Code Pink holds solidarity vigil for hunger strikers at GITMO

Guantanimo Bay: The very name rings with the cries of the tortured. Now, with Obama going into his 5th year of ignoring his promise to close it, over half the detainees are on hunger strike, some of them being force-fed. On the 5th of May, Code Pink held a vigil in front of the White House, including a hunger striker of their own in solidarity.

1 min short video

Many are now undergoing 24 hour solidarity fasts in public places, but one of the Code Pink activists had a sign announcing Day 6 of her hunger strike in solidarity with the Gitmo hunger strikers.

Conditions at Guantanimo Bay are deteriorating fast. On the 23ed of April, US troops attacked the detainees en masse, forcing them back to individual cells from communal living. This was a failed attempt to break the will of the hunger strikers. It failed, and the hunger strike has now grown to well over half the detainees.

Familes of Muslims “pre-emptively prosecuted” by FBI or otherwise disappeared speak out

On the 3ed of March, famililes of Muslims entrapped by the FBI, railroaded for charity work, or otherwise unjustly imprisoned by the US spoke out in front of the so-called Department of “Justice.”

Video Highlights note: start to finish clips on file in encrypted storage

Familes of those entrapped by the US are taking a page from the familes of the disappeared in Argentina, where family members of those taken by the former military regime have been instrumental in demanding justice

Much of the day’s emphasis was on the horrors wrought by the deliberate use of a strategy of “pre-emptive prosecution” where the FBI seeks to put people in jail just in case they later decide to do something. This is clearly the objective when undercover provocateurs are used in an effort to get people to agree to carry out acts they otherwise would not. Don’t EVER think this is only for Muslims like the Fort Dix 5. The Cleveland anarchist/bridge case and the people antrapped by Anna are examples of the use of the same strategy against anarchists, animal and Earth liberation activists.

Others were imprisoned on outright false charges for running charities like the Holy Land Foundation that provided food to hungry people, and some seemingly just for being Muslim. This truly is a witch-hunt, with Muslims as the “heretics of the day” for not one but two crusading American presidents.

Hundreds strong Mayday march dukes it out with cops and Nazis, 4 reported arrests

On May 1, 2013, activists at the Mayday parade intended to march from Malcolm X Park to Lafayette Park, with a surprise protest at the GAP and a Maypole ceremony at Lafayette Park. Cops and even Neo-Nazis had other ideas.

Really GOOD video of fighting at GAP store, by “VisionPlanetMedia” on Youtube

DC Direct Action News video:Fighting erupts at the GAP after undercover cop drops GUN, not as good but another angle on same events

Nazis spark 3ed round of police attacks, fighting by White House

Early in the march, one or two cops in their cars acted like they were trying to start something with the marchers. One undercover in a gray sweashirt and dark shades was identified near the front of the march as it began. I have a photo, but have NOT published as I am not sure I got the same guy. It is on file under secure encryption. I do not know if this is the same guy that dropped his gun and holster together while trying to tackle someone at the GAP.

The first confrontation was touched off when cops arrested one person for unknown reasons when the march was on 14th st. The crowd swarmed back, and police were forced to abandon what appeared to be an attempt to arrest another person as protesters ringed them in. The cops did manage to escape with two prisoners according to the latest report, as the marchers didn’t stay put long enough to force the issue all the way to the end. Strangly, at one point I was told that ALL arrestees had been unarrested, but unfortunately that report was false.

After the 14th st confrontation, the march then continued, and it seemed the trouble was over. It was not. When marchers rushed into the GAP outlet on Connecticut Ave, the shit really hit the fan. Protesters were there because GAP labels were found in the infamous Tazareen factory fire in Bangladesh, where workers are fighting furiously to put an end to sweatshops and factory deaths. The GAP is a notorious seller of sweatshop goods. Until the uprisings trigged by the rash of factory fires and the recent factory collapse, multinationals were scrambling to switch from China to Bangladesh due to lower wages.

Now the big clothing retailers are cancelling orders from Bangladesh as huge protests there block shipping from harbors and strikes idle the sweatshops. Protesters in Bangladesh are demanding the execution of the owners of the factory that recently collapsed.

Police vigorously resisted protests at the GAP, and at one point appeared to try to seal several protesters inside. At least one person, maybe more, was arrested there. Suddenly, a person dressed as a protester tackled another protester-and a GUN and holster tumbled out of his clothing to the street. That person was an undercover cop, and their carelessness could have killed people.

With life and death potentially on the line, an incredibly furious street battle erupted instantly. I do not know if the cops managed to make any further arrests, but it was very clear they had to give some to get some, the fight appeared almost evenly matched or possibly a slight edge favoring the protesters.

I have not seen this kind of fighting over protesters entering a public building since IMF protesters stormed the Washington Circle Hotel back in Spring 2010, and even that was not as violent. Since then, protesters rushing the doors, occupying a lobby, then leaving after half an hour or so has been a common occurance in DC with little violence resulting-until now.

