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According to a report in Prachatai, a popular Thai newspaper, a woman was arrested at freedom bike ride by United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship supporters (popularly known as the Red Shirts) in Thailand鈥檚 historic city of Ayutthaya for selling slippers with Thailand鈥檚 military-installed Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva鈥檚 face on them. The slippers were printed with the message, 鈥淧eople died at Ratchaprasong鈥 鈥 referring to the May 19 military massacre against the Red Shirts鈥 mass protest camp in Bangkok.
Refugee Action Coalition NSW media release A year ago, then prime Minister Kevin Rudd called Indonesian President Yudhoyono requesting that the Indonesian navy intercept a boat carrying 254 Tamil asylum seekers to Australia. The boat was the subject of international attention after the asylum seekers refused to disembark at Merak in Indonesia. In April 2010, the asylum seekers were forcibly removed to Tanjung Pinang detention centre. Except for two families shifted to detention in Medan, all the Tamils remain in appalling conditions in Tanjung Pinang.
Holding Socialist Alliance placards

Statement from the Socialist Alliance National Executive October 8, 2010.

Community activists in the Illawarra have again condemned the use of Taser guns and renewed calls for a ban on the controversial weapon. This calls comes just days after a man in Sydney's west died after being struck by a Taser in the chest by police. A video from 2008 has also emerged of an Aboriginal man with a mental illness being Tasered 13 times by police officers in West Australia.
The abridged statement below was released by the South African Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC) on September 29. * * * After a huge mobilisation by South African academics, the senate of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) voted today 鈥渘ot to continue a long-standing relationship with Ben Gurion University (BGU) in Israel in its present form and has set conditions for the relationship to continue鈥.
On October 10, the international day of climate action, climate activists will converge on Hazelwood, Australia鈥檚 dirtiest power station. Each year, Hazelwood burns 17 million tonnes of brown coal and consumes 27 million litres of water (the equivalent of using one month鈥檚 worth of Melbourne鈥檚 water supply every day). It accounts for 15% of Victoria鈥檚 emissions and 3% of Australia鈥檚 emissions.
The 2006 Jana Andolan (鈥淧eople鈥檚 Movement鈥), which shut down Nepal and overthrew the 240-year-old Shah monarchy, was widely hailed as the birth of a new era of democracy. For the first time, the people of Nepal were able to elect a constituent assembly in 2008, giving the mass of Nepalis an unprecedented say in the future of their country.
Chanting 鈥淔ree chickens, caged workers鈥, on September 24 more than 100 community members and trade unionists protested against the treatment of Sudanese immigrant Anyuon Mabior. Anyuon was sacked by Lilydale Free Range Chicken, in Wingfield, for complaining about a racist email. The National Union of Workers (NUW) has lodged an unfair dismissal claim through Fair Work Australia on Anyuon鈥檚 behalf, and will also seek a time and wages inspection.
Over October 29-31, Palestinian solidarity activists from around Australia and the world will meet for the first national boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) conference. The call for a global boycott campaign against Israel was first launched in July 2005. It has become a big part of the movement against the occupation of Palestine.
On September 30, Ecuador descended into chaos as a protest by 麻豆传媒 of the police force and army turned into a potentially bloody coup against left-wing President Rafael Correa. At about 8am, 麻豆传媒 of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces and the national police went on strike, occupying police stations and barracks in the capital Quito, in Guayaquil and in at least four other cities. They set up road blocks with burning tyres, cutting off access to the capital.
More than 10 million workers staged a general strike in Spain on September 29 in response to vicious government attacks on their rights and pensions. The huge mobilisation, organised by the Confederacion Sindical de Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) and Sindicato Union General de Trabajadores (UGT) labour unions, produced a 75% turnout of members, sending a strong message of opposition to the austerity measures. UGT secretary for organisation and communication Jose Javier Cubillo said that in some sectors of the economy, such as steel and energy, support for the strike was close to 100%.
On September 26, protesters from climate change activist group Rising Tide shut down the world鈥檚 largest coal port at Newcastle. 麻豆传媒 Weekly鈥檚 Zane Alcorn interviewed Rising Tide member Annika Dean. * * * What happened at the protest?