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Tag: Protesters

  • Ku Klux Klan Garb Used To Protest Burqa In Australian Parliament

    In protest of the repeal of an interim rule requiring people with facial coverings such as burqas to be seated separately from the public galleries, one Australian protester wore a Ku Klux Klan hood in Parliament. The protester was accompanied by a man wearing a motorcycle helmet and another man wearing a niqab, and all three men attempted to enter the Australian Parliament House on Monday, October 27.

    Presiding officers of Parliament made a rule on October 2 for people wearing facial coverings to sit in a separate area usually reserved for schoolchildren and required all visitors to temporarily remove their garments at the entrance. The rule was intended to keep protesters dressed in concealing garments from entering Parliament. However, after harsh criticism of the rule, it was repealed starting on Monday.

    The protesters, identified as Sergio Redegalli, Nick Folkes and Victor Waterson, said that they were part of a group called “Faceless” and were opposed to the wearing of the burqa in public places. They also strongly believed that the “polictical ideology” of Islam was “contrary” to Australian beliefs.

    Police reportedly stopped the protestors as they made their way from the Old Parliament House to the Parliament House forecourt. The protestors were told that the Klu Klux hood and motorcycle helmet would have to be taken off, but the person wearing the niqab was allowed to keep it on. In the end, all three men were screened as part of normal procedures and emerged without their facial coverings.

    Since the facial coverings brought by the protesters were apparently considered as “protest paraphernalia,” the Department of Parliamentary Services required removal of the coverings. This was reportedly in accordance with a longstanding policy that protest paraphernalia was only allowed in authorized assembly areas but not in other areas of Parliament.

    The Australian Christian Lobby’s Queensland director, Wendy Francis, said that the protest was hurtful to Muslim women in the country and that it was “distressing” to see a Klu Klux Klan outfit in Parliament. “To identify that [the KKK] with a Muslim woman is extremely confronting and hurtful,” said Francis.

  • Michael Vick Faces Protesters At Comedy Event; Can He Ever Redeem Himself?

    New York Jets quarterback Michael Vick went back to his hometown on Saturday in Newport News, Virginia for a football camp. A crowd of people gathered to welcome the 34-year-old athlete.

    James Johnson, a club director who has known Vick since he was a kid said, “I used to tell Mike even when things are going bad, the people down home, they still in your corner. There might be some days where you get booed, but you won’t get booed by nobody down here.”

    Vick was incarcerated for more than 500 days for running a dogfighting ring and lying about it. He was released in 2009. Since then, he has been trying to redeem himself. He helped build a football field in a Philadelphia neighborhood, and launched Christmas and Thanksgiving food drives. He also participates in anti-dog fighting campaigns.

    Michael Vick tries to explain his fascination with dogs

    Though dog fighting is in the football player’s past, some are still protesting. One of the protesters, Rhonda Spataro said, “Michael Vick didn’t just fight dogs. He tortured, drowned, electrocuted, and beat them to death.”

    On Saturday, there were two groups outside The Strand Theatre where the Michael Vick Comedy Explosion took place. On one side were the protesters, and on the other were Vick’s supporters who organized a “Forgiveness Rally”.

    Michael Vick’s protesters and supporters

    Bo Spataro, a protester, said that he’s not yet ready to forgive Vick. “I’ve seen nothing from him that shows a deal of remorse. I know he might’ve went to jail and paid some fines, but it doesn’t look like he’s sorry for anything other than getting caught,” he said.

    Comedian Robert Powell defended the football star and said that his dog fighting days are over and all the bad things that happened are in the past. “It’s time to let it go,” he said.

    Amidst all the controversy, Vick has accepted that his career will never be only about football. Many people still hate him for his past, and there is even a petition seeking to ban him from the Jets training camp.

    “How can I try to win over everybody in this world? Even if I didn’t go through what I went through, some people probably still wouldn’t like me for whatever reason,” said Vick.

    Despite Vick’s past, he’s still seen as a hero by many. Little boys were chanting his name over and over on Saturday, and his fans approached him to sign their jerseys and shirts.

    Image via YouTube

  • Has Yingluck Shinawatra’s Luck Run Out?

    Has Yingluck Shinawatra’s Luck Run Out?

    The last few months for embattled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra have no doubt been nightmarish. It has been far worse for the anti-government protesters who have found themselves the victims of increased violence which recently resulted in multiple deaths.

    As the protests rage on it appears the odds are increasingly shifting towards those presently seeking to have Shinawatra removed from office.

    A Thai court has banned the government from using violence against protesters who want the prime minister out of office. The Civil Court ruled on Wednesday that the emergency decree issued by Shinawatra and a special security command center are in fact unconstitutional.

    The decree made it illegal for more than five individuals to gather in a single place at once, being allowed into certain buildings, or for demonstrators to be allowed to use certain roads.

