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Indybay Feature

Pictures From The Vigil for Global Justice

by Z
On Jan. 16th a "Rally Against Global Terrorism" took place in Berkeley to protest Congresswoman Barbara Lee's vote against the apartheid wall. In response, a Vigil for Global Justice was organized to protest in support of Palestinian Freedom. Several hundred people showed up on both sides.
1_israeli_occupation.jpg
§Boths Sides Of The Street
by Z
2_both_sides_of_street.jpg
§Flags
by Z
3_flags.jpg
§Jews For A Free Palestine
by Z
4_jews_for_a_free_palestine.jpg
§Never Again
by Z
5_never_again.jpg
§Mourning Mothers
by Z
6_mourning_mothers.jpg
§Thanks Barbara Lee
by Z
7_thanks_barbara_lee.jpg
§Pictures
by Z
8_kids_cop_street.jpg
§Hindu Right For Israel
by Z
9_hindu_fundamentalists_for_israel.jpg
There was a sizable number of Indians who took part in the proIsrael rally (and the flag at the top left of this picture is an Indian flag).

Many right-wing groups in India are violently antiMuslim. The main anti-Muslim parties in India are the
BJP ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharatiya_Janata_Party ), the RSS ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_%28politics%29 ), the VHP ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishwa_Hindu_Parishad ). These groups follow an ideology know as Hindutva ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindutva ).

AntiMuslim sentiments whipped up by Hindu fundamentalists have lead to mass killings as in the case of a massacre in Gujarat in 2002 (where BJP government officials were reported to have participated in attacking Muslim houses and burning people alive)
see:
http://cac.ektaonline.org/updates/index.htm
http://www.hrw.org/press/2003/06/india070103.htm
http://www.alliancesouthasia.org/index.cfm?sectionID=24

Not all of the antiMuslim feelings in India are a result of the Hindu Right. India's long running conflict with Pakistan also plays a role. Aside form normal nationalistic hatred between any two countries that are fighting, India has attempted to present the seperatist strugle in Kashmir (which is believed to be backed by Pakistan) as part of Bush's War on Terrorism.
§Bush Cheney Sign
by Z
10_bush_cheney1.jpg
11_bus.jpg
The strange religious messages on the sides of the bus make a little more sense when you realize that the use of the bus as a prop in War On Terrorism rallies is sponsored by Christians for Israel ( http://www.christiansforisrael.org/ ). The Christian RIght has been trying to court the Israeli right for religious reasons for several years (see http://csmonitor.com/2004/0707/p15s01-lire.html ). Their support for Israel is closely related to their view on the rapture and the role Israel will play in the end times.
"For Christian Zionists, the modern state of Israel is the fulfillment of God's covenant with Abraham and the center of His action from now to the Second Coming of Christ and final battle of Armageddon, when the Antichrist will be defeated. But before this can occur, they say, biblical prophecy foretells the return of Jews from other countries; Israel's possession of all the land between the Euphrates and Nile rivers; and the rebuilding of the Jewish temple where a Muslim site, Dome of the Rock, now stands."
§KNEW
by Z
12_knew.jpeg
KNEW was a major sponsor of the event. KNEW is the station that airs Michael Savage (a racist homophobic and somewhat antiSemitic shock jock) as well as Bill O'Reilly and other extreme right-wingers.
http://www.910knew.com/main.html

For info on Michael Savage's homophobic and racist rants see
http://www.tampabaycoalition.com/no2hate.html
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=03/07/08/1510241
http://www.michaelsavagesucks.com/

In a way KNEW wasnt just one of many sponsors but was one of the major organizers of the event. If you look at http://www.indybay.org/news/2005/01/1715003.php#1715004 you can see that they had the only tent at the event and had the largest information table.
§Man From Christians For Israel
by Z
13_christians_for_bush_and_israel.jpg
§Signs
by Z
14_signs.jpg
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Comments (Hide Comments)
by gsdfg
At first glance, Michael Alan Weiner seems like an improbable candidate to be America's angriest, most vicious conservative radio host. Born 60 years ago in the Bronx, Weiner has lived in Northern California for most of his adult life, making a living as an herbalist and nutritionist. He communed with Fijian traditional healers, got married in a rain forest and studied ethno-medicine at the University of California at Berkeley. He swam naked with Allen Ginsberg, dreamed of being the next Lenny Bruce and wrote a rambling novel about a half-mad alter ego. His son's middle name is Goldencloud. For years, he made a name cranking out a pile of books on alternative medicine, recommending bizarre remedies such as using vitamin C to stop AIDS and kicking cocaine with coffee enemas.

