Spain's fascist repression against Catalonia knows no bounds

Do not cry for a land that fights, fight for a land that cries!

Today several Catalan politicians were jailed on accusation of "sedition" or "rebellion", what is a nonsense because they never used violence to overthrow the status quo but the Spanish Inquisition (Supreme Court in this case) is making things up and twisting the law all they can in order to step up the repression. 

One of them, the Secretary General of Catalan Republican Left (ERC), Marta Rovira, chose to exile herself to Switzerland, joining a growing number of Catalan political leaders in exile, either in Switzerland or in Belgium. 

Another of those imprisoned today was Jordi Turull, who is the only candidate for the Presidency of the Catalan Government (Generalitat de Catalunya), vote that was being held today (he did not get enough votes because the decisive Popular Unity List (CUP) abstained on grounds of wavering republicanism and lack of a social program). 

Also imprisoned were Carme Forcadell (former President of the Catalan Parliament), Raul Romeva (former head of the Republican unity list Together for Catalonia), Josep Rull and Dolors Bassa (former consellers or ministers).

This every day looks more like Turkey. 

But the streets are angry, very angry.

Not only because of Catalonia, there are many other open conflicts feeding into each other, notably the retirees have been staging massive protests in the last weeks against the effective pension cuts while police salaries are increased, military expenditure doubled as Trump demanded, corruption cases keep showing at every corner like mushrooms and the illegitimate debt to save the Spanish banks and other private ventures like useless highways, i.e. to save German and other international banks for slightly longer, is being increased every day. 

The Precariat is also angry and starting to get organized and protest. Also a synchronous conflict has been happening in Murcia City between working class neighbors and the state who illegally is imposing that the bullet train (TAV, another useless waste) goes through their neighborhoods, right by their homes in many cases, above ground, cutting the city in two. The government went so nervous that police was seen patrolling with loaded guns just a couple of days ago, something unseen since ETA began its disarmament process. 

But where anger is really spilling over is in Catalonia, always in the nonviolent manner they have conducted their independence process so far. I do not have yet all the info but I know that semi-spontaneously, organized by the Comittees of Defense of the Republic (CDR, popular assemblies working in national network), there have been many demos and pickets. Notably they have cut the train traffic at the station of Lleida, the border with France at Puigcerdá, and have walked out in most towns across the country, in several cases suffering violent police repression. 

Popular picket at Lleida train station (and some cops)

demo in Barcelona

police brutality today in Catalonia (credit: Jordi Borras)

These images (from FB group We Stand in Solidarity With Catalans) aren't but a tiny relation of what has been happening today again in the forbidden Catalan Republic. And I suspect that it is only the beginning of something huge, because the general mood is clear: if they jail our leaders, they will have to jail millions of us. 

There are informal calls for long-standing general strike, for repeated road, railroad, airport and harbor blockades. Not sure what exactly will come out of this but it looks that, once again, we are in a proto-revolutionary scenario, at the very least in Catalonia. 

And let's not forget that Catalans are 7.5 million people, 16% of the population of the failed state of Spain, and also one of the most vigorous economic areas in spite of Madrid sucking every single large company or almost. 

As a side note, the government can't even pass the budget, because they can't muster a majority to do so, they are resorting to pointless resistance by means of the state apparatus, dominated by fascist currents like the greedy Catholic order Opus Dei, but they lack any sort of coherent governance beyond last trench repression without any sort of compromise with common sense and social consensus. 

The situation is anything but under control: the failed banana kingdom is one step or several closer to total collapse. And I will applaud when that finally happens, because in order to save the Spanairds (by force or grade) Spain must be destroyed, razed to the ground and power returned to the peoples. 

Gora herrien borroka! Long live the struggle of the peoples!

Catalan Parliament approves independence

The Parliament of Catalonia approved this afternoon the independence of Catalonia (full text of the declaration, in Catalan). The voting was secret and the results were as follows: 70 yes, 10 against and 2 blank votes and 52 absentees (hardcore Spanish nationalists who don't recognize the right of Catalonia to self-determination). There seems to be one missing vote in the account, nobody seems to care.

