Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun
All campaigns go through tidal surges of participation and ebb flows where all seems lost. Even as the US student encampments protesting about Gaza faced a rise and fall of crackdowns – and occasional wins – encampments have sprung up in other countries. And, they’ve been gaining the support of other civil society groups like the Canadian unions who spoke out against the repression of students, or university workers at UCLA and UC Davis who went on strike over the treatment of student protesters. Could this be the baton pass of this months-long campaign for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza? Like the tens of thousands who demonstrated in Paris against the attack on tents in Rafah or the Philadelphia healthcare workers who held a die-in, there are many sectors of society who are horrified by what’s going on. Who will take the lead in the next leg of the effort?
In more Nonviolence News, Swiss schools have found a powerful solution to bullying. Tunisians rallied against a social media crackdown. Climate activists spray painted the yachts of the super-wealthy (with washable paint) to call attention to the urgent need for climate action. In Sierra Leone, a group of midwives is training to ‘save a generation’. Protesting Argentines raised the simple message that Milei is Hunger, critiquing the economic policies of the president. In the US, disabled voters are organizing to make sure polling places – and systems – are safe and accessible. Pacific Islanders unveiled a landmark plan to get off fossil fuels.
One worrisome trend … even after the contentious, deadly protest against Atlanta’s Cop City, several similar cop training systems are being planned for other communities across the United States. Fitchburg, MA, Chicago, IL, and Dallas, TX, and more. Those organizing to stop them need to be strategic and careful – new reports revealed that Atlanta police have been surveilling their opposition groups and using that information to thwart the campaign.
One article I encourage you all to read comes from Mel Duncan, the cofounder of Nonviolent Peaceforce, who explains why now is the time to send unarmed peacekeepers into Gaza and the rest of Palestine. It’s worth thinking carefully about … and supporting.
In solidarity,
Rivera Sun
Photo Credit: Columbia College Encampment holds a teach-in. Photo by Arun Gupta.
Jammu Kashmir: Victory For The People Against Colonial Oppression And Neo-Liberal Policies: The ongoing peoples rights movement in Pakistani-administered Jammu Kashmir has finally emerged victorious after a year-long struggle. In a decisive phase, the people effectively paralyzed the state’s functioning across the region for over five days, culminating in a massive procession marching towards Muzaffarabad. Throughout the year, the state employed coercion and violence in every attempt to crush the movement, but the movement remained entirely peaceful. Facing mounting pressure, the state issued a notification accepting the demands before the rally could reach the capital. Read more>>
Swiss Schools’ Surprising Solution to Bullying: Switzerland’s “No Blame” approach eschews punishment, instead focusing on empathy, tolerance, and respect. Instead of being punished, the bullies are invited to help the bullied student. In a 2008 study that looked at 220 bullying cases, the No-Blame Approach, as this method is known, was successful in 192, or 87%, of the cases. In most evaluated schools, it only took two or three weeks for the bullying to stop. Read more>>
Jury Finds Palestine Action Activists NOT GUILTY Over Elbit Occupation: Two activists from Palestine Action were unanimously acquitted of criminal damage against arms manufacturer Elbit by a jury in Leicester Crown Court after a deliberation of just one hour and 40 minutes. Read more>>
Hamtramck City Council Passes Resolution Demanding Boycott, Divestment Of Israel: The Hamtramck City Council on Tuesday became the first city outside of California to approve a resolution endorsing a movement that advocates for boycotts and divestment to end support for Israel over its brutal attacks on Palestinians in Gaza. The only all-Muslim city council in the country unanimously approved the measure in support of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. The idea is to send a strong message of support to Palestinians and “to end the genocide” in Gaza, council members said at the meeting. Read more>>
In Argentina, Escalating Demonstrations of Workers And Unemployed: Just 3 days after the national series of Milei is Hunger meetings across Argentina even larger demonstrations took place again today. The sizes, collaboration and militancy of these actions are indicating a new stage in the struggle against the anti-poor agenda of the president. Read more>>
Four Consecutive Protests Confront Buildup to Democratic National Convention: “This is only a pinch of what we’re going to do in August,” Merawi Gerima said to 150 people who rallied together. The protesters criticized lead Democratic candidates over Palestine, racial justice, mass incarceration, police brutality, and more. Read more>>
