Continued... But, Western powers are not happy about this revolutionary turn of events in Africa. For example, in May, just a few months after Niger tore up a military cooperation agreement with the United States and a few weeks before the US agreed to leave Niger by 15 September, Republican US Congressmember Matt Gaetz called for the US to invade the country. While nothing of the like unfolded, it does not mean that US regime-change tactics are off the table.
To watch the complete episode, check out ‘US, Ukraine, France Failed Coup In Burkina Faso | The West Is Trying To Destabilize AES’ on our Rumble, Patreon and Twitter accounts.
Source:
https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3863464/us-completes-withdrawal-from-ab-201/#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20military%20completed%20its,both%20U.S.%20and%20Nigerien%20forces.
To watch the complete episode, check out ‘US, Ukraine, France Failed Coup In Burkina Faso | The West Is Trying To Destabilize AES’ on our Rumble, Patreon and Twitter accounts.
Source:
https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3863464/us-completes-withdrawal-from-ab-201/#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20military%20completed%20its,both%20U.S.%20and%20Nigerien%20forces.
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REACTION: U.S. CONGRESSMAN CALLS TO INVADE NIGER
Africans everywhere have a responsibility to defend Niger at this moment. Why so? Well, Niger is the first African country to expel US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and to forge a sovereign path with two neighbours, Burkina Faso and Mali. The three countries recently ousted Western-aligned leaders and booted the French military. They also make up the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) confederation. This new anti-imperialist bloc shares defence, economic and foreign policies, and has agreed to issue a joint passport.
In this clip from a recent episode of ‘This Week in Africa,’ African Stream’s livestream collaboration with @authentic_african, Inemesit Richardson says Africans around the world must fight to defend the AES, as they have placed their hopes in the decolonial revolutionary process underway in Africa’s Sahel, an arid region south of the Sahara Desert.
Africans everywhere have a responsibility to defend Niger at this moment. Why so? Well, Niger is the first African country to expel US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and to forge a sovereign path with two neighbours, Burkina Faso and Mali. The three countries recently ousted Western-aligned leaders and booted the French military. They also make up the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) confederation. This new anti-imperialist bloc shares defence, economic and foreign policies, and has agreed to issue a joint passport.
In this clip from a recent episode of ‘This Week in Africa,’ African Stream’s livestream collaboration with @authentic_african, Inemesit Richardson says Africans around the world must fight to defend the AES, as they have placed their hopes in the decolonial revolutionary process underway in Africa’s Sahel, an arid region south of the Sahara Desert.
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THE BLACK PANTHERS: THUGS OR REVOLUTIONARIES?
Mainstream narratives tend to portray the Black Panthers as thugs championing no meaningful ideology, who stood for and advocated for nothing but violence.
This narrative is one that has been challenged critically by members of the Black community and scholars, who have written extensively on, and spoken of, the Black Panther Party's community work.
In this clip, Xavier Buck (@historyin3 on TikTok) - executive director at the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation and all round Black history content producer - enlightens us on the BPP Community Survival Programs, which sought to provide much needed services for the marginalised and impoverished Black community.
The Black Panthers had at least 65 programmes, including to feed the hungry, to keep the elderly safe, to empower and provide mentorship to young people and to create better housing conditions.
Video credit: @historyin3 (TikTok)
Mainstream narratives tend to portray the Black Panthers as thugs championing no meaningful ideology, who stood for and advocated for nothing but violence.
This narrative is one that has been challenged critically by members of the Black community and scholars, who have written extensively on, and spoken of, the Black Panther Party's community work.
In this clip, Xavier Buck (@historyin3 on TikTok) - executive director at the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation and all round Black history content producer - enlightens us on the BPP Community Survival Programs, which sought to provide much needed services for the marginalised and impoverished Black community.
The Black Panthers had at least 65 programmes, including to feed the hungry, to keep the elderly safe, to empower and provide mentorship to young people and to create better housing conditions.
Video credit: @historyin3 (TikTok)
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Continued... As Bobby Seale, one of the founders of the BPP noted in a 2001 interview with the Las Vegas Sun, contrary to the portrayal of the Black Panthers as a violent hate group, "we were students. We were avid readers. We were researchers. We were serious," adding that their "philosophy was about empowering the people."
These survival programmes only support his statements.
Let us know in the comments what you think Black people globally today can learn from the BPP Survival Programs!
