It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Sunday, June 16, 2024
‘Union,’ Award-Winning Doc About Extraordinary Bid To Organize Amazon Workers, Announces October Theatrical Release
Matthew Carey Fri, 14 June 2024 at 12:28 pm GMT-6·4-min read
EXCLUSIVE: The award-winning documentary Union, about the first successful unionization drive at an Amazon warehouse, has been making the rounds of film festivals – it just held its U.K. premiere at Sheffield DocFest, and on Saturday it plays at DC/DOX in the nation’s capital. In a matter of months, the film will reach its widest audience yet, through a self-distribution plan announced today.
Level Ground Productions has set an October 18 release date in theaters for the film directed by Brett Story and Stephen Maing. “Recognizing the difficulties faced by political documentaries in distribution of late,” a release notes, “but also the enthusiastic and engaged potential audiences that are inspired by the Amazon Labor Union movement, producers Story, Maing, Samantha Curley, Mars Verrone, and Martin DiCicco have worked with distribution expert Michael Tuckman to self distribute the film theatrically.”
The documentary centers on a long-shot bid by Chris Smalls and other employees at an Amazon facility on Staten Island, New York to form a union. The Jeff Bezos-founded company fiercely opposed the effort.
“On April 1, 2022 a group of ordinary workers (the ALU) in Staten Island made history when they did what everyone thought was impossible: they successfully won their election to become the very first unionized Amazon workplace in America, with no prior organizing experience, no institutional backing, and a total budget of $120,000 raised on GoFundMe,” states a description of the film. “Union focuses on the journey of the worker-turned-organizers, described by ALU President Christian Smalls as the ‘N.W.A. of the organizing world,’ whose highly unconventional journey goes from wearing Money Heist costumes at press conferences to distributing free marijuana to workers.”
The synopsis continues, “The film shows the group through political battles, pivotal strategic events, and interpersonal tensions that test their commitments and their solidarity. Up against a corporate superpower and with legal protections at a drastic low for workers, all odds are against the ALU – who yet remain unswayed in their beliefs in collective action and the dignity and power of the working-class.”
Union premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Award for Art of Change. If one thing could have been predicted at that point, it was that Union wouldn’t be acquired by Amazon (unless for a possible “catch and kill” scenario). But one has to wonder whether the labor-empowerment theme might have scared off other potential high profile distributors. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joins Amazon labor organizer Chris Smalls at a rally on the eve of the union election for the LDJ5 Amazon Sort Center on April 24, 2022 in Staten Island, New York.
“As automation, surveillance, quotas and anti-unionization efforts become the norm, we set out to make a film that would intimately capture a rare view of the extraordinary efforts of worker-turned-organizers taking action at this crucial moment,” Maing said in a statement. “And while corporate consolidations within the distribution landscape narrow opportunities for bold, independent new work, we are thrilled to self-distribute Union theatrically with the expertise of Michael Tuckman and brilliant impact strategists Red Owl Partners and bring this film directly to film loving audiences as well as the workers and organizers directly impacted by the story of this film.”
Story commented, “The past few years have seen a resurgence of labor struggle and political organizing across generations and across sectors. We were so honored to be on the ground from day one of this exceptional unionization effort, and to be given such intimate access to the Amazon labor organizers, whose unlikely campaign is critically important to the future of the labor. At this moment in American history, this is a film that audiences will be excited to see.”
Union is a Level Ground Productions release, presented by Impact Partners, in association with Ford Foundation. The film is directed and produced by Stephen Maing and Brett Story; produced by Samantha Curley, Mars Verrone, Martin Dicicco. Executive producers include Jenny Raskin, Lauren Haber, Geralyn White Dreyfous, The Villa Family, David Levine, Jessica Grimshaw, Nick Shumaker, and Dawn Olmstead. Co-executive producers are Kesley Koenig, Barbara & Eric Dobkin, Paula Froehle & Steve Cohen, Natasha & David Dolby, Meryl Metni, Pierre Hauser, Peter Palandijian, Chelsea Halligan, Ryan Parker, Alexander Carpenter, and Andrew Neel.
Blair McClendon, Malika Zouhali-Worrall and Stephen Maing edited the film; cinematography is by Martin Dicicco and Stephen Maing. Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe composed the score.
Together Films Launches Distribution Campaign Fund For Films Addressing Climate Crisis
Diana Lodderhose Thu, 13 June 2024
EXCLUSIVE: In advance of next week’s Sheffield DocFest, London and New York-based banner Together Films is launching a new Impact Distribution Campaign Fund & Accelerator dubbed Climate Action Together. The fund is designed to amplify powerful films addressing the climate crisis.
In its inaugural year, Climate Action Together will support two film teams whose works are set to launch across various platforms such as festivals, theatrical, non-theatrical, digital or broadcast between January 1, 2025 and June 30, 2025 with a £20,000 ($32,000) cash grant each alongside an in-depth four-month strategy phase and mentorship support.
The fund is looking for applications from filmmakers committed to raising awareness about the climate crisis and advocating for actionable solutions and will target completed features (both scripted and documentary) aimed at inspiring public action and driving policy change in the UK and/or U.S. Current projects in post-production will be eligible if they are completed for public viewing by January 1, 2025.
“Solving the climate crisis requires a collaborative effort across industries and stakeholders,” said Sarah Mosses, Founder and CEO of Together Films. “We are looking for projects that not only highlight the severity of the situation, but also shine a light on innovative solutions and stories of hope. We want to see characters delivering fresh, actionable ideas and solutions that haven’t been seen on screen before. Our goal is to engage audiences in new and impactful ways.”
The fund launch, says Together Films, is partly in reaction to the growing need for filmmakers to access additional capital to support distribution costs, especially where it relates to impactful audiences. Selected film teams can use the grants to cover hard costs such as DCPs, advertising, organizing impact screenings or contribute towards staff working on the release. Applications are welcome from producers without sales or distribution representation.
The deadline for submissions is 5pm ET Wednesday, July 31, 2024 applications can be made here.
Veteran Rep. Spells Out Why She's 'Sick And Tired' Of GOP Colleagues' Abortion Stance
Ben Blanchet Updated Fri, 14 June 2024
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), an Air Force veteran, slammed a majority of House Republicans on Thursday over their opposition to a Pentagon policy that reimburses service members for costs associated with travel to get an abortion.
Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) introduced an amendment, which was later adopted via a 214-207 vote, to the annual defense bill as she looked to the measure as a way to “return” to “protections” of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds on abortions.
“While my colleagues on the other side are taking the anti-woman stance of incentivizing abortions, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense amendment to not only follow the law, enforce the law, but to do so while protecting the most vulnerable, the unborn,” Van Duyne said.
A pair of Republicans — Reps. John Duarte (R-Calif.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) — voted against the amendment, while one Democrat — Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) — backed it.
