Cables from the class war (Aug 7) - Tottenham riot

England: riots in Northern London

Today's big news is of course the mass uprising in Tottenham, a multiethnic neighborhood of Northern London. The trigger was the killing by police of a local youth, Mark Duggan, 20, in apparently unjustified circumstances.

According to family friends:

This guy was not violent. Yes, he was involved in things, but he was not an aggressive person.

Soon a police station was attacked and police cars set alight (no victims). The cries heard most frequently so far are "we want answers" and "justice".

Shops have also been attacked (looting). 

It has a vibe to the riots of 2005 in France, with the big difference that we are now in the midst of the worst crisis Capitalism has known in at least 80 years and any spark can start a huge uncontrolled fire.

··> Sare Antifaxista[es] (incl. videos), BBC (incl. videos).

Basque Country: homage to the victims of fascism in Donostia (San Sebastian)

In 1936, Madrid, Barcelona and Donostia were the three cities where popular uprising, mostly led by the CNT labor union, suppressed the military coup. All the other cities in the Spanish state where the coup failed it was only because there was no coup to begin with.

In 2011 a mayor of the city, Koldo Izagirre, has for the first time ever paid homage to those resisters and all the victims of fascist repression. All political parties have been represented except the conservative post-fascist and neo-fascist Popular Party (soon to rule in Spain again, most likely).

The homage took place in the recently reinstalled plate in memory of the victims of fascism, in Zurriola Plaza. However it has become obvious that these martyrs of popular power and freedom need a monument according to their significance. The mayor has assumed the compromise of translating such petition by the associations of victims of fascism to the City Hall.

··> Sare Antifaxista[es], Gara[es].

Greece: health system collapsing

The result of the idiotic and criminal ultra-liberal measures imposed by the IMF and (worse!) the EU against the Peoples of Europe and particularly Greece, is that charity clinics are now attending what used to be managed by the public health care system.

In Greece and Italy now, in order to be attended by public health care, you must pay a fee. This makes poor people with illnesses essentially doomed to die... or, in the meantime, forced to go to charity clinics that a few months ago only attended to illegal immigrants.

In addition supply shortages have become way too common in the remaining public health system in spite of all the "rescues" which only seem to serve to pay for police and the like.

··> The Guardian.

Afghanistan: 8 civilians killed by NATO bombs

Helmand province. Apparently as reprisal for a Taliban attack against a military patrol, NATO troops bombed uncontrolled areas killing eight civilians.

··> Gara[es].

Japan: burying the radioactive waste

Fukushima City authorities "temporarily" burying radioactive soil in "secret" location. There is no plan for what will do next.

··> AJW.

Nigeria: Niger Delta communities to fight legally against Shell

After the demolishing UN report that blames Dutch oil multinational Shell of massive environmental destruction, with the corresponding damage to the health and economy of the whole region, some of the locals have decided to go to the International Justice Court of La Hague.

It is a difficult fight to fight the largest Dutch corporation in Dutch soil without the backing of their own government (Abuja has mostly considered the Delta as an extractive colony).

··> The Guardian.

Today's song: Naxalite by Asian Dub Foundation

To be honest I do not understand the lyrics, though I do manage to grasp the chorus, when they reclaim the land and the power.