Issue 1374

News

Senator Lidia Thorpe has quit the Greens Party to sit on the Senate crossbenchĀ and help build a strong grassroots Blak Sovereign Movement. Ben Radford °ł±š±č“Ē°ł³Ł²õ.Ģż

The Australian Tamil community and supporters rallied outside the Sri Lankan High Commission onĀ the 75th anniversary of Tamil Oppression Day. Stanley Blair reports.

AĀ Move Beyond CoalĀ national webinar discussed the crisis impacting the Adani Group and its implications for the Carmichael coal project in Queensland, reports Jim McIlroy.

A protest was organised by Move Beyond Coal outside Blackrock and Barclays Bank againstĀ their continued support for Adani/Bravus Carmichael coal mine in Western Queensland. Coral Wynter reports.

Kurds and supportersĀ began a month-longĀ campaign to free imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ɩcalan by sailing through iconic Sydney Harbour in a flag and banner-dressed yacht.ĢżPeter Boyle reports.

Twin earthquakes have devastated Kurdish towns and cities in Turkey and Syria. But the Turkish and Syrian governments have not been providing desperately needed emergency aid,Ā explainsĀ Gulfer Olan.

Refugee protest at Anthony Albanese's Marrickville office

About 100 refugees and supporters gathered outside Prime Minister Anthony Albaneseā€™s electoralĀ office in MarrickvilleĀ to call for permanent protection for all refugees. Isaac Nellist reports.

More than 200 floats will be included in this yearā€™s Mardi Gras, which is expected to be one of the biggest yet, but the selection isĀ being questioned. Josh Adams reports.

Survivors of child sexual abuse and LGBTIQĀ rights group Community Action for Rainbow Rights initiatedĀ protests in the lead-up to andĀ at George Pellā€™s memorial service. Rachel Evans reports.

Group shot, Perth rally for Palestine

Chanting "Free, free Palestine" and "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free", protesters protestedĀ Israel'sĀ  slaughter of Palestinian refugees.ĢżAlex Bainbridge reports.

More than 150 people from across Australia and New Zealand attended the Palestine Solidarity Conference to discuss how toĀ raise public awareness about Palestinian human rights and oppression. Michael Bull reports.

Ā鶹“«Ć½ News podcast Ep 1

Episode 1, February 3, 2023. Ben Radford and Isaac Nellist host a new Ā鶹“«Ć½ news podcast featuring the latest news from Australia and around the world.

Two days of protests outside the Myanmar Embassy marked the second anniversary of the military coup in Burma/Myanmar.ĢżPaul Oboohov reports.

A protest was held in Sydney against theĀ Israeli apartheid state'sĀ upsurge in deadly attacks against the Palestinian people.ĢżPeter Boyle reports.

Activists are fighting to stop logging in a Victorian government-promisedĀ National Park in Western Victoria. Chris Peterson reports.

The Alliance Against Political Persecutions rallied outside the United States Embassy to call on US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy to intercede on behalf of Julian Assange. Paul Oboohov reports.

Coroner Simon McGregor, who conducted the inquest into the death in prison of Gunditjmara, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wiradjuri and Yorta YortaĀ womanĀ Veronica Nelson, said Victoriaā€™s Bail Act needsĀ to be ā€œurgentlyā€ amended. Chris Slee reports.

Donna Nelson, the mother of Gunditjmara, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wiradjuri and Yorta YortaĀ womanĀ Veronica Nelson, has spoken out about the failures of the system and called for changes to the bail laws.ĢżKerry Smith reports.

Two women have takenĀ action to stop logging in Yarratt Forest, north of Taree, by suspendingĀ themselves from trees withĀ ropes. Kerry Smith reports.

Action for Public Housing organised a free sausage sizzle as part of building support for a pre-election rally on February 11 to demand housing justice in NSW. Rachel Evans reports.

Faulty valves, broken vents and a myriad of technical problems have already been shown to be standard operational features in Santosā€™ gas projects, reportsĀ North West Protection Advocacy.

Tens of thousands of peopleĀ joined Invasion Day protests around the country on January 26.Ģż

Analysis

The 20th anniversary of the then largest protest in world history is on February 15. As time passes, memories fade. But the huge 2003 protest against the Iraq war was worth remembering, argues Alex Bainbridge.

Robotic hand with centrelink logo. Background is a pile of gold coins

It seems like no government official or senior public servant realised the Robodebt scheme was illegal, but the idea that the Coalition government didnā€™t know exactly what it was doing is preposterous, argues Zane Alcorn.

Protester holds sign reading 'We are the grand children of the ancestors you couldn't kill'

In a recent address, Professor Thalia Anthony discussed colonisation through a Marxist framework, including the ongoing impacts on First Nations people in Alice Springs. Niko Leka reports.

Jim McIlroyĀ writes about how a recent hospital stay has underlinedĀ why we need to fight to defend and extend the priceless public hospital system.