Houlahan said it “truly saddens” her to have returned to the House floor “yet again” to have the same conversation with lawmakers as she had last year.
“Standing before this chamber as a woman, yet again. A woman who has actually served and actually worn a uniform and actually was a mother in uniform,” Houlahan said.
She added that she’s defending service members’ right to seek medical care when they’re serving the country before taking aim at GOP lawmakers.
“I’m sick and tired of members who have never served telling service members, the same service members they are proud to publicly express their purported support for, that they don’t deserve the financial or otherwise freedom to seek the medical care that they and their family members deserve and need when they need it,” Houlahan said.
The Pennsylvania Democrat later knocked lawmakers who served but “still don’t wish” to afford the ability for current service members to seek reproductive services.
“We should be supporting our family service members, not hindering them,” said Houlahan, who cited the MARCH for Military Servicemembers Act, which would expand abortion access.
GLOBALIZATION AND POST-FORDISM
Europe’s electric car tariffs sting China but won’t halt BYD’s advance
Analysis by Laura He, CNN Thu, 13 June 2024 China Daily/Reuters
After months of investigation, the European Union has announced additional tariffs on electric vehicles (EV) imported from China, because of what it sees as Beijing’s unfair support for companies that undercut European carmakers.
The decision deals a blow to the Chinese government, which had been lobbying hard against the taxes, and EV producers in the country. Most companies are facing hefty extra tariffs of between 17.4% and 38.1%, on top of the 10% duty already levied by the bloc.
The impact on China’s EV makers will vary depending on the level of tariff and each company’s cost structure. Those hardest hit may be forced to raise prices or set up factories in Europe.
And while Beijing is clearly unhappy, analysts say it’s unlikely to want to rush into a full-blown trade war with its second biggest trading partner, not least because of economic pressures at home.
For market leader BYD, which vies with Tesla as the world’s top producer of battery electric vehicles, there’s still space for it to grow in Europe, even with the additional duty, according to Gregor Sebastian, a senior analyst with the Rhodium Group.
Facing the lowest additional levy of 17.4%, BYD could emerge as a relative “winner,” he said. Duties at this level could even allow BYD to cut its already competitive prices to gain market share in Europe.
“BYD is already building a factory in Europe, is likely to still profitably export to the EU even with 17% duties, and can export plug-in hybrids without additional duties,” Sebastian said. The new tariffs only target battery EVs.
Rhodium said in April that BYD’s European profits are 45% higher than in China, meaning that market will still remain highly attractive even after the new tariffs are imposed.
China’s top market
Europe is key to Beijing’s EV ambitions. It overtook Asia as China’s largest EV export market in 2021. That helped propel China into pole position as the world’s No 1 car exporter.
“One critical issue for China is that the EU accounted for 38% of China’s EV exports in 2023,” Sebastian said. “China will not be able to reroute exports to other countries as potential alternatives like Brazil, Turkey and the US have also pulled up drawbridges.”
Last month, the United States quadrupled tariffs on EVs from China, from 25% to 100%, aiming to boost American jobs and manufacturing.
“The EU is the only market left that is both wealthy and large enough to absorb a meaningful amount of China’s excess production of EVs,” said Etienne Soula, a research analyst with Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
The Chinese government has big dreams for the country’s EV industry, part of a broader strategy to surpass America in the global tech race.
In February, nine government agencies, including the Commerce Ministry and the central bank, vowed to provide support to accelerate Chinese EV makers’ global push.
Tesla prices to rise
In contrast to BYD, state-owned carmaker SAIC is in a “disastrous” situation facing 38.1% in additional tariffs, according to Sebastian.
EV sales in the EU accounted for 15% of the company’s total sales in 2023 and early 2024. The Shanghai-based automaker, which was China’s second largest seller of battery EVs, pug-in hybrids and fuel cell cars (NEVs) last year, will likely need to build a factory in Europe to bypass these duties.
Geely, China’s fourth largest NEV retailer and the owner of Volvo, faces 20% in additional duties, a penalty which is likely to be a “mixed bag,” Sebastian said. His analysis suggests Geely could still profitably export to the EU, but margins will narrow severely.
For Tesla (TSLA), which uses China as its base for global exports including to Europe, the situation is also tricky.
The European Commission said Wednesday that the EV giant may receive an individually calculated duty rate at a future stage following a request by the carmaker.
In a message posted to its website in several European countries Thursday, Tesla said it expected to have to raise prices for its Model 3 from July 1 because of the new tariffs.
Sebastian said additional duties above 21% would likely render Tesla’s exports from China to the EU uncompetitive.
Localization coming
The EU’s move is likely to hasten efforts by Chinese carmakers to set up factories in the region.
The “announcement is more likely to accelerate the extent to which Chinese [EV companies] and suppliers manufacture their products within Europe, something that we have already started to see,” said Andrew Bergbaum, global co-head of AlixPartners’ automotive & industrial practice.
BYD announced in December that it would build an EV factory in Hungary, becoming the first major Chinese automaker to build passenger cars in Europe.
While the tariffs would not be good news for consumers and cities with zero emission needs, “the establishment of new European-manufactured electric vehicles by Chinese companies would certainly be welcomed,” said Bergbaum.
However, it also means there will be more competition in a sector that already has too much capacity, leading to large scale disruptions of existing manufacturing sites as they “rebalance their resources”, he added.
UBS analysts, meanwhile, predicted on Wednesday that the number of Chinese manufacturers making inroads in the EU would become “more concentrated.”
Smaller players may become discouraged and give up, even as Chinese industry leaders press ahead. But they also expected Chinese companies to accelerate the location of assembly plants in the EU, a move which would be welcomed by EU member states like Hungry, Italy, and Spain.
Too much to lose
Ahead of the announcement, Beijing had dropped hints that it could retaliate.
Its ministries of commerce and foreign ministries each reiterated Wednesday that China would take “all necessary measures” to defend its interests.
Analysts, though, don’t believe there is a high chance of serious escalation.
“The situation is unlikely to develop into a full-blown trade war, both sides have too much to lose,” Sebastian said.
Soula said China could retaliate by imposing tariffs on some European goods such as luxury cars, premium brandies or airplane parts.
But given the economic pressures that China is already under, it has “limited room” for maneuver when responding to the EU.
Also, “there is still the possibility of (EU) countries who are skeptical of this investigation coming together to diminish the final level of the tariffs,” he said. “In this context, China may want to wait before going all out to avoid hardening attitudes in those member states.”
Currently provisional, the tariffs are due to be introduced on July 4 if discussions with Chinese authorities don’t lead to a mutual agreement.
CNN’s Hanna Ziady and Fred He contributed to reporting.
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Why did the pope cross the road? To host more than 100 comedians
Christopher Lamb, CNN Thu, 13 June 2024
A global gathering of comedians is due to take place Friday in an unlikely venue: the Vatican.
