It’s been a busy time around here with all the conferences (AMC and now the USSF) and now the G 8 and 20 summits are blasting off with rounds of protests. I was most interested to hear about this protest, which involved (as near as I can tell) indigenous peoples and immigrants.
In the days leading up to the G8/G20 Summits, activists and community organizers have been co-ordinating events and actions around Themed Days of Resistance, which highlight different issues each day, as a build-up to the Days of Action that are scheduled for June 25-27.
The theme for June 24 was Indigenous Sovereignty and the streets of Toronto saw a First Nations led march of over 1500 people.
Later in the day a press conference was held, and members of Defenders of the Land and No One is Illegal (two groups involved in the march) spoke to reporters in front of the three kilometre, $5.5 million security fence that has encircled the area around the summit site in downtown Toronto.
Here’s another good one:
We’ll be keeping our eyes out for more interesting news, let us know if you’re at the protests!
Being in the U.S. affords me certain privileges, namely allowing me to be unaware of how laws of the U.S. affect citizens in other countries. I knew on some level what the fighting in Peru was about (corporate versus indigenous nations versus Peruvian government), but of course, the role of the U.S. is so hidden from people in the U.S., we don’t see it until we are told.
Via
The New York Times has a really important post up about the
There is much critical focus on Bolivia as it has just inaugurated its first indigenous presidente. Evo Morales is indeed the first Aymara to run the country that is about 80 percent indigenous. He also represents the industry that employs and feeds that majority, the coca industry. But the election of Evo is more that just about democracy at work, more than just about the majority who have been treated as minority in terms of capital and power taking their place. The election of Evo Morales combined with the presidency of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and the election of Michelle Bachelet in Chile point to a growing move to the left in Latin America. But just because Evo Morales is one of the people doesn’t mean he has it easy, according to AlterNet: