100 Years After Mussolini's Dictatorship, a Trumpian US Flirts With the Long Night of Authoritarianism

The comparisons between Mussolini's declaration of dictatorship in 1924 and Trump’s re-election are striking.

Benito Mussolini speaking to a Fascist assembly in Rome, Italy, January 29, 1924, from L'Illustrazione Italiana, Year LI, No 5, February 3, 1924.
(Photo: Getty Images)

Brian J. Griffith
Nov 30, 2024

Common Dreams

In June 1924, Benito Mussolini—the Prime Minister of a tottering Liberal Italy—ordered the assassination of a left-wing Member of Parliament, Giacomo Matteotti. When Matteotti’s body was discovered two months later in a wooded area north of Rome, political rumors and controversies exploded into a full-fledged political crisis for the National Fascist Party. Facing the potential collapse of his coalition government, and with it the loss of his prime ministry, Mussolini resolved to confront his party’s political crisis headlong.

On January 3, 1925, Mussolini delivered a contentious speech in the Chamber of Deputies, intending to bring about a resolution, one way or another, to the so-called “Matteotti Crisis.”

“Gentlemen! The speech that I am about to deliver to you should not, strictly speaking, be considered a parliamentary address,” he arrogantly explained, since a “speech of this type could lead to a vote on policy.” “Let it be known,” the Prime Minister continued, “that I do not seek such a vote” as “I have had too many of those.”

Having established his decidedly anti-democratic intentions, Mussolini explained to his colleagues that Article 47 of the Italian Constitution allowed for the members of the Chamber to “impeach the King’s Ministers” and “bring them before the High Court of Justice” for any high crimes and/or misdemeanors committed. “I formally ask you,” the Duce-in-waiting boldly proclaimed, “is there, in this Chamber or outside of it, someone who would like to apply Article 47 [to me]?”

Mussolini’s cynical invitation, of course, was imbued with the not-so-subtle suggestion of reprisals for anyone who dared speak out against the National Fascist Party, its political violence during the previous six or so years, and no less important, its authoritarian Leader.

Unsurprisingly, nobody stood up to apply Article 47 to Mussolini. And in the absence of any political or judicial consequences for his involvement in the political violence leading up to and including Matteotti’s assassination, Mussolini demonstrated himself to be above law and order in Italy. In short, Mussolini was no longer a Prime Minister—he was a dictator.

During the subsequent two years, a now unleashed National Fascist Party utilized its position to pass a series of laws – known as the “Extremely Fascist Laws”—which brought about an end to multi-party democracy and civil liberties in Italy and, in their place, the legal foundations for a single-party Fascist State.

One century later, Mussolini’s declaration of dictatorship, which inaugurated twenty or so years of democratic backsliding and authoritarianism in Europe, continues to haunt the halls of power in liberal democracies throughout the Western world.

The recent re-election of Donald J. Trump as President of the United States of America serves as a chilling reminder of the appeal of anti-democratic strongmen in times of social, political, and economic flux. Similar to Mussolini one hundred years ago, Trump has demonstrated a contempt for the Constitution and the universal application of law and order.

In a December 2023 exchange with Fox News personality Sean Hannity, for instance, Trump pompously proclaimed his intentions to serve as a dictator on “day one” of his presidency. Many of his followers, too, have glibly embraced this unconstitutional and anti-democratic political rhetoric, going so far as to produce celebratory campaign t-shirts bearing the slogan: “Dictator on Day One.”

In July 2024, moreover, Trump informed the attendees of the Turning Point Believers' Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida that, were evangelical conservatives to help him win the general election in November, “you won’t have to vote any more.”

Perhaps equally as concerning, Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement has resonated with American neo-fascist groups, including Patriot Front, which frequently holds public marches and rallies bearing MAGA-adjacent slogans, and neo-Nazi groups, one of which recently marched through Columbus, Ohio wearing blackshirts and flying swastika flags, ostensibly in celebration of Trump’s re-election.

Stemming from his roles in the January 2021 MAGA-led insurrection at the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. and the subsequent standoff with the FBI over his illegal possession of classified documents, Trump was, leading up to November 5th, facing 91 felony charges, which, if convicted, would have almost certainly resulted in substantial legal consequences for the twice-impeached POTUS. With his re-election, however, these charges will almost certainly be dropped, due to a longstanding Department of Justice policy of applying legal immunity to serving POTUSes. Like Mussolini before him, Trump is now effectively above law and order in the United States.

In addition to winning the presidency, the now MAGA-dominated Republican Party won majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, providing Trump with what could very well turn out to be a “rubber stamp” legislator for his far-right objectives.

Thus, when Trump is inaugurated as the United States’ 47th president on January 20, 2025—merely three weeks following the centennial of Mussolini’s declaration of dictatorship in Italy’s Chamber of Deputies—he will be in the position to strong arm political, judicial, and military power without any meaningful checks and balances. He will be immune from prosecution while in office, which will motivate him to fulfill the promise he made to the Turning Point Believers’ Summit: to gerrymander our political system in a way that precludes any electoral opposition to the MAGA movement moving forward. Trump will be, as he promised in December 2023, a dictator on “day one.”

And with these, and many more, authoritarian promises fulfilled, Americans will be faced with a significant, and rather urgent, question: If the comparisons between Mussolini’s declaration of dictatorship and Trump’s re-election are so striking, as I have insisted, we may well be witnessing the twilight of American democracy, and the beginning of the long night of authoritarianism in the United States.

And, in a related vein, with authoritarian movements popping up everywhere across the Western world, and the steady erosion of support for international law and order and human rights, are we building a global order based around the liberal democratic values of the United Nations Charter? Or are we increasingly living—like the Europeans of the 1920s and 1930s—in another interwar crisis?

Sanders Says There Is No Choice: 'We Must Defeat the Oligarchs'

The U.S. Senator from Vermont is asking big questions about how to achieve—even in the face of Trump's return—an "economy and government that works for all, not just the few."


U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks on the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 20, 2024.
(Photo by Charly Triballeau/AFP)

Jon Queally
Nov 30, 2024
COMMON DREAMS

With the progressive movement in the United States still grappling with how best to respond to president-elect Donald Trump's victory earlier this month, Sen. Bernie Sanders issued a statement Saturday clarifying his belief that confronting the ruling oligarchy over the "coming months and years" will be the key battle for anyone who wants to build an economy and political system that puts the interests of everyday working people ahead of those of super-wealthy elites.

