On Monday May 21, 2012, protests continued against a mine in the Espinar province in Peru near Cusco. Protestors claim the Tinaya copper mine, owned by Swiss company Xstrata, is contaminating the water supply of two rivers and dozens of animals have become sick. Additionally, workers claim the company is giving too low an amount of royalties to the local government.

The Catholic Church commissioned a test of the rivers in August and September of 2010 that showed high levels of arsenic, copper, mercury and other heavy metals in the soil and water. Local priest Luciano Ibba claimed, “the people are incensed for all that has happened. The situation is extremely volatile.”

Protestors have acted with violence, injuring at least 30 police officers. According to reports, protestors have thrown stones at the police, set fire to a pasture and destroyed government vehicles. The government claims that police were forced to discharge their weapons on protestors to protect their own lives. It has not been confirmed whether the two deaths of protestors resulted from the police opening fire or the violent nature of the protests.

During the state of emergency, freedom of assembly is suspended and police are given special powers for thirty days. This is the second state of emergency declared for anti-mining protests in the short 10-month presidency of Ollanta Humala. Humala, considered a protector of rural people and a defender of private investment, has recently been critiqued for being too quick to rely on authoritarian tactics to restore order.

At least 24 protestors have been arrested since the state of emergency was declared. One of the activists, Herbert Huaman, is the president of the Front for the Defense of Espinar and was arrested for encouraging more protests. Shortly before his arrest, Huaman said on television, “President Humala, you have been a social crusader, but now you have forgotten, brother, come and converse with us and resolve this problem yourself.”

Another individual who has been arrested is Oscar Mollohuanca, mayor of the Espinar Province. Mollohuanca originally went into hiding but was arrested May 30, 2012 for inciting violence and using public funds to pay for the protests. Mollohuanca claims the charges were “surely handed down because of pressure from above, because what we have here at play are big interests from, for example, mining companies.”

Similar violations of civil liberties were declared in the northern province of Cajamarca last December when civilians protested the building of a gold mine, the Conga mine, by the American-owned company Newmont Mining Co. The project was meant to be one of the biggest mining projects in Peru but locals were unsatisfied with the environmental repercussions. President Humala has suggested the company preserve two of the four lakes it was planning to destroy and create reservoirs for the local water supply. Now the project is on hold while the developers consider whether the added cost of following these suggestions is worth the mine.

However, not everyone is against the creation of these mines. Whereas the rural population of Peru is against these projects that threaten the environmental stability of their homes, most urban Peruvians support them. Just as protests were expected to resume in the Cajamarca region following the protests in Espinar, another protest began on May 29, 2012, in favor of the Conga mine. Many urban Peruvians are pro-development and are looking forward to the associated investments and economic gains from the project. Mining accounts for about 60% of Peru’s export income, but it has alienated the highland peasants due to the frequent contamination of water supply. Consequently, much of Peru has become polarized due to this issue.

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The lower house of the Russian parliament passed a controversial anti-protesting bill Tuesday, June 5th, with a final vote of 241 to 147. The bill will raise unsanctioned public gathering fines 150-fold, from 2,000 rubles to 300,000 rubles ($9000) for citizens and from 5,000 rubles ($1500) to 600,000 rubles ($18000) for government officials. These fine punishments are harsher than even the ones citizens can receive for the storage of nuclear materials in Russia.

Some protesters have attempted to avoid protesting fines in the past by not bringing signs, and instead silently marching in mass numbers. However, the bill also accounts for this possibility and includes punishments for these kinds of protests. Many worry that this bill violates the constitutional right to assembly.

The bill was edited after criticism that it was far too restrictive. Parts of the bill that were even more controversial were removed, including fines for individuals who spread the word about protests and rallies on the internet.

The bill was created after massive protests of more than one hundred thousand people protested opposing Putin’s 12-year rule. Putin’s United Russia party holds the majority in the upper and lower houses of the Russian parliament, and although opposition parties did their best to halt the bill with a slew of amendments, the United Russian party voted down all of them. Putin claims the bill is necessary for the Russian people and claimed, “we must shield our people from radical action.”

Members of the opposition are unsatisfied with this explanation. Sergei Mironov, the leader of Fair Russia opposition faction, claimed the bill will “spit in the face of the Russian people… this odious bill is an attempt to scare the people and shut their mouth.” Another member of the Fair Russia party, Gennady Gudkov warned, “in the past, tightening the screws in Russia has only caused bloodshed. This is a sure path to a civil war.” A member of the Communist Party, Anatoly Lokot argued, “instead of a dialogue you are offering a big stick.”

