Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun Even with the intensity of this year, we have much to celebrate – such as the 70 wins for Earth and climate justice. It’s easy to loose track of how many major pipelines we’ve stopped (at least 6), how many faith groups have divested (128 or so), and that we…
Author: Nonviolence News
300 Victories in 2020, Peru’s Farmer Protests, & India’s Record-Breaking Strike
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun When I read that India’s farmers led a record-breaking, 250 million person strike against corporate agriculture laws, I cheered. Then I found out that Peru’s farmers rose up against a similar farmworker-abusing law and got it repealed. Double cheers! I come from a farming family. When I train people in…
Rubber Duckies & Rosie the Riveter
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun What’s up with those giant rubber ducks? Thai pro-democracy protesters brought them to a rally as a joke … but when the police broke out the water cannons, those giant inflatables came in handy as water shields. From railroad blockades to Rosie the Riveter feminist revolts, this week’s Nonviolence News…
Not My President. No Es Mi Presidente.
Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun Dictators, despots, power-grabbers, presidents-for-life . . . autocrats around the world are being challenged by nonviolent movements. This week’s edition shares the many tales of presidents and protests. In Peru, mass protests forced the interim president to resign after a shady parliamentary coup shoved the previous president out of power….
Bat Signals, Trump’s 20K Lies, Pancakes Against Fascism, and Dancing In The Streets
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun Ever wonder what 20,000 lies look like? Artists in New York put Trump’s 20,000 false and misleading statements up across a 100-ft wall, helpfully color-categorized by topic. It’s a visual reminder that this is a president who lies through his teeth – just like he has since Election Night, claiming…
#AnswerUsElonMusk – Climate Justice Means Justice For Everyone, Not Just Some
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun There seems to be a misperception that the climate justice movement has subsided. It hasn’t. The flashier mass demonstrations – which were largely symbolic – have diminished under the pandemic restrictions, but the blockades, boycotts, and direct action campaigns have gotten smarter and stronger. Indigenous Peoples across Russia (above) are…
Lobster Boycott, Tenants Blockade, & the Earth On Fire
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun “You can’t lose if you never give up,” said Gene Sharp about waging nonviolent struggle. Bolivia just proved those words. After a right-wing faction contested last year’s election results, fomented confusion in the streets with protests, and took power with military backing, the people of Bolivia have spent the entire…
Supergirl, the Invisible House & Bringing Transit To A Grinding Halt
Editor’s Note By Rivera Sun I love it when people add a dash of strategy, a pinch of disruption, and a dose of creativity to our nonviolent actions. This week’s news highlights how powerful that combination can be. In Bangkok, Thailand, protesters (above) halted the entire transit system in its tracks. In Belarus, Supergirl (and…
#ProudBoys & Poor People, Reclaiming & Resisting
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun This week’s Nonviolence News is full of stories of how ordinary people are reclaiming their dignity, pride, and rights. Around the world, people are resisting violence and injustice. They’re taking action with creativity, heart, and soul. Take #ProudBoys, for example. This week, gay men rose up across social media to…
Whale Rescues, Housing Occupations, & Dismantling and Rebuilding Police Stations
Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun Is property destruction “nonviolent”? This is a frequent question that comes up around nonviolence. The short answer is that it’s complicated. It’s situational. Gene Sharp, a nonviolent struggle researcher, categorized destruction of one’s own property as nonviolent, but not destruction of others’ property. Many acts of property destruction are viewed…