Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun
The infamous Grand Canal of Venice, Italy, turned a brilliant green color with non-harming dye as part of a climate protest calling for immediate action on the climate crisis. Activists suspended from bridges, marched in the streets, and decried the failure of COP28. The dye is used to trace water movement and dissipates harmlessly in a few hours. Similar actions were held on two other rivers in Italy. The sense of urgency on the climate crisis deepens daily. More than 1,400 scientists are begging you (and all of us) to join the climate movement in order to save our species and the planet’s ecosystems. We have power when we take action together. In the last two years, the fossil fuel divestment campaign has added another $1.4 trillion in assets to its achievements, getting 120 institutions to move money out of fossil fuels, and bringing their total up to a whopping 1600+ institutional commitments, that collectively represent over $40.6 trillion in assets.
In other Nonviolence News, 15,000 people marched in Brussels against European Union austerity measures. A Chinese strike wave is happening amidst factory closures and relocations. In New Zealand, Māori and non-Māori held protests against the government’s anti-Indigenous stance, which is setting the movement back decades. A reparations movement is growing across Africa and the diaspora. Peruvians are protesting for justice after a brutal police crackdown last year.
Jewish Voices For Peace and others shut down bridges in 8 major cities across the United States, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. In front of the White House, a hunger strike wrapped up its first wave of pressure while 18 Jewish elders locked themselves to the fence in an act of civil disobedience calling for the Biden Administration to stop funding genocide against Palestinians. In a victory for Boycott, Divest, Sanctions, the sports company PUMA dropped their sponsorship of the Israeli Football Association.
Argentina’s first libertarian president is slashing government services in an attempt to stop skyrocketing inflation. This prompted Mexico’s President Obrador to do something unusual: he urged Argentines to use nonviolent protest to protect their social programs. (It was a slightly hypocritical move, as Obrador has often criticized foreign governments from meddling in Mexico’s business, but it was refreshing to hear a political leader speak up for the effective power of nonviolent action.) However, the Argentine Security Minister intends to make it difficult for citizens to use nonviolent action, proposing a set of new measures that suppress demonstrations, use armed forces to break labor strikes, create a national registry of people who organize protests, and sanction parents who bring their children to protests.
A few favorites this week: A new online museum of Russian anti-war art has opened, and the Emergency Battery Network Toolkit is showing communities how to DIY resilience and disaster preparedness. These two stories remind me of the breadth of creative actions that are available to us to rise to the challenges of the times.
Next week, we’ll be releasing our special reports on successes, wins, and victories in 2023. We’ll also share a round-up of the year’s most inspiring and creative actions. Keep your eye out for these uplifting recaps … they are sure to give you a powerful dose of hope.
In solidarity,
Rivera Sun
Where else do you find 30-50 stories each week that show you how powerful we are?
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The Transit Equity Movement Wins Their Biggest Zero Fare Victory Yet: A racial justice-focused community organizing group led the charge for Albuquerque’s free bus fare policy. The logic is simple: If most roads are toll-free, shouldn’t public transit be fare-free too? Read more>>
In BDS Win, PUMA Forced To Drop Sponsorship Of Israel Football Association: The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), a founding part of the BDS movement, welcomes the news that PUMA won’t be renewing its contract with the Israel Football Association (IFA). PUMA has been the target of a worldwide BDS campaign since 2018 over its support for Israeli apartheid oppressing millions of Palestinians. Read more>>
Fossil Fuel Divestment Achieves Massive Milestone: Following COP28 in Dubai, UAE, the Global Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement reached a massive milestone: 1600+ institutional commitments, collectively representing over $40.6 trillion in assets. That’s a $1.4 TRILLION and 120 institutions increase in 2 years. Read more>>
How a Trailblazing Tenants Union Forced a Mega-Landlord to the Bargaining Table: In less than two weeks, the Blake Street 16 went from facing eviction court to pioneering the first landlord-tenant negotiations in Connecticut’s history. Read more>>
The Encouraging Restoration of the Penobscot River: an unprecedented coalition of scientists, Indigenous people and conservationists worked to remove both dams in order to free the Penobscot River and hopefully restore its health in the process. As a result, nearly 2,000 miles of habitat was opened for salmon and other species. Read more>>
