Democratic rights
Australian court upholds sacking of academic for criticising US and Israeli militarism
By Mike Head, 3 December 2020
The court’s anti-democratic ruling further shreds academic freedom, as well as trade union claims to have protected it via enterprise bargaining agreements.
Podemos silent on Spanish generals’ coup threats
By Alejandro López, 2 December 2020
Podemos is far more afraid of explosive opposition on their left, among workers and youth, than it is about far-right coup plots against its own coalition government with the PSOE.
Trump campaign threatens Republican officials certifying election results
By Jacob Crosse, 2 December 2020
Following Trump’s lead, an attorney for the president suggested fired DHS Cybersecurity chief Chris Krebs should be “taken out at dawn and shot.”
Biden-Harris tech policy: militarism and censorship
By Kevin Reed, 2 December 2020
Democratic Party president-elect Joseph Biden is formulating policies and assembling a team committed to the use of advanced technologies for the purposes of warfare and suppression of free speech.
999 Biden tech policy team backs censorship
1 December 2020
Kremlin pressures Lukashenko to give up power in Belarus
By Clara Weiss, 1 December 2020
Although the Kremlin has backed Lukashenko temporarily amidst EU-backed mass protests, relations have long been tense.
Retired Spanish officers appeal to the king to back a military coup
By Alejandro López and Alex Lantier, 1 December 2020
Army and Air Force officers have sent letters to King Felipe VI and to the European parliament, asking them to support action against Spain’s elected government.
Trudeau government appeals ruling on illegal actions of Canada’s secret police
By Hugo Maltais, 1 December 2020
On numerous occasions, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service hid from the court that its warrant requests were based on information it had obtained in violation of the law.
Microsoft’s new “Productivity Score” helps employers spy on workers
By Mike Ingram, 30 November 2020
Microsoft has released new software that turns its Office 365 product into a full-fledged workplace surveillance tool, allowing corporations to spy on their workforce in multiple ways.
This week in history: November 30-December 6
30 November 2020
75 years ago: General Douglas MacArthur, the effective leader of US-occupied Japan, ordered the arrest of former Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe and eight of the country’s other civilian and military leaders for war crimes, setting the stage for criminal prosecutions.
Hundreds of thousands protest across France against police violence and Macron’s police immunity law
By Will Morrow, 30 November 2020
Opposition is growing to a law that would criminalize the filming of police officers, amid a series of incidents of police brutality over the past week.
US State Department moves to suppress criticism of Israel
By Dominic Gustavo, 30 November 2020
The Trump administration is seeking to silence all criticism of the Israeli apartheid state by equating all opposition to Israel with anti-Semitism.
French government orders dissolution of leading Muslim rights group
By Samuel Tissot, 30 November 2020
The executive committee of Collectif Contre Islamophobie en France preventively voted to dissolve itself before a government dissolution order came into force.
Leaked documents from Amazon’s Global Security Operations Center expose worldwide conspiracy to suppress workers’ resistance
By Tom Carter, 28 November 2020
The leaked documents also expose the use of spies from the Pinkerton Detective Agency, which has a long history of surveillance, infiltration and violence against the workers’ movement.
New ultra-right Supreme Court majority invokes religion to block COVID-19 safety measures
By John Burton, 28 November 2020
The Supreme Court struck down New York’s measures to control the spread of COVID-19 by limiting indoor events, including religious services, heralding the power of the new five-justice, ultra-reactionary bloc.
Greek general strike against attacks on right to demonstrate and devastating coronavirus policy
By Katerina Selin, 28 November 2020
As the total number of infections in Greece exceeded the 100,000 mark and the death toll rose to over 2,000, doctors, nurses and public employees, transport workers, dockworkers, journalists, teachers and cultural workers took part in the strike.
French police filmed violently assaulting music producer in Paris
By Will Morrow, 28 November 2020
The release of the video footage comes as the Macron government is pushing through a new law criminalizing the filming of police officers.
Ten years since WikiLeaks published the US diplomatic cables
By Thomas Scripps, 28 November 2020
WikiLeaks contributed to a growing recognition among workers and young people that state criminality and ruling class conspiracies are not accidents or the work of a few bad individuals, but the product of a whole social system based on the rule of competing oligarchies which must be overthrown.
French National Assembly adopts “global security” ban on filming of police
By Anthony Torres and Alex Lantier, 27 November 2020
The “global security” law threatens fundamental, constitutionally-protected rights and establishes the effective framework of a permanent, fascistic police state.
