Politics

Success of the 3rd Conference of the Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative and 1st International Marathon in Iraq
Both events, organized by ICSSI members, took place successfully in Erbil on 7-9 October 2011 and gave tremendous visibility to the Iraqi civil society, its struggle for a laical state, peace and human rights.

Organizers estimate that 15,000 people converged in Times
Square on Saturday afternoon, the culmination of a day of
marches and protests that covered much of lower
Manhattan. Actions from New York to Madrid, Rome,
London, Jakarta, Tokyo and Sydney were part of a
global day of action called for by the Indignados
movement in Spain and later joined by Occupy Wall Street.

Press Release 16/10/11: Canon Chancellor Giles Fraser defends people’s right to protest and addresses the crowd before morning service at St Paul’s cathedral. The Canon calls on the police to leave the occupation at St Paul’s. OccupyLSX reports that 250 people camped overnight, despite initial police use of force, maintaining a calm and engaging occupation.

In Germany about 40000 people went on the streets: very mixed, old, young, mostly middle class, educated. In Berlin it was about 10000, in Frankfurt in the bank metropolis 8000 with the goal to occupy, in Cologne 1500, Duesseldorf 1500, Munich 1000, Hamburg thousands and so on. The organisators in each city were joyfully surprised because they expected a few hundred only.

Between 4000 – 5000 people gather in London’s Square Mile to voice their anger at the social and economic inequality in the UK and beyond, OccupyLSX holds first people’s assembly this afternoon to decide future plans for its occupation, People’s assemblies spring up near St Paul’s despite police refusing to allow protesters onto Paternoster Square [the LSX location]

By Farooque Chowdhury*

Across oceans and covering continents people around the world are struggling. There are protest marches, demonstrations, occupations. It’s now global, a globalization of struggle for democracy, for a decent life. It is One Earth One Humanity One Loved, as a placard in the Occupy Wall Street Movement announces.

FRIENDS:

“Our call for change unites us.
We want a new society that gives people priority over economic and political interests.
We want to demonstrate that society has not gone to sleep, and that we will keep fighting for what we deserve by peaceful means.
We want all this, and we want it now.” (Sol, May 2011).

Thousands of Palestinians hit the streets of Gaza and West Bank 11 October to celebrate the prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas. This will exchange 1,027 Palestinians for the captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit. Hamas leader in Damascus Khaled Messhal, in a congratulatory speech, considered the swap deal as a proud national achievement for all Palestinians.

The House of Lords appeared to create some hope that the Bill aimed at dropping the British National Health Service on the laps of private providers so that they can make profits with the health of the population could be defeated. But the vote was lost and the Bill continues its process towards final approval and implementation.

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, Mr Gyan Chandra Acharya, has told fellow members that Nepal consistently advocates for general and complete disarmament of all weapons of mass destruction, including biological, chemical, nuclear, radiological weapons in a statement to the United Nations.