NYC Gives Free Therapy To Teens: Good news for teens who need to talk: As part of a broader effort to address rising mental health concerns since the start of the pandemic, New York City has launched a program that will provide free online therapy. The initiative, called NYC Teenspace, enables New Yorkers ages 13 to 17 to text, call and video chat with licensed therapists via the online platform Talkspace. Read more>>
How Philadelphia Disrupted the School-to-Prison Pipeline: School-based arrests are one part of the school-to-prison pipeline, through which students—especially Black and Latine students and those with disabilities—are pushed out of their schools and into the legal system. Given these negative consequences, public agencies in states like Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania have looked for ways to arrest fewer young people in schools. Philadelphia, in particular, has pioneered a successful effort to divert youth from the legal system. Read more>>
Why Peruvians Are Protesting Again a Year After Pedro Castillo’s Dismissal: Protests are taking place demanding justice for the people killed in last year’s uprising. One year after protests in Peru were violently suppressed in the wake of president Pedro Castillo’s dismissal from office, demonstrations are taking place again. And, once again, the authorities are threatening to repeat the crackdown that led to 49 deaths, still unpunished, in January and February. Read more>>
Can Guatemalans Save Their Democracy? Months after the election, President-elect Bernardo Arévalo’s path to taking office remains uncertain. Arévalo has repeatedly denounced an “ongoing coup d’état” attempt orchestrated by the country’s entrenched political system. Huge crowds of peaceful protesters have taken to the streets during the past two months to demand that the election results be respected. Read more>>
Argentina’s President Prepares To Suppress Protests: Argentina’s Security Minister Patricia Bullrich announced measures to suppress protests which include calls for armed forces to break labor strikes, create a national registry of people who organize protests, and sanctions against parents who bring their children to demonstrations. Read more>>
Mexico’s President Obrador Urges Argentines to ‘Peacefully’ Resist Milei: President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has often criticized foreign calls to action against his own government’s policies, told a press conference that Argentine citizens should embrace “peaceful civic resistance” and avoid any temptation to oppose Milei’s policies with violence. “What I will say to the Argentine people … is don’t be provoked, that non-violence is politically effective,” said President Obrador. Editor’s Note: Public calls for nonviolence from political leaders are rare and worth noticing, especially in contrast with the political leaders who call for military or violent action. Read more>>
Teaching Nonviolence To Teens: Using Gandhi and King as examples of moral courage, this educator asks young people to explore how they see the power of nonviolence, and what excites or worries them about it. Read more>>
Providing Relief To Earthquake Survivors In Morocco: On Sept. 8, a powerful earthquake struck Morocco. More than 2,400 people were killed and entire villages were destroyed. Since then, AFSC and partners have assisted displaced people in some of the country’s most remote areas. Thanks to our efforts, over 1,000 people have received water, food, and other critical supplies, writes AFSC’s Bilal Olimat. Read more>>
Thousands Tell EU to ‘Stop Austerity’ at Mass March in Brussels: “Austerity is always aimed at the same people: working people,” said one French labor leader. Labor leaders in the European Union on Tuesday estimated that 15,000 people from across the bloc had traveled to central Brussels to march against austerity measures expected to go into effect after the New Year, with workers demanding fair wages and sufficient funding for public services. Read more>>
As Retailer REI’s Troubles With Employees Continue, Consumers Back Off: Once known as the beacon of corporate America, REI is now embroiled in face-offs with employees, putting off consumers. Thanks to a combination of more public pressure from the company’s already hyper-aware and socially conscious customer base, experts believe this could have an impact on holiday shopping. Read more>>
A New Wave of Strikes In Low-End Manufacturing Industry In Post-Covid China: In 2023, China has witnessed a notable increase in the numbers of strikes in manufacturing, which have been triggered by a new wave of factory relocations automation and closure after the Covid pandemic. Read more>>
Feds Are ‘Oblivious to Domestic Crisis!’ Transport Workers Union Leader Says: “There are Americans sleeping all over the streets in urban America,” Samuelsen says. “People have jobs and can’t afford homes. Never in my life have I seen a situation where America’s cities have looked like this.” Read more>>
Labor Leader AI-Jen Poo Confronts ’The Biggest Driver of Economic Inequality That Nobody Talks About: Care for children, the elderly and disabled is among the lowest-paying industries. Ai-Jen Poo thinks federal investment could become reality. Read more>>
