Watch Ghana's President deliver an epic speech at this year's UN General Assembly where he insisted that "reparations must be paid for the slave trade". President Akufo-Addo delivered a blistering condemnation of Europe and the US' wealth built on the backs of "the sweat tears blood and horrors of the Transatlantic slave trade and the centuries of colonial exploitation".
Akufo-Addo insisted it's time for reparations to be brought "firmly to the fore" saying that while current generations were not involved in the slave trade, "its benefits are clearly interwoven with the present-day economic architecture of the nations that designed and executed it."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZseLY3Dubi0
#UNGA78 #ReparationsNow #MicDrop
On this day nine years ago, Yemen's Ansarallah Movement took control of the capital, Sana'a. Large parts of the country erupted in celebration, with high hopes of Yemen breaking out of its semi-colonial submission to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's response was brutal, launching a war that caused the world's worst humanitarian crisis, which continues to this day.
Watch our exclusive interview with Abdulelah Hajar, a veteran Ansarallah ambassador, where we talk about US-Saudi crimes in Yemen, the resistance, and how global powers from the US to China have been using Yemen as a pawn for their own strategic interests.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sql9WaVK8Fk
#Yemen #Houtis #SaudiArabia
51 years ago, the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos, placed the country under martial law. Marcos announced the imposition of martial law on September 23 1972 but the proclamation was backdated to September 21. He claimed that he had been forced to declare martial law due to the "communist threat" posed by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the rebellion by the Muslim Independence Movement (MIM). Opposition figures argued that Marcos was exaggerating the threat to consolidate his grip on power. According to Proclamation 1081, which declared martial law, there was a need to "save the republic" and "to reform society."
Marcos and his wife stole between $5 to $10 billion of the country's wealth during martial law. While poverty in the Philippines increased, the Marcos developed an extensive domestic and international property empire, including 50 mansions in the Philippines itself. According to one estimate, the couple accumulated up to $30 billion in unexplained wealth.
Amnesty International has claimed that at least 50,000 people were arrested and detained during the first three years of martial law. According to figures from The Human Rights Victims Claims Board (HRVCB), 11,103 people were victims of political repression, including 2,326 cases of killing or forced disappearance and almost 2,000 cases of torture.
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#FilipinoHistory #OustMarcos #PhilippinesPolitics
Watch Left MEP Mick Wallace accuse the EU of funding modern day "concentration camps" to detain migrants and brutal repression by the Moroccan and Tunisian authorities while the block brands "others authoritarian". This year 2,512 migrants have died or gone missing trying to reach safety in Europe according to UN figures, a six year high and one of the deadliest on record.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/V-GL0m7e2Zc
#MigrantCrisis #EuropeMigrants #EuropeanUnion
A woman died while attempting to climb the US-Mexico anti-refugee border wall in San Diego. Former President Donald Trump started the expansion of the wall. However current US President, Joe Biden, is allocating more resources than ever to border security.
Biden has earmarked a historic budget of $25 billion for 2024 to fund the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Reports from numerous human rights organizations highlight persistent human rights abuses within CBP and ICE, with around 400 documented cases since 2020. Most of these cases have gone uninvestigated, exposing a lack of accountability.
The trend of reinforcing and militarizing borders is not unique to the United States and is part of a broader phenomenon driven by the anti-refugee policies in the Global North. In 2023, the EU has also allocated a record-high amount on border enforcement, with the border guard agency Frontex receiving more funding than any other single EU agency.
Contrary to the already problematic intended goal of halting migration, the militarization of borders often diverts migrants to other, often more dangerous, crossing points like the San Diego-Tijuana border, which becomes riskier for migrants attempting to cross. The migration routes across the Mediterranean, and the US-Mexico border rank among the deadliest in the world, with over 3,000 migrants reported dead or missing along these routes in the past year alone.
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#USMexicoBorder #Refugees #BorderReinforcement
Today, 22 years ago on September 20, 2001, US President George W. Bush declared the start of the "war on terror" nine days after the attacks in New York and Washington DC on September 11. This started a series of bloodthirsty, destructive wars, bombing campaigns, and occupations, which began with the bombing of Afghanistan the following month and continued with the unjustified and illegal invasion of Iraq in March 2003. The US and its allies practiced torture, extrajudicial killings, and abductions in the name of fighting terrorism, while their real motives were capitalist greed and colonial domination. According to a 2021 study by Brown University, up to 4.6 million people were killed because of the "war on terror," and 38 million have been displaced.
On September 13, 2001, NATO invoked Article 5, which considered an attack on one member an attack on all. Almost immediately, Osama bin Laden, a former ally of the US when he was involved in fighting the USSR in Afghanistan during the 1980s, was identified as the mastermind behind the attacks. The US claimed that the Taliban governed Afghanistan were sheltering Bin Laden. This was used as a pretext for the bombing of Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, which led to a 20-year US occupation, which ended in a humiliating exit in August 2021 as the Taliban returned to power.
