Daily Archives: November 16, 2020

2020-11-16: News Headlines

Mohammad Ayesh (2020-11-16). Arabic press review: Algerian court sentences media mogul to five years in prison. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Algerian court sentences media mogul to five years in prison | Meanwhile, Jordanian MPs are due to be prosecuted over alleged 'vote buying', and more than 200 prominent Palestinians campaign for one-state solution | Mon, 11/16/2020 – 14: 32 | Anis Rahmani's organisation served as the media wing of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's administration (Facebook) | Algerian cour…

Ralph Nader (2020-11-16). Trump's Ongoing Crime Wave Requires a Special Prosecutor. counterpunch.org There are many reasons why loser Trump refuses to concede. Yes, delusion has been the counterfeit coin of his fantasy realm — "I won this election by a lot" he tweeted with all caps last Saturday. In his fevered mind — nourished by a bullying career — all victories are his triumphs, and all losses are fake due

MEE staff (2020-11-16). Etihad Airways removes advert featuring Second Jewish Temple. middleeasteye.net Etihad Airways removes advert featuring Second Jewish Temple | Promotional video was part of announcement that airline will start operating flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv | Mon, 11/16/2020 – 15: 32 | Screengrab of Etihad Airways' promotional video, subsequently removed, showing a drawing of Jerusalem's Second Temple as one of Israel's landmarks (Twitter\@etihad) | Etihad Airways has removed a video adv…

MEE staff (2020-11-16). Pakistan under pressure to recognise Israel, says Imran Khan. middleeasteye.net Pakistan under pressure to recognise Israel, says Imran Khan | Prime minister says United States and other countries ramping up pressure following Israel's deals with UAE and Bahrain | Mon, 11/16/2020 – 14: 46 | Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan addresses the legislative assembly in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, 5 August (AFP) | Pakistan is under pressure from the US and other co…

Middle East Eye (2020-11-16). Groups Critical of Israel to be Branded 'Antisemitic' Under Pompeo Plan: Report. globalresearch.ca The US State Department is expected to announce plans to create a new governmental process that would officially designate some groups, including NGOs and human rights organisations, as antisemitic. | Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has reportedly decided to establish the …

Anadolu Agency (2020-11-16). Pakistani PM Khan Says He Is Under Pressure to Recognize Israel. globalresearch.ca Pakistan's prime minister said he has been under "pressure" to recognize Israel. However, Islamabad will never recognize the "Zionist" state until a just settlement is reached for the decadeslong Palestinian issue. | In an interview with a local broadcaster aired on …

splcenter (2020-11-16). FBI Reports an Increase in Hate Crimes in 2019: Hate-Based Murders More than Doubled. splcenter.org &nbsp…

_____ (2020-11-16). Peru's Youth Have Mobilized In Indignation. popularresistance.org Mass protests broke out after Peru's parliament voted to impeach former president Martin Vizcarra on November 9th, installing Manuel Merino of the Accion Popular party, as head of state for the 5 months left till the country's general elections. | The Peruvian left are not supporters of former neoliberal president Vizcarra, but have condemned the impeachment that has been carried out by forces even further to his right, "The new government has named àÅntero Flores Aráoz as president of the Council of Ministers, he is the best representative of the old politics: conservative, far-right, racist, sexist, a few…

WSWS (2020-11-16). This week in history: November 16-22. wsws.org 25 years ago: Peres succeeds Rabin as Israeli prime ministerOn November 22, 1995, Shimon Peres officially succeeded Yitzhak Rabin as Israeli prime minister, 18 days after Rabin was assassinated by a religious Zionist fanatic. Peres's major political moves upon taking office—an appeal for new peace talks with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and the appointment of several new cabinet ministers—demonstrated an acute awareness of the depth and explosive potential of the social and political crisis of the Zionist state.

