Monday, March 01, 2021

Funds raised after Greta Thunberg protest in Bristol to create rewilding project

Thousands of people braved the rain to attend the protest

(Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Archive)

By The Newsroom
Sun 28 Feb 2021

Funds raised after a climate strike in Bristol with Greta Thunberg will be used for a rewilding project on the site the protest took place, it has been announced.

Greta, 18, was the headline speaker at the Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate at College Green in the city on February 28 last year.

More than 15,000 people attended the event, which coincided with Greta’s 80th school strike, in the pouring rain.

After the protest, a fundraiser was launched to repair the ground at College Green, which was left muddy and without grass.

The campaign, launched by local resident Jon Usher, raised £15,575 with an additional contribution of £5,000 from the company Good Energy.

Repairs to the lawn were completed in April 2020 and the remaining funds will now be used to create meadows at the site.

These will contain native species such as strawberry clover, cowslip, white campion, and tufted vetch as well as bright flowering species such as common poppy, cornflower and yellow rattle.

It is hoped this will attract pollinators such as solitary bees, beetles, bumble bees, butterflies, hoverflies that will in turn support more insect-feeding birds.

The Very Revd Mandy Ford, Dean of Bristol, said: “It is a great joy to be hosting this wild space on College Green in the shelter of Bristol Cathedral, with all its diversity of plants and the promise of insects and birds to enhance the area.”

The ground was left muddy after the protest

(Ben Birchall/PA) (PA Archive)

An existing wildflower meadow strip, planted by Avon Wildlife Trust, will be incorporated into the new meadows through plug planting from the charity’s wildflower nursery.

Charlee Bennett is the director of Bristol and Bath Parks Foundation, which has been acting as custodian of the funds raised to repair the lawn.

“We’re delighted to be leading this partnership to explore new and innovative ways to support more nature in the heart of Bristol,” she said.

“Today we are setting out plans for the first stage of what we hope will be a long-term project to re-vision College Green for nature.

“Bristol City Council has already improved the flower bed beside City Hall to support a wider range of pollinators. I am really excited about the long-term potential of this project and what we can achieve together.

Isobel, from Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate, said the meadow would act as a “continuous symbol of the power and hope” felt at the climate strikes.

“The meadow is a great step in reimagining intensely used inner-city green spaces,” she said

Greta spoke to thousands that had gathered at College Green

(Ben Birchall/PA) (PA Archive)

During the protest, Greta took to the stage to loud chants of “Greta, Greta” before speaking for five minutes to a cheering crowd of all ages.

She pledged: “I will not be silent while the world is on fire” and took aim at world leaders, saying they were “behaving like children” in relation to the climate crisis

The Swedish teenager, who arrived in Bristol by train, then went on to join protesters on a march through Bristol city centre.

Greta walked behind a large green banner reading “Skolstrejk for Klimatet”, which translates as School Strike for Climate.

After the event, Bristol City Council and Avon and Somerset Police said the protest had run smoothly and was a “safe event” for the young people who attended.

More than 60 killed in Yemen as Iran-backed Houthi militia continues offensive

Government forces fire towards Houthi militia fighters during clashes northwest of Marib in central Yemen on Feb. 11, 2021. (AFP)

More than 60 killed in Yemen as Iran-backed Houthi militia continues offensive

AFP
Published: 26 February ,2021:

Over 60 fighters were killed in clashes in Yemen Friday between the Iran-backed Houthi militia and government forces in the strategic northern province of Marib, government sources said.

The dead included at least 27 pro-government forces and 34 Houthi fighters, a government source told AFP, adding it was the “most violent” day of clashes since fighting erupted earlier this month.

The Houthis moved into hills near a dam southwest of the city of Marib -- the last major toehold in the north for Yemen’s government -- with the area witnessing “the fiercest battles,” according to the source.

A military source said that pro-government forces repelled the Houthi advances and reported heavy fighting that lasted “more than eight hours” in the Ablah region south of Marib city.

There was loss of life on both sides, the military source added.

Earlier this month, the Iran-backed Houthis resumed a push to capture the city of Marib, which lies close to some of Yemen’s richest oil fields.

Its capture would be a major prize for the rebels.

Read more: Houthis target Marib residential area with ballistic missile

50 Killed in Clashes Between Yemeni Forces, Hadi Militiamen in Ma’rib

TEHRAN (FNA)- At least 50 people have been killed in fierce battle for the Northern city of Ma’rib between Yemeni army forces and militiamen loyal to the pro-Saudi former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.