People celebrate Catalan Independence near Parliament

With this action Catalonia ends all procrastination in favor of negotiation, which has not been listened to by Spain at all. On the contrary, the Spanish government, which is weak electorally but, thanks to the many tricks of the Neo-Francoist constitution still has absolute majority in the Senate*, and has managed anyhow to muster the support of the so-called "Spanish Socialst Worker Party" to approve also today the suspension of Catalan autonomy, activating article 155 or the Spanish Constitution, the kind of constitutional provision that Hitler was fond of resorting to in order to consolidate his power some 70 years ago.

Today a conflict between two sovereign states begins: one enjoys international recognition and has 95.000 police agents (plus the military, which won't surely be used because there's no war), the other is unrecognized (yet) and will fight only with the power of NONVIOLENT POPULAR RESISTANCE. Who will win?

I forecast that Catalonia will prevail. Why? Because they have already demonstrated their willpower, discipline and nonviolent firmness, in previous confrontations such as the referendum of October 1st, the General Strike of October 3rd and many other episodes of popular struggle in the last many years.

Against that determination Spain can only exert force. Its appeals to Catalan unionists to walk out have failed (sure: they brought many buses from Spain proper but rallied very few people from Catalonia itself) so they only have the farce of Spanish laws and courts that are, since today, not legal in Catalonia anymore. And they have 95.000 ill-paid and overworked police agents who will soon be shown as useless to implement Spanish law against millions and millions of disobeying Catalans.

Catalonia is Kosova on steroids: it is much larger, richer and visible than poor little Kosova was when it had to confront, in the pre-Internet era, a similar situation. Back then it was obvious that any solution not implying the independence of Kosova would fail. It took eight years of very brutal Serbian occupation but they eventually succeeded, not without a blitz war.

The situation is nevertheless different in Catalonia: Kosova did not matter, it was a mere humanitarian issue, but Serbia/Yugoslavia did not matter much either. Spain however has major geostrategical relevance because of the Strait of Gibraltar (plus French historical backyard geostrategy), so its NATO allies won't betray her. But Catalonia also has major strategical relevance, being one of two main knots linking the Iberian Peninsula to Europe (the other is the Basque Country) and this is a trump card the Catalans can play: sabotaging via strikes and blockades the commercial routes will no doubt have a demolishing impact in Spain's economy and its international reputation. 

Additionally Spain is effectively bankrupt: only the European Central Bank buys Spanish bonds these days, the pensions' reserve fund has been exhausted and Spain is financially unable to pay for almost anything. This is going to lead to a major crisis in Spain but a crisis that will shatter Europe and the World. Because so far the bankruptcy crisis had been delayed in Europe so far but now it will become absolutely unavoidable. 

That's the bargaining chip of the brave Catalan People: that's how a People determined to fight (noviolently) can bring the World to a halt. 

Catalonia will be free. The whole World Order (itself in deep crisis) cannot impede it. How could it? Catalonia is (together with the Basque Country) the motherland of Insubmissió: some three decades ago we gloriously defeated the Spanish Army with NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE, and Catalan society has learned that lesson well, probably better than us Basques. They cannot be defeated, they will prevail and teach the World a lesson.

_____________________________

* Every Spanish province, regardless of population or ethnicity, gets 4 senators, three of which go to the most voted party and the fourth to the second one. Most Spanish provinces are rural, nearly empty provinces of Castilian or assimilated ethnicity.

Spain imprisons Catalan "Gandhis", Catalonia walks out in protest

Yesterday morning the Spanish Inquisition (Audiencia Nacional, its conceptual heir) jailed Jordi Sánchez (Catalan National Assembly) and Jordi Cuixart (Omnium Cultural), leaders of two of the most important social movements that have been pushing ahead with Catalan patriotic mobilization and the process of self-determination.

Freedom Jordi Sánchez and Jordi Cuixart. We want them at home!

Protests have been massive across the country. Another sign of Catalan independence being absolutely impossible to repress:

Barcelona (1)

Barcelona (2)

 

Palma de Mallorca (Balears)

Ripoll

Sitges

Vilanova i la Geltrú

There have been also some protests in Madrid, the Basque Country, etc.

