Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun
Over 2,000 people have been arrested amidst student encampments calling upon US universities and colleges to divest from Israeli companies or weapons makers due to the ongoing assault on Gaza. Evergreen College divested; Portland State University paused its ties with Boeing. Others (Brown, Smith, Northwestern, University of Minnesota) have made agreements with the students to disclose investments and discuss divestment. University of Texas faculty went on strike in support of their student protesters. Several, including Emory, Columbia, and City College, have called local law enforcement in to arrest students and disperse the encampments. Police in Washington, DC, refused George Washington University’s request to evict the encampment. Most (not all) demonstrations have remained peaceful and/or maintained nonviolent discipline during actions.
In other Nonviolence News, Haida Gwaii is celebrating an important step in affirming First Nation sovereignty after the government of British Columbia formally recognized Haida ownership of all its land across 200 islands. In Oregon, forest defenders declared victory in a 22-day tree sit to stop old growth logging. Net Neutrality was restored, yet again, thanks to a long-standing campaign in the US to keep the Internet open and accessible to all. The LA hotel workers have gained 5 more agreements from hotels, bringing them closer to the tipping point for their 100-hotel campaign.
Here’s a few stories that you may not have heard yet: a tree-sit in Germany is trying to halt a Tesla Gigafactory due to water and environmental issues. An Indigenous-led effort has gotten the permit yanked on one of the largest industrial sites in New York. Australians marched in the thousands against a spate of killings of women that have people calling for more women’s equality and tougher laws on gender-based violence. Niger demonstrated against US troops in its tumultuous bid for sovereignty that ousted French troops last year.
In our Knowledge Section, there are several articles worth lingering over. One is a set of take-away lessons from the 11-year-long struggle to gain justice after a Bangladesh apartment building collapsed, killing and injuring thousands. Another looks inside Tibetan resistance. A third gives you a glimpse inside the electrifying Labor Notes conference that brought over 4,700 workers together.
Nonviolence News exists to help us see the breadth and depth of nonviolent action happening in our world. By finding dozens of stories from as many sources, we bring awareness to the courageous actions of people like ourselves who are working to make a difference. There’s no other news source that helps us see our world in this way … even while nonviolent action catches headlines and drives some of the most important news trends of our times. Enjoy the bird’s eye view that Nonviolence News offers us on the transformative power of this field of actions, practices, and skills.
In solidarity,
Rivera Sun
Photo Credit: Pro-Palestine encampment at Gibson Hall on the Tulane campus. Fight Back! News/staff.
Evergreen College Becomes First US University To Divest From Israeli Companies: Students with the Evergreen Gaza Solidarity Encampment and officials of the Evergreen State College in Olympia finally reached an agreement, and now the public college has decided to work toward divesting from “companies that profit from gross human rights violations and/or the occupation of Palestinian territories.” This makes the university the first in the US to completely divest from Israel. Editor’s Note: Northwestern, Brown, and University of Minnesota each reached an agreement with their students to end the encampments and enter a process that the students hope will lead toward divestment, as well as other demands the students have raised. Read more>>
Portland State University Pauses Ties With Boeing as Campus Protests Spread: The president of Portland State University announced Friday that the school would suspend its connections to the military contractor Boeing as campus protests against U.S. colleges’ complicity in Israel’s war on Gaza intensified. Read more>>
IRA’s Solar for All Program Will Install Nearly 1 Million Systems in US: Money from the Solar for All program, which is part of the Inflation Reduction Act, will go to 60 recipients that include state and Tribal governments and nonprofit organizations. For 25 states and territories, this is the first time they’re getting low-income solar programs, as Alison Takemura reports for Canary Media. Most of the newcomers are Republican-leaning states, such as Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. Read more>>
A Land Back Victory on Haida Gwaii: British Columbia affirms Indigenous ownership of the 200 islands the Haida have stewarded for millennia, marking a new path toward reconciliation. Read more>>
Philly Is Giving Free SEPTA Rides To 25,000 Low-Income Residents: Getting to where you need to go is a matter of economic and social justice. Now, low-income Philadelphia residents are getting a boost. In August, the city began a two-year Zero Fare pilot program, distributing 25,000 SEPTA Key cards for unlimited free rides — and the majority of participants don’t need to take any action to enroll. Read more>>