    The ruling arrives a day after clashes between protesters and riot police resulted in five fatalities and dozens of injuries.

    For now the ban may avoid the intervention of the Thai military, which was responsible from moving Shinawatra’s brother, Thaksin, from power back in 2006.

    In truth there has been some unrest in Thailand since Thaksin Shinawatra was in power. A number of citizens continue to feel that the wealthy and powerful Shinawatra family is corrupt and bad for the progress of the nation.

    They may have a legitimate concern.

    Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission or NACC, has announced that the current prime minister could face charges of abuse of power and maleficence.

    The charges are based on legislation that promised to pay farmers above the market prices for their crop, regardless of the quality of the crop.

    The Thai government underestimated how rice traders would respond to the overpriced and under quality rice crops. Instead of paying for the items, many switched to rival markets in other countries.

    Farmers have reportedly not been paid since September, resulting in a number of them heading to Bangkok to join the ongoing protests.

    The botched scheme has left Shinawatra’s government in hot water and presented the strongest challenge yet to her authority.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Nun Sentenced to 35 Months in Prison for Anti-Nuclear Protest

    A Federal District Judge sentenced an 84-year-old Roman Catholic nun to 35 months in prison Tuesday for breaking into a nuclear facility on July 28, 2012.

    Sister Megan Rice was found guilty of damaging more than $1,000 worth of U.S. government property at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

    Protesters Greg Boertje-Obed, 57, and 63-year-old Michael Walli were also sentenced to five years for breaking into one of the nation’s most secured uranium facilities.

    In an attempt to protest against nuclear weapons, the trio cut through four fences and snuck past armed guards before finally making their way onto the premises.

    The vandalization went on for more than two hours. The activists used banners, spray paint, and blood to recite Biblical slogans of peace.

    One of the last properties they destroyed was a storage building that housed $548 million worth of uranium. It was in that moment that a security guard caught Sister Rice and her partners-in-crime.

    “The protesters put themselves at a high risk of losing their life in performing this act,” a National Nuclear Security Administration said, according to The Christian Science Monitor.

    However, it appears that the nun has placed herself in similar situations numerous times.

    According to The New York Times, Sister Rice joined a nunnery at the age of 18, and by the 1980s, she was a member of an anti-nuclear demonstration group. One of her most well-known punishments was serving six months in prison for kneeling down in front of a truck, blocking its way into a Nevada nuclear site.

    Evidently, the anti-nuclear activist has always been resilient to law enforcement. According to her, the government’s 70-year industry of criminalization should be of main concern.

    “We spend more on nuclear arms than on the departments of education, health, transportation, disaster relief and a number of other government agencies that I can’t remember,” she told the newspaper.

    In a closing statement to Judge Amul Thapar, Sister Rice appeared to be unapologetic. She requested to receive the maximum prison sentence.

    “Please have no leniency with me,” CS Monitor reported her saying. “To remain in prison for the rest of my life would be the greatest gift you could give me.”

    Here is an interview done by HLN:

    Image via YouTube

  • Ukraine Protests Continue: At Least Two Protestors Slain

    Reports indicate that turmoil is amplifying in Ukraine as protests stretch beyond its capital.

    On Friday, protestors in cities near Kiev surrounded government buildings, confronting authorities. The demonstrations, which began in November, were initially spurred after Ukraine opted out from signing an accord on more cooperation with the EU, and instead decided to strengthen its relationship with Russia.

    The discord came to a head last week and devolved into violence on the heels of new anti-protest laws. Sunday there were reports that demonstrators launched firebombs into the Ukrainian House building and set off fireworks while police were inside.

    Authorities retaliated with tear gas.

    President Viktor Yanukovych recently made proposals to the opposition, when he extended to their leader, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the position of Prime Minister, suggesting Valai Klitschko (former boxer) also take the post of deputy prime minister. Yatsenyuk, a former foreign minister, rejected the offer, insisting that key demands must be met, including new elections, and that talks will continue.

    While the concession itself is considered a coup, the opposition aspires to a full coup d’etat and is proceeding as such.

    Despite the uncertainty about whether President Yanukovych even means to honor the proposals he has offered, the move is regardless viewed as a weakness on his part and fuel for the opposition to move forward. However, it is surmised that Yanukovych has a method to his madness as well; by prolonging negotiations with the opposition and centering attention and time onto Yatsenyuk potentially being appointed the position of prime minister, the energy of the protest movement could slowly deflate should with the redirected the focus.

    As the most recent Kiev incident illustrates, however, there’s no absence of passion in the protests, presently.

    In half the country, demonstrators have fervently pressed on past Kiev in all directions. Protesters have occupied the council building in Sumy, been exposed to tear gas and smoke grenades by police in Zaporizhzhya, were arrested and driven out of the regional state and administration building in Cherkasy, and erected barricades outside a Chernihiv regional administration building.

