Monday 24 December 2007

Solidarity at Xmas

A few days ago, I thought i'd write a post on something to do with xmas, though i wasn't sure what. But today, I got thinking about the whole christian thing of thinking of those less well off etc, which was particularly brought on by the local amnesty international society deciding to write christmas cards to political prisoners. I don't advocate writing xmas cards to everyone though, although i may not necessarily agree with them being imprisoned, my focus will be on working class fighters and revolutionary socialists - as i've little time and i'd rather focus my energies on those most likely to make a difference to ordinary working clas people around the world. For socialists, i think it's important to think about comrades who are not free (I mean relatively free, of course we're all still living in a capitalist world). So below I'm putting up some links to various comrades who are either in prison or have been threatened in some way or another.

Firstly, there are the three student comrades in Nigeria who will be in prison (although they have been granted ridiculous bail terms. I've reported several times on these comrades, and even being involved with some solidarity action in bangor. These comrades still are held with ridiculous charges and will be in prison until new year.
http://www.chinaworker.tk/en/content/news/318/

Secondly, there are activists in Malaysia and members of the Malaysian Socialist Party who have been arrested and charged for protesting, a clear contravention of their democratic rights. Protests are requested as they will be up in court soon.
http://www.socialistworld.net/eng/2007/12/17malaya.html

Thirdly, there is a trade union activist and swedish member of the cwi, Bilbo Goransson who is threatened with explusion from his trade union Kommunal, after helping organise a mass demonstration in Sweden this September.
http://www.socialistworld.net/eng/2007/12/19swedea.html

Fourthly, students in Iran have been detained after protesting earlier this month. Find out more
http://www.socialistworld.net/eng/2007/12/22irana.html

Almost finally, Tommy Sheridan has been charged with perjury (from his court defeat of Murdoch's News of the World). More info is provided in the article but it is clear this is a collosal waste of resources.
http://www.socialistworld.net/eng/2007/12/19defena.html

Finally, some good news, Socialist Alternative is reporting that the Tulwika teachers who last month took part in a walkout against the wars in afghanistan and iraq, have been saved from being fired, which is great news for anti-war activists, although a student is still being suspended and the school has issued somekind of warning to some of the teachers. For more see
http://www.socialistalternative.org/news/article13.php?id=677

anyway, i think i may go back to irregular posting. i've kinda being doing that anyway and it seems to get people to comment more on stuff too.

2 comments:

Phil said...

Well I for one hope you post slightly more regularly than irregularly (can you say that?). I know another SP member who's thinking of taking the blogging plunge, so the more of us who are at it regularly the better!

Leftwing Criminologist said...

the more the merrier! I still intend to post regularly, it's just working to a fixed timescale doesn't seem to work particularly well, so i'll just do what i was doing a while ago and waiting til i had some urgent or a few posts on something before posting owt new