Forest Defenders Declare Victory After 22-Day Tree Sit: Environmentalists are declaring victory after occupying a stand of old growth forest for three weeks to prevent trees from being logged. Forest defenders launched a tree sit on April 1 to prevent Boise Cascade Wood Products, the timber company who bought the logging rights, from cutting a stand of mature trees which represents some of the last remaining intact old growth in the region. For 22 days, community members occupied a patch of old growth forest that sits inside the boundaries of the Poor Windy Forest Management Plan. Read more>>
Biden Finalizes Regulations On Power Plant Pollution: The Biden administration punctuated Earth Week by finalizing a sweeping set of regulations for power plants—the source of one-quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas pollution—that are designed to hasten the transition to clean electricity across the nation. Read more>>
Net Neutrality Wins! The Federal Communications Commission voted 3–2 to restore net neutrality rules, reversing a repeal ushered through during the Trump administration. Net neutrality is the idea that internet service providers (ISPs) should not be able to discriminate against different kinds of content by blocking or throttling connection speeds or offering paid prioritization for different internet traffic. Read more>>
LA Hotel Workers Gain 5 More Agreements: Amidst a months-long campaign against a hundred hotels, the Hampton Inn Santa Monica, Courtyard Santa Monica, Viceroy Santa Monica, Le Méridien Delfina, and the Sheraton Four Points LAX became the latest hotels to sign the historic accord agreeing to the life-changing wages, benefits and other historic protections. Read more>>
Dozens Arrested in US Campuses Over Pro-Palestinian Encampments: More than 2,000 people have been arrested nationwide as students continue protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and for their universities to divest from Israeli companies and/or military contractors supplying Israel. Editor’s Note: See more stories on this issue in the Peace Section, below. Read more>>
Nation’s First Mental Health Responders Sign Union Contract: The Albuquerque Community Safety department secured their first collective bargaining agreement with their union in March. The department cited lack of support for employee well-being, stability and mental health. The Union represents the first government agency in the nation that sends first responders with backgrounds in mental health to non-violent calls. Read more>>
Graduate Workers Rally: The United Graduate Workers of the University of New Mexico rallied for higher wages. While UGW initially asked for a 50% overall salary wage increase and a 58% increase to minimum salaries, the University administration proposed a 4% increase. Three days after the rally, the administration conceded to including research assistants in proposed wage increases, proposed increases to minimum salaries for project assistants and graduate assistants. Read more>>
The Threats To U.S. Democracy Go Far Beyond Elections and the Courts: We need to do more than protect our elections. Getting money out of politics, repealing anti-dissent laws and ensuring more accountability from elected officials are equally important to democracy. Read more>>
Young People Are Calling BS on Arguments Fueling the Potential TikTok Ban: The day after the Senate passed the bill, President Joe Biden signed it into law, starting a clock which gives the Beijing-based parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, nine months to sell the company or face a US ban. Lawmakers have cited security concerns related to the Chinese government possibly accessing data belonging to the approximately 170 million US TikTok users, but for the young people who rely on the app for news, political updates, and entertainment, the potential ban seems misplaced and ridiculous. Read more>>
‘Teslastoppen’ Elon Musk’s Water War In The Heart Of Europe: “Welcome to the Utopian Gigafactory,” reads a banner hung across a path in a Brandenburg Forest outside Berlin, Germany. At the end of the path, Tesla’s -very real- Gigafactory is visible behind the trees. The banner has been hung by activists of the “Teslastoppen” (Stop Tesla) initiative, who have occupied part of the forest since late February, aiming to prevent Tesla from expanding its only European Gigafactory. The occupation consists of approximately 100 activists, rotating between Berlin and Gruheide, who have set up around a dozen treehouses and platforms suspended with ropes between trees. Read more>>
Dozens Of Climate Activists Arrested At Citibank Headquarters: Climate demonstrators blocked entrances to Citibank’s headquarters in Manhattan at the start of the workday on Wednesday and Thursday, part of a series of Earth Week actions pressuring the bank to end its financing of fossil fuels. Read more>>