After an unknown but apparently low number of arrests, this battle burned itself out, and protesters again returned to the streets to finish the intended march. Only thing was, the “White Student Union” from Towson, including outright neo-Nazis, was also by the White House to counterprotest, sparking a third round of street fighting and intense wrestling over asphalt. At first it looked like the cops wanted to remove the Nazis from the area, but they quickly returned to their usual role of protecting the Nazis, the way they always do,

Despite more police attacks on Mayday marchers, and at least one more person assisted from the field by medics, the Nazis were slowly pushed farther back-and at least one Nazi flag ended up a trophy of war, with pieces of it tied to an activist’s bike.

There were 4 reported arrests at the Mayday parade. This could have been far worse, if the marchers had not supported their comrades fully.

I also saw at least two people helped away from the action by activist medics, and at least one person arrested was also injured.

Grand Jury resisters speak at Georgetown Law

Matthew Duran and Kteeo Olejnik are two of our “silent heroes” who endured months in jail and 60 days in solitary confinement for refusing to snitch to a grand jury investigating anarchists and Occupy activists in and around Seattle. On the 30th of April they spoke at Georgetown Law about what they endured to protect their community.

Video:The Silent Heroes speak

Will Potter of “Green is the New Red” moderated the discussion and Jennifer Kaplan (Kteeo’s attorney) was also present.

Matt and Kteoo were sent to solitary as retaliation for their supporters protesting outside the jail, but this backfired: they became furious and wrote long statements to the judge vowing NEVER to give in and NEVER to snitch. These statements were sucessfully used in court to argue that their detention had become punitive rather than “cooercive,” this prohibiting any further confinement for “civil contempt” and bringing about their release.

Candy billionaire Forrest Mars Jr refuses to meet with climate activists over coal export railroad

On the 23ed of April, climate activists and a Montana resident who lives near a rail line that recently began handling coal trains showed up at the McLean, VA headquarters of Mars, the candy company. Neither Mr Mars nor any of his staff would agree to meet with Climate First! activists or the Montana resident who came out with them.

Video of attempt to meet with Mars candy billionaire Forrest Mars jr.

Candy billionaire Forrest Mars Jr found out a few years ago that a Tongue River Railroad, a proposed coal export rail line in Montana would cross his ranch. At first he funded opposition, but then be bought the development rights and rerouted the line to miss his own land and change nothing else.

If Mr Mars and the rest of those with big investments in exporting US coal get their way, we will all have to live on Mars to escape the “return” on their investment in climate chaos!

Danaher VP Johnathan Graham gets HLS protest at his house

On the evening of the 22nd of April, Danaher Senior Vice President Jonathan Graham got another home demo against his company’s involvement with puppy-killing Huntingdon Life Sciences or HLS. Danaher is the parent company of Beckman-Coulter, a supplier to HLS.

Video of the protest at Jonathan Graham’s house and a failed police attempt to drive protesters off

Near the beginning of the protest, two neighbors asked questions and were supportive of the protest.About 7 minutes into the action cops showed up.

When the first cop first showed up,he attempted to bypass the designated police liason and engage another protester who has been targeted for harassment before. It appeaered his goal was to disrupt the protest. Other cops soon reminded him that the protesters had every legal right to be there under DC and US laws.

After that,the cops knocked on Johnathan Graham’s door, and Mr Graham answered. This proved that he was home, and shouts of “Puppy killer!” answered him.

Shortly therafter, protesters left while the cops were still at Johnathan Graham’s house.

Animal rights delegation calls out API for animal tests at HLS

For 20 days there has been a hunger strike against the American Petroleum Institute (API) over the Keystone XL and other fossil fuels that threaten the climate. Turns out API is also a customer of Huntingdon Life Sciences or HLS.

Video of delegation reading out complaint against API

Prior API contracts at HLS have involved force-feeding known toxic petroleum products to pregnant rats. We all know gasoline can kill you if you drink it, yet pregnant rats have been forced to do exactly that at HLS for API’s curiosity.

In the wake of recent spills of “dilbit” or tar sands tar diluted with unknown solvents, there is the real danger that API will send new contracts to HLS to repeat any vivisection done with crude oil using dilbit or “diluted bitumen” from the Alberta Tar Sands.

API could get the exact same information by interviewing workers cleaning up Exxon’s recent tar sands pipeline, and by paying for medical examinations of affected people.

Oh well, I guess killing puppies(or in this case, pregnant rats) comes cheap to API, given their willingness to be an accessory to murdering PEOPLE along the route of the Keystone XL and around the Alberta Tar Sands mines, for which they are one of the biggest lobbyists. Murder? oh yeah-what else do you call knowingly creating an epidemic of cancer and birth defects among members of at least 14 First Nations tribes that live near the tar sands mines.