Assata Shakur Becomes the First Woman Added to FBI’s Most Wanted List

Assata Shakur

 

Madeleine Davies, Jezebel.com, May 3, 2013

As of yesterday, former Black Panther and member of the Black Liberation Army Assata Shakur became the first-ever woman to be added to the FBI’s most wanted terrorist list. She is currently 66 years old and living in Cuba where she has been granted political asylum.

In May of 1973, Shakur was in a car that was pulled over by police on the New Jersey highway. A shootout occurred, resulting in the deaths of her companion and fellow activist Zayd Malik Shakur and State Trooper Werner Foerster. Assata Shakur was wounded in the gunfight, having been shot twice. Accounts of what happened that night differ greatly — surviving Trooper James Harper (also wounded) claimed that Zayd Malik Shakur began firing when they asked him to step out of the vehicle whereas Assata Shakur attests that the police fired first, even after she had her hands in the air.

Shakur was convicted of Foerster’s murder and sentenced to a life in prison. In 1979, with the help of allies, she was able to escape from confinement and flee to Cuba where she still lives and calls herself a “20th century escaped slave.”

Questions of Freedom and People’s Emancipation — Part 4, by Kobad Ghandy

Kobad Ghandy after his arrest

[Kobad Ghandy, a member of the Politburo and Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), was captured by Indian Intelligence Bureau on  September 17, 2009.  Initially kept in illegal detention and tortured, he remains a political prisoner in Tihar Jail, where he continues his revolutionary studies and writings, organizes Maoist classes, and joins the struggles of other prisoners against the draconian conditions they face.  The following is the fourth of a 5 or 6 part series on freedom--its promise and the problems in its pathway.  The first article (covering Part I – The Context) and the second one (covering Part II – Search for Freedom through History) can be seen at http://revolutionaryfrontlines.wordpress.com/2012/10/06/questions-of-freedom-and-peoples-emancipation-by-kobad-ghandy/  The third installment, on Socialism and Existentialism, can be seen at http://revolutionaryfrontlines.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/questions-of-freedom-and-peoples-emancipation-part-3-by-kobad-ghandy/  -- Frontlines ed.]

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Mainstream, VOL L No 47, November 10, 2012

PART IV — No Freedom without Values

When a man feels superiority over others, this sort of inward elation is called pride. A proud man will not tolerate any other to be on equal terms with himself. In private and public he expects that all should assume a respectful attitude towards him and acknowledge his superiority, treat him as a higher being… So long as man feels proud he will not like for others, what he likes for himself. His self-esteem will deprive him of humility, which is the essence of righteousness. He will neither be able to discard enmity and envy, resentment and wrath, slander and scorn, nor will he be able to cultivate truth and sincerity, and calmly listen to advice. In short, there is no evil which a proud man will not inevitably do in order to preserve his elation and self-esteem. Vices are like a chain of rings linked together which entangle the heart. —Al Ghazzali

So said the famous Sufi philosopher over one thousand years back.

One may have the best of ideologies, but without the inculcation of good values the ideology will remain hollow and hypocritical. One may seek an equitable economic transfor-mation, but if one does not acquire a commen-surate value system, the changes will remain illusory. One may create beautiful theories of freedom, but if one does not have decent values, it may be anarchy or extreme individualism, but certainly not freedom. One may evolve the most democratic of organisational structures, but if the individuals within it (particularly the leadership) do not have a set of proper values, any organisation, whatever the form, is bound to get distorted and become autocratic. One cannot expect nice sweet fruit from a mango tree by nurturing it on poisonous water. With filthy water we cannot expect to clean the vessel, however much we keep scrubbing it with glossy detergents.

Questions of Freedom and People’s Emancipation — Part 3, by Kobad Ghandy

Kobad Ghandy

[Kobad Ghandy, a member of the Politburo and Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), was captured by Indian Intelligence Bureau on  September 17, 2009.  Initially kept in illegal detention and tortured, he remains a political prisoner in Tihar Jail, where he continues his revolutionary studies and writings, organizes Maoist classes, and joins the struggles of other prisoners against the draconian conditions they face.  The following is the third part of a 5 or 6 part series on freedom--its promise and the problems in its pathway. The first article (covering Part I – The Context)  and the second one (covering Part II – Search for Freedom through History) can be seen at http://revolutionaryfrontlines.wordpress.com/2012/10/06/questions-of-freedom-and-peoples-emancipation-by-kobad-ghandy/-- Frontlines ed.]

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Mainstream, VOL L No 42, October 6, 2012

PART III—Socialism and Existentialism

The 19th and 20th centuries witnessed two major schools of thought—socialism and existentialism. The former reflected the agony of the vast impoverished masses, the latter mirrored the acute alienation within society, strongly reflected in the middle classes. While socialism focused on the society, the existentialists concerned themselves more with the individual. Both these philosophical trends had a powerful impact till the 1980s.