999 Matt Taiibi interview with Andre Damon
27 November 2020
The anti-refugee police riot in Paris: A warning to the working class
By Alex Lantier, 27 November 2020
An irrepressible conflict is emerging between the working class and the financial aristocracy, powerful sections of which support building a fascist police state
Censored Planet: University of Michigan research finds worldwide increase in internet censorship
By Kevin Reed, 27 November 2020
Data collected by a group of UM researchers has revealed that online interference is growing internationally and that “the world’s freest countries are not safe from internet censorship.”
Thai protesters defy threat of draconian lèse-majesté law
By Peter Symonds, 26 November 2020
Some 15,000 demonstrators joined the protest which was directed against the monarchy and the current King Maha Vajiralongkorn in particular, who has transferred crown assets worth an estimated $40 billion into his own hands.
999 French National Assembly passes ban on photos of police
26 November 2020
Assange’s life in danger as major COVID-19 outbreak hits Belmarsh Prison
By Oscar Grenfell, 25 November 2020
Assange’s partner Stella Moris has reported a mass outbreak in the house block where the WikiLeaks founder is imprisoned, with 56 prisoners and staff testing positive to the coronavirus.
Greek government bans protests, imposes authoritarian measures utilising pretext of pandemic
By John Vassilopoulos, 25 November 2020
The escalation of state repression in Greece must be seen in the context of increased militancy in the working class and among youth over the authorties’ criminal handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
999 SHAP statement on UAW and WSWS
24 November 2020
Zoom cancels meetings at several universities on Zoom censorship
By John Conrad, 24 November 2020
Zoom’s dramatic escalation of censorship has major implications as schools, academic institutions as well as political organizations have become increasingly dependent on the platform to conduct classes, conferences and meetings.
999 Remote learning in the US
24 November 2020
Florida Sheriff’s Office intelligence-gathering program labels student youth as future criminals
By Alex Johnson, 24 November 2020
The police agency’s strategies for tracking youth shed light on the extraordinary lengths the department has gone to carry out repressive measures against underaged Pasco residents.
North Carolina pastor who led peaceful march to polls charged with felony assault
By Jacob Crosse, 24 November 2020
Three weeks after police assaulted peaceful marchers on their way to register to vote, the county sheriff’s office announced felony and misdemeanor charges against organizer Reverend Greg Drumwright.
999 US election crisis, vote certifications
24 November 2020
Trial 4: A shameless police frame-up in Boston
By Joanne Laurier, 24 November 2020
Trial 4 is an eight-episode documentary television series, currently streaming on Netflix that examines the case of Sean Ellis, a black teenager wrongly convicted of the 1993 murder of police officer John Mulligan.
Nigerian government goes on offensive against youth protesting police brutality
By Jean Shaoul, 23 November 2020
The repression is aimed at criminalising peaceful protests in the interest of Nigeria’s kleptocrats and the transnational energy corporations that have looted the country.
21 November 2020
Federal prisoner Orlando Hall executed after US Supreme Court clears the way
By Kate Randall, 21 November 2020
The Trump administration aims to carry out at least three more executions before Inauguration Day, including that of the first federal woman prisoner in almost seven decades.
21 November 2020
Trump administration delays enforcement of TikTok ban
By Kevin Reed, 21 November 2020
The White House backed off from its threat to shut down the video-sharing app TikTok if its Chinese owner ByteDance did not divest itself of the popular social media platform to an American owner by November 12.
Pentagon shakeup aimed at paving path to Trump coup
By Bill Van Auken, 21 November 2020
The extra-constitutional attempts to nullify the US elections and overturn basic democratic rights cannot be accomplished without massive state repression.
Brevard County sheriff’s deputy kills two Florida teenagers
By Matthew Taylor, 20 November 2020
The deputy’s claim of self-defense in the shooting is refuted by dash camera footage which was released Wednesday.
Assange in lockdown as Belmarsh Prison inmates test positive for COVID-19
By Oscar Grenfell, 19 November 2020
Since the pandemic began, leading medical experts have repeatedly warned that the WikiLeaks founder would be at significant risk of succumbing to the coronavirus if he contracts the disease.
Peaceful antiwar protesters sentenced to federal prison terms during pandemic
By Kevin Reed, 19 November 2020
Three antinuclear war protesters—members of the Kings Bay Plowshares Seven group—were sentenced to between 10-14 months in federal prison last week amid the raging coronavirus pandemic.