Earlier this month, Yemeni soldiers and their allied fighters from the Popular Committees resumed an offensive to take control of the oil-rich city, Hadi’s last urban stronghold in Yemen, which is some 120 kilometers East of the capital Sana’a.

On Saturday, army forces and allied fighters continued with their push for the target.

An unnamed source in Hadi’s camp told AFP that during the intense clashes in 24 hours at least 22 militiamen had been killed.

The source added that more than 28 members of the Yemeni army and the Popular Committees also lost their lives “in the fighting that continues unabated on the fronts in Ma’rib province.”

Other reports said Brigadier General Abdul Ghani Sha’alan, the pro-Hadi commander of Ma’rib provincial military police, was also killed after he sustained critical wounds in the clashes.

On Friday, more than 60 people were killed in the battle for Ma’rib. It was the bloodiest day since the start of the offensive on February 8. Reports said the dead included at least 27 pro-Hadi militiamen and 34 members of the army and the Popular Committees.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating war on Yemen in March 2015 to bring Hadi back to power and crush the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.

The Houthi fighters, however, have gone from strength to strength against the invaders and significantly helped the army, leaving the Saudi-led coalition forces bogged down in Yemen.

At least 80 percent of the population of 28 million is reliant on aid to survive in what the UN has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Earlier this month, the UN agencies warned that about 400,000 Yemeni children aged under five are in danger of losing life this year due to acute malnutrition.

The war has destroyed or closed half of Yemen’s hospitals and clinics, leaving the people helpless particularly at a time when they are in desperate need of medical supplies to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Golden Globes: 'Tears' as Chloe Zhao becomes first Asian woman to win best director

Asians around the world are reacting with "happy tears" as Chloe Zhao made history at the Golden Globe Awards, becoming the first Asian woman to ever win the prize for best director.

Many online praised her for being a "huge inspiration for young Asian girls", adding that it was a "win for women everywhere".

The Nomadland director, who was born in China, is only the second woman to win the award.

The first was Barbra Streisand in 1984.

"I cannot stress this enough, as an Asian woman in the arts, it is so inspiring to see Chloe Zhao make history tonight as the first woman of colour to win for best director," said one Twitter user.

This year also marks the first time more than one woman has ever been shortlisted for the title of best director. Regina King and Emerald Fennell were also in the running.

Ms Streisand herself congratulated Ms Zhao on the win, saying "it's about time".

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View

Golden Globes 2021: The winners and nominees In pictures: Globes stars shine without red carpet Tina and Amy's best jokes... and 7 other Globe highlights\

BREAKING:

IMMEDIATE WITHDRAWAL OF ERITREAN, AMHARA REGION FORCES FROM TIGRAY, UNILATERAL CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES BY ALL & UNHINDERED DELIVERY OF ASSISTANCE:

ANTONY J. BLINKEN

addisstandard / February 28, 2021 /

Addis Abeba, February 28/2021- In his first official statement since becoming the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken said “the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean forces and Amhara regional forces from Tigray” are essential first steps to end “reported atrocities and the overall deteriorating situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.”

They should be accompanied by unilateral declarations of cessation of hostilities by all parties to the conflict and a commitment to permit unhindered delivery of assistance to those in Tigray, Secretary Blinken said, adding to achieve that goal the “USAID will deploy a Disaster Assistance Response Team to Ethiopia to continue delivering life-saving assistance.”

He also called for “international partners, especially the African Union and regional partners, to work with us to address the crisis in Tigray, including through action at the UN and other relevant bodies.”

Atrocities In Ethiopia’s Tigray Region

The United States is gravely concerned by reported atrocities and the overall deteriorating situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. We strongly condemn the killings, forced removals and displacements, sexual assaults, and other extremely serious human rights violations and abuses by several parties that multiple organizations have reported in Tigray. We are also deeply concerned by the worsening humanitarian crisis. The United States has repeatedly engaged the Ethiopian government on the importance of ending the violence, ensuring unhindered humanitarian access to Tigray, and allowing a full, independent, international investigation into all reports of human rights violations, abuses, and atrocities. Those responsible for them must be held accountable.

The United States acknowledges the February 26 statements from the Ethiopian Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs promising unhindered humanitarian access, welcoming international support for investigations into human rights violations and abuses, and committing to full accountability. The international community needs to work collectively to ensure that these commitments are realized.