_____ (2020-11-15). On Contact: American Fascists And The Christian Right. popularresistance.org On the show this week, Chris Hedges talks to the Rev. Dr. Mel White about the Christian Right, which Hedges describes as "a homegrown fascist movement." It has been organizing to take political power for decades, he says. During the Trump administration, it seized senior positions in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government — a move violating US Constitutional powers of separation of Church and State. In his book 'American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America', Hedges states that there are 70 million evangelical Christians in the United States…

MEE and agencies (2020-11-15). Israeli army strikes Gaza Strip overnight. middleeasteye.net Israeli army strikes Gaza Strip overnight | The air and land attack took place shortly after the first anniversary of the assassination of an Islamic Jihad leader | Sun, 11/15/2020 – 10: 33 | Israeli air strikes, like the one pictured in the town of Khan Younis on 23 October 2020, are a regular occurrence in Gaza (AFP) | The Israeli army said it struck Hamas positions in the besieged Gaza…

Takirra Winfield Dixon (2020-11-15). Monuments to Black lives have no value without justice and meaningful change. salon.com My city named a building in my father's memory. He would have preferred economic equality for his workers…

Marwa Osman (2020-11-15). Iraq Threatens U.S.—MES EP.80. thealtworld.com Iraq's anti-terror Kata'ib Hezbollah group, a faction of the country's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) better known as Hashd al-Sha'abi, has warned that a "tougher and stronger" confrontation awaits US forces should they defy a timetable set for their withdrawal from the Arab country. The Iraqi resistance further warned that the next stage of the fight will soon take place featuring new types of weapons. To discuss this issue with us from Malmo is Feras Ali political commentator. | Israeli Bulldozers and diggers demolished Palestinian village of Khirbet Humsa last week, leaving 74 people, including 41 minors, ho…

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-15). Shamkhani's meeting with Iraqi Defense Minister. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 15 (MNA) — Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani met and held talks with the visiting Iraqi Minister of Defense Juma Inad Sadoon in Tehran on Sunday.

Melanie McFarland (2020-11-15). "The Reagans" shows how the Gipper paved the way for political actors pretending they aren't racist. salon.com Showtime's series about the Reagans' rise to power covers well-known ground but falls prey to the stardom narrative…

Dana Drugmand (2020-11-14). Norway's Supreme Court to decide on climate lawsuit challenging offshore Arctic oil drilling. nationofchange.org "To disregard this is to disregard Norway's international responsibilities and science."

RT (2020-11-14). Fired Amazon worker & strike leader sues megacorporation for racial discrimination during Covid-19. rt.com An ex-Amazon employee who led a warehouse workers' strike has sued for discrimination, alleging the company failed to "provide PPE equipment to its predominantly minority workforce" while giving whites cushy management jobs. | The trillion-dollar online retail giant "subjected a class of African American and Hispanic workers to inferior terms and conditions of employment as it offered predominantly Caucasian employees working in managerial classifications [sic]," the

Jim McMahan (2020-11-14). Seattle: Anti-racist marches continue during election week. workers.org Seattle Black-led marches against racist and economic oppression continued during election week in Seattle. Trump's racism has led more people to stay in the streets. While the vote for Biden was big, the election definitely didn't take people out of the streets. "Count Every Vote — Protect Every Person" rally, . . . |

RT (2020-11-14). Survey shows 29% of Labour's Muslims experienced 'Islamophobia' within the party. rt.com The UK Labour may be facing a new crisis on top of the enduring anti-Semitism scandal, as more than half of party's Muslims do not believe its leadership is able to deal with the allegedly rampant Islamophobia, a survey has found.

Gloria Rubac (2020-11-14). Naciones indígenas de Oklahoma ganan fallo de Corte Suprema. workers.org Una decisión sorprendentemente progresista de la Corte Suprema encontró que más de un tercio de Oklahoma todavía se denomina como "nación indígena" según la ley federal para la tribu Muscogee Creek y otras tribus de Oklahoma. En 1880, delegados indígenas de 34 tribus frente al Consejo Creek House, Territorio Indio. . . . |