Even groups who normally support the Kremlin and vote with United Russia were unhappy. The Liberal-Democratic party voted against the bill and also tried to delay it with amendments.

The bill has ignited even more protests outside the State Duma building in recent days. At least twenty opposition activists, including the leader of the liberal Yabloko party, were detained on the Tuesday the bill was passed in the lower house.

Some young professionals who have regularly attended the protests have lost their jobs. One protester, Alisa Obraztsova, a 24-year-old lawyer, stated, “they thought they would discourage the protests by arresting people like me, who had never before been detained, but they only poured fuel on the fire.”

The bill passed in the upper house on Wednesday, June 6th, with only one voting against the bill and one abstaining. Now only Putin’s signature is necessary to sign it into law. The government wants the bill to be signed before a planned anti-government rally the week of June 11th.

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Charlie Gilmour, son of Pink Floyd guitarist Dave Gilmour and a history student at Cambridge University, received a 16-month jail sentence for violent behavior during a protest last year. Thousands of students staged protests against the increase in university tuition in London’s Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square in December.

Gilmour, 21, and some other protesters broke away from the demonstration to attack a convoy transporting Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. He leaped onto the hood of a Jaguar in the royal motorcade and threw a trash bin at the car, and a photograph was taken of him swinging from one of the flags on the Cenotaph, a memorial to dead British war veterans.

He also broke into a store by kicking in a window and stole a mannequin’s leg. Though hanging from the flag was offensive, it was not part of his violent disorder charge, unlike his kicking in store windows with a violent crowd. Lord Justice Anthony Hughes said there was “a serious mob disorder.”

There were times during the demonstration in Parliament Square where Gilmour was a in a good mood before his violent rampage. He was seen shouting good-naturedly and reciting poetry. However, he later tried to set some newspapers on fire in the Supreme Court’s doorway, but was “dissuaded and scampered away.”

Gilmour had been in jail since July, where he was at first sentenced for “outrageous and deeply offensive behavior,” and pleaded guilty to violent disorder. However, he disputed the 16-month long sentence.  Evidence showed that Gilmour was under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and he claimed to have taken LSD and Valium before going on a rampage.

Despite hearing that Gilmour had “successfully reformed and rehabilitated himself” and had dealt with “underlying drug and alcohol problems,” the judge still upheld the sentence. The Court of Appeal commented on Friday, saying that the decision was not “manifestly excessive (nor) wrong in principle” and that the judge at Kingston was “entitled to come to the conclusion which he did.”

Hughes, one of the appeals judges, stated, “We do not believe that violence in this context and of the kind displayed by this defendant can normally be met by other than significant sentences of immediate custody, even for those of otherwise good character.”

Gilmour’s parents were not present at the Court of Appeal for the day of the sentencing.

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The ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protests are still continuing and have now expanded to a second park in New York City, Washington Square Park. Roughly 1,000 protesters marched away from the financial district and headed into the park. After the commotion of the impact the protesters had in Central Park, there are worries the same problems will occur in the Greenwich Village park.

The protesters were blamed for causing environmental damage to Central Park and as a result the park was left in an ‘unsanitized’ condition for over a week. The protests began over three weeks ago and have been going strong ever since, extending out of the island of Manhattan. The protests that originally began in the lower east side of manhattan has now led to 25 cities nationwide.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has criticized the Occupy Wall Street protesters for unfairly blaming ‘hard-working’ people for problems facing America. Bloomberg said ‘I don’t appreciate the bashing of all the hard working people who live and work here and pay the taxes that support our city.’

But there has been some support from Washington for the protesters cause, House Democratic Leader, Nancy Pelosi said “I support the message to the establishment, whether it’s Wall Street or the political establishment and the rest, that change has to happen.”

While there has been support from diplomats for the protesters there has undoubtedly been criticism. Herman Cain, Republican presidential contender spoke about the expansion of ‘Occupy wall Street’ and called the protesters “jealous’ Americans who “play the victim card” and want to “take somebody else’s” Cadillac.

Protester Katie White told Toonari Post “All we are looking for is for union workers and college graduates to have equal employment opportunities and for those who have become very wealthy in America to give their fair share back.” When asked about how the media is portraying the protesters she replied;

“All those accusations are false, we are engaged in a peaceful protest and are causing no harm. We are teachers, fire-fighters, plumbers etc not drug-using bums.” Tuesday 11th marched peacefully protested outside Rupert Murdoch’s Manhattan home as part of a ‘Millionaires March’. They chanted outside his home on 59th street ‘enough is enough!’, and ‘Mr.Murdoch pay your fair share!’.