Oil Drilling Has Endured in the Everglades for Decades. Now, the Miccosukee Tribe Has a Plan to Stop It: Their proposal comes amid continued interest in expanding oil production within the Big Cypress National Preserve, an Everglades wilderness they consider sacred. Read more>>
Biden EPA’s New Rules Meet Mixed Response: While several environmental groups and climate advocates praised the new rules, others pointed out that they still exclude emissions from existing gas-powered plants, which are currently the nation’s leading source of electricity. Read more>>
Justice Department Admits Navy Jet Fuel Leak Caused Thousands To Suffer: The U.S. government, in what an attorney says is a “monumental admission,” said last year that it caused injury to thousands of people on the Hawaiian island of Oahu when jet fuel from its storage facility leaked into the drinking water system. On Monday, thousands of military family members and locals are headed to trial seeking financial compensation. Read more>>
Indigenous Principles Inspire Rights of Nature Movement To Combat Environmental Threats: As the environment faces increasing pressures from the onset of climate change and industrial pollution, some say granting nature personhood status is the way forward. Read more>>
Inside Brazil’s Free Land Camp: In its twentieth year, a group that started out with around 60 people had grown to 8,000 in the 2024 edition of Acampamento Terra Livre — the Free Land Camp — an event that reunites Indigenous peoples from all over the country every April, for a week, to discuss the main issues related to their communities, create political pressure for their demands and celebrate their cultural diversity. The camp is organized by Brazil’s Indigenous Peoples Association (Apib). Read more>>
UN Puts Spotlight On Attacks Against Indigenous Land Defenders: At the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, experts called attention to the criminalization of Indigenous Peoples worldwide, exacerbated by intersecting interests in extractive industries, conservation, and climate mitigation. Read more>>
Eleven More Students Go Home From Carlisle Boarding School: This fall, the remains of 11 students who died at the Carlisle Boarding School — will finally be returned to their tribe and families, even as the Winnebago Tribe fights with the U.S. government in court to force compliance with the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, known as NAGPRA. Read more>>
Feds Revoke Major Permit For STAMP Industrial Park: The 1,250-acre Science, Technology and Advanced Manufacturing Park — STAMP — is one of the largest industrial parks under construction in New York. It’s so far generated two lawsuits and its construction has resulted in the spilling of hundreds of gallons of drilling fluid in federally-protected wetlands. Both the Tonawanda Seneca Nation and neighboring Orleans County have opposed the pipeline’s construction. Read more>>
‘It Smells Like Earth’: Inside the Eco-Minded World of Human Composting: After eons of burial and cremation being the only options, a new process is giving grieving families — and those contemplating their own death — a new path. Read more>>
Equality For Women Will Help Prevent Violence Against Them: The anger from tens of thousands of people on the streets of Australia demanding serious government action on men’s violence against women was palpable in the April 27-28 national rallies, called by the not-for-profit What Were You Wearing. Read more>>
Amid Hijab Crackdown, Iranian Women Tell Harrowing Stories To Resist: “I want the free world to hear the tragic stories of women who experienced gender discrimination in Iran and Afghanistan in a united movement,” one said. Read more>>
4 States Tell Schools to Ignore New Title IX Rules That Protect LGBTQ Students: The Biden administration released its final Title IX rules, which include protections for LGBTQ+ students by clarifying that Title IX forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The rule change could have a significant impact as it would supersede bathroom bans and other discriminatory policies that have become increasingly common in Republican states within the United States. As of Thursday morning, however, officials in at least four states — Oklahoma, Louisiana, Florida, and South Carolina — have directed schools to ignore the regulations. Read more>>
Book Ban Fight in Nevada Would Create LGBTQ+ Section of Libraries: Young people seeking LGBTQ+ content would have to out themselves … and LGBTQ+ affirming children’s books with same-sex parents would be taken out of the children’s section. Read more>>
93% of US Trans Teens Live in States That Have Proposed or Passed Anti-Trans Laws: Research shows that debates around anti-transgender laws negatively impact trans youth’s mental wellbeing. Read more>>
We Are All Responsible For Bathroom Safety: Data shows that even in states with trans-friendly policies, transgender and nonbinary people report high rates of harassment in public bathrooms. Advocates say everyday people can have a big impact in interrupting discrimination in gendered restrooms. Here’s how anyone can help prevent abuse. Read more>>
