Nonviolence News: Madrid’s Tree-Huggers, Israeli Objectors & Indian Women Take Back The Night
Madrid’s Tree-Huggers, Israeli Objectors & Indian Women Take Back The Night
Editor's Note From Rivera Sun
The International Court of Justice has issued an advisory opinion that nations, businesses, and others have a duty to boycott, divest, and sanction (BDS) Israel over its illegal occupation and apartheid state. They say that BDS is “not just legal, but obligatory”. This has already prompted the Church of England to reverse its stance on Israel’s colonization and occupation. The question is: will others follow suit?
Pressure over the bombardment and assault on Gaza continues. Inside Israel, conscientious objectors continue to face imprisonment and other risks to refuse to fight in the war. US vice president and presidential candidate Kamala Harris confronted protesters over the issue, and US policy on military aid to Israel is one of the key issues for demonstrators outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, IL, this week.
In other Nonviolence News, Turkmenistan banned child labor in cotton fields, a Chinese airline quit forcing stewardesses to wear high heels, and Louisiana activists halted a grain elevator project that would have disrupted Black historic sites. Other stories to explore include a “take back the night” march in India, the family of Michael Brown pressuring the city of Ferguson to stop glossing over his death in their efforts to rebrand, and Punjabis in California forming a healthcare organization that responds to cultural needs.
The mass protests in Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria have prompted some to claim it’s the start of an “African Spring”. Others point out that mass movements in Sudan, Angola, and Algeria have been going on for months, even years. The movements do have common ground around opposing high cost of living and the corruption or failure of government to provide economic justice. Similar conditions worldwide have prompted numerous protest movements this part year, including in Argentina, Panama, Peru, and other countries … including Bangladesh.
Having succeeded in ousting their corrupt prime minister and installing Noble Prize winner Muhammad Yunus as interim leader, Bangladesh is now grappling with the fallout of political upheaval. A high-ranking judge – a loyalist to the previous regime – is being pressured to resign. Incidents of violence have been targeting Hindus and other minorities. Yunus called upon the protestors to help stop the attacks and many have been showing up to de-escalate threats to temples and neighborhoods.
Climate news is interesting this week. Just Stop Oil temporarily called off its direct actions amidst the racist rioting and mass counterprotests that swept the United Kingdom. In Serbia, tens of thousands came out to once again oppose the Rio Tinto lithium mine. (This and other anti-lithium mine struggles in Bolivia and Oak Flat, USA, are keen reminders that climate adaptations will face pushback if they require ‘sacrifice zones’ and come with toxic pollution for communities.) In Madrid, a campaign of tree protectors is holding tree-sits and other direct actions to stop development-driven urban deforestation in the face of extreme heat. Similar high temperatures and heat-related deaths led US workers to rally for better protections amidst the climate crisis.
Find all of this week's Nonviolence News here>>
All of the stories in Nonviolence News offer us lots to think about and act upon. I hope it nourishes your craving for justice, action, and change.
In solidarity,
Rivera Sun