The immediate withdrawal of Eritrean forces and Amhara regional forces from Tigray are essential first steps. They should be accompanied by unilateral declarations of cessation of hostilities by all parties to the conflict and a commitment to permit unhindered delivery of assistance to those in Tigray. The United States is committed to working with the international community to achieve these goals. To that end, USAID will deploy a Disaster Assistance Response Team to Ethiopia to continue delivering life-saving assistance.

We ask international partners, especially the African Union and regional partners, to work with us to address the crisis in Tigray, including through action at the UN and other relevant bodies.

The United States remains committed to building an enduring partnership with the Eth

Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: Blinken says US concerned about atrocities
BBC
Tigray crisis

The conflict has displaced tens of thousands to neighbouring Sudan

The US has condemned reported atrocities in Ethiopia's conflict-hit northern region of Tigray, urging the African Union to help resolve the "deteriorating situation."

"We are deeply concerned by the worsening humanitarian crisis," Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said.

An Amnesty report said crimes against humanity may have been committed.

Hundreds have been killed and tens of thousands displaced in four months.

The conflict erupted on 4 November 2020 when Ethiopia's government launched an offensive to oust the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) after its fighters captured federal military bases in Tigray.

How a massacre in the sacred city of Aksum unfolded

In a report released last week rights group Amnesty International accused troops from neighbouring Eritrea of killing hundreds of people in the ancient city of Aksum on 28 and 29 November, saying the mass killings may amount to a crime against humanity.

What does the future hold for Ethiopia, and what challenges remain in the Tigray region?

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, told parliament on 30 November that "not a single civilian was killed" during the operation.

But witnesses have recounted how on that day they began burying some of the bodies of unarmed civilians killed by Eritrean soldiers - many of them boys and men shot on the streets or during house-to-house raids.

Amnesty's report has high-resolution satellite imagery from 13 December showing disturbed earth consistent with recent graves at two churches in Aksum, an ancient city considered sacred by Ethiopia's Orthodox Christians.

An eyewitness told the BBC how bodies remained unburied on the streets for days, with many being eaten by hyenas.

GOOGLE © 2021 MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES

A communications blackout and restricted access to Tigray has meant reports of what has gone on in the conflict have been slow to emerge.

However Eritrea's Information Minister Yemane G Meskel has dismissed the accusations from Amnesty, calling them "preposterous" and "fabricated".

In a tweet, he suggested that the eyewitnesses quoted were militiamen allied to Tigray's former ruling party, the TPLF.

But the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has said Amnesty's report should be "taken seriously" and that it was investigating the allegations.

What else did Blinken say?

He welcomed the Ethiopian government promise for unhindered humanitarian access to Tigray and its invitation for international support for investigations into human rights violations.

He also called for the "immediate withdrawal" of Eritrean forces and other militia fighters from the region, urging the African Union and neighbouring countries to help resolve the crisis.

But Ethiopia and Eritrea have both denied the presence of Eritrean troops in Tigray.

MAGE COPYRIGHTAFPimage captionEthiopians from Tigray region living in the US have been holding marches in Washington DC

Despite Mr Abiy declaring victory after pro-government troops took the regional capital Mekelle in late November, clashes have persisted in the region.

The security and humanitarian situation has deteriorated, with reported sexual assaults against women on the rise.

Last week the UN World Food Programme (WFP) made an urgent appeal for more than a $100m (£72m) to ease severe shortages in Tigray.

It said three million people - about half of Tigray's population - need food aid.

More on the Tigray conflict:

Republicans test history in vote against pandemic relief

ASSOCIATED PRESS | Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021

AP
Congress members hold a moment of silence for 500,000 U.S. covid-19 deaths Feb. 23, 2021, on the east front steps of the Capitol in Washington.

NEW YORK — With the nation’s financial system on the brink of collapse, all but three Republicans voted against the massive stimulus package designed to protect millions of Americans from financial ruin.

It was early 2009, just weeks after Joe Biden was sworn in as vice president, and the vote marked the beginning of a new era of partisan gridlock in Congress. And for beleaguered Republicans coming off a disastrous election, it was their first step back to political power.

Democrats voted alone to stabilize the economy, and two years later, a Republican Party unified only by its unwavering opposition to Barack Obama’s presidency seized the House majority.

Now, just weeks into the Biden presidency, the GOP is gambling that history will repeat itself.

Early Saturday morning, 210 House Republicans joined two Democrats in voting against a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package that would send $1,400 checks to most Americans and hundreds of billions more to help open schools, revive struggling businesses and provide financial support to state and local governments. Senate Republicans are expected to oppose a similar measure in the coming weeks, arguing that the bill is not focused enough on the pandemic. But with near-unanimous Democratic support, the measure could still become law.