Pope Francis is hosting the equivalent of a “conclave of comedians” by inviting Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock, Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien and others to Rome. Over 200 people are expected at the audience, with more than 100 comedians from 15 countries.
The 87-year-old pontiff is known for his sense of humor. He likes to crack jokes with people he meets, often telling them with a smile: “please pray for me… not against me!” He has repeatedly emphasized the importance of having a sense of humor, saying it is something that he prays for each day.
“A sense of humor lifts you up, it shows your life is short and to take things in the spirit of a redeemer,” Francis once said in an interview. “It is a human attribute, but it is the closest to God’s grace.”
Francis’ meeting on Friday with “artists from the world of humor” is part of his latest attempt to engage with contemporary culture, with the Vatican explaining in a statement that the meeting underlines how the “art of comedy can contribute to a more empathetic and supportive world.”
Others from the US contingent include Tig Notaro, Jim Gaffigan with several Catholics among them: both Gaffigan and Colbert identify as Catholics while Fallon and O’Brien were both raised in the Catholic Church. Also due to attend is Julia Louis-Dreyfus who told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that she had “no idea” what to expect.
AFP Fri, 14 June 2024 at 4:01 am GMT-6·2-min read The pope stuck his thumb in his ear and wiggled his fingers (Simone Risoluti)
Pope Francis on Friday clowned around with over 100 top global comedians including Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock and Jimmy Fallon before leaving to address a summit of G7 leaders in Italy.
"Instead of reading my speech, I'll just do this", the grinning 87-year-old said, as he stuck his thumb in his ear and wiggled his fingers at a room full of humourists.
Francis met with cheers and applause as he began the day with an audience for comedians from 15 countries, from Argentina to Germany and East Timor.
"Sister Act" star Whoopi Goldberg and Julia Louis-Dreyfus of "Seinfeld" fame waved from the front row as the pope entered the gilded and frescoed room at the Vatican.
The 107 comedians included Britain's Stephen Merchant, from TV show "The Office", US stand-up comedian Chris Rock, and Italy's Silvio Orlando, who played a scheming cardinal in "The Young Pope".
Seconds before Francis arrived, Jimmy Fallon, host of the "Tonight Show" in the US, had the room in fits of laughter as he pranced around at the front.
Goldberg has previously joked about offering the pope a cameo in "Sister Act 3".
Asked if she pressed Francis on it Friday, she quipped that "it wasn't the right moment, I'll probably send him an email", according to ANSA news agency.
Francis then headed to Puglia, to join the heads of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US at a summit also attended by leaders from Brazil, India, Kenya, Turkey and Ukraine.
"Immersed as we are in many social and personal emergencies, you have the power to spread serenity and smiles", the pope told the comedians.
"You are among the few to have the ability to speak to very different people, from different generations, backgrounds and cultures," Francis said.
The Argentine will be the first head of the Catholic Church to attend a G7 summit.
Francis has been asked by host Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to talk about the moral and ethical quandaries surrounding artificial intelligence.
He is also expected to conduct a series of bilateral meetings to discuss pressing global issues, including the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
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Did you hear the one about the pope? Francis tells audience of comedians it’s OK to laugh at God
Angela Giuffrida in Rome
THE GUARDIAN Fri, 14 June 2024 Pope Francis said that laughing at God “is not blasphemy” as he met more than 100 comedians from around the world at the Vatican, encouraging them to use their powerful gift of humour to spread laughter “in the midst of so much gloomy news”.
The pontiff, himself prone to the odd quip, invited comedians including Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Stephen Merchant to the audience at the Apostolic Palace on Friday as part of his attempt to engage with contemporary culture.
“In the midst of so much gloomy news, immersed as we are in so many social and even personal emergencies, you have the power to spread peace and smiles,” Francis, 87, said in a speech issued to the press by the Holy See.
“You are among the few to have the ability to speak to very different people, from different generations and cultural backgrounds. You unite people, because laughter is contagious.”
Francis said he has prayed to God for 40 years and asked him for “a good sense of humour”, before adding that it was not blasphemous to “laugh at God”, in the same way we “play and joke with the people we love”. However, he warned the comics that humour can be used “without offending the religious feelings of believers, especially the poor”.
The pope shook hands with the comedians afterwards, while Father Antonio Spadaro, the Vatican’s undersecretary for culture and education, shared a selfie with Whoopi Goldberg on social media.
The vast majority of the comedians present were Italian, followed by 12 from the US. Three came from Ireland – Ardal O’Hanlon, Tommy Tiernan and Patrick Kielty.
Francis told the comics that they managed to make people smile while also “dealing with problems, large and small”. He added: “You denounce abuses of power; you give voice to forgotten situations; you highlight abuses; you point out inappropriate behaviour.”
The Irish comedians were criticised for their attendance in an opinion piece on the Irish news website The Journal. “It seems grossly offensive, at best, that an organisation which presided over and aided in the cover-up of systemic child abuse could have the audacity to suggest it is now time for some laughs,” wrote Simon Tierney, who said that after hearing about the event he recalled another Irish entertainer “who took a rather more defiant approach to a different Pope”.
Tierney was referring to the late Sinead O’Connor, who in 1992 caused a severe backlash after tearing up a photo of Pope John Paul II on live TV in protest against child sexual abuse in the Catholic church.
Francis, who in recent years has been blighted by ill-health, had a busy schedule on Friday, including meeting the president of Cape Verde and bishops from Equatorial Guinea before travelling by helicopter to Puglia, where he will be the first pontiff to address a G7 summit. The pope will lead a discussion about AI and has 10 bilateral meetings on the agenda. Laughter lessons: a comedy watchlist for Pope Francis
Catherine Shoard Fri, 14 June 2024 Giving the audience a grin … Eric Idle and Graham Chapman in Life of Brian.Photograph: Landmark Media/Alamy
A hundred top comedians are generally considered a tough crowd, but Pope Francis had them rolling in the aisles at the Vatican on Friday, with jovial praise for their profession.
“While communication today often generates conflict,” the pontiff continued, “you know how to bring together diverse and sometimes contrary realities. How much we need to learn from you!”
The church has been the source of a great deal of humour over the ages – not all of it welcomed at the time by believers. Here we look at some of the most successful comedies for Pope Francis – and his disciples – to contemplate.
Life of Brian
All study of religious irreverence must begin with Monty Python’s satire about Brian (Graham Chapman), born to Mandy (Terry Jones), in the stable next door to Jesus – prompting considerable confusion. Now considered one of the finest films ever made, it was banned for blasphemy in 1979 across much of the world, including Ireland and Italy. This proved commercially invaluable. In Sweden, its posters read: “So funny it was banned in Norway.”
Father Ted
Among the pope’s congregation was Ardal O’Hanlon, best known as endlessly bewildered Father Dougal in Channel 4’s surreal sitcom about three priests exiled to remotest Craggy Island. Despite their almost total lack of faith, both Dougal and Ted (Dermot Morgan) share a benign decency (money resting in bank accounts notwithstanding) which made them that rare thing in the mid-90s: much-loved high-profile priests.
