Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun
The United Kingdom is asking whose lives matter after the police killed an unarmed Black rapper. When protest organizers were urged to cancel the demonstrations due to the queen’s death, they refused. They felt the greater insensitivity was asking them to cancel a protest over a Black man’s murder for a period of mourning for a queen. It touched a raw nerve. Inflamed, thousands flooded the streets of South London to call attention to the gross disparity of national concern. In other parts of the country, anti-monarchist protesters face swift repression as dissent is silenced as “disrespect”. One person was even arrested for carrying a blank sign – a chilling indication of the rise of authoritarian attitudes.
If we look around the world, we’ll see numerous, diverse struggles taking place. Pakistani workers commemorated the 10-year anniversary of a horrific factory fire by renewing pressure for worker health and safety measures. In Honduras, builders at a US embassy building are on strike due to illegal contracts and accidents on site. In South Korea, citizens are pushing for fairness in pharmaceutical prices and universal access to medicines. Greek students and professors are trying to get rid of “university police”. In Brussels, a mass movement of taxi drivers is challenging Uber’s bid to write new laws. Ghana, Indonesia, Haiti and Argentina all continue to push back against high cost-of-living and austerity measures. School is canceled for Kosovo’s 200,000 children as teachers remain on strike.
In the United States, teachers in Washington State, nurses in Minnesota, and woodworkers in Oregon are all striking this week. Meanwhile, Wisconsin nurses, railway unions, and Seattle teachers have all reached tentative deals. Peace activists have also been busy; two sets of actions took place for Peace In Ukraine and to call out the war profiteering of weapons makers.
There are two gems you shouldn’t miss. One is a set of stories from Backbone Campaign (in the Creative Action section) about flotillas, light brigades, orca murals, and more. The other is a tribute to the inimitable Ella Baker, who will be honored with induction into the Co-operative Hall of Fame for her lifelong organizing, and particularly for her lesser-known work around Black cooperatives from the Depression onward.
In solidarity,
Rivera Sun
Photo Credit: March demanding justice for Chris Kaba in South London.
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