These days, Weiner's more interested in purging the body politic. Using the pseudonym Michael Savage, he's launched a one-man mission to save America from its enemies at home and abroad, which on any given day includes liberals, gays, academics, the homeless, the Clintons, immigrants, feminists, CNN, the American Civil Liberties Union, Muslims and other minorities. Broadcasting three hours a day, five afternoons a week, from a rented studio in downtown San Francisco, he gives voice to the right wing's darkest fantasies. He muses about launching preemptive nuclear strikes on the Middle East ("I wish to God the hatches were open and the missiles were flying!"), suggests gunning down illegal immigrants ("If we had a government, we'd blow them out of the desert with airplanes!"), dreams of dispatching with "commies, pinkos and perverts" and other undesirables ("I say round them up and hang 'em high!") and even paraphrases a remark attributed to Nazi leader Hermann Goering ("When I hear someone's in the civil rights business, I oil up my AR-15!")

by more on savage
Savage use to go off about Albright being an old Jewish lady and how she would have been better at home cooking brisket. I dont like Albright but I always tended to hear that as being antiSemitic but perhaps it was just sexist.
by Leni
I had no idea that Michael Savage was a Horowitz-category of personality, which is characterized by dramatic shifts and very enthusiastic intensity of whatever phase they are in at the moment. I did know he had done a plant or nutrition degree at UC Berkeley. My sister's boyfriend's dad lives in a van by a river, literally, and he is a vietnam vet with PTSD symptoms, and he describes it as 'dry drunk' personality. They will finally kick alcohol, and then suddenly switch into a political philosophy, and then aerobics is their addiction, then back to drinking, then off again and they'll join the christian scientists, then a year later they're back to a political philosophy again. There are a few people in my family like this.
by more on savage
How much of Savage and KNEW is real and how much is just stuff to generate publicity, increase ratings and make money. It is show business afterall. I'm sure hes at least conservative but he almost sounds like someone mocking the far right by going way overboard. Maybe Savage is just a hoax and is sortof like http://www.landoverbaptist.org/
There should be a protest at the San Francisco Civic Center of this Zionist Republican Party rally on January 17, 2005. After all, every Democratic Party official in town will be at the Martin Luther King celebrations at the Civic Center Auditorium. I would bet all the stinking Democrats will run to this Republican Party rally to join hands with them, while they claim to be for civil rights and against racial profiling of Arabs and Moslems, as well as anyone else.

It is equally outrageous that this fascist rally is allowed in San Francisco.

Both the Democrats and Republicans are staunchly pro-Israel, but the Democrats use Barbara Lee to promote the illusion that there is something different, when the pressure is great enough from the anti-Zionist community, so as to keep the Reds out of office. The fact remains, Barbara Lee voted for a resolution praising the butcher of Palestine, Ariel Sharon, recently, and her constituency in Berkeley-Oakland was the same.

They do not have the same excuse with San Francisco Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Tom Lantos, who are 100% pro-Israel on every vote.

Considering this viciously reactionary rally is in two cities, Berkeley and San Francisco, that voted overwhelmingly against Bush, this attempt at establishing a fascist base anywhere in the Bay Area should be protested.
by radical
"It should be noted that Savage is himself a Jew who has stated that his bigotry was nurtured by his bigot Rabbi father."

That's bullshit.

Savage occasionally refers to his dad, who he says was an atheist. His mother, who died recently, didn't listen to his show, by his own admission.

