#democracy now

[phoenixyfriend]

Suggested Listening: Columbia Protests (as of 4/25/24)

Alright, folks, I've seen a couple different approaches to this situation, and I think there's something to be learned from each of the below. I know some of them have a contested reputation, but all media sources have a bias and I will be including some context on those biases.

The podcasts I'm sharing are:

The Daily (New York Times)

The Take (Al Jazeera)

Democracy Now! (independent radio broadcast)

Global News Podcast (BBC Radio)

It's come up a few times on NPR as well, but not in enough detail for me to include. I will be linking Spotify, but these are all available elsewhere, though official transcripts can take several days.

The Daily - April 25th, 2024: This podcast is a production of The New York Times. The paper is left-leaning, but has a noted bias towards Israel, and has run into trouble on trans issues in the recent past. The podcast is further left, though still more cautiously moderate than something like Democracy Now; the podcast has previously been responsible for fact checks against the more biased NYT opinion pieces.*

Why you should listen to it: This episode provides the most comprehensive timeline to what has happened, in what order, and why certain actions have been taken. It is notably more sympathetic to Columbia University President Shafik than other coverage, though that may just be the natural result of explaining the current political pressures. It is still more sympathetic to the protesters than to her, but I do think this is helpful for establishing a timeline of events. It is not the only one, and I will share another below.

* That infamous article about the alleged systemic sexual violence that Hamas committed on Oct. 7th was put through a fact checker by the podcast team when it came time to do an episode about it, and the inability to substantiate it led to not only the episode being cancelled, but the article itself being (quietly) edited to note that it was not substantiated. The NYT did not handle it well, but I want to make it clear that the podcast team is independent in many respects, and while I've taken issue with some of their episodes, they often have more comprehensive coverage of certain matters.

The Take - April 25th, 2024: This is a podcast from the English-speaking branch of Al Jazeera, a Qatari news organization that, while independent, does receive a certain amount of funding from the Qatari government. By that measure, I do hesitate to place it on a left-right scale due to existing outside the Western political spectrum. As a Middle Eastern, Arab news org, Al Jazeera provides a perspective much closer to the action than others, and one that is generally much more sympathetic to Muslim and Arab voices. It is also, like the others on this list, an award-winning journal. At this time, Al Jazeera is considered one of the most reliable news sources for information on what is happening in Gaza, through their Palestinian correspondents; they have also been banned in Israel as antisemitic propaganda.

I need to make it very clear that I am not in any way denigrating it for having Qatari government funding; the BBC shares many of those factors, just British.

Why you should listen to it: Al Jazeera got a reporter into the student protest encampment in Columbia, and got more direct interviews with some of the students on the ground. This is part two of their coverage of the protests; Part One (April 24th, 2024)provides another perspective of the timeline, which focuses on different factors, generally closer to the events in Columbia than the national factors.

Democracy Now! - April 23rd, 2024: This is a far left/progressive radio broadcast (repackaged for podcast streaming) that has been running since 1996. They often have interviews with people that I haven't necessarily seen other podcasts bring in, and while I would not consider them extreme, I do sometimes find that certain details get left out in pursuit of a more black-and-white narrative.

Why you should listen to it: Cohost Juan González has been in the field of progressive journalism for a very long time, but it's more relevant than ever for this episode: González was one of the original organizers for the 1968 Columbia protests that resulted in one of the largest mass arrests in NYPD history. The 1968 protests were massive, and deeply impactful on a national scale. González's perspective on how this current protest compares to the one he helped organize nearly sixty years ago is a fascinating way to think about the current events.

Global News Podcast - April 25th, 2024: BBC is a very centrist source for journalism, funded primarily by the UK government and advertising. As such, their coverage tends to lean in favor of the current party, though they do not 'toe the party line' as such. They do regularly platform right-wing activists, but they also have correspondents in the Middle East with a more progressive perspective. I would compare them to CNN in the US; ineffective in terms of opinion, and comparatively milquetoast on that front, but capable of getting access to high-level events that smaller networks aren't.

