Blackmail or common sense? German mayors on why they're striking deals with climate activists

Rosie Frost
Wed, 8 March 2023 


Across Germany, cities are striking deals with climate activists to stop roads from being blocked by protests.

In Hannover, Mayor Belit Onay, announced last week that he supports some of environmental protest group Last Generation’s demands. Not long after, the cities of Tübingen and Marburg followed suit.

The group is well known in Germany for its members glueing themselves to roads to highlight the need for tougher action against climate change.

“Last Generation has been, for almost a year now, putting up actions of civil disobedience in Germany, mostly in Berlin,” says Theo Schnarr, a member of the group.

“But in the last months, we also spread it to a lot of other towns and cities in the whole of Germany.”

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What has been agreed to and how has the public reacted?

Many people disagree with Last Generation’s method of protest but Schnarr says it creates a kind of “creative tension”. He adds that since they began this programme of civil disobedience, they have always been open to negotiation.

Last Generation’s demands differ when it comes to local mayors versus Germany’s government which can actually change laws and legislations.

Mayor Belit Onay wrote a letter to senior German lawmakers, which was posted on his Instagram account, saying he supports a call for speed limits on highways and a nationwide €9 public transport ticket.

He didn’t agree that citizen’s assemblies - one of Last Generation’s main demands - should have the power to legislate on climate action. Onay did say, however, that these bodies should be created to advise politicians.

Activists of the "Last Generation" stick themselves on a street during snowfall in Dresden, Germany. - Daniel Schaefer/dpa via AP, File

The Mayor of Hannover received criticism for his choice, with some saying the agreement was essentially blackmail.

“Some people say ‘Okay, did this mayor get blackmailed? Did he do more than he should do as a mayor?’,” says Schnarr.

“Others say, ‘Yeah, well, every mayor can just write a letter now and then the Last Generation will stop blocking their streets.’”

But Schnarr believes it was a “brave” letter to write, one that represents the collective action needed to tackle climate change.

“We are in contact with a lot of mayors already about this now. I think we can reach some kind of social tipping point here.”

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Why are mayors making agreements with climate activists?

The latest mayor to reach an agreement with the climate activists is Marburg’s Dr Thomas Spies from the Social Democrat Party (SPD).

“So in Marburg, there were a number of Last Generation ‘glueing campaigns’, almost daily in the week before last,” he tells Euronews Green.

“We called them, invited them to talk about what they actually want and whether we can find ways so that the citizens of the university town of Marburg and our buses can drive properly again.”

Spies says Last Generation wanted them to ask the Federal Government and the German Bundestag for three things: a citizens' council, speed limits and the return of the nationwide €9 public transport ticket.

Marburg would already like to be able to set its own speed limits - something municipalities in Germany can’t do.

“You can't do that - glue yourself to the road. But if I get upset about it, I won't get an inch further. If I speak to people and find a solution, one that meets the interests of the city in every way, that seems to me a sensible way to go,” says Spies.

So after seeing the letter from Hannover and realising their climate goals were already closely aligned with the protest group, the mayor made an agreement with Last Generation.

“The decision was easy to make,” Spies concludes.

“Do you look for an escalation that brings nothing but a lot of trouble? Or do you first try to talk to each other and see what it's all about?”

France's young people stand up against higher retirement age


Protesters march during a demonstration, Tuesday, March 7, 2023 in Paris. Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators across France took part Tuesday in a new round of protests and strikes against the government's plan to raise the retirement age to 64, in what unions hope will be their biggest show of force against the proposal. 

(AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

JADE LE DELEY
Thu, March 9, 2023

PARIS (AP) — Young people in France — including some who haven’t even entered the job market yet — are protesting Thursday against the government’s push to raise the retirement age.

Students plan to block access to some universities and high schools, and a youth-led protest is planned in Paris on Thursday, as part of nationwide strikes and demonstrations against the pension bill under debate in parliament.

For a generation already worried about inflation, uncertain job prospects and climate change, the retirement bill is stirring up broader questions about the value of work.

“I don’t want to work all my life and be exhausted at the end,” said Djana Farhaig, a 15-year-old who blocked her Paris high school with other students during a protest action last month. “It is important for us to show that the youth is engaged for its future.”

People in their teens and early 20s have taken part in protests against the retirement reform since the movement kicked off in January, but student groups and unions are seeking to call attention to young people's concerns Thursday.

President Emmanuel Macron wants to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 and make other changes he says are needed to keep the public pension system financially stable as the population ages. Opponents argue that wealthy taxpayers or companies should pitch in more to finance the system instead.

Quentin Queller, a 23-year-old student who attended an earlier round of protests, said, “64 is so far away, it is depressing.”

He questioned the idea that hard work equals happiness, arguing that “we should work less and have more free time.” He and others echoed concerns by older protesters that instead of working to live, France is moving toward a system where people would have to live for work.

At one protest, a teenage boy held a placard saying: “I don’t want my parents to die at work.”

Thomas Coutrot, an economist specializing in health and conditions of work, described a widespread sentiment that “work has become unbearable.”

“Young people perceive that the conditions of work are deteriorating and that workers don’t understand anymore why they work,” he said.

The young protesters include many supporters of the far-left France Unbowed party and other left-wing groups, but also others. They see it as a fundamental right to be able to live on a state pension, and perceive the bill as a rollback of hard-won social achievements.

Elisa Lepetit, 18, is already working part-time in a bar alongside her studies to become a teacher, and can’t afford to go on strike. But she supports the protests.

“I want to become a teacher, but I can’t see myself working until 64,” she said. “The goal after a lifetime of hard work is to be able to spend time with my family.”

Some take a more apocalyptic view, saying their time on Earth is already threatened by climate change. "Working until 67 when it will be over 55 degrees (Celsius) makes no sense,'' joked Anissa Saudemont, 29, whose job in the media sector is related to ecology.

While young people are often present at French protest movements, Paolo Stuppia, a sociologist at the Sorbonne and at California State Polytechnic University in Humboldt, said an especially large number are taking part in the campaign against the retirement bill.