Municipal elections expose rightward turn of Brazilian ruling class
By Tomas Castanheira, 19 November 2020
The elections were marked by both the discrediting of Brazil’s political system in the eyes of the working class and fascistic attacks on the democratic process.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer bars Jeremy Corbyn from Parliamentary Labour Party as witch-hunt intensifies
By Robert Stevens and Thomas Scripps, 19 November 2020
The response of Corbyn and his allies on his readmission and then to being barred as a voting Labour MP was to continue grovelling before their persecutors in the name of party “unity”.
States certifying Biden victory despite Trump lawsuits, recount demands
By Patrick Martin, 19 November 2020
The effective cutoff date for Trump’s efforts to overturn the election through the courts is Dec. 8, when states submit their lists of presidential electors to the federal government.
Thai protests for democratic reforms continue despite violent police attack
By Peter Symonds, 19 November 2020
Thousands of protesters gathered on Tuesday outside the national assembly building in a bid to influence legislators who were discussing motions on constitutional change.
Tens of thousands pay homage to youth slain by police as Peru swears in third president in a week
By Cesar Uco, 19 November 2020
Thousands of youth held vigils Monday evening in Peru’s major cities in memory of the two young students killed by the Peruvian National Police (PNP).
Macron prepares “global security” law banning the filming of French police
By Anthony Torres and Alex Lantier, 19 November 2020
The law, denounced by the UN, is a desperate attempt to silence rising public anger at social inequality and the official handling of the pandemic with all-out police terror.
Vote breakdown shows class interests, not race, drove Trump’s defeat in Midwest “battleground” states
By Barry Grey, 19 November 2020
An analysis of the vote results in the three Midwestern “battleground” states that were key to Biden’s victory—Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin—confirms that the critical factor was a turn by substantial sections of white workers to oppose Trump.
Facebook censors IYSSE online meeting about Trump coup threat
By Kevin Reed, 18 November 2020
The blocking of a meeting about the post-election coup plotting of Donald Trump from being posted on Facebook is an example of the intensification of political censorship being carried out by the social media platforms against left-wing and socialist organizations and publishers.
Socialist Party’s Moe Manir expels London Bus Drivers Rank-and-File Safety Committee leader from Facebook group
By By Laura Tiernan, 18 November 2020
The Socialist Party promotes the dangerous illusion that mass pressure from below can transform the unions into fighting organisations. But in every country the trade unions respond to mass pressure from workers by deepening their collusion with the companies and the state, and by stamping out any semblance of democracy.
999 California voters reject affirmative action proposition
18 November 2020
Justice Department attorney tells appeals court the government can kill US citizens without judicial review
By Harvey Simpkins, 18 November 2020
The Trump administration’s despotic assertion of the right to kill people, including US citizens, without any judicial review is a continuation and extension of powers asserted and acted upon by the Obama administration.
Labour Party reinstates Jeremy Corbyn after suspension over antisemitism comments
The anti-Semitism witch-hunt and the failure of Corbynism
By Chris Marsden, 18 November 2020
This speech was delivered by Socialist Equality Party National Secretary Chris Marsden to a public meeting titled, “The Blairites’ anti-Semitism witch-hunt and the failure of Corbynism,” held on November 15, 2020.
999 Brazil municipal elections
18 November 2020
Utah teachers stage wildcat sickout to demand COVID-19 testing, online instruction as cases soar
By Kayla Costa and David Fitzgerald, 17 November 2020
Teachers in Utah conducted a sickout strike opposed by the union to demand an end to in-person instruction as the pandemic spreads uncontrolled.
Students, workers, and artists denounce censorship
Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters condemns Twitter’s suspension of IYSSE account
By Gabriel Black, 16 November 2020
The censoring of the IYSSE, at a time of growing interest in a genuine socialist perspective among young people has been met with an outcry and statements of protest.
The pandemic and Trump’s plots
By Joseph Kishore, 16 November 2020
Three events over the past three days cast light on the character of Trump’s post-election conspiracies and the social and economic interests driving them.
Peruvian government falls after two killed in anti-impeachment protests
By Cesar Uco and Bill Van Auken, 16 November 2020
Mass outrage over the deadly repression of protests triggered by the coup-like impeachment of President Vizcarra has forced the resignation of his successor.
Texas educators demand fully online learning to save lives
Texas Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee, 16 November 2020
As the coronavirus pandemic tears across Texas, teachers, education workers and parents call for a broad struggle to protect their lives and those of students.
Overwhelming police presence used to intimidate Northwestern University protest
By Andy Thompson, 14 November 2020
Police in riot gear outnumbered protesters by almost two to one.