    Following the 100 protester occupation on Saturday at the headquarters of the energy ministry in Kiev, Minister Eduard Stavitskiy has said the country’s nuclear energy facilities are on high alert.

    However, the consequences were direr for some demonstrators.

    Last week, 25 year-old Mikhail Zhiznevsky was one of at least two activists killed. In Kiev, thousands of his fellow protesters carried his coffin though the streets while loudly praising him with the chant “hero!

    During his weekly Angelus prayer, Pope Francis said, “I am close to Ukraine in prayer, in particular to those who have lost their lives in recent days and to their families,” expressing a hope for “constructive dialogue between the institutions and civil society,” and adding that “the spirit of peace and a search for the common good should be in the hearts of all.”

    He then had two peace doves released… and this happened:

    Image via Youtube

  • Paul McCartney Urges Putin To Free Greenpeace Activists

    Paul McCartney has decided to help out the Greenpeace activists that are being detained in Russia. The activists have been imprisoned for protesting drilling in the Arctic, and have since become known as the Arctic 30.

    There are 28 campaigners and two freelance journalists that are currently being detained.

    The Arctic 30 are facing charges of hooliganism, and were transferred this week from Murmansk to St. Petersburg.

    The activists were originally arrested on a charge of privacy, but it was later reduced to hooliganism, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.

    A letter from the ex-Beatle would certainly be significant when heading to the desk of President Putin, since he is very respected in Russia after his iconic song, “Back In The USSR.” He quoted a line from the song which said “Gee it’s good to be back home,” and asked if Putin could make that true for the Greenpeace activists.

    It is also a huge step to see a celebrity like Paul McCartney standing up for detained activists, who most people would argue were doing nothing wrong. The private letter was sent to Putin on October 14, and he insisted how important it is to free them when saying “I am writing to assure you that the Greenpeace I know is most certainly not an anti-Russian organisation…And above all else they are peaceful. In my experience, non-violence is an essential part of who they are.”

    In addition to Paul McCartney, more than two million people have sent letters and emails, insisting that the Arctic 30 should be released. Environmentalists, and people all over the world are outraged by what has happened, an event that is another result of the developing term Eco-terrorism. For those that still want to make their voice heard, and send a letter, information to do so can be found here.

    McCartney is an outspoken vegetarain, and has been a supporter of environmental causes for many years, including opposing drilling for oil in the Arctic, the action that the activists were arrested for. He was also one of several celebrities who made their voice heard and urged Russia to free two members of the punk protest group Pussy Riot, however they remain in jail to this day.

    Paul McCartney has truly shown that he is a man of the people, and believes in standing up for the causes that he believes in, after writing his letter to Putin. Eco-terrorism is a growing problem in this world, and many people have not yet become aware.

    A letter from someone important like Paul McCartney should enlighten people to a a dilemma that environmentalists all over the world are currently facing when they attempt to stand up for a particular cause that is important to them.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeEnDe2ZsFs

    Image via Youtube

  • Vince Gill VS. Westboro Baptist Church Protesters

    Vince Gill, the famous country singer, decided to take a stand against a group of protesters recently, outside of the performance center in which he was performing. Normally this may not have been a big deal, but of course in this case, the protesters were from the Westboro Baptist Church. This is the group known for picketing the funerals of soldiers and also being very anti-gay people. The confrontation took place in Kansas City at the Kauffman Center’s Muriel Kauffman Theatre.

    Apparently, the reason that Vince Gill got the attention of the Westboro Baptist church, is due to having a divorce and then getting married again two years later. The Westboro Baptist Church frowns heavily on divorce, because of what it says in the bible. He was once married to country singer Janis Oliver of the group Sweethearts of The Rodeo and after their divorce in 1998, he was married to singer Amy Grant in 2000, according to The Huffington Post. Grant was also married to Gary Chapman before Gill, a Christian musician. Seems a bit late to be protesting now after 13 years, doesn’t it? He told one of them the reason that he decided to come out there and confront them was because he wanted to see what hatred really looked like in the face.

    http://youtu.be/wpc13FR98Us

    It is impressive to see someone with celebrity status finally standing up to this group filled with hate. Everyone needs to know about them and harm that they continue to cause for people. Then again, the publicity often is what helps this group and maybe it would have been better if he would have simply stayed inside. Gill was fired up over the comments that had been said and felt that he needed to intervene, causing a scene, which is what the group tends to want much of the time. All of the publicity simply helps them and they even took to twitter to celebrate. What is it going to take to get rid of this sick group of people?