(Credit for most pictures: CjSand).

Catalonia: Spain escalates repression, shoots itself on the foot.

Military police car taken over by protesters

Telegraphically: This morning the Spanish state has assaulted the Catalan Government (Generalitat) and arrested 12 people, including many high officers of the elect government. Last minute info indicates that masked police forces have surrounded the offices of the radical left independentist party Popular Unity Lists (CUP). Several separatist parties have abandoned the Spanish Congress as result. The center of Barcelona is full of people in spontaneous demonstration. Protests are being held in other places as well, including here in Bilbao (Basque Country). The only de facto all-Spain opposition party Podemos has called for a conference of mayors and other elect officers tomorrow in Zaragoza (the Spanish nationalist right-wing parties PP and Ciudadanos have not been invited, the Spanish nationalist center-left PSOE has rejected to go but all other forces are going). While we can't say the situation is "revolutionary", it is certainly most anomalous and in many sense "pre-revolutionary", particularly because the Spanish state cannot effectively fight against the peoples, much less with the extremely low level of legitimacy it has after so much corruption, austericide and repression. We cannot exclude at this point that a general strike of political nature could be called, even if the main unions are quite sheeply and definitely unionist.

The situation is definitely critical in any case. Some relevant Twitter hashtags: #ReferèndumCat, #MAMBO.

Trump uses the Army to repress peaceful citizens in Dakota

A few days ago I was called the attention to a DHS (US Gestapo) leaked draft document that authorized the use of the National Guard (Army reserves) to enforce Trump's "final solution" to the issue of illegal immigration. I was at first a bit dismissive of the credibility of such claims, after all it is very apparent that a large segment of the US Oligarcy, led by the likes of Soros, Clinton, McCain, etc. are actively opposed to Trump, but they seem to be very real.

The evidence is on how the protest camp against the pipeline at Standing Rock was brutally evicted yesterday, with use of military forces and equipment. And journalists have been the first victims of the fascist repression. The information is therefore not fully clear but it is apparent that some protesters have been injured and many more arrested, often on absolutely no grounds.

In this no-words video report you can appreciate some of the magnitude of the militarization of repression:

Here a raw report from inside Oceti Camp as it was being raided:

I can only imagine this are "testing grounds" for a brutal escalation in repression and militarization inside the USA (and therefore in all its imperial area of influence). They are primarily targeting "minorities" because that is how you boil the frog alive: by only slowly increasing the temperature. You know: "first they came for the communists and I did not speak out..." But this affects every single person inside the borders of the USA and also outside (as the practices are being extended, in various ways, to every single country in NATO-plus).

This is the true ugly face of Capitalism, a psychopathic abuser that sometimes pretends to be "nice" but only to deceive you and then shows its true face: brutal repression and exploitation. On the good side, it is a symptom of its final crisis, on the bad side, unless we wake up and take back what is ours, is only going to get much worse before people wake up and do what we must.

Kafka in the land of the Basques: five arrested for destroying ETA's arsenal

Five people were arrested in Luhuso (Labourd) on Friday night for the "crime" of destroying the arsenal of Basque guerrilla ETA, which "definitively" abandoned armed struggled five years ago but is unable to find an interlocutor to proceed to disarmament and dissolution. 

The five arrested are Jean-Noël Etcheverry, “Txet” (nonviolent ecologist), Michel Berhocoirigoin (farmer union activist), Béatrice Molle-Haran (journalist and owner of the house where the activity took place), Michel Bergougnan (member of Irulegi) y Stéphane Etchegaray, “Etxe” (cameraman in charge of filming the police op). 

Also Michel Tubiana, Honorary President of the Ligue des Droits de l'Homme, is involved in the group of peace activists but he could not arrive to the scene of the police operation in time, so he remains free so far. 

Solidarity march in Donibane-Garazi

The team, self-named "Bakea EHn" (Peace in the Basque Country) in the Twitter account they used as improvised press office on Friday night, and renamed "Artisans for Peace" by the popular protests that have taken place yesterday, had been destroying 15% of ETA's arsenal since October 3rd, in what was intended as a first batch of a longer process, now aborted by Spanish and French police forces. 