Now a key comfort watch for many (Maurice Gibb was buried with the boxset), Ted has long since overcome its early controversy. Plus, as its creators once reassured a real priest, it was never intended to be representative. “Lads,” he told them, “you don’t know the half of it.”
Derry Girls
Also in attendance on Friday was Tommy Tiernan, who features in Lisa McGee’s show set in a girls’ Catholic school during the Troubles. The headmistress is the withering Sister George Michael (Siobhán McSweeney), who drips contempt for pupils and priests alike, and only became a nun for the free accommodation.
If that all proves too pointed for the pontiff, he might prefer this soapy Italian series in which an ex-con nun doles out frank advice to young hotties lodging in her convent. Angela’s faith is sincere, though her methods – think slapping local playboys – less conventional.
Sister Act
Whoopi Goldberg is a regular visitor to the Vatican: last year she petitioned Pope Francis to cameo in the third Sister Act film, continuing the adventures of a nightclub singer who seeks refuge from the mob sequestered in Maggie Smith’s nunnery. Goldberg reported that despite being “a bit of a fan”, Francis said he’d have to check his schedule.
The Pope Must Die
Released in the US as the marginally less sacrilegious The Pope Must Diet, this surprisingly tame comedy sees maverick priest Robbie Coltrane accidentally installed in the Vatican. It was released a year after Nuns on the Run, with Coltrane and Eric Idle struggling to suppress their criminal tendencies and heterosexual stirrings beneath enormous habits.
Bruce Almighty
Nothing to trouble the devout in this jolly Jim Carrey romp about an avaricious anchorman offered the chance to play God for a week. Amusing moments conclude with a respectful moral about converting sin into an appreciation of life’s small joys.
The Invention of Lying
This smart and subtle Ricky Gervais comedy is set in an alternative reality in which fibs don’t exist. But when one man works out how to lie, he cooks up the concept of religion to comfort his dying mother: “It’s not an eternity of nothingness. You go to your favourite place in the whole world and everyone you’ve ever loved will be there. And there’s no pain.”
Good Omens
The series based on Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s novel about a bickering angel (David Tennant) and demon (Michael Sheen) teaming up to avert Armageddon portrays heaven and hell as petty bureaucracies and flawed humanity as the universe’s only hope. A mixed message for Christianity, but uplifting seen through the right lens.
The Vicar of Dibley
“You were expecting a bloke: beard, Bible, bad breath. Instead, you got a babe with a bobcut and a magnificent bosom,” declares Dawn French at the start of Richard Curtis’s sitcom. Forged in the heat of the Anglican church agreeing to ordain women, it has since become one of their most effective weapons. Geraldine Granger’s language may be irreverent but you could never doubt her commitment – three consecutive Christmas dinners included.
ANC JOINS OPPOSITION IN RIGHT WING SWING
South Africa's President Ramaphosa is reelected for second term after a dramatic late coalition deal
South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance says it has reached a deal to form a unity government Two smaller parties, the socially conservative Inkatha Freedom Party and the right-wing Patriotic Alliance, will also take part in the unity government.
GERALD IMRAY and MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Updated Sat, 15 June 2024
South African président Cyril Ramaphosa reacts after being reelected as leader of the country in Cape Town, South Africa, Friday, June 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was reelected by lawmakers for a second term on Friday, after his party struck a dramatic late coalition deal with a former political foe just hours before the vote.
Ramaphosa, the leader of the African National Congress, won convincingly in Parliament against a surprise candidate who was also nominated — Julius Malema of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters. Ramaphosa received 283 votes to Malema's 44 in the 400-member house.
The 71-year-old Ramaphosa secured his second term with the help of lawmakers from the country's second biggest party, the Democratic Alliance, and some smaller parties. They backed him in the vote and got him over the finish line following the ANC's loss of its long-held majority in a landmark election two weeks ago that reduced it to 159 seats in Parliament.
During a break in what turned out to be a marathon parliamentary session, the ANC signed the last-minute agreement with the DA, effectively ensuring Ramaphosa stays on as the leader of Africa’s most industrialized economy. The parties will now co-govern South Africa in its first national coalition where no party has a majority in Parliament.
The deal, referred to as a government of national unity, brings the ANC together with the DA, a white-led party that had for years been the main opposition and the fiercest critic of the ANC. At least two other smaller parties also joined the agreement.
Ramaphose called the deal — which sent South Africa into uncharted waters — a “new birth, a new era for our country” and said it was time for parties “to overcome their differences and to work together.”
“This is what we shall do and this is what I am committed to achieve as the president,” he said.
But it lost its 30-year majority in the humbling national election on May 29, a turning point for the country. The vote was held against the backdrop of widespread discontent from South Africans over high levels of poverty, inequality and unemployment.
Analysts warn there might be complications ahead, though, given the starkly different ideologies of the ANC, a former liberation movement, and the centrist, business-friendly DA, which won 21% of the vote in the national election, the second largest share behind the ANC's 40%.
For one, the DA disagreed with the ANC government's move to accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza in a highly sensitive case at the United Nations’ top court.
The DA leader John Steenhuisen was the first to confirm the agreement.
“From today, the DA will co-govern the Republic of South Africa in a spirit of unity and collaboration,” he said as he stepped away from Friday's proceedings for a speech carried live on television in which he said a deal was signed and that the DA lawmakers would vote for Ramaphosa for president.
The Parliament session started at 10 a.m. in the unusual setting of a conference center near Cape Town’s waterfront, after the city’s historic National Assembly building was gutted in a fire in 2022. The house first went through the hourslong swearing-in of hundreds of new lawmakers and electing a speaker and a deputy speaker.
The vote for president started late at night, with the results announced well after 10 p.m. Ramaphosa finished his acceptance speech as the clock ticked past midnight and into Saturday.
Former President Jacob Zuma's MK Party boycotted the session but that did not affect the voting as only a third of the house is needed for a quorum.
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said the party was open to talking with anyone else who wanted to join the unity government. There are 18 political parties represented in Parliament and he said the multi-party agreement would “prioritize the country across the political and ideological divide.”
Some parties, including Malema's EFF, refused to join.
The two other parties that joined the coalition deal were the Inkatha Freedom Party and the Patriotic Alliance, which has drawn attention partly because its leader, Gayton McKenzie, served a prison sentence for bank robbery.
McKenzie said he had been given a second chance in life and that South Africa also had one now, a chance to solve its deep socioeconomic problems.
The ANC had faced a deadline to strike a coalition agreement as Parliament had to vote for the president within 14 days after election results were declared on June 2. The ANC had been trying to strike a coalition agreement for two weeks and the final negotiations went on overnight Thursday to Friday, party officials said.
