Archive for the 'Human rights' Category

America’s Police State coming along just nicely

Published
by
Christiaan
on 2 September, 2008
in Activism, Civil liberties, Human rights, Law, Repression and United States
. 0 Comments

Glenn Greenwald reports on the appalling events in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where the Republicans have been holding their National Convention over the weekend. It appears the Federal Government has been orchestrating fascist-like police raids across the city on opposition groups in attempt to shut them up.

Protesters here in Minneapolis have been targeted by a series of highly intimidating, sweeping police raids across the city, involving teams of 25-30 officers in riot gear, with semi-automatic weapons drawn, entering homes of those suspected of planning protests, handcuffing and forcing them to lay on the floor, while law enforcement officers searched the homes, seizing computers, journals, and political pamphlets. 

Massive police raids on suspected protesters in Minneapolis | Sat, 30 Aug 2008
Federal government involved in raids on protesters | Sun, 31 Aug 2008

The Land of the Free, where the Federal Government actively recruits local residents to infiltrate and inform on groups who oppose the government, where the police steal people’s vehicles and leave them stranded on the side of the road to shut them up, where major radio presenters are arrested by thugs in riot gear for having the audacity to ask a policeman a question, and where young women get pepper sprayed in the face for holding a flower up to the police as they walk by her.

Scenes from St. Paul: Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman arrested | Mon, 1 Sep 2008

But, frankly, none of this quasi-fascism compares to apparent lack of outrage from ordinary Americans.

There’s a poem made for these people:

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn’t a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

—Pastor Martin Niemöller.

External links:

Update, 7 Sep 2008: external link to ‘RNC: Media Intimidation Condemned’ added.

Free Gaza boats successfully break Israeli blockade

Published
by
Christiaan
on 27 August, 2008
in Activism, Human rights, Indigenous rights and Palestine and Israel
. 0 Comments

Over the weekend a group from the Free Gaza Movement, including my good friend Ken O’Keefe, set out in boats from Cyprus and successfully broke Israel’s contemptible economic blockade of Gaza. Ken emailed through a few photos today, with this message:

Some pictures to share of a day that may have largely ignored in the West, but was deeply powerful and moving to not just the people of Gaza, but to the Arab world and beyond.



And a news report from France 24:

New Zealand Police soft on serious crime?

Published
by
Christiaan
on 25 July, 2008
in Aotearoa New Zealand, Human rights and Law
. 3 Comments

It appears the New Zealand Police are soft on serious crime. The U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, travels to New Zealand this weekend and I’m ashamed to say she’s able to without a promise from the NZ Police that she will be arrested and charged with war crimes, including torture and the “supreme international crime,” initiating a war of aggression.

While a $5000 bounty for the citizen’s arrest of Rice might be viewed as a stunt, what other option do decent citizens have when a bunch of submissive softies run your police force; happy not only to show how weak they are by tolerating such a visit but by actually protecting her?

A formal complaint has now been lodged, so it will be interesting if the NZ Police can demonstrate any knowledge of justice. The least they could do is follow the UK’s lead and pretend they have the balls to enforce the law and then botch it up! Somehow, however, I don’t think even that will happen.

People like Condoleezza Rice may be safe in their own country, with such a compliant population, but they should not be allowed to travel to others without fear of being brought to justice.

Spineless politicians drafting spineless law

Published
by
Christiaan
on 21 July, 2008
in Aotearoa New Zealand, Civil liberties, Human rights, Law and Politics
. 0 Comments

To draft and support loathsome law like this surely you have to be either extremely ignorant of history or have sympathies for fascism.

Some politicians clearly have no qualms showing off how spineless they are by using fear to trade our freedoms and make it look like they’re actually doing something.

No Right Turn on the Immigration Bill, currently making it’s way through NZ parliament:

This bill has to be defeated. You can start by signing the petition here.

Check out some of the comments too.

Story of Cain and Abel still taking place today?

Published
by
Christiaan
on 24 June, 2008
in Brazil, Human rights, Indigenous rights and Religion and Agnosticism
. 0 Comments

Speaking of Survival International, they’ve posted a video on their website of gunmen hired by farmers to attack a Makuxi Indian village in Brazil, part of a brutal attempt at an Indian land grab.

The correlation between this and Daniel Quinn’s alternative theory of the story of Cain and Abel is quite stark.