The Independent U.S. Senator from Vermont suggested Trump's victory was the direct result of a political economy largely controlled by the nation's richest individuals and powerful corporations and a situation in which massive wealth inequality has also created an incredible power imbalance.

"This is what Oligarchy looks like," Sanders said. "Today, while 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, three multi-billionaires own more wealth than the bottom half of American society."

With a "greater concentration of ownership than we have seen since the Gilded Age," Sanders continued, from healthcare and financial services to the food, transportation, and housing sectors—"fewer and fewer giant corporations control what is produced and the prices we pay."

Sanders slammed a corporate media system in which corporate consolidation has led to an information and entertainment ecosystem in which an estimated "90% of U.S. media is controlled by just six huge global conglomerates," and a political system "increasingly controlled by the billionaire class" that is allowed to inject nearly limitless amounts of money into elections, most of it secretly and without accountability.

"In the recent elections," Sanders bemoaned, "just 150 billionaire families spent nearly $2 billion to get their candidates elected." Such a reality, he said, must be challenged.

"Our job in the coming months and years is clear. We must defeat the oligarchs and create an economy and government that works for all, not just the few."

How can such a defeat of these powerful forces be achieved? Sanders' latest statement did not reveal a prescription, but in a series of recent missives, social media posts, and interviews over the last week, the two-time presidential candidate has said that focusing on building working-class power is the key.



In a letter to supporters last week, Sanders said the question of "where do we go from here?" is a "very serious" one that demands deep scrutiny in the coming weeks and months. And he asked a series of more specific questions that he said must be addressed, including:How do we expand our efforts to build a multi-racial, multi-generational working-class movement?
How do we create a 50 state movement, not politics based on the electoral college and “battleground” states?
How do we deal with Citizens United and the ability of billionaires to buy elections?
How do we recruit more working-class candidates for office at all levels of government?
Should we be supporting Independent candidates who are prepared to take on both parties?
How do we better support union organizing?
How do we put together listening sessions around the country that intentionally seek input from people who did not vote for Democrats in the last election?
How do we best use social media to build our movement and combat the lies and disinformation coming from the billionaire class and right-wing media?

In a subsequent interview with The Nation, Sanders it is "absolutely" necessary to find ways to challenge both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, both of which are dominated by corporate interests and wealthy donors.

"We just cannot sit back and accept candidates who are not prepared to stand up to Big Money interests and fight for the working class," Sanders said. "We cannot continue to do that. So, in one way or another, we have got to bring forth candidates who [will stand up to Big Money]."

Is Bernie Sanders Launching a Third Party? 'Not Right Now, No'


"Real change in this country will come about when an organized working class leads the fight for justice," the Vermont senator said in a new interview.


U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks at a rally on October 2, 2024 in Austin, Texas.
(Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Jake Johnson
Nov 27, 2024
COMMON DREAMS

An email Sen. Bernie Sanders sent to supporters this past weekend fueled speculation that he could be laying the groundwork for a new political party in the wake of Democrats' crushing defeat in the 2024 election.

But in an interview with The Nation's John Nichols published Tuesday, Sanders (I-Vt.) said that he's not considering forming a party to challenge the entrenched Democratic and Republican establishments—at least not at the moment.

"Not right now, no," Sanders told Nichols, who asked the senator directly about his email to supporters and whether he intends to create a new party.

The senator argued in the email it is "highly unlikely" that the Democratic leadership will "learn the lessons of their defeat and create a party that stands with the working class and is prepared to take on the enormously powerful special interests that dominate our economy, our media, and our political life."

Sanders, who caucuses with the Democrats in the Senate, told Nichols that while he's not currently backing the creation of a new party, he is making the case that "where it is more advantageous to run as an Independent, outside of the Democratic primary process, we should do that." He also emphasized the need for more working-class candidates across the country.

"Real change in this country will come about when an organized working class leads the fight for justice. We need working-class candidates to help us do that."


The senator said the upstart campaign of Independent Dan Osborn—a union steamfitter who launched an unexpectedly close challenge to two-term Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) while shunning the state's Democratic establishment—"should be looked at as a model for the future."


"He took on both political parties," Sanders said of Osborn, who outperformed Vice President Kamala Harris by 14 percentage points in Nebraska and is now launching a PAC aimed at helping working-class candidates run for office.

"He took on the corporate world," Sanders continued. "He ran as a strong trade unionist. Without party support, getting heavily outspent, he got through to working-class people all over Nebraska. It was an extraordinary campaign, and it tells me that the American people are sick and tired of seeing the rich getting richer. They think billionaires dominate both political parties. They want real change, and Dan's campaign raised those issues in a very significant way."




Since Trump's victory earlier this month, Sanders has been scathing in his assessment of the current state of the Democratic Party and its long-term trajectory as it hemorrhages working-class support.

"The Democratic Party is, increasingly, a party dominated by billionaires, run by well-paid consultants whose ideology is to tinker around the edges of a grossly unjust and unfair oligarchic system," Sanders told Nichols. "If we are ever going to bring about real change in this country, we have got to significantly grow class consciousness in America."

In his email over the weekend, Sanders wrote that Democratic leaders "are much too wedded to the billionaires and corporate interests that fund their campaigns," making them reflexively hostile to the kinds of transformative changes needed to "build a multi-racial, multi-generational working class movement" with the power to challenge the nation's deeply unequal economic and political status quo.


"How do we recruit more working-class candidates for office at all levels of government? Should we be supporting Independent candidates who are prepared to take on both parties? How do we better support union organizing?" Sanders asked in the email. "These are some of the political questions that, together, we need to address. And it is absolutely critical that you make your voice heard during this process."

"Not me. Us," he added, reprising the central message of his 2020 campaign. "That is the only way forward."

Musk Wants to Abolish Consumer Agency That Has Been a 'Model of Efficiency'

"This is systemic corruption at a grand and intolerable scale," one advocate said of the billionaire's call to "delete" the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.


Jake Johnson
Nov 27, 2024
COMMON DREAMS

President-elect Donald Trump's billionaire appointment to help lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency said Tuesday that he wants to eliminate an agency that one consumer advocate described as "a model of efficiency and cost-effectiveness."

Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote on X, the social media platform he owns, that he wants to "delete" the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which has returned nearly $20 billion to members of the U.S. public in the form of monetary compensation, canceled debt, and other relief since its creation in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

"There are too many duplicative regulatory agencies," Musk declared.