They include people who also march for climate action, LGBTQ rights, or against racial and gender-based discrimination, Stuppia said, and who are making a link with a pension bill they also see as unfair.

“For young people, their future seems to be completely closed and this reform is part of a model they want to question,” Stuppia said.

France workers keep up the pressure after mass pensions protests

Alice Hackman with AFP bureaux
Wed, 8 March 2023 


French unions on Wednesday pressed a standoff with the government over a deeply unpopular pensions overhaul, with fuel deliveries, trains and flights disrupted for a second day following mass rallies.

Key sea ports were also blockaded, as dock workers were among those to join rolling strikes seeking to convince President Emmanuel Macron to reverse course on the bill he has championed.

The government says raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 and stiffening the requirements for a full pension are essential to keep the system from sinking into deficit.

France lags behind most of its European neighbours, which have hiked the retirement age to 65 or above.

But the changes have faced stiff resistance in parliament and in the street since mid-January, with the opposition and unions charging the changes are unfair, especially for low-skilled workers and women.

Unions on Tuesday night called for an urgent meeting with the president after strikes hobbled the country and 1.28 million people took to the streets, according to official figures.

But the presidency has not yet directly responded to their request.

Unions have announced a new day of demonstrations for Saturday, and some have vowed to keep up walkouts with rolling indefinite strikes.

- 'Extra pressure' -

Eric Sellini, national coordinator of the CGT union federation at energy giant TotalEnergies, said workers at most fuel shipping sites were again on strike on Wednesday morning.

The FO union at the same company said the action was necessary to "put extra pressure on the government".

Production however did not appear to have stopped at the refineries, and TotalEnergies has said its petrol stations are well stocked.

In the transport sector, national railway operator SNCF said more than half of high-speed trains had been cancelled, with only one train in 10 operating between provinces.

International rail travel remained slightly affected, with three out of four Eurostar trains running.

One in five Air France flights did not take off, with more hassle due at airports nationwide on Thursday and Friday as air traffic controllers keep up their strike.

Disgruntled dock workers were preventing access to several ports including the key hubs of Marseille on the Mediterranean and Le Havre on the Channel, the CGT said.

The port blockages have prevented new deliveries by sea of liquified natural gas, though the hydrocarbon continues to flow into France through pipelines from Norway and Spain.

- Cabinet 'door open' -

Strikers in the energy sector have since Tuesday staged wildcat power cuts, plunging certain sites across the country into darkness.

Government spokesman Olivier Veran said on Wednesday morning that officials remained open to dialogue as the bill makes its way through parliament.

"The government's door is more than open," Veran told RTL radio.

But "we respect the institutions," he said. "The government and prime minister are leading the text through parliament."

The reform is now being debated in the upper-house Senate, with a vote by both houses of parliament expected by the middle of the month or by March 26 at the latest.

The government hopes to be able to push through the bill with backing from the right, without having to resort to a controversial mechanism that would bypass a parliamentary vote but risk sparking more anger among voters.

Some two in three people are against the pensions reform, but around the same number believe it will be implemented, according to a poll by the Elabe survey group published on Monday.

Wednesday's protests were some of the biggest in decades and slightly bigger than a previous round of demonstrations on January 31.

burs-ah/sjw/yad

ISRAEL

Netanyahu airlifted to airport after protesters block road


 

TIA GOLDENBERG
Thu, March 9, 2023

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to be airlifted on Thursday to the country's main international airport for an official overseas trip after throngs of cars and protesters prevented him from driving there.

The demonstrations were part of nationwide protests underway for more than two months against Netanyahu and his government's contentious plan to overhaul the judiciary.

Demonstrators had made blocking Netanyahu's route to the airport a centerpiece of their efforts, and the the optics of the Israeli leader having to make alternate travel plans were a win for the protest movement.

The helicopter ride, far from the snarling traffic triggered by the protest, was also sure to deepen Netanyahu's reputation as being out of touch with Israelis at a time when the country finds itself torn apart over the government plan and the economy is slowing.

Thursday's disruptions also disrupted a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Lloyd Austin, whose schedule was rearranged to keep his engagements close to the airport.

Austin briefly waded into the Israeli domestic turmoil during a news conference, where he repeated President Joe Biden's recent comments that the “genius of American democracy and Israeli democracy is that they are both built on strong institutions, on checks and balances and on an independent judiciary.”

He also noted that Biden had stressed the need for “building consensus for fundamental changes.”

The protesters, launching a “day of resistance to dictatorship,” descended on the country's main international airport waving Israeli flags and blocking the road leading to the departures area with their cars.

Elsewhere, protesters blocked main intersections and scuffled with police in the seaside metropolis of Tel Aviv and other cities. A small flotilla of paddleboards and kayaks tried to close off a main maritime shipping lane off the northern city of Haifa. Some protesters barricaded the Jerusalem offices of a conservative think tank helping to spearhead the judicial changes.

“Israel is on the verge of becoming an autocratic country. The current government is trying to destroy our democracy, and actually destroy the country,” said Savion Or, a protester in Tel Aviv.

The uproar over Netanyahu's legal overhaul has plunged Israel into one of its worst domestic crises. Beyond the protests, which have drawn tens of thousands of Israelis to the streets and recently became violent, opposition has surged from across society, with business leaders and legal officials speaking out against what they say will be the ruinous effects of the plan. The rift has affected Israel's military, which is seeing unprecedented opposition from within its own ranks.

Later Thursday, the military said it suspended a pilot, identified in Israeli media as Col. Gilad Peled, until further notice, saying he had organized a pilots' protest.

“Unionizing to synchronize absence from service, though coming from good intentions, is forbidden,” said Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, Israel’s air force chief.

While some former top commanders have identified with the protesters, a group of 36 retired generals, including two former chiefs of staff, released a new letter saying the army must remain above politics and calling on reservists to show up for duty.

“We demand that discussion or acts of insubordination be avoided,” said the generals.

Netanyahu, who took office in late December after a protracted political stalemate, and his allies say the measures aim to rein in a court that has overstepped its authority. Critics say the overhaul will upset the country's delicate system of checks and balances and slide Israel toward authoritarianism.

