Feature Archives

Surf City Revolt writes: "There is something deeply troubling about the events in Seattle over the past couple of days. 26 comrades, anarchists of all kinds, were arrested. The first night was in what seems to be a coordinated attack by the police during a social gathering at a private residence. The second in a solidarity noise demonstration in which friends and comrades of those arrested the night before stood strong outside of the jail their friends were stuck in, making noise to show that those locked behind bars were not alone."

UPDATE July 19th: The MV Juliano was detained in Crete by Greek authorities who refuse to let the boat sail. The last remaining Flotilla II boat, the French boat Dignite/Al Karama, was stopped by the Israeli navy about 40 miles off of the coast of Gaza.

The 2011 Stay Human Freedom Flotilla has faced repeated threats and admonishments from the U.S. and Israeli governments, the pullout of the Turkish contingent, meddling from Zionist law firms, sabotage to the propellers of the Greek and Irish boats by underwater divers, and an order from the Greek government banning the flotilla from embarking on the journey to Gaza from Greece. At this point, it remains uncertain how many boats will be able to set sail for Gaza.

The City of Orlando, Florida is being sued in court over a city law that has effectively made it illegal for any group to feed more than 25 people at a time in downtown parks without a permit. Over the past month, more than 20 members of Food Not Bombs, including Keith McHenry who helped found the organization, have been arrested for providing free meals to the poor and homeless. Acting in defense of First Amendment rights, in solidarity with Keith McHenry, and to end the criminalization of poverty, Food Not Bombs-Santa Cruz organized a free meal and overnight vigil on June 30th outside Santa Cruz City Hall.

Supporters of International Longshore & Warehouse Union, Local 10 (S. F. Bay Area) rallied in downtown San Francisco on April 25th. The ILWU Local 10 had closed the ports of San Francisco and Oakland for twenty-four hours on April 4th, as part of a national day of action for solidarity with workers in Wisconsin, Ohio, and other states. The Pacific Maritime Association has filed a lawsuit against Local 10 for the April 4th closures. The PMA's suit seeks to prevent such future solidarity closures by the union.

In commemoration of international Holocaust Remembrance Day, from January 24th to February 19th Auschwitz survivor Dr. Hajo Meyer went on a speaking tour throughout the U.S. and Canada called "Never Again for Anyone". During his appearance in Oakland, Dr. Meyer was joined by UC Berkeley professor Dr. Hatem Bazian and Sarah Kershnar. Two days later, Dr. Meyer sat down with Bay Area filmmaker David Zlutnick for a video interview in Los Angeles.

On March 19th, thousands of people took to the streets to demand an end to U.S. war and military intervention abroad and funding for peoples' needs at home. Demonstrations took place in San Francisco, Fresno, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and many other cities across the United States and the world. At the opening rally in San Francisco, speakers condemned the launching of a new war against Libya, which had begun just hours before.

Responding to an international call to action, on March 9th activists in Berkeley unfurled a large banner over the highway reading, “Justice for Mehdi Aby Ayyash,” a Palestinian youth killed two years ago by the Israeli military. On March 10th, Palestinian solidarity activists in Chicago replaced street signs that read “Honorary Ben Gurion Way” with “Honorary Mehdi Abu Ayyash Way.” More actions are expected to take place in the coming weeks in different locations around the world.