Why you should listen to it: ...honestly, this is just a 'round it out' kind of suggestion, to get an idea of what the international community is thinking of the events at Columbia. I don't think they necessarily contribute much in terms of factual discovery, but it helps with getting the lay of the land.

#phoenix politics #current events #gaza #palestine #pro palestine #united states #new york #nyc #new york city #new york times #nyt #the daily #the take #al jazeera #democracy now #juan gonzalez #bbc #bbc global news #podcasts #columbia #university of columbia #Minouche Shafik

[grotto-esque]

...

#Palestine will be free #how anyone can still think Israel has any credibility is beyond me #democracy now

[i-am-aprl]

South Africa Lays Out Genocide Case vs. Israel at World Court in The Hague

South Africa began to make its case Thursday at the International Court of Justice that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. In their opening statements, South Africa’s lawyers argued that the sheer scale of Israel’s violence, which has so far killed more than 23,000 people since October 7, is part of a political and military strategy aimed at the destruction of Palestinian life, using statements from top Israeli leaders to show genocidal intent. Israel and the United States have both vehemently rejected the charges. South Africa is seeking a provisional measure from the top U.N. court to stop Israel’s military campaign, though a final ruling could take years. We feature highlights from the first day of proceedings at The Hague.

#south africa #palestine #democracy now #gaza #free palestine #israel #free gaza #i stand with palestine #jerusalem #فلسطين #Youtube

[cock-holliday]

In a letter explaining his resignation, Paul condemned what he called U.S. “blind support” for Israel as “an impulsive reaction built on confirmation bias, political convenience, intellectual bankruptcy, and bureaucratic inertia.” Paul wrote that his greatest desire was to see both Israelis and Palestinians flourish, adding, “Collective punishment is an enemy to that desire, whether it involves demolishing one home, or one thousand; as too is ethnic cleansing; as too is occupation; as too is apartheid.”

#democracy now #palestine #biden #biden administration

[gowns]

AMY GOODMAN: We have just been joined on the phone by Raji Sourani [...] the award-winning human rights lawyer and director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights in Gaza. [...] Can you tell us what happened?

RAJI SOURANI: I think the world should be worried about the crimes going on against Palestinian civilians, who are for the 18th consecutive day in the eye of the storm. They are the target. They are the target of the F-16s, of the cannons, of the gunships, day or night, 25 hours a day. They almost destroyed — they destroyed Gaza. I mean, it’s unbelievable, this army targeting only civilians and civilian targets — towers, houses, hospitals, churches, mosques, schools, shelter places, ambulances, nurses, doctors, journalists. This is the most political army — this is the most political army in the world. This is the mighty Israel, its might and power targeting civilians. They are doing war crimes, crimes against humanity, persecution for 2.4 million people for the last 18 days.

Unfortunately, this colonial, racist West supporting them by all ways and means. They are supporting them with money, with guns, with airplanes, with all what they need to do this crime. They are complicit by supporting them politically and militarily and politically. It’s shame this is happening in the 21st century, while these war crimes not secret enough. It’s projected live on air, and the entire world see it. And the ICC prosecutor, who issued warrants against Putin because he committed war crimes against civilians, because he invaded and made occupation to Ukraine, and here we have this prolonged military occupation, we have prolonged blockade, which is criminal, suffocated people here, we have five consecutive wars, and this is the sixth, and he is doing nothing. He is doing nothing except, you know, freezing the investigation of the war crimes committed by Israel and the Israeli army.

[...]

AMY GOODMAN: Raji, you’re talking about the International Criminal Court prosecutor, Karim Khan?

RAJI SOURANI: Yes, yes. He is complicit. He is selectively dealing with the Rome Statute, with the investigations, and he’s politically charging the International Criminal Court. Shame on him. He didn’t say one statement, since day one 'til this moment. He should be the backbone of the victims who are suffering in this part of the world. And he sees that, and he knows that, and he receives reports about that. And he's doing nothing.

