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Thai Red Shirts call worldwide protests for Sept 19

A statement by Thai Red Australia Group for Democracy

Four years ago on the 19th September, the Thai people were concerned about a very damaging coup which toppled an elected government and resulted in the political and economic crisis that persists to today.

Western Sahara: BHP urged to dump phosphate trade

The Australia Western Sahara Association has urged BHP-Billiton to suspend Canadian company PotashCorp鈥檚 trade in phosphate from Western Sahara if its takeover bid is successful. AWSA president Lyn Allison said in an August 25 statement: 鈥淚f BHP cares anything for business ethics, social responsibility and international law, it will not allow the Canadian fertiliser corporation to buy further Western Saharan phosphate from Morocco.鈥

France: Millions march against pension reform

More than 2.7 million workers joined protests across France on September 7. The strikes and protests marked the start of a parliamentary debate over the new pension bill that will dramatically cut workers鈥 pensions. The protests were called by coalition of six of France鈥檚 Union Confederations.

Iraq war declared over, continues unabated

鈥淭wo American soldiers have been killed and nine wounded after a gunman in Iraqi army uniform attacked them at an Iraqi base, US officials said. 鈥淭he soldiers were part of a security detail for a United States company commander who was meeting members of Iraq's security forces at a commando compound near the city of Tuz Khurmato, 170 kilometres north of Baghdad, US military said. 鈥淭hey were the first American soldiers killed since US forces formally ended combat operations in Iraq a week ago 鈥 [I]nsurgents continue to launch attacks daily, many targeting Iraqi soldiers and police.鈥

US bid for South American war fails

Venezuela鈥檚 decision to re-establish diplomatic, political and economic relations with Colombia on August 10 was only possible thanks to a range of circumstances and actions. Venezuela cut ties on July 22 in the face of allegations made by Colombia at the Organisation of American States (OAS) of alleged Venezuelan support for left-wing Colombian guerrillas. The Venezuelan government said the allegations were part of an attempt, backed by the US, to spark a war between the two nations.

Ecosocialism鈥檚 global challenge

Not long ago, a lot of socialists around the world had little to say about environmental issues. The environmental movement was focused on individual (change your light bulbs) and capitalist (create a market for emissions) solutions to the ecological crisis. In 2007, immediately after the founding of the Ecosocialist International Network (EIN), I wrote a Canadian Dimension article on the challenges facing ecosocialists. In it, I discussed two trends that seemed to indicate a new wave of anti-capitalist and pro-ecology action:

Carbon imperialism devastating Africa

For five centuries, Africa has suffered at the hands of the West. Starting with the slave trade, through the colonial era, to today鈥檚 neoliberal global economy, the development of industrial capitalism in the West has come at a terrible price paid by Africans. Food riots in Mozambique early this month and looming mass starvation in Niger after floods that were preceded by years of drought both reflect the ongoing economic exploitation. However, they also reflect another creation of the industrialised West adversely affecting Africa: climate change.

Campaign to list Blair鈥檚 memoirs under 鈥榗rime鈥

鈥淭ony Blair's autobiography, A Journey, is being subversively moved to crime 麻豆传媒 in book shops by members of a Facebook protest group. 鈥淥ver 10,000 Facebook members have joined the group 鈥楽ubversively move Tony Blair鈥檚 memoirs to the crime section in book shops鈥 and have been posting photos of them doing so 鈥 鈥淭he Facebook group description said: 鈥楳ake book shops think twice about where they categorise our generation鈥檚 greatest war criminal.鈥欌 鈥 September 8 Webusers.co.uk.

BP seeks to dodge oil spill blame

鈥淏P PLC鈥檚 long-awaited internal investigation into the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig found that the British oil giant bears some responsibility for the disaster but laid most of the blame on its contractors鈥, the September 8 Wall Street Journal said.

War criminal forced to cancel book launches

鈥淭ony Blair today cancelled a second event scheduled to mark the launch of his memoirs after anti-war campaigners prepared to mount a protest against him 鈥 鈥淭he decision comes just days after Blair announced he was cancelling a signing session due to be held at the Waterstone's book store in London's Piccadilly this lunchtime, amid concerns over planned protests 鈥 鈥淎 book signing in Dublin a few days earlier had seen eggs and shoes hurled by protesters, with one individual attempting to make a citizen鈥檚 arrest.鈥 鈥 September 8 Guardian.

Thailand: Protests defy emergency law

Up to 20,000 supporters of the pro-democracy Red Shirt movement rallied at a concert in the Thailand seaside resort city of Pattaya on September 4. It was one the biggest mobilisations since the military bloodily dispersed the Red Shirts鈥 mass protest camp in Bangkok in May, killing 91 and injuring thousands more. Red Shirt leader and Puea Thai party MP Jatuporn Prompan called on people to place red roses outside prisons around the country on September 17. Hundreds of Red Shirt leaders and activists continue to be detained.

Canada: Victims of anti-Cuban terrorism unite

The Fabio Di Celmo Committee for the Five, (CFDCF) of Quebec-Cuba Solidarity, has been organising picket lines in front of the US Consulate in downtown Montreal the first Thursday of every month for more than three years in solidarity with the Cuban Five. The five are Rene Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero, Gerardo Hernandez, and Ram贸n Labanino and Fernando Gonzalez. They were arrested 12 years ago on September 12, sentenced to long prison terms and held in terrible penitentiary conditions.