The protest later moved on towards other millionaires homes, including JP Morgan Chase CEO, Jamie Dimon and David Koch and Howard Mileston. The ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protests have become a symbolic protest of union workers and college graduates fighting for the inequalities of the U.S. These 26 day protests has been captured daily by national and international media.

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Saturday, hundreds of protesters who have gathered in New York’s Zuccotti Park since September 17 marched through the streets. Over 700 protesters, including some members of the media, were arrested as Occupy Wall Street protesters blocked the Brooklyn Bridge, snarling traffic.

Police zip tied protesters and loaded them into city buses to transport them to police stations. The protesters received tickets and were released. The protests, which have been harshly criticized by much of American media for being unorganized without demands, are gaining traction.

The protests are spreading throughout the United States like wildfire. Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Seattle and San Francisco all have their own protests taking shape. On Wednesday, college students are organizing a mass student walkout on what is being deemed America’s “Day of Rage.”

On Sunday, Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Laureate economist and professor at Columbia University, visited the large group. During his informal teach-in, Stiglitz points out that New York City does not allow the use of a megaphone or microphone without a permit. “The fact that you are not allowed to use a megaphone on a Sunday is outrageous,” Stiglitz says.

“We have too many regulations stopping democracy, and not enough regulations stopping Wall Street from misbehaving.” Despite the growing noise from protesters, most politicians, including the President, have been silent on the discontent. White House spokesperson Jay Carney was asked on Monday about the president’s reaction to the protests.

“I’m sure he’s aware of it because he follows the news,” Carney said of Obama’s familiarity with the movement, during a briefing. “To the extent that people are frustrated with the economic situation, we understand.” The movement is getting some more support. Mainstream media devoted more serious news time to the protests, even interviewing some leaders of the group on Monday.

Union workers from all over the country are supporting the cause and plan to take part in a march with Occupy Wall Street on Wednesday. The New York City bus drivers, who helped to transport the arrested protesters to police stations, stated they would not help out with any future arrests.

Workhouse Publicity, a Chelsea-based public relations firm, sent unsolicited emails to members of Occupy Wall Street offering to spread the word about the ongoing protests, The New York Daily News reports.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/matmcdermott/

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The occupy Wall Street protesters have been dismissed by most media outlets. As the group begins their third week of occupation, media outlets are unable to ignore the growing chants any longer. The media’s main outrage with the group has been that they are not organized or do not have a list of demands.

Although, I am not sure the Tea Party events have a list of demands either, but the Tea Party protests with far fewer people get far more coverage and political attention. And they say we have liberal media in America? The protesters at Wall Street have begun to organize and are making a list of demands. The media asked, the protesters answered.

The group released a declaration for occupation on Friday, stating in part that the movement aims to “express a feeling of mass injustice.” The injustices include foreclosure crisis, work place discrimination and student loan debt. The occupation, which has enjoyed a smattering of celebrity endorsements, received some larger supporters on Friday.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka embraced the global occupy Wall Street protests. Asked about the ongoing mass protest in New York’s financial district, which has begun to gain support from major unions, Trumka said Friday morning: “I think it’s a tactic and a valid tactic to call attention to a problem.

Wall Street is out of control. We have three imbalances in this country—the imbalance between imports and exports, the imbalance between employer power and working power, and the imbalance between the real economy and the financial economy. We need to bring back balance to the financial economy, and calling attention to it and peacefully protesting is a very legitimate way of doing it.”

Hailing the power of street protests to shift the dialogue, Trumka said, “I think being in the streets and calling attention to issues is sometimes the only recourse you have because, God only knows, you can go to the Hill, and you can talk to a lot of people and see nothing ever happen…”

More local unions have supported the movement, including a transport union, which has over 38,000 people. The movement has also started to gain attention worldwide as countries in Europe express similar outrage over the growing income inequality.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/kapkap/

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You might have not heard of the “Occupy Wall Street” protests. I wouldn’t fault you if you haven’t. The media has primarily chosen to ignore the growing protests in lower Manhattan. The police have not ignored the protesters, however. Using excessive force against peaceful demonstrators seems to be par for the course in America.

Let’s focus on the mainstream media first. The coverage of the protests on Wall Street has been rather sparse. A quick mention here and there. When any media outlet dives into the occupation in more detail, they inevitably use words such as “unorganized” or “eccentric” about the protests and the people occupying Wall Street.