So, U.S. and Mr. Biden — I’m saying to him — you are complicit. You are part of these crimes, because you are allowing, with your arms, civilians to be targeted and killed. We have almost 1,200 people for almost two weeks under the wreckage and under the destroyed houses, unable to be recovered. We have 57 families deleted, don’t exist anymore, because 20, 25, 30 of them have been killed in one second. We have churches targeted, and people died in it. We have mosques, people sheltered in it, and they were killed. Why you are allowing this to happen? Why you are seeing, watching, supporting Israel? Israel right of defense? Or it should be protecting civilians at the time of war. IHL, international humanitarian law, and human rights, Rome Statute, it’s there simply, Amy, to protect civilians at a time of war. And nobody is protecting us. We are the target of the Israeli army. They want to evict Gaza, and they create a new Nakba. They don’t want anybody in Gaza. They want us to leave. We are not leaving. We are the stones of the valley. We have been here since ever, and we will continue forever. We will not be part of the Israeli plan to evacuate Gaza.

AMY GOODMAN: Raji, if you can tell us what happened to your own family? When was your house bombed? And were you dug out from the rubble?

RAJI SOURANI: I’m living in Rimal area, Tal Al Hawa, the nicest place in Gaza. I have my own villa, and it’s nice, with very nice garden. It’s a two-story building. It’s me and my wife Amal and my son Basel. And we were, like everybody, I mean, you know, at our home, watching what’s going on. And out of the blue, the bombing began, began in our area — nothing special, nothing unique, nothing consist danger; otherwise, my sense will tell me, I mean, you know, I have to leave, or I will ask my wife and son, I mean, at least, to leave. But there is nothing, I mean, in that part. It’s entirely civilian, and I can tell — and I have always the reason, I mean, to say that.

And I have — the bombing began, and we thought, yes, I mean, this might be one bomb here or there. But it was very close. And the second, and then we began to realize and feel, you know, there is something big wrong happening, because sound getting closer, closer and closer. We were holding — I mean, we were not thinking or realizing that we are going to survive. That’s not easy. And I was thinking of a lot of things, I mean, my life, how I didn’t really, you know, leave like everybody leave. Should I leave, or should I stay? Why we move just in that place two minutes before the rocket of F-16, GBU-38, hit? And I felt the heat of the flame, and I saw the ball of fire. And every time, especially this one, I thought it’s our end. And this was last one, I mean, with the hit directly to my house, and the house was literally destroyed. Lucky enough, I just moved from the place where we are staying, upon the request of my son, to one tiny corridor inside the house. And if we were where we were, we are gone. We are gone.

So, we waited almost half an hour, unable to speak any words, unable to do anything. And we were really, I mean, a state of human shock. And I waited 'til, you know, there was some siren of ambulances remotely, and that means usually the bombing stopped, and they get the green light to come in. Then we began to climb our way out. But it was rather a mission impossible. And we were lucky, I mean, you know, to get out. And when we get out of the place, we just moved to my brother's house, which is like 800 meters away from the place we are staying. This happened on the 18th. But since then 'til today, I can assure you one thing, that the entire area is of Tal Al Hawa completely abolished almost. Two-thirds of it doesn't exist. This really beautiful area of Gaza doesn’t exist anymore.

So, we survived. We were lucky. But our neighbors, I mean, they lost 29 members, Habboush family, and others and others and others and others and others. We are collecting data. We are collecting information. This is unprecedented. I never, ever thought in my life civilians can be the target of war. They are not with Hamas.

Hamas insulted them, insulted their intelligence, insulted their military. We can understand that. In two hours, they were able to destroy the security wall, which America — which U.S. took it as the standard, and many other countries. And they destroyed it in 15 minutes, and they were able to enter. And they took over 11 military strongholds of Israel, and they killed and captured many of them. And they get back to them in Gaza, and we can understand why they are angry with them. And they took the headquarters of Gaza commandment of the Israeli military army, and they arrested generals, colonel and others, and they brought them, I mean, to Gaza. Israel has the right to be angry, absolutely angry, because Hamas showed their intelligence and their military capability means nothing, and they destroyed this illusion in two hours.

