Gambian-born British citizen Momodou Taal, a 30-year-old PhD student at Cornell University, is facing the threat of deportation from the US. His crime? Pro-Palestine activism. 

According to Inside Higher Ed, this may be the first case since the latest spate of pro-Palestine protests kicked off almost a year ago in which a student-visa holder in the US faces deportation.

Taal's most recent troubles began when he and over 100 students protested defence contractors Boeing and L3Harris at a career fair on 18 September.

Students demand Cornell divest from investments in weapons manufacturers, saying such financial relationships make the university complicit in what the International Court of Justice ruled in January a 'plausible' g*nocide in Gaza, as well as ongoing settler violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Continued........In April, about two-thirds of students approved a resolution calling on Cornell to divest from BAE Systems, Boeing, Elbit Systems, General Dynamics, L3Harris Technologies, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX, and ThyssenKrupp.

In the third year of an Africana studies doctoral programme, Taal said the university has yet to follow due process, denying him the ability to go through the proper channels to appeal a possible suspension. An official suspension would nullify Taal's F-1 student visa, forcing him to leave the US immediately. This is the second time he has faced suspension related to pro-Palestine activism.

About 7,000 people have signed on to an open letter demanding Taal's reinstatement.

In his defence, Taal asserts that his actions have been peaceful and within the bounds of the First Amendment. He believes the real issue Cornell wants him gone is because he is a Black Muslim student. Black Students United, the umbrella organisation encompassing dozens of Black cultural, mentorship, performance, professional and Greek organisations, said following through with a suspension would make Cornell an 'unsafe space for all Black students.'

'When it comes to Palestine,' Taal argued, 'the university is willing to forsake its commitments to academic freedom and free speech to protect its corporate interests.'

Do you believe the university is targeting Taal for being an African Muslim?

SOURCES:

https://x.com/MomodouTaal/status/1840878323800694969

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/cornell-protest-palestine-immigration-1235112444

https://cornellsun.com/2024/09/30/student-groups-campaign-for-suspended-pro-palestinian-international-student-as-potential-deportation-looms

https://www.newsweek.com/cornell-student-forced-leave-us-pro-palestinian-activism-1960399

https://www.commondreams.org/news/momodou-taal

https://progressive.org/latest/cornell-students-push-for-divestment-from-companies-arming-israel-dilawar-20240213

https://www.ithaca.com/news/ithaca/cornell-students-shut-down-career-fair-demand-divestment-from-weapons-manufacturers/article_37ec5470-76aa-11ef-a114-f3a94aa47980.html

https://www.ithaca.com/news/cornell-students-approve-resolution-calling-for-university-to-divest-from-weapons-manufacturers-and-support-a/article_4044a630-0117-11ef-8e69-f34850aead99.html

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/global/international-students-us/2024/09/25/could-pro-palestinian-protest-lead-student

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/05/03/international-students-campus-protest-visas

THE GROWING SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST AFRICAN STREAM

Many people worldwide have taken issue with several social media platforms banning African Stream after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed African Stream was 'secretly run' by Russian state-owned TV network RT. Despite Blinken not offering evidence for this claim, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and TikTok gave African Stream the boot two weeks ago.

Pascal Lottaz, an Associate Professor for Neutrality Studies at Kyoto University, underscored the hypocrisy and racism at the heart of this decision. The implication is that African people are too stupid to determine whether a media outlet serves African interests or be able to figure out if something is Russian propaganda. Following that logic, it seems Africans are not smart enough to think for ourselves.

Continued......Of course, the reality is that what is in Africa's best interest is not what is in the best interests of the US ruling class. So, it must deploy any shoddy pretext to shut down anything promoting African liberation.

Lottaz also pointed out that media sites like The New York Times, CNN, and the BBC are also propaganda. While African Stream has a pro-African bias, the BBC, for example, funded by the British government and has a pro-NATO bias. To give another example, Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., one of the largest telecommunication companies in the world, owns CNN.