It’s far too soon to predict the political fallout from the first major legislative fight of the Biden era. But as the nation struggles to recover from the worst health and financial crises in generations, strategists in both parties agree that it’s risky for Republicans to assume their 2009 playbook will lead to the same ballot-box success this time around.

“I think that the Republicans’ misread here is that it is the same, or that they can just oppose it and there’s no ramifications,” said John Anzalone, the Biden campaign’s chief pollster. “It’s a different world.”

Veteran Republican pollster Frank Luntz said Republicans now bear the burden of clearly articulating their opposition — a task made more difficult by the distraction of former President Donald Trump’s high-profile war against the Republican establishment.

“The definer of the legislation wins this battle,” Luntz said. “This could end up being the most important vote of 2021.”

There are reasons to believe that politics have changed since Republicans last unified against a sweeping stimulus package, not the least of which is Trump’s omnipresence in the party.

At the same time, the scale of the economic devastation and disruption wrought by the coronavirus pandemic dwarfs that of the 2008 financial crisis. At its peak, roughly 9 U.S. million jobs were lost in the Great Recession, compared with 22 million jobs lost to the coronavirus. A year after the pandemic began, nearly 10 million U.S. jobs remain lost, more than 20 million children are out of school, half a million Americans are dead, and roughly 100,000 businesses are feared closed forever.

Polling suggests that an overwhelming majority of voters — including a significant number of Republicans — supports the Democrats’ pandemic relief plan. And the business community along with state and local leaders in both parties are crying out for help.

On the eve of the House vote, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt joined 31 other Republican mayors in a letter encouraging leaders in both parties to approve the package.

“The major part of the bill that relates to cities is sorely needed,” Holt told The Associated Press, citing pandemic-related cuts to his city’s police and fire departments. “I don’t know any blue or red state or blue or red city that doesn’t have a revenue shortfall due to covid-19’s fallout.”

In another deep-red state, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice also broke with Washington Republicans and said Congress should “go big or go home” on the new stimulus package.

“We have tried to underspend and undersize what was really needed to get over the top of the mountain,” the Republican governor told reporters during a Friday coronavirus briefing. “You got a lot of people across this nation who are really hurting.”

Yet no Republican in Washington voted to support the sweeping $1.9 trillion stimulus package early Saturday.

Moderate Democratic Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Kurt Schrader of Oregon were the only two lawmakers to cross party lines, joining 210 Republicans to vote against the legislation that ultimately passed 219-212.

“The swamp is back,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said shortly before the final vote, decrying what he called extraordinary “non-covid waste” and a “blue state bailout.”

“Most states are not in financial distress,” McCarthy said.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, traditionally a Republican ally, declined to support or oppose the Republican position. Neil Bradley, the chamber’s executive vice president and chief policy officer, said there is a need for a rescue package that is “targeted, timely and temporary.”

“There’s a lot to like in the plan,” Bradley told The AP. “But there’s also a whole lot of elements that fail the test of targeted and timely and temporary.”

The chamber, like congressional Republicans, opposes Democratic efforts to boost the federal minimum wage to $15 hourly by 2025 from its current $7.25 floor. The Senate parliamentarian ruled Thursday that the progressive priority could not be included in the Senate version of the bill, although Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is considering a provision that would penalize large companies that don’t pay workers at least $15 an hour.

Whether the minimum wage provision is included or not, Senate Republicans are expected to oppose the final package.

While there could be political fallout from the GOP’s strategy in next year’s midterm elections, Republican officials privately concede they are more concerned about the intense intra-party feud pitting Trump and his loyalists against leading establishment Republicans such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the No. 3 House Republican, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming.

That divide is playing out this weekend at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, where Trump himself is expected to attack his party’s establishment on Sunday as he returns to the public stage for the first time since leaving the White House.

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, another CPAC speaker and a 2024 Republican presidential prospect, said party unity is paramount moving forward.

“I think that Republicans need to recognize that what brings us together right now is the left-wing agenda of the Biden-Harris administration,” Cotton told The AP. “The more that we focus on what they’re trying to accomplish in the Congress and through the president’s executive actions, the more united we will be, and the more we will move public opinion in our direction.”

Americans for Prosperity, a conservative political powerhouse, opposes the Democratic-backed package as well, but its president, Tim Phillips, says it’s unclear whether the GOP strategy will be enough to unite the deeply fractured Republican Party.

