Issue 1398

News

Sue Bolton at HTA rally

Community members demanded the closure of the Heat Treatment AustraliaĀ weapons manufacturing facility in Campbellfield in Naarm/Melbourne,Ā for its role in arming Israel. Jacob Andrewartha °ł±š±č“Ē°ł³Ł²õ.Ģż

Palestine solidarity activists protested outside Peter Khalil MP's office for the fifth time,Ā calling on him to support a ceasefire in Gaza. Jacob Andrewartha reports.

Ā鶹“«Ć½ News podcast Ep 30, February 5, 2024

Ā鶹“«Ć½ĢżĀį“Ē³Ü°ł²Ō²¹±ō¾±²õ³ŁĢżIsaac Nellist goes through the latest news from across the continent and around the world.

A person holding a sign that says: "We stand in solidarity with Teachers 4 Palestine"

Teachers andĀ unionists protestedĀ showed their support for high school teacher Jason Wong, who is facing disciplinary action for supporting Palestine. Jacob Andrewartha reports.

The US case against Julian Assange redefines investigative journalism as espionage,Ā journalist Mary Kostakidis said, adding that extradition to the US will cost himĀ his freedom and quite likely his life. Jim McIlroy reports.

New South Wales Coroner Teresa Oā€™Sullivan has suspended the inquest into the death in 2022 of Dunghutti teenager Jai Wright and referred itĀ toĀ the Department of Public Prosecutions. Kerry Smith reports.

Thousands marched again against Israelā€™s genocide in Gaza, in some cities for the 16th week in a row,Ā and afterĀ Labor suspendedĀ aid to the Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees.

Strong First Nations-Palestinian solidarity was a prominentĀ feature of the 2024 Invasion Day march on Gadigal Country on January 26. Peter Boyle reports.

Invasion Day in Naarm/Melbourne

Huge numbers in many cities at the January 26 Invasion Day rallies demonstrated that the movement for First Nations rights has not been demoralised by the ā€˜Noā€™ vote in last year's Voice referendum. Alex Bainbridge reports.

A group of residents hasĀ madeĀ a symbolic recognition of Gaza as a sister city as part of their solidarity with Palestine. Niko Leka reports.

'Ferra spreads terror', January 24 picket at Ferra Engineering

Pro-Palestine activists picketed aĀ Ferra Engineering factoryĀ to protest its provision of weapons components to Israel.Ā Alex Bainbridge reports.

Extinction Rebellion SA was trackside at Belair Road, Mitcham, to support cyclists in the Tour Down final race while calling for fossil fuel company Santos to be dumped as a sponsor. Kerry Smith reports.

Socialist Alliance Palestine

The Socialist Alliance committed to building the Palestine movement atĀ its 18thĀ National Conference. Chloe DS reports.

Thousands rally in Gadi/Sydney on January 21

Huge rallies marched for the 15th week in a row against Israel's genocidal assault on Gaza. Alex Bainbridge reports.

At least 340 healthcare workers have been slain, mainly in the line of duty, by Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip. Paul Gregoire reports on a healthcare workers' vigil in Liverpool.

Video from the community picket organised by Trade Unionists for Palestine to stop the Israeli ZIM ship from unloading at Webb Dock.

Analysis

$100 notes

As the Reserve Bank of Australia andĀ Labor and the Coalition continue to supress wages, living costs continue to rise. Peter Boyle reports.

Philippe Lazzarini expressedĀ dismayĀ by the speed at which international funding hasĀ been cut to UNRWAĀ saying the decisions threaten humanitarian work in the Gaza Strip. Binoy Kampmark reports.

Nobody who supports justice could consider cutting funds to the main organisation trying to support Gazans fleeing from one end of the Gaza Strip to the other. LaborĀ has to be pressured to reverse its untenable position, arguesĀ Alex Bainbridge.

We must stop normalising the ā€œrevolving doorā€ phenomenon ā€” the movement of individuals from public office to private companies and vice versa, argues Jacob Andrewartha.

LaborĀ is only offering a milder version of the same wrong tax policy, whileĀ tossing a few peanuts to the working class, argues Peter Boyle.

Jubilee Lake Holiday Park has been run by a cooperative since 2011.

Putting holiday destinations under community control could create low-cost alternatives for working people suffering under the cost-of-living crisis. Rachel Evans °ł±š±č“Ē°ł³Ł²õ.Ģż

Israel has always appropriated and exceptionalised Jewish suffering, but anti-Zionist JewsĀ reclaim theirĀ suffering under Nazi persecution from Israelā€™s propaganda machine, Michelle Berkon told a Palestine rally.

An independent foreign policy would involve a policy of neutrality; it would mean Australia could pursue peaceful and mutually beneficial relations with all countries, argues Bevan Ramsden.

A tragic inversion of the concept of justice is being exploited in the ā€œconflictā€ in Gaza, argues Tony Smith.