Richard Horton (2020-11-14). [Comment] Offline: A different kind of lockdown. thelancet.com In April, 2019, Dr Mai Alkaila became the first woman to be appointed Minister of Health in the occupied Palestinian territory. An obstetrician and gynaecologist by training, she later earned a PhD in health policy and systems. But she also had a taste for diplomacy and has served the State of Palestine as Ambassador to Chile and Italy. Perfect credentials, one might imagine, for a role that comes with already delicate political challenges. And then the COVID-19 pandemic struck. How was a divided land and a divided government under occupation going to handle a health emergency that was confounding even the most u…

_____ (2020-11-14). Update: Abby Martin's Lawsuit Over Israel Loyalty Oath Mandate In US. popularresistance.org New developments in Abby Martin's major lawsuit challenging unconstitutional pro-Israel, anti-BDS law in the state of Georgia. | Abby Martin: "In February of this year, I was supposed to give a keynote speech at Georgia Southern University. Before the event, I refused to sign a state-mandated pledge to not boycott Israel in order to speak. My invitation was rescinded and the conference canceled as a result. I decided to sue the state of Georgia because signing an anti-BDS clause in order to work in the state is a direct violation of my rights to Constitutional free speech and to participate in political boycotts.

Sophia Purdy-Moore (2020-11-14). Netpol reveals 'institutional racism' in the policing of Britain's Black Lives Matter protests. thecanary.co The Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) has released a new Netpol's report comes days after a Joint Committee on Human Right…

_____ (2020-11-14). Racism In Britain Has A Long If Contested History. popularresistance.org The demobilized troopship HMT Empire Windrush that arrived at Tilbury Dock on 22 June 1948 was not Britain's first migration ship, but its passengers were the first to be promised British citizenship, which the British Nationality Act of 1948 conferred on "every person born within the United Kingdom and Colonies." Of the 1029 passengers, 802 from the Caribbean, 96 were household domestics and 85 were mechanics; there were also, in smaller numbers, scholars, civil servants and a judge. They had accepted an invitation to help rebuild the Mother Country and arrived full of hope for a warm reception.

Refuse Fascism Bay Area (2020-11-14). Saturday 11/14: Biden's Win Is a Very Good Thing, But the Struggle Is Far From Over. indybay.org Powell & Market, San Francisco…

WSWS (2020-11-14). Neo-Nazis march in Germany on anniversary of anti-Jewish November Pogroms. wsws.org On the night of November 9—10, 1938, Nazis across Germany torched synagogues, looted Jewish businesses, murdered hundreds of Jews and sent tens of thousands more to concentration camps.

_____ (2020-11-14). Brazil: Municipal Elections Promise Gains For Left. popularresistance.org On Sunday, November 15, residents of Brazil's 5570 municipalities will vote for mayors and city councilors in what promises to be a day of moderate gains by left wing political parties and embarrassing loses for candidates aligned with Brazil's far right President Jair Bolsonaro. | In 2012, the Brazilian Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores/PT) elected 638 mayors, including 19 in Brazil's largest 95 cities (those with population above 200,000). In 2016, after 3 years of a relentless national and international media smear campaign based on false corruption allegations…

Igor Derysh (2020-11-13). Justice Samuel Alito called out for highly "partisan" speech on COVID-19 rules and same-sex marriage. salon.com The Supreme Court justice's "angry" Federalist Society speech makes a good case for court reform, scholars say…

The Canary (2020-11-13). Black nurses 'petrified' of being sent to frontline without adequate protection. thecanary.co Black nurses are "petrified" they will be sent back to the frontline without adequate protection or risk assessment during the second coronavirus wave, a support organisation has said. Equality 4 Black Nurses, a nurse-led organisation which aims to eradicate racial discrimination in the NHS, also raised concerns that stresses caused by the pandemic were "bringing racial inequalities to the surface".Discrimination: A survey conducted by the organisation found that a third (32%) of Black nurses were not supplied with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) during the peak of the first wave. The study al…