Their equipment seems to have been a workbench with a radial saw and some other tools. 

The Artisans for Peace declared themselves as members of civil society, without any link nor subordination to ETA, who had decided to begin the disarmament process with the destruction of a first stock of weapons. 

This process, initially intended to be more open and under supervision of the international mediator group, including half a dozen global personalities, was once and again aborted by the Spanish and French states and five years have passed since ETA famously declared the definitive end to armed struggle without any progress. 

It is quite symptomatic that members of the Basque civil society eventually decided to take upon their shoulders the burden of ensuring the end of ETA in spite of the French and Spanish authorities, and even more hard to believe, truly kafkian, that these two occupant powers of our country, have stopped it via repression, repression that has not ceased anyhow in these five years. 

I presume they will be accused now of "collaboration with terrorist organization", and be labeled by the Inquisition and their parrot media as "ETA members", as so often happens when you are Basque and do not think like they command you to think. In fact we are before prisoners of conscience trying to do the job that the occupant powers, which seem to desire a return to war, are not doing not allowing others to do. 

But they will once and again repeat in a choral fashion: "what ETA must do is to disarm itself and self-dissolve". How when Madrid and Paris are doing everything to impede it? How?

See also:

• ETA declares a "permanent" cease-fire
• New ETA communication: would accept informal verification of the cease fire if that helps to overcome Spanish veto to talks
• Again on the Basque Peace Process... or whatever it is
• Former British minister to Spain: 'If they want ETA's dissolution, they must make compromises'
• ETA communication demands Spain and France to do their part for peace
• ETA communication underlines that the peace process is feeble in spite of the determined commitment on the Basque side (only)
• ETA dissolves its operational structures
• Spain attacks the verifiers of the unilateral Basque "peace process"
• 10 lies on the end of armed struggle in the Basque Country
• Some thoughts on the Spain-ETA negotiations (or lack of them)

Catalonia is voting its independence

Large queues, a clear sign of popular enthusiasm, are the main thing to mention at noon. In spite of all legal prohibitions, the People of Catalonia is voting massively in this journey of democratic hope. 

The main incident so far took place in a polling station of Girona, where a group of fascists attempted to violently sabotage the vote. Two of them were arrested. 

The spirit of disobedience is riding higher than expected and even the Catalan police corps have declined to identify those in charge of opening the polling stations, while the Catalan Government has assumed all responsibility in this act of democratic empowering and defiance. 

Catalan citizens decide today on the following double question: Do you want Catalonia to be a state? If so, do you want this state to be independent?

Unionists therefore can vote no to the first question, federalists yes to the first one and no to the second one and independentists (expected to win the vote by landslide) yes to both questions.


Madrid: damned if you do, damned if you don't

The Spanish authorities, extremely weakened by extreme loss of legitimacy of both of the twin parties of the post-fascist pseudo-democratic regime, sunk in corruption scandals and social-economic collapse under EU-orchestrated anti-social policies, seem powerless. Legally they could even order the establishment of martial law and what not but that would only escalate the conflict and debilitate the already weak state even more.

Spanish President Mariano Rajoy has claimed that he will stay in government for the whole year that he has left, what he can force because of the technical but non-representative majority his party has in Congress. However reality is tough and his position is every day weaker.

In this sense he recently acknowledged that sending the military police to impede the vote would be so terribly shaming for Spain that can't be actually done.

The journey has not finished yet but the first half of it has been so far a total success for democracy and for the demands of the stateless peoples of Europe. Congratulations Catalonia, thank you Catalonia.

Civil resistance against political repression at Loiola

The five youths challenging the Spanish Inquisition

Several Basque youths under political persecution by the Spanish authorities have staged today, along with a huge number of supporters an act of civil resistance against the repression they are subjected to for their political ideas. The scenario chosen for this act of defiance was the Sanctuary of Loiola, a Jesuit temple erected in the home lands of Eneko Loiola, known to posterity as Ignatius of Loyola.

"Basque" police soon appeared in riot gear, their faces covered under the black masks of mercenary shame. The result can be watched in the following videos:

Sources: Borroka Garaia Da, Argia.