African Stream has never purported to be neutral. We have always stated that we are 'with the lions, not the hunters,' meaning we defend the oppressed and colonised peoples of the world. We are unapologetically pro-African. Every story we publish is at heart the interests of the masses of African people of the continent and the diaspora. Contrary to what the smear campaigners state, we are not 'Kremlin Propagandists' or 'Iran propagandists' we are 'African Propagandists' . We believe Africans always have the right to make decisions concerning our continent. For that, we offer no apologies and will never relent or compromise.

Video credit: @plottaz

SOURCES:

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/06/media/att-oan/index.html

https://www.state.gov/alerting-the-world-to-rts-global-covert-activities/

https://cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/io/news/african-stream

https://jacobin.com/2024/02/new-york-times-anti-palestinian-bias

https://fair.org/take-action/action-alerts/why-were-government-propaganda-experts-working-on-news-at-cnn/

https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/uk-bbc-exposing-disinformation-peddling

https://x.com/PLottaz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rFBbRmeiJ4

KENYAN ACTIVIST CHARGED WITH CYBERCRIME

Social media-savvy Kenyan lawyer and activist Morara Kebaso is out on bail after authorities charged him on 1 October with cyber harassment for alleging on X (formerly Twitter) that President William Ruto bought a businessman's properties at below-market prices in allegedly corrupt dealings.

Scores of Kenyans cheered in the streets when the court released Kebaso on a $387 cash bail. He is due back in court on 4 October.

The 28-year-old has gained a massive social media following for filming himself touring unfinished government projects, such as a stadium, a housing complex and a nursing school, in an attempt to expose Ruto's misuse of public funds in a country burdened with $82 billion in foreign debt and International Monetary Fund-backed economic policies stripping social services.

Continued... Kebaso has become one of the more recognisable faces of Kenya's politically-conscious youth, who have challenged Western-aligned Ruto over proposed tax hikes, poor governance and corruption. From June to August, police k*lled over 50 people during youth-led protests. Since then, Kebaso and like-minded activists have switched tactics from street protests to countrywide civic education using publicly-raised funds.

Sources:
https://www.knchr.org/Articles/ArtMID/2432/ArticleID/1201/Statement-on-Mukuru-Murders-and-Updates-on-the-Anti-Finance-Bill-Protests

https://www.mwakilishi.com/article/kenya-news/2024-10-01/activist-morara-kebaso-released-on-bail-amid-cyber-harassment-charges

https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2024%3Anewsml_RW842001102024RP1&share=true

https://www.csis.org/analysis/taking-charge-gen-z-leads-historic-protests-kenya

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/7/why-are-kenyans-angry-with-the-imf

https://www.theafricareport.com/361149/kenyas-youth-adopt-new-style-of-anti-ruto-activism/

AFRICAN DIASPORA DEFENDING ETHIOPIA

Africans on the continent and in the diaspora have always worked together and fought alongside one another for common goals. When, on this day in 1935, Italy invaded Ethiopia for a second time, thousands of Africans at home and abroad mobilised to fight the colonialists. Black Harlemites in the United States, South Africans, Jamaicans and many others were clear on their mission: it was time to defend Ethiopia at all costs.

For the Italians, the war was not merely payback for that humiliating defeat 40 years earlier, but a chance to implement dictator Benito Mussolini’s plan to inflate Italy's standing on the world stage. However, for millions, the invasion imperiled Black freedom and dignity across the globe and awakened a strong sense of allegiance that transcended national boundaries.

Continued……Today, we see three countries in the Africa - Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger - defending African freedom and self-determination on the world stage and, like Ethiopia at the time, refusing to be colonised. Yet these three countries are under brutal attack. From terrorist paramilitaries to sanctions to coup attempts to Western media propaganda, the goal of Western powers is very clear: they want to destroy the Alliance of Sahel States.

What lessons can Africans across the world in 2024 learn from this story of the struggle to defend and protect Ethiopia?

CREATOR SLAMS INSTAGRAM OVER AFRICAN STREAM BAN

Silencing us on social media won’t silence our followers. After Instagram and a host of other social-media giants de-platformed African Stream, there was an outcry. Special shout out to our sister @enzegram for snubbing an Insta invitation to a ’creator challenge’ - noting, as she did, that the network is happy to monetise her content while denying Africans a voice. She also called for our page to be re-instated. As she says (to Insta boss @mosseri and FB/Meta CEO @zuck), #iamnotyournegro. We appreciate the gesture of solidarity and thank you all for your support. We will continue to do all we can to amplify African voices and perspectives and work towards an emancipated, pan-African future.