‘Down With Dictatorship’: Tunisians Rally Against Gov’t Crackdown On Media: Several hundred Tunisians have marched through the capital, Tunis, chanting “down with the dictatorship” as they protested a spate of arrests under a presidential decree critics say is being used to stifle dissent. Since Tunisia’s 2011 revolution, the country has been considered among the more open media environments in the Arab world. But politicians, journalists and unions say that freedom of the press has faced a serious threat under the rule of President Kais Saied who came to power following free elections in 2019. Read more>>
Tens of Thousands in Paris Protest Rafah Massacre as EU Weighs Israel Sanctions: Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Paris late Monday to condemn Israel’s bombing of a tent encampment in Rafah overnight Sunday that killed at least 45 people and wounded hundreds of others in what has been alternately described as a “mass atrocity,” “horrific massacre,” and “war crime.” Read more>>
Atlanta Police Surveil People Opposing ‘Cop City’: ‘There’s this constant stalking feeling’. Residents wonder what legal protections are available as police monitor them at all hours, blaring sirens and shining lights. Read more>>
Voices For Ending the Death Penalty: So far this year, six people on death row have been executed in the United States. More are scheduled for the remainder of the year. In this piece, four people share their perspectives on why it’s past time to abolish the death penalty once and for all. Read more>>
How Disabled Voters Are Accessing Democracy: The vast majority of U.S. polling locations are not fully accessible. Disability justice activists are working to change that. Read more>>
Kaffiyehs And Pickets – UCLA, UC Davis Workers Strike Over Treatment At Pro-Palestinian Protests: Carrying “On Strike” pickets and some wearing kaffiyehs, academic workers at UCLA and UC Davis walked off the job Tuesday, alleging their rights were violated by the University of California’s actions during pro-Palestinian protests and encampment crackdowns. Read more>>
Over 400 Physicians From Delaware’s ChristianaCare Move To Unionize: “This is a movement that needs to happen in medicine,” one physician said. More than 400 physicians from Delaware’s Christiana Hospital, Wilmington Hospital, and Middletown Free-standing Emergency Department — all part of the ChristianaCare health system — filed to unionize with Doctors Council SEIU Local 10MD. Read more>>
Canada: Unions Affirm Solidarity With Pro-Palestine Students As Repression Grows: Unions from across Toronto showed up en masse in the early morning of May 27, to defend the student encampment at the University of Toronto (U of T) after the university president threatened protesters with police action. Read more>>
How Starbucks Workers Won Negotiations: Starbucks workers have done what many thought was impossible — force one of the largest corporations in the world to negotiate a union contract. It’s a major turning point for Starbucks Workers United and the labor movement. We got the inside story of how they did it. Watch here>>
How Women Are Changing Labor Unions: Within unions — spaces once largely dominated by white men — leaders say they are pushing women of all races and men of color to take on leadership roles and incentivizing women to join previously male-dominated industries. Read more>>
Organizing at Amazon with Amazonians United & Left on Red: A discussion with two Amazon workers about the challenges of organizing an independent union. Read more>>
Extinction and Scientist Rebellions Take On The Mega Rich And Their Yachts: Activists from Extinction Rebellion and Scientist Rebellion sprayed black biodegradable paint on several mega-yachts in the Marina Port Vell in protest of the eco-social and climate crisis. Other activists stormed the port facilities with a banner “fossil subsidies + luxury tourism = climate crisis + drought”, and marched along the docks. Read more>>
US-Backed Canadian Mine in Guatemala Threatens Water Supply for Millions: Activists vow to fight the Cerro Blanco mine, which threatens a water supply for millions in Guatemala and El Salvador. Read more>>
Pacific Islanders Unveil Landmark Declaration Against Fossil Fuels: In March, civil society groups across the Pacific — including churches — unveiled a landmark declaration to end fossil fuel expansion in the Pacific region. The Naiuli Declaration provides a moral rudder from Pacific communities to guide the international Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. Pacific Islanders are championing the treaty as a legally binding mechanism to end new exploration and to support the rapid, equitable, and lasting phaseout of fossil fuels, core drivers of climate change and sea-level rise. To date, 12 nations have endorsed the treaty. Read more>>