MEE staff (2020-11-13). 'Dangerous precedent': Palestinian premier warns Pompeo over settlement visit. middleeasteye.net 'Dangerous precedent': Palestinian premier warns Pompeo over settlement visit | Mike Pompeo's visit, a first for a US secretary of state, will 'legitimise' Israeli settlements despite international consensus over their illegality, warns Prime Minister Shtayyeh | Fri, 11/13/2020 – 21: 32 | Protesters in Nablus burn cardboard cutout of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier this year during demonstration agai…

The Canary (2020-11-13). Met Commissioner admits force 'not free of discrimination, racism or bias'. thecanary.co The Metropolitan Police commissioner has said she feels "very sorry" that trust among Black communities is so low, as she admitted her force "is not free of discrimination, racism or bias".Cressida Dick issued a statement as the force outlined plans for 40% of new recruits to be from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds (BAME) from 2022.It comes as London mayor Sadiq Khan published an action plan to address concerns over the use of police powers affecting Black Londoners, including stop and search and the use of Tasers. It also comes after the mother of Stephen Lawrence argued "that there has been very li…

Lyn Neeley (2020-11-13). After Defund Police victory, Portland keeps marching. workers.org Portland, Ore. After 170 days of uninterrupted protests against racism, fascism and police brutality, 82 percent of Portlanders have voted for a community oversight board to investigate and discipline cases of police violence. Rally for Black Lives Matter and to defend workers' rights, Portland, Ore., Nov. 8 Since the brutal . . . |

Staff (2020-11-13). Voting Activist Desmond Meade on Re-enfranchising People & Why "Ex-Felon" Is a Dehumanizing Label. democracynow.org In Florida, tens of thousands of newly eligible voters who were previously disenfranchised due to their criminal records turned out to the polls for the 2020 election. Amendment 4, a measure that in 2018 overturned a Jim Crow-era law aimed at keeping African Americans from voting, restored voting rights to people with nonviolent felonies who have completed their sentences and was hailed as the biggest win for voting rights in decades. However, hundreds of thousands of people in Florida remain disenfranchised due to a modern-day poll tax that requires formerly incarcerated voters to pay all fees and fines to court…

Staff (2020-11-13). What Wisconsin's vote says about America's future. therealnews.com Former Madison City Councilman David Ahrens and Milwaukee activist Angela Lang join TRNN's Marc Steiner to look at Wisconsin's progressive roots and racist realities—and to discuss the political battles to come.

Rayhan Uddin (2020-11-13). Widespread experiences and perceptions of Islamophobia in UK Labour, report reveals. middleeasteye.net Widespread experiences and perceptions of Islamophobia in UK Labour, report reveals | Damning study finds Muslim supporters of Labour don't trust or feel represented by the opposition's leadership | Fri, 11/13/2020 – 11: 25 | Muslim supporters of the Labour Party campaign during the UK general election in December 2019 (Labour Muslim Network) | A significant proportion of Muslim supporters of the Labo…

MEE staff (2020-11-13). Obama says disagreements with Israel carried 'domestic political cost': Report. middleeasteye.net Obama says disagreements with Israel carried 'domestic political cost': Report | In excerpts from upcoming book, former US president accuses Benjamin Netanyahu of orchestrating political pressure on his administration | Fri, 11/13/2020 – 16: 43 | Obama says AIPAC echoed Israeli government even when it was "contrary to US policy" (AFP/File photo) | In his upcoming memoir, A Promised Land, former US president Ba…

Fred Fuentes (2020-11-13). Women of Steel: Check out upcoming screenings near you. greenleft.org.au Denied jobs at Wollongong's steelworks, working-class migrant women refused to accept discrimination. They began a campaign for the right to work that lasted for 14 years. Women of Steel tells their story, writes Kerry Smith.