Sources:
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-black-panther-party-service-to-the-people-programs_huey-p-newton-foundation/1523466/
https://www.pbs.org/hueypnewton/actions/actions_survival.html
https://practice.malvinharrison.com/survival-programs/
https://bppaln.org/programs
https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/black-panther-party-challenging-police-and-promoting-social-change
https://iphistoryproject.org/resources/bpp-community-survival-programs/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222490/
https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2024-01/Implications%20of%20Housing%20Conditions%20for%20Racial%20Wealth%20and%20Health%20Disparities_0.pdf
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/Worst-Case-Housing-Needs-2021.pdf
https://lasvegassun.com/news/2001/feb/24/seale-black-panthers-wrongly-tagged-as-hoodlums-th/
https://thefederalist.com/2019/01/21/black-panthers-murderous-thugs-dont-deserve-public-accolades/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/spectrum.5.1.02#:~:text=Popular%20and%20scholarly%20narratives%20of,thugs%20remain%20central%20to%20that
These survival programmes only support his statements.
Let us know in the comments what you think Black people globally today can learn from the BPP Survival Programs!
Sources:
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-black-panther-party-service-to-the-people-programs_huey-p-newton-foundation/1523466/
https://www.pbs.org/hueypnewton/actions/actions_survival.html
https://practice.malvinharrison.com/survival-programs/
https://bppaln.org/programs
https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/black-panther-party-challenging-police-and-promoting-social-change
https://iphistoryproject.org/resources/bpp-community-survival-programs/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222490/
https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2024-01/Implications%20of%20Housing%20Conditions%20for%20Racial%20Wealth%20and%20Health%20Disparities_0.pdf
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/Worst-Case-Housing-Needs-2021.pdf
https://lasvegassun.com/news/2001/feb/24/seale-black-panthers-wrongly-tagged-as-hoodlums-th/
https://thefederalist.com/2019/01/21/black-panthers-murderous-thugs-dont-deserve-public-accolades/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/spectrum.5.1.02#:~:text=Popular%20and%20scholarly%20narratives%20of,thugs%20remain%20central%20to%20that
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BURKINABÉ CREATES FIRST 100% AFRICAN TYRE BRAND
A young man from Burkina Faso named Yannick Laurent Bado has created the first fully African-owned tyre brand, JEPEB. The company is set to produce 40,000 tyres per year that can handle rough African roads and off-road terrain for the African market which, up until now, has been dominated by imports.
This is a big step because Western multinationals have exploited the continent for over 130 years.
In 1888, John Dunlop invented the rubber tyre, leading to the European rush to extract rubber, which caused a g*nocide in the Congo Free State (now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
Meanwhile, in 1926, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company began leasing up to 1 million acres (or 10 per cent of arable land) in Liberia at just $0.06 per acre for a 99-year period. The company has been accused of violating labour laws, turning to child labour and forced adult labour, and exercising political control over the country.
A young man from Burkina Faso named Yannick Laurent Bado has created the first fully African-owned tyre brand, JEPEB. The company is set to produce 40,000 tyres per year that can handle rough African roads and off-road terrain for the African market which, up until now, has been dominated by imports.
This is a big step because Western multinationals have exploited the continent for over 130 years.
In 1888, John Dunlop invented the rubber tyre, leading to the European rush to extract rubber, which caused a g*nocide in the Congo Free State (now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
Meanwhile, in 1926, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company began leasing up to 1 million acres (or 10 per cent of arable land) in Liberia at just $0.06 per acre for a 99-year period. The company has been accused of violating labour laws, turning to child labour and forced adult labour, and exercising political control over the country.
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Continued... With this history in mind, perhaps this 100-per cent made in Africa tyre represents a stride toward greater sovereignty for African people.
