Communists condemn ‘cold-blooded murder of democracy’ in West Bengal

Opposition campaigners burnt to death as Trinamool Congress bludgeons its way to re-election

Morning Star | 16 May, 2018

 

COMMUNISTS have condemned the “the cold-blooded murder of democracy” in West Bengal, where at least 12 people have been killed, including opposition party activists burnt to death, during election campaigning.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury accused the police of being “in complete cahoots” with the “barbarity” of the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).

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Kinder Morgan pipeline: Who will fight Big Oil in Canada’s tarsands?

By Elizabeth Rowley

People’s World | 11 May, 2018

 

TORONTO—It was high drama when center-left Alberta New Democratic Party (NDP) Premier Rachel Notley drew out her pistols against British Columbia NDP Premier John Horgan, calling on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the federal government for back-up. The public was told this western was all about “the national interest,” and that was the reason the PM had to call the two Premiers down to Ottawa for a talking-to. It turns out the talking-to was mostly directed at Horgan, who formed a government after promising to stop the Trans Mountain Pipeline from being built to deliver bitumen from the Alberta tarsands to deep-sea tankers on the British Columbia coast.

India: Baiga Indigenous People March Against Displacement Due to Tiger Corridor, Demand Forest Rights

More than 300 adivasis marched for two days protesting a proposed tiger corridor that would lead to their displacement from the forests

by Poorvi Kulkarni

The Wire | March 19, 2018

Baiga adivasis march protesting displacement and denial of forest rights. Credit: Harshit Charles

Pandariya (Chhattisgarh): Protesting against their likely displacement for developing the Kanha-Achanakmar tiger reserve corridor, more than 300 Baiga adivasis from around 20 villages held a two-day long march in western Chhattisgarh. Covering a distance of around 70 kms, the adivasis walked from Bahpani village in the Daladali hills to Pandariya town in Chhattisgarh’s Kawardha district. The march that began on March 17 was concluded with a Baiga assembly at Gandhi chowk on March 19.

Canada: Indigenous Leaders and Allies Stage Sit-In to Protest Kinder Morgan Pipeline

by Jake Johnson, staff writer

Common Dreams | March 17, 2018

“I’m standing up for Indigenous rights, for clean water and for a safe, liveable climate and look forward to doing so alongside the ever growing movement against this dangerous pipeline,” Clayton Thomas-Muller of 350.org said in a statement.(Photo: Mike Hudema/Twitter)

Building on the massive march against the expansion of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline that brought 10,000 people to the streets of British Columbia last weekend, Indigenous leaders and their allies staged a sit-in on Saturday at a pipeline construction site on Burnaby Mountain, kicking off a wave of civil disobedience that is set to continue through next week.

The Power of Protest

by Richard Youngs

Frontier | Vol. 50, No.33, Feb 18 – 24, 2018

What trends can we decipher when it comes to modern protests? Is there a pattern to the grievances that helps to explain the current spike in protest?

Large-scale protests have become more numerous and geographically widespread in recent years. While much debate among international relations experts has focused on the shift in power away from the West to rising economies, equally significant in the nascent era of global politics is the rise of citizen mobilisation.

Indigenous People Lead Global Divestment Protest of Banks’ Investment in Fossil Fuels as Banks Discuss Equator Principles

Mazaska Talks | October 23, 2017

SEATTLE – Today 91 banks will meet at the annual meeting of the Equator Principles Association (EPA) in Sao Paulo, Brazil. At this time, the indigenous-led divestment campaign, Mazaska Talks, is leading a global 3-day protest known as #DivestTheGlobe. On Monday, there will be actions in at least 44 cities in the United States and Canada. On Tuesday and Wednesday, there will be actions in Africa, Europe and Asia.

Canadian Communists, labor, and social justice groups oppose “new NAFTA”

PEOPLE’S VOICE | October 06, 2017

Opponents of the “new NAFTA” protest outside negotiations in Ottawa, Sept. 21. | People’s Voice

OTTAWA, Canada—As NAFTA negotiators from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico gathered in Ottawa for a third round of talks, the Communist Party of Canada (CPC) held a press conference at the National Press Gallery on Parliament Hill on Sept. 21, and participated in the tri-lateral “Civil Society Summit” on Sept. 23.