Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun
High temperatures struck the globe this week, causing 1,000 to die of heat stroke on pilgrimage to Mecca, and hundreds more in cities across the globe. It is the earliest heat wave on record – and a sign of the deadly urgency of the climate crisis.
Amidst this, climate activists are turning up the heat on power holders to take immediate and dramatic action. Spain concluded a week of nationwide direct actions with a march in Madrid. In London, 9 Pan-African movements and allies protested the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline outside the African Energies Summit. In the United States, dozens of activists dressed as orcas protested Citibank for financing fossil fuels. They also stormed the field at a baseball game to tell elected leaders to ‘stop playing games’. Wall Street felt the heat of a week of direct actions to stop fossil fuel investments – and that’s just the start of the pressure that the activists’ “Summer of Heat” campaign hopes to bring.
In other Nonviolence News, Thailand became the first Southeast Asian Country with equal marriage for same sex couples. Hundreds of flight attendants participated in a worldwide day of action, picketing across multiple airports for higher wages. Thousands of people in Brussels, Belgium, marched against the far-right for the second time this month. Juneteenth celebrations across the United States recognized the day when the last enslaved African-Americans were liberated. And a Pacific Islander Festival rallied people to oppose climate issues, nuclear weapons, colonization and more.
A recent poll of 15,000 consumers across 15 countries revealed that 1 out of 3 people are boycotting a brand over the company’s involvement in Israel’s war on Gaza. In the US, active duty military members became the latest to tell Congress to stop funding genocide. Healthcare workers also protested at the American Medical Association’s conference, decrying the organization’s silence on Gaza.
The one to read this week? Nonviolent Peaceforce has shared a highly useful toolkit on how to use nonviolent, unarmed peace team skills to keep our civic spaces safe. I recommend exploring it and working with local organizations to implement some of these ideas and approaches. This is nonviolence in action!
In solidarity,
Rivera Sun
Indigenous Kukama Women Lead the Way with Landmark Legal Victory For A River’s Rights: A group of Indigenous women in Peru succeeded in asserting the legal right to integrity and protection of the Marañón River, a sacred waterway that flows from the Andes to the Amazon. This is a significant victory for the preservation of nature, water, forests, and biodiversity; in other words, life itself. It’s also a big step forward in the fight against climate change, and for the rights of nature. Read more>>
Indigenous-Led Effort Changes Illinois School Curriculum to Cover Native History: The 2024 high school graduation season in Illinois was more than a personal milestone for the 140,090 students who earned diplomas in the state’s public high schools. One hundred and sixty-nine years after public school education was first mandated in the state, age-appropriate instruction in Native history will be offered as a matter of course beginning this fall. Read more>>
Jury Ignores Judge To Stop 5 Climate Protesters From Being Convicted: A jury has resisted a judge’s invitation to convict six medical professionals, charged with ‘criminal damage’, after they broke windows at JP Morgan in July 2022, on the eve of the UK’s record-breaking climate crisis-induced heatwave. Despite more than two days of deliberations and the judge’s direction that they had no legal defense, the jury were unable to agree on a verdict. Read more>>
‘Momentous Day for Nature’: EU Adopts First-of-Its-Kind Habitat Restoration Law: Environmental groups celebrated a “historic” victory on Monday as the European Union adopted a law that seeks to restore at least 20% of land and sea habitats by 2030 and 90% to 100% by 2050. One campaigner called the law’s passage a “ray of hope for Europe’s nature, future generations, and the livelihoods of rural communities.” Read more>>
Zero-Waste Grocery Stores in Growth Mode as Consumers Seek to Ditch Plastic: Food packaging is a significant contributor to the plastic pollution crisis. These stores offer shoppers an alternative. Read more>>
LA Flight Attendants Turn Out For Worldwide Day of Action: On the late morning of June 13, hundreds of flight attendants from different airlines picketed across terminals at LAX, the Los Angeles airport. Three unions were present and coordinated together Worldwide Day of Action, hitting multiple airports across the country. Read more>>