Sources:
https://www.propublica.org/article/firestone-and-the-warlord-chapter-2
https://thestentornews.com/2024/08/28/burkina-faso-launches-first-tire-brand-manufactured-in-africa/
https://www.237online.com/burkina-faso-naissance-des-premiers-pneus-100-made-in-africa/
https://x.com/Joe__Bassey/status/1826624158299816082?t=YNyizI2nU2VnTYLZJkJ2UQ&s=19
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/11/06/liberia-firestone-rubber-capital-us-war-review-gregg-mitman/
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48533964
https://www.propublica.org/article/firestone-and-the-warlord-chapter-2
https://www.wrm.org.uy/bulletin-articles/liberia-lawsuit-against-firestone-for-slavery-and-child-labor-on-rubber-plantations
https://lithub.com/how-heart-of-darkness-revealed-the-horror-of-congos-rubber-trade
Sources:
https://www.propublica.org/article/firestone-and-the-warlord-chapter-2
https://thestentornews.com/2024/08/28/burkina-faso-launches-first-tire-brand-manufactured-in-africa/
https://www.237online.com/burkina-faso-naissance-des-premiers-pneus-100-made-in-africa/
https://x.com/Joe__Bassey/status/1826624158299816082?t=YNyizI2nU2VnTYLZJkJ2UQ&s=19
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/11/06/liberia-firestone-rubber-capital-us-war-review-gregg-mitman/
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48533964
https://www.propublica.org/article/firestone-and-the-warlord-chapter-2
https://www.wrm.org.uy/bulletin-articles/liberia-lawsuit-against-firestone-for-slavery-and-child-labor-on-rubber-plantations
https://lithub.com/how-heart-of-darkness-revealed-the-horror-of-congos-rubber-trade
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WINNIE MANDELA: HEROINE OF
SOUTH AFRICA
On this day, 88 years ago, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the heroine of South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle, was born. She is affectionately known as the mother of the South African nation. She devoted herself to liberating her people from racist White apartheid rule. We examine why Winnie Mandela is considered one of Africa’s greatest freedom fighters and why she is still highly celebrated in her country, even more so than her more famous ex-husband, Nelson Mandela.
Happy birthday, Mama!
SOUTH AFRICA
On this day, 88 years ago, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the heroine of South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle, was born. She is affectionately known as the mother of the South African nation. She devoted herself to liberating her people from racist White apartheid rule. We examine why Winnie Mandela is considered one of Africa’s greatest freedom fighters and why she is still highly celebrated in her country, even more so than her more famous ex-husband, Nelson Mandela.
Happy birthday, Mama!
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AT U.N., SOUTH AFRICA VOWS TO STAND WITH PALESTINE
South Africa reiterated its commitment to justice for Palestine in the face of Israel’s military onslaught that has k*lled more than 41,000 Palestinians in almost a year. Estimates from medical journal Lancet put the figure as high as 186,000.
In his recent address to the United Nations General Assembly's 79th session in New York, President Cyril Ramaphosa vowed not to be silent as Israel subjects Palestinians to apartheid. South Africa lodged a case at the International Court of Justice against Israel in December 2023, accusing it of gen*cide against Palestinians in Gaza. South Africa has received support and threats, with 13 countries expressing interest in joining the case or filing a declaration of intervention. On the other hand, Israel has lobbied the US Congress to pressure South Africa to drop the case.
South Africa reiterated its commitment to justice for Palestine in the face of Israel’s military onslaught that has k*lled more than 41,000 Palestinians in almost a year. Estimates from medical journal Lancet put the figure as high as 186,000.
In his recent address to the United Nations General Assembly's 79th session in New York, President Cyril Ramaphosa vowed not to be silent as Israel subjects Palestinians to apartheid. South Africa lodged a case at the International Court of Justice against Israel in December 2023, accusing it of gen*cide against Palestinians in Gaza. South Africa has received support and threats, with 13 countries expressing interest in joining the case or filing a declaration of intervention. On the other hand, Israel has lobbied the US Congress to pressure South Africa to drop the case.
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Continued... Apart from the massacres in Gaza, multiple human-rights organisations have said Israel enforces an apartheid regime in the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. They say Israeli policies systematically promote Jewish supremacy over Palestinians through spatial, legal and political divisions.
All this has been possible thanks to the West’s diplomatic, financial, military and political support.
Sources:
SA case at ICJ
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/29/south-africa-files-case-at-icj-accusing-israel-of-genocidal-acts-in-gaza
Support for case
https://unric.org/en/south-africa-vs-israel-12-other-countries-intend-to-join-the-icj-case/
Israeli lobby against SA
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-lobbying-us-congress-south-africa-icj-genocide
US ‘meritless’ claim
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/09/us-slams-south-africas-meritless-israel-genocide-suit.html?os=vpkn75tqhopmkpsxtq
B’Tselem report on apartheid in Israel
https://thisisapartheid.btselem.org/eng/index.html#6
West complicity
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-has-undeniable-complicity-gaza-war-killings-say-former-us-officials-2024-07-03
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240913-wests-complicity-in-israel-crimes-goes-way-beyond-just-weapons-legal-expert/
Gaza number of dead
https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/gaza-strip-palestinian-death-toll-in-gaza-rises-to-41-467/vi-AA1rakLc
Lancet report
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/8/gaza-toll-could-exceed-186000-lancet-study-says
All this has been possible thanks to the West’s diplomatic, financial, military and political support.