Robert Weissman, co-president of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, countered in a statement that the CFPB "was created specifically because none of the overlapping financial regulatory agencies prioritized consumer protection."

"But there's no reason to think facts or evidence have anything to do with Musk's views," said Weissman. "Asking the world's richest person, with a direct interest in a wide range of business lines, to run a project to review the federal government's overall operations is absurd and fundamentally corrupt—and this issue highlights exactly why."

Weissman noted that Musk has "reportedly obtained money transmitter licenses for X in more than three dozen states and still appears determined to turn X into an 'everything app' based around a payment service," an effort that "would be subject to regulation by the CFPB."

"In fact, the CFPB has just finalized a rule to supervise large tech companies offering digital funds transfer and payment wallet apps," he continued. "In short, Musk is calling for elimination of the consumer protection regulator over a business line he seems poised to enter... This is systemic corruption at a grand and intolerable scale."

The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) also spoke out in defense of the consumer bureau.

"You want to talk about efficiency? For every $1 spent funding the CFPB, more than $4 have been put back in working people's pockets," the CPC wrote on social media. "It's only 'inefficient' to predatory corporations and billionaires with conflicts of interest."

The CFPB has been a target of Republican lawmakers and their corporate allies since its inception in 2011.

During Trump's first White House term, he attempted to gut the bureau from the inside by installing an opponent of the agency, Mick Mulvaney, to lead it. Mulvaney later backed a failed effort to challenge the constitutionality of the CFPB's funding structure.


But the CFPB has been active in defending consumers and combating corporate abuses under the leadership of Rohit Chopra, a consumer champion picked by President Joe Biden to lead the bureau.

Under Chopra, the American Economic Liberties Project noted in a recent report, "the CFPB has returned billions of Americans' hard-earned money to their bank accounts; fought back against Wall Street and Big Tech's discriminatory and anti-competitive behavior; ensured violating the law can no longer be written off as just a 'cost of doing business'; shuttered corporate scams; and restored financial freedom to millions of Americans held hostage by the credit reporting cartel."

"This is a test for MAGA types and the populist right to see whether they allow themselves to be lied to flagrantly by elites trying to manipulate them."

Musk's call to eliminate the agency came after fellow Trump-supporting billionaire Marc Andreessen, a venture capitalist, claimed in an appearance on the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast that the CFPB's primary purpose is to "terrorize financial institutions."

Andreessen went on to falsely describe the CFPB as Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D-Mass.) "personal agency that she gets to control" and suggest the bureau is involved in efforts to "debank" people over their political views.

But observers pointed out that Chopra has explicitly condemned politically motivated debanking and worked to prevent companies from unlawfully denying consumers access to financial accounts and services.

"This is a test for MAGA types and the populist right to see whether they allow themselves to be lied to flagrantly by elites trying to manipulate them," Drop Site's Ryan Grim wrote in response to Andreessen's comments. "The CFPB put out a legitimately good rule that went after banks over debanking users based on political views. Yes, a populist left-wing CFPB head stood up for the rights of conservatives."

"Now VCs and Musk, who don't like the CFPB for other reasons, are straight up lying to whip people into a frenzy and defang the CFPB," Grim added. "The message: They think you are stupid and can't read and are going to make your life worse in order to enrich themselves."

Muslim Rights Group Calls for Probe Into GOP Lawmaker's Threat to Omar, Tlaib

Randy Fine "must be investigated by state and federal law enforcement authorities and condemned by both Democratic and Republican Party leadership," said the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Florida state Sen. Randy Fine (R-19) speaks at the state House of Representatives.
(Photo: Florida House of Representatives)

Julia Conley
Nov 28, 2024
COMMON DREAMS

The country's largest Muslim civil rights group on Thursday called for added protections for U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar after Florida state Sen. Randy Fine issued an apparent threat against the two Muslim lawmakers.

Fine, who has the endorsement of President-elect Donald Trump in his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives, called himself the "Hebrew Hammer" in a post on X on Tuesday and suggested Reps. Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Omar (D-Minn.) should leave office for their own safety.

"Bombs away," he added.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, which has spoken out previously about anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim statements by Fine (R-19), called the lawmaker an "unhinged anti-Muslim bigot."

His apparent threat of violence "must be investigated by state and federal law enforcement authorities and condemned by both Democratic and Republican Party leadership," said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, national deputy executive director of CAIR. "President-elect Donald Trump, in particular, should denounce Mr. Fine's remarks and the Florida Republican Party should expel him."

"We also call on U.S. Capitol Police to step up protection for Representatives Omar and Tlaib to ensure their safety as they come under increasing threats from anti-Muslim and pro-genocide bigots like Randy Fine," said Mitchell.

Fine was held in contempt of court in Florida earlier this year for making obscene gestures and mouthing curse words at a hearing. He is running in a special election set for April 1, 2025, due to Trump's appointment of Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) to be national security adviser.

In 2021, the Florida chapter of CAIR filed an ethics complaint against Fine after he posted on social media calling Palestinian people "animals" and calling for their annihilation with the hashtag "#BlowThemUp."

Omar and Tlaib—the only Palestinian-American in Congress—have been vehement critics of the United States' support for Israel's assault on Gaza, and defenders of Palestinian rights.

World Central Kitchen 'Heartbroken' After Israel Bombing Kills Five in Gaza

The humanitarian aid group, which lost seven workers earlier this year in an attack by Israeli forces, said it was working with "incomplete information" about the latest strikes in Khan Younis.

A view of the destroyed vehicle following the Israeli army targeted the vehicle carrying aid workers of the US-based international aid organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) in an attack on Salah ad-Din Street in Khan Yunis, Gaza on November 30, 2024. It was reported that there were casualties and wounded as a result of the attack.
(Photo by Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Jon Queally
Nov 30, 2024
COMMON DREAMS

Israel bombed a humanitarian vehicle in Gaza on Saturday, reportedly killing three aid workers with World Central Kitchen and Palestinian bystanders who tried to come to help after an initial strike.

"We are heartbroken to share that a vehicle carrying World Central Kitchen colleagues was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza," the U.S.-based aid group founded by chef José Andrés, said in a statement.

"At this time, we are working with incomplete information and are urgently seeking more details," the group said.

While Israeli officials said the vehicle was carrying a wanted Palestinian militant, WCK said it had "no knowledge that any individual in the vehicle had alleged ties to the October 7th Hamas attack." The group said it was pausing operations in Gaza for the time being. "Our hearts," they said, "are with our colleagues and their families in this unimaginable moment."