The new unity government also harked back to the way Mandela, South Africa’s first Black president, invited political opponents to be part of a unity government in 1994 in an act of reconciliation when the ANC had a majority. Ramaphosa had played a key role in those negotiations as a young politician.
This time, the ANC’s hand was forced.
“The ANC has been very magnanimous in that they have accepted defeat and have said, ‘let’s talk,'" PA leader McKenzie said.
South Africa's Ramaphosa re-elected after coalition deal
Julie BOURDIN Sat, 15 June 2024 at 3:40 am GMT-6·4-min read
A former trade unionist turned millionaire businessman, Ramaphosa will preside over a government combining radically different political views (WIKUS DE WET)
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was re-elected for a second term after his humbled ANC cobbled together an unprecedented coalition government.
Lawmakers in Cape Town voted overwhelmingly on Friday to put Ramaphosa, 71, back in office for another five years after the May 29 general election produced no outright winner.
"I am humbled and honoured that you, as members of the National Assembly, have... decided to elect me to be the President of the Republic of South Africa," Ramaphosa said in his acceptance speech.
The election marked a historic turning point for South Africa, ending three decades of dominance by the African National Congress of the late Nelson Mandela.
The party that led the anti-apartheid struggle won only 40 percent of the vote and, for the first time, lost its absolute majority in parliament.
It has now struck a deal to form what it calls a government of national unity.
"This is a historic juncture in the life of our country, which requires that we must work and act together," Ramaphosa said.
ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula said on Friday the broad coalition brings together a majority of the 18 parties that won representation in the 400-seat National Assembly.
These include the centre-right Democratic Alliance (DA), the Zulu nationalist Inkatha Freedom Party and other smaller groups.
Ramaphosa was re-elected by fellow MPs with 283 votes in a secret ballot.
He saw off a last-minute challenge by Julius Malema, the firebrand leader of the radical leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), whose candidacy gained 44 votes.
Ramaphosa will be sworn in next week in Pretoria and then unveil his new cabinet.
South Africa's BRICS allies Russia and China on Saturday welcomed Ramaphosa's re-election with President Xi Jinping sending him a congratulatory note and Russian President Vladimir Putin saying: "We highly appreciate your personal contribution to the development of strategic partnership between our countries".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also congratulated Ramaphosa, hailing South Africa's "joint efforts to restore just peace in Ukraine."
"With your leadership and experience, South Africa is in good hands" the EU Commission's president Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.
Neighbouring Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa said Ramaphosa's second mandate was "ample testimony of the great confidence and trust" South Africans had in him.
- 'Illegal' -
Lawmakers cast their ballot one by one in a lengthy ceremony held in a Cape Town convention centre.
EFF members took the oath wearing red overalls and in some cases rubber boots and plastic construction worker helmets.
They declined to support the incoming administration, having refused to countenance joining an alliance with right-wing or white-led parties.
"This is not a government of national unity, this is a grand coalition between the ANC and white monopoly capital. History will judge you harshly," EFF leader Malema said, after conceding defeat.
Graft-tainted former president Jacob Zuma's new party uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), which came third in the election, has disputed the results and its MPs boycotted Friday's sitting.
"The sitting of the national assembly today as far as we're concerned is illegal and unconstitutional," MK spokesman Nhlamulo Ndhlela told AFP.
A former trade unionist turned millionaire businessman, Ramaphosa will preside over a government combining radically different political views.
The ANC is a historically pan-Africanist, progressive party of the left that has overseen welfare and economic empowerment programmes for poor, black South Africans.
The largest coalition party, the DA, pushes a liberal, free-market agenda. Smaller parties that are understood to have agreed to join the government range from the left to the far right.
"At the heart of this government of national unity statement is a shared respect and defence of our constitution and the rule of law," DA leader John Steenhuisen said.
- No easy road -
The agreement extended to regional coalitions in Johannesburg's Gauteng province and in KwaZulu-Natal, the Zulu heartland.
Zuma's MK won the most votes in the latter but was left empty-handed as coalition members managed to get a wafer-thin majority of 41 out of 80 provincial councillors.
DA's Steenhuisen said the coalition agreement included a consensus mechanism to deal "with the disagreements that will inevitably arise".
Ramaphosa first came to power in 2018 after Zuma was forced out under the cloud of corruption allegations.
Under his watch South Africa suffered from record power cuts, the economy languished and crime remained rife. Unemployment is at almost 33 percent.
He will now have the arduous task to bridge conflicting views within government to turn around South Africa's economic fortunes.
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Ramaphosa is re-elected for second term as South African president, heading broad coalition
NEWS WIRES Sat, 15 June 2024
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was re-elected for a second term on Friday, after his humbled ANC cobbled together an unprecedented coalition government.
Lawmakers in Cape Town voted overwhelmingly to put Ramaphosa, 71, back in office for another five years after the May 29 general election that produced no outright winner.
“I am humbled and honoured that you, as members of the National Assembly, have... decided to elect me to be the President of the Republic of South Africa,” Ramaphosa said in his acceptance speech.
Last month’s election marked a historic turning point for South Africa, ending three decades of dominance by the African National Congress of the late Nelson Mandela.
The party that led the anti-apartheid struggle won only 40 percent of the vote and, for the first time, lost its absolute majority in parliament.
It has now struck a deal to form what it calls a government of national unity.
“This is a historic juncture in the life of our country, which requires that we must work and act together,” Ramaphosa said.
ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula said on Friday the broad coalition brings together a majority of the 18 parties that won representation in the 400-seat National Assembly.
Cyril Ramaphosa: from anti-apartheid activist to leader of South Africa's coalition government
Melissa Chemam Fri, 14 June 2024
Cyril Ramaphosa, the former trade unionist and key participant in the fight against apartheid, is set to be given a second mandate as South Africa's president, albeit without an absolute majority in parliament. He remains the ANC leader too.
Cyril Ramaphosa, 71, emerged weakened from the elections that took place on 29 May.
Some political analysts have even questioned his ability to serve a full second five-year term.
But after weeks of negotiation he has been named leader of South Africa's first coalition government.
Once described by Mandela as one of the most gifted leaders of his generation, Ramaphosa played a key role in the negotiations that brought an end to apartheid in the early 1990s. Emergence of an activist
Born on 17 November 1952 in Johannesburg, Ramaphosa comes from a family that was moved from Western Native Township to Soweto in 1962.
He attended Tshilidzi Primary School, and completed high school at Mphaphuli High School in Sibasa, Venda in 1971.
He registered to study law at the University of the North in 1972, and became involved in student politics, joining the South African Student Organisation (SASO) and the Black People’s Convention (BPC).
In 1974, he was sentenced to 11 months detention in solitary confinement, under Section 6 of the Terrorism Act for organising pro-Frelimo rallies. The Frelimo Liberation Front of Mozambique is a left-wing party that has been in powere in Mozambique since 1977.
He was detained for the second time and held for six months in 1976 following the Soweto student uprising.