Critics also say Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, is driven by personal grievances and that he could find an escape route from the charges through the overhaul. Netanyahu denies wrongdoing, and says the legal changes have nothing to do with his trial.

Despite the demonstrations, Netanyahu and his allies have pledged to press ahead with a series of bills that would strip the Supreme Court of its ability to review legislation and give coalition politicians control over judicial appointments. An attempt by Israel's figurehead president to defuse the crisis through an alternative legal reform has so far been unsuccessful.

The protesters' main objective Thursday was to complicate Netanyahu's journey to the airport ahead of a state visit to Rome. Police, handing out traffic tickets as protesters held signs reading, “dictator: don’t come back!” said they would clear the demonstrators by force if they did not move. There were no immediate reports of serious violence.

Netanyahu, who met Austin before his departure, arrived to the airport in a police helicopter, circumventing the protesters, Israeli media reported. Netanyahu’s office declined to comment.

Regular flights were not interrupted, an airport spokeswoman said, although some travelers said they had to leave their cars behind the protesters' convoy and reach the terminal by foot.

Netanyahu told the Italian daily La Repubblica in an interview before his trip that the protests illustrated a vibrant democracy. But speaking to reporters before takeoff, he suggested the protesters were looking to oust him.

“The goal here is to topple a government that was elected democratically,” Netanyahu said. “We won't let anyone disrupt Israeli democracy.”

The police, overseen by ultranationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, pledged to prevent the disturbances and said they had made some 15 arrests.

Protesters descended onto Tel Aviv's main highway, blocking midday traffic as mounted police and a water cannon truck hovered nearby. Police allowed the protesters to remain on the highway for over an hour but cleared it in some places by force ahead of afternoon rush hour.

Red billboards festooning the highway read, “resistance to dictatorship is mandatory.”

Critics say Ben-Gvir, a key ally in Netanyahu’s coalition government who has dubbed the protesters “anarchists”, is trying to politicize the police.

“We support freedom of expression but not anarchy,” Ben-Gvir told reporters while touring the airport.

Thursday's demonstration in Tel Aviv, the country’s business center and its liberal heartland, was not nearly as large as one last week, when police cracked down on what had otherwise been peaceful protests, lobbing stun grenades and scuffling with demonstrators. Those protests ended with Netanyahu's wife Sara being extracted from a ritzy Tel Aviv hair salon where demonstrators had gathered after catching wind of her presence.

Netanyahu and his wife have gained notoriety for enjoying lavish lifestyles and living off the largesse of taxpayers and wealthy supporters.

Some pundits questioned why Netanyahu was flying to Italy for three days at a time of deep national crisis, suggesting the couple were actually traveling to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Netanyahu's schedule includes a meeting with Italy's prime minister on Friday, but he does not return until Saturday night.

Thursday's visit by Austin, who is on a Mideast tour, was also affected by the protests. His meetings were held at the airport and he did not travel to the Defense Ministry, located in the central Tel Aviv area where protests have been focused.

Mounted police are deployed as Israelis block a highway to protest against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to overhaul the judicial system, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, March 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

___

Associated Press reporters Ami Bentov in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Ilan Ben Zion and Isaac Scharf in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Israel Tensions Soar as Anti-Government Unrest Moves to Army


Ethan Bronner
Thu, March 9, 2023

Tens of thousands are protesting over the Israeli government’s move to cut the power of the Supreme Court, escalating tensions over a plan that’s sparked the biggest unrest in decades and seen army reservists threatening to withhold service.

The chief of the army expressed alarm over the warning from soldiers, while US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet his counterpart Yoav Gallant in a shortened visit near the airport rather than in central Tel Aviv to avoid the unrest, the Israeli defense ministry said.

There may be demonstrations in 20 cities across the country Thursday, according to plans released by organizers. Last week, confrontations between police and protesters turned violent in several areas. Water cannons were visible at several major junctions.

The upheaval has been building since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new right-wing coalition proposed handing the final say on the appointment of new judges to lawmakers and giving parliament the power to overrule high-court decisions. Opponents — mainly secular professionals as opposed to more traditional, religious Jews — see it as a threat to the Middle East’s most developed economy and democracy.

The shekel strengthened slightly by 11.44 a.m. in Tel Aviv, though has weakened 2.5% this year in part due to the unrest. There are reports investors are starting to move money out of the country, while Moody’s Investors Service joined other major credit assessors in warning of risks to Israel’s debt rating.

Netanyahu met Wednesday with President Isaac Herzog, who is seeking a compromise over the judicial overhaul. Demonstrators are taking to the streets twice a week.

“Certain cracks can form that will be irreparable in the future,” Herzi Halevi, head of the Israel Defense Forces, said after a meeting with reservist commanders. “Refusal is a red line, it should not be in the military protocol. It is unacceptable to discuss refusal, it is unacceptable to act on refusal.”

West Bank

The surge of domestic unrest has been accompanied by increased tensions in the West Bank. On Thursday, Israeli commandos operating near the city of Jenin sought to arrest what the army said was a cell of terrorists. The Palestinian health ministry said three were killed.

Some 78 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the start of the year, the most for that period since 2000, according to the Palestinian health ministry. At the same time, 14 Israelis were killed in the West Bank, also the most in some two decades, according to the Israeli foreign ministry.

--With assistance from Gwen Ackerman.

Israel judicial reforms: Ex-Mossad chief Yatom warns of 'dictatorship'

Issued on: 08/03/2023 - 

13:08

THE INTERVIEW © FRANCE 24
By: Marc Perelman

In an interview with FRANCE 24 from Tel Aviv, former Mossad chief Danny Yatom expressed deep concern at the prospect of Israel becoming a "dictatorship". For weeks, Israel has been rocked by a wave of protests against a bill that would curtail the independence of the country's highest court. Yatom claimed the bill was an attempt by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "run away from the trial he is facing" on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Yatom also criticised Netanyahu's coalition partners for backing the legislation.