Masks made easy identification of the persecuted impossible

Update (Sep 24): 

Those above were just the first videos that made it to the web. The police intervention lasted three hours and included a good deal of violence. Besides the five victims of inquisitorial persecution, two others have been arrested accused of "aggression" against a policeman, almost certainly untrue.

You can watch several other videos at Muy Basto and judge yourself.

It is true that a cop was injured but that's because he slipped badly on the stairs, falling down painfully, but all on his own. 

Many citizens were also injured by police violence.

The names of the five victims of inquisitorial persecution are: Jazint Ramirez, Xabier Arina, Imanol Salinas, Igarki Robles and Irati Tobar.

Repression for civil resistance: huge fines requested against some nonviolent activists

In a distinct but related development, five Basque citizens are being judged for taking part in the "human wall" that attempted to protect another victim of political persecution, Urtza Alkorta, last year (see here and here).

Arbitrarily accused of "aggression against authorities", four of them face possible fines of € 8850, around a year's salary for many.

Source: Naiz Info[eu].

Anti-war protests shatter Ukraine

Growing massive protests are taking place in Ukraine against the draft and the war. The citizens of the Eastern European country do not want that their young men be enslaved to kill other Ukrainians, "we want peace!", they demand.

 

The above video, shot in Voloka, seems to be just one instance of the growing mass protests that are taking place through the country against the Fascist-imposed Civil War.

Nonviolent anarchists arrested when attempting to prevent Gaza genocide

21 members of Anarchists Against the Wall were arrested after blockading the entrance to a military airbase of the Zionist Genocidal Colony. 

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

Internationalists form "human shield" to Zionist attacks against Gaza Hospital

The genocide in Gaza continues by the mad hand of the Zionazis. They know no shame nor fear any punishment, knowing that the US Empire backs them unconditionally. They have repeatedly threatened and actually attacked, injuring two, the Al-Wafa Hospital (pictured), forcing the direction of the hospital to evacuate all those who could leave the hospital and move to the lower floors those who could not. 

It is not the only medical facility attacked by the Zionazi forces, who have already murdered several patients in other similar buildings. 

But the Zionazi genocidal bullying has not remained unchallenged: eight brave international activists have occupied the vacated top floors of the hospital in a near-suicidal attempt to force the hand of the Zionist colonists. The so-called Israeli Self-Defense Forces (ah, the cruel sarcasm of the gratuitous adjectives!) know that they are staying there and they hold Israel sole responsible of their lives, which they offer to save the humanitarian facility. 

The eight nonviolent activists are from all over the World

Source: Kaos en la Red[es].

Physisicans reject to force-feed hunger-striking prisoners of the Zionists

The Israeli Medical Association has opposed the new totalitarian law promoted by the Zionist regime that would allow to force-feed hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners, who are protesting for being arbitrarily held without charges for very long terms, even many years. 

The doctors say that force-feeding is torture and that physicians should never participate in torture.

There are at least 900 Palestinian prisoners arrested with no charges whatsoever by the Apartheid regime. 68 of them are in hunger-strike in demand of their most basic rights. 

One of the most extreme cases is that of Abdel Razeg, former PLO member, who has been under administrative arrest intermittently for eight of the last 20 years.

Source: RT.

Nazis massacre civilians in Eastern Ukraine

At least 10 unarmed civilians trying to stop barehanded the Ukranian military columns from reaching the besieged city of Slavyansk, at its suburb of Andreevka, have been murdered by Pravy Sektor death squads, who shot them at point blank range. 

Other 40 people were injured. 

The Nazis would not allow anyone to help the injured and shot whoever tried to approach them. 

According to the local authorities, 10 militiamen and 30 civilians are the actual figures of the Nazi massacre. 

The Nazi death squads, as well as the National Guard (improvised military unit which is made up of Nazis) have also been reported acting in Druzhkovka. These death squads have also been reported entering Slavyansk, where combats continue under strict siege by the Ukranian Army. 

They have also been reported arbitrarily executing civilians in Kramatorsk, where the resistance has all but ceased.