The invasion of Iraq was based on the lie that the Iraqi government led by Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and supported Al-Qaeda. Ignoring international opinion, the United Nations, and most experts, the US and its allies launched a destructive war that led to hundreds of thousands of deaths, poverty, and civil war.
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#WarOnTerror #Imperialism #AntiImperialism
Watch Brazilian President Lula da Silva slam warmongers and the obscene cost of military spending across the world during a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York. The veteran socialist said that military spending was now $2 trillion worldwide while $83 billion was spent on nuclear weapons, a figure 20 times more than the entire UN budget.
Lula also argued that it would be impossible to achieve stability and security while "social exclusion and inequality" continue criticism of those governments who prioritize military spending rather than tackling social problems. He also emphasized the importance of dialogue a key UN principal and denounced sanctions including the US embargo on Cuba.
According to figures from Statista, last year the US spent $877 billion on its military followed by China which spent $292 billion, Russia spent $86.4 billion, and India spent $81.4 billion. In recent years worldwide military spending has increased with tensions in the South China Sea and the war in Ukraine being blamed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji_qUOXJ-UA
#Lula #UNGA78
As the United Nations General Assembly meets for its 78th session, we remember when Ernesto Che Guevara gave his historic speech at the General Assembly denouncing US interventions around the world and calling for resistance against imperialism. "Homeland or Death!"
https://void.cat/d/TUiKw36ewEY3SeKHRjJacF.mp4
#UNGA #Imperialism #Che
Over 2,000 migrants have died in the Mediterranean this year, the highest death toll in four years. Watch this video explaining how amidst an escalating crisis in Lampedusa, the EU is colluding with Italy's fascist PM Giorgia Meloni in her plan that will add even more corpses to the graveyard in the Mediterranean.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KazKPX0WTYY
#Refugees #Frontex #EuropeanUnion
Hundreds of Libyans joined protests against the authorities in Derna and burned down the mayor's home, angry at the response to catastrophic flooding that hit the city more than a week ago.
The protesters demanded an international investigation into the collapse of two of Derna's dams, which experts warned last year were vulnerable. When Storm Daniel hit, their collapse caused thousands of deaths and colossal levels of damage.
After gathering at Derna's Al Sahaba Mosque, protesters set fire to the home of Derna's mayor at the time of the storm, Abdulmenam al-Ghaithi, who has since been removed from his post.
Video footage online shows corpses lining the streets, while local media report that 70 percent of Derna's civilian infrastructure has been destroyed. The scale of the destruction is being widely blamed on Libya's political instability, which is in turn a result of NATO's 2011 invasion that overthrew the government led by Muammar Gaddafi. Since NATO-backed forces killed Gaddafi, the country has been split between two rival governments, with Derna currently ruled by the "Government of National Unity," backed by ex-CIA asset turned warlord Khalifa Haftar.
During Gaddafi's rule, Libya was transformed from one of the most impoverished countries in the world to one with the highest level of human development in Africa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yuk8aYZ69Jw
#LibyaFloods #NoWar #Imperialism
Happy Birthday to the Brazilian Marxist educator and philosopher Paulo Freire! He was known for his influential book Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970), which theorized how oppressed people could be empowered by revolutionary education.
His innovative teaching methods emphasized active student participation and encouraged critical questioning of the teacher. As a result, his students were able to achieve literacy after only 30 hours of lessons.
Freire believed that socialism and Marxism provided a framework for understanding and challenging systems of oppression. He argued that education could be a tool for social change, and teachers should work to create a more equal society.
Despite facing repression and censorship from right-wing forces in Brazil and worldwide, Freire's work inspires educators and activists. At the same time, his vision remains as relevant today as ever in the struggle for social justice.
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#Communism #Marxismo #PauloFreire
Known as "Lady Death," Lyudmila Pavlichenko became one of the most famous and heroic Soviet women ever when she defied gender expectations by serving as a sniper on the front line during The Great Patriotic War against fascism. She is credited with killing 309 fascists as she became one of the most famous snipers in history. As Pavlichenko said, "If you don't kill them at once, we'll have no end of trouble."
