Revolution 99% Updates: Marineland to Timbuktu
Some 30 men and women between the ages of 22 and 80 from the anti-war coalition Code Pink joined forces with Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and his party.
TANK, PAKISTAN
A group of Americans joined thousands of Pakistanis to complete a two-day and 230-mile peace march across the country yesterday to protest America’s use of drones in Pakistan’s tribal areas.
A party of 30 men and women between the ages of 22 and 80 years old were organized by the American anti-war coalition Code Pink. They joined Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, and thousands of protestors from his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI).
The two-day march was set to travel from Islamabad to South Waziristan, a region known for American drone attacks, Pakistani Army operations, and Islamist militants. However, the march stopped short of entering the tribal area when the Army turned Mr. Khan and his supporters away. Code Pink turned back even earlier – at Dera Ismail Khan, the last stop before South Waziristan – citing security threats to the delegation. More…
Protesters rush Marineland gates demanding the Ontario theme park be shut down
NIAGARA FALLS — Dozens of protesters rushed the gates of Marineland on Sunday demanding an end to what they called the abuse of whales, dolphins and other animals at the amusement park, but the situation was quickly brought under control, police and organizers said.
“No one was really expecting what happened today, but it happened and I feel the anger that people feel,” said Dylan Powell of Marineland Animal Defence, one of the groups behind the protest.
The protesters say they want to end animal captivity and their goal is to close down the theme park.
A crowd that Niagara Region Police estimated at about 800 gathered outside the park property and a group of about 150 rushed the front gates near the show area.
“People did enter into the park, it wasn’t part of the demonstration schedule obviously,” said Powell.
Protesters and police confirmed that those who entered the park managed to shut down a dolphin show.
Const. Derek Watson, a Niagara police spokesperson, said more than 20 police officers were called in to disperse the protesters, who quickly retreated.
”Once more officers were there, just through our police presence, it sort of dispersed the crowd and pushed them back toward the roadway,” Watson said. ”For the most part the protesters were very co-operative.” More…
Thousands of Greek protesters tell Merkel she is an Asshole
(Reuters) – About 8,000 demonstrators chanted anti-austerity slogans and hoisted banners warning Angela Merkel she was not welcome in Greece at a protest on Monday, the eve of a visit by the German chancellor.
Organized by labor unions fed up with wage and benefit cuts during three years of austerity, the demonstration was called before Merkel announced she was coming to Greece in a gesture of support for the government’s fiscal reform efforts.
But protesters did not miss the opportunity to vent their anger at Merkel, whose insistence on a tough reform program many Greeks blame for their country’s plight. The main banner in front of parliament was a large German flag emblazoned with the words “Angela, you are not welcome!”.
“We want Merkel to leave Greece alone because her measures only bring poverty,” said protester Antigone Beza, 48, an Athens saleswoman. “We will fight and we will resist and we will shout ‘Go home!’” More…
Islamists shoot in air to disperse protest by Timbuktu women
BAMAKO (Reuters) – More than 100 women marched against the imposition of strict Islamic law in the northern Malian town of Timbuktu on Saturday, but were dispersed by gunmen linked to al Qaeda firing shots in the air, witnesses said.
Islamists linked to al Qaeda’s North African wing, AQIM, have been in control of the fabled desert town since April and have steadily imposed their interpretation of sharia law, banning music and forcing women to cover themselves with veils.
Women gathered in the main square late morning and were due to march around the town but they were stopped by gunfire.
“Life has become more and more difficult with these people,” Cisse Toure, one of the protesters, told Reuters by telephone.
“We are tired. They impose veils on us and now they are hunting us like bandits for not wearing them,” she added. More…
Anti-Austerity Protests Take 56 Cities in Spain
General strike imminent
Anti-austerity protesters flooded the streets of 56 cities across Spain Sunday to express anger over continual cuts to the public budget that are reaching deep into the pockets of middle and working class citizens.
Organizers claim 72,000 people showed up for the march in Madrid, which was organized by Spain’s two major unions CCOO and UGT. Union leaders Ignacio Fernández Toxo of CCOO and Cándido Méndez of UGT criticized the government’s budget slated for next year, saying that “it will only bring more recession and more unemployment.” The projected jobless rate for 2013 is 25 percent. Youth unemployment has passed 50 percent.
“How can there be peace without bread?” and “Their plunder, my crisis,” signs read.
“They want to ruin the country. We have to stop them,” a banner read at the head of the rally in Madrid. More…
Femen’s Topless Protest Tactics Hit Paris
PARIS — The Ukrainian feminist movement Femen, best known for its topless protests, is opening its first international training camp in Paris. New recruits are expected to start classes this month – learning how to apply warpaint and jump, run and fight against exploitation.
It is downtime for a group of young feminists, veterans of in-your-face manifestos. Sunlight slants into the first-story loft where they prepare signs for future battles. Signs with slogans like “Muslim Women: Let’s Get Naked!”
Inna Shevchenko, 22, is painting slogans on a black punching bag. She’s a long way from her native Ukraine. But in Paris and Kiev, she says, women share a common cause.
“We are fighting against the same thing, for the same reason; we are fighting against patriarchy, all manifestations of it – church, religion, sex industry and dictatorship,” she said.
Shevchenko is in Paris to open the first international office of Femen – the Ukrainian feminist group whose topless protests capture headlines and rile the establishment.
Actually, make that a boot camp to train new battalions of Femen soldiers. And yes, that means physical workouts.
“We run, because we need to run straight to our enemy,” Shevchenko said. “We jump because we protest in really difficult locations, on the top of cars or buildings.”
Shevchenko knows how to cut crosses. That’s why she fled Ukraine last August, after demonstrating in support of jailed Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot. More…