I shall first briefly look at these two trends and then come to the present, post-1980s situation.

Socialist Trend

The agony of the impoverished people was beautifully portrayed in a large number of classics in the 19th and early 20th centuries. There was Engels’ Condition of the Working Class in Britain, a large number of novels by authors like Emile Zola, classics like the book Grapes of Wrath etc. which depicted how cruel capitalism was.

In the post-war period there were a number of African and Latin American writings which pictured the agony of colonial conquest like the book Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galaeno.

Palestine: How hunger strikers “tied the hands of the occupation”: a view from Israeli prison

Ameer  Makhoul,The Electronic Intifada, Gilboa Prison, 9 June 2012

A demonstration in solidarity with hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners, Jaffa, 12 May 2012.

(Oren Ziv / ActiveStills)

Palestinians have achieved three consecutive victories in the last few months. In October 2011, there was the release of prisoners (the exchange deal involving the kidnapped Israeli soldier).

Then there was a series of individual hunger strikes, which lasted for unparalleled periods of time. These began with Khader Adnan, who went on hunger strike to protest against the Israeli policy of administrative detention.

Adnan’s action spurred an open-ended hunger strike by prisoners, started by more than a thousand prisoners on 17 April. It ended on 14 May, with more than 2,000 prisoners taking part. The strike began a new page in the history of the Palestinian struggle for liberation, written by the prisoners along with their Arab and international supporters.

The agreement signed on 14 May 2012 between the authorities in charge of the strike and Israel — with Egyptian and international mediation and guarantees — confirmed that the prisoner movement not only scored a major achievement, but realized a clear victory. We can now speak of two periods, the before and after, with the watershed moment being the hunger strike of 2012.

Comrades in Cairo send solidarity, and advice, to Occupy Wall Street

by Anonymous on October 25, 2011

To all those in the United States currently occupying parks, squares and other spaces, your comrades in Cairo are watching you in sol­i­dar­ity. Having received so much advice from you about tran­si­tion­ing to democracy, we thought it’s our turn to pass on some advice.

Indeed, we are now in many ways involved in the same struggle. What most pundits call “The Arab Spring” has its roots in the demon­stra­tions, riots, strikes and occu­pa­tions taking place all around the world, its foun­da­tions lie in years long struggles by people and popular movements. The moment that we find ourselves in is nothing new, as we in Egypt and others have been fighting against systems of repres­sion, dis­en­fran­chise­ment and the unchecked ravages of global cap­i­tal­ism (yes, we said it, cap­i­tal­ism): a System that has made a world that is dangerous and cruel to its inhab­i­tants. As the interests of gov­ern­ment increas­ingly cater to the interests and comforts of private, transna­tional capital, our cities and homes have become pro­gres­sively more abstract and violent places, subject to the casual ravages of the next economic devel­op­ment or urban renewal scheme.

An entire gen­er­a­tion across the globe has grown up realizing, ratio­nally and emo­tion­ally, that we have no future in the current order of things. Living under struc­tural adjust­ment policies and the supposed expertise of inter­na­tional orga­ni­za­tions like the World Bank and IMF, we watched as our resources, indus­tries and public services were sold off and dis­man­tled as the “free market” pushed an addiction to foreign goods, to foreign food even. The profits and benefits of those freed markets went elsewhere, while Egypt and other countries in the South found their immis­er­a­tion rein­forced by a massive increase in police repres­sion and torture.

Carlos Montes, target of political repression

In this video, Carlos Montes speaks about his activism and the struggle against political repression. Montes is a lifelong activist in the Chicano community in Los Angeles, focused on issues of education, and opposition to imperialist war.
He spoke in San Francisco on August 31, 2011, sponsored by the Bay Area Committee to Stop Political Repression.
This video is presented by pro-jectPRO:JECT and Collision Course Media.

Pelican Bay Prisoners on Hunger Strike Press Demand for Human Rights!

a collision course video production

On June 30, 2011, hundreds of California prisoners at the Pelican Bay State Prison launched a hunger strike against tortuous conditions for years, even decades-long solitary confinement. Within days, thousands of prisoners throughout the state joined the strike. While the media routinely slammed the strike, discounting and minimizing it and slandering the prisoners as undeserving of their demands, public support has grown.
In this video, Manuel LaFontaine of the prisoner support group ALL OF US OR NONE, explains the significance of this historic struggle.  When he spoke at a solidarity rally on July 9th, he had been fasting in solidarity with the hunger strike (since it began) for nine days.
This video was produced by Collision Course Media.