Meet Last Generation Austria: As Last Generation Austria, we see ourselves as a movement committed to mass peaceful civil resistance. We stand against the escalating climate catastrophe and the political inaction of the Austrian government. We are citizens from all walks of life who act out of love and concern for our fellow human beings and future generations. Out of love and concern for our fellow human beings and future generations. Read more>>
XR Argentina Stopped Locals From Drinking Toxic Water: After a local family was poisoned by their drinking water, which was found to contain glyphosate, a cancer-causing herbicide banned in much of Europe, rebels in Buenos Aires conducted a regional water survey, passed their samples onto scientists, and held a rally to warn people about the toxicity of their water supplies. Read more>>
4 Years After Murder, Protesters Gather In Square Renamed After George Floyd: Saturday marks four years since the death of George Floyd — a moment that forever changed Minnesota and sparked a movement for change around the world. Four years later, George Floyd Square is a space for the community to reflect and remember at the street corner that will be forever linked to Floyd’s death, but also the movement that came after it. On Saturday, the Rise and Remember celebration was held at East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis. Organizers say they wanted to have a safe space for people to be together, reflect and take care of each other. Read more>>
As Brown Vs Board Of Education Turns 70, Fight Against Segregation Not Over: Seventy years later, schools remain highly segregated and the education system is becoming more unequal. Clearing the FOG speaks with Jennifer Berkshire, a licensed school teacher, journalist and author of the new book, “The Education War: A Citizen’s Guide and Defense Manual,” about the forces behind the defunding and privatization of education in the United States. Listen here>>
Other Cities Are Also Building Police Training Facilities, Despite Pushback On Atlanta’s Cop City: New police training developments proposed in states across the US indicate there is a clear national trend. These locations include Fitchburg, MA; Chicago, IL; and Dallas, TX. Activists nationwide are banding together to put a stop to these trends. Read more>>
How Black Mothers Organize Against Police Violence: For Our Children, a new documentary released by Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY ahead of the fourth anniversary of the police murder of George Floyd, highlights how Black mothers cope with the most unimaginable loss of their lives. Read more>>
In Cuba, Afro Hair Honors Identity and Cultural Roots: Afro hair is not just a matter of aesthetics and fashion. Enslaved people used to create paths and maps in their curly hair to guide themselves when escaping their oppressors. Additionally, they would store wheat seeds in their hair, which they later planted in their territories. When they were forced to cut their hair or straighten it with chemical products, they were also cutting off their identity and roots with their culture. Read more>>
The Latin American Immigrants’ Rights Movement Must Be Multiracial: Despite the presence of Black communities, Asian migration, and Indigenous peoples, there remains a false notion that all Latin Americans are Brown and speak only Spanish. Mestizaje and its many iterations also prevent many white Latinx folks from acknowledging their privilege in the U.S. or Latin America. Read more>>
Feminist Peace Summit Recap – Building A Movement-Driven U.S. Feminist Foreign Policy for Peace: Between May 1-3, 2024s, over 200 feminist scholars, activists, movement leaders, and community members discussed ways to advance a new U.S. foreign policy centered on feminist principles of peace, justice, and sustainability, and led by people of color, diasporic communities, and Indigenous Peoples. Plenary topics included why this political moment calls for feminist peace, how feminist foreign policy informed by diasporic wisdom can resolve global conflicts, what anti-militarist grassroots organizing looks like in communities of color, and how feminist strategies can confront growing authoritarianism across borders. Read more>>
How Queer Zimbabweans Use Social Media: With public spaces increasingly closed off, LGBTIQ+ people in Zimbabwe have been forced to find alternative avenues to express themselves and to forge communities. This has led to increased visibility in alternative online spaces. These spaces represent a powerful act of resistance, a way for queer Zimbabweans to claim their right to exist and express themselves. Read more>>
Centering Queer (Self) Care in the 2024 Election: Leaning into lineages of resilience and care can be a balm for election-related anxiety, for LGBTQ people—and everyone. Read more>>
The Midwives Fighting to Save a Generation: In Sierra Leone, a group of midwives are learning the skills they need to make transformational change and save thousands of newborn lives. Learn more about these health care heroes. Read more>>
Now Is The Time To Send Unarmed Peacekeepers To Gaza And The Rest of Palestine: Hundreds of unarmed civilian protectors could be quickly deployed to support Palestinians in securing a more sustainable peace than armed forces ever could. Read more>>