On Human Rights Day, Remember Poor Peoples’ Struggle To Survive In US: Sunday, December 10, was the International Human Rights Day to mark the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948. Clearing the FOG spoke with human rights defender Cheri Honkala. A founder of the Poor Peoples Economic and Human Rights Campaign and the Poor People’s Army. Honkala talks about the worsening situation for poor people in the United States. She also describes the protests that will be taking place at the Republican and Democratic Party’s national conventions this summer. Read more>>
Italian Climate Change Protesters Turn Venice’s Grand Canal Green: Italian environmentalists used a dye to turn Venice’s Grand Canal green on Saturday in protest at what they said was a lack of progress at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai. The protesters from the Extinction Rebellion group, dangling from the Rialto Bridge over the canal with the aid of climbing ropes, also displayed a banner that read: “COP28: While the government talks, we are hanging by a thread.” 28 were arrested. Read more>>
More Than 1,400 Climate Scientists Urge Public To Become Activists: 1,447 scientists and academics in signing an open letter calling on the public to take collective action to avert climate breakdown. “We are terrified,” they warn. “We need you.” Read more>>
Climate Defiance Shuts Down Fossil Fuel Mouthpiece: Climate Defiance shut down a speech by Richard Neal, the former chair of the Ways and Means Committee. Neal’s claim to fame is being one of Congress’s top recipients of corporate PAC money, including lots of fossil fuel money. He’s made his name promoting false climate solutions like biodiesel subsidies instead of real, transformative action. And he’s the only member of Massachusetts’ Congressional Delegation who has refused to sign on to the Green New Deal. Read more>>
‘Earth Needs Our Help’: California Kids Sue EPA Over Climate Pollution: “We’re challenging the EPA’s failure to protect us. The air we breathe has become a casualty of their opposition.” As the United Nations climate talks cast a spotlight on the fossil fuel-driven climate emergency, the U.S. law firm Our Children’s Trust on Sunday launched a constitutional lawsuit against the Biden administration on behalf of 18 California children “growing up with polluted air and a government-imposed and -sanctioned climate crisis.” Read more>>
Welcoming Relatives Home – Bringing Back the Bighorn: As the Tribes restore more native species like bighorn sheep and salmon to their lands and waters, they bring collective healing with them. This healing is felt by the people who have long endured cultural trauma from the forces of European and American colonization. It further strengthens their enduring resilience. Read more>>
National Māori Protest Action Over Fears Of The Country Going Backwards: In New Zealand, Māori and non Māori held protest events across the country on Tuesday morning, part of a National Māori Action Day, in response to policies from the new National-led Government. Read more>>
Broad Support For Defunding Police: A new survey conducted by the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL), in collaboration with GenForward at the University of Chicago, shows broad support among Black Americans for defunding police and instead funding alternatives to policing. Specifically, the survey found that two-thirds of Black Americans support reinvesting police budgets in health care, education, and housing. The study’s authors refer to this as central to an “invest/divest approach to public safety.” Read more>>
A Reparations Movement Is Growing Across Africa And Diaspora: The wounds of slavery, colonialism, and their enduring legacies remain unhealed in Africa. Now a growing movement is building across the continent and diaspora demanding reparations and justice for these historical crimes. Read more>>
Keeping Brazil’s Black History in Its Tech “Future”: Rio de Janeiro’s Port Zone was once the largest slave port in the Americas. As developers work to “revitalize” the area, Black activists are fighting to retain the remnants of the district’s historical significance. Read more>>
Watermelon Symbolism In Black America & Palestine: There is a story behind the watermelon symbolism that reflects the struggles for freedom and fights against oppression for African-Americans and Palestinians. And they are mixed. Read more>>
Biden Reportedly Open to Attacking Immigrant Rights to Secure Israel/Ukraine Aid: The Biden administration is “just openly willing to bring back Title 42 in order to get money for their well-funded genocide happening in Gaza?” asked one immigration rights advocate. Faith-based and civil society groups on Tuesday condemned reports that the Biden administration, in ongoing negotiations with Republicans over a military aid package, has signaled a willingness to expand attacks on immigrant rights in exchange for the funding. Read more>>
How Peruvian Feminists Risk Their Safety To Help Women Access Abortions: Peru’s near-total abortion ban isn’t preventing women and girls from seeking abortions, but it is endangering their lives. Feminist networks risk heavy fines, imprisonment, and attacks to make sure Peru’s women have access to reproductive care. Read more>>
Student Groups Are Distributing Free Emergency Contraceptives on Campus: When it comes to sexual health, students across the US are stepping in to help and educate their peers. Their mission is to educate students and others in need about sexual health and connect them with free services and products packaged into kits they distribute on campus, in the community and through their website. Read more>>