Video credit: @enzegram

ASSANGE: 'CIA SPIED ON MY FAMILY'

The US has long promoted itself as a beacon of democracy and free speech. However, when WikiLeaks exposed US crimes, such as k*lling civilians, mass surveillance and compromising internet security, the United States spent years trying to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on espionage charges, even though he's not a US citizen.

The 53-year-old Australian citizen spent more than five years in Belmarsh Prison in London after taking refuge for almost seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

After pleading guilty in June to one count of breaching the US Espionage Act in a court in the US colony of Northern Mariana Islands, he returned to Australia.

In this 1 October video from his first public appearance, Assange explained the CIA sought retribution for the embarrassing leaks. Tactics included hacking, theft, assassination plans and spying on Assange's family, including trying to obtain DNA samples from his 6-month-old son's diaper.

Continued......If not for Wikileaks, Africans wouldn't have known about the US spying on African leaders at the UN or how a complex financial operation looted Kenya of a reported $1.4 billion benefitting several foreign firms while President Daniel arap Moi (1924-2020) was president between 1978-2002.

Have a watch, and let us know what you think.

SOURCES:

Sources.
Wikileaks exposes Apache pilots
https://wikileaks.org/wiki/Collateral_Murder,_5_Apr_2010

CIA compromised supply chains
https://wikileaks.org/ciav7p1

Assange in Belmarsh
https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/julian-assange-wikileaks-belmarsh-prison

Assange in Ecuadorian embassy
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/timeline-of-the-julian-assange-legal-saga-as-he-makes-a-final-bid-to-avoid-extradition-to-the-u-s

US spying on African leaders at UN
https://www.voanews.com/a/wikileaks-revelations-could-have-serious-consequences-for-africa-says-analyst--111603274/157029.html

Wikileaks exposes Moi
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06NAIROBI607_a.html

Assange timeline
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-11949341

Kenyan looting
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06NAIROBI607_a.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7871697.stm

https://www.africafiles.org/article_id-10731-thisurl-_kenya_asp-urlname-kenya.html

Continued........Sources
News of transfer
https://apnews.com/article/uk-mauritius-chagos-diego-garcia-base-37d13bf54f9769f3621bd41d08a448f8

US UK plans to keep Chagos islands.
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09LONDON1156_a.html

Conservatives oppose the transfer
https://apnews.com/article/uk-mauritius-chagos-diego-garcia-base-37d13bf54f9769f3621bd41d08a448f8

The National Bureau of Economic Research has released a report revealing that Black mothers-to-be in the US are 25% more likely to undergo an unnecessary C-section, thereby exposing them to risks such as ruptured surgical wounds and other post-operation complications, even when they did not require the C-section in the first place. The study looked at one-million births across 68 hospitals in New Jersey.

Additionally, operations on Black expectant mothers are more likely to happen when hospitals have no scheduled C-sections, meaning their operating rooms are sitting empty. Researchers say this suggests that racial bias paired with financial incentives played a role in doctors’ decision-making.

Continued….. According to the World Health Organization, planned and unplanned C-sections account for roughly 1 in 3 births in the US, well above the 10-15% recommended target rate. The new research suggests these figures include a disproportionate number of Black women.

Black women may feel less empowered to push back against the suggestion of a C-section when their labour is not progressing - or, when they do push back, they may be less likely to have their concerns taken seriously.

Studies have shown that Black women are less likely to be taken seriously during an emergency, and this has contributed to high mortality rates in childbirth. For instance, in 2022, there were approximately 22 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in the United States. However, for Black individuals, this number rose sharply to 49.5 deaths per 100,000, according to independent research commissioned by the Commonwealth Fund.

