radiofree.asia

Category: Protest

  • Can a pipeline company defy a governor’s orders? Gretchen Whitmer is about to find out.

    As governor, Gretchen Whitmer vowed to provide clean and affordable drinking water for the Great Lakes state of Michigan. Last year, she implemented a statewide moratorium on water shutoffs to provide relief during the COVID-19 crisis, allocated $500 million dollars for improving water infrastructure, and in November stood by a campaign promise when she ordered Enbridge Energy to shut down its Line 5 pipeline, which carries crude oil and natural gas liquids under the Great Lakes from western Canada to Michigan and on to eastern Canada.

    Whitmer’s order gave Enbridge until May 12 to shut down Line 5. But the company has so far refused to comply, leading to a showdown between the biggest mover of oil in the United States, Enbridge, and one of the country’s emerging political leaders on climate, over land in her own state.    

    A review by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources last year found that Enbridge has repeatedly violated requirements laid out in the 1953 easement that allowed it to build the pipeline, with infractions varying from not having the required support on the lake bed to inadequate corrosion control. Whitmer said in a press release that Enbridge “failed for decades to meet these obligations under the easement, and these failures persist and cannot be cured.” 

    Her order to shut down the pipeline follows years of concern from researchers, activists, and policymakers that Line 5 could seriously threaten Great Lakes fisheries and drinking water. The National Wildlife Federation found that the pipeline has spilled over 1 million gallons of oil and natural gas liquids in an estimated 30 spills to date. “Every day that pipeline lays on the lakebed, we’re a day closer to a catastrophe,” said David Holtz, an activist and coordinator for Oil and Water Don’t Mix, a coalition of Michigan organizations fighting to shut down Line 5 and support a clean energy transition. 

    There are also climate change concerns. To keep Line 5 operating, Enbridge has announced plans to build a protective tunnel over the part of the pipeline that crosses under the Great Lakes at the Straits of Mackinac, where Lake Huron and Lake Michigan meet. One of several permits for the tunnel construction was granted in late January this year. If it is completed, Enbridge would be allowed to use the pipeline for the next 99 years. But environmentalists and scientists argue that a long-term infrastructure plan to keep distributing and using fossil fuels runs counter to Whitmer’s 2050 carbon-neutrality goal and could derail U.S. climate change targets more broadly. Each day, the pipeline transports up to 540,000 barrels of fossil fuel.

    Line 5 is facing opposition from another front as well: The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians is applying to have the Straits of Mackinac federally designated as a “Traditional Cultural Property” after it found what looks like artifacts of a 10,000-year-old caribou-hunting culture. This designation would require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Public Service Commission to consider the cultural significance of the land before approving Enbridge’s final permits for the protective tunnel. 

    A diver for the National Wildlife Federation inspects Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac in 2013. National Wildlife Federation

    “[Activists] have really come a long way” in their fight against Line 5, Holtz said. “We’ve put together the biggest, broadest, toughest citizens’ campaign Michigan has ever seen when it comes to an environmental issue.” 

    Since Whitmer’s closure order in November, Enbridge has sued the state of Michigan on the grounds that it doesn’t have authority over the company because Enbridge is regulated federally by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA. Enbridge has also stated outright that it will defy the governor’s orders. “We do not plan to shut down Line 5 unless ordered by a court or PHMSA, which we view as highly unlikely,” a spokesperson for the company told Grist. Among its stated reasons for refusing to shut down are concerns over energy security for Michigan and Canada and the increased environmental impact from alternative modes of transporting propane. The pipeline supplies between 55 to 65 percent of Michigan’s propane needs. 

    Fifteen Republican members of Congress — including Michigan’s Tim Walberg and Jack Bergman, and Wisconsin’s Glenn Grothman — sent President Biden a letter in March asking for support to keep the pipeline operating. A member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O’Regan, said that keeping Line 5 operational is “non-negotiable.” And Ohio and Louisiana also asked to intervene in favor of keeping Line 5. Ohio receives oil from the pipeline, but it’s unclear what Louisiana’s stake is. 

    In most cases, property disputes like this are straightforward, explains Nick Shroeck, director of the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Detroit Mercy. But the standoff between Whitmer and Enbridge is unique because it’s multi-jurisdictional, he says, and because of the massive amount of oil the pipeline carries and any potential disasters. 

    For the shutdown to go into effect, a state or federal court would need to rule in Whitmer’s favor. If the case is sent to state court, Shroeck said, Enbridge could appeal that decision, therefore sending it to a federal court of appeals, whereafter it could be years before a decision is reached. In the meantime, Enbridge would be able to continue operating without penalty. 

    The U.S. portion of the pipeline that crosses under the Mackinac straits is the worst possible location in the Great Lakes for an oil spill. A 2016 study by researchers at the University of Michigan found that because of the turbulent waters and switching directions of the current, a Line 5 oil spill could potentially contaminate more than 700 miles of Great Lakes shoreline. 

    In early March, Whitmer released an energy security plan that addresses how to get propane to Michiganders without Line 5. It includes strategies to prevent price gouging and increase bill assistance for vulnerable families; use government resources to develop alternative sourcing options; monitor and address disruptions in the energy industry; and maximize energy efficiency while reducing the cost to Michigan consumers. 

    Enbridge told Grist it found Whitmer’s plan “wholly inadequate for replacing the propane or energy supply Michiganders currently depend on.” Activists, however, are more supportive. “The only real crisis that we have to worry about with Line 5 energy sources is if it’s shut down because of [a] pipeline rupture, and there’s no orderly plan,” said Holtz, of the group Oil and Water Don’t Mix. 

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Can a pipeline company defy a governor’s orders? Gretchen Whitmer is about to find out.

    As governor, Gretchen Whitmer vowed to provide clean and affordable drinking water for the Great Lakes state of Michigan. Last year, she implemented a statewide moratorium on water shutoffs to provide relief during the COVID-19 crisis, allocated $500 million dollars for improving water infrastructure, and in November stood by a campaign promise when she ordered Enbridge Energy to shut down its Line 5 pipeline, which carries crude oil and natural gas liquids under the Great Lakes from western Canada to Michigan and on to eastern Canada.

    Whitmer’s order gave Enbridge until May 12 to shut down Line 5. But the company has so far refused to comply, leading to a showdown between the biggest mover of oil in the United States, Enbridge, and one of the country’s emerging political leaders on climate, over land in her own state.    

    A review by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources last year found that Enbridge has repeatedly violated requirements laid out in the 1953 easement that allowed it to build the pipeline, with infractions varying from not having the required support on the lake bed to inadequate corrosion control. Whitmer said in a press release that Enbridge “failed for decades to meet these obligations under the easement, and these failures persist and cannot be cured.” 

    Her order to shut down the pipeline follows years of concern from researchers, activists, and policymakers that Line 5 could seriously threaten Great Lakes fisheries and drinking water. The National Wildlife Federation found that the pipeline has spilled over 1 million gallons of oil and natural gas liquids in an estimated 30 spills to date. “Every day that pipeline lays on the lakebed, we’re a day closer to a catastrophe,” said David Holtz, an activist and coordinator for Oil and Water Don’t Mix, a coalition of Michigan organizations fighting to shut down Line 5 and support a clean energy transition. 

    There are also climate change concerns. To keep Line 5 operating, Enbridge has announced plans to build a protective tunnel over the part of the pipeline that crosses under the Great Lakes at the Straits of Mackinac, where Lake Huron and Lake Michigan meet. One of several permits for the tunnel construction was granted in late January this year. If it is completed, Enbridge would be allowed to use the pipeline for the next 99 years. But environmentalists and scientists argue that a long-term infrastructure plan to keep distributing and using fossil fuels runs counter to Whitmer’s 2050 carbon-neutrality goal and could derail U.S. climate change targets more broadly. Each day, the pipeline transports up to 540,000 barrels of fossil fuel.

    Line 5 is facing opposition from another front as well: The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians is applying to have the Straits of Mackinac federally designated as a “Traditional Cultural Property” after it found what looks like artifacts of a 10,000-year-old caribou-hunting culture. This designation would require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Public Service Commission to consider the cultural significance of the land before approving Enbridge’s final permits for the protective tunnel. 

    A diver for the National Wildlife Federation inspects Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac in 2013. National Wildlife Federation

    “[Activists] have really come a long way” in their fight against Line 5, Holtz said. “We’ve put together the biggest, broadest, toughest citizens’ campaign Michigan has ever seen when it comes to an environmental issue.” 

    Since Whitmer’s closure order in November, Enbridge has sued the state of Michigan on the grounds that it doesn’t have authority over the company because Enbridge is regulated federally by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA. Enbridge has also stated outright that it will defy the governor’s orders. “We do not plan to shut down Line 5 unless ordered by a court or PHMSA, which we view as highly unlikely,” a spokesperson for the company told Grist. Among its stated reasons for refusing to shut down are concerns over energy security for Michigan and Canada and the increased environmental impact from alternative modes of transporting propane. The pipeline supplies between 55 to 65 percent of Michigan’s propane needs. 

    Fifteen Republican members of Congress — including Michigan’s Tim Walberg and Jack Bergman, and Wisconsin’s Glenn Grothman — sent President Biden a letter in March asking for support to keep the pipeline operating. A member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O’Regan, said that keeping Line 5 operational is “non-negotiable.” And Ohio and Louisiana also asked to intervene in favor of keeping Line 5. Ohio receives oil from the pipeline, but it’s unclear what Louisiana’s stake is. 

    In most cases, property disputes like this are straightforward, explains Nick Shroeck, director of the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Detroit Mercy. But the standoff between Whitmer and Enbridge is unique because it’s multi-jurisdictional, he says, and because of the massive amount of oil the pipeline carries and any potential disasters. 

    For the shutdown to go into effect, a state or federal court would need to rule in Whitmer’s favor. If the case is sent to state court, Shroeck said, Enbridge could appeal that decision, therefore sending it to a federal court of appeals, whereafter it could be years before a decision is reached. In the meantime, Enbridge would be able to continue operating without penalty. 

    The U.S. portion of the pipeline that crosses under the Mackinac straits is the worst possible location in the Great Lakes for an oil spill. A 2016 study by researchers at the University of Michigan found that because of the turbulent waters and switching directions of the current, a Line 5 oil spill could potentially contaminate more than 700 miles of Great Lakes shoreline. 

    In early March, Whitmer released an energy security plan that addresses how to get propane to Michiganders without Line 5. It includes strategies to prevent price gouging and increase bill assistance for vulnerable families; use government resources to develop alternative sourcing options; monitor and address disruptions in the energy industry; and maximize energy efficiency while reducing the cost to Michigan consumers. 

    Enbridge told Grist it found Whitmer’s plan “wholly inadequate for replacing the propane or energy supply Michiganders currently depend on.” Activists, however, are more supportive. “The only real crisis that we have to worry about with Line 5 energy sources is if it’s shut down because of [a] pipeline rupture, and there’s no orderly plan,” said Holtz, of the group Oil and Water Don’t Mix. 

    This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Can a pipeline company defy a governor’s orders? Gretchen Whitmer is about to find out. on Apr 7, 2021.

    This post was originally published on Grist.

  • Policing of Kill the Bill demos shows the creep of UK fascism

    The policing of the bank holiday weekend’s #KillTheBill demos showed the further creep of corporate fascism in the UK. But instances from the protest haven’t been the only examples of this in recent days.

    The creep of UK corporate fascism

    As The Canary previously wrote, there are signs the UK is turning into a corporate fascist country. We quoted Johanna Drucker who said of the US under then-president Donald Trump:

    Fascism is defined as the alignment of power, nationalism, and authoritarian government. We are there. The power is capital linked to politics.

    But Drucker said that we’re now seeing “corporate fascism”:

    Corporate fascism is wanton, virulent, and unregulated. Wanton because it has no regard for consequences… Virulent because the full force of inflamed populism is fuelled by self-justified rage and unbounded triumphalism. Unregulated because the capital is now amassed in extreme concentrations of wealth without any controls.