No. Seriously. What if Trump Wins Again? In Fall 2020, the activists who formed Choose Democracy noticed that Donald Trump was saying regularly that he would not transfer power peacefully if he lost the election. This sounded to them like he was planning a coup—but most movement folks weren’t taking him seriously. Choose Democracy looked at the scant literature on resisting coups and talked to organizers who had experience doing so. They put together a training, shared it with some 20,000 people, and then folded. “We didn’t need another organization,” said Daniel Hunter, one of the founders. Choose Democracy launched a set of online tools and strategy games to help prepare for this election and after. The tools invite participants to explore their reactions and options, to plot their own route through uncharted territory. Read more>>
Thousands March in Brussels Against Far-Right Gains in EU Elections: Thousands of people came together in Brussels on Sunday to march against the far-right parties’ recent gains in the European Union elections—the second such protest in the Belgian capital since the results were announced earlier this month. “It’s important to show that we’re in solidarity with everyone, whatever their nationality, whatever they earn, whatever they do,” said a member of the Anti-Fascist Coordination of Belgium. Read more>>
In Kyrgyzstan, Court Acquits 22 Activists, Journalists & Politicians: A court in Kyrgyzstan acquitted 22 activists, journalists and politicians accused of plotting mass unrest and seeking to seize power. Prosecutors alleged the group were using their opposition to a border demarcation deal with Uzbekistan as a smokescreen for organizing the disruptive protests. Read more>>
Cleaners Come Out From the Shadows To Mobilize: After the European Parliament elections, cleaners’ fight for justice goes into the next round. Read more>>
Stop the Scramble, Oil Slickers & Spain’s Rebellion: Extinction Rebellion’s newsletter shares stories from Spain, Ireland, Germany, South Africa, India, Uganda and beyond. Read more>>
Super Dad Delivers Giant Father’s Day Card On Climate: ‘Super Dad’, supported by Mothers Rise Up – a group of concerned mums who campaign for action on climate breakdown – delivered a giant Father’s Day card and poem to Lloyd’s of London on Thursday 13 June as a gift to CEO John Neal in time for Father’s Day this weekend. It was over the insurance giant’s complicity in the climate crisis due to its huge fossil fuels underwriting. Read more>>
South Baltimore Communities Press City, State Regulators for Stricter Pollution Controls on Coal Export Operations: Advocates and residents say the forthcoming state permit for coal giant CSX will serve as a proof of whether Gov. Wes Moore is serious about addressing environmental injustices. Read more>>
A ‘Rights of Nature’ Tribunal Puts the Mountain Valley Pipeline on Trial: The Mountain Valley Pipeline entered service this week. At a public forum held two weeks ago, a panel of judges called it a violation of the rights of nature and the rights of Indigenous people. Read more>>
Pacific Indigenous Leaders Have a New Plan To Protect Whales: Treat Them As People: The environmental activist from the small town of Rangitukia, on New Zealand’s east coast, is spearheading a movement of Indigenous groups in the Pacific pushing to protect the magnificent marine mammals, inking a groundbreaking treaty to make them legal persons with inherent rights. Read more>>
Dozens Of Climate Activists Dressed As Orcas Were Arrested In Front Of The Citigroup Headquarters: New York police arrested dozens of climate activists dressed as orcas Tuesday morning in front of the Citigroup headquarters as they protested the bank’s ongoing investment in fossil fuel expansion, It was part of a second day of protests against the bank for its investment in fossil fuel expansion. Read more>>
Climate Refugees Occupy Abandoned Buildings In Southern Brazil: A big homemade banner reads: the Homeless From the Flood Occupation. This is one of the latest housing occupations in Brazil. Families displaced by unprecedented floods, which inundated cities across Brazil’s southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul in early May, took over the building on the evening of Friday, May 24. They’ve been there ever since. Read more>>
Pacific Islander Festival Uplifts Anti-Colonial Solidarity Amid Climate Crisis: Pacific Islanders convened this month to celebrate traditions and resist colonialism, nuclearism and climate change. Read more>>
Inside Navajo Nation’s Tumultuous Transition Off Fossil Fuels: Navajo Nation’s transition from producing fossil fuels to generating renewable energy is going through some growing pains, as seen at the tribe’s energy summit. The decline of coal, oil’s booms and busts, the Biden Administration’s incentives for renewable energy and ongoing environmental justice concerns on Diné lands all came up during the conference. Read more>>
