North America

“Racism and racial discrimination have been used as weapons to engender fear and hatred. In extreme cases, ruthless leaders instigate prejudice to incite genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity”. With these words, UN secretary general marked this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which focuses on the theme of racism and conflict.

Here we publish the complete text of it.

Stephen Collis: What has your involvement with Occupy Wall Street been, and what is your
background?

Sara Burke: My involvement with OWS began before OWS began. My answer to your question might make more sense if I tell you a little bit first about my
background and then my activism with OWS.

Washington DC – Compelling advice against a hasty, unilateral decision by Israel to “bomb, bomb, bomb” Iran has come – from Israel. The advice is significant not only for what was said, but for who said it.

So it turns that Monsanto, one of the world’s largest profiteers of genetically engineered (GE) food, has banned GE food from its own corporate canteens!

One billion children live in urban areas, a number that is growing rapidly. Yet disparities within cities reveal that many lack access to schools, health care and sanitation. These children are at “high risk of exploitation and trafficking, as well as becoming victims of violence”.

A report from the Occupy Wall Street forum on the commons

Both the commons movement and Occupy spring from a shared sense of urgency about need for a different path toward the future.

OTC program director Alexa Bradley was one of the presenters at Occupy Wall Street’s inaugural forum on the commons February 16-19 in Brooklyn.
Here is her report on all that happened.

“Conflict-related sexual violence is not specific to one country or continent: it is a global risk […] Wars have entered the marketplaces where women trade; they follow children en route to school; and haunt the prison cells where political activists are detained.”

“The president is wrong.” So says one of the newly appointed co-chairs of President Obama’s re-election campaign.
Those 4 words headline the site of the organization Progressives United, founded by former U.S. senator and now Obama campaign adviser Russ Feingold. He is referring to Obama’s recent announcement that he will accept super PAC funds for his re-election campaign.

While rights groups stress that the brutal crackdown on protesters in Syria and other Middle East and North Africa countries underlines the absence of a global regulation on the trade of conventional arms, a number of states –including U.S., China, and Russia– are rejecting the Inclusion of strong human rights safeguards in an international Arms Trade Treaty.

From February 16th to the 18th, the Empowerment and
Education working group of Occupy Wall Street organized a forum to reflect
on the direction and aims of the Occupy movement and articulate strategies for the
movement’s future. The forum occurred at the Church of the Ascension at
122 Java Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and was open to the public.