“This feels a lot like 2009 — that united the Republican caucus and the activist base in a way that probably nothing else could have,” Phillips said. “It served them well in 2009. I wonder if that’ll happen this time.”

DR. SEUSS WAS A SELF CONFESSED SOCIALIST
Dr. Seuss Canceled By Virginia School System For ‘Read Across America’ Day

By Bruce Haring
pmc-editorial-manager

February 28, 2021 2:13pm

Warner Bros. Entertainment

In Virginia, they do not like green eggs and ham, or Dr. Seuss.

The good Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel, has been dropped from the annual ‘Read Across America’ event, a national day to encourage reading. Dr. Seuss books have long been a staple of the program.

Dr. Seuss, a major supplier of content for television and film through such characters as The Grinch, the Cat in the Hat, and Horton Hears a Who, was banned because his books allegedly have “strong racial undertones,” according to the school system.

The Loudon County, Virginia schools said they will look toward books they believe are more “inclusive and diverse and reflective of our student community,” a spokesman said.

RELATED STORY
Warner Animation Group Books Deal To Make Dr. Seuss Movies; 'Cat In The Hat' First Up

Wayde B. Byard, a Loudoun schools spokesman, said research uncovered “strong racial undertones in many books written/illustrated by Dr. Seuss,” The Washington Post reported.

“Given this research, and LCPS’ focus on equity and culturally responsive instruction, LCPS has provided guidance to schools in the past couple of years to not connect Read Across America Day with Dr. Seuss’ birthday exclusively,’ Byard said.

Despite the ban from “Read Across America,” Dr. Seuss will still be available in libraries and classrooms in the district.

UNAMED SOURCE
Dr. Seuss’s books have been under fire for some time by woke observers, who believe they are not diverse in their presentations. A 2019 report claimed some of the books “feature animal or non-human characters that transmit Orientalist, anti-Black, and White supremacist messaging through allegories and symbolism.”

Additionally, Geisel had done controversial cartoons with racist overtones before he became a well-known children’s author. He claimed that it was “just the way things were 50 years ago” when confronted about the long-hidden cartoons.

Editor in chief of The Real News: Amazon is the 'great and un-unionized white whale' of the labor movement

Editor in Chief of The Real News and host of Working People podcast Max Alvarez on Wednesday discussed the importance of the unionization efforts among Alabama Amazon fulfillment workers, calling the tech giant "the great and un-unionized white whale."

Union organizing efforts quietly began at an Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., in July. By December, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union that seeks to represent the warehouse had gone public with more than 2,000 workers signing cards in support of a union vote.

On Hill.TV's "Rising," co-host Saagar Enjeti asked Alvarez how significant the unionization efforts in Alabama were.

"Amazon is really kind of like the behemoth of the future. I mean, it's really the behemoth of the present as well, but it's only going to get bigger, and it's going to keep gobbling up, you know, other businesses and incorporating more of the economy into itself," he replied.

Alvarez, who is currently in Alabama to cover to unionization efforts, argued that if Amazon is allowed to continue growing without input from its workers or accountability, it would negatively impact not only its own employees but "society in general."

"Amazon is the great, and un-unionized white whale right of the labor movement," he said.

"There have been some attempts to unionize workers, not only at fulfillment centers like the one here in Bessemer, but in other kind of sectors of Amazon as well," Alvarez added. "And this is the one that you know people are most excited about because it feels like it has the most potential to win."

Ballots for union votes were sent out early in February to the almost 6,000 employees at the Alabama Bessemer fulfillment center. The ballots must be returned by March 29.

Biden offers support to union organizing efforts

BY JUSTINE COLEMAN - 02/28/21

© Getty

President Biden offered his support on Sunday to union organizing efforts as Amazon workers at an Alabama warehouse vote on whether to unionize.

In a video posted on Twitter, the president told workers “in Alabama and all across America” that are considering joining a union that they face a “vitally important choice.”

He did not mention Amazon directly, but his video statement was released after almost 6,000 warehouse workers in Bessemer, Ala., started voting earlier this month on the option to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). If approved, the union would become the first at Amazon’s U.S. operations.

“I made it clear when I was running that my administration’s policy would be to support unions organizing and the right to collectively bargain,” Biden said. “I’m keeping that promise.”

“So let me be really clear: it’s not up to me to decide whether anyone should join a union,” he added. “But let me be even more clear: it’s not up to an employer to decide that either. The choice to join a union is up to the workers – full stop.”

Biden continued by saying that workers should not face intimidation, coercion, threats, anti-union propaganda or questions from supervisors about their decision.