At least 70 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and 13 Israelis have died in attacks since the start of 2023. Asked if a third Intifada is under way, former Mossad chief Yatom said: "I don't think that anyone can answer precisely," but insisted Israel will continue to fight terrorism "without any limitation" and make sure its "people will be safe wherever they go, including the West Bank".

However, the Israeli government "should speak about what it intends to do in order to make the lives of the Palestinians easier", he added.

Yatom also regretted the events that took place in Huwara on February 26. In this West Bank town, Israeli settlers set homes and cars on fire, resulting in one Palestinian being shot dead and many injured. The rampage came in response to the murder of two Israeli brothers by a Palestinian.

"The government cannot allow the Israelis to take the law into their own hands (...) Such an event should not happen again because it encourages the extremists of both sides," he concluded.

SPIRIT ANIMAL
White tiger cub found dumped on Greek street: animal park

Wed, 8 March 2023 


Greece's leading animal park on Wednesday said it had recovered a rare white tiger cub found abandoned on a nearby street earlier this week.

Attica Zoological Park outside Athens said the four-month-old female cub, which was found beneath a garbage bin near the premises, was paralysed from the waist down.

"No one knows where it came from or how it got here," park founder Jean Jacques Lesueur told Proto Thema daily, adding that the feline was likely abandoned on Monday.

"It's in terrible condition," he said.

Conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) describes white tigers as "a genetic anomaly," with none known to exist in the wild.

They are often the result of inbreeding, exposing them to a host of health problems at birth.

The park says it hosts more than 2,000 animals from 290 different species.

It was criticised last year after an alpha male chimpanzee escaped its enclosure during operating hours, and was later shot dead for public safety reasons.

jph/yad

WAR IS RAPE

Voices: The universal – and horrible – truth: War disproportionately affects women and girls

Bel Trew
Wed, 8 March 2023 

Ukraine’s border crossings are still lined with posters warning female refugees of the dangers they could face (AP)

War disproportionately affects women and girls. It is a universal, horrible truth.

Even when the guns go silent the devastating impact of conflict will always continue to unfairly rage through the lives of women and girls more so than men.

This is such a recognised fact that in 2000 the United Nations Security Council adopted a landmark resolution acknowledging this and warning of the inevitability of gender-based violence like rape. The resolution also pointed out that while war is almost exclusively started by men, women are rarely at the negotiating table.

The sad truth is that after a year of President Putin’s bloody invasion, Ukraine is no exception to this grim global truth. And this is not just being felt by Ukrainian women and girls but also by women and girls throughout the world because of the devastating impact Moscow’s war has had on the global economy and supply chains.

In Ukraine, the UN has repeatedly warned that the war and the subsequent mass displacement it caused has significantly increased the risk of domestic violence, trafficking and exploitation.

Almost immediately after we saw Europe’s largest refugee crisis in generations unfurl, sex rings began picking off vulnerable women as they escaped to what they thought was safety.

Ukraine’s border crossings are still lined with posters warning female refugees of the dangers they could face.

The economic impact of the war is also devastating. Ninety per cent of the 7.9 million people who are internally displaced within Ukraine are women. That means they are losing their income in disproportionately high numbers and so living in destitute conditions.

All through that they are also at risk of rape at the hands of Russian soldiers and their proxies. The European Union has even sanctioned particular Russian commanders over “systematic sexual violence”.

The Ukrainians have said Russia has used the rape of its women as a “weapon of war”. The testimonies I have gathered over the last year have been chilling.

In October I spoke to Olga, a 50-year-old call centre operator at the fire department in Balakiya, a small town in northeast Ukraine that had been under Russian occupation for months.

She was arrested alongside several other women for being pro-Ukrainian. Held in a police station the Russians had commandeered, she spent her nights hearing the screams of women being gang-raped by Chechen soldiers in the interrogation room one floor above her tiny cell.

“I could hear them shouting ‘come on, you have a go next’,” she told me quietly. “They threatened all of us with rape during the day but the torture and violence always took place at night.”

This echoed other stories in other areas that were also occupied for several weeks.

Last summer, one Ukrainian woman called Maria I met in Trostyanets, about 200km northwest of Balakiya, told me the soldiers abducted her husband, who is still missing today, and then tried to rape her. The only reason they gave up was because of a disability she had, she explained.

The devastation of the war has rippled well past the borders of Ukraine. A September UN policy paper found that this war had induced such high global price hikes and supply shortages that it has widened the gender gap for food security throughout the planet.

That means women in vulnerable areas like the Middle East (that relies on grain and food exports from Ukraine) have had to reduce their food intake more so than men.

This has subsequently seen “alarming increases” in women being forced to exchange sex for food and survival. It has seen a surge in early marriage and forced marriages.

And so, even if the war stops tomorrow – the aftershocks of this will continue to ripple.

That’s not to say that in Ukraine women are passive victims. According to Ukraine’s deputy minister of defence Hanna Maliar, there are 50,000 servicewomen in the armed forces, and 5,000 of them are on the front lines.

She believes that Ukraine today has one of the higher percentages of women in its army, compared to Nato member states.

It seems obvious to me that this would be the case, but people are often surprised to learn that I have met several female soldiers, frontline medics and activists who have been disappeared and tortured by Russians, and women leading some of the most dangerous evacuation missions to rescue civilians from the worst of the fighting.

It makes sense – women are fighting for their survival. It is not an exaggeration to say the war in Ukraine is a war on women and girls globally.

And the damage has been done. Even if Russia withdraws today, even if its missile launchers are silenced, the impact of this devastation will continue to be felt for a generation of women to come.

PATRIARCHY RULES
Two in five Britons think championing women’s equality discriminates against men

Maya Oppenheim

THE INDEPENDENT
Wed, 8 March 2023 

Mandu Reid, leader of Women’s Equality Party, says people like Andrew Tate become a magnet for people who are unsettled by the progress women

 (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Two in five Britons think efforts to champion women’s equality are so robust that men are being discriminated against, a major new study has suggested.