    It sounds like the UK. Here’s why.

    14 signs of fascism

    Historian Laurence Britt wrote in 2003 about the 14 signs of a fascist regime. And previously The Canary ticked them all off for the UK. For example:

    • “A controlled mass media”. The UK media is already controlled by a handful of right-wing billionaires. Now, with GB News, Rupert Murdoch’s News UK TV and the rise of his Times Radio, former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre potentially heading-up the media regulator Ofcom, and a Tory donor being put in charge of the BBC – it’s going to get even more dystopian.
    • “Obsession with national security”. The Tories raising the cap on the number of nuclear weapons the UK can have is one example. Their review looking at left-wing “extremism” is another. Amnesty called the Investigatory Powers Act (which allowed mass surveillance) “among the most draconian in the EU”.

    Now, it seems other examples are coming thick and fast.

    Rampant nationalism

    During #KillTheBill protests on Saturday 3 April, police were once again protecting the Winston Churchill statue:

    Britt may well describe this as “powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism”; another one of his fascism warning signs. And he may well say it about a Tory MP saying schools should fly the Union Jack. And if they don’t? Tory MP Tom Hunt thinks they should be “educated”. Nothing to see here:

    Human rights abuses and corruption

    Further, and also at a London #KillTheBill demo, police arrested yet more legal observers. This sounds eerily similar to Britt’s notion of fascism’s “disdain for the importance of human rights”:

    Then we have Britt’s idea of fascism being defined by “rampant cronyism and corruption”. Byline Times reported on 29 March that:

    Since the beginning of the Coronavirus [Covid-19] pandemic, Byline Times and The Citizens have found that 57 contracts – worth some £944 million – have been awarded to 15 companies with directors, or people with controlling interests over these companies, who have donated £12 million to the Conservative Party.

    That’s the Tories bunging nearly £1bn of contracts to their mates.

    Show your papers

    And to top it all off, vaccine passports are on the way:

    This is despite vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi previously saying the government wasn’t planning on implementing them. And it seems that the public supports them; or rather a Mail on Sunday commissioned poll says they do:

    According to Britt’s notion of fascism, this may well be “identification of enemies/scape-goats as a unifying cause”. That is, when coronavirus once again takes hold, the Tories can blame people refusing to have the vaccine for spreading it. And if you do, you can officially be identified as such.

    Time is running out

    All the warning signs of the UK heading into corporate fascist territory are there. It’s time people recognised this – because time to change our trajectory is seriously running out.

    Featured image via Huck – screengrab

    By Steve Topple

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Labour’s troubling election leaflets show the ugly normalisation of anti-Traveller racism

    Labour MP for Warrington North and shadow women and equalities minister Charlotte Nichols has come under fire. People are criticising her for distributing local election leaflets which include anti-Traveller racist propaganda.

    Nichols apologised following backlash online. But her distribution of clearly racist materials reflects just how normalised anti-Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller (GRT) racism is in the UK.

    Anti-traveller propaganda

    The leaflets in question claimed that locally Labour would ‘deal with traveller incursions’. Meaning “sudden” unexpected or unwanted appearances. GRT Socialists simply replied:

    In response to criticism online, Nichols published a statement on 2 April. She apologised and said that she “wasn’t aware of the meaning of ‘incursion’ or its negative connotation”:

    However, Nichols was met with further criticism on Twitter. One user said:

     

    Highlighting “how normalised anti-Traveller racism is”, another tweeted:

    GRT Socialists explained:

    Nichols released a second statement apologising “unreservedly”. And she confirmed that “the leaflet has been withdrawn” and “will be destroyed”:

    ‘Kill the Bill’

    The Tory government’s proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill – which Nichols has voted against – will criminalise traveller communities if passed. When the government announced its draconian bill on 9 March, Liberty director Gracie Bradley spoke out against it, saying:

    If enacted, these proposals would expose already marginalised communities to profiling and disproportionate police powers through the expansion of stop and search, and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities may face increased police enforcement through the criminalisation of trespass.

    On 17 March, GRT Socialists shared a long thread. It set out all the ways in which the authoritarian bill would target these communities:

    A rage of organisations, including Travellers Against Fascism, Sisters Uncut, and Black Lives Matter UK, have formed a broad-based coalition to challenge the discriminatory bill.

    Anti-GRT racism in British society

    Staying true to their 2019 election campaign, which was propelled by racist anti-Traveller rhetoric, the Tories have reinforced a hostile environment for GRT communities. We have seen a fierce clampdown on individuals from these groups – from police denying young members of GRT communities access to transport during a storm to violent attempts to evict community members. And government statistics reflect this hostility.

    GRT children are overrepresented in school exclusions and the youth justice system. In 2021, Friends, Families and Travellers released data demonstrating a shortage of pitches on Traveller sites. According to its January report, while over 1,696 families are on waiting lists for pitches, “there are just 59 permanent and 42 transit pitches available nationwide”. Meanwhile, claims made in the government’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report work to further silence, demonise, and problematise GRT communities. These communities need government support, not suppression.

    Labour’s troubling local election leaflets reflect the extent to which anti-GRT racism is normalised throughout UK society. We must stand firm against this, and fight to root it out. This begins with taking action against the Tories’ discriminatory bill and calling out all forms of racist rhetoric.

    Featured image via David Woolfall/Wikimedia Commons

    By Sophia Purdy-Moore

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • For evidence of institutional racism, look no further than this school in Westminster

    Pupils at Pimlico Academy have successfully challenged school leadership to make the secondary school more inclusive and reflective of the student body. On 31 March, students staged a protest on the school grounds in opposition to changes new headteacher Daniel Smith brought in summer 2020.

    These changes included school uniform policies banning hairstyles that “block the views of others” and “colourful” hijabs. Pupils also challenged the “insensitive and inappropriate” flying of the union flag on school grounds, the erasure of Black and ethnic minority histories from the curriculum, and the lack of discourse around the Black Lives Matter movement.

    Pimlico Academy student protest

    Hundreds of students boycotted class to take a stand against a school environment they felt was racist, Islamophobic, sexist, transphobic, and elitist. Students circulated a statement calling on school leadership to “protect marginalised races, religions and other groups instead of target them”.

    Student demands included creating an “environment where victims of sexual assault feel safe” and where pupils from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds feel included. Protestors called for discussions about Black Lives Matter, the inclusion of marginalised histories, and the removal of the union flag. They also demanded changes to the school’s “discriminatory” uniform policy, and “a public apology to teachers, parents and students”. Their final message to school leadership was:

    You need to understand that you are running a school – not a business.

    One student shared a video of Smith attempting to run away from a student:

    An institutionally racist education system?

    Commentators took to Twitter to highlight the irony that the student protest coincided with the release of the government’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report. Led by Tony Sewell, the report claims that it “found no evidence of systemic or institutional racism”. Southwark Notes said:

    Another user added:

    The Sewell Report set out that the UK “should be regarded as a model for other White-majority countries”. It states this despite evidence that school exclusion rates are five times higher for Black Caribbean children and nine times higher for Roma children in some areas. Further, Black and Brown children make up over half of young people in custody today, while making up just 14% of the population. And more than 8 out of 10 children in custody have been excluded from school.

    Meanwhile, high profile cases in which school leaders have excluded pupils of colour for their natural hair, including Ruby Williams and Chikayzea Flanders, only give us a glimpse at the extent of race-based hair discrimination in schools. At the Runnymede Trust’s event discussing the failure of the report to address structural and institutional racism in the UK, Operation Black Vote director Simon Woolley highlighted:

    At the heart of Britain’s culture war

    Student organiser Ayah took to Twitter to celebrate the news that school leadership has conceded to student demands:

    Indeed, Smith agreed that school leadership will conduct a review of flying the union flag after Easter, and will not fly it in the meantime. He confirmed that leadership will review the curriculum and has already redrafted school uniform policies. Finally, he issued a public apology [see letter attached].

    The Westminster academy – part of Whitehall governance-led lord Nash’s Future Academies – is now at the heart of Britain’s culture war. Nigel Farage has taken issue with students ‘attacking the Union Flag’. Meanwhile, a Tory MP labelled students a “woke mob”. Another said that students “have completely misunderstood what [the union flag] should stand for”. In spite of this, Ayah confirmed that students will not back down:

    The government’s stance reflects that we can’t trust it to reshape and restructure racist institutions. Pimlico Academy students have made one thing clear. We must seek transformation and challenge injustice through grassroots movements led by those affected.

    Featured image via MChe Lee/Unsplash

    By Sophia Purdy-Moore

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Here’s everywhere you can join a protest to Kill The Bill this weekend

    People are gearing up to take action against the Police, Crime and Sentencing Bill this weekend. Many of us from The Canary will be taking part in protests across the country.

    So want to get involved and don’t know how? Collective Action has produced an interactive map of what’s happening in your area:

    Know your rights! Part one – coronavirus regs

    If you’re taking to the streets, it’s important to know your rights.

    Coronavirus (Covid-19) regulations have also changed and now include an exemption for protest. Kevin Blowe, campaigns coordinator at the Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol), told The Canary more abut the rule change:

    The coronavirus regulations changed on 29 March, providing protests with an exemption from restrictions. This is supposed to mean gatherings with a formal organiser, where police have seen a risk assessment. However, police on the streets at Bristol’s latest protest last night justified the sudden switch to an enormously less aggressive policing response on this new change to the rules.

    Blowe continued:

    Significantly, not having lines of riot police ready to beat people with batons and shields meant yesterday’s protest passed without incident. However, other forces may still take a rigid, confrontational stance on public health rules in areas where there is no prior negotiations, so it remains vital to make sure everyone knows their rights. Please, also remember that social distancing matters – without it, we risk excluding many of the people who are needed to help the movement against the bill to grow

    Know your rights! Part two – key messages

    Green and Black Cross have five key messages that everyone attending a protest should remember:

    • NO COMMENT: Not speaking to the police keeps everyone safe. There is no such thing as a friendly chat with the police. All information you give will be used to gather intelligence on protesters or to incriminate you or others.
    • NO PERSONAL DETAILS: You don’t have to give personal details to the police. Stop and search powers (unless you’re the driver of a vehicle) do not give the police the right to demand your name and address. The only time you might want to consider giving details is if the police want to issue a fixed penalty notice (FPN) and you may want to give your name and address to avoid arrest.
    • WHAT POWER? The police rely on not being questioned about why they’re asking you to do something and often don’t know the law. Ask them under what power they’re acting when they demand you follow their orders.
    • NO DUTY SOLICITOR: Netpol has a list of recommended solicitors who have experience in protest law. Duty solicitors often give bad advice to protesters. Most of the protest solicitors are also working remotely if you live in an area not covered by one of the recommended solicitors.
    • NO CAUTION: If you’re arrested, don’t accept a caution. It counts as a criminal record and it’s an easy solution for the police. If you’re offered a caution, always speak to an experienced protest lawyer before thinking about accepting one.

    Also be aware of Police Liaison Officers. These are the officers at protests in baby blue bibs who claim to want to help facilitate your protest. In reality they’re gathering intelligence as this video from Netpol sets out:

    Together we can kill this bill

    People are rising up in every corner of the country to oppose this bill. We need to stick together. We need to act in solidarity with each other unconditionally. It’s through this strength we can defeat this bill.

    And you can read Netpol’s guide to police surveillance and protests here.

    So stay safe. Know your rights. Remember a mask, hand sanitiser, social distancing. Take a buddy. Remember water and food. And say it loud, and say it clear: KILL THE BILL!

    Featured image courtesy of The Canary/Flourish

    By Emily Apple

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • A massive coalition has formed to #KillTheBill

    The Tories’ Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill has been in the public eye for weeks. Also known as the policing bill, it has caused protests up and down the UK. And now, a coalition of groups have come together and released a statement to try to #KillTheBill once and for all. And The Canary is proud to be a signatory.

    A coalition to #KillTheBill

    The Kill the Bill Coalition is made up of dozens of organisations who’ve come together to collectively oppose the bill. On Wednesday 31 March, the group released a statement.