He was sworn in as President of the Republic of South Africa on 15 February 2018 following the resignation of Zuma. S. Africa's DA reaches agreement on unity govt - leader
Reuters Videos Updated Fri, 14 Ju
::June 14, 2024
::Cape Town, South Africa
:: John Steenhuisen, Democratic Alliance leader
“It is my privilege to report to you, that after two weeks of thorough negotiations, that only concluded after today’s sitting of parliament had already started, the DA has reached agreement on the statement of intent for the formation of a government of national unity.”
“The government of national unity’s presidential candidate will come from the largest party inside the grouping, being President Cyril Ramaphosa. Following his election today, President Ramaphosa will then exercise his prerogative to appoint his new cabinet, from among the members of the government of national unity, in consultation with the leaders of the constituent parties”.
Once unthinkable, the deal between two sharply antagonistic parties is the most momentous political shift in South Africa since Nelson Mandela led the ANC to victory in the 1994 elections that marked the end of apartheid.
The ANC lost its majority for the first time in an election on May 29 and has spent two weeks locked in intensive behind-the-scenes talks with other parties, which came down to the wire on Friday morning as the new parliament was convening.
Two smaller parties, the socially conservative Inkatha Freedom Party and the right-wing Patriotic Alliance, will also take part in the unity government.
ITALY
The Centennial of an Assassination Offers a Warning for Today
Amy King & Brian J Griffith / Made by History Thu, 13 June 2024 The exhibition "Giacomo Matteotti. Life and Death of a Father of Democracy." at the Museo di Roma on Feb. 29, 2024 in Rome. To mark the centenary of Giacomo Matteotti's death, the Museum of Rome Palazzo Braschi hosted an exhibition tracing the life, the political path and the assassination of the socialist leader.
Credit - Stefano Montesi—Corbis/Corbis via Getty
On May 30, Lorenzo Fontana, President of Italy’s Chamber of Deputies and a member of the right-wing political party Lega (League), announced that the seat once occupied by Giacomo Matteotti, the socialist deputy who was assassinated by Benito Mussolini’s henchmen in 1924, would remain vacant in perpetuity. A plaque was installed to commemorate Matteotti’s political murder, Fontana explained, and the empty seat in the Chamber would stand as a “permanent reminder of his sacrifice.”
A century later, the lessons of Italy’s “Matteotti Crisis” continue to resonate. Marred by the rise of authoritarian leaders, the spread of far-right nationalism and xenophobia, and instances of politically-motivated violence — including most recently a series of attacks and assassination attempts on European political leaders — the Western world increasingly resembles the conditions that produced the Italian crisis in 1924 and 1925. It will take learning from the mistakes made by Italian political leaders to prevent history from disastrously repeating itself.
Following the Versailles Settlement in June 1919, Italy was plunged into a quasi-civil war, marked by cost-of-living riots, left-wing agitation among laborers, and the emergence of Mussolini’s Italian Fighting Squads, which meted out “purificatory” violence against socialist leaders, labor unions, and striking workers. By the summer of 1922, Mussolini’s blackshirted militias nearly rivaled the country’s established forces of law and order.
Following Mussolini’s appointment as Prime Minister that October, and the subsequent spectacle of the March on Rome, political violence in Italy only worsened, especially in the lead up to national elections in 1924. By using violence, or the threat of it, in and around polling stations, Mussolini and his fascist hordes intended to sway election results in favor of the Fascist Party’s candidates. His tactics worked; Mussolini’s alliance of Fascists, liberals, Catholics, and conservatives won a landslide victory, gaining two-thirds of the seats in Parliament.
These illiberal tactics, however, attracted widespread condemnation, above all from militant anti-fascists like Matteotti and his left-wing colleagues in the Chamber. On May 30, 1924, Matteotti vociferously denounced the Fascist Party’s illegal campaigns of intimidation, calling for the annulment of the “illegitimate” results from the April elections. As he sat down at the end of his speech — during which he was interrupted by Mussolini’s supporters more than 100 times — Matteotti turned to his neighbor and told him, perhaps half sarcastically, to begin preparing his funeral oration.
Matteotti’s concerns proved well founded. On June 10, as he was walking from his apartment toward the Chamber’s headquarters in Rome, Matteotti was abducted and stabbed to death with a carpenter’s file by Amerigo Dùmini, a member of the Fascist Party-associated secret police. “You can kill me,” Matteotti is believed to have uttered as he was being spirited away, “but you can never kill the idea within me.”
Matteotti’s disappearance produced outrage across Italy and the Italian Diaspora. On June 27, workers throughout the peninsula put down their tools, while mourners gathered at the site of his kidnapping, praying together and laying red carnations. Simultaneous protests took place in other major cities, including Milan, where workers raised their hats in homage to Matteotti. The protests brought the country to a virtual standstill.
Some fascist sympathizers refused to take part in the commemoration. Instead, they shouted “Viva Mussolini!” (Long Live Mussolini!). In Rome, a group of local Blackshirts organized a public march from Lungotevere Arnaldo da Brescia, where Matteotti was abducted, to his family’s residence where they callously chanted provocative songs and slogans to Matteotti’s mourning widow, Velia.
Workers around the world also rallied in protest against this shocking crime. A mock funeral took place in Baltimore. Organized by the Italian division of the trade union the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, mourners bowed their heads in front of a portrait of Matteotti to mark their participation in “the world’s grief.”
Concerned by the power of Matteotti’s memory at home and abroad, Mussolini’s government declared that nobody could stop to pray within 10 meters of the location of his kidnapping, and it prohibited the donation of flowers and commemorative ribbons. Mourning in the houses of the Parliament was also forbidden, as were mass gatherings in Matteotti’s memory.
Despite these attempts to suppress public outrage, the discovery of Matteotti’s body two months later in a wooded area north of the capital sparked an unprecedented political crisis for Mussolini’s government. A contingent of anti-fascist parties, including Matteotti's Unitary Socialist Party, withdrew from the Chamber, challenging the legitimacy of the Fascist Party. This withdrawal, however, proved to be a fatal mistake, because it left Mussolini and his party without any effective opposition.
Even so, the enormous outpouring over Matteotti’s assassination backed Mussolini into a potentially disastrous political — as well as legal — corner.
On Jan. 3, 1925, Mussolini resolved to put an end to the simmering political crisis. The Duce-in-waiting admitted that he, and he alone, bore the “moral, political, and historical responsibility for all that has happened.” Following this admission, Mussolini issued an unmistakable challenge to those in attendance: “Article 47 of the Constitution says: ‘The Chamber of Deputies has the right to impeach the King’s Ministers and to bring them before the [Senate].’ I formally ask you, is there, in this Chamber or outside of it, someone who would like to apply Article 47?” Fearing violent reprisals for themselves as well as for their constituents, no one volunteered to hold the Prime Minister and his blackshirted hordes accountable for their many crimes, above all the brazen murder of a Member of Parliament.