Hospital in both Donbass cities are crowded with the injured. 

Lugansk declares emergency state

The People's Republic of Lugansk has declared that all non-resident police agents must leave the city or swear alliance to the People of Lugansk. Those who do not will face charges of treason. Full mobilization of all military age men has also been decreed.

The massacres in Odessa, Kramatorks and Slavyansk are pushing the country towards total civil war, closing all gates to any hope of peaceful solution. 

Meanwhile the Kiev Junta has decreed new special administrative units for the rebel areas of Eastern Ukraine in order to treat them as conquered territory.

Odessa massacre orchestrated by Kiev

Two National Guard (Nazi) battalions took part in the massacre of Odessa. Police was ordered to move away. 

The total number of deadly victims has been raised to 39. 

Source: Russia Today (links in text).

Iconoclastic Xmas

I despise Christmas with its stinky mixture of Patriarchal pseudo-religious word-idolatric ritualistic dogma and Capitalist commercial consumerist brainwashing in the prostituted name of peace, love and whatnot. 

Truly I feel much like this FEMEN activist who had the gills to interrupt the pitiful decadent Christian ritual with such an obvious Pantheistic slogan:

But what really motivated me to write this Xmas entry was this excellent postcard by graffiti artist Banksy, which says it all:

After all Palestinians are the real descendants of the protagonists of the Bible and their situation today is much worse than under Herod and Pilate. Possibly even worse than under the Roman genocide.

Somehow related in the Xmas knot is this other American Gestapo story which also illustrates how undercover fascist is the Imperial regime we live under. The FBI investigated the classical Christmas film "It's a Wonderful Life!", full of "honest capitalism" propaganda and religious magic because it depicts a powerful banker for what they are: greedy and evil. 

The screenwriters Francis Goodrich and Albert Hackett were accused in the report of being crypto-Communists. As evidence of such tendency, having lunch with other screenwriters claimed to be Communists was apparently enough. Also some details of the plot (the suicide attempt scene) have vague parallels in a Soviet movie.

So that's what your taxes and tributes to the Empire are wasted in: protecting Scrooge from being shown as he really is.

Sources: Webguerrillero[es] (link 1, link 2) and The Daily Mail for the American Gestapo story.

Basque Country: thousands support Inquisition victim

Luis Goñi has become the latest prisoner of conscience of the Basque Country but not without a fight.

Goñi, who is persecuted for his political activism and no other reason, as so many other Basques, stood in the center of Iruñea-Pamplona, sheltered by a large human wall.

The protest continued all day and only in the night, police finally intervened, violently enough to cause  injuries to at least three.

Video of the police intervention and arrest:

A great bravo for the Navarrese people, especially the youth, who were there in large numbers. This kind of nonviolent actions seldom impede Inquisitorial repression but they do serve to evidence the repression itself and its fascist nature, eroding the power of the authorities, which in our country are foreign invaders with zero legitimacy. 

Sources[es/eu]: Naiz Info, Gara.

Ecuador: fight for the right to abortion

While President Correa shames himself and all the Left claiming that he will step down if abortion is legalized in Ecuador, a dozen women protested in Parliament FEMEN-style for its legalization. 

The President of the Ecuadorean Parliament, Roxana Alvarado, impeded that police evicted them saying: "gentlemen of the public force, we have not requested your intervention". 

She added: this is a public space and demonstration is allowed, I request that the public force retreats and let them demonstrate in freedom. 

In Ecuador abortion is only allowed for women with severe mental problems, less than 1% of the population. 

Meanwhile the Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa has strongly tied himself to the reactionary fundamentalist Christian dogma by advancing that he won't sign such legislation and even blackmailing his own coalition Alianza País with his resignation if the law is passed. 

Correa accused the MPs of his own party who support freedom of abortion of "disloyalty" and by the moment he has achieved that Paola Pabón retired her proposal to legalize abortion. 

Shame on you, Correa!

Basque Country: giant banner and other activities against political repression in Navarre

As political repression against all those who dare to express their disagreement with the Christian Fundamentalist pro-Spanish regime in Navarre increases, so does rebellion.