    It says that the bill:

    is a dangerous and unnecessary piece of legislation that endangers the rights and safety of every single one of us… We stand united and reject attempts to divide our movement into “good” and “bad” protestors.

    We must be clear: there is no version of this Bill that is tolerable.

    The statement calls on more groups to join the coalition to #KillTheBill.

    Dangerous times

    It also outlines why the bill is so dangerous. The statement says it:

    • “Intensifies police brutality against Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, and criminalises their way of life”.
    • “gives the police the power to criminalise protests for being “noisy”, disruptive or “annoying””.
    • “Uses ‘protecting’ women as a cover to expand police powers and increase custodial sentences”.
    • “Expands stop and search powers, which… [police] already regularly used to harass and terrorise young black people”.
    • “Will silence the calls for justice by families of those whose loved ones have died at the hands of the police”.
    • “Makes those at the sharpest edge of state violence even more unsafe – including migrants, sex workers, disabled people, and racialised communities”.
    Strength in diversity

    A diverse range of groups have joined the coalition. These include Black Lives Matter UK, Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), Jewdas, Travellers Against Fascism, United Voices of the World Union (UVW), and Sisters Uncut. The Canary has also signed up to the coalition to #KillTheBill:

    Kill the Bill Coalition Members

    Some of the groups have already tweeted about it:

    We must kill the bill

    The statement concludes by saying:

    The government’s current majority means that the Bill may pass through the halls of Parliament. That does not mean it will pass through the streets.

    Just as many before us – in history as recent as the anti Poll Tax movement – we know that victories are won in the streets, in our communities and workplaces. People power has already got this bill delayed. It can also stop it being enforced.

    It’s telling that such a broad range of groups have come together to fight back. The coalition shows the strength of feeling across society against the bill. Now, we all must continue opposing the bill. Moreover, as the coalition says, we must do this using “all the tools at our disposal”. So, we must unite and kill the bill, once and for all.

    Read the coalition’s full statement:

    Kill the Bill Coalition statement

    Featured image via the Kill the Bill Coalition and the Telegraph – YouTube

    By Steve Topple

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Watchdog accused of ‘rubber-stamping’ police ‘aggression and violence’ at Sarah Everard vigil

    A watchdog has backed the Metropolitan Police over its handling of the Sarah Everard vigil, saying officers were not heavy handed and remained “calm and professional”.

    But campaigners and those who witnessed the police violence on the ground have slammed the report as ‘rubber-stamping’ and described the police’s behaviour as “shameful”:

    The Metropolitan Police came under fire after officers waded into the peaceful vigil and attacked protesters. One person who was at the event stated:

    I was shocked at the level of aggression they used to push through and it felt like…something must have happened. And nothing had happened…they just decided to take the girls that were talking on the bandstand and to arrest them and take them away.

    “There was no reason for this”

    Meanwhile, the Black Protest Legal Support UK group set out why the report contradicted what they observed on the ground:

    HMICFRS

    The report was written by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS). It was called in to examine the force’s actions after women who attended the event on 13 March were bundled to the ground and arrested.

    But it perhaps shouldn’t be a surprise that the HMICFRS report has whitewashed what happened on Clapham Common. After all, it was a recent HMICFRS report that concluded the police had gone too far in allowing protests to happen. As Tom Coburg highlighted for The Canary:

    The HMICFRS recommendations, when combined with changes proposed by the Police Bill, arguably amount to a ban on all meaningful protests. In short, if a protest – whether static or otherwise – isn’t approved by the police or other state agencies, then those taking part – ‘aggravated’ or otherwise – could face lengthy jail sentences, and likely consequential blacklisting.

    This could be the future of UK policing.

    Or to paraphrase the words of George Orwell: if you want a picture of future policing, imagine a boot stamping on a human face — forever.

    Sarah Everard vigil

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • ‘Protest is a human right’: one long week in Bristol, a city with a history of dissent

    Demonstrations against the police bill follow a long tradition of radicalism. Protesters say that, after last week’s violence, their side of the story has not been told

    For the third time in less than a week thousands of protesters gathered in the centre of Bristol last Friday to oppose the police and crime bill, which many fear will criminalise the social movements and vibrant, alternative cultures that have made the West Country city such a hub of resistance to the government.

    As the grey rain clouds over Bristol’s crumbling, graffiti-scrawled Georgian streets and tower blocks gave away to cool spring sunshine, a diverse crowd of mainly young people assembled on muddy College Green, starting point for so many of the city’s demonstrations over the years, including the Black Lives Matter march that toppled the statue of slave trader Edward Colston last June.

    Related: BLM protesters topple statue of Bristol slave trader Edward Colston

    Continue reading…

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

  • Squatters at Clapham police station won’t back down without a fight

    On 22 March, a group of “squatters and autonomous activists” took to Instagram to share the news that they’ve occupied the former Clapham Common police station. The occupation is to oppose the Tory government’s draconian Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. The group is also calling for “the end of the femicide recently highlighted by the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Met police officer”.

    Occupying the ‘cop shop’

    Clapham Common police station holds particular significance as it’s close to the spot where Everard was last seen. The group released a statement saying:

    We demand the withdrawal of ‘The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill,’ an end to male violence, a defunding of police and a refunding of communities. We have shouted, we have marched and we now stand as a coalition to resist this authoritarian state.

    The group added:

    PROTESTS ARE NECESSARILY DISRUPTIVE, but proposed changes to the law make it an offence to cause ‘serious annoyance’ or ‘inconvenience’, effectively allowing the police to criminalise any public protest. THIS IS A BREACH OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND A GREAT THREAT TO POSITIVE CHANGE.

    The group went on to highlight Section 4 of the bill, which targets traveller communities and rough sleepers. And it came out in support of the Network for Police Monitoring’s (Netpol) Charter for Freedom of Assembly Rights.

    Not backing down without a fight

    Following days of police intimidation, the group took to Instagram to share an update. It said the court has granted an eviction order and expects bailiffs and police to arrive at any moment. Setting out the intention to stand their ground, the group said:

    We refuse to give in to their attempts at intimidation as they seek to crush our protest. The state knows that the majority of people stand against this authoritarian bill seeking to criminalise protest and trespass. They know that we will not stand for this assault on our lives, so we will continue to fight it as long as we stand.

    It added:

    The only response they have is to escalate their intimidation, escalate their violence against us, to try and crush this growing, decentralised movement of people against the Bill.

    The group is now calling on its supporters to be prepared to show solidarity when the bailiffs arrive. It’s evident that the group will not back down without a fight. Supporters can follow (at)not.a.cop.shop for the latest updates on the situation. Those keen to join the movement can find the occupiers at 47 Cavendish Road, Clapham Common, London, SW12 0BL.

    Featured image via Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona/Unsplash

    By Sophia Purdy-Moore

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Videos from the latest Bristol protest should dismiss all doubts over police violence

    On 26 March, protesters gathered in Bristol to peacefully demonstrate against the Tory government’s draconian Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. The protest came after “violent and disgraceful policing” at previous ‘Kill the Bill’ protests.

    Although Avon and Somerset police have retracted claims that officers sustained broken bones while dispersing crowds at the 21 March protest, government officials such as prime minister Boris Johnson and home secretary Priti Patel continue to blame protestors for the violence in Bristol – as have the mainstream media and commentators. Now, however, people have released footage from the latest protest that should dismiss all doubts over police violence.

    Scenes of police brutality

    Bristol Cable editor Alon Aviram shared a video of protesters shouting “we are peaceful, what are you”, while police in riot gear brutally hit a defenceless demonstrator to the ground. He noted that this was the moment the peaceful sitting protest descended into violence:

    Chris Rossdale, who watched the protest on a livestream, said that he was “utterly sickened” by the police brutality he witnessed:

    Griff Ferris shared videos of police charging peaceful protestors – and hitting them with batons. Police even hit protesters who had their hands in the air:

    And Michael Volpe circulated a video of police using their riot shields to strike sitting protesters:

    Meanwhile, Cassi Perry noted that this use of a riot shield is “unlawful”:

    Another user said, “this is the type of police brutality that the protests are about”:

    Chloe also shared a video of police violence:

    Responding to the home secretary’s statement calling protestors a “criminal minority”, James Felton shared a video of police in riot gear hitting a woman in the face:

    Afshin Rattansi shared a video of police chasing protestors with dogs, suggesting that this is what the future of peaceful protest will look like if the draconian bill goes ahead:

    Another user shared this announcement, concluding “we live in a fascist state”:

    What about freedom of the press?

    Journalist Matthew Dresch shared a video of police assaulting him at the protest:

    Meanwhile, police “tricked” an independent journalist into an arrest:

    An untrustworthy police force

    Concluding that Avon & Somerset Police “are out of control”, Ash Sarkar summarised the events on 26 March, saying:

    All Black Lives UK suggested the police had been using “army tactics”:

    And Tom Scott highlighted the following:

    Solidarity with protestors

    One Twitter user highlighted that the police are responsible for the violence we’ve seen in Bristol this week:

    Organisations denounced the police brutality many witnessed at the protest and shared messages of solidarity with protesters. Black Lives Matter UK said:

    Liberty shared:

    Calling the UK “a police state”, All Black Lives said:

    Offering legal support for anyone affected by the brutal policing of the protest, Black Protest Legal Support said:

    And the Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) shared:

    This footage of police violence has given us a vignette into what the policing of peaceful protests will continue to look like if the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is passed.

    If you’re taking to the streets in solidarity with traveller communities and rough sleepers, and to fight for our right to protest, be sure to follow Green and Black Cross’s advice. If you don’t feel comfortable taking to the streets, you can still support the cause by signing petitions by Netpol and Liberty calling on the home secretary and justice secretary to scrap the draconian bill.

    Finally, you can support grassroots organisations that carry out vital police monitoring work such as Bristol Copwatch and Bristol Defendant Solidarity.

    Featured image via Momentum/Twitter

    By Sophia Purdy-Moore

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • The BBC just went full-on North Korea against #KillTheBill

    The BBC just cemented its position as a state-supporting broadcaster in its coverage of a #KillTheBill camp in Bristol on Tuesday 23 March. It didn’t provide balance in its reporting. Instead, the BBC dedicated an entire article to defending the Tories and the violent police. Moreover, it whitewashed the reality of what happened on the ground.

    Bristol: more action to #KillTheBill

    On 23 March, people set up a protest camp on College Green in Bristol. It came after what The Canary called the “siege of Bristol’s Bridewell police station” on Sunday 21 March, where police attacked people protesting the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. The camp on College Green was also about this bill. But this time, people were raising awareness of certain aspects of it. These include the bill targeting and criminalising the Gypsy and Roma and Traveller (GRT) community.

    Riot police from various forces eventually broke up the camp, and the protests that followed. The Canary‘s Eliza Egret was on the ground. She described the policing as “the most violent and disgraceful policing I have ever seen in the UK”:

    The police formed a tight line around the green, ready to attack, as people sitting on the ground chanted “peaceful protesters”. A couple more minutes later the police waded in. They ripped up tents, trampled over a vigil for murdered women, and grabbed protesters from the ground, shoving them, kicking them and punching them, while screaming “GET BACK!”

    Egret further reported:

    Protesters told me that they were bitten by dogs, and I was informed that a 17-year-old had been hospitalised from a dog bite. I was also told that others were admitted to hospital after being hit on the head by the police’s shields. One woman told me she was hit in her face by a shield; another person’s arm was put in a sling by medics. At least one person was arrested in that initial attack.

    People also tweeted film of what the police did:

    But if you’re the BBC – none of that happened. Because the police only took “action” in Bristol.

    BBC propaganda

    Its report focused on the police and home secretary Priti Patel’s responses. The BBC used phrasing such as:

    police said they only took action after dark when people ignored instructions to leave.

    In other words, the BBC made out the police had no choice. Its article led with Patel’s response. The BBC also put in comment from a police chief. But it failed to give the views of the people at the camp. Moreover, the BBC updated the article at least three times. Each change further pushed the Tory and police narrative. Oh, and the BBC failed to mention the changes in the most recent version of the article.