Wisconsin Protests Draw More Than 70,000 In Largest Rally Yet

AP/The Huffington Post

PATRICK CONDON and TODD RICHMOND

02/27/11

 

MADISON, Wis. — Chanting pro-union slogans and carrying signs declaring “We are all Wisconsin,” protesters turned out in cities nationwide to support thousands of public workers who’ve set up camp at the Wisconsin Capitol to fight Republican-backed legislation aimed at weakening unions.

Union supporters organized rallies from New York to Los Angeles in a show of solidarity Saturday as the demonstration in Madison entered its 12th straight day and attracted its largest crowd yet: more than 70,000 people. Hundreds banged on drums and screamed into bullhorns inside the Capitol as others braved frigid weather and snow during the massive rally that flooded into nearby streets.

“I want to thank you for coming out here today to exercise those pesky First Amendment rights,” actor Bradley Whitford, who starred in television’s “The West Wing,” said as he rallied his hometown crowd. “This governor has to understand Wisconsin is a stubborn constituency. We fish through ice!”

Republican Gov. Scott Walker has introduced a bill that includes stripping almost all public workers of their right to collectively bargain on benefits and work conditions. Walker has said the bill would help close a projected $3.6 billion deficit in the 2011-13 budget, and argues that freeing local governments from collective bargaining would give them flexibility amid deep budget cuts.

Ramallah, Occupied Palestine: Demo in support of Egyptian people, 5 Feb – PA arrests I

February 05, 2011
The Palestinian Authority security agents in civilian clothes arresting demonstrators in Ramallah 5th Feb 2011,

the demo in solidarity with the Egyptian & Tunisian uprisings

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Charlotte Silver, The Electronic Intifada, 9 February 2011
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11788.shtml

On Saturday, 5 February, cities around the world and throughout the Israeli-occupied West Bank held demonstrations in solidarity with the people’s uprising in Egypt against Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade-old regime. In Ramallah, security forces belonging to the Palestinian Authority attempted to pacify a protest of 2,000 persons.

In the West Bank, demonstrating solidarity takes on a dual and potentially treacherous significance, as Palestinians can easily indict their own government for similar charges heard from Egyptians and earlier, Tunisians. The fate of Egypt has direct consequences for that of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, where elections for the Palestinian Authority have not been held even though the terms of office for the legislative council and president have long since expired. Egypt has also played a key role in internal Palestinian politics, actively supporting Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah faction against rival Hamas.

San Francisco: Demonstration at Indian Consulate–”Free Binayak Sen and all Political Prisoners in India!”

[International protests are growing, condemning the Indian government's unjust sentencing of Dr. Binayak Sen and the growing masses of Political Prisoners in Indian jails.  In San Francisco, California, on January 28, 2011, people gathered to demonstrate at the Indian Consulate, delivering the message that the world is watching, and growing numbers are exposing and opposing the attacks by the Indian government on the people of India!--Frontlines ed.]

Brazilian activists demonstrate in support of political prisoner in China

Workers, students and lawyers demonstrate in front of the Chinese embassy  in Brasília against the
political imprisonment of Chinese lawyer Zhao Dong-min.

Video in Portuguese with English captions

November 18, 2010

FREEDOM FOR ZHAO DONG-MIN!

The words demanding “Freedom for Zhao-Dong-min,” yelled in Portuguese and English, echoed in the embassy sector in Brasilia last Thursday, November 18.

The demonstrators, who were posted outside the main gate of the Chinese embassy on Nations Avenue, 813 block, bore two large banners on which were stamped the picture of Chinese lawyer Zhao Dong-min and which called for his immediate release. They also carried  flags of the participating organizations.

This demonstration against the illegal arrest and absurd three year prison sentence imposed on the Chinese lawyer Zhao Dong-min was organized by ABRAPO – Brazilian Association of People’s Lawyers, IAPL – International Association of People’s Lawyers, Workers League, and Cebraspo – Brazilian Center of Solidarity with the Peoples.

Workers, lawyers and law students demonstrated their total repudiation of the fascist policy of the Chinese government, prosecuting and imprisoning those who fight against the regime of slavery which workers are subjected to in China.

Demonstrating the arbitrary and authoritarian attitude of the Chinese government and total unpreparedness for the exercise of diplomatic functions, the Chinese ambassador in Brazil, Qiu Xiaoqi, refused to receive the document prepared by the organizers of the protest. Instead the ambassador called out the military police, which immediately cordoned off the entrance to the embassy. A delegation of representatives from the protest organizations stood at the gate of the Chinese embassy, which remained closed all the time. Hysterical screaming in Chinese from inside the embassy was heard outside the walls, causing laughter among the demonstrators.