According to reports, the WCK vehicle was targeted on Salah al-Din Street in Khan Younis. After the three aid workers were killed in the first strike, Middle East Eyereports two other people "tried to help" but "were also targeted and killed" by what is known as a double-tap strike.

"The vehicle carried rice and other food supplies," Tamer Sammour, an eyewitness, told the news outlet.

MEE spoke with other witnesses:

Mohammed Abu Abed, a Khan Younis resident, identified one of the two men killed in the second strike as Adel Sammour.

"He asked me last night for bread, but I couldn’t help him," Abu Abed told MEE.

"The two men were farmers heading to work to make ends meet," he explained.

"They were waiting to be picked up for work when the first strike hit the vehicle nearby,”"he continued.

"When they tried to assist, they were also targeted and killed. They were just trying to make a living. They were innocent."

In April, a multi-vehicle WCK convoy was bombed by Israel, killing seven of the organization's workers. The attack sparked global condemnation but did little to end Israel's blocking of humanitarian aid.



A view of the destroyed vehicle following the Israeli army targeted the vehicle carrying aid workers of the US-based international aid organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) in an attack on Salah ad-Din Street in Khan Yunis, Gaza on November 30, 2024. (Photo by Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Image)

Earlier this month, as Common Dreamsreported, an analysis showed the delivery of life-saving aid into Gaza had "fallen to an all-time low," largely due to Israel's obstruction.

Across Gaza over the last 24 hours, at least 19 people were killed in attacks by Israel.

Following the attack on WCK vehicle, Al-Jazeera's Hind Khoudary reported from Khan Younis on the organization's decision to halt its operations in the area.

"After today's attack, the community kitchens did not work and serve people," Khoudary reported. "So, it's beyond attacking Palestinians, Palestinian workers, aid organizations, it’s attacking all sources of aid, and all sources of community kitchens, and those who have been working tirelessly to prevent starvation in Gaza."

"The question remains," she added, "why does Israel continue to target the World Central Kitchen community and their employees in the Gaza Strip?"

Over 125,000 March in London Against Israel's Gaza Genocide

"All of you here are beacons of hope in this darkness," said one demonstrator in a speech to the massive crowd.


Protesters attend a national demonstration for Palestine in Central London on November 30, 2024 in London, England. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign has once again convened a national demonstration for Palestine asking the UK government to stop arming Israel.

(Photo by Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images)

Jon Queally
Nov 30, 2024
COMMON DREAMS

Tens of thousands marched through central London on Saturday demanding an immediate end to Israel's "genocidal" campaign in Gaza that has continued for nearly 14 months, forcing the civilian population in the besieged enclave into what humanitarians have called an "apocalyptic" hellscape.

Led by a coalition of humanitarian and anti-war groups, including Stop the War and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, organizers said the weekend demonstration was just the latest expression of collective outrage over the Israeli assault on Gaza made possible by the international backing of powerful allies like the United States and the United Kingdom.

"It's vital we continue to take to the streets in huge numbers to demand an end to British complicity in Israel'a genocide and apartheid, including through an end to all arms trade with Israel," said the Palestine Solidarity campaign ahead of the march.

Stop the War coalition rebuked BBC's reporting for downplaying the size of the march, saying: "For the record, it was at least 125,000!" Various news outlets put the size of the march in the tens of thousands.



In his remarks to the demonstrators, actor and human rights activist Khalid Abdalla heralded those who attended.


"All of you here are beacons of hope in this darkness," said Abdalla. "Here you stand embodied, with the fullness of your voice, in a world that demands we are always in motion, numb to the reality that enters our lives through our phones, and the images that come to us day after day of this genocide in Gaza."

Marchers carried banners and chanted in unison as they made their way through central London, passing by counter-protesters near Piccadilly Circus and then making stops at 10 Downing Street, home of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, before concluding their demonstration in Parliament Square.

"The demonstrators voiced an uncompromising call to the UK government to end its support for Israel’s brutal occupation and its violations of international law," reported the Middle East Monitor. "Protestors demanded that the U.K. cut all diplomatic, military, and economic ties with Israel and impose an arms embargo. The march was a call for the U.K. to uphold its moral and legal obligations, including complying with the ICC arrest warrants and ensuring that Israeli war criminals face justice."




LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 30: The march approaches Piccadilly from Hyde Park during a national demonstration for Palestine in Central London on November 30 on November 30, 2024 in London, England. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign has once again convened a national demonstration for Palestine, asking the UK government to stop arming Israel. (Photo by Guy Smallman/Getty Image)



Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn spoke at the rally and assailed Starmer's current government for complicity in the Israel military campaign that claimed the lives of over 45,000 Palestinians, mostly civilian men, women, and children.

"I say to our government: if you knowingly supply weapons to a government led by someone wanted for war crimes, the long arm of international law will extend to you too," Corbyn declared.


In a plea to the world from Gaza on Saturday, poet and writer Nour Elassy said she and her family are currently starving as she expressed disbelief over the international community's failure to put a stop to Israeli atrocities.


"It is difficult for me to explain and capture the feeling of hunger for someone who does not understand the depths of its pain, and it is even more challenging to explain this experience while being under constant bombardment and shelling from Israel for more than 400 days now," Elassy wrote in a column for Al-Jazeera.


With her nieces and nephews, all under age six, also crying out in hunger, Elassy says this makes everything more difficult. "Hunger has affected everyone I see," she reports. "People are visibly thinner, they walk around with an empty look in their eyes, dark circles underneath. The streets are filled with children and elderly people begging for food. I see misery and hunger everywhere I turn."


"While Israel may hope that we starve in silence, we will not," she concluded. "The world can and must stop the starvation of Gaza."

Black Friday Actions in 30+ Countries Aim to 'Make Amazon Pay'

"When we announced our intention to protest today, our management attempted to stop us in multiple ways. We want to say to Amazon—you could not stop us today, you cannot stop us in the future," said one union leader.


Amazon workers in Bad Hersfeld, Germany participate in a demonstration as part of the "Make Amazon Pay" campaign.
(Photo: UNI Global Union/X.com)

Eloise Goldsmith
Nov 29, 2024
COMMON DREAMS

Amazon workers and their allies are participating in a series of global actions aimed at holding the online retailer "accountable for labor abuses, environmental degradation, and threats to democracy," according to the labor group UNI Global Union.

