Feature Archives

As of January 2nd, the Palestinian death toll in Gaza is 428 and is growing as bombs continue to fall. Even while large protests erupt on the streets of cities across the Middle East, many see Egypt and other US backed dictatorships in the region as complicit in the Israeli campaign. For instance, when Israel started its latest bombing campaign the Egyptian government was quick to blame Hamas and violently assault Egyptians who protested against Israel's actions.

On December 27th, 28th and 29th, Israeli air strikes targeted Gaza killing over 364 people and seriously injuring thousands more. As Israeli tanks mass on the Gaza border, thousands of Israelis are protesting. The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, an umbrella group of Arab organizations, declared a national strike and a mourning day in the Arab sector beginning Sunday morning. There have also been large protests across the Middle East and in Europe.

On December 23rd, four out of five activists on trial at Winchester Crown Court, UK were found guilty of 'Conspiracy to Blackmail' Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) after a three and a half month long trial. The trial is part of a larger attack on the animal rights movement. In May this year, Sean Kirtley, an activist involved with Stop Sequani Animal Torture (SSAT), was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for updating a website with news about a legal, nonviolent campaign to close down Sequani laboratories in Ledbury.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is calling for international demonstrations on December 25th to demand the freedom of Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian political prisoners. Sa’adat, the secretary general of the PFLP, was illegally jailed by the Israeli army two and a half years ago and is supposed to be sentenced on December 25th.

The insurrection in Greece has entered its second week with increasing numbers of occupations of high schools, universities, government buildings, and TV and radio stations. Municipalities have declared autonomy and workers have taken over trade union offices, critiquing union bureaucrats across the country.

There was a solidarity march and general assembly in San Francisco on Saturday, December 20th. Protesters marched to New College, the Mission Police station and then up Market to Powell Street. The protest ended in Union Square. There were 5 arrests as police in riot gear moved in after protesters entered the Westfield Shopping Center.

On Saturday December 6th, two Greek policemen in Athens had a verbal argument with several youth. During the argument, one of the cops pulled his gun and shot 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos twice, killing him. Alexandros was active in the anarchist movement in Greece and in response to his murder, thousands of anarchists and students gathered in the centers of most of Greek cities. The evening in Athens evolved with the takeover of several buildings at the Polytechnic University, and rioting throughout the whole center of Athens. Protesters attacked and set on fire, police departments and banks, until the early hours of the next morning. Protests and riots took place again on Sunday and Monday.

The U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) is a pact that provides a legal basis for U.S. troops in Iraq and establishes their departure from Iraq by December 31st, 2011 pending any negotiations. On November 16th, 2008, Iraq's Cabinet approved the agreement. On November 27th, the Iraqi Parliament ratified the agreement. Followers of Moqtada al-Sadr and many others protested the passing of the accord as prolonging and legitimizing the occupation, and Grand Ayatollah Sistani expressed concerns with the ratified version. On December 4th, Iraq's presidential council approved the security pact. A referendum must be held by mid-2009 which may terminate the agreement and require Coalition forces to completely leave by the middle of 2010.