2020-12-23: News Headlines

Ben Chacko (2020-12-23). Ukraine's fascist-backed government erasing Red Army from history. peoplesworld.org Ukraine's Communists are condemning what they call "state vandalism" as authorities in the city of Lviv announced their decision to dismantle the city's Monument of Glory, a memorial to Red Army soldiers who died fighting the Nazi invasion. Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko denounced the act as "moral terrorism" and called it "a crime against …

Ronnie Kasrils (2020-12-23). Against the witch-hunt. mronline.org Veteran of the fight against Apartheid RONNIE KASRILS warns that the IHRA is being used to suppress left-wing supporters of Palestine, just as anti-communist hysteria was used against the national-liberation movement in South Africa…

G. Dunkel (2020-12-23). Black Lives Matter and France's Global Security Law. workers.org It is sometimes hard to realize the worldwide impact of the Black Lives Matter movement. Language, culture and media indifference can all get in the way. Some countries just don't have the type of events — protests, marches, rallies — for a variety of reasons, where the influence of BLM . . . |

Arielle Robinson (2020-12-23). With racism, red-baiting/Georgia run-off elections fail to focus on people's needs. workers.org By Arielle Robinson and Dianne Mathiowetz Atlanta, Georgia So what's it like living in the political circus of the Jan. 5, 2021, run-off in Georgia for U.S. Senate—while the deadly scourge of the pandemic rages, fear of mass evictions and the rise of poverty and unemployment grow, and incessant charges . . . |

Miko Peled (2020-12-23). The Gaza Strip is "Uninhabitable": Israel's Genocide in Gaza Goes Uninterrupted, but Is Europe Finally Taking Notice? globalresearch.ca A long and cruel siege, constant Israeli attacks resulting in the killing of countless civilians, destruction of homes and infrastructure, extreme poverty, and trauma remain the daily bread of Palestinians in Gaza. | *** | A

Drillminister (2020-12-23). My wish for 2021? We all start fighting back, now. thecanary.co Boom. Bam. You know who it is. Yung Drilly, aka Drillminister — writing for The Canary. I'm running for London Mayor in 2021. And with the mess that our politicians have made in the past 12 months, we need radical change and quickly. So, here's my message as we head to towards the New Year.Black Lives Matter. But do they really?: This year has laid bare the open corruption and political violence in our society. It held a magnifying glass to the hate. And even though it's obvious for all to see — nothing has changed.The UK saw the reverberations of George Floyd's murder echo across the streets of…

_____ (2020-12-23). Israel's Genocide In Gaza Goes Uninterrupted. popularresistance.org A report published by the United Nations in 2018 stated that by the year 2020 the Gaza Strip would be uninhabitable. It said specifically that, "the United Nations has stated that Gaza may well be unlivable by 2020." The report emphasized also that "Michael Lynk, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied Since 1967, drew attention to Israel's persistent non-cooperation with the Special Rapporteur's mandate. As with his two predecessors, Israel has not granted him entry to visit the country, nor the Occupied Palestinian territory." Anyone who thinks that the Gaza S…

Meron Rapoport (2020-12-23). Gideon Saar: The right-winger who could unseat Netanyahu and remake Israel. middleeasteye.net Gideon Saar: The right-winger who could unseat Netanyahu and remake Israel | He's pro-settler, against a Palestinian state and targets asylum seekers. But centrists and left-wingers are flocking to the man likely to become Israel's next prime minister | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 13: 58 | Gideon Saar, Israeli Member of Knesset for Likud, speaks during a rally as he launches his campaign for Likud party l…

MEE staff (2020-12-23). Israel's High Court avoids calls to nullify or amend nation-state law. middleeasteye.net Israel's High Court avoids calls to nullify or amend nation-state law | Court hints that law could be interpreted but avoided discussing it during hearing, following 15 legal petitions | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 14: 03 | Israeli protesters carry national flags as they watch Supreme Court deliberations broadcast live in front of the Knesset in Jerusalem, on 3 May 2020 (AFP) | The Israeli High Court on Tuesday avoided…

MEE and agencies (2020-12-23). Israel detects new Covid-19 strain, health ministry says. middleeasteye.net Israel detects new Covid-19 strain, health ministry says | Four people diagnosed with coronavirus variant that first emerged in the United Kingdom | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 16: 04 | An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man gets vaccinated against Covid-19 at Clalit Health Services Center in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, on 21 December 2020 (AFP) | Israel has detected four cases of a new Covid-19 strain, a highl…

Global Research News (2020-12-23). Selected Articles: Staff at Hospitals in DC, Texas Turn Down COVID-19 Vaccine. globalresearch.ca By A long and cruel siege, constant Israeli attacks resulting in the killing of countless civilians, destruction …

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-23). 'Tie normalization with Tel Aviv a stab in back of Palestine'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 24 (MNA) — Head of political Bureau of Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said that tie normalization with the Zionist regime is a stab in the back of Palestine and Islamic Ummah.