Sources:
SA case at ICJ
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/29/south-africa-files-case-at-icj-accusing-israel-of-genocidal-acts-in-gaza
Support for case
https://unric.org/en/south-africa-vs-israel-12-other-countries-intend-to-join-the-icj-case/
Israeli lobby against SA
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-lobbying-us-congress-south-africa-icj-genocide
US ‘meritless’ claim
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/09/us-slams-south-africas-meritless-israel-genocide-suit.html?os=vpkn75tqhopmkpsxtq
B’Tselem report on apartheid in Israel
https://thisisapartheid.btselem.org/eng/index.html#6
West complicity
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-has-undeniable-complicity-gaza-war-killings-say-former-us-officials-2024-07-03
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240913-wests-complicity-in-israel-crimes-goes-way-beyond-just-weapons-legal-expert/
Gaza number of dead
https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/gaza-strip-palestinian-death-toll-in-gaza-rises-to-41-467/vi-AA1rakLc
Lancet report
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/8/gaza-toll-could-exceed-186000-lancet-study-says
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U.S. TO RAMP UP ANTI-CHINA PROPAGANDA
At a time when it’s ferociously targeting alternative media outlets like our own, the US recently passed legislation to allocate $1.6 billion to Western-aligned media and political organisations. This funding is intended to counter growing Chinese influence in the Global South - including projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative, which has boosted infrastructure and connectivity in the region. Democrats and Republicans momentarily closed ranks to pass the bill.
Sources:
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/118/hr1157/text
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/china-cold-war-2669160202/
https://goachronicle.com/us-house-of-representatives-passes-hr-1157-countering-chinas-malign-influence-with-a-1-6-billion-fund/
https://www.state.gov/alerting-the-world-to-rts-global-covert-activities/#:~:text=Per%20German%20newspaper%20Tagesspiel%2C%20Red%20has%20participated%20in%20the%20organization%20of%20protests%20in%20Germany
At a time when it’s ferociously targeting alternative media outlets like our own, the US recently passed legislation to allocate $1.6 billion to Western-aligned media and political organisations. This funding is intended to counter growing Chinese influence in the Global South - including projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative, which has boosted infrastructure and connectivity in the region. Democrats and Republicans momentarily closed ranks to pass the bill.
Sources:
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/118/hr1157/text
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/china-cold-war-2669160202/
https://goachronicle.com/us-house-of-representatives-passes-hr-1157-countering-chinas-malign-influence-with-a-1-6-billion-fund/
https://www.state.gov/alerting-the-world-to-rts-global-covert-activities/#:~:text=Per%20German%20newspaper%20Tagesspiel%2C%20Red%20has%20participated%20in%20the%20organization%20of%20protests%20in%20Germany
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KENYAN COPS FIRED LIVE AMMO AT PROTESTERS - AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
Amnesty International Kenya's executive director Irungu Houghton says Kenyan police unlawfully used lethal and non-lethal force during protests against IMF-backed tax proposals in July and August.
The rights group’s conclusions relate primarily to events on 25th June, when un-uniformed Kenyan officers without official identification fired live rounds at protesters at the country's parliament complex in the capital, Nairobi.
Amnesty says it reconstructed the day's events with five partners and interviewed 23 witnesses. It also analysed dozens of videos and photographs. More than 50 people were killed in months-long protests led by largely young demonstrators over a controversial finance bill. Pressure from these protests eventually succeeded in getting the legislation shelved.
Amnesty International Kenya's executive director Irungu Houghton says Kenyan police unlawfully used lethal and non-lethal force during protests against IMF-backed tax proposals in July and August.
The rights group’s conclusions relate primarily to events on 25th June, when un-uniformed Kenyan officers without official identification fired live rounds at protesters at the country's parliament complex in the capital, Nairobi.
Amnesty says it reconstructed the day's events with five partners and interviewed 23 witnesses. It also analysed dozens of videos and photographs. More than 50 people were killed in months-long protests led by largely young demonstrators over a controversial finance bill. Pressure from these protests eventually succeeded in getting the legislation shelved.
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Continued... Amnesty's report said images showed groups of men in civilian clothes carrying weapons and working alongside the police. Amnesty also said Kenyan police that day unlawfully fired tear gas and beat and arbitrarily detained peaceful demonstrators. In response, some protesters threw back tear gas canisters at officers, hurled stones, broke windows and took flags.
