Issue 1272

News

Protests will be held across Australia on July 19 to mark 7 years of detention for those refugees who were sent to detention centres on Manus Island and Nauru, reports Kerry Smith.

Human rights activist Stephen Langford has been charged with defacing the Governor Lachlan Macquarie statue in Hyde Park. Jim McIlroy reports his 'crime' was to paste Macquarie's own words to the statue.

People power has stopped the Powerhouse Museum from being sold off but the fight to stop historic Parramatta from being bulldozed continues, reports Jim McIlroy.

Communities are organising to protect the remains of burnt state forests for their intrinsic value and for endangered species, writes Paul Oboohov.

The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance has called for an immediate end to the investigation and possible prosecution of ABC journalist Dan Oakes, reports Jim McIlroy.

Up to 3000 people rallied in Sydney on July 5 for an end to Black deaths in custody, reports Zebedee Parkes.

Farmers say Whitehaven Coal’s effort to expand operations in the Gunnedah Basin poses serious risks to water resources and agricultural land, reports Margaret Gleeson.

A “solidarity selfie” campaign has drawn the backing of mayors, councillors, MPs, artists, religious leaders, trade unionists and activists in support of Kurdish mayors and parliamentarians imprisoned by the Turkish government, writes Ismet Tastan.

New South Wales Police have stepped up their harassment of activists following several rallies which, despite threats, went ahead, reports Rachel Evans.

Analysis

The pandemic is serious and strong action needs to be taken to stop its spread. But punitive and paternalistic interventions, that remove people’s agency, is counterproductive, writes Sue Bolton.

Prisons activist Debbie Kilroy, First Nations activists Elizabeth Jarrett and Mervyn Eades addressed a Green Left forum discussing what it means to defund the police and abolish the prison system in Australia. 

July 19 marks seven years since Kevin Rudd said people seeking asylum, who arrive by boat, would never be settled in Australia. Alex Bainbridge spoke to councillors Jonathan Sri and Sue Bolton about the campaign to free imprisoned refugees and end the cruel policy. 

Socialist councillor Sue Bolton argues that listening to, and working with, affected communities is critical for any government wishing to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews says there was no handbook for dealing with the Melbourne towers outbreaks. But local and international experiences in containing the COVID-19 pandemic prove this outbreak could have been avoided — and should never have ended up being handled like this, writes Fred Fuentes.

The Independent and Peaceful Australia Network has condemned the federal government's plans to spend billions to be a loyal deputy sheriff to the United States in the Asia-Pacific region, writes Vince Scappatura.

Young people, who have only ever had insecure casual jobs, face a very precarious future, writes James Swift.

Caroline Andersen speaks about her family’s struggle for the truth regarding her son Wayne 'Fella' Morrison's 2016 death in the custody of Corrective Services South Australia.

Bega Valley residents who survived the Black Summer bushfires in Cobargo and surrounds say the major parties are still in a sort of denial about climate change and drought, reports Sue Bull.

Socialist Alliance Moreland City Councillor Sue Bolton speaks about the Victorian government’s draconian hard lockdown of public housing estates in Melbourne.

Even at 85 year's old, Ngiyaampaa elder Dr Beryl Carmichael or Yungha-Du is still fighting for the rights of her people and country, writes Mark Merritt.

Victorian Labor's hard lockdown of residents in public housing estates works against its purported goal and feeds racism against migrant communities, argues Sue Bolton.

World

Kurdish women’s organisations have issued a new dossier documenting incidents of violence against women carried out by Turkish soldiers and jihadist groups in north-west Syria, reports Susan Price.

A US court has delivered a major win to Indigenous organisers and climate activists — and a significant blow to the fossil fuel industry and the Trump administration, writes Jessica Corbett.

Venezuela’s success in fighting COVID-19 has come despite a public health system and economy crippled by an economic blockade, destabilisation plots and an attempted invasion, notes the Asia-Pacific Venezuela Solidarity Network.

The second round of the French local elections was bad news for President Emanuel Macron and his austerity agenda, writes John Mullen

In mid-June Turkey launched yet another large-scale air and ground operation in northern Iraq aimed at crippling the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), writes Dave Holmes. But they are facing strong resistance.

US President Donald Trump is doubling down on his race war agenda, while Democratic party mayors are succumbing to pressure and seeking to undermine the Black Lives Matter movement, writes Malik Miah.

Culture

Direct Action cover

JD Svenson's Direct Action is a slow-burning novel, which steadily builds suspense to the very last page, writes Niko Leka.

Climate and Capitalism editor Ian Angus recommends six books for understanding the deadliest global health crisis of our time.

 

Meat the Future documentary poster

Agro-ecologist Alan Broughton reviews a new film on lab-produced meat and challenges the claims made by its chief advocate and technology developer.