The research, carried out by King’s College London and Ipsos, found that 53 per cent of men back that view while a third of women take the viewpoint.

The study, shared exclusively with The Independent to mark International Women’s Day, discovered 38 per cent of respondents think there has been enough progress in giving women equal rights to their male counterparts. This marks a substantial jump of 13 percentage points since 2018 - with a quarter of people holding this view then.

Researchers who polled over 22,000 adults in 32 countries, also found that 38 per cent think men are being asked to do too much to champion equality, a substantial rise from the 29 per cent who held this view in 2019.

Julia Gillard, chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London, said: “Despite the progress, we’ve made in recent decades, high-profile examples of misogyny are still rife, particularly online, and there are worrying signs from this research that such views are not only gaining ground among the public, but also deterring people from advocating for women’s rights.”

The study discovered the proportion of Britons who say they are frightened to champion the equal rights of women in case they face reprisals has doubled since 2017 - up from 14 per cent to 29 per cent.

Similar trends were identified around the world - with a global average of 37 per cent saying they are scared to speak out.

Ms Gillard, who was Australia’s prime minister between 2010 and 2013, noted the researchers discovered that younger generations in the UK were the most likely to believe a man who “stays home” to do childcare is “less of a man”. This is a “disturbing reminder there is still much more to do, and that future progress is not guaranteed”, she warned.

She added: “We can’t be sure if these trends are the direct result of certain individuals gaining greater attention for their extreme and misogynistic views, but with reports of teachers and parents fearing that young people – and particularly young boys – are buying into a sexist ideology because of what they hear and read online, it’s a question that urgently requires more research.”

“And it’s something that tallies with our findings, with the youngest surveyed sometimes the most likely to hold sexist views. Also worthy of more investigation is whether we’re seeing a broader backlash to gender equality post-#MeToo, which could be contributing to these shifts in attitudes.”

Ms Gillard, Australia’s only female PM, warned there were indications this is occurring given the extent of “vitriol” directed at women in the spotlight such as Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon and former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, who both cited abuse and intimidation as factors behind their resignations.

It’s up to all of us to protect the rights we have won and to keep the fire of progress burning.
Mandu Reid

“It’s this feature of our life online that risks jeopardising progress on gender equality, and one we must guard against,” she said.

Mandu Reid, leader of the Women's Equality Party, said the research findings were “alarming” and demonstrated the battle to achieve gender equality is “far from over”.

She added: “The rise of the far right has made misogynistic views more mainstream. You see the likes of Andrew Tate. They become a magnet for people who are unsettled by the progress women and marginalised groups have made.

“Our opposition have spokespeople like Jair Bolsonaro who are charismatic who can inspire those who feel afraid and undermined. These statistics show they are having an impact on people.”

Mr Tate is a former kickboxing world champion-turned-influencer now famed for his misogynistic views. The Independent previously reported on research by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) which unearthed 47 videos of Mr Tate pushing what it describes as “extreme misogyny”.

While Mr Bolsonaro is Brazil’s former far-right, populist president who publicly abused a female lawmaker, shoving her and telling her she was “too ugly to deserve rape”.

However, Ms Reid said that the “movement for equality is powerful” and was paving the way for change “slowly but surely”.

“This resistance proves it. It’s up to all of us to protect the rights we have won and to keep the fire of progress burning,” she added.

Women’s rights have gone ‘too far’, say majority of Gen Z and millennials, study shows

Blathnaid Corless

THE TELEGRAPH
Wed, March 8, 2023 

43 per cent of people in Britain believe men are now discriminated against because of the promotion of women’s rights - PA

Women’s rights have gone too far, the majority of Generation Z and millennials believe, according to a new research.

Some 52 per cent of Gen Z and 53 per cent of millennials say society has gone so far in promoting women’s rights that it is discriminating against men, a survey by Ipsos UK and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London found.

In contrast, four in 10 baby boomers (40 per cent) and Gen X (46 per cent) said the same.

More than half of all men (55 per cent) held this opinion, compared to 41 per cent of women.

Meanwhile, 43 per cent of people in Britain believe men are now discriminated against because of the promotion of women’s rights.

The survey conducted for International Women’s Day also found that people in Britain are increasingly afraid of promoting women’s rights for fear of reprisals.

The share of the British public who say they are scared to speak out and advocate for the equal rights of women has doubled since 2017, rising from 14 per cent to 29 per cent. The majority (71 per cent), however, continue to say this does not apply to them.

Younger generations tend to be be most fearful, with Gen Z (38 per cent) around twice as likely as baby boomers (19 per cent) to feel this way.

Almost two in five people (38 per cent) in Britain believe men are expected to do too much to support equality, an increase on 29 per cent who felt this way in 2019.

On a more positive note, the research found that almost half of Britons (47 per cent) now think equality between men and women will be achieved within their lifetime, compared with 40 per cent in 2018.

Kelly Beaver MBE, the chief executive of Ipsos, UK and Ireland, said: “Our ongoing research into gender equality shows that we have made significant progress with nearly half of people now agreeing equality will be achieved within their lifetime.

“However, there are signs that the public are starting to push back on this progress to date, which is potentially worrying, but it may also be a sign that real change is happening in society and change can often make people uncomfortable and resistant.

“Over the coming years we will continue to measure this shift and I hope that we will see this discomfort shift to acceptance, acceptance that achieving gender equality is an essential evolution for British society.”

AUSTRALIA

David Pocock under pressure to block Labor’s safeguard mechanism bill after fossil fuel poll

Paul Karp
Wed, 8 March 2023 

Photograph: Martin Ollman/Getty Images

A majority of Canberrans support a ban on new coal and gas projects in federal law, adding pressure to independent senator David Pocock to withhold support from Labor’s safeguard mechanism bill.

The uComms poll of 1,112 residents of the Australian Capital Territory, commissioned by the Australia Institute, found 63% oppose new coal and gas, and 82% oppose the unlimited use of carbon credits to offset pollution.

The release of the poll comes as the Albanese government prepares to stare down a 4pm Thursday deadline to respond to a Senate order for forecasts of how big industrial emitters would use carbon credits to meet obligations created by the proposed safeguard mechanism.