Dubbed "Make Amazon Pay," the campaign is set to last from November 29 to December 2 and will include strikes and protests across six continents, according to the group—and is timed to disrupt Black Friday (or "Make Amazon Pay Day") and Cyber Monday, two of the busiest online shopping days of the year.

"When we announced our intention to protest today, our management attempted to stop us in multiple ways. We want to say to Amazon—you could not stop us today, you cannot stop us in the future," said the general secretary of the Amazon India Workers Union during a demonstration held in India on Friday.

Make Amazon Pay Day was launched in 2020 by UNI Global Union and the left-leaning movement group Progressive International. It has expanded each subsequent year, say organizers, and today the coalition behind Make Amazon Pay Day brings together a wide range of groups, including climate, racial, and economic justice organizations.

According to Progressive International, actions taking place as part of the campaign include but are not limited to: strikes at multiple warehouses in Germany; direct actions in French towns and cities led by the justice group Attac; a rally in India by Amazon workers over unsafe working conditions; and a protest by trade unionists at an Amazon call center. All told, actions are supposed to take place in over 30 countries.



"This fight is global. Every picket, every strike, every action of solidarity matters. Another world is possible, and we are building that world one strike, one conversation at a time. Together, we are unstoppable," said Christy Hoffman, UNI Global Union's general secretary, on Friday while speaking to striking workers in Germany.

The campaign alleges that Amazon "squeezes" workers, communities, and the planet. For example, "while tripling profits in early 2024, Amazon surveils and pressures drivers and warehouse workers at the risk of severe physical and mental harm," according to campaign materials.

Responding to the campaign, an Amazon U.S. spokesperson told Newsweek: "The fact is at Amazon we provide great pay, great benefits, and great opportunities—all from day one. We've created more than 1.5 million jobs around the world, and counting, and we provide a modern, safe, and engaging workplace whether you work in an office or at one of our operations buildings."

Online, progressive political figures lent their support to the effort.

"Today, I stand with Amazon workers in over 30 countries around the world striking and protesting to #MakeAmazonPay," wrote Jeremy Corbyn, former leader of the British Labour Party.

"While billionaire Bezos tours the world on his $500m yacht, Amazon workers in 20+ countries are rising up this Black Friday to demand fair wages, union rights, and climate action. Amazon must pay its fair share and respect workers. I stand with #MakeAmazonPay," chimed in U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on X.

Following the inaugural Make Amazon Pay campaign in 2020, hundreds of lawmakers from dozens of countries endorsed the effort with an open letter to Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.

"The world knows that Amazon can afford to pay its workers, its environmental cost, and its taxes. And yet—time and again—you have dodged and dismissed your debts to workers, societies, and the planet," the letter alleged. U.S. signatories included Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).

Right-Wing Watch

‘Christmas cancelled’: The growing influence of US Christian right on UK politics and media

Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead 

Today

LEFT FOOT FORWARD


Tune into GB News (if you dare), and you'd swear Christmas was on the brink of collapse, with its flood of headlines about "banned carols,” Santa volunteers being "sacked," and "Christian outrage" over drag performances.

“Don’t let American Bolsheviks cancel Christmas,” warned Russian-born author Rebekah Koffler in a Fox News article last December. The piece paints a picture of an America under siege by left-wing radicals pushing an agenda to erase traditional values, including religious celebrations.

The UK right-wing media, which is increasingly influenced by American outlets like Fox News, is embracing the same ‘moral panic.’ Tune into GB News (if you dare), and you’d swear Christmas was on the brink of collapse, with its flood of headlines about “banned carols,” Santa volunteers being “sacked,” and “Christian outrage” over drag performances.

While classically Fox News, such hyperbolic warnings are typical of the Christian right narrative.

According to the Oxford Handbook of Christian Fundamentalism, the Christian right movement developed in the United States in the late 1970s as a reaction against the era’s secular and culturally liberal trends such as feminism and the sexual revolution. However, it was rooted in a decades-long fundamentalist or conservative evangelical alliance with political conservatism that began in the early twentieth century, and was on full display during the Trump presidential campaign. Led by Ralph Reed, founder of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, the movement mobilised with intensity, knocking on millions of doors, making millions of phone calls, and reaching millions more through texts and voter guides. They wanted their efforts to culminate in the largest Christian voter turnout in US history. The result has, no doubt, further emboldened their radical agenda, including plans to ban abortion nationwide and restrict LGBTQ+ rights, while undermining the separation of church and state.

This ultra-conservative narrative and agenda is spilling over into UK politics. Backed by “dark money” from US donors, the Christian right is seeking to reshape British politics, targeting progressive policies on abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, freedom of expression and more.

Just this week, Nigel Farage said MPs should look at rolling back Britain’s abortion limit from 24 weeks, suggesting that he could try to open up a debate about women’s reproductive rights. His comment was described as frightening, proof he is a “second-rate Trump,” as iNews columnist Rebecca Reid wrote.

Farage was quoted in a statement from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), and extreme anti-abortion Christian legal advocacy group in the US, which has been busy forging ties with British MPs. Since 2020, the UK branch of the ADF has more than doubled its spending and has been appointed a stakeholder in a parliamentary group on religious freedoms in a role that grants it direct access to MPs.

This shift is part of a broader rise in national conservatism in the UK, with figures like David Frost, a leading proponent of Brexit, at the helm of this pro-Trump nationalist agenda.

“National conservatism has won its first great victory,” he headlined in a column in the Telegraph after the election, celebrating the rise of a “new” conservative movement based on “promoting nationhood, national identity, culture, borders, history, a degree of social conservatism, the prosperity of people who actually live in the country…”

But how shocked should we really be? In the eyes of such figures as Frost, the adoption of neo-liberal economic policies by the UK should be accompanied by social policies also derived from across the pond. To them it is right and proper that the UK should be seen as the “51st state,” and as such, heavily influenced by the Christian right. It is no accident that Ronald Reagan’s neo-liberal economic policies were accompanied by the politicisation of a certain kind of Christianity, the influence of which grew exponentially during his presidency in the 1980s.

In God’s Own Party: The Making of the Christian Right, Daniel Williams chronicles how Reagan gave rhetorical support to the Christian right, inviting evangelical leaders to the White House. Williams argues that while Reagan could not deliver on the Christian right’s legislative priorities such as school prayers and abortion restrictions, his endorsement solidified the movement’s power and its ties to the Republican Party. By the end of Reagan’s presidency, the Christian right had become more vocal in its opposition to abortion, more militant in its politics, and more determined than ever to recapture the country, Williams argues.