China Launches Three-Year Campaign Against Ocean Litter: China has launched a three-year campaign to combat ocean litter across its coastal regions, elevating the issue to a high priority within its marine protection strategy. Announced by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, along with three other governmental bodies, the campaign aims to substantially clear the garbage cluttering the nation’s 65 bay areas by 2025, with ongoing, regular clean-ups established by 2027. Read more>>
How One City Beat The US to Juneteenth An Official Paid Holiday: Activist-artists in Greensboro, NC, established Juneteenth as a paid holiday for city employees – year before the U.S. declared it a federal holiday. Juneteenth, for decades, was celebrated in churches, backyards, neighborhoods or smaller, independent events in Greensboro. But since 2021, Juneteenth has been an official, paid city holiday – thanks to the work of Johnson and other Black artist-activists in Greensboro. Read more>>
From Juneteenth To Reparations – The Ongoing Journey For Racial Justice: Juneteenth has been celebrated in its home state of Texas since 1866, but it wouldn’t become a nationwide holiday until 2021 as racial tensions spiked in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. Since then, discussions of race have occupied — and influenced — national discourse at levels unseen since the Civil Rights Movement. And among the most prominent of many topics today: reparations. Read more>>
Migrants Must Be Listened To Around Immigration Tech: Robodogs at the border; 7,000 students deported because of a faulty algorithm; drones instead of maritime rescue. What unites these examples? Border technologies now impact every single aspect of migration. Ultimately, people with lived experiences of migration must be the ones interrogating both the negative impacts of technology. Read more>>
Four Years After George Floyd’s Killing, Police Reform Proves Slow: While Floyd’s death became a rally cry for racial equity and justice, four years later the journey toward comprehensive policing reform has been fraught with challenges. Momentum has waned and legislative efforts have stalled, leaving communities, advocates, and families who have lost loved ones frustrated by what they see as a shift away from police accountability. Read more>>
Feminists In Brazil Mobilize Against Bill That Equates Abortion With Murder: The Chamber of Deputies surprised many by pushing forward the discussion on a bill that equates abortion with murder and prohibits abortion even in cases of rape. Read more>>
Thailand Becomes the First Southeast Asian Country With Equal Marriage: “The same-sex marriage law in Thailand is a triumph for justice and human rights… The path to this point has been long and fraught with challenges, but today’s vote to ensure same-sex marriage marks a historic moment worth celebrating,” said Mookdapa Yangyuenpradorn, an activist from the NGO Fortify Rights. Read more>>
Indonesia’s Broadcasting Bill Could Restrict Investigative Journalism And LGBTQ+ Content: Media groups, academics, and human rights advocates are opposing a bill containing proposed amendments to Indonesia’s Broadcasting Law, which would restrict the broadcast of investigative reports and LGBTQ+ content. Protests forced legislators to suspend deliberations on the bill. Read more>>
Healthcare Workers Protest AMA’s Silence On Genocide In Gaza: Healthcare Workers for Palestine activists protested at a recent American Medical Association meeting, condemning the association’s silence on the genocide in Palestine. Read more>>
One In Three People Are Boycotting Brands Over Israel’s War On Gaza: Oil-rich Gulf states and large Muslim-majority countries are leading the way, suggesting deep anger with Israel over its offensive. The survey polled 15,000 consumers across 15 countries, including France, Saudi Arabia, the UK and the US. Read more>>
Active-Duty US Service Members Issue Appeal to Congress to Stop Funding Genocide: As Israel continues its genocide against the Palestinians, the number of US conscientious objectors is increasing. Read more>>
The US Is the Biggest Obstacle To Preventing Nuclear Annihilation: Clearing the FOG Radio speaks with Alice Slater, who worked to bring the Nuclear Ban Treaty into existence and currently works with a number of groups to prevent nuclear war. Read more>>
Direct Action To Break The Siege On Gaza: Nonviolence International hosted a webinar with Freedom Flotilla and Rabbis for a Ceasefire to focus on nonviolent direct action by civil society activists to break the siege of Gaza. Ann Wright and Rabbi Ilana Sumka spoke, along with Mubarak Awad and Mel Duncan. Here is the recording for your viewing. Watch here>>
Climate Protesters Take to the Field at the Congressional Baseball Game: Activists arrested for crashing the diamond at Nationals Park demand Congress “stop playing games” and focus instead on ending US reliance on oil, gas and coal and stopping subsidies for fossil fuels. Read more>>