Sources:
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/kenyas-parliament-set-fire-protests-150335972.html
https://www.ntnews.com.au/news/national/kenyan-police-in-plainclothes-fired-on-protesters-amnesty-says/video/1d81c69bfe078bf3a392ccb4aaa831f0
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/kenyan-police-plainclothes-fired-nairobi-protesters-amnesty-says-2024-09-25/
Sources:
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/kenyas-parliament-set-fire-protests-150335972.html
https://www.ntnews.com.au/news/national/kenyan-police-in-plainclothes-fired-on-protesters-amnesty-says/video/1d81c69bfe078bf3a392ccb4aaa831f0
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/kenyan-police-plainclothes-fired-nairobi-protesters-amnesty-says-2024-09-25/
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SENEGAL DEFENDS PALESTINE AT U.N.
Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the president of Senegal, boldly defended Palestine at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. On 25 September, Diomaye Faye reminded listeners that Palestinians, including children, are living under oppression and war. As he mentioned, Senegal is the chair of the UN's Committee for the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.
So far, Israel has k*lled more than 41,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Israeli military and settler brutality have escalated in the West Bank. Multiple human-rights organisations have said Israel operates an apartheid regime between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the president of Senegal, boldly defended Palestine at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. On 25 September, Diomaye Faye reminded listeners that Palestinians, including children, are living under oppression and war. As he mentioned, Senegal is the chair of the UN's Committee for the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.
So far, Israel has k*lled more than 41,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Israeli military and settler brutality have escalated in the West Bank. Multiple human-rights organisations have said Israel operates an apartheid regime between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
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Continued... The people of Senegal have come out to mobilise in defence of Palestine over the past year. Perhaps this pushed Diomaye Faye to speak openly in defence of Palestinian people, an intervention that will be received favourably back home. However, Senegalese protests have also called for the closure of French military bases. Diomaye Faye has not yet responded favourably to those calls.
Sources:
https://www.un.org/unispal/committee/bureau/
https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-189913/
https://www.un.org/unispal/document/the-status-of-jerusalem/
https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/children-gaza-need-lifesaving-support
https://arabstates.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/peace-and-security-2/facts-and-figures-women-and-girls-during-the-war-in-gaza
https://apanews.net/senegal-activists-detained-over-ukraine-protest/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5EL0j2YeDc
https://www.africanews.com/2021/05/22/protesters-in-dakar-express-solidarity-with-palestinians
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/israel-attacks-west-bank-cities-amid-genocide-gaza
https://www.jeuneafrique.com/1588181/politique/au-senegal-bassirou-diomaye-faye-nenvisage-pas-de-rupture-brutale-avec-la-france/
https://thisisapartheid.btselem.org/eng/index.html#6
Sources:
https://www.un.org/unispal/committee/bureau/
https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-189913/
https://www.un.org/unispal/document/the-status-of-jerusalem/
https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/children-gaza-need-lifesaving-support
https://arabstates.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/peace-and-security-2/facts-and-figures-women-and-girls-during-the-war-in-gaza
https://apanews.net/senegal-activists-detained-over-ukraine-protest/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5EL0j2YeDc
https://www.africanews.com/2021/05/22/protesters-in-dakar-express-solidarity-with-palestinians
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/israel-attacks-west-bank-cities-amid-genocide-gaza
https://www.jeuneafrique.com/1588181/politique/au-senegal-bassirou-diomaye-faye-nenvisage-pas-de-rupture-brutale-avec-la-france/
https://thisisapartheid.btselem.org/eng/index.html#6
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U.S. COURT EXECUTES BLACK MAN
The US state of Missouri executed Marcellus 'Khaliifah' Williams (1968-2024) on 24 September, despite mounting evidence casting doubt on his guilt and the victim's family opposing the death sentence for Williams.
Forensic evidence, including DNA found on the murder weapon, did not match Williams, and the conviction relied on the testimony of incentivised informants, who were promised leniency in their criminal cases. Unreliable informant testimony is a major factor in wrongful convictions, especially in capital cases. Further, the jury that convicted him was predominantly white because the prosecutor removed six of seven qualified Black jurors during jury selection.
The US state of Missouri executed Marcellus 'Khaliifah' Williams (1968-2024) on 24 September, despite mounting evidence casting doubt on his guilt and the victim's family opposing the death sentence for Williams.