NSW Labor isĀ a clear favourite to win the March 25 election. ButĀ Suzanne James reviews the field and asks is Laborā€™s lead really as big as it looks?

A placard remembering Reza Berati

Reza Beratiā€™s death has become a symbol of the brutality and impunity of the offshore imprisonment ofĀ asylum seekers and refugees,Ā argues Janet Parker,Ā on the ninth anniversary of his brutal death on Manus Island.

First Nations people and organisations have continued to propose solutions and call for genuine consultation between affected communities at all levels of government. But, as Jacob Andrewartha reports, they are being sidelined.Ģż

Slot machine graphic

Digital rights activist and authorĀ Lizzie Oā€™SheaĀ discusses gambling reform.

John Garcia, a passionate and sincere person, spent much of his life fighting for rights for First Nations peoples and refugees. Robynne Murphy, his friend and comrade, writes about his life.ĢżĀ 

For many young people,Ā the fact that modern Australia emerged from a colonial-settler society founded on the violent dispossession of First Nations peoples is a self-evident fact. Sarah Hathway and Sam WainwrightĀ comment on a significantĀ politicalĀ shiftĀ underway.

The Australian government must not remain silent about one of the worst upsurges in violence inĀ the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesĀ for many years, argues Khaled Ghannam.

The Treasurerā€™s ā€œvalues-based capitalismā€ looks like it will include cuts to public spending, greater private investment, cuts to services and greater upfront costs, arguesĀ Graham Matthews.Ģż

Data privacy, digital rights, gambling reform and more on the Ā鶹“«Ć½ Show with Lizzie O'Shea and Suzanne James.

The setting of the DoomsdayĀ Clock toĀ 90 seconds to midnightĀ reflects the consensus that Russia's Ukraine invasion has brought the world closer to nuclear war than at any time since the 1980s. Here is the plan proposed by theĀ International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

The Doomsday Clock has crept the closest it is ever beenĀ as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the minute hand to 90 seconds to midnight. Paul Gregoire reports.

Sensationalism of events in MparntweĀ is placing First Nations young people at risk, arguesĀ Ampe-kenhe Ahelhe. The groupĀ hasĀ invited the PM to listen to them about finding solutions.

The current frenzy around theĀ Alice Springs crime waveĀ risks risks repeating the same moralĀ panics and deployment ofĀ top-down policies which disempower First Nations people, writeĀ Thalia AnthonyĢż²¹²Ō»åĢżVanessa Napaltjari Davis.

World

Malaysian socialist Soh Sook Hwa, addressing the recent Socialist Alliance national conference, talked about the need for action and solidarity to confront the climate crisis. Susan Price reports.

Canada deaths in police custody

Canadian police need to come clean about their own use of deadly force, writes Jeff Shantz.

Feb 1 2023 strikes Britain

About half a million workers took strike action across Britain on February 1, writes Terry Conway, in the biggest wave of strikes for over a decade.

Protest against pension reform January 31 France

Angry protests have been held in Paris and 267 other towns around France against President Emmanuel Macronā€™s attempt to raise the standard retirement age from 62 to 64, reports John Mullen.

Yuliya Yurchenko

Ukrainian socialist and author of Ukraine and the Empire of Capital Yuliya Yurchenko discusses the key domestic factors that shaped Ukrainian politics from independence to Russiaā€™s invasion.

Ian Ellis-Jones takes on the Cuban right-wing internet trolls.

Burkina Faso coup Sept 2022

Burkina Fasoā€™s government decided on January 18 to ask French military forces to leave the country within a month, reports Vijay Prashad.

Howie Hawkins Ukraine Solidarity Network

Howie HawkinsĀ discussesĀ the recently formed Ukraine Solidarity Network and the challenges of building solidarity with Ukraine while opposing US imperialism.

Arms race

Stop Wapenhandel and The Transnational Institute co-produced an important dossier in November that details the enormous funds the West is spending on a new arms race, reports Pip Hinman.

Jenin massacre Jan 27 2023

While Israeli soldiers stormed Jenin and killed 10 Palestinians, members of Israeli registered professional cycling teams were training on roads in and around Geelong, writes Lisa Gleeson.

Tyre Nichols

Malik Miah asks what this latest cop killing says about policing and why abolition is the only answer.

CWU protest cr Guy Smallman

Half a million trade unionists are gearing up for a national day of strike action on February 1, across England, Scotland and Wales, writes Terry Conway.

Peru protest on Jan 19, 2023

Jorge EscalanteĀ discusses the protest movement, the nature of the Boluarte coup government and what it might take to bring it down.

Culture

British comedian Kate Smurthwaite discusses the power of comedy as a force for good, with Alex Bainbridge.

Ned Kelly, Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner

Michael Adams new book, Hanging Ned Kelly: Elijah Upjohn, the hangmen and the underbelly of colonial Australia, exposes how executioners were forced to do the colonial ruling classes' dirty work. Alex Salmon reviews.

New protest albums from January 2023

Mat Ward looks back at January's political news and the best new music that related to it.