Staff (2020-11-13). The Fight to Re-Enfranchise Voters Continues. truthout.org Image Credit: Florida Rights Restoration Coalition | In Florida, tens of thousands of newly eligible voters who were previously disenfranchised due to their criminal records turned out to the polls for the 2020 election. Amendment 4, a measure that in 2018 overturned a Jim Crow-era law aimed at keeping African Americans from voting, restored voting rights to people with nonviolent felonies who have completed their sentences and was hailed as the biggest win for voting rights in decades. However, hundreds of thousands of people…

Rory Fanning (2020-11-13). Far Right Militias Are Recruiting Vets. We Must Organize Against This Trend. zcomm.org Challenging U.S. imperialism and combating white supremacy are part of the same struggle…

Richard Falk (2020-11-13). Making Sense of Hunger Strikes and Symbolic Politics. zcomm.org The inspirational example of the Irish hunger strikers who did not abandon their quest for elemental justice at the doorstep of death was not lost on the Palestinians…

Amanda Marcotte (2020-11-13). The far right is cracking up, as their violent fantasies of Trump's fascist takeover evaporate. salon.com QAnon, the Proud Boys and white nationalist groups flail around helplessly as twilight falls on the Trump era…

Dolores Perez Heilbron (2020-11-13). Sunday 11/29: Dr. Benjamin Madley, "An American Genocide" Zoom Presentation. indybay.org First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco | ZOOM PRESENTATION…

The Canary (2020-11-13). Comedian says she is 'disabled and proud' after Question Time speech. thecanary.co Comedian Rosie Jones said she is "bloody proud" to be disabled after speaking on Question Time 25 years since the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act. | "Groundbreaking": | The legislation, which was introduced in 1995, prohibited discrimination on the grounds of disability, and was significantly extended in 2006 to include areas such as employment and education. | Jones, who has cerebral palsy, appeared on the BBC's discussion programme to talk about her experience, and said that the "groundbreaking" act had helped her lead a better life. She told Fiona Bruce: Without a doubt my life has bee…

_____ (2020-11-13). Black Cops Don't Make Policing Any Less Anti-Black. popularresistance.org Amid recent growing calls for defunding police this summer, a set of billboards appeared in Dallas, Atlanta, and New York City. Each had the words "No Police, No Peace" printed in large, bold letters next to an image of a Black police officer. Funded by a conservative right-wing think tank , the billboards captured all the hallmarks of modern pro-policing propaganda. The jarring choice of language, a deliberate corruption of the protest chant "no justice, no peace," follows a pattern we see frequently from proponents of the police state.

_____ (2020-11-12). Supreme Court Challenge To ACA Highlights Why We Need Medicare For All. popularresistance.org Once again, the fate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the health law passed under the Obama administration in 2010, will be in the hands of the Supreme Court. The court heard oral arguments in the case, California v. Texas, on Tuesday. A decision is expected in the spring. This is the third time the law has been tested in the Supreme Court, but this time experts are not certain the outcome will be as favorable as it was in 2012 and 2015 due to the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her replacement with Amy Coney Barrett.

Steve Sweeney (2020-11-12). South Africa's Communists condemn possible release of Chris Hani's assassin. peoplesworld.org The South African Communist Party (SACP) is voicing strong opposition to the application for the release of the murderer of its former general secretary Chris Hani. Janusz Walus was jailed for life for the 1993 killing, which took place while negotiations to end the country's racist apartheid system were at an advanced stage. Walus's latest …

Simon Hooper (2020-11-12). 'Hostile environment' supporter appointed to EHRC equality watchdog. middleeasteye.net 'Hostile environment' supporter appointed to EHRC equality watchdog | David Goodhart, who says he has 'grown used to being accused of racism even by my own children', appointed to Equality and Human Rights Commission board | Thu, 11/12/2020 – 14: 59 | David Goodhart described Black Lives Matter complaints of systemic racism in the UK as "statistically naive" (Screengrab) | The UK government has appoin…

Eds. (2020-11-12). Identity politics, the far right, and masks. mronline.org On the right, identity politics is leveraged to deliberately divide and fracture workers, pitting them against each other, most frequently on the basis of race, gender, religion, or nationality.

splcenter (2020-11-12). Far-Right Extremists Heading to Washington Amid Talk of Trump "Coup" splcenter.org A cluster of far-right extremists including neo-fascists, white nationalists and militia members are expected to descend on Washington D.C. Saturday, amidst President Trump's refusal to accept his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 election.