The following month, Mussolini appointed a new secretary of the Fascist Party who promised “de-Matteottiize” the country. Violence intensified and Italy continued to slide towards dictatorship. On Christmas Eve, Mussolini declared himself Head of Government — in the absence of any opposition — making him answerable only to King Victor Emmanuelle III. On the same day, his government introduced a new law making it illegal for any journalist to publish in Italy without fascist approval, and it banned all opposition parties and organizations. Italy had shifted from a troubled multi-party democracy into a single-party dictatorship.
Under the Duce’s authoritarian leadership, the regime continued to prohibit the commemoration of Matteotti’s assassination. Even so, Matteotti became an internationally recognized symbol of resistance to Fascism. Commemorative protests were held across the U.S. and an Italian American anti-fascist newspaper raised $1,500 ($26,875 in 2024 dollars) in a week for a monument to Matteotti in New York as a reminder of “the sacred cause of justice and human liberty.” Fascism may have won the (ultimately temporary) battle for power but, in the long run, lost the battle over memory.
Today, the political scene in Europe and the U.S. increasingly resembles the conditions of interwar Europe, which resulted in the catastrophe of World War II.
In Italy, for example, Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy — an openly neo-fascist party whose roots lie in a party founded in 1946 by surviving members of Mussolini’s dictatorship — is pursuing a subtle but nonetheless solidly far-right political agenda, with the potential of muting, if not erasing, the Italian Republic’s anti-fascist foundations. The same is the case across Europe, as right-wing strongman figures and illiberal parties — many of them xenophobic — gain ground in places as varied as Germany and Portugal.
And in the U.S., Donald Trump has significantly destabilized American democracy by systematically weaponizing the “culture wars”; advancing “Big Lies,” such as that the 2020 election was stolen and that those convicted for crimes tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection are “hostages”; and threatening retribution against his political opponents. The MAGA movement has garnered vociferous support from groups like the National Socialist Movement, Patriot Front, and the Proud Boys. Much of Trump’s political rhetoric, moreover, is straight from the authoritarian playbook.
Long accused of harboring fascistic tendencies, Trump now faces legal challenges reminiscent of Mussolini's political crisis a century ago. He faces 91 felony charges. But unless he is convicted in more than just the New York hush money trial — an increasingly unlikely outcome — it is possible that Trump could win a second term as President. And following his inauguration in January 2025, which would coincide with the centennial of Mussolini’s infamous declaration of dictatorship in a Chamber empty of any opposition parties, Trump would be well-positioned to similarly bypass law and order completely.
Matteotti’s empty seat in Italy’s Chamber, therefore, serves as a ghostly reminder of both Fascism’s predilection for violence and liberal democracy’s perpetual vulnerability to the challenges posed by authoritarianism. However, it also serves as a fitting memorial to the bravery of an individual who attempted to hold a corrupt political leader to account and vociferously oppose the slow but steady dismantling of democracy. Authoritarians rely on intimidation, the projection of charisma and confidence, and complacency from the citizens they intend to dominate and control. Only collective resolve in opposing the spread of illiberal political cultures can repel today’s authoritarian challengers and safeguard democracy — that’s the lesson of Matteotti’s assassination.
Amy King is a senior lecturer of modern European history at University of Bristol. Her first research monograph, The Politics of Sacrifice: Remembering Italy’s Rogo di Primavalle, was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2024. Brian J Griffith is an assistant professor of European history at California State, University, Fresno. He is currently completing his first research monograph on the political and cultural history of winemaking in Fascist Italy, titled Cultivating Fascism: Wine, Politics, and Identity in Mussolini’s Italy.
Made by History takes readers beyond the headlines with articles written and edited by professional historians. Learn more about Made by History at TIME here. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors.
UK Post Office campaigner Alan Bates given knighthood - but insists there's still 'work to do'
Sky News Updated Fri, 14 June 2024
Alan Bates, the campaigner who highlighted the Post Office scandal, has been given a knighthood in the King's Birthday Honours list.
Other famous faces on the list include artist Tracey Emin and cyclist Mark Cavendish, who were given a damehood and knighthood, respectively.
Former prime minister Gordon Brown has received the highest award possible, being made a Companion of Honour.
Singer Rebecca Ferguson, Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon, Countdown's Susie Dent and Strictly Come Dancing's Amy Dowden were among the showbiz names made MBEs.
Sir Alan founded the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance and told Sky News he is accepting the honour "not just for myself… but on behalf of the whole group".
He described the accolade - given to him for services to justice - as "recognition of the sheer hell that they've been through over the years".
"It's not just for me, it's for all of them," he said.
Sir Alan rejected the offer of an OBE last year because former Post Office boss Paula Vennells had been given a CBE in 2019.
The former CEO handed the award back in January and was later officially stripped of the title by the King amid the fallout from a TV drama on the scandal.
Sir Alan said it would have felt "wrong" to accept an OBE last year, adding it would have felt like "an insult" to other former sub-postmasters.
"We're a lot further forward with everything now," he added.
Sir Alan said the knighthood was "a bit of a shock, a bit out of the blue" - and he initially thought "it was a bit of a wind up".
He admitted he did "weigh up" whether to accept the honour, considering there's still "work to do" and many victims have not received full and fair financial redress.
Sir Alan has encouraged other wronged former sub-postmasters to "stand firm" and not "sell yourself short" - vowing they will "go back to the courts" to fight for compensation if needed this autumn.
He also said that he believed Fujitsu, the company behind the faulty Horizon accounting system, is yet to contribute towards compensation.
"I think they're going to have to cough up somewhere along the line," he said.
"I very much see the government at the moment providing the redress for people, as a sort of middleman.
"I think there's a lot of money to be recovered from elsewhere to repay the taxpayer in all of this."
Meanwhile, it is believed a team of around 80 Metropolitan Police officers are monitoring the Post Office inquiry closely.
Sir Alan insisted they "certainly should be looking at whether or not there are criminal prosecutions that should be brought, and not just for individuals, but corporate charges as well".
Police are still investigating Post Office, says Mr Bates
If police had said they were not investigating the matter, the former sub-postmasters would have fundraised privately to prosecute, he said.
"Unlike them - the Post Office prosecuting the sub-postmasters," he said. "I think we've got to wait and actually see evidence first - before prosecutions."
When asked whether or not he has confidence in the Post Office and its interim chairman Nigel Railton at the moment, Sir Alan replied: "I don't know, but I mean if he decided to sell the business, I would heavily support him."
Sir Alan reflected on how life has changed for him and his wife since the TV programme aired, describing himself as "the least likely celebrity you could find".
"It's always been about the job," he said. "Getting the job done, it's not been about me.
"I still like escaping up to the hills, when I can, by myself."
Sir Alan's wife Suzanne 'very proud'
"She's always been a lady to me," he insisted. "It's not going to change our lives at all. We're just going to be Alan and Suzanne."