    The ‘thugs’ trope is back

    For example, one version quoted Patel as accusing people at the camp of:

    criminality and violent behaviour.

    But in the BBC‘s updated version, this changed to:

    criminality and thuggish behaviour.

    There was no mention of the police violence against peaceful protesters. But the BBC did include a brief comment in a later version of the article. This was from Points West reporter Andrew Plant. He admitted the:

    police had [the peaceful protesters] under control by going in quite hard, I think it’s fair to say.

    But he was also live-tweeting about the police attack. And his posts just made the BBC propaganda all the more worse.

    Spinning for the state

    At first, Plant wrongly said that the protest was about “rent prices”:

    As did another BBC hack:

    Then, Plant reported the BBC‘s favourite event: “scuffles” breaking out. This is, of course, BBC double-speak for ‘police violence’:

    But crucially, Plant deleted a tweet. He wrote that the camp was “peaceful before police arrived”. And Plant included a clip:

    People did ask him why he deleted this tweet. But at the time of publication, Plant had not replied. Meanwhile, if you weren’t a state broadcaster journalist like Plant, the police harassed you:

    The sum of all these parts? As Netpol’s Kevin Blowe tweeted:

    And the BBC fell right into line. Its coverage was what you would expect from an authoritarian state like North Korea. But of course, given the UK’s descent into corporate fascism – BBC output now fits into this malevolent agenda perfectly.

    Featured image via Television Moments – YouTube, CNA – YouTube, Bristol 24/7 – YouTube and pixy 

    By Steve Topple

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • You might want to check your privilege before condemning the Bristol riot

    As events in Bristol unfolded on 21 March, and as police vehicles burned, the mainstream media were quick to condemn protesters. And now we are seeing protesters themselves issuing statements, hurrying to distance themselves from the events. Politicians will be rubbing their hands with glee as activists split themselves into two camps, with one morally-superior group demonising the other, and therefore weakening our collective outrage.

    Bristol’s local Extinction Rebellion group released a statement about Sunday’s events, saying:

    In light of last night’s events, XR Bristol emphasises its absolute commitment to non-violence. This basic tenet is one of our core principles, and represents the values of our wide range of supporters, from grandparents to schoolchildren, to doctors, scientists, builders, shop workers, and teachers.

    Within their statement they included an image of a past XR action, showing a row of activists dressed in costume facing the police.

    Check your privilege

    The Canary’s Kerry-Anne Mendoza wrote a response to those who were condemning Sunday’s riot. She said:

    For many communities targeted by police violence, the white, middle class tendency to treat police as their mates is honestly galling. Those of us who have faced harassment and violence at the hands of police know it’s an institutional issue. We know we shouldn’t trust police accounts automatically. And honestly, given the revelations of past decades, neither should everyone else.

    It is surely those with white, middle-class privilege who are most outraged by a few burnt-out police vehicles and a couple of smashed windows. If you’re reading this and feeling anger at these words, check whether you have that privilege. If you do, it’s unlikely that you’ve been very harassed by the police in your day-to-day life. Yes, I am aware that you may well have been arrested at an XR protest, and you may have possibly posted on social media that you did yoga in your police cell.

    But if you don’t have white, middle class privilege, you will know what it’s like to live with daily police violence towards you. You know what it’s like to be racially profiled. You may well have been taken into custody, and if you have, it’s unlikely that you’ve felt safe enough to practice yoga. Someone you love may even have been murdered by the police. You will likely be asking yourself, “what’s a couple of burnt-out cop cars in comparison to someone you love dying?”

    Or if you’re a woman, you might have been tricked into a relationship with an undercover police officer, or raped by a police officer. You might even have a mother, a sister or a daughter who has been murdered by a police man.

    No, the police aren’t here to help you to “peacefully protest”

    XR Bristol continued their statement by saying:

    An organised protest can have safeguards in place, but Bristol police were warning last week of £10,000 fines for anyone who took an organisational role.

    The rally yesterday belonged to no organisation. When XR plans an action we organise stewards and marshalls, including stewards trained in de-escalation, plus a reasonable degree of police liaison. The escalation of yesterday’s peaceful protest demonstrates why it is essential that organised peaceful protest remains legal.

    Through XR Bristol emphasising their commitment to non-violence and to “organised peaceful protest”, they are assuming that their method of organising with stewards is the only successful way to bring about change. But this statement reeks of privilege.

    For a start, a vast number of people in the UK don’t feel safe enough around the police to ‘liaise’ with them. And while XR Bristol might think this the best tactic, it is a foolish one. Because if you politely ‘liaise’ with the police, they will gather evidence on you and your fellow-protesters to use against you. They are not your friends, despite their often-friendly chatter. Their job is to protect the state, gather intelligence and to defend the status quo.

    And even if you do want to ‘peacefully’ protest, there’s no guarantee that the police will let you. Take this person who was beaten up at the Sarah Everard rally in London. He told The Canary:

    I am a strong believer of peaceful protesting, and I was just in the demo with some friends from work, when four officers grabbed me from the side, without explanation they put me to the floor. Whilst they were trying to handcuff me I was moving my arms because of the pain and then suddenly 10 more officers were on top of me. There was [an] officer sitting on my back, two officers on my shoulders, and the rest just using unreasonable force on me. They banged my head to the floor, scratched my hands, and the handcuffs were so tight that my wrists were bruised and knees.

    Or take Sunday’s Bristol protest. The Canary’s Sophia Purdy-Moore said:

    We were literally sitting on the floor shouting “this is a peaceful protest” while police hit protesters round the head with batons. At one point it looked like their horses were going to charge into the crowd.

    What response did they expect?

    We must continue to resist the Police Bill

    The government knows by now that its hope of quietly slipping through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill has failed dismally. In fact, their continuous violence towards protesters is just drawing more and more attention to it. If you’re sitting at home in a comfort that others can only dream of, please don’t condemn those who are fighting for our last slivers of freedom. Because banner-waving might not be enough to win this one.

    Featured image via Wikimedia Commons / Tom Anderson for The Canary

    By Eliza Egret

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Tory council candidate condemned after tweeting ‘just bomb Bristol’

    A Conservative candidate for Eastbourne council had to apologise after tweeting ‘”just bomb Bristol” in response to the weekend’s protests.

    Stephen Halbhuber was widely criticised for his response to the videos of police in Bristol clashing with the demonstrators as they protested the government’s policing bill:

    Immediate backlash

    Several Twitter users asked the Conservatives whether Halbhuber was the sort of person they wanted representing them.

    Halbhuber is running for the St Anthony’s ward in Eastbourne:

    Labour MP David Lammy also slammed the tweet as “disgraceful”:

    Apology

    After the negative reaction, Halbhuber tweeted an apology:

    I want to apologise unreservedly for my comments last night, and for any offence caused. Needless to say, it is not something that I believe or would advocate for. In the cold light of day, I completely regret them.

    I have a responsibility to residents to act with propriety and tolerance. Yesterday, I fell beneath that standard, and can only apologise and promise to learn from my mistake.

    Halbhuber has since deleted his Twitter account, but responses to his original tweet remain:

    The protest

    Halbhuber’s tweet referenced the Bristol protest against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. The bill, if enacted, will give police extra powers to impose conditions on protests.

    Demonstrators gathered in Bristol on 21 March to protest the bill, beginning peacefully, but ending with police clashing with demonstrators.

    Halbhuber’s suggestion to ‘bomb’ the city in response presents serious questions about the sort of people running for political positions as Conservatives, and whether the party will take action to condemn his words.

    Featured image via Flickr/NCVO London & YouTube/BBC News

    By Jasmine Norden

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Court of Appeal overturns members of the Shrewsbury 24’s convictions

    Members of the so-called Shrewsbury 24, who were convicted for picketing nearly 50 years ago, have won a bid to clear their names at the Court of Appeal.

    Two dozen trade unionists who picketed during the 1972 national builders’ strike were charged with offences including unlawful assembly, conspiracy to intimidate and affray for picketing, with 22 of them convicted.

    Lawyers representing 14 of the Shrewsbury 24, including The Royle Family star Ricky Tomlinson, argued the destruction of original witness statements means their convictions are unsafe.

    They also claimed the broadcast of a documentary, Red Under The Bed, during the first of three trials in 1973 and 1974 was “deeply prejudicial” as it would have “provoked panic in the mind” of the jury.

    Actor Ricky Tomlinson
    Actor Ricky Tomlinson (PA)

    On Tuesday morning, the Court of Appeal allowed the appellants’ challenge to their convictions.

    Announcing the decision at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Lord Justice Fulford said: “These 14 appeals against conviction are allowed across the three trials and on every extant count which the 14 appellants faced.”

    The judge added: “It would not be in the public interest to order a retrial.”

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • You don’t defeat fascism with a conga line

    The hostile reaction to the Bristol protest shows how unprepared English people are for what’s coming. You don’t shut down a fascist uprising with a conga line. And no, the suffragettes didn’t win the vote with a tap dance. Every struggle against oppression requires a fight, because oppressors will injure, imprison and kill you to advance their interests. The UK government is attempting to make protest that causes disruption of any kind a criminal offence that could put you in jail for up to a decade. It’s time to wake up and resist. Or at the very least, support those who do.

    Snitch culture

    It’s snitch culture that kills solidarity and suppresses dissent in England. When any group rises to defy authority, fellow subjects of the Crown rally to denounce them.

    Before a true account of events in Bristol had been established, England’s snitch culture was up and running. Local media outlets launched their assault on protesters.

    Labour MPs and Labour Mayor Marvin Rees were falling over themselves to attack the protesters.

     

    But footage and eyewitness accounts suggested a quite different reality. One in which the police were not heroic defenders of the peace.

     

    The liberal bastardisation of history

    According to liberals, only peaceful protest brings change. And by ‘peaceful’, they mean causing zero annoyance or inconvenience to anyone at all. The historically ignorant, liberal rhetoric of the day could be summarised as:

    The people marched with extremely witty puns on their placards, and the fascists laughed so hard they forgot about their plans for dominion. Everyone lived happily ever after.

    Reality says otherwise.

    Suffragette Emily Wilding Davison threw herself in front of the King’s horse at Derby Day. Nelson Mandela wasn’t removed from US terror watch lists until 2008. And Martin Luther King Jr spent time in jail for civil disobedience.

    In fact, it’s tough to find a successful movement that didn’t use force when necessary.

    The ANC’s struggle against apartheid in South Africa was strictly non-violent until 1960. Why did things change? Because of the Sharpeville massacre on 21st March 1960. When 5,000 peaceful protesters chanted outside a police station against systems of oppression, the police response was to gun them down. By the end of the attack, police had killed 69 people.

    As Mandela said, from his prison cell on Robin Island, of his own part in violent resistance:

    “‘The armed struggle [with the authorities] was forced on us by the government.’”

    In the real world

    For many communities targeted by police violence, the white, middle class tendency to treat police as their mates is honestly galling. Those of us who have faced harassment and violence at the hands of police know it’s an institutional issue. We know we shouldn’t trust police accounts automatically. And honestly, given the revelations of past decades, neither should everyone else.

    In the past year alone, we’ve seen police officer Oliver Banfield using his training to assault a woman as she walked home. Even with the attack caught on film, she had to fight for any semblance of justice.

    We are years into the Black Lives Matter movement, which has exposed endemic mistreatment of Black people by police. And those of us who’ve actually taken part in real protests have also seen the reality of police brutality.

    Wakey wakey

    Your response to the Bristol protests largely hinges on your grasp of the danger we are in. For people still living in the fantasy that the UK is a liberal democracy, any resistance more forceful than a nice walk with some samba drums playing is ‘going too far’. But for those keenly aware of both history and the current reality, the complacency of others is horrifying.