Of course, the UK is secular in a way that the US is not. Fewer than 50% of Britons now believe in any kind of God. In America more than 70% of the population retain belief in some kind of ‘Almighty’ and church attendances remain high.

When discussing the Christian right in Britain, Steven Kettell, associate professor of politics and international studies at the University of Warwick and co-founder of British Politics, acknowledges this difference when he points to research that has concluded that no parallel ‘Christian right’ movement exists, as compared to their US counterparts. Christians in the UK tend to engage with a different set of issues, are typically more left-of-centre on the economy, and have far less political clout.

Nevertheless he warns that “ to ignore the political activities of conservative Christian groups would be to ignore some of the more politically active members of British society. In recent years such groups have contributed to a number of contentious disputes around free speech, abortion and assisted dying, as well as protests about religious freedom and equalities legislation.”

National Conservatism

We only have to look to recent National Conservatism conferences as evidence of this. National Conservatism seeks to advance an agenda of Christian Nationalism. On its website, the movement says: “The Bible should be read as the first among the sources of a shared Western civilisation in schools and universities” and “public life should be rooted in Christianity and its moral vision, which should be honoured by the state and other institutions both public and private.”

The movement’s conferences, held globally, feature prominent Republican figures such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Trump advisor John Bolton, and Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. There is though a strong UK presence too.

In 2023, UK Conservative MPs Michael Gove, Miriam Cates, and Danny Kruger spoke at the NatCon conference in London, alongside David Frost. Cates drew attention for her comments on low birthrates, framing them as an existential threat to the West, while invoking themes similar to those of far-right leaders like Viktor Orbán and Giorgia Meloni. Cates suggested that “cultural Marxism” was to blame for the declining birthrate, without directly linking it to immigration.

Orbán has used Christian rhetoric to justify anti-immigration policies, painting Hungary as a “Christian democracy” and allying with Donald Trump’s values. In 2019, he claimed there was an “overlap of values” between the US and Hungary. “Neither of us is willing to accept the hypocrisy of modern politics, which neglects the fact that Christianity is the most persecuted religion globally,” he said.

‘Dark money’ from US sources

In recent years, concerns about the influence of dark money making its way from American donors to fund politics in the UK and Europe have been raised.

In 2019, openDemocracy reported that US Christian Right ‘fundamentalists’ linked to the Trump administration and Steve Bannon are among a dozen American groups that had funnelled at least $50m of ‘dark money’ into Europe over the last decade.

None of the US groups disclose their donors, but according to openDemocracy’s research, at least two have links to conservative billionaires, including the Koch Brothers. They have also backed ‘armies’ of ultra-conservative lawyers and political activists, as well as ‘family values’ campaigns against LGBTQ+ rights, sex education and abortion – and a number appear to have increasing links with Europe’s far-right, continued the report.

Many are connected to the World Congress of Families (WCF), a network of ultra-conservatives with links to far-right politicians in Italy, Hungary, Poland, Spain, and Serbia. In response to openDemocracy’s findings, over 40 MEPs urged the EU to investigate the influence of US Christian fundamentalists.

By 2020 US Christian right groups had spent over $280 million globally since 2008. One group, Family Watch International, has campaigned against LGBTQ rights and has been training African politicians, religious and civil society leaders for years to oppose comprehensive sexuality education.

Then there’s the ADF, which has increased its spending and gained direct access to MPs, despite its controversial stances, including supporting outlawing sexual acts between consenting LGBTQ+ adults and having argued publicly against decriminalising abortion.

The ADF in particular is an influential player on the US Christian right and part of a global network of hardline evangelical groups that were a driving force behind the repeal of Roe v Wade – the supreme court ruling that gave women the constitutional right to abortion and was overturned in 2022.

The ADF’s funding is opaque, using donor-advised funds that allow anonymous donations.

Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, said the ADF had “ramped up its spending” in the UK and Europe “aggressively” in recent years and that there was “no transparency” around “where the money’s actually coming from”. She said its relationship with MPs raised “huge concerns”. “Why are politicians openly working with an organisation that has such a hateful agenda?”

Humanists UK has raised alarms about the growing impact of U.S. funding on UK politics, particularly on LGBTQ+ rights, abortion, and faith schools. In November 2023, the group reported on a “triple assault” on abortion rights in Parliament, noting that anti-abortion activism in the UK has increased since the U.S. Roe v. Wade ruling. Humanists UK Chief Executive Andrew Copson warned that the Christian nationalist movement’s increasing investment in the UK represents a serious threat to human rights.

Online Safety Act

Myles Jackman, a UK lawyer specialising in pornography and obscenity cases, has raised concerns about the influence of far-right Christian groups on UK legislation. He warns that such groups, often framing their actions as efforts to protect children and promote decency, may use this guise to push for restrictive laws that infringe on personal freedoms and dictate moral conduct.

Jackman points to Laila Mickelwait, an anti-trafficking activist and leader of Traffickinghub, which targets adult platforms like Pornhub. Mickelwait’s campaign is linked to Exodus Cry, an evangelical group that seeks to abolish pornography entirely.

Jackman highlights the controversial All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) report that labelled all pornography as exploitation, criticising the lack of sex worker perspectives in the report. The APPG consulted groups with ties to Traffickinghub, including the National Centre on Sexual Exploitation, which has a history of anti-LGBTQ+ activism. The MPs who sponsored the report heard from Laila Mickelwait herself in her capacity as a leader of Traffickinghub. And just last month, Mickelwait was back in Westminster, promoting her new book to politicians and policy makers.

Mickelwait has been acclaimed in some UK media. Outlets like the Daily Mail have hailed her ‘Erin Brockovich-style’ in her quest to shut down the Canadian-owned porn-sharing site Pornhub. The Mail details the launch of Mickelwait’s book Takedown: Inside the Fight to Shut Down Pornhub for Child Abuse, Rape and Sex Trafficking which documents her five-year campaign to force the Canadian pornography website out of business.

But what Jackman notes but the Mail doesn’t is her “deep connection to far-right US Christian groups known for their draconian anti-LGBTQ+ agendas and attempts to legislate morality reveal the larger agenda behind her campaign, which Micklewait carefully disguises in her book.”