DC Police Refuse University’s Request To Arrest Students: From the university’s perspective, it seemed like the perfect time for the police to move in and break up the students’ anti-genocide camp: 3 a.m. George Washington University had given the students until 7 p.m. on Thursday night to clear out. Instead more than a thousand students from other area universities and other supporters flooded the university yard, forming a circle around the camp. As the time advanced beyond midnight the crowd dwindled, leaving the encampment less protected. It seemed logical that under the cover of darkness, with fewer media also present, the police would intervene, but the Washington mayor and the police brass refused. Read more>>
“I’ve Covered Violent Crackdowns on Protests for 15 Years. This Police Overreaction Was Unhinged.” A battered trash can was the extent of damaged property that a journalist witnessed outside the college campus when New York Police Department officers in riot gear cracked down on protesters. Among them were the counter-terrorism forces. The journalist viewed the attack as ‘unhinged’. Read more>>
Disgust Greets White House Correspondents’ Dinner as Israel Kills Journalists in Gaza: “To sit and schmooze with the president while he sends billions of dollars in weapons to Israel to kill their colleagues in Gaza is unethical and immoral.” Read more>>
Mapped: Where The US’ Pro-Palestinian Student Protesters Have Been Arrested: About 600 people have been arrested at pro-Palestinian protests on at least 15 college campuses across the U.S. in just over a week. Here is a map of their locations. Read more>>
Violent Arrest of Emory Professor Spotlights Brutality of Police Crackdown on Campus Protests: “To sustain this level of blind support for Israel, the U.S. must erode its own democracy,” said one foreign policy expert. “And that is what we see happening on U.S. campuses now.” Read more>>
University of Texas Faculty Strike in Solidarity with Students: Yesterday, images of the Texas Department of Public Safety beating anti-war protestors at the University of Texas went viral. Now, faculty at the University are striking until the Texas police authorities are removed from campus. Read more>>
Niger Demonstrates Against US Troops: On Saturday April 13, thousands of people gathered in Niamey, the capital of the West African state of Niger, demanding the dismantling of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) operations inside their country. This demonstration represents an ongoing struggle in several former French colonies to end the economic, political, cultural and military ties to the imperialist powers. In addition to the negative influence from Paris, the U.S. has joined their counterparts in France deploying thousands of military personnel under the guise of fighting “Islamic terrorism”. Read more>>
Hot & Toxic Mock-Preview For Reality TV Spoofs The Natural Gas Industry: Hot & Toxic is a short reality-TV spoof bringing awareness to the dangers of natural gas fumes in the home. Read more>>
Mapping the Future. The Role of Art in Social Change: “Art is a powerful tool for social change. It can challenge norms, foster empathy, and even spark movements. [During this session at the recent Skoll World Forum, the panel] explored how art can also serve as a wayfinding tool to unveil challenges, reflect progress, and chart a course toward a collective future we may not have envisioned yet. Whether you’re an artist or simply looking to expand your tool kit toward social change, check out this visually rich session to immerse yourself in the role art plays in mapping the future, navigating complex challenges, and driving social change.” Watch here>>
How Do You Get Siblings To Care Deeply For Each Other? Latino Families Offer An Answer: The neuroscience is in … and it backs up what cultural knowledge shows. New studies are showing that Latino family values teach children to want to care for one another. So helping your little sister or brother isn’t this burden or obligation. Rather it’s a part of your life that makes you feel good. Read more>>
Pulsing With Life – 2024 Labor Notes Conference: The 2024 Labor Notes Conference pulsed with life—with a record turnout of 4,700 people, and a rising note of optimism because of the many breakthroughs won and new campaigns launched. Since we last gathered, Starbucks baristas have forced their employer into national bargaining. UPS workers won a big raise and wiped out driver two-tier with a strike threat. Graduate workers are organizing by the tens of thousands. Independent unions are spreading in retail and tech. Inspired by the Auto Workers and the Teamsters, demands for more democratic unions are spreading too. Read more>>