Students for Gaza Are Undeterred: Beaten, doxxed, threatened, arrested, and suspended, college students learned from past movements to put their bodies on the line for Gaza. Read more>>
People’s Conference for Palestine Closes With Pledge To Mobilize Against Rafah Invasion: The conference concluded with a commitment to intensify ending the genocide in Gaza and igniting a summer of struggle for Palestine. After three days of idea exchange and relationship building, the People’s Conference for Palestine ended with a bold call to mobilize: surround the White House on June 8 in protest of Israel’s ongoing offensive against Rafah. Read more>>
Philly Health Workers Say – ‘Bombing Hospitals Is a War Crime!’ Philly Health Care Workers for Palestine (HCWL4Pal Philly), Families for Ceasefire, Drexel University Medical Students for Palestine, and the Philly Palestine Coalition gathered at Seger Park, just blocks away from Philadelphia’s Independence Hall on May 19. The purpose of the rally, art builds and march was to emphasize their unwavering support for health care workers in Gaza. Read more>>
Genocide Prevention Group Says ‘Israel Must Be Stopped Now’: “Even if there were legitimate doubts about Israel’s genocide, there is no doubt that Israel is committing atrocity crimes of the most barbaric kind,” the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention said. Read more>>
Faith And Nonviolence Experts Commend ‘Peacemakers’ At Student Protests: “[Supporting student protests is] some of what Jesus is inviting us to do: to show up for justice and peace in concrete ways with people who are being marginalized.” — Tim Nafziger, an activist and consultant who works with Community Peacemaker Teams. Read more>>
For Many American Jews Protesting For Palestinians, Activism Is a Journey Rooted In Their Jewish Values: One of the American rabbis told reporters at Democracy Now! that this was the only way she could imagine marking Passover, a holiday that celebrates the story of liberation from oppression and slavery. Marching to the gates of Gaza with food for starving Palestinians was consistent with Passover’s imperative to invite the hungry to every table. Read more>>
MOVE Exhibit Remembers and Rehumanizes Black Liberation Group: “MOVE: The Old Days” tells the history of the organization through an exhibit on display this weekend at the Paul Robeson House and Museum. On May 13, 1985, Philadelphia police dropped a bomb on the home of the Black liberation group at 6221 Osage Ave. The fire that followed was left to burn by the fire department. Eleven people, including five children, were killed, and 61 homes were destroyed across two blocks of the predominantly Black neighborhood. Read more>>
Rap Is Art, Not Evidence: A new documentary chronicles efforts to keep rap lyrics from being used by prosecutors, combatting a long-standing trend of criminalizing this particular art form. Read more>>
How Does the Media Make Peace Visible in a World of Nonstop Conflict? How can the media better report on peacebuilding efforts in a world of constant conflict? In this talk, the panelists and members of Making Peace Visible will first address the issues and approaches many journalists are currently using. The discussion will move to offering specific ways journalists can further improve coverage of negotiations, peace initiatives, and reconciliation efforts. Lastly, key takeaways will be shared using details from 40+ interviews with peacebuilders and journalists, including a few illustrative clips. Read more>>
More Perfect Union Uses Advocacy Journalism to Fight for Workers’ Rights: In this op-ed, a More Perfect Union staffer talks about the organization’s approach to journalism. “Traditional news media outlets have failed to meet the moment. To respond to this reality, MPU reports stories in a completely different way. We very clearly take a side against corporate greed, putting workers front and center — and this approach is resonating.” Read more>>
Organizing One of the Largest Black Led Unions in the United States: McMaid workers, led by Irma Sherman, Doris Gould, Juanita Hill, and Mary Williamson, transformed labor organizing by successfully unionizing homecare workers in Chicago in 1984, setting the groundwork for the largest union in the Midwest, and catalyzing the organizing of a field predominately staffed by working-class Black and brown women. Read more>>
Campus Protests and Police Force – An Ethical Framework: In a new essay, Archon Fung looks at this current wave of campus protests and asks if civil disobedience is permissible, and how much disruption should be tolerated at universities today. Read more>>
Cultural Organizing 101 – Train the Trainers Series: Highlander cultural organizers and cohort members have released a Cultural Organizing Train-the-Trainers curriculum to supports groups in developing strategies to build people power and fight fascism in their communities. A series of summer workshops to build a trainer cadre is now full, but we invite you to check out the curriculum and deepen skills with your community! Read more>>