    • The government’s refusal to take timely action on coronavirus cost at least 50,000 lives
    • Infant mortality is 35.9 per cent higher for England’s poorest 10% than the rest of the country
    • There are half a million more UK children living in poverty today than in 2010
    • A study by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), found 130,000 UK deaths linked to bogus austerity since 2010
    • The Spycops inquiry into undercover police abusing women looks set to further victimise survivors
    • The government can engage in open corruption and cronyism with impunity

    And now we have sinister laws being passed that grant enormous powers to police, while criminalising protest.

    What will it take for these fantasists to actually stand up and take action?

    The answer, I suspect, is nothing. There is nothing short of an attack on them personally that would have them risk putting their head above the parapet.

    That’s how holocausts happen, that’s how apartheid happens, and that’s how every horror show in human history happened. Because despite people promising “Never again”, the complacency of the privileged allows history to repeat itself.

    If you think I sound angry, you’re right. I’m furious. I find it unconscionable that so many look upon this horror and abdicate responsibility for dealing with it. And worse, they turn on the ones who are trying to rescue us from it.

    First they came for the socialists

    German pastor and theologian Martin Niemöller penned a famous poem about his regret for acting too late against the Nazi threat.

    First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

    Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.

    Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

    Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

    The same complacency that allowed the rise of fascism in Germany is on display in England right now. Either we wake up to that and fight, or we go the same way. What’s happening is fascism. You don’t play nice with fascism, you kick the ever-living shit out of it. Or it kills you. 

    By Kerry-anne Mendoza

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • As the media fixates on Bristol, don’t forget thousands took to the streets this weekend to #KillTheBill

    As the controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts bill languishes in the committee stage, an increasing number of people have shown their opposition to the legislation.

    But while the escalation at the Bristol protest has dominated the headlines, let’s not forget that thousands of people took to the streets to protest the bill across the country at the weekend.

    The bill will give the police increased powers to impose conditions on protests as well as criminalising Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

    Birmingham

    Hundreds of people showed up to support the right to protest in Birmingham. Demonstrators socially distanced as they gathered at Victoria Square in the city.

    Brighton

    Over a thousand people joined a march against the bill in Brighton on Saturday 20 March. The protesters gathered at around 2pm and marched through the streets, disrupting some bus services and traffic.

    After hearing speeches, protesters moved through the city, raising chants such as “we will not be silenced” .

    The demonstrators reportedly started heading home after 4pm, after a peaceful march.

    Bristol

    The protest against the bill in Bristol has been widely reported, after some protesters set police cars on fire. Seven arrests have already been made.

    Prior to this, and until the police moved in, the demonstration which began on College Green, had been peaceful.

    Leeds

    Hundreds of people gathered in the centre of Leeds on Sunday to protest the legislation.

    Outside the Civic Hall, protesters listened to speeches and poems. As reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post, One speaker said:

    Throughout history many significant improvements have been gained through protest. We have stood collective in our fight of injustice many times before. It is our time to make history and fight for improvements for our children and grandchildren.

    They are already fighting climate change and we need to give them the tools to do that and the democratic right to protest is one of them. This Bill is impacting on our freedoms and we shall not let it pass. Make no mistake, this Bill comes from a place of fear. They are frightened of our collective action – and they should be. We are so powerful when we come together and they know it.

    Liverpool

    Two people were arrested at a protest against the bill in Liverpool on Saturday that attracted a large crowd.

    Manchester

    Thousands of demonstrators chanted “kill the bill” as they took to the streets of Manchester on Saturday.

    Protester Anna Preston told the Manchester Evening News: 

    We’re just angry and upset like everyone else. It’s the fact that the whole society we live in seems violent, particularly towards women of colour and disabled women.

    It’s getting worse. I wanted to come out as a tribute to the women who are murdered and assaulted.

    Protesters said demonstrations would continue until they were successful in stopping the bill’s process through parliament.

    Newcastle

    Three people were arrested at a Sunday demonstration that attracted around 600 people. One of the arrested protesters was photographed being pinned to the ground by multiple officers.

    Protesters marched through the streets of Newcastle under heavy police presence. They called for the freedom to protest and an end to gendered violence.

    Truro

    Police monitored a peaceful protest against the bill in Truro in Cornwall attended by more than 200 demonstrators. The Resist G7 Coalition, who organised the protest said:

    We made it clear: The Cornish community stands against the government’s push towards authoritarianism. We can’t thank you enough. To those that came today and those that watched and shared from home – you did this.

    It is your continued support that grows this movement. It is your commitment to determined actions which will help us kill this bill. The streets are where we won our rights, and the streets are how we keep them. Do not let this inept government throw away your democratic freedoms.

    Wales

    Similarly, Saturday saw several protests against the bill in Wales. The largest was in Cardiff, but demonstrators also turned out in Bangor and Wrexham.

    In Wrexham, the demonstrators marched to lay their placards at MP Sarah Atherton’s office. Bangor saw protesters hold a minute of silence to “honour the sisters we have lost” and lay flowers of remembrance.

    People in Cardiff have been protesting against South Wales police since Mohamud Hassan died in January after being held overnight in police custody. Four police officers have been served misconduct notices in relation to his death.

    A country-wide movement

    A petition against the bill now has almost 200,000 signatures, meaning it will be debated in parliament.

    With more protests planned over the coming weeks, the number of people against this bill could not be clearer. With the bill still in parliament, we must continue to fight for our right to protest.

    Featured image via Emily Apple

    By Jasmine Norden

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Students find obscure law that could make university fossil fuel investments illegal

    College students fighting to get their schools to stop investing in fossil fuels have stumbled on a new idea that could bring fresh attention to their cause: Those investments might be illegal.

    Students with the group Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard filed an official complaint with the Massachusetts attorney general’s office last Monday alleging that Harvard’s investments in oil, gas, and coal violate the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act, or UPMIFA, a state law that regulates how nonprofit institutions can spend their endowment funds. The move follows in the footsteps of Boston College students who filed a similar complaint with the attorney general’s office in December. 

    “Our hope is that attorney general Maura Healey, if she chooses to take action on this, will hold Harvard accountable for its dangerous fossil fuel investments,” said Sofia Andrade, a sophomore at Harvard and one of the organizers of Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard. “And our hope is that this sends a powerful signal to other institutions about what investments are acceptable.”

    In the 56-page complaint, the students write that under UPMIFA, Harvard’s endowment managers are bound by three duties: to consider the “charitable purpose” of the institution in its investments, to invest with “prudence,” and to invest with “loyalty.”

    They allege that by investing in industries that have led disinformation campaigns about climate change, lobbied against climate action, and sold products that threaten the prospects for “a more just, fair, and promising world” — as is written in Harvard’s mission statement — the school is undermining its own students’ and faculty’s work toward a sustainable future. They also write that Harvard’s fossil fuel investments threaten its own physical property by exacerbating flooding and sea-level rise.

    Ted Hamilton is a Harvard alumnus and lawyer for the Climate Defense Project, a nonprofit that supports climate activists, who helped both the Harvard and Boston College students craft their complaints. He said another key claim in the complaint is that fossil fuel stocks have not only performed poorly in recent years but are also financially risky. The reserves of oil, gas, and coal these companies hold are what give them value, but if the world is going to avoid climate catastrophe, those reserves cannot be tapped and will become what are known as stranded assets. “So you’re not being a careful investor, you’re not acting prudently by betting that this sector is going to continue to be profitable, just because it has for decades,” Hamilton told Grist. 

    Harvard declined to comment on the complaint. Last year, the school announced it would begin transitioning its investment portfolio to “net-zero” greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, which would apply to all companies that Harvard invests in, rather than single out the producers of fossil fuels. There’s no agreed-upon definition for what net-zero means in the financial sector, and Harvard hasn’t yet landed on a methodology. 

    Harvard University President Laurence Bacow has emphasized that the school will engage with companies to reduce their emissions rather than divest from them. The school recently disclosed that it has no direct holdings in companies that explore for or develop fossil fuels, and that its exposure to fossil fuels through indirect investments, based on available data, made up less than 2 percent of its portfolio at the end of 2020. Still, with an endowment of $41.9 billion, that’s around $838 million.

    Hamilton said Harvard’s net-zero-by-2050 target is irrelevant to the idea that these investments are illegal today. “The legal violation is occurring now and needs to be cured now,” he said. “So many other universities have already demonstrated that it’s quite simple to divest from fossil fuels, that it’s not really acceptable for Harvard to keep delaying.”

    The students’ complaint was signed by climate scientists, local elected officials, Harvard faculty and alumni, and more than two dozen environmental organizations. What happens next could have broad implications, since UPMIFA is a uniform law that every state in the U.S., except for Pennsylvania, has adopted. 

    “An investigation or any sort of action on this by the attorney general of Massachusetts has the potential to help shape climate investment law, for lack of a better term, across the entire country,” said Ben Franta, a law and doctoral student at Stanford University and a Harvard alumnus. 

    When Franta was a PhD student at Harvard in 2014, he, along with Hamilton and a few others, attempted to directly sue Harvard for its investments in fossil fuels, arguing that they amounted to a mismanagement of charitable funds. The case was dismissed on the grounds that the plaintiffs’ status as students did not give them the standing to make such charges. But this new complaint puts all the evidence in the lap of someone who does have that standing — the attorney general.

    Plus, it has the support of another important figure — Bevis Longstreth, a lawyer and former member of the Securities and Exchange Commission whose work helped inform the creation of UPMIFA in 2006. In fact, Longstreth is also the mastermind behind the students’ new strategy: About five years ago, he wrote up a legal memo arguing that divestment from fossil fuels could be justified by UPMIFA, and sent it around to several state attorneys general, asking them to issue official guidance on how endowment managers should handle the risks associated with these investments. None took up the issue. But Hamilton and his colleagues at the Climate Defense Project, who also saw the memo, did.

    “This is exactly what I thought ought to happen, at least if the attorney general will do something about it,” said Longstreth. A representative for attorney general Maura Healey’s office told Grist it received the complaint and would review it but did not provide further details about its course of action. 

    “It doesn’t take a genius to know that the world of fossil fuels is dying,” said Longstreth, “and it’s dying very fast, and it’s stupid to wait around until it’s dead before you sell your securities.”

    This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Students find obscure law that could make university fossil fuel investments illegal on Mar 22, 2021.

    This post was originally published on Grist.

  • At 19, she’s a veteran activist. Here’s how she’s staying in the fight.

    As Grist unveils a new look and updated mission, we are checking in with notable figures working for a more just and sustainable future.

    Jamie Margolin is only 19, but she’s not new to climate activism. She is part of a generation galvanized to call for climate action early in life. Like Greta Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate, and other young people around the world, Margolin was disturbed by the fingerprints of climate change she was seeing in her own life, and started to feel that her generation’s future on our planet was imperiled.

    After witnessing plumes of smoke rolling over her hometown of Seattle during the 2017 wildfire season and then seeing the devastation of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico on the news that same year, the then-16-year-old co-founded a coalition for youth climate activists called Zero Hour. Since then, Margolin has sued the state of Washington for not doing enough to protect its young residents from climate change, helped organize a youth climate march in Washington, D.C., and 25 cities worldwide, and testified in front of Congress alongside Thunberg about the impacts of climate change on her generation. 

    Now, Margolin is a first-year college student at New York University. She’s been in this fight for a while, and she realizes that “you can’t just focus on the novelty of youth forever.” As she’s matured, she’s looked for allies across the age spectrum in the fight to slow the effects of climate change. “There are some very privileged youth who hardly feel the effects,” she told Grist. “And then there are elders on the front lines who have been feeling the effects since before my parents were born.”

    The pandemic hit when Margolin was a senior in high school, and suddenly, everything changed: A bus tour that Zero Hour had been planning was canceled, and so was her high-school graduation ceremony. While in lockdown, Margolin started to see the same patterns playing out with the pandemic that she had been witnessing in her climate activism. “Because of inaction — and the action that was taken has been insufficient — there are thousands of unnecessary, preventable deaths, and that’s the same with the climate crisis,” said Margolin. “People are dying because of leaders just trying to push it off.”