Suzanne said she is "very proud" of her husband, who she said is "very, very deserving".
In response to Sir Alan's statement about Fujitsu failing to contribute compensation, the company said in a statement: "The Fujitsu Group has always regarded this matter with the utmost seriousness and offers its deepest apologies to the sub-postmasters and their families.
"The UK statutory public inquiry is ongoing and we remain steadfast in our commitment to cooperate entirely.
"Based on the findings of the inquiry, we will also be working with the UK government on the appropriate actions, including contribution to compensation.
"The Fujitsu Group hopes for a swift resolution that ensures a just outcome for the victims.
Russia has brought out its S-500, an 'experimental' weapon it's never used before, Ukrainian spy chief says as Ukraine hunts air defenses in Crimea
Chris Panella Fri, 14 June 2024 Russia has brought out its S-500, an 'experimental' weapon it's never used before, Ukrainian spy chief says as Ukraine hunts air defenses in Crimea
Russia deployed its only S-500 air defense system in Crimea amid Ukrainian strikes.
The system is "experimental," Ukraine's spy chief said, and has never been used before in combat.
Ukraine has upped its attacks in Crimea, likely hoping to destroy Russia's air defenses in the area.
Russia has deployed its only S-500 air defense system in Crimea as Ukraine ups its attacks on the occupied peninsula, Ukraine's spy chief said this week.
The S-500, an advanced system described by Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate as "experimental," has never been used in combat before.
Russia moved the S-500 to protect the Kerch Bridge, as well as strengthen Russia's air defense network in occupied Crimea, Budanov said Wednesday. The 12-mile-long bridge, which connects mainland Russia to occupied Crimea, is both a streamlined way for Russian forces to reach the area, as well as a symbol of Russia's control of the peninsula.
It's repeatedly been a target for Ukraine's drone boats, bombs, and strikes. Russian air defense assets have also been targets, especially in recent weeks. Explosion causes fire at the Kerch bridge in the Kerch Strait, Crimea on October 08, 2022. A fire broke out early Saturday morning on the Kerch Bridge -- preceded by an explosion -- causing suspension of traffic and bringing bus and train services to a halt.Vera Katkova/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The S-500, called the Prometheus, is a mobile, surface-to-air defense system designed to intercept ballistic missiles and other ranged weapons. The system is "essentially a modernized version of the S-300," the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington DC-based think tank, said Thursday.
The S-500 has been tested multiple times but has never been in combat before. Russia has claimed it's able to intercept all weapons, including hypersonic missiles, which are extremely fast and fly unpredictable paths at low altitudes, but that capability remains unclear.
Russia has previously claimed missiles were hypersonic that weren't and that weapons were unbeatable that also were not.
The S-500's problematic development and production, from the project's start in 2010 to severe delays over the following decade, raised questions about its viability as a system. It was delivered to the armed forces in 2021, though in a limited state unable to meet the requirements for the system.
In April 2024, then-Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that it would enter battle in one of two variations: missile defense and an anti-aircraft role.
Russian troops with new S-400 surface-to-air missile systems after their deployment at a military base outside the town of Gvardeysk in Kaliningrad on March 11, 2019.REUTERS/Vitaly Nevar
The S-500's new role protecting the Kerch Bridge and bolstering Russian air defense capabilities in Crimea comes as Ukraine conducts strikes on the peninsula aimed at making the area untenable for the Russian military.
Since late May, attacks in the area, particularly targeting Russia's air defenses, have intensified. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have reported major strikes, including one this week, hitting S-300 and S-400 systems.
As Ukraine continues to target air defenses on the peninsula, Russia may deploy more of its air defense assets there, ISW said, "making them vulnerable to further Ukrainian strikes." A fight of this nature could strain and deplete Russia's air defense arsenal. An Army Tactical Missile System during live-fire testing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on December 14, 2021White Sands Missile Range/John Hamilton
"ISW previously assessed that Ukrainian forces may be conducting an organized effort to degrade Russian air defenses, which could enable Ukraine to more effectively leverage manned fixed-wing airpower (namely using F-16 fighter jets) in the long term," the think tank wrote.
Ukraine's strikes into Crimea have long been supported by the US and Western allies but come on the heels of US President Joe Biden and other NATO leaders agreeing — in some cases, reluctantly — to let Ukraine use long-range weapons to strike Russian targets in occupied territory.
Per ISW, Ukraine could "in principle" replicate the success of their Crimea strikes in other occupied areas should Western allies approve such strikes, creating opportunities for Ukraine and degrading Russia's capabilities.
Ukraine's use of a Patriot missile system to down Russia's prized A-50 spy plane was 'historic,' said a US air defense officer
Cameron Manley Sat, 15 June 2024 Ukraine's use of a Patriot missile system to down Russia's prized A-50 spy plane was 'historic,' said a US air defense officer
Ukraine used a Patriot missile to down a prized Russian A-50 spy plane earlier this year.
The hi-tech A-50 is crucial for Russia's early warning, command, and control during air operations.
A senior US officer called the destruction of the A-50 a 'SAMbush.'
A senior US Army officer has confirmed that Ukraine used a Patriot missile system to down a Russian A-50 spy plane back in January.
Speaking at the Fires Symposium event last month, Colonel Rosanna Clemente, the assistant chief of staff of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, said that Patriot launchers were "being used to protect static sites and critical national infrastructure" in Ukraine.
"Others are being moved around and doing some really historic things that I haven't seen in 22 years of being an air defender. And one of them is a 'SAMbush,'" she said, referring to surface-to-air missile ambushes that Ukrainians have been performing.
"They're doing that with extremely mobile Patriot systems that were donated by the Germans because the systems are all mounted on the trucks."
She added that Ukrainian anti-aircraft teams used this tactic "to engage the first A-50 C2 system back in January."
On the same day, Ukraine also claimed to have shot down an Ilyushin Il-22 airborne command post.
Ukraine used a Patriot to down the A-50 spy plane in January 2024.Anthony Sweeney/US Army
The A-50, produced by manufacturer Beriev, is a crucial spy plane that allows Russia to detect incoming Ukrainian missiles and identify ground targets. The aircraft can also act as a mobile command-and-control center to direct Russia's air strikes and other attacks. It has a range of over 3,000 miles and can stay airborne for about eight hours.
The plane has been a "key enabler for Russian operations over Ukraine providing airborne early warning of threats as well as command and control functionality," according to British intelligence.
Ukraine claimed it downed a second A-50 in February, though it is not yet clear what weapons were used in this instance.
Russia now only has around 5 operational A-50s left, reports say.
In March, Ukraine also attempted to strike the Beriev manufacturing plant where Russia refurbishes and modernizes its A-50s, the think tank the Institute for the Study of War said.
Russian sources claimed that the plant was repairing an A-50 that had been previously damaged in a drone attack.
