Posted on

70,000 celebrate 42 years of PFLP Resistance

 

On December the 11th 1967, in the wake of the Arab defeat in the 6 day war, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) was founded with the catch cry “Resistance until Victory”. On the 42nd anniversary of its founding the PFLP released a statement calling for an official announcement from the Palestinian Leadership to declare the “utter failure of the ‘negotiations’ and the entire Oslo process, the reliance on the United States and the so-called roadmap”. Recent opinion polls would indicate that this position is supported by over 70 percent of the population in the West Bank and Gaza, who believe that OSLO has either harmed, or made no difference to the Palestinian cause. A clear condemnation, from Palestinians, of over a decade of negotiation with the occupier.

Continue reading “70,000 celebrate 42 years of PFLP Resistance”

Posted on

ACC changes negative for workers

Byron Clark The Spark December 2009

At the end of October parliament voted 69 to 53 to send the Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment Bill, which contains a number of proposed changes to ACC, to select committee. The National Party initially had trouble getting together the numbers, with ACT insisting the changes didn’t go far enough. Despite some initial concerns however, the Maori Party eventually fell into line, with the bizarre sounding justification, “We know that Maori have consistently had less access to ACC entitlements than other groups, under existing legislation. While this Bill would further restrict entitlements, we are particularly interested in hearing how the scheme may be altered to address the underlying bias to Maori.”

Many of the changes have already been met with strong public protest. New guidelines that would require sexual abuse victims to be diagnosed with a mental illness under the US Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Version 4 before they can receive counselling led to rallies in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, each attracting 200 people. A smaller protest also took place in Dunedin. Continue reading “ACC changes negative for workers”

Posted on

Climate change: reform or revolution?

Text of the Workers Party leaflet for New Zealand Climate Camp 2010, by Ian Anderson.

This leaflet is for people who’ve figured out that climate change is happening, and that it’s driven in large part by industrial greenhouse gas emissions. If you’re here, you want to stop it in its tracks.

Despite the attempts of industrial capitalists to distort the flow of information, the findings of climatologists remain consistent. Since the Industrial Revolution of the 19th Century, greenhouse gas emissions have rapidly increased, driving a long-term process of global warming.

Resources were sucked out of the countryside and the developing world to fuel economic growth, while workers were packed into polluted and cramped living spaces. This transformation continues to this day, as capitalists seek new blood and soil to develop; from Iraq to Mount Aspiring.

This leaves one central question: what is to be done? It is possible to match human and environmental need. We just have to figure out how.

Continue reading “Climate change: reform or revolution?”

Posted on

Industrial activity review for 2009

The following article by Mike Kay overviews industrial activity in New Zealand in 2009 and summarises some of the highlights.

 Overview

 The Statistics NZ Survey of Working Life (March 2008) identified 30.1% of all employees as union members. Female employees were more likely to be union members than males (33.0% and 27.4%, respectively). Only 17.4% of casual employees were unionised. By industry, union membership was highest for those who worked in education (58.5%), health and community services (52.0%) and other services (42.8 %). Professionals (46.1%) and those who worked as plant and machine operators and assemblers in their main job (41.5%) had the highest level of union membership.

There has been a strong downward trend for work stoppages in the recent period, by every measure:

Source: Statistics NZ Work Stoppages: June 2009 quarter

 Although the year to June figures excludes a number of recent major disputes towards the end of 2009, they represent the lowest number of stoppages in 18 years. The transport, postal and warehousing industry was responsible for most stoppages, significantly ahead of the next most militant sector, manufacturing.  Undeniably, we are still in the midst of a protracted downturn in the class struggle, although some notable exceptions to the trend may point the way to a revival of militancy in the coming year. Continue reading “Industrial activity review for 2009”

Posted on

Say no to 90-days of fire at will!

Picket outside ‘Positive Airflow Limited’ call centre on Wednesday 9th December, Home Street (behind Kent Terrace), Wellington at 12.30pm.

Positive Airflow are responsible for taking calls and advertising for HRV, the kiwi owned Heat Recovery Ventilation company, they are also responsible for sacking staff under the new 90 day ‘fire at will bill’.
A Unite member who had previously worked full time in the fast food industry contacted her union organiser and told the story of how she was fired, with no explanation and only 7 days notice. She had quit her previous full time job and now finds her self in the cue at the WINZ office as a direct result of the National backed anti worker bill.

It has since come to light that this isn’t a one off at this site with a number of people coming forward with similar stories – some have been sacked with no notice at all!

This kind of practice can not be tolerated. Unite will be holding a picket outside the premises and will make sure that the company’s neighbours and wider community know that this is NOT a good place to work. Come and help us make some noise!