    Grist spoke with Margolin about how climate activism has changed during the course of her time working as a youth organizer, her feelings of climate anxiety, and her hopes for the future. This interview has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

    Q. How did you feel about the prospects for climate action back when you started Zero Hour? 

    A. It was a combination of realism and naiveté. Part of me was a little bit, not hopeless — because obviously I wouldn’t have started it if I was hopeless — but I was a bit dismayed by the state of the world, and the state of the severity of the climate crisis, and the lack of care and knowledge in the general public. It was really overwhelming. So while I was determined to do everything I could, I wasn’t naive to the severity. 

    In 2016, when I was 14, I was under the illusion that Democrats equal climate justice, and if we have Democrats, that automatically means we have climate action. When in reality, I found out that that’s not the case. A Democrat doesn’t automatically equal a climate champion. I lost those illusions by 2017. 

    Q. Climate activism in the age of Trump had a clear mission, given that administration’s anti-environment agenda. I’m wondering how you feel about the future of climate organizing in the Biden administration. 

    A. I get frustrated when people are like, “Yay, we have a Democrat in office, that means they’re going to do something about climate change.” And I’m like, “No.” It’s obviously better than having a Republican, but Biden approved a bunch of new oil drilling permits in his first couple days in office and hasn’t supported a Green New Deal yet and hasn’t banned fracking. He did stop Keystone [XL, a proposed pipeline from Alberta, Canada, to Nebraska]. That’s great, but he hasn’t stopped Line 3 [from Alberta to Minnesota] or the Dakota Access Pipeline [from North Dakota to Illinois]. 

    So while he’s definitely done some good — like stopping Keystone, rejoining the Paris Agreement — we need to keep pushing. And what the movement looks like in this administration is understanding nuance. That it’s not either all good or all bad. Trump is very black and white — everything is bad, that’s pretty clear. 

    But with Biden, we can’t just sit back and say, “It’s fine, he’s a Democrat and he believes in this, so it’s fine.” There has to be nuance where we can criticize what needs to be criticized and push where there needs to be a push for change, and also accept the good things, like stopping Keystone — while also not being overly celebratory and overlooking the bad things. 

    Q. And so how do you feel about prospects for climate action today, comparatively, to how you felt in 2016? 

    A. Because the culture has shifted so much and people really care now a lot more than they did when I first started Zero Hour, part of me feels less lonely in the movement. So many people are in this now in a way that they weren’t before, and it’s so mainstream in a way that it wasn’t before. 

    We’ve been working and working and working for so many years at this point, and still we’re at the point of, like, planetary collapse. It’s hard not to believe that it’s going to take a miracle for us to actually get it together, because after all this work, all these years, we’re kind of still where we started. 

    Here’s the thing: In 2017, one of the things that prompted me to Zero Hour was a wildfire that blew over the city of Seattle for the first time. And then in 2020, I live in New York now, all the way in Manhattan, [and we got] some of the smoke from the West Coast. That’s how bad it was. We didn’t have any fires on the East Coast, this is my first year living in New York, but we got some of the smoke all the way from the West Coast. 

    After all those years, the same wildfires. It was kind of a reminder that everything has changed, but at the same time, nothing has changed. 

    Q. You’ve said in the past that your activism was partially motivated by anxiety. I’m wondering if that’s a problem more broadly among youth activists, struggling with climate anxiety, and if so, what you found helpful in managing that?

    A. One hundred percent — I feel like anxiety and climate anxiety is a massive part of the motivation. I mean, I’m not lying when I say “existential threat” is initially what drew me to start taking action. It’s definitely hard to plan and study for your future when it feels like nothing is changing and we’re hurtling towards planetary destruction. I guess the way that I draw boundaries is sometimes you’ve just got to stop thinking about it and distract yourself and do things that have nothing to do with climate change. But at some point, it just gets to be a lot. 

    Q. What is one of those things that you like to distract yourself with? 

    A. I’m studying film and television, and I want to not make documentaries about climate, but do narrative film and TV and movies. And I want to write for animation and stuff. So it’s just like picking a career that has nothing to do with this issue so I can have some sort of escape. Because if it’s all that you think about all the time, 24/7, I’m going to go crazy. 

    Q. Grist talked to you a year ago when COVID-19 first hit about how it was affecting you and your activism. How have you adapted and what might carry through to a post-pandemic time? 

    A.  It definitely has changed because it’s more heavily reliant on the internet. So people are like, “Wow, that now means we can just focus on the internet.” And I’m like, “No, there’s extreme value in in-person organizing.” 

    I think everyone’s champing at the bit to actually have mobilizations in person. It’s just not the same community online. There’s only so far digital organizing can take you.

    This story was originally published by Grist with the headline At 19, she’s a veteran activist. Here’s how she’s staying in the fight. on Mar 22, 2021.

    This post was originally published on Grist.

  • Youth-led organisations you should support this Anti-Racism Day

    21 March marks the UN international Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The day is observed each year to commemorate the day South African police shot and killed 69 people at a peaceful anti-apartheid protest.

    Although the system of apartheid has since been dismantled in South Africa, people and communities across the globe continue to be impacted by racism in all its forms. The international rise in hate against East and Southeast Asian people over the course of the pandemic shows us that racism is far from being eliminated.

    The theme of this year’s anti-racism day is “youth standing up against racism”. It’s in honour of the young people who rose up against systems of racist oppression following the killing of George Floyd in summer 2020.

    Here are some of the most exciting organisations led by young People of Colour in the UK. They’re fighting against racist oppression in our education, justice, and immigration systems, working towards climate justice, and uplifting young Black LGBTQI+ people and girls of colour.

    Education
    No More Exclusions focuses on fighting racism, abolishing school exclusions, and creating a free and fair education system:

    Similarly, No Lost Causes also works to bring about institutional change in education:

    Meanwhile, the Black Curriculum works to challenge injustice in education. It does this by teaching young people about Black British history through the arts: 

    And Fill in the Blanks is “a campaign led by students from former British colonies seeking to mandate the teaching of colonial history”:

    Whereas A Tribe Named Athari is group of young people working towards ‘Black liberation and racial justice through healing, direct action and radical education’:

    Justice

    Kids of Colour works to challenge institutional racism in young people’s lives by campaigning for anti-racist education and police abolition. Its latest campaign is in collaboration with the Northern Police Monitoring Project. The campaign challenges the harmful presence of police in Manchester’s schools:

    ICFree campaigns against the criminalisation of young Londoners of Colour in schools and the justice system: 

    And the 4Front Project works to empower marginalised young people ‘to fight for justice, peace, and freedom’ in their communities and beyond:

    Remember & Resist seeks to “expand abolitonist practice and thinking” in the UK’s East and Southeast Asian communities:

    Climate justice
    Wretched of the Earth is a grassroots collection of young People of Colour working towards climate justice in the UK and beyond:

    Meanwhile, Choked Up is a group of young People of Colour living in areas affected by air pollution. They’re working to manifest their right to clean air:

    And People & Planet is a “student network fighting for climate, worker and migrant justice from UK universities”:

    Migration
    We Belong is a group of young migrants in the UK working towards “a shorter, more affordable route to settlement”:

    LGBTQI+ rights
    BLAQUK is the first Black LGBTQI+ organisation led by young people:

    Exist Loudly works to support and uplift queer Black youth by “creating spaces of joy and community” in the UK:

    Gender
    Integrate UK is a Bristol-based based charity working towards racial and gender equality:

    Milk Honey Bees creates safe spaces for Black girls to heal and thrive:

    Hair discrimination
    The Halo Code is a group of Black students that’s working to destigmatise afro hair in schools:

    And the Halo Collective works to end hair discrimination in UK schools and workplaces:

    The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination presents the perfect opportunity. We can all start uplifting the next generation of change-makers in the UK who are working to eliminate racism.

    Featured image via James Eades/Unsplash

    By Sophia Purdy-Moore

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Youth-led organisations you should support this Anti-Racism Day

    21 March marks the UN international Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The day is observed each year to commemorate the day South African police shot and killed 69 people at a peaceful anti-apartheid protest.

    Although the system of apartheid has since been dismantled in South Africa, people and communities across the globe continue to be impacted by racism in all its forms. The international rise in hate against East and Southeast Asian people over the course of the pandemic shows us that racism is far from being eliminated.

    The theme of this year’s anti-racism day is “youth standing up against racism”. It’s in honour of the young people who rose up against systems of racist oppression following the killing of George Floyd in summer 2020.

    Here are some of the most exciting organisations led by young People of Colour in the UK. They’re fighting against racist oppression in our education, justice, and immigration systems, working towards climate justice, and uplifting young Black LGBTQI+ people and girls of colour.

    Education
    No More Exclusions focuses on fighting racism, abolishing school exclusions, and creating a free and fair education system:

    Similarly, No Lost Causes also works to bring about institutional change in education:

    Meanwhile, the Black Curriculum works to challenge injustice in education. It does this by teaching young people about Black British history through the arts: 

    And Fill in the Blanks is “a campaign led by students from former British colonies seeking to mandate the teaching of colonial history”:

    Whereas A Tribe Named Athari is group of young people working towards ‘Black liberation and racial justice through healing, direct action and radical education’:

    Justice

    Kids of Colour works to challenge institutional racism in young people’s lives by campaigning for anti-racist education and police abolition. Its latest campaign is in collaboration with the Northern Police Monitoring Project. The campaign challenges the harmful presence of police in Manchester’s schools:

    ICFree campaigns against the criminalisation of young Londoners of Colour in schools and the justice system: 

    And the 4Front Project works to empower marginalised young people ‘to fight for justice, peace, and freedom’ in their communities and beyond:

    Remember & Resist seeks to “expand abolitonist practice and thinking” in the UK’s East and Southeast Asian communities:

    Climate justice
    Wretched of the Earth is a grassroots collection of young People of Colour working towards climate justice in the UK and beyond:

    Meanwhile, Choked Up is a group of young People of Colour living in areas affected by air pollution. They’re working to manifest their right to clean air:

    And People & Planet is a “student network fighting for climate, worker and migrant justice from UK universities”:

    Migration
    We Belong is a group of young migrants in the UK working towards “a shorter, more affordable route to settlement”:

    LGBTQI+ rights
    BLAQUK is the first Black LGBTQI+ organisation led by young people:

    Exist Loudly works to support and uplift queer Black youth by “creating spaces of joy and community” in the UK:

    Gender
    Integrate UK is a Bristol-based based charity working towards racial and gender equality:

    Milk Honey Bees creates safe spaces for Black girls to heal and thrive:

    Hair discrimination
    The Halo Code is a group of Black students that’s working to destigmatise afro hair in schools:

    And the Halo Collective works to end hair discrimination in UK schools and workplaces:

    The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination presents the perfect opportunity. We can all start uplifting the next generation of change-makers in the UK who are working to eliminate racism.

    Featured image via James Eades/Unsplash

    By Sophia Purdy-Moore

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Myanmar’s besieged resistance dreams of ‘people’s army’ to counter junta

    On the barricades and in border hideouts there is a growing mood to take the fight to the military after the coup that has left more than 200 dead

    As an adolescent, Aung, 27, wanted to enlist in the Myanmar military until his family spelt out the horrors of the institution. Now, he has seen them firsthand.

    Related: Reporting from Myanmar: ‘The future has never been darker’

    Related: Outrage in Myanmar after activist allegedly tortured to death

    Continue reading…

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

  • MPs and campaigners demand the home secretary stops police clamping down on protests

    Campaigners, MPs, and peers have written to home secretary Priti Patel. They’re calling for changes to coronavirus (Covid-19) legislation to allow for protests to take place during lockdown.

    Protecting the right to protest

    The letter was organised by Liberty and Big Brother Watch. It calls on the home secretary to provide guidance for police on how to facilitate protests during the pandemic. And it also asks for clarity around laws on the right to protest. The letter emphasises that protest is a human right.

    This comes ahead of further “Kill the Bill” protests to challenge the government’s draconian Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. The protests are due to take place nationwide on 20 and 21 March.

