Two men were shot dead, apparently by police, while residents of Madibeng municipality were protesting about the fact that they had been deprived of water for almost a week. Ficksburg. Marikana. Robertson. Cato Crest. Very different South African places, many miles apart, which have all seen citizens who were demonstrating for an improvement in their living conditions killed … [Read more...]
Dutch ask sea tribunal to release Greenpeace activists
The Netherlands asked an international court on Wednesday to order Russia to release 30 people detained during a Greenpeace protest against oil drilling in the Arctic at a tribunal Moscow refused to attend. Dutch government representative Liesbeth Lijnzaad said Russia had "violated the human rights" of the activists who tried to climb onto Russia's first offshore Arctic oil … [Read more...]
The poor are being used as weapons in the fight for Cape Town
This past week, the city centre saw a protest to ostensibly raise concerns about service delivery in the province. But like many such protests of recent times, the action seemed a thinly veiled attempt to make the city ‘ungovernable’ ahead of next year’s election and provided an excuse for looting and disruption. There is evidence that suggests that these protests were … [Read more...]
Ghana joins in the March Against Monsanto
Ghana was represented in the second planned march against agricultural giant Monsanto which took place around the world last weekend. The protesters rallied against the company's use of genetically modified organisms and tried to raise awareness about its corporate practices. The fact that there was any march at all in Accra, is a testimony to the fact that there is a … [Read more...]
‘March Against Monsanto’ planned for over 50 countries
On Oct. 12, millions of activists from around the world will once again March Against Monsanto, calling for the permanent boycott of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and other harmful agro-chemicals. Currently, marches will occur on six continents, in 52 countries, with events in over 400 cities. In the US, solidarity marches are slated to occur in 47 states. A … [Read more...]
The latest on SA’s fracking tug-of-war
A South African government plan to allow fracking in the vast Karoo semi-desert has been condemned as "completely irresponsible" by environmental campaigners, who have vowed to fight it in court. The Karoo is bigger than Germany at more than 400,000 square kilometres. It contains about 100 towns and a million people and has been celebrated by poets for its bleak beauty. The … [Read more...]
Mall would “upset divine balance”
“Baptism in living water is a very important part of our religion – it goes back to the time of Jesus. Every Sunday we come to Princess Vlei to baptise new converts. We travel all this way because this is natural water, with spiritual power. “The proposed mall is a very serious concern for us. The local and provincial government must give us respect, they must have the … [Read more...]
Gezi Park: a historic defence of democracy
"Find out just what people will submit to and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong that will be imposed upon them." – Frederick Douglass, American ex-slave civil rights leader. The citizens of Istanbul now appear in control of Gezi Park, protecting one of the last and most treasured green spaces in Istanbul from conversion to a shopping mall. The … [Read more...]
Campaign Against BRAI Bill and GM crops launched in India
New Delhi, 25th June: The Coalition for a GM Free India along with various farmer unions, national political parties and diverse social and environmental movements, including Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, Greenpeace-India, India Against Corruption, Bharat Swabhiman Trust, Volunteers for a Better India etc launched a nation-wide campaign demanding that the Biotechnology … [Read more...]
Join the anti-GMO chorus in George
There will be yet another march against biotech giant Monsanto tomorrow. This time in George, a peaceful protest is planned against a two-year field trial release of multi-stacked poison GMO maize by Dow AgroSciences LLC, a subsidiary of the Dow Chemical Company based in the heart of the Garden Route. Details: Friday, June 21, 2013 at 11:00am MEET AT AGRI - 68 YORK … [Read more...]
Turkish PM Erdoğan violently clears Gezi Park
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has sought to end the protests against his government with a mixture of duplicity and brutality. He is being aided and abetted by the leaders of the protests, who are playing into his hands. The mass demonstrations against Erdogan’s Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) government began in Gezi Park in Istanbul in opposition … [Read more...]
Saving trees costing lives in Turkey
A friend of ours from Germany received this urgent message last night from her friend Anne who has lived in Turkey for some years now. Here is her plea: Something terrible is happening in Turkey. It all began with a peaceful demonstration against deforestation of 80-year-old trees in a park (Geziparki) located in Taksim Square, where the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan is … [Read more...]
Calls for the ‘Monsantrocity’ to end
Ordinarily GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms, but on Saturday 25 March 2013, it stood for Get Monsanto Out! The excitement started early on Saturday morning, with Australia getting the international ball rolling with the first protests, followed soon after by South Africa. As the day progressed, country after country submitted their pictures and updates on the … [Read more...]
