The National Union of Workers released this statement on October 23.
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Recently the Victorian Trades Hall Council passed a resolution that included this statement: "That VTHC celebrates the contribution to our community from Victorians of many cultures and many faiths. There is no place in Victoria or discrimination or racism and we deplore those who would demonise any group by reason of their faith, race or culture.
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The Refugee Action Collective Victoria has filed a complaint at the International Criminal Court over the Australian government's treatment of asylum seekers and refugees.
The complaint requests the ICC to investigate and prosecute ministers and former ministers of the Australian government, specifically former prime minister Tony Abbott, former immigration minister Scott Morrison, current immigration minister Peter Dutton, and attorney-general George Brandis.
Inside/Outside — Six Plays from Palestine & the Diaspora
Edited by Naomi Wallace & Ismail Khalidi
TGC Books, 2015
Sykes-Picot: The Legacy
Edited by Kenneth Pickering
Arts Canteen, 2015
There is a long tradition of drama in Palestinian culture, but it is not a written one. This point is made by Nathalie Handal in her excellent and detailed introduction to Inside/Outside, a collection of Palestinian plays.
Palestinian theatre was — and continues to be — created through collective improvisation. It has its roots in oral storytelling traditions.
The following statement was issued in Jakarta, Indonesia, on October 24, 2015):
Indonesia's freedom of expression and critical thinking are under attack. Series of repressive and violent acts by the authorities against attempts to critically revisit and review the 1965 communist purge for the betterment of the nation and its people are a strong proof that the totalitarian legacy from the New Order Regime is still alive and kicking.
Sydney-based performing arts company Kinetic Energy Theatre Company turned 40 this year.
It is a miraculous achievement to survive in a dog-eat-dog world. Our consumer society is ruled by commercialisation and profit-making. The powers that be would rather feed cultural atrophy and political amnesia than cultivate intelligent artistic endeavours for the health and vibrancy of the people.
Students sit in protest during a mass demonstration on the steps of Jameson Hall at the University of Cape Town, October 22
In a victory for protesting students, South African President Jacob Zuma backtracked on October 23 and cancelled a planned university fee rise next year.
Tom Iljas visits his mother's grave in West Sumatra. He was stopped from visiting the grave of his father who was killed during the 1965 massacre of leftists. Photo: Yulia Evina Bhara.
Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly asserted that Adolf Hitler had no intention of exterminating Europe's Jews until a Palestinian persuaded him to do it. The Israeli prime minister's attempt to whitewash Hitler and lay the blame for the Holocaust at the door of Palestinians signals a major escalation of his incitement against and demonisation of the people living under his country's military and settler-colonial rule.
Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN), a national organisation of Palestine solidarity groups, religious organisations, trade unions, peace groups and individuals has decided to sign on to the international boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign.
Previously, APAN had only expressed general support for the BDS campaign, noting it was a valid and non-violent political tactic. It has not endorsed or advocated it. Last November, at its annual general meeting (AGM), APAN decided against changing its position to consult with its affiliates.
About 300 Tamil political prisoners in 11 prisons began a hunger strike on October 12.
Many of the prisoners have been detained without trial under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Some have been in jail for up to 20 years.
They are accused of being members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which fought for an independent Tamil homeland in the north and east of the island of Sri Lanka, but was defeated in 2009.
An international campaign has been launched to call for the release of Khalid Mohd Ismath, a Malaysian student activist and a member of the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM), who has been detained since October 7.
Khalid has been active in highlighting human rights violations and misuse of power by the authorities in Malaysia. He was arrested on October 7 under the Malaysian Multimedia and Communications Act 1998 for allegedly posting offensive comments on social media.
Fadang Randal is a representative of the United People's Party of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti — PCJSS), who visited Australia in September. He spoke to Green Left Weekly's Tony Iltis
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The PCJSS is working for the social and political rights of the indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
We are very much concerned now with the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord — a treaty signed in 1997 between the government and the PCJSS.
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