They point out that the protests is leader-less, (I guess that is a bad thing) and made up of some rag tag weirdos. The mainstream media, forced to cover the growing movement in Egypt earlier this year, used the same terms to describe that demonstration as well. The media clearly does not like citizens using the same rights that pundits hide behind whenever something they say is deemed inappropriate.

Freedom of speech is not just for those on television. The “Occupy Wall Street” protesters are beginning their second week of protests, camping out in Lower Manhattan. Although the protests have generally been peaceful, the police have not responded as such. Over the weekend, over 80 people were arrested by police. Often, these protesters were doing nothing illegal.

A police officer decided to pepper spray the protesters on Saturday.  Think about that for a moment. A police officer sprays a group of protesters while walking by for no reason at all. The video of the incident has been slowed down in super slow motion; there was no reason for the excessive force. Other videos of the weekend are just as shocking.

Protesters are tackled to the ground for using a video camera. An unarmed woman is grabbed over the police barricade by an officer. There was nothing about this protests that seemed American. And I, like others, have wondered why we no longer protest much in this country. Clearly, I have found my answer.

We are no better than other countries despite our desperate beliefs. We execute people. We arrest protesters. We allow the rich to get away with murder while asking more of the middle class. The government controls the media and the corporations control the government.

If we saw these same scenarios in other countries, we would puff out our chests and state how “proud we are to be American.” Yet, in our own backyard, we ignore the injustices. Although the protests in Manhattan are encouraging, they will be silenced. Millions of people protested the Invasion into Iraq but that movement was silenced as well.

I guess the revolution will be televised, or at least broadcast on Youtube. The media may ignore the growing outrage, but with social media—we may be heard anyway.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/shankbone/

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Early Wednesday, Kizza Besigye, the Ugandan opposition leader who has spearheaded the recent protests against rising fuel prices and the election of his opponent, President Yoweri Museveni, claimed that he had been barred from returning to his country after receiving medical treatment in Kenya. Two weeks ago, Dr. Besigye was violently arrested during a protest. After posting bail, he travelled to the neighboring country to be treated for eye injuries he suffered when police attacked his vehicle. They had drenched him with pepper spray and hauled him onto a pick-up truck, according to Reuters.

Dr. Besigye has been highly critical of the incumbent President and the recent elections which he believes was rigged.

The east African country has been plagued by violent clashed between demonstrators and police during protests against rising food and fuel prices. The Daily Mail reported that President Museveni, in power for 25 years, is accusing the opposition of trying to spread chaos to avenge their defeat in February’s disputed presidential elections, in which he won by 68%.

The opposition was heading “walk to work” protests which urge Ugandans to leave their cars at home on Mondays and Thursdays in solidarity with those who cannot afford fuel. However, the protests have sparked violence in the capital Kampala, as well as other major cities for nearly a month, leaving scores of people injured. On Monday, at least nine unarmed people are believed to have been killed – Reuters report that three were shot in the back as they fled security forces.

The scene of the clashed, in pictures, show special water cannons spraying protestors with pink liquid spray. This practice is common in Uganda and elsewhere on the continent, having been used during the Apartheid era in South Africa, most famously in the 1989 Purple Rain Protest in Cape Town, The Daily Mail explains.

After Besigye had left for Kenya, his officials told Reuters that upon his return he would stage a “national prayer” rally on the same day as the inauguration ceremony for Museveni which is tomorrow, Thursday. However, before noon on Wednesday, Beignye told the BBC from Nairobi airport that he had been indirectly denied re-entry to Uganda. “The Ugandan government had told the Kenya Airways chief executive that if they board us the aircraft will not be allowed to land in Uganda and that we were not welcome and that therefore they had absolutely nothing to do if they wanted to fly to Uganda but offload us,” he stated.

The Ugandan authorities have denied any role in the matter. “The government of Uganda has nothing to do with Dr. Besigye’s travel plans from Kenya or any sovereign state,” Fred Opolot, director of the government media centre, stated at a news conference in Kampala. “The understanding is that Dr. Besigye, as per communication from his party, is on his way from Nairobi and should arrive sometime today,” he continued as reported by Reuters.

At noon, Dr Besigye confirmed that he had been given permission to return to the BBC, but had no explanation as to why the authorities had reversed their decision.

It is not clear whether the confusion was a misunderstanding between officials, or a ploy to entice or dwindle the demonstrators.