Trump Tax Whistleblower Deserves Leniency For Civil Disobedience: On May 1, 2024, Charles Littlejohn began serving a five-year prison sentence for unauthorized disclosure of tax information. Littlejohn performed a public service. A presidential tax return contains information highly relevant to the voting public, and President Trump broke decades of tradition by refusing to disclose his returns. Read more>>
Why So Many Young Asian Americans Stand With Palestine: The legacy of U.S. wars waged throughout Asia has historically shaped generations of solidarity-building between Asian Americans and all peoples facing the brunt of U.S. militarism. And as the U.S. continues to fund Israel, militarize the Pacific, and exacerbate tensions with China, young Asian Americans have a particular role to play in challenging the ever-growing U.S. war machine. Read more>>
How A New Supreme Court Decision Threatens Movements In Mississippi: Mississippi organizer Lea Campbell talks about McKesson v. Doe impacts on the climate for nonviolent protest in the Deep South. Read more>>
“Transformative Conversations” Toolkit: A new toolkit is available highlighting powerful organizing insights from deep canvassing and how you can use them in your work, advocacy, and everyday life. Created by the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, a panel discussion will launch the toolkit June 13 at 4pm ET for a first look at how the insights and learnings from deep canvassing have the possibility to change conversations, counter bias, and strengthen democracy in our country. (6/13) Learn more>>
Tell President Biden: Condemn Rafah Attack & Suspend Military Aid To The Israeli Gov’t Now: President Biden must join other world leaders in condemning the latest horrific strikes in Rafah and make it unequivocally clear that not one more U.S. bomb or bullet will be sent to the Israeli military in support of this horrific war. Add your name now if you agree. Learn more>>
#NoWar2024 Conference: Resisting the USA’s Military Empire: Friday, Sept. 20-Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024: A global 3-day conference, streamed virtually, with in-person events in Sydney, Australia; Wanfried, Germany; Bogotá, Colombia; and Washington, DC, U.S. Learn more>>
Global Week of Action “No Money for Nuclear Weapons”: Nuclear weapons affect all of us, so it’s up to all of us to push back against the absurd sums of money wasted on nuclear weapons. And this week of action is an opportunity for all of us to speak out, together. There will be many different ways to get involved and take action during this Global Week of Action. (June 17 to 23) Learn more>>
Divest From War – Invest In Climate Justice: The first annual Week of Action for Peace and Climate Justice will address the links between war, militarism and climate injustice, promoting grassroots action and policy making for peace and climate justice. This year’s theme is divest from war – invest in climate justice! (Sept 21-28) Learn more>>
Unarmed Civilian Defense Instead of War: This 6-week online course provides an in-depth introduction to unarmed civilian defense (UCD) with a focus on the role it can play in resisting military force, invasion, occupation, dictatorship, and warfare. Through real-world examples, conceptual resources, practical tools, and collaborative learning experiences with a globally diverse cohort of experts and peers, you’ll develop a firm grounding in the academic understanding and practical applications of non-violent alternatives to war. (June 3-July 13) Learn more>>
Militarization: Destroying the Environment in Okinawa and the World: War and militarization are the Earth’s greatest enemies, and this remains especially true in Okinawa, Japan. The Battle of Okinawa during WWII decimated 200,000 human lives and destroyed much of the environment in the prefecture. The militarization of Okinawa, carried out by the U.S. occupation of Okinawa from 1945 to 1972, has created a dreadful situation: Okinawa, while accounting for only 0.6 percent of Japan’s land mass, bears approximately 70 percent of the land area used for U.S. military bases in Japan. As a consequence, the people of Okinawa have been forced to live with and fight against water and land contamination, unbearable noise from aircraft, the danger of aircraft crashes, and other forms of environmental destruction by the U.S. military. (June 13) Learn more>>
Urge Universities To Divest From War Industry: Show your solidarity with young activists across the country! Urge universities to divest from weapons contractors and help break the cycle of endless war and violence now. Learn more>>
Remove Cops From Traffic: Black Lives Matter reports that 10% of police killings start with traffic encounters, and police violence is only increasing. Last year was the deadliest year for police violence since tracking began in 2013. If we defund the police and invest in community approaches to public safety, like having unarmed, trained professionals assist first in traffic incidents, we could avoid the loss of too many Black people at the hands of racist policing. Learn more>>