Ballots for the unionization vote were sent to workers at the Bessemer warehouse earlier this month and need to be returned to the National Labor Relations Board’s regional office by March 29, CNBC reported.

The Bessemer facility first opened in March 2020, but its workers soon raised concerns about work quotas, low wages and worries about lack of protection from COVID-19 – issues that were brought up by employees at other Amazon locations.

Employees at the Alabama warehouse began quietly organizing in July before the RWDSU officially filed a petition in November.

Amazon did not immediately return The Hill’s request for comment. But a spokesperson previously told The Hill that the union does not represent "the majority of our employees' views," while highlighting the company’s $15.30 starting wage.

It's time to acknowledge the valuable role of direct support...
Pompeo: Release of Khashoggi report by Biden admin 'reckless'

The online retailer has reportedly campaigned against unionizing through a website and pamphlets encouraging workers to vote against the effort, according to Vice.

RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum praised Biden’s statement saying a union is “the best way for working people to protect themselves and their families.”

“And that is why so many working women and men are fighting for a union at the Amazon facility in Bessemer, Alabama,” Appelbaum said in a statement.

Sorkin uses Abbie Hoffman quote to condemn Capitol violence: Democracy is 'something you do'

BY JUSTINE COLEMAN - 02/28/21 THE HILL

© Getty Images

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin quoted activist Abbie Hoffman during his Golden Globes acceptance speech to condemn the violence at the Capitol last month.

Sorkin, who wrote the screenplay for “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” recited a quote from the activist and member of the Chicago 7 about democracy as he accepted the “Best Screenplay – Motion Picture” award at the 78th annual Golden Globes.

Hoffman was one of the defendants in the trial that inspired the movie after he was charged for crossing state lines with the intent of starting a riot as part of protests in Chicago.

“I don’t always agree with everything the characters that I write do or say,” Sorkin said.

“But here’s something Abbie said, ‘Democracy is not something you believe in or a place to hang your hat. But it's something you do. You participate. If you stop doing it, democracy crumbles,’” Sorkin recited.

"I don't need any more evidence than what happened on Jan. 6 to agree with this," he added before concluding his speech.

Sorkin referenced the riot at the Capitol this year when supporters of former President Trump stormed the building, resulting in five deaths and scores of officer injuries that day. The Capitol raid led the House to impeach Trump for the second time before the Senate later acquitted him.

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” beat out “Promising Young Woman,” “Mank,” “The Father” and “Nomadland” for the best movie screenplay.

Aaron Sorkin Channels Abbie Hoffman

To Condemn U.S. Capitol Riot Upon Best Screenplay Win At Golden Globes

By Alexandra Del Rosario
Associate Editor/Nights & Weekends@_amvd

February 28, 2021

Aaron Sorkin added to his total Golden Globe win count as The Trial of the Chicago 7 director took home his third prize on Sunday. During the annual awards ceremony, hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Sorkin took home the best screenplay prize.

Sorkin’s legal drama centers a group of protesters accused of crossing state lines to cause a riot at the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention, and the subsequent trial in which they are tried as insurgents and instigators. The film stars Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Yahya Abdul-Matteen II and Jeremy Strong

Upon receiving the Golden Globe award from Cynthia Erivo, Sorkin celebrated fellow nominees Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell and Regina King for inspiring his daughter to pursue film.

As his drama about the Civil Right movement-era found relevance to today’s audience, the director channeled Abbie Hoffman (portrayed by Baron Cohen in the Netflix film) to discuss the fatal attacks on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

“I don’t always agree with what the characters I write do or say, but Abbie said, ‘Democracy is not something you believe in or where you hang your hat, but it’s something you do. It’s something you participate. You stop doing it, democracy crumbles,” he recited. “I don’t need anymore evidence beyond what happened on January sixth to agree with this.”

Sorkin bested Zhao, Fennell, Jack Fincher, Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton for the prize. Trial of the Chicago 7 is also up for the evening’s best picture – drama and best director.

The 78th annual Golden Globe Awards, hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, aired Sunday on NBC.

Just In...

Sacha Baron Cohen calls out 'danger of lies, hate and conspiracies' in Golden Globes speech

Chadwick Boseman's wife delivers tearful speech while accepting actor's posthumous Golden Globes award

Jane Fonda says Hollywood 'afraid' to address its own diversity issues

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment

Monday, March 01, 2021

Atrocities In Ethiopia’s Tigray Region

More on the Tigray conflict:

About Me