    MPs from various parties have signed the letter. However, Network for Police Monitoring co-ordinator Kevin Blowe highlighted that the Tory MPs who signed the letter previously voted for the bill which proposes to “clamp down on protest“:

    Banning protest

    Earlier in March, campaigners tried to secure exemption from lockdown legislation to attend a vigil commemorating Sarah Everard. The judgement handed down suggested “that the human rights of expression and gathering might be considered reasonable excuses in some circumstances”. But police still proceeded to harass and arrest vigil attendees.

    Big Brother Watch director Silkie Carlo said:

    The harrowing scenes of police officers using force against women at Clapham Common recently were avoidable and wrong. Over the past week, many more demonstrators and even legal observers have been arrested or fined. This stain on our democracy is a direct consequence of this government’s disrespect for the most basic of British democratic freedoms.

    Sam Grant from Liberty added:

    Last week, the police conceded protest is not banned under the lockdown regulations, but used them to threaten then arrest demonstrators anyway. The home secretary must immediately issue guidance to all police forces to ensure socially distanced protests can go ahead and create an explicit exemption for protest in the current regulations. 

    Doughty Street Chambers barrister Adam Wagner highlighted – as set out in the judicial review – that any police force with a blanket ban on all protest would be acting unlawfully:

    Statements from the Metropolitan police, London mayor Sadiq Khan, and Wiltshire’s police constable are not in line with Holgate’s judgement:

    Lack of clarity

    The letter to the home secretary states:

    The absence of clear guidance on these issues has created an entirely unsatisfactory situation, which has persisted to varying degrees for almost a year now. The police have no legal certainty as to their duties and powers, protestors have no legal certainty as to their rights, and there is inconsistent application of the Regulations across the country. This cannot continue.

    Netpol suggested that the confusion created by “state-of-emergency laws and enforcement” is “a very effective way of making people fearful about exercising” their rights:

    The Home Office responded to the joint letter, saying:

    While we are still in a pandemic we continue to urge people to avoid mass gatherings, in line with wider coronavirus restrictions.

    The Home Office also confirmed that stay at home regulations will remain in place until 29 March.

    Featured image via Double Down News/YouTube

    By Sophia Purdy-Moore

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Thousands gather to protest against Covid lockdown in London

    Some demonstrators detained by police after gathering in Hyde Park for Piers Corbyn speech

    Thousands marched under a heavy police presence through central London in protest against lockdown on Saturday, with officers leading small numbers of people away in handcuffs.

    Demonstrators gathered at Speakers’ Corner by Hyde Park at about midday, where the anti-lockdown figurehead Piers Corbyn gave a speech saying he would “never take a vaccine” and falsely claiming that the scale of deaths from Covid was not dissimilar to those from flu each year.

    Related: Johnson’s government is deeply authoritarian: the policing bill proves it | Daniel Trilling

    Continue reading…

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

  • Mohamud Hassan’s family are still fighting for justice. And they’re not alone.

    At the start of 2021, Mohamud Hassan, a 24-year-old Black man, died after being released from police custody. 10 weeks later, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has served misconduct notices to three more South Wales police officers and a custody officer in relation to Hassan’s sudden, unexplained death. Hassan’s family is calling for the suspension of the officers involved as well as of chief constable Jeremy Vaughan.

    “Conspiracy”

    The officers involved are now under investigation. Hassan’s family is calling for them to be suspended, along with South Wales police chief Vaughan. The family stated:

    Despite all the evidence increasingly pointing to this having been an entirely avoidable death had South Wales police carried out their duties properly, Vaughan continues to do nothing, and no officers have been suspended to date.

    Hassan’s family and their supporters, including BAME Lawyers 4 Justice vice-chair Lee Jasper, are concerned about a “conspiracy” between South Wales Police and the IOPC. Six days after Hassan’s sudden death in January, Vaughan issued a defensive statement. It said that his force had referred the matter to the IOPC “not because we thought that police officers had done anything wrong, but because it was the right thing to do”.

    Meanwhile, the IOPC released a statement suggesting that Hassan “had not suffered any physical trauma that could have resulted in his death”. But the additional misconduct notices that the IOPC has served to South Wales officers completely undermine these statements.

    IOPC’s poor conduct

    Hassan’s family members continue to be concerned by “a lack of transparency by the IOPC”. And they now understand that “there may have been some ‘slippage’” in the handing over of police bodycam footage. Further, the IOPC relayed the sensitive news to Hassan’s family via email, shortly before publishing the press release. This happened despite requests that the IOPC not contact the family directly.

    Hassan’s aunt said:

    I am heartbroken to find out the extent of cover-up, lies and deceit in this investigation.

    She added:

    I know all too well the extent of Mohamud’s injuries as I saw him when he came home from Cardiff Bay station. He was fine when they took him the evening before. If the IOPC think that the arresting officers used excessive force they should be suspended immediately to stop this happening to someone else.

    Institutional racism in South Wales police

    In a statement, Hassan’s cousin said:

    In any other job you’d be punished if your actions caused somebody to die […] but it looks like some people in South Wales police think they’re above the law. It’s no wonder that Black men like me see the police as a threat when we are taken from our beds, attacked and left to die. This isn’t justice.

    Hassan’s family isn’t alone in their loss at the hands of South Wales police. Mouayed Bashir died after South Wales police officers restrained him. His family is also seeking justice. And both families are calling for the IOPC to release records and police bodycam footage. We also mustn’t forget South Wales police and the Crown Prosecution Service’s failure to prosecute a suspect over the tragic death of 13-year-old Christopher Kapessa.

    Meanwhile, campaigners are seeking justice for Siyanda Mngaza. She was imprisoned for defending herself against a racist attack by four men. Moreover, South Wales police failed to investigate Mngaza’s accusations about the racist assault, despite physical evidence.

    These cases all point to institutional racism in the South Wales police force. This racism must be rooted out, and the force must be held to account.

    Holding the police to account

    Whether it’s the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, or police crackdowns at the Clapham vigil commemorating Sarah Everard’s life, or at demonstrations defending our right to protest, we must continue to demand accountability. Police “brutalised” women at Everard’s vigil. And they arrested legal observers at the subsequent protest. Black Protest Legal Support stated:

    An attack on legal observers is an attack on vital community movements that hold the police to account. Legal observers are volunteers, independent of the protest, who monitor police conduct on the ground and provide legal support to those attending or arrested.

    Law enforcement targeting independent witnesses is yet another sign that the police refuse to be held to account. We rely on independent police monitoring groups to challenge excessive, discriminatory policing, and to encourage police to act with humanity and accountability. According to INQUEST, 1,780 people have died in police custody or following contact with police in the UK since 1990. But no officers have been convicted. This shows us that the IOPC is not fit to hold the police to account.

    Without accountability, police are emboldened to act with impunity. Without accountability, we will continue to see tragedies and miscarriages of justice. That’s why we need to take a stand and fight for justice for Hassan, Bashir, Mngaza, and countless others.

    Featured image via Lee Jasper

    By Sophia Purdy-Moore

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • ‘Kill the Bill’ protests are happening across the country this weekend

    Protests to “Kill the Bill” will be held across the country on 20 and 21 March.

    The bill

    The Tory government’s authoritarian Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will not only clamp down on protest but will also target marginalised communities, criminalising the Gypsy and Romany Traveller (GRT) community and introducing more stop and search powers. As the call to action from Cornwall explains:

    The new bill gives the police more power to impose conditions on a protest, including ones they view as too noisy…
    And it’s not just protest. The bill will make trespass an offence, criminalising Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. And it introduces new stop and search powers that will increase racial profiling and harassment.

    The Canary warned earlier this week that:

    The Bill will ban protests that block roads around Parliament. It also allows the police to impose conditions on one-person protests. And it will introduce a new offence, punishable by up to ten years in prison, of ‘public nuisance’ for actions that cause “serious distress”, “serious annoyance”, “serious inconvenience”.  Yes, that’s right. If you cause serious annoyance on a protest, you could go to jail for a decade!

    Oh, and then there’s the ten year sentences for damaging a memorial or statue. Yep – you could get a longer sentence for damaging an inanimate object than the average sentence given to rapists.

    The coalition

    As a result, a coalition of groups is coming together to oppose the bill.

    Sisters Uncut have led the charge against the bill and in women’s demonstrations. In a press release, an anonymous member urged supporters to keep up the pressure:

    The last week has shown that protest works. That’s why they want to ban it, and that’s why we’re fighting back. The coalition that is coming together shows just how many people are angry about the brutal reality of policing in this country, and who are determined to roll back this dangerous extension of state power. Saturday night has shown us that the police are drunk on power, and should not be rewarded with more.

    Policing by consent is a story this country likes to tell about itself. The reality is that policing is unaccountable, aggressive and violent. Targets of police repression – working class people, racial minorities, sex workers and many others – have had enough.

    Take action!

    Not all details have been announced yet, but protests against the bill will be held in:

    Liverpool at 4pm, Saturday 20, location to be decided.

    Bristol College Green at 2pm, Sunday 21.

    Piccadilly Circus, Manchester, 16:30 Saturday 20.

    Leeds, Sunday 21, 5pm, location to be decided.

    Cornwall, Truro, Lemon Quay, Saturday 20, 2pm.

    Newcastle, Grey’s Monument, Sunday 21, 14:00.

    London (Deptford), Deptford High Street, Saturday 20, 12.30pm.

    Plymouth, Charles Cross station, Sunday 21, 2pm.

    Brighton, The Level, Saturday 20, 2pm, information here and here.

    Cardiff, Cardiff Central Police Station, Saturday 20, 2pm.

    Birmingham, Victoria Square,  Saturday 20, 2pm.

    Sheffield, time and date to be announced.

    London, New Cross, Telegraph Park Hill, Saturday 20, information here.

    News that the bill has been delayed is welcome and a victory. But the battle is far from over. And everyone still needs to take urgent action to ensure this repressive bill doesn’t become law.

    Featured image via YouTube screengrab/Real Media

     

    By Joe Glenton

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • MPs and peers slam lockdown laws on protest as ‘a mess’

    Laws on the right to protest during the coronavirus pandemic have been a “mess” and campaigners deserve clarity so they can demonstrate safely, a group of MPs and peers has said.

    The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) has called on the government to place the rights of protest on an equal footing with that of the right to communal worship under lockdown rules.

    Committee chairman Harriet Harman said: “The law on the right to protest during the pandemic has been a mess and the right to protest has not been protected.

    “While the Government has rightly protected the right to assemble for religion, they have not properly protected the right to protest.

    “The right to protests should have no less protection than the right to religious assembly.

    “The right to protest is important and should be allowed, like other current exemptions, if it is carried out in a safe way.

    “When people have to go to court to establish whether their actions are lawful or criminal, as has happened most recently in the Reclaim These Streets Clapham vigil, it’s clear that the law is in a mess.”

    She said the recent events show “clearly how the lack of clarity and level of uncertainty in the law is unacceptable and must be remedied as a matter of urgency.”

    In a report, the committee says the Government should amend the law to make it clear protest is permitted if conducted in a manner that reduces public health risks.

    The exercise could be carried out “right away”, she said, because the JCHR has drafted regulations.

    The committee hit out at the confusing ambiguity of protest laws under lockdown, saying it never has been “completely illegal” during the pandemic.

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • The spa shootings show growing anti-Asian racism must be stamped out

    On 16 March, a gunman killed eight people at three different massage parlours in Atlanta, Georgia, including six Asian women.

    The spa shootings

    Police arrested 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long and charged him with several counts of murder. Police have identified four of those killed as Ashley Yaun, 33, Paul Andre Michels, 54, Xiaojie Tan, 49, and Daoyou Feng, 44. Although he admitted to the shootings – and most of the victims were Asian women – Long has denied that the attacks were racially motivated.

    People have criticised sheriff Jay Baker for his apologist remarks claiming that the shooter had “a sex addiction, and sees these locations as a temptation for him that he wanted to eliminate”, and that “yesterday was a really bad day for him”. Indeed, remarks such as this work to legitimise acts of white supremacist terrorism, and play into racist, misogynistic ideologies that dehumanise, objectify, and fetishise Asian women. It is both concerning and telling that a sheriff involved in the investigation of this tragedy feels comfortable publicly perpetuate these damaging, controlling images. 