Dr. Besigye and Mr Museveni are former colleagues, but fell out about 10 years ago. According to the BBC, Besigye had left the country but returned in 2005 with the introduction of multi-party politics.

Photo provided by besigyekizza

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Recently, a group called U.S. Uncut has been organizing protests at Bank of America and other corporations for the past month.  The movement began with U.K. Uncut, which was formed by British workers angry at the draconian austerity measures targeted at the middle class.  U.S. Uncut was formed and quickly followed suit.

On March 26, U.S. Uncut joined in an international day of protest “targeting corporate tax cheats connected to cuts in valuable public services.”  The primary target of the group has been local Bank of America branches although there were some protests at other so-called tax dodgers like Verizon and FedEx.

“Bank of America is bankrupting America,” said US Uncut DC organizer and spokesperson Armand Biroonak, “When they don’t pay their fair share, just like the rest of us, then we are forced to cut $1.7 billion in early childhood education (Head Start & Title I). In America, do we want tax cheats or teachers?”

U.S. Uncut has used primarily social networking sites to get their message out.  They have not received much press, but already has over 16,000 fans on their Facebook page.  “Big corporations in our country dodge up to $100 billion every year,” said US Uncut Seattle organizer and self-described populist Laurie Dunivant-Larsen, “If they paid their taxes this year like the rest of us do, we could also stop the $100 billion in cuts to college loans. With all these tropical tax havens, US corporations make profits in America but barely pay any taxes here. That’s cheating – it’s immoral and un-American.”

The protests have also spread to other parts of the world.  Netherlands, Canada, Portugal, France, Ireland, and Australia all have branches of the group.  The U.K. group is still the largest.  On Saturday, during the international day of protests, demonstrators in London brought the city to a halt.  The Guardian estimates that over 250,000 people were at the protests however some activists suggest the number was closer to 500,000.  In the U.S., one of the largest protests was held outside a local Bank of America branch in Washington, D.C.  The demonstrators carried a large banner that read “Tax Dodger,” and screamed, “Pay your Taxes.”  The group handed out fact sheets on how Bank of America does not pay taxes and was successfully able to shut down the branch.  One member of the protests attempted to get into the bank in order to close his account.  Although, he showed his Bank of America card to security, he was denied entry.

“The government say there is no alternative to the cuts,” said Laura Carpenter of UK Uncut, “The government is making a political choice to cut and privatize public services whilst there are clear alternatives, like making the banks pay for the crisis that they caused or clamping down on tax dodging by corporations and rich individuals.”

“Maybe there isn’t a spending problem. Maybe it is a revenue problem,” said Carl Gibson, Co-Founder of US Uncut from Mississippi, “We The People just have to make sure that corporate tax cheats pay up.”

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One man has ruled Yemen, like many of its neighbors in the Middle East for a very long time. At times it seems like the leaders in the region compete for who stays on the job the longest. President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen is no exception.

Like Egypt’s Mubarak and Tunisia’s Ben Ali, Yemen’s president was planning to mark yet another anniversary of his rule (33rd in his case). However that seems highly unlikely given the recent protests in that country.

The opposition in Yemen has achieved a major milestone in their fight to oust their president. They have agreed in principle to a five-point manifesto that charts the course of their country’s future. They have also made President Saleh agree to some form of unity government as a transitional phase.

Considering that the embattled president has been experiencing increased pressure in his country, with tens of thousands of protestors demanding he resign, it is understandable that he would claim to have found “common ground” with the five point demands of the opposition.

A summary of the five-point agreed to by the opposition is as follows,

1- A peaceful and smooth transition of power before the end of 2011. This point also includes the stipulation that President Saleh will not be allowed to appoint nor recommend any specific candidate, including family members of the president that currently hold high posts in the military.

2- Prohibits the exclusion of the various opposition parties and figures in the coming elections. This includes those in the south of Yemen, the youthful protestors as well as the various exiled Yemeni opposition figures currently living abroad

3- The formation of a new unity government inclusive of opposition members. The new government must give assurance to create an environment in which the next elections occur in a free and fair manner.

4- The right to assemble and protest peacefully.

5- to give financial assistance to those injured during the uprising as well as to the families that have lost loved ones.

The five-point agreement seems to be a comprehensive step in the right direction to expand the rights of the Yemeni people as well as their choices. How the process unfolds and to who power will finally rest is something the remainder of the world will certainly be anxiously awaiting to see.

One thing is certain though, the tremors of this major shake up rocking the whole of the Middle East will be felt by everyone in the months and even years to come.

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