Bowing to right-wing campaign, Canada’s Trudeau apologizes to Macron for being “too soft” on Islamist terrorism
By Laurent Lafrance and Keith Jones, 14 November 2020
As the World Socialist Web Site has demonstrated, it is possible and indeed necessary to denounce and expose the reactionary character of the recent Islamist terrorist attacks without giving any quarter to the anti-democratic, chauvinist agenda and predatory interests of French imperialism
Immigrant women who accused ICE doctor of forced sterilization deported from the United States
By Kevin Martinez, 13 November 2020
One of the women who spoke to federal investigators was told only hours later by ICE that the hold on her deportation had been removed and that her removal was “imminent.”
Belly of the Beast: The cruelty of forced sterilization in America
By Joanne Laurier, 13 November 2020
Belly of the Beast is a documentary on practices carried out at female penitentiaries in California.
Stop online censorship: Restore the Twitter account of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (US)!
By Kevin Reed, 13 November 2020
In an act of online political censorship, Twitter has suspended the account of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality in the US.
European governments seize upon terrorist attacks in France and Vienna to build a police state
By Johannes Stern, 13 November 2020
Under the pretext of a “fight against terror”, the EU and European heads of government have agreed to expand “Fortress Europe” and further arm the police.
Trump campaign presses demands to suppress millions of votes
By Patrick Martin, 13 November 2020
The main targets of the phony “vote fraud” complaints are Pennsylvania and Michigan, both won by Democratic candidate Joe Biden by sizable margins.
Thousands protest in Peru against impeachment, pandemic and economic implosion
By Rafael Azul, 12 November 2020
In Lima, Peru’s capital, the decision to replace Martín Vizcarra with Manuel Merino brought many people into the streets.
As Biden popular vote lead hits five million
Trump, Republicans continue campaign to overturn election
By Patrick Martin, 12 November 2020
Republican efforts are focused on six states, all won by Biden: Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.
Australian Senate passes motion acknowledging “alleged” persecution of Julian Assange
By Oscar Grenfell, 11 November 2020
The feckless motion did not demand Assange’s freedom, nor condemn his threatened extradition to the US.
MAS inaugurates right-wing government in Bolivia
By Tomas Castanheira, 11 November 2020
The same day Evo Morales returned to Bolivia, the new government installed a pro-austerity cabinet.
NYPD runs amok during post-Election Day protests
By Josh Varlin, 11 November 2020
The NYPD harbors fascistic elements which have brutalized workers in New York City in the days before and after November 3.
Police crack down on Thai protesters demanding democratic rights
By Peter Symonds, 11 November 2020
The ongoing protests are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his military-backed government, a new constitution and reforms to the monarchy.
Stop Trump’s conspiracy to nullify the 2020 elections!
By Socialist Equality Party (US) Political Committee, 11 November 2020
The events of the past 48 hours have made clear that President Donald Trump is refusing to accept his electoral defeat and is actively engaged in a coup to overturn the elections and establish a personalist dictatorship.
EHRC “Investigation into antisemitism in the Labour Party” A hatchet job in furtherance of a witch-hunt
By Robert Stevens, 10 November 2020
The Equality and Human Rights Commission not only fails to prove widespread anti-Semitism in the Labour Party but rules as undemocratic and an affront to human rights the disciplinary action taken against Corbyn and the party’s ban on criticism of its report.
US judge blocks shutdown of TikTok scheduled for November 12
By Kevin Reed, 10 November 2020
A Pennsylvania district court judge ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by three TikTok users seeking a temporary injunction against the Trump administration’s plan to shut down the video sharing app if it is not sold to a US owner by November 12.
Migrant friend to Julian Assange dies in UK’s Belmarsh prison
By Thomas Scripps, 9 November 2020
The suicide of Manoel Santos has drawn attention to the UK government’s criminal practice of holding people facing deportation in prisons, even in maximum security institutions.
Armed Trump supporters arrested at Philadelphia counting site as Republicans echo Trump’s claims of vote fraud
By Jacob Crosse, 7 November 2020
While remaining behind in several key states, Trump continues to claim fraud while seeking to incite his fascistic supporters.
FBI seizes internet domain names it claims are part of Iranian influence campaign
By Kevin Reed, 7 November 2020
The Justice Department made vague assertions of “covert influence” and “pro-Iranian propaganda,” but presented no evidence of its allegations.