11 Lessons From Rana Plaza’s Struggle For Justice: On April 24, 2013, the Rana Plaza building collapsed in Bangladesh killing 1,134 people and injuring approximately 2,500 more. Those deaths were preventable. In the aftermath of the deadliest incident in the history of the apparel manufacturing industry, worker organizations and activists around the globe rallied around the demand: “Rana Plaza Never Again.” Since that horrific day, workers have won binding, enforceable protections to make that rallying cry a reality. It has taken a global coalition years to win workers the ability to enter workplaces without fear. Now the organizers are sharing 11 hard-learned lessons from over the past decades of organizing. Read more>>
Mondragon – 70,000 Workers Showing The World Another Way To Earn a Living: The Basque Country’s Mondragón Corporation is the globe’s largest industrial co-operative, with workers paying for the right to share in its profits – and its losses. In return for giving more to their employer, they expect more back. Read more>>
Tales of Tibetan Resilience And Resistance In Exile: A new book follows the stories of ordinary Tibetans who have lived extraordinary lives. It also documents this community in exile: its education system, self-expression, and non-violent resistance. This interview with the author takes a look at what it means to build a new life, when you may never be able to go home; and how Tibetans have forged their own path in India and elsewhere. Read more>>
Dr. King And The Difference Between Hope & Optimism: Dr. King was not optimistic that he would reach the “Promised Land,” yet he was hopeful about the ultimate goal. In conversation, the two words can often be used as synonyms. But there’s an important gap between them, as psychology research suggests. Read more>>
Calling People Forward Instead of Out: Ten Essential Steps: “Calling forward is a model of communication that [the authors] coined several years ago that flips the idea of “calling out” and “calling in” on its head, turning it into something more effective for bringing people together and ending racism. While “calling out” or “calling in” is fighting against what someone did wrong, calling forward is an invitation to be something greater. Read more>>
Tell Universities You Support Students For Peace: College students are facing police violence, arrests, suspensions, and ugly false accusations for nonviolently protesting genocide. Send an email with one click to the administrations of these universities: Columbia, NYU, Yale, UNC, Washington U, Vanderbilt, Michigan, The New School, MIT, Emerson, Tufts, Humboldt, Berkeley, Smith, Pomona, Minnesota. Learn more>>
People Power & Peace Course: We have more power than we think. Everyday people like you have the potential to halt or prevent war through nonviolent strategies. Join Rivera Sun for an inspiring 6-week course, where you’ll explore powerful stories from around the globe. From Liberia to Northern Ireland, Colombia to the Philippines, you’ll discover how communities have successfully halted or averted wars through nonviolent action. (Starts May 6) Learn more>>
The Role of the Labor Movement in the Solidarity Economy: There has been increasing attention on the role of the labor movement in the solidarity economy as union leaders seek new ways to fight back against the increasing precarity caused by neoliberalism, automation and AI. How can these movements better collaborate? Where are the success stories? Where is there room for improvement? (May 10 – Virtual) Learn more>>
Working with Youth Projects in Europe – Youth Leadership and Peacebuilding: This webinar will focus on Youth Peace Camp: bringing young people from conflict areas for a training on conflict transformation and creating trust. The presenters will also speak on several other examples of large-scale youth organizing. (May 14) Learn more>>
‘Light’ – A Documentary On Community Peace Teams In Palestine: Created by Community Peace Teams, this film is a special window into Palestinian resistance and resilience, from their teammate’s clandestine filming through checkpoints and brave confrontation of soldiers, to the legacy of the martyrs Haj Sulaiman and Hashem al Azzah, to the lives of Nisreen and Tareq who continue the struggle. (May 18) Learn more>>
24-Hr Peace Wave: International Peace Bureau and World BEYOND War will hold the third-annual 24-hour peacewave on June 22-23, 2024. This will be a 24-hour-long Zoom featuring live peace actions in the streets and squares of the world, moving around the globe with the sun. There will be a live Q&A section on Zoom for the last 10 minutes of each hour. This Peace Wave will happen during the RIMPAC war rehearsals in the Pacific and just prior to protests of NATO’s meeting in Washington in July. Learn more>>
Poor People’s Army March: Also known as the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, the mission of the nonviolent Poor People’s Army is to keep people alive and to build a cooperative economy and society. Endorsed by Veterans For Peace, the two-week Poor People’s Army March will go from Mikwaukee – site of the Republican National Convention (July 15) – to Chicago – site of the Democratic National Convention (August 19). The march will deliver the same message to both conventions: “We reject corporate greed and demand an end to poverty.” (July 15-Aug 19) Learn more>>