Hong Kong student activists support Foxconn workers in China and India

[A few months ago, conditions at the Foxconn factory in China (which produces iPads for Apple) grew so bad that a growing number of workers were driven to suicide.  Student activists in Hong Kong built support for the workers struggle with a series of actions.  Now, word of similarly horrifying conditions in the Foxconn factories in India has  brought the activists into action once again.--Frontlines ed.]

In Support of the Struggle of Foxconn Workers in India

An earlier protest burned iPads

All Imprisoned Strike Participants Should be Freed

26 October 2010

In May this year, a wave of worker suicides shone the spotlight on low wages and harsh working conditions at Chinese factories of the world’s biggest IT manufacturer, Foxconn.

Now the company’s exploitation of workers has also been exposed in Chennai, India, where 319 Foxconn workers have been imprisoned after striking for a wage increase. Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM) supports these workers’ demands, and calls for the release of the imprisoned activists.

In China, in the aftermath of the spate of suicides, Foxconn announced a wage increase proposal in June to appease public criticism. It claimed that the monthly basic wage of the production line workers in Shenzhen would be raised to CNY 2000 (USD 300), effective October. The implementation is still in question as most of the workers are not formally informed about the wage increase, as of mid-October.

Meanwhile, in India, the basic salary for Foxconn production line workers is only about USD 106. They share Chinese workers’ aspiration for a wage increase. A strike was launched in mid-September as a result. Outrageously, the strike was suppressed by joint efforts of Foxconn and the local police.

Protests in West Bank, Jordan, and Syria against brutal repression of Palestinians in Israeli jails

A Palestinian woman holds a picture of her jailed son as she leaves a protest calling for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, in Gaza City, Saturday (Reuters photo)

CAPITALS, Sept 25 (Saba) — Several Palestinian factions and Arab trade unions and non-government organizations staged Saturday demonstrations in the West Bank, Amman and Damascus in protest against the escalating aggressions by the Israeli prison authorities on the Palestinian prisoners, according to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

The protests followed revelations that the guards of Ramon and Ofer prison and Hadarim Detention Center attacked, and used tear gas against, Palestinian prisoners, injuring 15 of them.

In Ramallah relatives of the detainees and sympathizers from the Palestinian political forces and human rights institutions staged a sit-in front of the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

They raised banners, showing solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners and urging for putting the prisoners’ release high on the agenda of the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.

South African anti-apartheid veteran urges the academic boycott of Israeli apartheid

Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa

Israel ties: a chance to do the right thing

The Sunday Times, Sep 26, 2010

By Archbishop Desmond Tutu

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The University of Johannesburg’s Senate will next week meet to decide whether to end its relationship with an Israeli institution, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, on the grounds of that university’s active support for and involvement in the Israeli military. Archbishop Desmond Tutu supports the move. He explains why.

The temptation in our situation is to speak in muffled tones about an issue such as the right of the people of Palestine to a state of their own.

We can easily be enticed to read reconciliation and fairness as meaning parity between justice and injustice. Having achieved our own freedom, we can fall into the trap of washing our hands of difficulties that others face. Yet we would be less than human if we did so. It behoves all South Africans, themselves erstwhile beneficiaries of generous international support, to stand up and be counted among those contributing actively to the cause of freedom and justice.” – Nelson Mandela, December 4 1997

Struggles for freedom and justices are fraught with huge moral dilemmas. How can we commit ourselves to virtue – before its political triumph – when such commitment may lead to ostracism from our political allies and even our closest partners and friends? Are we willing to speak out for justice when the moral choice that we make for an oppressed community may invite phone calls from the powerful or when possible research funding will be withdrawn from us? When we say “Never again!” do we mean “Never again!”, or do we mean “Never again to us!”?

Our responses to these questions are an indication of whether we are really interested in human rights and justice or whether our commitment is simply to secure a few deals for ourselves, our communities and our institutions – but in the process walking over our ideals even while we claim we are on our way to achieving them?

Malcolm X Grassroots Movement: Solidarity with the Struggle of People of Haiti

The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (MXGM) is an organization of people of Afrikan descent in the United States who believe in fighting for and supporting self-determination and human rights for Afrikans in the United States and around the world. Our organization annually takes an international trip to build solidarity with other people struggling for liberation and social justice. This year, we come in solidarity to Haiti (with the people of Haiti).

Our objective was to meet with Haitian people and popular organizations and assess the current situation in the camps and throughout the country seven months after the earthquake.

What we have found is appalling. There is a lack of security, deteriorating health conditions, and inadequate access to food, water, medicine and education in the camps. We are particularly concerned about the lack of safety and the large number of reported rapes and violent attacks on Haitian women and children in the camps.