US schools intensify student surveillance in the COVID-19 era
By Kylie Rose, 6 November 2020
Just last month, the University of Miami was caught using facial recognition technology to track down students who attended a peaceful protest against the school’s reopening plans.
Social media platforms implement aggressive censorship during the 2020 US elections
By Kevin Reed, 6 November 2020
The major social media platforms took their political censorship operations into high gear on election day, including Facebook placing a fact checking label on every single post by anyone on their platform who is commenting or sharing content about the election in any way.
Post-election protests in US cities met with mass arrests
By Jacob Crosse, 6 November 2020
The National Guard was deployed in Portland, Oregon, while Trump-aligned “poll watchers” harassed election officials in Phoenix and Detroit
New documents show Mueller investigation unable to concoct charges against Assange and WikiLeaks
By Oscar Grenfell, 6 November 2020
The revelations demonstrate that the US state has been seeking to manufacture a criminal prosecution of Assange for years, in response to his exposure of its war crimes and corruption.
As US vote-counting continues into second night
Biden nears narrow Electoral College victory while Republicans lead in Senate
By Patrick Martin, 5 November 2020
The states of Wisconsin and Michigan were called for Biden today by the Associated Press and the television networks, including Fox News.
Breonna Taylor’s mother demands an independent investigation into police killing after exposure of grand jury whitewash
By Steve Filips, 5 November 2020
Tamika Palmer is demanding a new investigation after three jurors revealed that Republican Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron did not follow procedure and present the possibility of six homicide charges against the officers who killed Taylor.
Trump’s refusal to concede sets the stage for post-election crisis
By Joseph Kishore and David North, 5 November 2020
While it appears that the Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden is on the verge of winning enough states to be elected president, Trump’s refusal to accept the results will intensify the political crisis.
Preliminary observations on the US presidential elections
By Patrick Martin, 4 November 2020
As of early Wednesday morning, the US presidential election remains undecided. The fact that it is so close, however, is a devastating indictment of the Democratic Party.
Trump administration detained over 500,000 immigrant children in three years
By Norissa Santa Cruz, 4 November 2020
New data shows that The Trump administration has detained half a million children, with over 250,000 in 2019 alone. Other revelations point to numerous Central American children being illegally sent to Mexico.
Google admits to censoring the World Socialist Web Site
By Kevin Reed, 4 November 2020
In an extraordinary public admission, Google CEO Sundar Pichai stated during congressional testimony on October 28 that the online search giant has been censoring content from the World Socialist Web Site.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald resigns from the Intercept in protest against censorship
By Andre Damon, 4 November 2020
Glenn Greenwald, the most prominent collaborator of whistleblower Edward Snowden and a world-renowned critic of the US media and intelligence agencies, has resigned from The Intercept, the publication he founded in 2013, in protest against its attempts to stifle his reporting critical of the Democratic Party.
As millions vote against him, Trump pushes violence and suppression of votes
By Patrick Martin, 3 November 2020
Voter turnout is at record levels, fueled by popular outrage against the Trump administration.
Australian government uses bushfire report to demand emergency powers
By Mike Head, 3 November 2020
The royal commission’s “legislative model” would give the prime minister the power to mobilise troops without any request by a state or territory.
Duterte administration launches “red-tagging” witchhunt
By John Malvar, 3 November 2020
The various mass organizations now being red-tagged by the Duterte administration—Bayan, Bayan Muna, Gabriela, the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)—gave their enthusiastic support to him as he took office.
Mass protests against anti-abortion law in Poland develop into a revolt against government
By Martin Nowak, 3 November 2020
Confronted with hundreds of thousands of demonstrators, the PiS government and opposition are working feverishly to end the social revolt.
999 Vancouver, Washington police shooting/protests
3 November 2020
999 Breonna Taylor's family demands independent investigation after exposure of grand jury whitewash
3 November 2020
999 Clashes erupt in Ivory Coast after disputed elections
3 November 2020
On the eve of the US election
Trump backs violence against Biden campaign
By Patrick Martin, 2 November 2020
The president voiced his approval of an attack by a caravan of his supporters on a Biden-Harris campaign bus in Texas.
Kentucky State Police training documents approvingly cited Adolf Hitler
By Jacob Crosse, 2 November 2020
Exposed last week by a high school student newspaper, the slideshow reveals the mentality and training undergirding police departments across the US and internationally.
National Guard deployed in Philadelphia following protests against police murder
By Nick Barrickman, 31 October 2020
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, a Democrat, has announced plans to keep the National Guard in the city until after Election Day.
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