With the Online Safety Act, which was passed last year and aims to protect children online by enforcing stricter controls on harmful content, Jackman fears the influence of these groups could push for more restrictive laws disguised as child protection measures. He urges vigilance to ensure that legitimate concerns about exploitation and consent are not co-opted to advance broader moral agendas.

“The potential for these far-right Christian groups to influence legislation on our shores is deeply concerning. In the US, their strategy has often been to frame their efforts in terms of child protection and public decency, masking their broader agenda. However, legislation that appears to promote common-sense measures for safeguarding children can be a Trojan horse for restrictive laws that infringe on personal freedoms and dictate moral conduct,” he says.

In Victorian times, the Church of England was sometimes referred to as ‘the Tory party at prayer’ to underline its role in blocking social progress. Prayer though, denotes something contemplative and there is nothing contemplative about the rancorous activities of today’s religious right.

Right-Wing Media Watch – GB News’ breaks new absurdity record with Darren Grimes asking: ‘Should Donald Trump invade the UK’

You have to do a double take when reading the news ticker on GB News. ‘Should Donald Trump invade the UK?’ was the big question posed by none other than Darren Grimes.

Yes, the same Grimes who, back in July 2021, urged people to “unmuzzle” themselves and get back to the office, devotes an entire segment of his show to a tweet he wrote himself. A brilliant idea to solve Britain’s problems, the post read: “How about Trump ‘invades’ the UK, we surrender without a fuss, he takes over with the UK as the 51st state and we forget all about Stalin’s rule? Agreed? Good.”

As the self-styled “not-yet-to-be-cancelled conservative commentator” sat in front of a graphic of his own tweet, he earnestly tried to make his case. “Britons not illegals, power, not poverty, and proper jobs, not yet more diversity and inclusion officers. Honestly, Trump taking over might not be such a bad idea.”

On YouTube, you can watch the full broadcast, and it truly is grim viewing. Grimes lays out his “vision” for Britain under Trump’s leadership, with the US president securing our borders and, apparently, handing back Britons their dignity.

He also takes a swipe at the right’s favourite target Ed Miliband, slamming him for allegedly making us “put on another jumper and eat cold beans so he can walk around smug at COP29,” which he labels the “biggest con since the European Super League tried to convince us it was about the fans.”
Completely bonkers. But Grimes seems genuinely convinced that Trump-style leadership is the answer to all of Britain’s “growing woes.”

Watching this cringe-worthy clip only confirms why GB News will never be taken seriously. In fact, former chairman Andrew Neil, who exited the station over its drift towards “Fox News-style broadcasting,” warned the station would never be profitable in its current form. “What I didn’t want it to become – I could see it was happening, which is why I left almost immediately – was an outlet for bizarre conspiracy theories or anti-vaxxers or, basically, the nutty end of politics,” Neil said.

What’s truly astonishing, though, is that despite the endless parade of bizarre Grimes-style rants, GB News is still somehow hanging around, clogging up our social media feeds and warping the minds of those who actually tune in.

Perhaps Ofcom is just too spineless to do anything about it? One thing’s more certain: if Trump were in charge of the UK, GB News might be the only ‘news’ outlet left with a licence – after all, the rest of the more credible, fact-driven sources would likely be too busy reporting inconvenient truths to stay in existence.

Smear of the Week – Right-wingers’ pathetic and sexist attack on the Chancellor’s qualifications

The right-wing smear machine is firing on all cylinders, with the Chancellor in the firing line. The media outrage about her “explosive” budget – as the Express so delicately put it – hadn’t even begun to settle, before Rachel Reeves found herself embroiled in a ‘scandal’ over her LinkedIn profile.

It’s hard to believe that in a world filled with urgent issues like wars, climate change, and the ethics of assisted dying, people can get so upset about someone’s LinkedIn page.

Who honestly spends their time combing through other people’s career histories online?

Guido Fawkes, that’s who. Yep, the ‘scandal’ was first brought to life by the right-wing blog, suggesting that the Chancellor had been ‘economical with the truth about her career credentials’ by falsely claiming to have worked as an economist at the Bank of Scotland when she had actually worked in ‘retail banking’ at Halifax.

Cue the right-wing frenzy.

In fact, Guido, when bragging about its ‘scoop,’ listed the media that subsequently followed the story, saving me the trouble of researching it myself.

“The mainstream media, including The Telegraph, The Sun, The Mail, The Express, and GB News, have all followed the story. The Timesheadlined with “Pressure grows on Rachel Reeves to explain ‘fake claims’ on CV“, as Tory voices accuse her of “brazen lies,” writes Guido

.

Funny, though, how the blogger left out the tiny detail that all of these outlets lean to the right. Mainstream media? Try right-wing media – now look who’s being ‘economical’ with credentials.

Yes, sigh, Reeves’ career suddenly became the subject of intense scrutiny.

“Rachel Reeves “must resign” after being “caught red-handed in a CV scandal that betrays the British public,” screamed the Conservative Post.

“Rachel Reeves’s real job ‘was customer relations’… rather than an ‘economist’ at Halifax as she had on her CV,” splashed the Daily Mail.

And then there was Katie Hopkins, who was practically bursting with excitement on her YouTube channel, telling Reeves to “piss off and work at McDonald’s,” while gleefully mocking (in a weird South London accent) her LinkedIn as a “work of fiction.”

In fact, Reeves’ accent – she was brought up in Lewisham – has been the butt of right-wing smears before. The former LBC presenter and journalist Iain Dale, a long-standing Tory supporter who withdrew his bid to be the Conservative candidate for Tunbridge Wells after he was found to have said he did not like the town, described Reeves’ “gravelly voice” as reminding him of EastEnders’ Pat Butcher.

But, back to Hopkins, who doesn’t exactly have a reputation for feminist solidarity. After attending an anti-Trump march in 2017, she said:

“I’m a big feminist. I went to the p**sy marches. They were a real disappointment….

“I said to one, ‘why are you here?. She said, ‘climate change’, the next one said, ‘because black lives matter’, the next one ‘LGBT rights’.

“These women were pathetic. They had no one key aim; they had no idea what they were fighting for. They will only ever be a rabble.”

Gaby Hinsliff at the Guardian offered some much-needed feminist solidarity, pointing out the glaring sexism behind the attacks on Reeves.