    The Westboro Baptist Church likes to get all the publicity that they can, but is not used to being confronted by celebrities in this way. Gill’s appearance did seem to surprise the group of protesters at first, although they quickly started to ask him numerous questions about his marital history, states the Kansas City Star. Gill’s fans and others are certainly proud of him for what he did, but with the way this group works, it is hard to know if he really did the right thing. In the end, if he had stayed inside. it is possible that there would be no story and the Westboro Baptist Church would not have received any attention.

    Image via Facebook

  • Nun Convicted For Nuclear Weapons Protest

    Catholics are no strangers to protests, and even nuns and priests have been arrested on occasion during protests. This week, an 83-year-old nun was convicted for her participation in a break-in protest at a nuclear facility last July.

    According to a BBC News report, Sister Megan Rice and two other protesters, Michael Walli and Greg Boertje-Obed, were convicted this week of sabotage and depredation of government property. The trio cut a fence and broke into the Y-12 facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which processes and stores uranium for use in nuclear weapons. They threw baby bottles filled with human blood onto the walls of the facility.

    The protesters are part of a group called Transform Now Plowshares. The group issued a statement in conjunction with the protest, stating that the facility is “an ongoing criminal endeavor in violation of international al treaty law…” From a separate statement:

    We come to the Y-12 facility because our very humanity rejects the designs of nuclearism, empire and war. Our faith in love and nonviolence encourages us to believe that our activity here is necessary; that we come to invite transformation, undo the past and present work of Y-12; disarm and end any further efforts to increase the Y-12 capacity for an economy and social structure based upon war-making and empire-building.

    Sister Rice is well-known for her anti-war activism. According to a New York Times feature on Rice published in August 2012, she has been arrested “40 or 50 times” for civil disobedience.

    Rice and her fellow protesters now face up to 20 years in prison for what authorities believe is one of the most serious U.S. nuclear facility security breaches in history.

  • London Olympics Protesters Suspended From Twitter

    As you might expect, not everyone in England is welcoming the Olympics with open arms. So much so, in fact, there’s an official protest movement which can be found at ProtestLondon2012.com. This “Official Protesters” collective is overseen by a group called the Space Hijackers. For those who are unaware, the Space Hijackers refer to themselves as anarchitects, and their state goal is as follows:

    Our group is dedicated to battling the constant oppressive encroachment onto public spaces of institutions, corporations and urban planners. We oppose the way that public space is being eroded and replaced by corporate profit making space.

    A noble cause, unless your on the side of the corporations.

    Considering the group’s perpsective, it should come as no surprise that the Space Hijackers are firmly against the London bending over backwards to welcome the Olympics. You can read a lot more about why the group is against the London Olympics here, but suffice to say, it has little do with the athletic events and more to do with stuff like this, from the awesomely-named Tumblr, Nipplelick (the link is SFW, but its index page may not be).

    The Official Protesters even have t-shirts:

    Official Protester T-Shirt

    The group is also incredibly active in the world of social media, including an active Twitter account. Their tweeting, however, was temporarily suspended the other day due to a trademark complaint by the “Locog,” aka, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Space Hijackers were informed by a polite email from Twitter’s team, emphasizing the trademark complaint, as opposed to making this a free speech issue:

    Twitter Suspension

    That, however, did not erase the stink of censorship, or, as the Space Hijackers so eloquently put it:

    Twitter, the beacon of free speech which so vocally lent it’s support to the Arab Spring did, of course, what everyone expected and immediately curtailed to the interests of big money and business. We, The Official Protesters, were immediately locked out of our account, losing access to thousands of followers, in a move designed to silence our dissent.

    From there, reaction exploded at an exponential rate across the Internet newsreel, which, in part led to the restoration of the Space Hijackers Twitter account. Apparently, however, they had to return their Olympic medals:

    Bad Cop @FeelingTheBlues
    @spacehijackers Aren’t you meant to be suspended?

     

    spacehijackers™
    @spacehijackers     @FeelingTheBlues We appealed and the ban was lifted, still had to give the medals back though. http://t.co/ViQQNKJc
    43 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto
     Reply  · Retweet  · Favorite

    While the speech blocking aspects cannot be ignored, the fact that Twitter was slick wise enough to go trademark confusion as their reasoning no doubt absolves them of any wrongdoing, at least to them. That, however, does not reflect the Space Hijackers’ point of view, who made this known on their Twitter description:

    We reject any ‘Trademark Connection’ or ‘Brand Affiliation’ Locog tries to make to us. Seriously guys it’s getting embarrassing, stop trying to make friends.

    With that in mind, how does it feel knowing that Twitter acquiesced to the requests of a group clearly trying to silence any outspoken protest against the London Olympics, especially when the protest group does a great job of pointing out the hypocrisy involved in hosting these celebrations of athletics? Granted, the power was turned back on soon enough, but the fact that Twitter suspended the account in the first place is troubling.

    But then again, perhaps we should’ve seen this coming.