Tim Gooden

Tim Gooden, retired secretary of the Geelong Trades Hall Council, believes the ACTU and unions can and should exert more public pressure onĀ Labor to take a stand for Palestine. Alex Bainbridge ¾±²Ō³Ł±š°ł±¹¾±±š·É±š»åĢż³ó¾±³¾.

The orders apply to Israel, but conspicuously missing in the International Criminal Court'sĀ interim orderĀ is anĀ explicit demand that it pause or stopĀ military operations in Gaza. Binoy Kampmark reports.

Former Coalition Prime Minister Scott Morrison was always the apotheosis of politicsā€™ worst tendencies: shallow form, public service for private interestĀ and, ultimately, the scrap for survival at the expense of the grand vision, writesĀ Binoy Kampmark.

pill testing can save lives

New research intoĀ drug-related deaths at music festivalsĀ found that 64 people died across the country from July 2000 until the end of 2019. Paul Gregoire reports.

Jews Against the Occupation rejects Israelā€™s weaponisation of Jewish suffering to justify its oppression of the Palestinian people saying the message of The Holocaust must be that ā€œNever Againā€ means anyone.

Julian Assangeā€™s team will present arguments to the British High Court in February that his extradition to the United States to face 18 charges would violate various precepts of justice. Binoy Kampmark reports.

World

striking auto workers listen to a speaker

Neal Meyer a national leader of Bread & Roses (B&R), a caucus of Marxist activists in the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) speaks to Ā鶹“«Ć½ā€™s Federico Fuentes about the recent rise in labour activism in the United States.

man's face

In the name of grassroots democracy and accountability, the people of Strasbourg are being given the opportunity to judge the performance of their local la France Insoumise deputy, Emmanuel Fernandes, reports Sarah Glynn.

water flowing into a hand

The Nigerien government has decided to nationalise the operation of its drinking water, ending its contract with the French Veolia Group, reports Kerry Smith.

map of Sahel region

The military governments in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced on January 28 that they would leave the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and have formed their own alliance, reports Al Mayadeen English.

tractor with banner

As French President Emmanuel Macronā€™s government, under new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, moves ever further to the right, a radical mass movement is again shaking the country, writes John Mullen.

In United States-occupied Puerto Rico, the movement for Palestinian liberation has been growing, reports Peoples Dispatch.

two people embracing

Guatemalan President Bernardo ArƩvalo, took office in the early hours of January 15, following delays caused by last-minute political maneuvers in the Guatemalan Congress, as opponents tried to attack the ruling party and undermine the president, reports Peoples Dispatch.

While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far denied Israelā€™s plans to occupy Gaza, ministers in own cabinet have joined thousands of colonial settlers in calls to ā€œreturnā€ to the Gaza Strip, reports Tanupriya Singh.

map of Balochistan

No matter who attacks, the Baloch people are the target on both sides, writes Farooq Tariq.

crowd of protesters, head shot

Neal Meyer is a national leader of Bread & Roses, a caucus of Marxist activists in the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). He spoke with Ā鶹“«Ć½ā€™s Federico Fuentes about the impact that Israelā€™s war on Gaza is having on US politics.

Ancient site with stamp across saying 'Not for 'Sale'

Thousands of people took to the streets in the Cusco region of southern PeruĀ protesting the governmentā€™s move to privatise ticket sales for the famous Machu Picchu archaeological site, reports Ana Zorita.

people with signs, airplane tail

The union representing pilots and cabin crew at budget airline Jetstar Japan began coordinated strike action ahead of Christmas, after a breakdown in collective bargaining negotiations with management, reports Clive Tillman.

list of countries and dollars

Several of Israelā€™s allies have suspended funding to the United Nations agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) following allegations that 12 of its employees were involved in the October 7 attacks led by Hamas, reports Maureen Clare Murphy.

The US-British airstrikes have hit the Yemeni capital of Sanaa

The United States and Britain claim they don't want to expand the war in the Middle East, when that is exactly what they are doing. Alex Salmon and Elizabeth Bantas report.

woman speaking on a radio

An abuse of process hearing has started against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for violence inflicted on Indigenous land defenders opposing construction of the Coastal GasLink fracked gas pipeline across unceded Wetā€™suwetā€™en territory, reports Jeff Shantz.

Cargo ship with Palestine flag overlay

The United States and its allies bombed targets in Yemen, after the Houthi-led government hit commercial shipping to and from Israel in the Red Sea, in solidarity with the people of Gaza, report Malik Miah and Barry Sheppard.

Culture

Protest albums from January 2024

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

book covers

From killer insects to trash to degrowth, Climate and Capitalism editor Ian Angus presents six new books for understanding and changing the world

book cover and protest in Egypt

Maree F Roberts reviews Vincent Bevins' book If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution, which chronicles the 2010's uprisings in Egypt, Brazil, Turkey, Ukraine and elsewhere, and asks why these mass protest movements failed to bring about revolutionary change.

Book cover, Rodney Syme addresses a protest

Suzanne James reviews Dr Rodney Symes' book, which reveals the societal abandonment of the basic human rights and bodily autonomy of our most vulnerable: dementia sufferers, the aged, the disabled and the terminally ill.