Watch Lady Izdihar explain why, despite her status as a Soviet and anti-fascist legend, when Pavlichenko traveled to the US, her contribution was overshadowed by misogyny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVpoBeVx6d8
#SovietUnion #AntiFascism #WWII
The summer is coming to an end. It is time for us to look back over the last few months which have been dominated by political protests across the world. From anti-French uprisings in several African countries, historic women's protests in Latin America, the suburban uprising, and numerous strikes in France to the tireless anti-imperialist resistance in the Middle East – here is our summer recap.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ktJi_T4lpy8
#AntiCapitalism #Protests #WorkersUnite
Israeli troops attacked Palestinians in Gaza again, as their campaign of violence shows no sign of abating. The violence occurred east of the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Six Palestinians were injured by the Israeli army in eastern Gaza after participating in demonstrations near the fence that separates Gaza from Israeli-occupied territories. The protests were organized to denounce Israeli settlers' incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that injuries varied in severity and were inflicted during the crowd's dispersal by Israeli forces. Medical sources noted that the injuries included direct hits from rubber bullets and gas canisters. Cases of suffocation were also reported. Among the injured were two Palestinian journalists who were directly hit by gas canisters; the extent of their injuries is yet to be determined. Stand for justice and human rights.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7Zo6e0t5LnQ
#FreePalestine #AlAqsa #PressFreedom
Today, we remember the Greek anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas, better known by his stage name “Killah-P,” who was murdered ten years ago today by members of the neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn. He was stabbed twice in the heart when watching a football match with his partner and friends at a cafe in Keratsini. While still conscious, Fyssas said that Giorgos Roupakias, who worked in the cafeteria at the Golden Dawn offices, had stabbed him.
An investigation indicated that Golden Dawn members and officials organized his murder. Similarly, police special unit DIAS on the scene stood back and watched the neo-Nazi killer stab Fyassas. Despite being arrested following the murder, Roupakias was released from pre-trial custody in 2016 despite admitting to a judge that he had killed Fyssas.
Following Fyssas’ murder, massive protests forced the Greek judiciary to launch a case against the Golden Dawn party, the third largest party in parliament following the January 2015 election. In 2020, 68 defendants were subsequently convicted of running a criminal organization following a five-year trial. Roupakias was also finally convicted for Fyssas’s murder, receiving a life sentence.
Outside the courthouse, 20,000 people gathered to hear the verdict. The case was the largest trial of a Nazi organization since the Nuremberg trials of Nazi officials in 1945-46. However, the obvious collaboration between the police and the fascists went unpunished.
On this day in 1947, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was formed by US President Harry Truman, primarily as the secret intelligence arm of US domestic and foreign anti-communist warfare. The CIA rapidly developed into one of the biggest threats to democracy and human rights, sponsoring coups and right-wing dictatorships in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. In the words of the former CIA director Mike Pompeo, "We lied, we cheated, we stole." Watch Ollie Vargas explain why arch-British imperialist Winston Churchill was a keen supporter of the establishment of the CIA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP4jRwaE1Jg
#CIA #Imperialism #PsyOps
One year has passed since the 22-year-old Kurdish woman Jina (Mahsa) Amini died at the hands of Iran’s morality police. On 13 September 2022, Amini was severely beaten and detained by the morality police in Tehran. On 16 September, she died of her injuries. Her death triggered an unprecedented uprising, shaking almost every corner of Iran.
Amini, originally from Iran’s Kurdistan region, was arrested for an alleged dress code violation. Iran’s controversial hijab law states that all women in Iran must wear a hijab in public. Clerics imposed the mandatory hijab law in Iran shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The morality police are the religious police of the Islamic Republic of Iran. They are tasked with enforcing Sharia law, including the Islamic dress code. Despite claims that the morality police had been disbanded following widespread unrest, according to reports Iranian authorities have increased their enforcement of the hijab laws. Two months ago, Iranian law enforcement officially announced the morality police were restarting patrols.
In the months following Amini’s death, Iran experienced the biggest anti-government protests in years, which were brutally suppressed by the security forces. Protests have since died down in Iran, and the authorities have reverted to their usual highly confrontational methods.
#IranProtests #JinaAmini #JinaMashaAmini
Photo of the Week 📸
Gaza, Occupied Palestine – Palestinians burn Israeli flags during a protest against the Israeli siege of Gaza.
Capitalist "fat cat" CEOs from the top 100 listed British companies received an average 16% pay rise last year while millions of British people faced eviction, homelessness, unemployment, and visits to food banks. The average pay increase for bosses from FTSE 100 companies was £500,000, taking their median annual pay from £3.4 million in 2021 to £3.9 million according to the High Pay Centre think tank. Pascal Soriot from drug company AstraZeneca collected a whopping £15.3 million. Charles Woodburn from arms manufacturer BAE Systems earned £10.7 million while former BP boss Ben van Beurden took home £9.7 million.
The median pay of FTSE 100 bosses is now 118 times that of the median British full-time worker. According to the Office for National Statistics the average UK salary for full £33,000. Read on to find out how this capitalist greed is destroying the social fabric of the UK.
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#Capitalism #England #Exploitation
EU funding that kills people in Libya VS. EU funding that saves lives in Libya
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#DernaFlood #politics