Kirk Smith: Protest/Dissent/Opinion

Huge Rally in Hong Kong Against Anti-subversion Laws

Tue, 08 Jul 2003 14:50:38 GMT

by John Chan

08 Jul 03

Up to half a million people marched in Hong Kong on July 1 - the sixth anniversary of Britain’s handover to China - to protest against new 'anti-subversion' legislation being enacted by the Beijing-installed administration of Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa. The National Security Bill, legislated under Article 23 of Hong Kong’s Basic Law, would effectively extend China’s police-state methods into the former British colony.

The rally was the largest since one million people took to the streets of Hong Kong on June 4, 1989, to protest against the Stalinist regime’s massacre of workers and youth in Tiananmen Square. Most of the marchers were dressed in black T-shirts to symbolise the death of democratic rights in Hong Kong. They marched through the city from Victoria Park to the downtown government buildings, bringing the city’s public transportation system to a temporarily standstill. [World Socialist Web Site]

10 Shot Dead in Lagos Riots

Tue, 08 Jul 2003 01:04:15 GMT

07 Jul 03

LAGOS. At least 10 people were shot dead in Nigeria's biggest city of Lagos on Monday, as police battled angry mobs rioting in the streets to enforce a second week of a crippling strike against increased fuel prices, the President of the Nigeria Labor Congress, Adams Oshiomhole said...

'The information we have this morning is that the police killed over 10 people in Lagos this morning. It is very unfortunate. This bloodbath which the police is promoting is heightening tension in Lagos.'

The general strike to protest a 54 percent rise in fuel prices that was announced by President Olusegun Obasanjo?s government on June 20, entered the second week despite a split among union leaders about continuing the work stoppage.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the country?s biggest umbrella body with 29 affiliates, has vowed to continue with the strike, describing government concessions as insufficient. But the Trade Unions Congress (TUC), another grouping of senior staff unions, has opted out of the strike, saying it was pleased with the progress of negotiations with the government. [IRIN]

The White Man Unburdened

Mon, 07 Jul 2003 14:29:06 GMT

by Norman Mailer

17 Jul 03 Issue

Exeunt: lightning and thunder, shock and awe. Dust, ash, fog, fire, smoke, sand, blood, and a good deal of waste now move to the wings. The stage, however, remains occupied. The question posed at curtain-rise has not been answered. Why did we go to war? If no real weapons of mass destruction are found, the question will keen in pitch. [The New York Review of Books]

130 U.S. Communities Saying No to Repression

Sat, 05 Jul 2003 19:02:19 GMT

by Jim Lobe

05 Jul 03

WASHINGTON. More than 130 communities with a combined population of more than 16 million people in 26 states have passed resolutions directing local police to refrain from using racial profiling, enforcing immigration laws, or participating in federal investigations that violate civil liberties, according to a new report released on the eve of this year's Fourth of July celebrations by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

The 23-page report credits Ann Arbor, Michigan, with adopting the first resolution opposing key provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act, thus setting off a trend that shows no sign of abating. [Common Dreams NewsCenter]

NUPENG Begins Shutdown of Oil Terminals - Police, Protesters Clash in Abuja

Sat, 05 Jul 2003 14:25:27 GMT

by Victor Ahiuma-Young and Wale Igbintade

03 Jul 03

LAGOS. The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), easily one of the most powerful trade unions in the country, commenced, yesterday, the withdrawal of its members from the oil export terminals, in continuation of the NLC-led strike against the recent fuel price hike.

The union declared yesterday that the withdrawal would be completed tomorrow should government fail to reach an agreement with labour. In effect, NUPENG would shut the oil export terminals and make oil exports difficult if not impossible for as long as the strike lasts. [Vanguard/Lagos via allAfrica.com]

Hunt Activists to Hound Ministers

Sat, 05 Jul 2003 01:48:10 GMT

by Stuart Millar

05 Jul 03

Hunt supporters are planning a campaign of public harassment of government ministers whenever they make an appearance anywhere in the country, as part of a desperate rearguard action to head off a total ban on hunting.

Amid a growing clamour among furious grassroots hunt supporters for more militant direct action, the Guardian has learned that the Countryside Alliance is setting up a full-time unit with the task of organising the 'hounding of ministers'.

The unit will have responsibility for obtaining information on the whereabouts of government figures and deploying instant protests. Using teams of activists across the country, the unit will aim to organise demonstrations with as little as 10 minutes notice.

The main target will be Alun Michael, the rural affairs minister, whose carefully crafted compromise allowing licensed hunts was scuppered on Monday night when more than 300 Labour MPs, including seven Cabinet members, ignored Downing Street to vote in favour of an outright ban. Also in their sights is Elliot Morley, who voted with the rebels despite being number two in the environment department, which is piloting the bill. [The Guardian/UK]