#16DaysofActivism: Nonviolent Peaceforce commemorated the annual campaign to end violence against women and girls with actions in Iraq, the Philippines, Sudan, South Sudan, and the United States. The #16DaysofActivism began on the Intl. Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Nov 25) and ended on World Human Rights Day (Dec 10). Read more>>
Four Change Leaders Combating Gender-Based Violence In Africa And India: The “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence,” led by civil society and supported by the United Nations, is a globally recognized campaign that spans from November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, to December 10, Human Rights Day. During this crucial period, individuals, organizations, and communities unite in a collective effort to raise awareness and combat gender-based violence. The campaign is a powerful platform to advocate for policy changes, promote educational initiatives, amplify the voices of survivors, and engage in diverse activities that challenge societal norms. Read more>>
Jewish Demonstrators Block 8 Bridges In US Cities Demanding Ceasefire: Hundreds of demonstrators in eight cities across the U.S. shut down bridges and highways to pressure the Biden administration and members of Congress into demanding a permanent ceasefire in Israel’s genocidal siege of Gaza. Jewish organizers and their allies gathered in Seattle, Los Angeles, Portland, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Chicago. The coordinated protest effort was organized by leaders from Jewish Voice for Peace, Jewish Fast For Gaza, IfNotNow and other groups to take place on the eighth day of Hanukkah, a deeply symbolic decision. Read more>>
18 Jewish Elders Arrested Following Gaza Ceasefire Protest Outside White House: The protest took place hours before a Hanukkah event that was held at the White House on Monday evening. A group of Jewish elders chained themselves to the White House gates on Monday, calling for the Biden administration to stop funding Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and to support a permanent ceasefire. Read more>>
UAW Endorses Ceasefire, the Largest U.S. Union to Call for an Immediate End to the Violence: The announcement at a news conference where protesters have been on a hunger strike outside of the White House marks a major development for labor and the larger call for a cease-fire. “We opposed fascism in World War II, we opposed the Vietnam war, we opposed apartheid South Africa and we mobilized union resources in that fight.” Read more>>
US Businesses And Consumers Participate In Global Strike For Ceasefire In Gaza: Palestinian groups announced the global strike on Saturday, one day after the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. The strike on Monday and Tuesday saw businesses temporarily close, employees call out of work, consumers refrain from shopping and students skip classes. The call to strike was honored in communities across the world, including many in the United States. Read more>>
They Went on a Hunger Strike for a Gaza Ceasefire. What’s Next? At the beginning of the month, a group of more than 20 people undertook a five-day hunger strike outside the White House in Washington, DC. Breaking the fast, here’s the next part of the strategy. “Every day that we don’t get to a ceasefire is another day when Palestinian men and women and children will be killed.” Read more>>
Young Kenyans Begin Boycott of Israeli Brands As Gaza War Goes On: In Nairobi, advocacy efforts are on the rise in solidarity with Palestine as the war in Gaza continues. For those leading the boycotts and encouraging others to join, the parallels between Kenya’s colonial past and Palestine’s present predicament are too strong to ignore. Read more>>
Rutgers University Latest to Suspend Students for Justice in Palestine Group: “We’ve been facing a lot of repression,” an SJP member said. The Rutgers-New Brunswick chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) was notified on Monday that it had been suspended for “disruptive and disorderly conduct” and “failure to comply with university or civil authority.” Read more>>
Inside The Youth-Led Fight For a Demilitarized Future: A UMass Dissenters organizer discusses the growing youth-led antiwar movement and how they are organizing against weapons manufacturers and the war in Gaza. Read more>>
From Soldier And Diplomat To Peace Activist: The Swarthmore College Peace Collection is now home to Colonel Ann Wright’s papers, documenting her resignation from the State Department and years of peace activism. Read more>>
In Second Act, Russian Activist Group Pussy Riot Protests Ukraine War: More than a year after two members of the Russian activist group Pussy Riot, Maria Alyokhina and Lucy Shtein, escaped from Moscow disguised as food couriers, the feminist punk protest band is touring the United States with a new antiwar anthem that howls in rage at Kremlin propagandists they accuse of poisoning Russian minds. Read more>>
The Lesson From This War: Peace Is a Public Health Issue: If public health is about human health and flourishing, then assault, torture, murder, and war are all our business. Read more>>
