UN’s Global Resources Outlook report shows that global resource consumption, which has quadrupled since 1970, is set to increase by a further 60% by 2060.

    Our politicians claim that the environmental transition is compatible with infinite GDP growth through massive investment in ‘green technologies’, the so-called ‘green growth’. However, there is  no  empirical  basis  to suggest that it is possible to decouple GDP from environmental pressures on a global scale. As stated by the European Environmental Agency:

    it is unlikely that a long-lasting, absolute decoupling of economic growth from environmental pressures and impacts can be achieved at the global scale.

    The EEA concludes that:

    societies need to rethink what is meant by growth and progress and their meaning for global sustainability.

    GDP is not a measure of anyone’s wellbeing – not least the planet’s

    So, in a statement, the activists declare:

    The belief that economic growth is essential for our well-being is a myth that mainly serves the interests of a wealthy few. Instead of endlessly increasing production, we should focus on producing what is truly essential for everyone’s well-being and ensuring fair distribution.

    The belief that economic growth can align with environmental respect is equally misleading, as climate disasters multiply, pollution worsens, and biodiversity continues to decline without signs of improvement. Economic growth is inherently tied to overconsumption, driving the relentless extraction of resources at the planet’s expense.

    We must urgently rethink the economy to reduce resource consumption while ensuring everyone’s well-being, regardless of economic growth. Our campaign, rooted in collective ecological restoration, aims to inspire a global grassroots movement that empowers individuals to restore balance and biodiversity through shared responsibility. Connected with one another, we can rediscover our power to act and restore life.

    These concerns and the call for degrowth align with numerous systemic scientific studies linking ecology and economy, as well as a report from the European Environment Agency and an open letter signed by leading experts and over 100 civil society organisations.

    Following this evidence, the activists are calling on everyone to help envision a livable world and fight for:

    • A drastic reduction in resource consumption to stay within planetary boundaries.
    • An economy focused on the well-being of all, prioritising people and the planet over unchecked growth for the benefit of a few.
    • The creation of citizen assemblies selected by lottery to determine concrete steps for a transformative socio-economic shift.

    A campaign rooted in collective energy

    This global initiative is part of a campaign launched last June in Brussels by the Growth Kills and Scientist Rebellion collectives, kicking off with a week of bold actions, including a blockade of the European Commission on the eve of the European elections.

    Following this week of action, since September activists from both movements have taken to the streets to engage directly with the public, igniting conversations around shared concerns, hopes, and visions for a sustainable future. Through these interactions, they gather quotes from the people they meet, showcasing these reflections on posters that replace commercial advertising in their current actions. Initially piloted in Brussels, this campaign has since been replicated globally.

    The groups said:

    By claiming the shopping streets as our stage, we take back spaces overwhelmed by the noise of consumerism and advertising. Through gathering quotes from those we meet and showcasing them on posters and public projections, we amplify the voices of the street, connecting their reflections to the vision of degrowth.

    Reimagining activism and degrowth

    Through this approach, the activists put forward a holistic vision of activism, aiming to build a grassroots movement that strengthens the social fabric as a basis for preventing future disruption and instability in our lives.

    They said:

    Our mission is to reawaken the creative spark within each of us, pouring this energy, with love, into public spaces. To reclaim the imagination of these spaces, we must come together as a collective whole, united by purpose and possibility.

    We believe this shared reflection can reawaken the strength within us all, restoring confidence and grounding us in a community poised for action. Our commitment to public engagement embodies our conviction: only a genuine grassroots movement can ignite the societal shift essential for true sustainability.

    Through collective action, we work to rekindle life and restore harmony in our fractured world. Together, we reclaim, we restore, and we create anew.

    You can read more about this in the groups’ manifesto here.

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Hikoī day 8: Te Pāti Māori co-leader speaks of ‘sense of betrayal’ over bill

    RNZ News

    ACT leader David Seymour has spoken out on Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke’s haka in Parliament as a Hīkoi against his controversial Treaty Principles Bill converges on Wellington.

    The Te Pāti Māori MP was suspended for 24 hours and “named” for leading the haka during the first reading of the bill last Thursday.

    Seymour told reporters the haka “was designed to get in other people’s faces”, to stop the people who represent New Zealanders from having their say, particularly because those doing it left their seats.

    The action was a serious matter, and if a haka was allowed one time, it left the door open for other disruptions in Parliament at other times.

    Labour’s vote against the decision to suspend Maipi-Clarke from the House was an indication it thought such behaviour was appropriate.

    People should be held accountable for their actions, Seymour added.

    Asked by reporters if Seymour should speak to the Hīkoi, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said his voice had already been heard, and described Māori feeling “a sense of betrayal”.

    The bill should never have come into the House, she said.

    A ferry carrying protesters from the South Island is now on its way across the Cook Strait as final preparations are made in the capital for tomorrow’s gathering at the Beehive.

    In Wellington, commuters are being warned to allow extra time for travel, and add one or even two hours to their trips to work on Tuesday even as extra buses and train carriages are put on.

    Māori Queen to join Hīkoi
    A spokesperson for the Kiingitanga movement said although this was a period of mourning in the wake of the death of her late father, the Māori Queen would be joining the Hīkoi in Wellington.

    Te Arikinui Kuini Nga Wai Hono i te Po confirmed late last night she planned to be at Parliament tomorrow.

    Speaking to RNZ’s Midday Report, spokesperson Ngira Simmonds said while it was uncommon for a Māori monarch to break the period of mourning, Kuini Nga Wai Hono i te Po would be there to advocate for more unity between Māori and the Crown.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.