Activists masked with fake beards, dark glasses and hats took to the roofs of the Old Quarter of Iruñea-Pamplona to raise a giant banner over Gaztelu Plaza, where Pompey (who gives name to the city) raised his camp more than 2000 years ago and the center of the city to this very day.

The triangular banner, resembling a festive neckerchief, read simply Askegunea badator, that is: the Freedom Zone (Askegunea) is coming. This refers to the activities in support of the victims of political persecution that will take place this weekend, with a march from Gares to Obanos[eu] on Saturday and a demonstration, followed by festive activities, in Iruñea-Pamplona on Sunday. 

In another video[eu], one of those persecuted by the Spanish Inquisition, Luis Goñi, explains that he will be around in Pamplona (but not in the march) this Sunday, openly risking arrest.

Source: Ateak Ireki[es]. 

"Abortion is sacred": FEMEN activists interrupt Spanish congress debate on new fundamentalist abortion law

Three activists of FEMEN interrupted the discourse of Spanish Justice Minister, Alberto Ruiz Gallardón, getting topless and chanting "abortion is sacred" for a couple of minutes.

While some MPs applauded them, others, from the neofascist PP in government, yelled "out!" While the three women were being pulled out it could be heard in the microphones the voice of the Christian fundamentalist Ruiz Gallardón perplex about the slogan: "abortion is sacred?, abortion is sacred?"

This seems to underline the extreme difference in thought, conscience and concept between them and us, between the religious fundamentalists who try to impose their ideological dogma on others by means of law and the humanists who only believe in respect, dignity and freedom.

This is indeed a true clash of civilizations, one that has been going on for at least two centuries, since rationality began overcoming fanaticism. Sadly enough, the struggle has not ended with any decisive victory for the only side which can win; the forces of obscurantism, of darkness are still way too strong. It's they or us, freedom or cultist slavery, we must continue fighting. 

Source: Naiz Info[es].

Sápmi: roadblocks against Swedish mining plans

Roadblocks and other protests are going in the part of Sápmi (Lapland) under Swedish control, against the project by Beowulf Mining and the Swedish state to develop new mines in Sami land. At least six people have already been arrested.

They make a call for help because the police are employing themselves in full force with the goal of allowing the miner corporation to begin mining in five days.

They are also standing as human shields in the security perimeter so no explosives can be used (legally at least).

Reference in Swedish language: http://kolonierna.wordpress.com/

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

I don't know you but I can't help thinking in the movies of Pippi Langstrup and the two pathetic cops Kling and Klang. I just hope that reality for once gets close to fiction.

California prisoners suspend hunger strike after almost two months

Yesterday Pelican Bay State Prison inmates announced that they have suspended their hunger strike, lasting for nine weeks. They warn however that the struggle is far from over. 

Greetings of Solidarity and Respect!

The PBSP-SHU, Short Corridor Collective Representatives hereby serve notice upon all concerned parties of interest that after nine weeks we have collectively decided to suspend our third hunger strike action on September 5, 2013.

To be clear, our Peaceful Protest of Resistance to our continuous subjection to decades of systemic state sanctioned torture via the system’s solitary confinement units is far from over. Our decision to suspend our third hunger strike in two years does not come lightly. This decision is especially difficult considering that most of our demands have not been met (despite nearly universal agreement that they are reasonable). The core group of prisoners has been, and remains 100% committed to seeing this protracted struggle for real reform through to a complete victory, even if it requires us to make the ultimate sacrifice.  With that said, we clarify this point by stating prisoner deaths are not the objective, we recognize such sacrifice is at times the only means to an end of fascist oppression.

Our goal remains: force the powers that be to end their torture policies and practices in which serious physical and psychological harm is inflicted on tens of thousands of prisoners as well as our loved ones outside.  We also call for ending the related practices of using prisoners to promote the agenda of the police state by seeking to greatly expand the numbers of the working class poor warehoused in prisons, and particularly those of us held in solitary, based on psychological/social manipulation, and divisive tactics keeping prisoners fighting amongst each other. Those in power promote mass warehousing to justify more guards, more tax dollars for “security”, and spend mere pennies for rehabilitation — all of which demonstrates a failed penal system, high recidivism, and ultimately compromising public safety.  The State of California’s $9.1 billion annual CDCR budget is the epitome of a failed and fraudulent state agency that diabolically and systemically deprives thousands of their human rights and dignity. Allowing this agency to act with impunity has to stop! And it will.

