Italy has become increasingly anti-refugee and anti-migrant under the leadership of Giorgi Meloni’s far-right government - but rights groups have expressed relief after the country’s top court ruled that it is illegal to return seaborne newcomers to Libya. Activists say it’s implicit recognition that Libya is too dangerous - and that those fleeing the country for Europe should be offered shelter and support.

One serious danger is human traffickers who operate along Libya’s coast. The gangs round up migrants and torture and rape them in makeshift prisons, demanding ransom from families. Libyan coastguards are accused of being in cahoots with the traffickers. Captured migrants who die from the abuse are dumped in the desert.

Incidentely, Italy has funnelled millions into the Libyan maritime authority in a bid to stop migrants from leaving.

Do you think the high-court ruling will change how newcomers are treated in Italy?

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NKRUMAH’S AMAZING DEEDS

As the clock struck midnight on 6th March, 1956, the British Union Jack flag was lowered at Accra’s polo grounds and replaced with a new flag consisting of red, green and yellow horizontal strips and a black star in the centre. This ceremony, which was witnessed by multitudes of excited Africans, marked the end of British colonialism in what was then-known as the Gold Coast - and the birth of a new nation known as Ghana. It was a momentous occasion, not just for the people of the new nation but for the entire continent, as it indicated that the winds of freedom that had first gathered in the northern part of Africa were sweeping southwards.

Continued….Ghana’s story can never be fully told without mention of the man who raised the new flag on that day 68 years ago. That man was Kwame Nkrumah - the country’s first post-independence leader. He lived an incredible life, dedicated to the liberation of African people at home and abroad. His accomplishments aren’t as well known as they should be - so, as part of marking the country’s Independence Day, we’ve collected together some of the main ones.

Share, and let us know your favourite Nkrumah facts in the comments… perhaps we can build a Kwame encyclopaedia there!

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A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS!

A video of a security officer training his gun on US airman Aaron Bushnell as he lies burning on the ground during his self-immolation protest in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC has gone viral - and judging by the comments, for many, it represents the twisted priorities that have led to the awful war in Gaza: placing security even before humanity. Many drew parallels to the treatment of Palestinians by Israel and its allies.

Out of respect, we have chosen to blur only to show a still - but it remains a powerful, disturbing image.

The unnamed officer, who could be an American policeman or an Israeli embassy guard, chose protocol over human empathy and kept his firearm aimed at Bushnell. Another security officer in the video can be heard shouting, “I need fire extinguishers, not guns!”

Continued….Bushnell had said he intended to engage in an “extreme form of protest” against his country’s aiding and abetting what he called genocide against Palestinians.

The U.S. has vetoed UN ceasefire proposals three times and has so far failed to use its leverage with Tel Aviv to halt the war.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the US has provided about 21,000 precision-guided munitions to Israel since October 7th, 2023 - including 2,000-pound ‘bunker buster’ bombs.

What are your reactions to this image?

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FATHER OF PAN-AFRICANISM IN AFRICA

Ghana gained its independence from the British on this day in 1957. Its founding father, Kwame Nkrumah, is very influential among Pan-Africanists today. He could have sold out like Mobutu or Compaoré, but was firmly devoted to the freedom of the motherland from all forms of exploitation, especially imperialism. This inevitably made him a target, and the CIA engineered a coup while he was on a trip to China. An avid thinker and writer, one of his most famous books is ‘Neocolonialism - The Last Stage of Imperialism.’

As Africans work towards building a shared future, we highlight Nkrumah’s contribution to Pan-African thought, and explain why many hail him as the father of Pan-Africanism. We honour his memory today by pushing on with the struggle he partook in to free Africa for the benefit of its people.

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MICK WALLACE: ‘E.U. BACKS MOROCCO OCCUPYING WESTERN SAHARA’

In supporting Morocco, the European Union is denying Africans in Western Sahara their right to self-determination, according to Mick Wallace, Irish Member of the European Parliament.

In this clip recently posted on his X account, Wallace ripped into the EU’s support for Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara. The EU has been providing aid to Morocco, while Western Sahara sued the EU in 2023 for not including the territory’s representatives in negotiations over a multi-million euro fisheries deal off part of its 1,110-kilometre coast, which contains plentiful fish and offshore oil and gas resources.

Continued….Through occupation, Morocco also controls about 70 per cent of the world’s phosphate deposits, required for fertiliser production. Western renewable energy companies, such as Siemens and Enel, and the Moroccan king’s energy company, Nareva, already operate wind farms there.

So far, a UN-mandated referendum to determine the disputed territory’s future has yet to take place.

Please let us know what you make of Wallace’s comments.

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REPORTS: NYT MADE UP H*M*S SEX CRIMES

The New York Times falsely reported H*m*s weaponised sexual violence during a 7 October attack on Israel. That’s according to the reportage of independent news outlets such as @intifada, @thegrayzonenews and @mondoweiss. They revealed that one of the article’s co-authors, Anat Schwartz, is a former Israeli military officer with no journalism experience.

Here, online show @breakingpointsn breaks down what happened.

But, what’s your take? Let us know in the comments.

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RACISM IN THE FRENCH PARLIAMENT

With the EU’s European Parliament elections coming up in June, the issue of immigration has taken centre-stage in a number of countries - including France. Its right-wing National Rally party, once led by Marine Le Pen, has vowed to make the vote “a referendum on being swamped by migrants” - in the words of its current president Jordan Bardella.

With the party predicted to enjoy a surge at the ballot, here’s a reminder of what it really stands for. In this clip from 2022, one of its MPs heckles a Black deputy with the cry of, “Go back to Africa!”