WSWS (2020-12-23). Armed fascists storm Oregon state Capitol building. wsws.org Several hundred far-right anti-lockdown protesters, led by the fascist patriot Prayer group, attempted to occupy the Oregon Capitol on Monday, where a closed session of the legislature was discussing measures related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-23). Israel's parliament dissolves, fresh elections to be held in March 2021. peoplesdispatch.org Parliament was dissolved after the government could not pass the budget in the stipulated time. The upcoming elections in March will be the fourth election in less than two years…

Brandon Jones (2020-12-23). Remembering William Winter: Mississippi governor championed public education and civil rights. splcenter.org &nbsp…

Malik Washington (2020-12-23). Racist practices at the SF Health Service System will no longer be tolerated: Remove Mitch. indybay.org SF Bay View Editor Malik Washington reports on systemic racism in the SF Health Service System…

Angelique Scott (2020-12-23). Black Lives Matter. thenation.com Black Lives Matter…

Martha Grevatt (2020-12-22). Cleveland baseball team finally retires racist name, mascot. workers.org Cleveland It's official. And it's about time. After months of discussions and rumors, Cleveland's Major League Baseball team announced Dec. 14 that 2021 would be the last season for the racist, offensive name "Indians." With it will go the team's demeaning mascot, which was being phased out after it was . . . |

Monica Moorehead (2020-12-22). Baseball's racist legacy today as MLB finally recognizes 'Negro Leagues' — a WW commentary. workers.org Major League Baseball first announced on Dec. 9 that it would finally incorporate all of the players, statistics and records from the "Negro Leagues" (NL) into its present-day records. Many said it was about time and that this recognition is long overdue. Both sentiments are justified. Pennsylvania's Homestead Grays, founded . . . |

Staff (2020-12-22). Black Critical Care Dr. Taison Bell of UVA on Fighting COVID, Racism & Securing Fair Vaccine Access. democracynow.org More than 40 countries have temporarily suspended some or all travel from the United Kingdom after British health officials announced a highly infectious variant of the novel coronavirus has been spreading in the country. South Africa has detected a similar variant. The new variant is believed to be 70% more contagious, but health experts say existing vaccines will still be effective against it. "What's important to remember is that mutations will naturally happen in the course of a virus that's in the community and circulating," says Dr. Taison Bell, critical care and infectious disease physician at the Universi…

Ali Harb (2020-12-22). US spending bill: Five gifts to Israel. middleeasteye.net US spending bill: Five gifts to Israel | An enormous US spending bill that accompanied the Covid-19 relief package contains many financial and political perks for Israeli government | Tue, 12/22/2020 – 22: 27 | Israel did not receive coronavirus relief funds, but the aid to its military at a time when Americans are struggling drew criticism (AFP/File photo) | The US Congress has passed an enormous $2.3 trillion s…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-22). Brexit, Billionaires and the Little People. counterpunch.org Capitalism and patriotism do not share the same stable. When those in the business of accumulating profits suggest a love for flag and country, be wary. Wars might take place and trade agreements struck by governments, but the capitalist will go for the market that matters, whatever the flag. A recent exponent of this proposition

RT (2020-12-22). Israel to hold fourth election in 2 years as parliament fails to meet budget deadline. rt.com Israel is set to hold a snap election after the Knesset failed to pass a spending package by a deadline set earlier this month, sending the country into its fourth vote in just two years as a fragile unity government fractures.

teleSUR (2020-12-22). 'Patriot Prayers' Storm Oregon Capitol to Reject Restrictions. telesurenglish.net Dozens of protesters, some of them carrying firearms, stormed the Oregon Capitol in Salem city on Monday to protest COVID-19 restrictions. | RELATED: | "Right-wing thugs intimidated and threatened journalist Brian Hayes for trying to cover their unlawful assembly at the Capitol in Salem," the DemCast Director Nick Knudsen tweeted. | "Just before their violent physical assaults on journalists, the right-wing extr…

commondreams (2020-12-22). Patriotic Millionaires On COVID Relief Bill: "The American People Deserve Better" commondreams.org ______________________________…

splcenter (2020-12-22). Freedom Denied: Minor parole violations keep Alabama man tangled in state's prison system. splcenter.org &nbsp…