The shadow climate and energy minister, Ted O’Brien, said the Coalition would “do everything in its power to shine a light on Labor’s secret modelling that it refuses to share with the Australian public” after it teamed up with the Greens to force disclosure on Tuesday.

The climate change minister, Chris Bowen, objected on the basis that releasing the modelling would reveal “delib­erations of cabinet” and would be against the public interest “due to market sensitivities relating to the government’s role as a purchaser of [carbon credits]”.

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Despite the Senate rejecting the government’s public interest immunity claim, Labor is expected to refuse to comply, risking the Greens and Coalition refusing to allow the bill to be debated.

O’Brien told Guardian Australia that Labor “has refused to tell Australians how its reforms to the safeguard mechanism will impact families, businesses and jobs”.

“[Labor is] already suffering a trust deficit and this secret modelling doesn’t help,” he said. “Labor likes to talk a big game on transparency and so it’s time they stump up and deliver.”

The Greens senator, Sarah Hanson-Young, said the modelling was an “important piece of the puzzle” for the Greens to determine their position.

“If the government doesn’t want to show that their scheme will reduce pollution … I don’t know how they expect the Australian people to believe them,” she told Radio National.

Related: Labor’s reform of safeguard mechanism will fail unless changed, say Greens

The Albanese government and the Greens remain deadlocked on the legislation to require big emitters to reduce emissions intensity by 4.9% a year, with the Greens calling for a ban on new coal and gas projects, while Labor insists it has a mandate to reject a condition it says would reduce supply of gas as a transition fuel.

Asked about the future of fossil fuels, the automated telephone poll found that 40% of ACT residents wanted to “stop new gas and coal projects and start to phase down production from existing fossil fuel projects” and a further 23% wanted to stop new projects but allow existing ones to operate “as is”.

More than a quarter (28.3%) opted to “allow new gas and coal projects to go ahead” and 8.4% were unsure.

Asked if “new climate laws should include a ban on new gas, coal and oil projects” 37.6% strongly agreed, 23% agreed, 15.4% disagreed and 15.8% strongly disagreed.

More than half (56%) of respondents said polluting projects should have to directly reduce their emissions, not use carbon offsets, with a further 26.3% saying they should be allowed to use carbon offsets for some of their emissions, but not all.

Canberra voters were in no rush to see the safeguards mechanism legislated, with 60.7% saying “it would be better to improve the legislation, even if it takes longer” –about double the 29.9% who said “it would be better to pass the legislation as it is now, so it comes into operation sooner”.

The executive director of the Australia Institute, Richard Denniss, said “Canberrans are overwhelmingly in favour of a ban on new fossil fuel projects” and wanted the legislation to be “right, not rushed”.

Given the Coalition opposes the bill, the government needs the support of the Greens, their former senator turned independent Lidia Thorpe and either David Pocock or the Jacqui Lambie Network.

Related: Safeguard mechanism: what is it, will it cut emissions and what role do carbon offsets play?

In a dissenting report in the Senate inquiry into the safeguards bill, the Greens warned that the safeguard mechanism would fail unless the Albanese government agreed to changes, despite having described the fossil fuel ban as an “offer, not an ultimatum”.

On Monday Pocock told reporters in Canberra he has “huge reservations” about the bill in its current form, citing modelling from RepuTex that new fossil fuel projects “could blow the budget”.

Pocock said it “wasn’t fair or right” that industrial users such as aluminium and steel were “lumped in with potential new fossil fuel projects”.

But Pocock said that discussions with the government “have been good” and it appears prepared to “refine [the] legislation”.

On Tuesday, Bowen urged parliament not to “squander” the opportunity to achieve 205m tonnes of emissions reduction.

Bowen told ABC’s 7.30 the government is “not contemplating” a pause on new fossil fuel projects until it legislates a climate trigger in environmental approval legislation.

Similarly, Labor “will not contemplate any sort of blanket moratoriums on any particular proposals” such as all new coalmines, he said.

“If there are new facilities and this doesn’t pass, there’ll be no constraint on emissions.”

Smoke from Australian bushfires depleted ozone layer by up to 5% in 2020, study finds

Donna Lu
Wed, 8 March 2023 

Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images

Particles in bushfire smoke can activate molecules that destroy the ozone layer, according to new research that suggests future ozone recovery may be delayed by increasingly intense and frequent fires.

A study published in the journal Nature has found that smoke from the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires temporarily depleted the ozone layer by 3% to 5% in 2020.

Smoke from the 2019–2020 bushfires, which circulated around the globe, was ejected into the stratosphere, the second layer in Earth’s atmosphere, by a pyrocumulonimbus cloud.

Related: Smoke from Black Summer bushfires depleted ozone layer, study finds

In the ozone layer – part of the stratosphere – molecules of ozone gas absorb high-energy ultraviolet rays from the sun. This lessens the amount of radiation that reaches the Earth’s surface.

Lead researcher Prof Susan Solomon, an atmospheric scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US, said the ozone destruction by smoke particles was similar to the process of the Antarctic ozone hole forming each spring, “but at much warmer temperatures”.

Smoke aerosols, the researchers found, can activate chlorine to form compounds that then destroy ozone molecules.

Solomon said that chlorine in the stratosphere had been decreasing since the 1987 Montreal Protocol phased out the use of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons. “There’s a tremendous science policy success story there,” she said. “The slow recovery of the ozone layer is on the order of 1% per decade in the mid-latitudes.”

But she warned that more frequent fires could delay ozone recovery. “All of a sudden, in one year [2020], we had a 3% to 5% loss. It’ll recover if that’s the only year that it happens, but not if it keeps happening.

“The question in my mind is: is the man-made chlorine going to get … diluted and destroyed out of the atmosphere faster than global climate change is going to increase the frequency and intensity of this kind of fire? I think it’s going to be a race.”

Dr Martin Jucker, a lecturer at the University of New South Wales who was not involved in the research, agreed that the ozone hole might recover more slowly than expected as the result of more bushfires in future.