With that said, and in response to much sincere urging of loved ones, supporters, our attorneys and current and former state legislators, Tom Ammiano, Loni Hancock, and Tom Hayden, for whom we have the upmost respect, we decided to suspend our hunger strike.  We are especially grateful to Senator Hancock and Assembly Member Ammiano for their courageous decision to challenge Governor Brown and the CDCR for their policies of prolonged solitary confinement and inhumane conditions. We are certain that they will continue their fight for our cause, including holding legislative hearings and the drafting legislation responsive to our demands on prison conditions and sentencing laws. We are also proceeding with our class action civil suit against the CDCR.

The fact is that Governor Brown and CDCR Secretary Beard have responded to our third peaceful action with typical denials and falsehoods, claiming solitary confinement does not exist and justifying the continuation of their indefinite torture regime by vilifying the peaceful protest representatives. They also obtained the support of the medical receiver (Kelso) and Prison Law Office attorney (Spector—who is supposed to represent prisoners interests, and instead has become an agent for the state) to perpetuate their lie to the public and to the federal court — that prisoners participating in the hunger strike have been coerced — in order to obtain the August 19, 2013 force feeding order.

We have deemed it to be in the best interest of our cause to suspend our hunger strike action until further notice.

We urge people to remember that we began our present resistance with our unprecedented collective and peaceful actions (in tandem with the legislative process) back in early 2010, when we created and distributed a “Formal Complaint” for the purpose of educating the public and bringing widespread attention to our torturous conditions.

After much dialogue and consideration, this led us to our first and second hunger strike actions in 2011, during which a combined number of 6,500 and 12,000 prisoners participated. We succeeded in gaining worldwide attention and support resulting in some minor changes by the CDCR concerning SHU programming and privileges. They also claimed to make major changes to policies regarding gang validation and indefinite SHU confinement by creating the STG/SDP Pilot Program. They released a few hundred prisoners from SHU/AD SEG to general population in the prison.  But in truth, this is all part of a sham to claim the pilot program works and was a weak attempt to have our class action dismissed. It didn’t work.

In response we respectfully made clear that CDCR’s STG-SDP was not responsive to our demand for the end to long term isolation and solitary confinement and thus unacceptable.  (See: AGREEMENT TO END HOSTILITIES)

Our supporting points fell on deaf ears, leading to our January 2013 notice of intent to resume our hunger strike on July 8, 2013 if our demands were not met.  We also included Forty Supplemental Demands.

In early July, CDCR produced several memos notifying prisoners of an increase in privileges and property items, which are notably responsive to a few of our demands, while the majority of our demands were unresolved, leading to our third hunger strike, in which 30,000 prisoners participated and resulted in greater worldwide exposure, support and condemnation of the CDCR!

From our perspective, we’ve gained a lot of positive ground towards achieving our goals.  However, there’s still much to be done.  Our resistance will continue to build and grow until we have won our human rights.

Respectfully,

For the Prisoner Class Human Rights Movement
Todd Ashker, C58191, D1-119
Arturo Castellanos, C17275, D1-121
Sitawa Nantambu Jamaa (Dewberry), C35671, D1-117
Antonio Guillen, P81948, D2-106

And the Representatives Body:
Danny Troxell, B76578, D1-120
George Franco, D46556, D4-217
Ronnie Yandell, V27927, D4-215
Paul Redd, B72683, D2-117
James Baridi Williamson, D-34288. D4-107
Alfred Sandoval, D61000, D4-214
Louis Powell, B59864, D1-104
Alex Yrigollen, H32421, D2-204
Gabriel Huerta, C80766, D3-222
Frank Clement, D07919, D3-116
Raymond Chavo Perez, K12922, D1-219
James Mario Perez, B48186, D3-124

Source: Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity (see also Electronic Intifada, which compares the inhumane situation in Palestine's prisons with that of California).