“Is it just a coincidence that the first female chancellor is also the first to be swarmed by a mob of online truthers, flatly refusing to believe the woman they call “Rachel from accounts” was really employed at the Bank of England doing anything senior? (For the record: yes, she really did work there as an economist; no, going on to work for the less prestigious Halifax Bank of Scotland while scouting for a parliamentary seat doesn’t make her a call centre operative; and yes, you absolutely can rip someone’s budget to shreds without getting unnecessarily hysterical about them changing their LinkedIn entry to clarify a job title after being picked up on it by the Guido Fawkes website),” wrote Hinsliff.

Thank the lord, for a moment there I thought I was alone in seeing the hoo-hah for what it is – a pathetic, sexist attack on a successful woman with a London accent.



Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is author of Right-Wing Watch

TURKISH OCCUPIED KURDISTAN

Erkmen: When the people's will is not respected, we call it fascism

DEM Party politician Celalettin Erkmen said: "If the will that comes out of the ballot box is not respected, this is called fascism."


ANF
URFA
Sunday, 1 December 2024


Celalettin Erkmen, the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Riha (Urfa) Metropolitan Municipality co-mayor candidate in the 31 March 2024 local elections, talked to ANF about the usurpation of the will of the people and the people’s struggle against it.

The gains of the Kurdish people have been usurped since 2016. How do you evaluate the trustee coup?

Trustees were appointed to cities democratically and freely won through people’s vote. An undemocratic attitude against the will of the Kurdish people has developed. However, it has now become clear that the trustees are used to usurping the vote and will of the people not only in the Kurdistan territory but also in Turkey. The AKP-MHP alliance acts so recklessly that it does not respect any will other than its own. This is a model of colonialism. They say, ‘Either you will accept me or I will appoint my own civil servant and ignore the will of the people.’ A trustee has been appointed to Esenyurt in Istanbul. The council members there are still on duty. In fact, according to the law, the municipal council must convene and elect a deputy mayor from among themselves. However, in Kurdistan, they do not even accept council members to the municipality. In fact, they use this practice without a decision to dissolve the municipal council. This attitude does not exist even in the most undemocratic states.

The current system, the ‘Republic’, is not sufficient to hold and govern the people of Turkey together; therefore, it needs to be democratized. The Republic needs to be democratized in all of its aspects, from education to health, from agricultural problems to local governments. The establishment of democracy is also possible by ensuring permanent peace in this country. We have also been saying this in the recent process: the people have declared that Mr. Öcalan is the most important figure for achieving permanent peace in this country.

There are efforts to force the government to step back and withdraw the trustees. How can this be achieved?

The method is the same all over the world. It is possible to achieve this with a broad popular movement against fascism defending its own will. Of course, this also depends on the unity of power between the circles. I believe that those who are marginalized, isolated and ignored in this society should form a very strong alliance. This alliance should voice civil disobedience and democratic demands, the understanding of the social state, equal and honorable unity. This should be their slogan. In this sense, we and civil society organizations have very important duties. Trustees are not legitimate. Therefore, our people should defend their own will and those they have elected.

You have been in politics for many years, and you have held many different positions in Urfa. We have recently seen a new concept being developed against the people there. What do you attribute this to?

This concept has been developed for a long time, and it is not just a situation related to today. Moreover, the government lost many places in this area because of their mentality. Even though they try to intimidate the people with undemocratic methods, in the end they lose. People come out and take to the streets more strongly to protest. The system can no longer govern Urfa. They are trying to govern with pressure and dirty tricks. Halfeti is the most obvious example of this. In fact, some of our friends were arrested because they showed a democratic reaction against this anti-democratic operation. The same understanding is behind the operation carried out in the past few days.

Kayapınar (Peyas) co-mayor Cengiz Dündar was also among those detained.

They are changing their system here and there. Maybe this is a new beginning. They thought the protest against the trustees would last a few days, but the protest is getting stronger and more widespread. Maybe our friend's detention is a new tactic. The people of Amed will protect their will and our co-mayor. Of course, any undemocratic step taken will be met with a public reaction in this region. The people no longer accept being governed by an arbitrary understanding. The system is trying to govern the country as if it were a branch of their party by politicizing both the law and the police. There is nothing much they can do after this. Their fate will be like the fate of ANAP and DYP in previous periods. Our people will wipe out fascism.

Conference in Paris to talk about the Kurdish question

A conference titled 'The Kurdish question: Historical roots and prospects for resolution' will be organized at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris on 17 December.


ANF
PARIS
Sunday, 1 December 2024

The Kurdish question remains one of the most complex and persistent issues in the Middle East, with profound political, social and geopolitical repercussions. To discuss these issues, a conference titled ‘The Kurdish question: Historical roots and prospects for resolution’ will be organized at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris on 17 December.

The aim of the conference is to explore the historical roots of the Kurdish question, while highlighting current challenges and prospects for resolution.

Through enriching exchanges between specialists, policy-makers and civil society actors, this event will offer a unique opportunity to deepen the understanding of the historical and legal dynamics that have shaped the Kurdish question, say the organizers, adding that the conference also aims "to propose concrete avenues for a lasting solution, emphasizing the role that France and the international community can play in this process."

Divided into round tables and discussions, the day will be structured around the following themes: the historical and geopolitical roots of the Kurdish question, international legal issues, and strategic perspectives for a resolution.

This conference is part of an approach of awareness, dialogue and action to contribute to the recognition of the rights of the Kurds and the promotion of lasting peace.

Öcalan’s books exhibited at the book fair in Sulaymaniyah

Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan’s books were exhibited at the Sulaymaniyah International Book Fair, drawing great interest from the citizens.


ANF
SULAYMANIYAH
Saturday, 30 November 2024

The 6th International Book Fair in Sulaymaniyah continues on its third day. Kurdish people’s leader, Abdullah Öcalan’s books were also exhibited at the fair. According to reports, there was an intense interest in the books.



Sorani, Arabic and Persian translations of Öcalan’s ‘Democratic Nation Civilisation’ defences and the translated edition of the book Kurdish Love were exhibited at the fair.

The books by Martyr Helmet (Diyar Xerîb) and Sakine Cansız were also exhibited at the fair.



More than 200 publishing houses participated in the 6th International Book Fair in Sulaymaniyah with more than 12 thousand books.

Sulaymaniyah

Sulaymaniyah or Slemani, is a city in the east of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and is the capital of the Sulaymaniyah Governorate. It is surrounded by the Azmar (Ezmer), Goizha (Goyje) and Qaiwan (Qeywan) Mountains in the northeast, Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluja Hills in the west. Th...Wikipedia