Not only does such shameless racism at the highest level ignore the many African families who’ve been part of the European project for generations, it ignores the root reasons why many chose to come to countries like France in the first place - namely, the neocolonial practices that have kept their homelands in poverty (for example, the pittance Paris pays for Nigerien uranium).

Continued…..The “Go back to Africa!” jibe has extra irony when your remember that France and its military have been trying desperately to cling on and stay in Africa, especially in the Sahel - only bowing to demands to pull out of Niger, for example, last December (after Niamey halted croissant deliveries to their base!). Macron had also sworn his ambassador to the country was going nowhere, and it took an active siege by thousands to get the envoy to return to Paris.

So, instead of racist Europeans telling Blacks to go back to Africa, why doesn’t Europe just stop meddling in Africa’s affairs and give back what it stole?

Do you think Europe’s racist parties will win big in the European elections?

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PT. 3: GRENADA’S EDUCATION REVOLUTION 🇬🇩

In part three of African Stream’s series on how Grenada used education to build its revolution between 1979 and 1983, we look at how literacy led to increased political participation. Ordinary Grenadians developed the country’s annual budget and built ties with other revolutionary states.

Let us know in the comments how your country could learn from this experience.

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SOUTH AFRICA NO ‘RAINBOW NATION’

In this clip from South Africa’s ‘Big Debate,’ social justice advocate Lovelyn Nwadeyi broke down why apartheid ended, poking holes in the notion that South Africa is a ‘rainbow nation.’ She also distinguished that white South Africans can remove themselves from the struggle that continued after apartheid ended in the early 1990s. Meanwhile, Black people do not have the same luxury.

Join us for a live show with newly elected British MP George Galloway, British-Iraqi rapper, and journalist Lowkey for a special episode of Pan African Attitude Ep. 5. We will be discussing the Israel lobby, South Africa’s case at the ICJ, Israel’s threat to Africa and of course Galloway’s stunning victory in Rochdale and what lessons we can learn as Africans and anti-imperialists.

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KENYA IS A PLANTATION

Kenya is just one big plantation. So alleges Cyprian Nyamwamu - director of the Future of Kenya Foundation.

His point is that the vast majority of the country’s wealth is controlled by a tiny number of families. Just six, he claims. These own large tracts of land, resources and enterprises that generate 90% of Kenyan GDP.

Chief among them is the Kenyatta family, which owns over 500,000 acres of land, as well as international schools, hotels, banks and more.

Then there are the Moi, Biwott, Odinga, Kirubi and Ndegwa empires. Between them, these families control the bulk of Kenyan industry and sit on its most valuable lands.

INDEPENDENT MEDIA FACT-CHECKS NEW YORK TIMES

Over 10 million people pay to read the New York Times, a 173-year-old daily newspaper that more than 636 million people visited online in January.

However, much smaller independent media outlets such as @TheGrayzoneNews, @Intifada and @Mondoweiss reported that a 28 December Times article about militant group H*m*s using sexual violence against Israelis on 7 October had not been based on evidence. The family of one of the Israelis who died that day said Times reporters pressured relatives to speak and that they had no evidence that their relative was r*ped.

Continued….Further, the outlets reported one of the article’s co-authors, Anat Schwartz, is a former Israeli military officer with no journalism experience. The Intercept reported on 28 February that a Times editor said, ‘We remain confident in the accuracy of our reporting and stand by the team’s investigation.’

In this clip, @AlJazeera mentions that the alternative media outlets debunked the Times’ article. Meanwhile, Grayzone founder @MaxBlumenthal told @jimmy_dore that The Intercept and Democracy Now failed to give due credit to the respective outlets.

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HOW THE CIA WRECKED HAITI

These days, Haiti news always seems to be bad news. But only a few decades ago, the island nation was on a path to becoming a success story - thanks largely to its popularly elected leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. He stood for social justice and reparations from France. That was more than enough for the US to want him removed - and, as leaked diplomatic cables reveal, they did help remove him: twice! The country has been in turmoil ever since. Here is the story of how CIA meddling helped capsize Haitian sovereignty.

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ALABAMA’S BLOODY SUNDAY REMEMBERED

On March 7th, 1965, in Selma, Alabama, police attacked a group of 600 protesters marching against the denial of voting rights to Blacks. Shocking images of people being clubbed and tear-gassed were broadcast on national television, and the incident pressured President Lyndon. B. Johnson to sign the Voting Rights Act three months later. That probably would not have happened had it not been for the bravery of the Selma community who stood up for justice.

Continued….On this day, almost sixty years ago, they marched from Brown Chapel AME Church to Edmund Bridge. Waiting for them was a group of Alabama State Troopers led by Sheriff Jim Carter - himself a segregationist. When the march refused to turn back, officers on horseback attacked them and chased down fleeing women and children. Dozens were severely injured and needed hospital treatment. Among them was protest leader John R. Lewis, an aspiring congressman and founding member and chair of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.

Two days later, another march was held in Selma, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called on people nationwide to turn up. Many did. The courage shown in Alabama should never be forgotten.

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PROTESTERS CONFRONT U.S. LAWMAKER ‘AOC’ ON ‘GENOCIDE’

US Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused pro-Palestine protesters on 4 March of ‘lying’ and insisted that she had been using the word ‘genocide’ to describe Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip. This came after they followed the Democrat with smartphones through what news reports described as a New York movie theatre. Israel has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians since 7 October.

@AOC, as she is popularly known, unseated a 10-term incumbent in 2018 to represent parts of New York City. However, grassroots activists soon expressed disappointment that @RepAOC’s vocal support for Palestinian liberation cooled down after she won the Democratic Party primary in her congressional district.

On 9 October, AOC released a statement condemning militant group H*m*s and calling for a ‘comprehensive ceasefire.’