Museum Of Russian Anti-War Street Art Opens Online: A museum of Russian anti-war street art has opened online, featuring over 470 pieces of art voicing out against Russia’s war on Ukraine. Russian anthropologist Alexandra Arkhipova and her colleagues have been collecting examples of anti-war street art — stickers, graffiti, leaflets, and complex installations — for over a year and a half. Their collection features work from 48 Russian cities, which have been meticulously classified and translated into English. Read more>>
Christmas Truces, Past & Present: Wars need truces ASAP and permanently, but if Christmas (or the Olympics or Armistice/Remembrance Day or any other occasion) can shake people into a willingness to give peace on Earth a bit of a try, let’s use it! One way to get inspired about the idea of a future Christmas truce is to learn a bit about some past ones. Read more>>
Introducing the Emergency Battery Network Toolkit: Backup power sources such as batteries, solar panels, and generators are expensive—and individualistic solutions aren’t very helpful in addressing our collective needs, especially in times of crisis. That’s why Shareable partnered with People Power Battery Collective to create the Emergency Battery Toolkit to help organizers build strong and effective backup power supplies owned by local communities. Read more>>
The Poem Behind the White Kites At Pro-Palestinian Protests: Listen as Brian Cox reads If I Must Die, by beloved Palestinian poet, teacher and martyr Refaat Alareer. Refaat was killed on December 7th by an Israeli airstrike. The poems imagery of a white kite in the sky is being carried by hundreds of demonstrators. Read more>>
Artisans Cooperative – An Etsy Alternative, Owned And Run By Artists And Makers: When Etsy raised its fees, thousands of Etsy shops banded together for a strike in April 2022. The strike lasted a week, but Etsy did not change anything as a result. It didn’t change its fees or offer concessions. It didn’t respond to the strike at all. In the wake, artisans decided to replace Etsy with an artisan-run platform, Artisans Cooperative. The marketplace just launched in October 2023, ahead of the holiday season. It is a place where artists and makers can list and sell their goods, and collectively run a business. Read more>>
Appalachian Musicians Take Stand Against Mountain Valley Pipeline With Compilation Album: STOP MVP, a compilation album of 40 tracks, amplifies the voices of Appalachian artists standing against the Mountain Valley Pipeline. All proceeds from the album support the Appalachian Legal Defense Fund in their battle against environmental threats. Read more>>
Can Extinction Rebellion’s Surprise Success In The Netherlands Be Replicated? As the COP 28 talks flounder, European movements are shifting their strategy in an attempt to emulate a major Dutch victory against fossil fuel subsidies. Read more>>
Extinction Rebellion Co-founder Clare Farrell On Smashing Up HSBC Bank: Farrell was one of nine women who smashed the windows of the bank’s Canary Wharf headquarters in April 2021 – last month, jurors found them not guilty. Here’s how she got away with it. Read more>>
Continuing The Fight Against Cop City: We trace the trajectory of the movement to Stop Cop City from the June 5 City Council vote through the November “Block Cop City” mobilization. Starting in April 2021, people in Atlanta, Georgia set out to defend Weelaunee Forest, where politicians and profiteers are attempting to build a police training compound known as Cop City. Over the past two and a half years, this movement has given rise to one of the fiercest struggles in North America. Read more>>
Resist & Build Gives Activists a Double-Pronged Organizing Strategy: On this episode of The Response Podcast, we turned our focus towards the Solidarity Economy and what is meant by ‘Resist & Build’; the practice of resisting the systemic forces causing harm to people, planet, and place while simultaneously building alternatives that can eventually replace them. Read more>>
Tell US Officials To Ditch LNG Export Terminals: On November 30, activists delivered more than 200,000 comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) – and now they’ve gotten a sign that the pressure is working. When FERC released the agenda for their final Commissioner’s meeting of the year, and the massive LNG export terminal Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2) isn’t on it. This is a delay, not a decision. But it is a good sign. Send them a message to drop LNG exports. Take action>>
Tell Adobe: Stop Selling AI-Generated Images of War: Business Insider reports that “Adobe is selling AI-generated images depicting the Israel-Hamas war. While some are pretty obviously computer generated, others are more realistic, including one image that has been shared online by some smaller websites and in social media posts—drawing concerns the AI-generated content could contribute to misinformation.” Win Without War urges Adobe to discontinue selling AI-generated images of war and conflict, since they “have incredible potential to fuel misinformation, inflame tensions, and erase the very real human suffering that people are experiencing.” Take action by backing a petition to Adobe calling on it to stop selling these images >>
From a Russian anti-war art museum to a surprising nonviolence statement from Mexico’s president, we’re gathering stories you love to hear. Support Nonviolence News today>>