Related: Australia faces unprecedented grassfires next summer ‘supercharged’ by global heating

“Of particular interest for Australia is the extension of the ozone hole further equatorward, which means that the ozone layer can become thinner much closer to where millions of Australians live,” he said.

Dr Laura Revell, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, said: “Early signs of Antarctic ozone recovery have been visible since approximately the mid-2010s. In the absence of any major changes, we expect that stratospheric chlorine concentrations will gradually decrease this century and that the ozone hole will get smaller year by year.

“Of concern is that while the ozone hole usually forms over Antarctica because of the cold temperatures there, wildfire aerosols appear to be capable of promoting ozone losses at the relatively warmer temperatures present at mid-latitudes which are heavily populated.”

Solomon and her colleagues identified that the ozone-destruction process is triggered by hydrochloric acid in the stratosphere dissolving in the smoke aerosols.

Hydrochloric acid dissolved about a thousand times more readily in the smoke aerosols than in the “the normal sulphuric acid and water stratospheric particles”, Solomon said.

“From a scientific point of view, it’s very exciting to see this brand new effect,” she said. “From a planetary point of view … it would be just tragic to have mankind screw up solving the ozone hole by deciding that we’re going to [allow] a lot more of these fires if we don’t mitigate climate change.”

Solomon added it was important to determine whether the smoke from fires in Australia – where native forests are dominated by eucalypts – differed in composition from fires in other areas. “I don’t really see a chemical reason why that would be so, but it needs to be looked at.

Feds looking into Norfolk Southern's handling of additional reported hazmat concern weeks after East Palestine


LUCIEN BRUGGEMAN
Thu, March 9, 2023

Federal regulators are looking into a previously unreported incident involving Norfolk Southern potentially mishandling a conductor's concern on a train carrying hazardous material just weeks after a similar defect precipitated the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

According to a complaint obtained by ABC News, on the morning of Feb. 27, a Norfolk Southern train was lurching through Stoneville, North Carolina, when a safety official manning a hot-box detector desk in Atlanta radioed the crew to alert them that car number 32 was "trending hot," but not hot enough to trigger an alarm, and that the nearly two-mile train should proceed.

The conductor of the train checked his manifest and made a startling discovery: Car 32 was carrying ethanol, and five cars away, another was carrying propane. Both were labeled as "dangerous" on the train's manifest, according to the complaint, which was filed with the Federal Railroad Administration.

MORE: NTSB to open special investigation into Norfolk Southern following recent derailments

The complaint alleges that the conductor, now concerned that the "trending hot" warning could lead to an overheated wheel, radioed the desk back and suggested that they stop the train and inspect it. But the dispatcher overruled the crew and urged them onward.

Meanwhile, a maintenance worker in the train's vicinity allegedly overheard the radio chatter and offered to observe the train as it passed by. The complaint states that when the worker reported that he hadn't witnessed any smoke, the crew was told to keep going some 40 miles south to Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Crew members were "shocked," according to the complaint. To continue into a heavily populated area after being notified that a car carrying hazardous materials was "trending hot" could potentially pose a profound threat not only to the crew, but to adjacent communities, crew members feared.

Ultimately, the train was able to complete its trip without further incident. But the Federal Railroad Administration is now looking into the previously unreported Feb. 27 incident as part of a broader "safety assessment" of Norfolk Southern, a spokesperson confirmed. The agency said in a press release this week that its assessment would scrutinize "operational control center procedures and dispatcher training," among other things.

A spokesperson for Norfolk Southern did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the record.

PHOTO: Workers continue to clean up remaining tank cars, Feb. 21, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio, following the Feb. 3, Norfolk Southern freight train derailment. (Matt Freed/AP, FILE)

The reported incident on Feb. 27 raises fresh safety and accountability concerns regarding Norfolk Southern and the rail industry at large, three weeks after a wheel bearing overheated on a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials through East Palestine, derailing the train and causing an environmental crisis for nearby residents.

Over the past two decades, major rail carriers and trade groups have spent more than $650 million lobbying in Washington, often advocating against stricter government oversight of its safety procedures, according to the federal watchdog OpenSecrets.

In the wake of the East Palestine derailment, a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and J.D. Vance, a Republican, introduced legislation that would tighten government-backed safety requirements for trains carrying hazardous materials.

But some Senate Republicans have balked at the bill, leaving its fate in question. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., has said that "an immediate quick response heavy on regulation needs to be thoughtful and targeted."

Norfolk Southern, for its part, has already taken steps to self-regulate. Earlier this week, CEO Alan Shaw laid out a six-point plan to "immediately enhance the safety of its operations," the company said. The initiative will improve its defect detector network, pilot next-generation hot bearing detectors, and generally support a more stringent safety culture, according to officials.

MORE: NTSB on East Palestine toxic train derailment: '100% preventable'

On Wednesday, the Association of American Railroads, a trade group representing major freight railroad companies, announced its own list of new measures, including a commitment "to stopping trains and inspecting bearings whenever the temperature reading from a [hot bearing detector] exceeds 170° above ambient temperature" -- a lower threshold than previously required.

But federal regulators aren't waiting around. In addition to the Federal Railroad Administration safety assessment, the National Transportation and Security Board has taken the extraordinary step of opening a special investigation into Norfolk Southern.

The agency said Tuesday it would scrutinize the company's "organization and safety culture" after a series of incidents, including the derailment in East Palestine and another derailment in Springfield, Ohio, earlier this month. A press release did not list the reported Feb. 27 incident in North Carolina.

"The NTSB will conduct an in-depth investigation into the safety practices and culture of the company," the agency said in a statement. "At the same time, the company should not wait to improve safety and the NTSB urges it to do so immediately."

Rail unions are also pressing for more government oversight. After the death of a Norfolk Southern conductor earlier this week near Cleveland, Eddie Hall, president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, called for "significant improvements in rail safety for both workers and the public."

MORE: East Palestine derailment: Timeline of key events in toxic train disaster

"All railroad accidents are avoidable," Hall said.