But why they are revenging from us? They should rebel from Hamas. Hamas still, I can assure you, functions like a Swiss watch in Gaza, and they are not affected. I can tell that. I can see that. We feel that. They are unable to minimize their power. They are unable to silence them. They are unable to locate where their soldiers are who were taken as prisoners of war. They are unable to do anything for them. That’s why they are revenging from us. This is the shame on the army. I mean, there is rules of engagement between the army, between the resistance movement and any army. But why civilians are the target? This is the big question. This is shame this is happening, I mean, to us.

[...]

AMY GOODMAN: I want to ask you — the leaflets that were dropped this weekend on Gaza, addressed to residents of Gaza, reading, “Urgent warning to the residents of Gaza: Your presence north of Wadi Gaza is putting your lives at risk. Anyone who chooses not to evacuate from the north of the Gaza Strip to the south of the Gaza Strip may be identified as a partner in a terrorist organization.” These on leaflets. I don’t know if you saw these leaflets, but you have made a decision with your family not to move south. Can you respond to what they’re saying, that anyone who chooses not to evacuate may be identified as a partner in a terrorist organization?

RAJI SOURANI: We have been here since ever, and we will stay forever. And no power on Earth will take me from here. We are the stones of the valley. They have to understand that. And even if they destroy once and again houses on our heads, even if they took our life, we are not moving anymore. Simply, we suffered from the Nakba 75 years. They committed massacres. They killed thousands of Palestinians. They pushed us out. And now it’s time for us not to do that again, at least willingly. We cannot be part of Mr. Bibi’s plan to evacuate Gaza. He said it, from a written statement, in a press conference day one: Gazans should leave Gaza. Where to? Where to? If anybody should leave, people like Mr. Bibi, not us. Enough for the occupation. We want dignity, freedom, end of this belligerent, criminal occupation. Now people from south of Gaza began to come back to north in thousands, because there is no safe haven in Gaza, no safe place in Gaza. And we are not going to be a tool in the hands of racist, criminal, rightist Israeli prime minister. No way. We are not going to do that. We are going to stay in Gaza.

#transcript #interview #palestine #bolding mine #raji sourani #democracy now

[stan-rabelais-et-diderot]

Reliable news source about Gaza

Since November I've been listening/watching Democracy Now!, it runs 1 hour, 5 times a week from Monday to Friday. There are usually 10 minutes of headlines & 3 or 4 pieces 10 to 15 minutes long dedicated to a specific subject, usually with interviews of experts & people on the ground.

They interview many many Palestinians, healthcare workers, human rights workers, academics & activists, many Jewish activists calling for a cease-fire. They have been featuring the war in Gaza heavily, but they also cover other news subjects.

Having this to listen to (or watch, it's a radio broadcast that can be watched with the images on youtube) is a small blessing in this. I can watch 10 minutes, watch some stories based on the titles if I want to, it's concise, there is no long winded speculations, the time is limited so it's never wasted.

I had never heard of it before, so I thought I would share this with people just in case. This is a story from today, Monday 29th of January 2024:

#free palestine #free gaza #stop the genocide #unrwa #democracy now #Youtube

[poligraf]

Protesting is an act of love. It is born of a deeply held conviction that the world can be a better, kinder place. Saying "no" to injustice is the ultimate declaration of hope.

