Issue 1283

News

A large vigil and march was organised to mark the death in police custody of Aboriginal woman Sherry Fisher-Tilberoo, reports Alex Bainbridge.

John Pat’s death in custody was remembered 37 years after the 16-year-old died of head injuries in a police cell in Roebourne in 1983, reports Kerry Smith.

Waterfront workers are calling on Caltex to suspend services with Ports and Harbour Services which has employed non-union labour, reports Jim McIlroy.

Protesters gathered in front of the Opera House to denounce human rights violations and demand Bolivia’s October 18 elections be held under free and fair conditions, reports Federico Fuentes.

The Maritime Union of Australia is fighting Patrick stevedores' attempts to use the pandemic to cut conditions and wages, reports Jim Mcllroy.

Baakindji woman and water activist Leah Ebsworth has pleaded not guilty to charges arising from a protest on the bridge earlier this year, reports Paul Oboohov.

Against expert opinion and widespread community opposition, the Independent Planning Commission has approved Santos' Narrabri gas project in north-western New South Wales, reports Pip Hinman.

Participants at an online forum agreed that shutting down all protests was not a proportionate response to the pandemic, reports Chris Slee.

Analysis

Independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie discusses the urgent need for the federal government to intervene for Julian Assange and the important principles at stake in his trial.

Consumption by the world’s richest is generating the lion's share of global greenhouse gas emissions, a new report states. Peter Boyle argues that the future is literally toast if profit-driven corporations and the world’s rich remain in power.

Effective councillors have to take up people’s everyday issues, as well as the bigger issues, in the same way that a good union delegate on the job would, says Sue Bolton.

The corporate vultures are circling the ailing National Broadband Network after the federal government said it will spend money on it. Jim McIlroy argues it should not be readied for sale but stay in public hands.

Peter Simpson, “Simmo”, a stalwart of the Electrical Trades Union Queensland and NT branch has been widely hailed as a “legend” for putting the union and social justice ahead of party politics, writes Jim McIlroy.

The federal government and employers are using the pandemic recession to further undermine job security and employment conditions. Graham Matthews argues that their “increased flexibility” is our growing insecurity.

People's Democratic Party congress

The Erdoğan regime has issued arrest warrants for 82 members of the popular left-wing People’s Democratic Party in Turkey. Alex Bainbridge argues the Australian government must take a stand for democracy and civil rights.

Frances Hamilton became an active feminist in the Women’s Liberation Movement of the 1960s and '70s. Here, she recounts some of her experiences from the grassroots movement that spearheaded so much change in women's lives.

Organised white-collar crime — moving dirty money for people and companies — has became a whole lot easier. Meanwhile, Suzanne James reports, banks remain untouchable.

World

Since the latest fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh began, nationalist propaganda in both countries has reached a fever pitch and any anti-war activity is drowned out by vitriol and punished with arrests. In response, Azerbaijani Leftist Youth have released this statement.

Intense fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan has left scores of people dead and hundreds wounded, as the two neighbouring states teeter on the brink of all-out war, writes Walter Smolarek.

With the death of Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her iconisation has reached fever pitch, writes Benay Blend. But while she defended women's rights, she chose to ignore the rights of Palestinian and Indigenous peoples.

Just weeks out from the October 18 elections, Bolivia’s coup government is again in crisis after the departure of three ministers over an attempt to privatise an electricity company, writes Federico Fuentes.

A recent poll shows if opposition candidate Andrés Arauz Galarza is allowed to run in Ecuador’s presidential election next year, he will win, write Vijay Prashad and Pilar Troya. But, if the ruling bloc in Ecuador has its way, Arauz will not be sworn in as the next president in 2021.

British human rights organisation TAPOL, in collaboration with Indonesian human rights lawyer Veronica Koman, have just published an extensive report on the 2019 West Papua Uprising, writes Susan Price.

Democrats are pulling out all stops to kick socialist Green Party candidates Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker off the ballot for the upcoming election, writes Barry Sheppard.

The COVID-19 pandemic and anthropogenic climate change illustrate the need to transcend the capitalist world system with an ecosocialist one, argues Hans Baer.

Malik Miah writes the decision of the Kentucky Grand Jury to not file murder charges against two white police officers who killed Breonna Taylor shows the United States legal system is criminal, unjust and needs to be replaced.

In a speech following his victory in the presidential election for the Autonomous Bougainville Government, Ishmael Toroama argued "the wind of change has blown"

Arrest warrants were issued for 82 people in Turkey on September 25, writes Kerry Smith. The arrests targeted members and leaders of the People's Democratic Party (HDP) ‒ the third largest party in Turkey.

Culture

Ian Angus presents five new books and an essential magazine for ecosocialists.

10 of the best political albums in the world right now album sleeves

Mat Ward takes a look back at September's political news and the best new albums that related to it.

Efrain Ascencio Cedillo was an incredible photographer who will likely never be known outside of Mexico, because he didn’t have the privilege of being from the United States or Europe, writes Tamara Pearson