SOURCES:

https://www.nber.org/papers/w32891

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/10/health/cesarean-sections-black-women.html


https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/06/upshot/black-births-maternal-mortality.html

https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/161442/WHO_RHR_15.02_eng.pdf;jsessionid=633CA027FBE695305842402DFE882A33?sequence=1

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/06/04/us-maternal-mortality-rate-higher-other-countries/

TRUMP ADMITS TO WORKING FOR PRO-ISRAEL DONORS

Comedian Jimmy Dore (@jimmy_dore) was shocked out how freely former US President Donald Trump discussed doing favours for pro-Israel donors, especially given how it goes unpunished in a country that has laws against working for foreign states.

US law disallows people advocating on behalf of foreign states, so we wonder why Trump and his Zi*nist billionaire donors, Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, aren't being called out. For example, the US government saw no problem forcing Chinese television network CGTN and Russian television network RT to register as 'foreign agents.'

It is not just a Republican problem, as the Israeli onslaught against Palestinians in Gaza is happening under a Democratic Party president, Joe Biden, himself the top recipient of the pro-Israel donations.

Continued......US support for Israel has come at the expense of US citizens and the internal colony of descendants of enslaved Africans, too. The country suffers from crumbling infrastructure, more than a half-million homeless people and inaccessible healthcare. Meanwhile, Israel is able to provide universal health care and education for its citizens. Israel has received the most US foreign aid since 1948 and since 2019, it has annually received $3.8 billion in US funding. US Secretary of State Alexander Haig (1924-2010) referred to Israel as the 'largest American aircraft carrier in the world that cannot be sunk’ in West Asia.

Let us know what you think of Dore's shock at Trump freely admitting to help pro-Israel donors.

Video: @jimmy_dore (X)

SOURCES:

Biden is biggest recipient of AIPAC money
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/12/how-joe-biden-became-americas-top-israel-hawk/

https://www.reuters.com/world/pressure-rises-biden-democrats-reject-aipac-funds-2024-03-12/


US crumbling infrastructure
https://www.npr.org/2021/03/03/973054080/potholes-grid-failures-aging-tunnels-and-bridges-nations-infrastructure-gets-a-c


US crumbling healthcare
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/01/us-still-has-the-worst-most-expensive-health-care-of-any-high-income-country/


US homeless https://bfi.uchicago.edu/insight/research-summary/the-size-and-census-coverage-of-the-us-homeless-population/


US provides Israel with billions
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-says-it-has-secured-87-billion-us-aid-package-2024-09-26/


Israel has UHC
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/israel-universal-health-care


American schools crumbling
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/america-s-schools-are-falling-disrepair-no-solution-sight-experts-n1269261


Israel spends significantly on education
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-among-highest-in-education-expenditure-as-measured-against-gdp-study

Most foreign aid
https://www.cfr.org/article/us-aid-israel-four-charts

WIKILEAKS: THE AFRICAN ANGLE

Julian Assange says he was only released after pleading guilty to ‘the crime of journalism.’ In an address to the Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the whistleblower detailed a campaign of reprisal by former CIA director Mike Pompeo over Wikileaks’ embarrassing revelations.

His real ‘crime,’ many would argue, was simply lifting the lid on US wrongdoings - by publishing a trove of diplomatic cables that implicate Washington in atrocities and alleged war crimes. Many of these relate directly to Africa.

Here’s a reminder of some of Assange’s key revelations concerning American foul play on the African continent.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger could be eying to join the BRICS economic bloc. Bamako’s foreign minister, Abdoulaye Diop, says he hopes the trio will make a joint membership bid in the “near future.”

Continued.....The three countries, which collectively make up the anti-imperialist Alliance of Sahel States (AES), have been vigorously asserting their sovereignty and self-determination over the past year. Joining BRICS could be a further step in that direction. The bloc - originally founded by Brazil, Russia, India and China - is focused increasingly on dedollarisation and greater economic control outside of Western influence.

Currently, the AES countries use the French-controlled CFA franc, which requires them to hold half of their reserves in the French treasury and which grants France voting and veto power in West and Central African central banks. Officials representing the AES have already publicly stated that they are working to develop a new currency, which will free them from French control. Joining BRICS could enable these countries to make this leap while still having a secure international trading bloc to rely on.

What do you think of the idea?

SOURCES:

https://en.sputniknews.africa/20241003/mali-seeks-brics-membership-probes-ukraines-terrorist-connections-1068531788.html