Alison Weir (2020-12-22). U.S.-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act: US Congress Votes $4 Billion to Israel for 2021. globalresearch.ca Congress just voted billions of dollars of U.S. tax money to Israel, No mainstream US media appear to have told Americans that both houses of Congress just voted massive aid to Israel, a tiny country with a long record …

Online News Editor (2020-12-22). First direct flight between Morocco, Israel lands in Rabat. laprensalatina.com Rabat, Dec 22 (efe-epa).- The first direct commercial flight between Morocco and Israel since the two countries normalized relations landed in Rabat from Tel Aviv on Tuesday with an Israeli-American delegation led by Jared Kushner, son-in-law and advisor to outgoing US president Donald Trump. The flight follows the agreement on the restoration of bilateral ties …

Nick Licata (2020-12-22). Is a Fascist Movement Developing Here? counterpunch.org Since the media declared that former Vice President Joe Biden won the presidential election, the nation has witnessed a proliferation of right-wing Trump rallies. Their message: the election was a fraud and Trump's win was stolen from him. Is this the beginning of a domestic fascist movement to discredit our democratic institutions? Historian Timothy Snyder

sputniknews (2020-12-22). After Parliament Dissolution, Israel Will Hold Snap Election, Speaker Says. sputniknews.com The political coalition of the two Israeli party leaders has been the verge of collapse, as Gantz, Israel's defence minister, and Netanyahu failed to agree on the country's budget for this year and 2021, as the prime minister sought to postpone the deadline for submitting the budget to the Knesset for a vote…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-12-21). The Great Divider: Covid-19 Reflects Global Racism, Not Equality. counterpunch.org The notion that the COVID-19 pandemic was 'the great equalizer' should be dead and buried by now. If anything, the lethal disease is another terrible reminder of the deep divisions and inequalities in our societies. That said, the treatment of the disease should not be a repeat of the same shameful scenario.

Mohammad Ayesh (2020-12-21). Arabic press review: Saudi Arabia and UAE bankrolling Arab states' Israel deals. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Saudi Arabia and UAE bankrolling Arab states' Israel deals | Meanwhile, Jordanian prisoner numbers soar and Egypt revokes citizenship of 17 people under nationality law | Mon, 12/21/2020 – 16: 12 | A Moroccan diplomat said that the UAE and Saudi Arabia were sponsoring normalisation agreements on behalf of the US (AFP) | Saudi Arabia, UAE bankrolling normalisation agreeme…

CP Editor (2020-12-21). Beer in Palestine. counterpunch.org

Joseph Gedeon (2020-12-21). A Covid Christmas in Palestine. thenation.com A Covid Christmas in Palestine…

Fight Back (2020-12-21). Today is Stalin's birthday. fightbacknews.org December 21 marks the birthday of Joseph Stalin, leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. | Though reviled in the West, Stalin oversaw the period of socialist construction in the USSR. Under his leadership the country abolished illiteracy, unemployment, homelessness, and put an end to Russia's centuries-long history of famines. Under the leadership of Stalin, the USSR played a key role in turning back the tide of fascism and the defeat of Nazi Germany. This victory was not just a victory for the Soviet Union and socialism, but a victory for the peoples of the world…

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-21). The Brexiteer Elites and Britain's Patriotic Billionaires: "Making Britain Great Again" (MBGA). globalresearch.ca Capitalism and patriotism do not share the same stable. When those in the business of accumulating profits suggest a love for flag and country, be wary. Wars might take place and trade agreements struck by governments, but the capitalist will …

Matthew Ehret-Kump (2020-12-21). Today's China Espionage Scandals Revive the Gouzenko Hoax That Unleashed the Cold War. globalresearch.ca Today, a new coordinated psychological operation has been sprung to convince every living patriot across the Five Eyes sphere of influence that the enemy of the free world who lurks behind every conspiracy to overthrow governments, and western values is…China….

Chris Gelardi (2020-12-21). Detroit is Suing Black Lives Matter Protesters for "Civil Conspiracy" zcomm.org The city's lawsuit came after protesters won a restraining order against Detroit cops for their violent response to the George Floyd protests…

news.un (2020-12-21). Return to 'path of meaningful negotiations', UN envoy urges Israelis, Palestinians. news.un.org Addressing the UN Security Council on Monday, the UN envoy for the Middle East Peace Process urged Israelis, Palestinians, regional States and the broader international community to "take practical steps to enable the parties to re-engage" in the peace process.

James Zogby (2020-12-21). Conservative Christians Remain Silent About Suffering Bethlehem. commondreams.org "To most in the West, Palestinian Christians are simply invisible. To conservative Christians, they are at best a nuisance who stand in the way of their unquestioning ideological attachment to Israel." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…