What Does Dystopian Film Civil War Say About the Current Reality in the US? Beyond serving as harrowing entertainment, the film explores real fears about social divides in the contemporary US. Read more>>
Nonviolent Peaceforce Adds Art To US Office: To bring life to the the Hub for Nonviolence and Safety, our team worked with a local creative agency, Modern Day Me (MDM). Before long, a space that sat empty for over four years was transformed into a welcoming environment for the community to gather and reimagine safety. Read more>>
The Transformative Power of Urban Recipe’s Atlanta Food Co-op Model: “Members don’t just receive food; they gain a voice, a role, and a support network that extends far beyond the distribution line. This approach challenges the traditional food charity model and offers a blueprint for building stronger, more resilient communities grounded in cooperation and shared responsibility.” Read more>>
Nonviolent Peaceforce Resource Guide for Safe Civic Spaces: From brushing up your skills in situational awareness to learning how to set up a safety team, this guide provides a variety of resources on how unarmed civilian protection can be applied to protect civic spaces at demonstrations and similar events. Read more>>
Unarmed Peacekeeping Offers Solutions For US 2024 Elections Concerns: We can safeguard democracy without giving in to fear and more policing. With voter intimidation and political violence on the rise, it’s time to invest in proven nonviolent, civilian-led safety endeavors. Read more>>
Will The 2024 Olympic Games Become A Playing Field For Social Justice Protests? Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter seeks to keep politics out of sports. But experts and athletes alike say: it’s not possible. Politics and sports are always connected. Read more>>
Decolonial and Indigenous Approaches to Environmental Peacebuilding: In an era of rapidly changing environmental conditions due to climate change, it is critically important that peacebuilders better understand how environmental realities could open new opportunities for—or negatively influence—peaceful outcomes in conflict-affected contexts. At the same time, environmental scientists must also better understand the principles and strategies of peacebuilding so that their work both avoids reinforcing violence and actively contributes to peace. Read more>>
Actions To Cancel RIMPAC Military Exercises: The US uses the RIMPAC military exercises to shore up 26 of its allies’ militaries to wage wars of aggression around the world, further fueling tensions between major military powers. Through weapons testing and war-games during RIMPAC, defense contractors and fossil fuel corporations reap hundreds of millions of dollars in profits. Fight to cancel RIMPAC. (June 24-July 1) Learn more>>
Tell Citibank: Do Right by Palestinians & Haitians: Citibank, a single institution, is involved in two historic oppressions, denying freedom to both Haitians and Palestinians. Tell them to make reparations and end the oppression. Learn more>>
STOP EACOP: If built, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) would be the world’s largest heated crude oil pipeline. Right now, climate activists in East Africa who are opposing EACOP are facing an extreme escalation in harassment and suppression — but we can fight back and show that our climate movement won’t be silenced. Stand in solidarity with climate activists who are calling for a complete stop to the destructive EACOP project. Learn more>>
Choose Democracy Offers Trump Scenario Planning Tools: Download and explore these scenario tools for “What To Do If Trump Wins?” created by the Choose Democracy team that stopped him from stealing the election last time. Learn more>>
Co-Resistance During Palestine Olive Harvest: The olive harvest is a significant time of year in Palestinian society. It’s a powerful moment when Palestinian farmers and families tend to their olive trees and work their land as they have for generations. Last fall the whole season was destroyed by settlers and soldiers exploiting the fact that the world’s attention was understandably on Gaza and made it impossible for Palestinian families to reach their olive groves.Join CJNV on the ground in coresistance with our Palestinian partners, please see here for details about the 2024 Olive Harvest. Learn more>>
Tell Media Outlets: Stop Running Fossil Fuel Ads: In recent years, several major media outlets like Vox, The Guardian and Le Monde have announced that they will no longer run advertisements from fossil fuel companies. Now, Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres has called on all media outlets around the globe to follow their lead. Add your voice>>