Forensic evidence, including DNA found on the murder weapon, did not match Williams, and the conviction relied on the testimony of incentivised informants, who were promised leniency in their criminal cases. Unreliable informant testimony is a major factor in wrongful convictions, especially in capital cases. Further, the jury that convicted him was predominantly white because the prosecutor removed six of seven qualified Black jurors during jury selection.
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Continued... Williams, 55, had spent over 23 years on death row for the 1998 murder of a Missouri journalist. He faced legal battles, including two stays of execution in 2015 and 2017. Over time, he converted to Islam, became an imam in the prison and began writing poetry, including a recent one noscriptd, 'The Perplexing Smiles of the Children of Palestine.'
On Monday, the Missouri Supreme Court agreed with Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey's rejection of Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell's attempt to bring a motion to commute Williams' death sentence to life without parole. On Tuesday, the US Supreme Court declined to intervene, leaving Williams to face death that evening.
A 2022 report by the US-based National Registry of Exonerations found 'Black people are about 7-½ times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder in the US than are whites, and about 80 per cent more likely to be innocent than others convicted of murder.' This indicates Williams' case is sadly all too common in the US context.
Williams' final statement read, 'All Praise Be to Allah in Every Situation!!!'
Sources:
The case of Marcellus
https://innocenceproject.org/who-is-marcellus-williams-man-facing-execution-in-missouri-despite-dna-evidence-supporting-innocence/
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/24/us/marcellus-williams-execution-missouri.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz9p518j0nqo
https://www.instagram.com/palestinianyouthmovement/p/DAUDsPZvg5X/?img_index=2
The case of George Stinney Jr
https://allthatsinteresting.com/george-stinney-jr
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/report-black-people-7-5-times-more-likely-to-be-wrongfully-convicted-of-murder-than-whites-risk-even-greater-if-victim-was-white
On Monday, the Missouri Supreme Court agreed with Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey's rejection of Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell's attempt to bring a motion to commute Williams' death sentence to life without parole. On Tuesday, the US Supreme Court declined to intervene, leaving Williams to face death that evening.
A 2022 report by the US-based National Registry of Exonerations found 'Black people are about 7-½ times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder in the US than are whites, and about 80 per cent more likely to be innocent than others convicted of murder.' This indicates Williams' case is sadly all too common in the US context.
Williams' final statement read, 'All Praise Be to Allah in Every Situation!!!'
Sources:
The case of Marcellus
https://innocenceproject.org/who-is-marcellus-williams-man-facing-execution-in-missouri-despite-dna-evidence-supporting-innocence/
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/24/us/marcellus-williams-execution-missouri.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz9p518j0nqo
https://www.instagram.com/palestinianyouthmovement/p/DAUDsPZvg5X/?img_index=2
The case of George Stinney Jr
https://allthatsinteresting.com/george-stinney-jr
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/report-black-people-7-5-times-more-likely-to-be-wrongfully-convicted-of-murder-than-whites-risk-even-greater-if-victim-was-white
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WHAT IS THE PHILADELPHI CORRIDOR AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Israel's seizure in May of the Philadelphia Corridor - that is, of Gaza’s border with Egypt - is reshaping relations with Cairo.
The move not only violates the 1979 Camp David Accords, under which the area is supposed to be demilitarised, it also makes it harder for aid to enter Gaza, with Tel Aviv now in control of the key Rafah crossing.
Additionally, it makes a ceasefire less probable, with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu relying ever more on the far-right elements in his cabinet, which helped him authorise the seizure.
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/sep/03/what-is-the-philadelphi-corridor-israel-gaza-egypt-netanyahu
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gazas-philadelphi-corridor-its-importance-ceasefire-talks-2024-09-06/
https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-philadelphi-corridor-gaza.html
Israel's seizure in May of the Philadelphia Corridor - that is, of Gaza’s border with Egypt - is reshaping relations with Cairo.
The move not only violates the 1979 Camp David Accords, under which the area is supposed to be demilitarised, it also makes it harder for aid to enter Gaza, with Tel Aviv now in control of the key Rafah crossing.
Additionally, it makes a ceasefire less probable, with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu relying ever more on the far-right elements in his cabinet, which helped him authorise the seizure.
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/sep/03/what-is-the-philadelphi-corridor-israel-gaza-egypt-netanyahu
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gazas-philadelphi-corridor-its-importance-ceasefire-talks-2024-09-06/
https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-philadelphi-corridor-gaza.html
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