Whenever he wants to mock he uses a New York Jewish accent. He refers to Barbara Boxer as "Barbara Bagel" and is fixated with center-right Jewish Democrat Charles Schumer who he calls Chuck Shoom-a.

For a right-wing talk show host Michael Savage (Weiner) is extremely erudite (the operative words being "for a right-wing talk show host"). He frequently alludes to historical events and theories that he knows the vast majority of his fans have absolutely no familiarity with.This, of course, enables him to spin them in whatever direction he chooses.

Sometimes he betrays frustration with his doltish audience, and cuts them off or just stops taking calls for long periods of time.

The Weiner Nation, over time, helps to discredit right-wing politics. Whether that's Weiner's intent, I doubt very much.
by More on Gujarat
In the past, if you ever brought up the genocide in Gujarat, right-wing Hindus (such as those who attend "anti terrorism" rallies in the US) would respond about the awful train attack that caused the anger that lead to the rioting, but it now appears no train attack ever occured and it was actually an accident with the fire starting in the train.

--
An Indian train fire that killed 59 Hindus and provoked deadly religious riots in 2002 was started by accident, a government inquiry has said.

Evidence suggests the fire began inside the train, not that it was fire-bombed, an investigating judge decided.

Most accounts from the time and since said a Muslim mob threw petrol bombs at the train, starting the blaze.

The incident set off days of rioting in Gujarat state in which at least 1,000 people, most of them Muslims,died.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4180885.stm
by won't be fooled again
What was billed as a rally against Barbara lee's courageous stand, and against Israeli militarism by this website was, in fact, just as it had been billed by the rally organizers- a rally against global terrorism. A muli-ethnic group of speakers dicussed the need for understanding. Indian singers sang "we shall overcome" in their native language. A hospital spokeperson discussed how their hospital treated all people. No mention of Barbara Lee. No mention of supporting Israeli militarism. Just a plea for understanding among people. We were on the wrong side of the fence on this one.
by gehrig
won't be fooled: "No mention of supporting Israeli militarism. Just a plea for understanding among people. We were on the wrong side of the fence on this one."

nessie-nym (remembering that nessie had promised in advance that he wasn't going to attend): "This rally was not a "plea for understanding among people." It was a plea for continued funding of Zionist apartheid."

One of you was there, and one of you (if your word is worth anything) wasn't. Sounds like case closed to me.

@%<
by um
You can try to portray the "rally against terror" as something positive but explain the signs for http://www.910knew.com/main.html everywhere? That is the station that sprung up to carry Michael Savage after he offended enough people with his homophobia, racism, and antiSemitism that he couldnt be on the station carrying Rush, Dr Laura and Sean Hannity. Perhaps they co-opted the event but there were enough Protest Warriors, Bush Cheney signs, and Evangelical Christians there to support Israel for religious reasons, the comment above by and "won't be fooled again" seems more like someone who didnt attend than someone who did.

I dont doubt that there were some moderates on the pro-Israel side of the road (I saw some people with signs denouncing terror by both sides but they could have just been counterprotesters who were not moved back across the road by the police) but the moderates who did show up probably expected it to be less of a Republican Party rally than it was.
by more on KNEW
Jeff Katz from KNEW spoke at the Berkeley Rally
http://www.910knew.com/jeffkatz.html
"KNEW doesn't just talk about things...they make it happen! Jeff Katz has recently been championing the cause of Sanne Dewitt - she is a 70 year old holocaust survivor in Berkeley who has been trying since September to get a permit for an anti-terrorism rally. After receiving hundreds of calls and emails, the City of Berkeley approved the permit and the rally will happen. The group Christians for Israel will be bringing Jerusalem bus #19, the bus that was attacked by Hamas terrorists last January."

I have never heard Jeff Katz but looking him up on google I did find he was one of the organizers of Clear Channel's rallies for war after 9/11.
by Save the photos
Save the photos for the checkpoints.
by Secret Rapture
My Inaugural Address at the Great White Throne Judgment of the Dead, after I have raptured out billions!

At: http://www.angelfire.com/crazy/spaceman

Your jaw will drop!


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