Shaw, the Norfolk Southern CEO, said in a statement Tuesday that Norfolk Southern would "cooperate fully" with the NTSB and continue to find new solutions to improve the company's safety practices.

"We are going to invest more in safety," Shaw said. "This is not who we are, it is not acceptable, and it will not continue."

Shaw is scheduled to testify Thursday on Capitol Hill before the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Prominent US civil rights lawyer Jasmine Rand on being an ally and fighting against racism


Nadine White
Wed, 8 March 2023 

Jasmine Rand (Supplied)

Renowned US lawyer Jasmine Rand has spent much of her career fighting to get justice for the families of Black people who have died as a result of state violence.

As a female lawyer trying to break through in a male-dominated world, Ms Rand, who runs her own law firm in Miami, Florida, has faced myriad obstacles.

But she’s also experienced inequality from the other, more privileged side. As a white woman working on civil rights cases, Ms Rand acknowledges that she will never fully understand the racial injustice that she works so hard to fight.

“Early on in my career, I acknowledged the limitations I have based on my race because I will never understand what it is to be Black and I will never understand what it’s like to be discriminated against (in that way),” Ms Rand, who’s from Vermont in Washington, told The Independent.

“It’s a unique position to be in, where I’m working in this area as a lawyer and an academic but can never fully understand because I’m not a racial minority.”

She adds: “My goal is to serve my brothers and sisters. I think when you’re serving with really a pure heart, people see that.”

She is arguably best known for her work with the families of Trayvon Martin - a Black teenager who was shot dead by a neighbourhood watch coordinator in Florida in 2012 while walking home from a trip to a convenience store - and George Floyd - whose death at the hands of a white police officer in 2020 sparked global protests - but has won multimillion-dollar cases in catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death cases and state violence cases.

After receiving her law doctorate, Ms Rand began working with Benjamin Crump, a leading civil rights attorney, in 2012, who she regards as a mentor to this day. He walked her down the aisle at her wedding, three years ago.

She is currently part of the team representing the relatives of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black father who died after being beaten by Memphis Police officers during a traffic stop, along with Mr Crump and Antonio Romanucci – Mr Nichols’ family attorneys.

Last month, The Independent revealed that an urgent United Nations appeal, co-authored by Ms Rand, has been filed by Mr Nichols’ family members and their legal team.

Ben Crump and Jasmine Rand (Supplied)

Activism

Ms Rand, 41, says that a “love” for others drives her career path, with the aim of helping others through a legal career, having been an aspiration of hers since the age of 10.

She studied African American studies at undergraduate level prior to her doctorate, and made it her business to study how the mechanisms of power oppress marginalised communities.

However, Ms Rand’s path has not been without risk. She is used to dealing with regular threats, made to both her and her loved ones.

”There have been occasions when I feel real fear because of what I do,” she says. “I receive threats on a regular basis; I once came off an interview on Fox News and a stranger called me, making threats, having just found out my home address.”

Mr Crump faces even more devastating intimidation tactics and threats to his life as a Black, male attorney, Ms Rand added.

“Ben gets many more threats than I do - and more credible ones. I can’t even comment on the nature and type he gets, because that’s how real and serious they are.”

With that said, it is an understanding and appreciation of purpose that propels lawyers like Ms Rand to continue carrying out their vital advocacy work.

“You have to have courage to do this job,” Ms Rand explained. “ We acknowledge the fear and make a conscious choice to work beyond it. Our work is not a choice but a calling."

(© 2020 Stuart Villanueva/The Galveston County Daily News)

Reflecting on International Women’s Day, the lawyer revealed that this year’s annual observation holds immense personal significance as she embarks on a new and exciting journey: motherhood.

“Women have always been leaders, we have just not always been recognised,” she said. “International Women’s Day is an active effort to level the playing field of a history that has overlooked the contributions of powerful women throughout the world like Nur Jahan, Queen Nzinga, Benazir Bhutto - those should be household names.

“This year is a special International Women’s Day for me because I am becoming a first-time mother. Motherhood is my power; it has always been my source. A woman expressing her desire to be a professional, leader, activist, and mother has become nearly taboo. Some view motherhood as a weakness.

“My future children have fueled my drive to leave the world a better place. I know my son will inspire me to accept heightened roles in leadership and service.”

The theme for Women’s Day, ‘embracing equity’, is an important call to action that resonates with many around the globe, as they navigate their respective paths and carve out legacies, often against the odds.

“I want my legacy to help redefine the future of justice and to continue developing international human rights law,” Ms Rand said.

“My legacy is not in the accomplishments I leave the world, it is in my decision to continue standing up for what is right no matter how many times we get knocked back down.

“That’s the lesson I want my son to learn: to always stand back up.”
International appeals

From cases in Jamaica – a country that she describes as her “first love” – to Morroco, the lawyer has been called to work on social justice issues outside of the US.

Along with a team of international lawyers, Ms Rand lobbied the United Nations to take action on racism at borders in Ukraine, a travesty which was first reported on by The Independent.

The struggle for equality is undoubtedly an international one that knows no border.

“As the world evolves, we are becoming more and more interconnected and it feels increasingly globalised,” Ms Rand said.

A UN group recently denounced the UK as an institutionally racist country where Black people are living in fear for their lives (AFP via Getty Images)

“With the advent of social media, citizens of various countries can share the plight in real time of what’s happening in their nation.”

Recently, a UN group denounced the UK as an institutionally racist country where Black people are living in fear for their lives.

Prior to this, Ms Rand appeared as a special guest at the Law Centres Network’s annual conference in the UK in November, where she addressed the importance of tackling systemic racism around the world.

As ever, the eyes of US civil rights champions are on the UK and its track record on race equality. Earlier this year, the eminent Reverend Al Sharpton visited London and offered British activists guidance on the future of UK activism.

“We, in the US, are starting to get calls by advocates to assist in the social justice movement of issues pertaining to racial justice happening in the UK,” Ms Rand added.

“We make every effort to support not just what’s happening in terms of racial justice in the US, but in the UK and other parts of the world as well.”