Posted on

Nepali Maoists Rally for Nationwide Strike

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNYg-IH9Xow]

Thousands of Maoists held a torch procession on December the 5th in preparation for a nationwide Banda (closure) the following day. The action was called in retaliation of an incident in Kailali district on Friday. Police had used deadly force in removing thousands of Maoist aligned landless squatters from forest land.

For regular updates, follow Revolution in South Asia.

Posted on

Student Occupations Spread Across California: An Analysis

Originally posted on Advance the Struggle, reposted from Kasama.

For the Workers Party campaign against political trespassing by Victoria University, click here.

“These protests represent a political eruption in a time when militant struggle is bubbling up to the surface.  It’s becoming progressively clearer that proposing such militancy is not premature…but also prove that it isn’t wise to push heroic yet isolated occupation attempts…  We have witnessed the first convergence of occupation with mass protest and observed the fiery radical effect the synthesis has had on its participants.  The only way to challenge society’s problems is to first understand that the rich and powerful will stop at nothing. Capital brings only impoverishment for our class while their class accumulates incredible amounts of wealth. Our struggle has to win by beating back and altering the relationship of class forces, which will not be easy. But this recent wave of occupations and militant protests throughout California represent a new cycle of struggle that gives hope and insight to such a possibility in the near future.”

Behind Every Fee Increase is a Line of Cops

Fully armed, a line of 10 swat team police marched up to the picket line. Half-stunned by their presence, the crowd of supporters hesitatingly jeered the cops. In unison and on command the pigs charged forward and shoved the picketers to the ground. Throughout the day there were various refusals to accept these attacks; they ranged from hurling verbal abuse at the cops with chants like “Fuck the Police,” to acts of physical resistance such as refusing to sit down at the urging of cops and fellow protesters, to minor incidents of exchanging blows with the pigs.

Some of these bold acts of resistance were deplorable to those protestors whose go-to chants were “Peaceful protest! Peaceful protest!” as the pigs violently attacked students.  One chant was even directed to the cops themselves: “We are fighting for your kids! We are fighting for your kids!” This brings into sharp relief the widespread confusion about the role of the state in the anti-budget cut movement.

Continue reading “Student Occupations Spread Across California: An Analysis”

Posted on

“Cast Lead” – A Proportionate Response in Palestine?

Mike Walker

On September the 29th of this year Richard Goldstone, a Jewish South African, presented the findings of a UN Fact Finding mission to the Council of Human Rights in Geneva. The Mission’s Mandate was to investigate; “all violations of International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law” during the December/January Israeli offensive in Gaza, codenamed “Cast Lead”.

Even before the investigation started the Israeli Government refused to co-operate with the UN Mission or to allow them access to Israel, The West Bank or Gaza. Eventually the Mission sought “and obtained the assistance of the Government of Egypt to enable it to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing”. In contrast to the obstructive position of the Israeli Government the report states that, “the Mission held meetings with senior members of the Gaza Authorities and they extended their full cooperation and support.” Continue reading ““Cast Lead” – A Proportionate Response in Palestine?”

Posted on

Challenge international “terror” legislation

Reprinted from an article by Rebellion (Danish language site.)

The court case against Rebellion (Denmark) for support to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) is now approaching. The demand is imprisonment. The court case takes place at Copenhagen City 6. Court, December 3 and December 7, 2009 and January 8, January 15, 2010. The judgement will be announced on February 8, 2010.

The aim of Rebellion (Denmark), formed in 2004, is to challenge ‘terrorist legislation’, both in Denmark and internationally.  

Terrorist legislation seeks to undermine progressive organisations, resistance movements, trade unions and solidarity movements throughout the world.

We appeal for support from all to:

– Defend the right of peoples to resist illegitimate government and foreign occupation!

– Defend the right of peoples to take up arms against oppression where all other means have been exhausted!

Rebellion (Denmark) is accused of the transferral of substantial funds to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) has for decades been engaged in the struggle of the Palestinian people, in a legitimate conflict with occupation forces. We support the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in its struggle for a secular and democratic state for all. It can in no way be defined as a ‘terrorist organisation’.

In Denmark, there is an increasing challenge to ‘terrorist legislation’, a growing defiance that Rebellion (Denmark) has striven to create and is itself a part of.

Through present terrorist legislation, states have attempted to curb the freedom of expression and the political rights of their citizens. The right to extend moral and material support to resistance and liberation movements throughout the world is threatened. 

Rebellion (Denmark) appeals to all movements for democracy and international solidarity to join us in challenging national and supranational terrorist legislation and the so-called ‘global war on terror’.