    Asian American and Pacific Islander communities speak out

    Sharing thoughts under the #StopAsianHate hashtag, members of the East and Southeast Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are condemning anti-Asian violence following the tragedy. As Christine Liwag Dixon set out, the anti-Asian tropes we see perpetuated in Hollywood are partly to blame for tragedies such as this: 

    Individuals and organisations are coming together to rally against anti-Asian hate. Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance co-executive director Mohan Seshadri said:

    Our folks are pissed off and ready to fight.

    They added:

    The way we get through this is together by organising our people and feeling solidarity.

    Highlighting the “anti-Asian rhetoric” repeated by Republican politicians, actor George Takei said:

    Call a hate crime what it is. And GOP leaders, stop fanning violence with anti-Asian rhetoric. You should be ashamed at what you have unleashed.

    Executive director of the Asian American Advocacy Fund Aisha Yaqoob Mahmood said:

    I think the reason why people are feeling so hopeless is because Asian Americans have been ringing the bell on this issue for so long

    International rise in anti-Asian hate

    The tragedy is the latest in a spate of violent hate crimes against East and Southeast Asian people in the US and beyond. Advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate revealed that they have received 3,795 reports of anti-Asian hate incidents since the start of the pandemic, a majority of which were from women. This is largely due to the unjust racialisation of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. We only need to look at mainstream media headlines and comments from high-profile politicians labelling the virus “Kung Flu” to see who is fuelling this rise in hate.

    Over the pandemic, the US has seen hundreds of violent cases against East and Southeast Asian people, particularly the elderly. Some of the most recent cases include that of 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee who died after someone pushed him to the pavement in San Fransisco. Someone else pushed a 91-year-old man to the ground in Oakland Chinatown. And 61-year-old Noel Quintana was slashed on the face on the New York subway. Back in July 2020, two men slapping an 89-year-old Asian woman and setting her on fire pushed organisers to establish the They Can’t Burn Us All movement.

    Other countries with significant Asian populations have also seen an increase in anti-Asian racism. Police in three major Canadian cities said that they have seen a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. In Vancouver, hate crimes against people of Asian heritage have risen by 717% since March 2020.

    Meanwhile, the UK has seen a 300% increase in crimes targeting people of East and Southeast Asian heritage since the beginning of the pandemic. The violent attacks of Singaporean student Jonathan Mok and Chinese lecturer Peng Wang demonstrate that although members of the East and Southeast diaspora in Britain are incredibly diverse, most are treated with the same forms of racism. According to an Ipsos Mori poll, “one in seven people would avoid people of Chinese origin or appearance” due to the perceived threat of coronavirus. This reflects the deeply ignorant place anti-Asian racism comes from, and the widespread damage it causes.

    Support the struggle against anti-Asian hate

    The global community must come together to condemn white supremacy and anti-Asian racism in all their toxic forms. Support must go beyond mere expressions of solidarity. Real allyship means calling out xenophobic and anti-Asian sentiment at every turn. It means checking in on Asian friends, family members, and colleagues, and amplifying the voices of East and Southeast Asian activists, organisers, and community members. Finally, it means supporting and donating to organisations that work to challenge racism towards people of East and Southeast Asian heritage. The fight against anti-Asian racism is bound with the global struggle against white supremacy, misogyny, capitalism, and imperialism.

    Featured image via Wikimedia Commons – Kches16414

    By Sophia Purdy-Moore

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Defend the right to protest, fight back against the police crackdown bill

    Our right to protest is under attack. Protest is being criminalised and it’s urgent that we act now before it’s too late.

    The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is being rushed through parliament. It will give the police powers to impose conditions on protests that they view as too noisy or cause “serious unease”.

    The Bill will ban protests that block roads around Parliament. It also allows the police to impose conditions on one-person protests. And it will introduce a new offence, punishable by up to ten years in prison, of ‘public nuisance’ for actions that cause “serious distress”, “serious annoyance”, “serious inconvenience”.  Yes, that’s right. If you cause serious annoyance on a protest, you could go to jail for a decade!

    Oh, and then there’s the ten year sentences for damaging a memorial or statue. Yep – you could get a longer sentence for damaging an inanimate object than the average sentence given to rapists.

    Home secretary Priti Patel doesn’t like protests. She thinks Extinction Rebellion and Black Lives Matter protesters are ‘extremists’. She wants the police to take more action against anyone who dares to stand up to this government. 

    Meanwhile, a government report into policing is labelling anyone who takes direct action as an “aggravated activist”. It states that the police have gone too far in allowing protests to go ahead. It is also calling for increased surveillance, including the use of facial recognition technology on demonstrations.

    Make no mistake. This is the biggest threat to our freedom to protest that we’ve seen in generations. The police already abuse their powers. This new bill will give them unprecedented power to crackdown on protests. The UK has a long and proud history of protest. And it’s through taking to the streets that we’ve won many of the rights that we now take for granted.

    Our opposition to this bill cannot wait. We need to take action now before many of us end up behind bars for trying to make the world a better place.

    The Network for Police Monitoring is leading the fight against these extra powers with a charter that calls for the protection of protestors’ rights. Over 150,000 people have already supported the campaign to protect the right to protest.

    Get involved today and stop this bill becoming law!

    By Emily Apple

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • 14 signs the UK is becoming a modern fascist state

    #FacistBritain has been trending on Twitter. But can we quantify whether the UK is descending into a modern, fascist state? Simply put: yes, we can.

    Fascism’s “defining characteristics”: nationalism and disregard for human rights

    Che Scott-Heron Newton tweeted how she believed fascism was “presenting in modern Britain”. She noted four areas. One was “Powerful and Continuing Nationalism”. In this instance, she gave the example of police protecting a Winston Churchill statue:

    Heron’s second example was:

    Disregard for human rights: people are more likely to approve of longer incarcerations of prisoners, look the other way

    She gave the example of the current furore of the so-called ‘Police Bill’. But the degradation of UK human rights has been ongoing for a long time. Back in 2016, the UN accused successive Tory-led governments of “grave” and “systematic” violations of sick and disabled people’s human rights. With the UK’s potential withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights, things will only get worse.

    The arts and crime

    Heron’s third point was:

    Disrespect towards intellectuals & the arts

    Tory attempts to clamp-down on universities ‘cancelling‘ far-right bigots from speaking forms part of this. Or, as The Canary‘s Maryam Jameela put it, the Tories attempt to ” quash dissent”. Then, you have the Tories’ attacks on “lefty lawyers” doing human rights work. Meanwhile, in recent years, they’ve also cut public arts funding by 35%.

    Finally, Heron said:

    Obsession with crime & punishment

    The recent Policing, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (the ‘Police Bill’) is a case in point. As Liberty said, it includes:

    dangerous measures including restrictions on protest, new stop and search powers, a “Prevent-style” duty on knife crime, and a move to criminalise trespass.

    Also, the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill allows intelligence services to break the law on UK soil.

    So, Heron summed up some major indicators of fascism well. It was in-part based on historian Laurence Britt’s 2003 work on the signs of a fascist regime.

    Picking apart his remaining ten points, how does the UK look?

    Scapegoats and sexism

    Britt noted:

    Identification of enemies/scape-goats as a unifying cause.

    From immigrants to Muslims via disabled people, the UK establishment has always had “enemies” and “scape-goats”. Now, we’re seeing left-wing activists, Black Lives Matter and the “woke” being the target.

    Another point Britt said was:

    Rampant sexism.

    The recent clamping-down on vigils and protests in the wake of Sarah Everard’s murder is a chilling sign. Not that Tory misogyny is anything new. For example, just in the social security system you had the so-called ‘rape clause‘ and the benefit cap hitting lone mothers the hardest.

    The mass media and national security

    Britt also listed:

    A controlled mass media.

    The UK media is already controlled by a handful of right-wing billionaires. Now, with GB News, Rupert Murdoch’s News UK TV, former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre potentially heading-up the media regulator Ofcom, and a Tory donor being put in charge of the BBC – it’s going to get even more dystopian.

    Britt added:

    Obsession with national security.

    The Tories’ upping the cap on the number of nuclear weapons the UK can have is one example. Its review looking at left-wing “extremism” is another. Amnesty called the Investigatory Powers Act (which allowed mass surveillance) “among the most draconian in the EU”.

    The new religion and corporations

    Another marker of Britt’s was:

    Religion and ruling elite tied together.

    Flip this into capitalism being the new religion – the mantra that guides how we all live our lives – and it fits with Britt’s description of fascism being marked by a ‘manufactured perception’ “that opposing the power elite was tantamount to an attack on religion”. The Tories blocking of anti-capitalist teaching in schools sums this up.

    A crucial point of Britt’s was also:

    Power of corporations protected.

    This has been ongoing for decades. But it has reached a crescendo in recent years. The Tories allow big companies to pay tiny amounts of tax. Also, the revolving door between big business and big government is constantly open. As the Week wrote last year:

    Facebook has hired ten former UK government policy officials with insider knowledge of regulatory processes since the beginning of 2020, an investigation has found. …

    The new claims about the so-called “revolving door” between politics and the private sector come just a week after J.P. Morgan announced that former chancellor Sajid Javid has been appointed as a senior advisor to the banking giant.

    Suppressing labour and cronyism

    Britt then moved on to:

    Power of labor suppressed or eliminated.

    The Tories moves to restrict protest is a current example. And in 2015, The Tories put in place what the Guardian called the “biggest crackdown on trade unions for 30 years”. The gig economy helps this. And the consistently low minimum wage puts the power in the hands of the bosses.

    Perhaps Britt’s most recognisable point was:

    Rampant cronyism and corruption.

    This is the Tories all over; not least during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. As Byline Times wrote on 16 March:

    A company owned by a Conservative Party donor has surpassed £200 million worth of Government contracts during the Coronavirus pandemic

    ‘Nuff said’.

    Election fraud

    Finally, Britt noted:

    Fraudulent elections.

    The 2015 election was marred by allegations of Tory election fraud. So was the EU referendum. The establishment corporate press helped get Boris Johnson into power in 2019. But the Tories are taking their election rigging agenda further. Our First Past The Post voting system has consolidated their power. And now, they’ll be rolling it out to all English elections. As City A.M. reported, in London Assembly elections this:

    would “wipe out” many smaller parties like the Liberal Democrats and The Green Party

    So, is all this truly fascism? On paper, the signs are there. But there’s probably a better name for it. And that is “corporate fascism”.

    “Corporate fascism”

    As Johanna Drucker wrote for Riot Material on the US under then-president Donald Trump:

    Fascism is defined as the alignment of power, nationalism, and authoritarian government. We are there. The power is capital linked to politics. Capital is not merely the currency of money, but a force with nearly animate capacity for agency. The nationalism is an inflammatory rhetoric that galvanizes affect from responses to actual conditions (the real erosion of social infrastructure) in combination with a fantasy of entitlement grounded in long-standing myths of American exceptionalism. And the authoritarianism is an increasingly evident fulfilment of the worst fears of the founding designers of Democracy, as its checks and balances are put aside in favor of the interests of corporate wealth and its beneficiaries as a grotesque populism feeds on lifestyle fantasies and delusional identification.

    Corporate fascism is wanton, virulent, and unregulated. Wanton because it has no regard for consequences (psycho-socio-political pathology is without constraints). Virulent because the full force of inflamed populism is fuelled by self-justified rage and unbounded triumphalism. Unregulated because the capital is now amassed in extreme concentrations of wealth without any controls. Corporate because Citizens United created the legal foundation for corporations to act with the same rights, privileges, and protections accorded to individuals, thus sanctifying the role of disproportionate power within a mythic construct of corporate entities.

    Johnson’s government is also using that MO. It’s no exaggeration to say that corporate fascism has been creeping into the UK for decades. And it now appears the situation is only going to get worse.

    Featured image via 10 Downing Street – YouTube

    By Steve Topple

    This post was originally published on The Canary.