— Amy Goodman

#hope #love #quotes #quote #wisdom #lifequotes #light #quoteoftheday #amy goodman #protest #protesting #demonstration #democracy #democracy now #conviction #world #better place #better world #kindness #justice #injustice #declaration

[news4dzhozhar]

Watch the full conversation with Jeremy Scahill here

#unrwafunding #israeli lies #propaganda kills #democracy now #jeremy scahill #propaganda and lies #no evidence #unrwa has done nothing wrong #israel lies as easily as they breathe #seek truth #spread awareness #watch and share #financials times #sky news #the intercept #apartheid #save palestine #ethnic cleansing #israel is an apartheid state #free palestine 🇵🇸 #genocide #illegal occupation #israel is committing genocide #israeli war crimes #the US is complicit in genocide and war crimes #history will remember #lessons never learned #israel is a terrorist state #iof terrorism #stand with palestine

[thoughtportal]

Student Debt and affirmative action

https://www.democracynow.org/

#tiktok #democracy now #debt collective #student loans #student debt #student loan crisis #cancel student loans #debt cancellation #debt strike #us supreme court #wages and salaries #minimum wage #livable wage #wages #social welfare #canada #US #class struggle #education #higher education #student loan debt #debt #college #health insurance

[phoenixyfriend]

In a painful contrast to the amazing work of activists in Michigan, this portion of today's Democracy Now episode has the following claim:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has credited U.S. public support for Israel as being a key factor in allowing Israel to resist calls to end its war on Gaza. Netanyahu cited one poll that showed 82% of Americans support Israel. Netanyahu said, “This will help us continue the campaign until total victory.”

Other polls have painted a very different picture. A recent AP poll found 50% of U.S. adults said they believed Israel’s actions had gone too far. Netanyahu’s comments came after President Biden said Israel will “lose support from around the world” if it “continues on its current path.”

I say this a lot but I cannot emphasize it enough: call your elected officials. Find them here. Follow these guidelines, and here is some verbiage that includes the recent death of Aaron Bushnell.

We can do this. It won't be easy, but we can.

#current events #benjamin netanyahu #Democracy Now #news #Israel #Gaza #united states #Joe Biden #Michigan #Michigan primary #Phoenix Politics #politics

[commiepinkofag]

"Requires… Harnessing the Support 0f the United States"

A leaked document from Israel’s Intelligence Ministry dated less than one week after the October 7 Hamas attack proposes the permanent transfer of Gaza’s residents to Egypt.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the document’s authenticity but dismissed it as a mere “concept paper,” while Egypt and much of the Arab world has publicly opposed the forced displacement of millions of Palestinians.

But the exposed plans have confirmed many Palestinians’ fears that Israel’s ultimate goal during its current offensive is their ethnic cleansing from Gaza, a reenactment of the 1948 Nakba that saw about 700,000 Palestinians pushed out of their homes and turned into refugees during the creation of Israel.

#free palestine #palestine #ethnic cleansing #war crimes #genocide #human rights #democracy now #2023

[igottatho]

Naomi Klein, most accomplished nonfiction writer of “Doppleganger”, “the Shock Doctrine”, and many many others, just shared this on her Twitter. This a legitimate source, Democracy Now! and not a shady ‘anon friend’ who may or may not have known Aaron Bushnell. I hope this supersedes the misinformation circulating, please share far and wide.

ETA2: I’m sorry, it was Amy Goodman who interviewed Pierpont, not Naomi Klein 🤦🏼‍♀️ I’m so sorry for such an error.

ETA: Naomi Klein’s original tweet here: https://x.com/NaomiAKlein/status/1762906788729397300?s=20

#free palestine #palestine #gaza #Naomi Klein #aaron bushnell #activism #solidarity #politics #article #news #democracy now #armed services #armed forces #journalism #in pursuit of truth #amy goodman

[rhymeswithfart]

Another interview with Marione Ingram, from November 2023.

"We speak with 87-year-old Holocaust survivor Marione Ingram, who has been protesting outside the White House calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Ingram says experiencing anti-Jewish hate, losing family members to the Nazi killing machine and surviving the Allied bombing of Hamburg as a child all inspire her to speak out for peace. “What Israel is doing will not end this conflict. It will only exacerbate it,” says Ingram. She calls the vote to censure Palestinian American Congressmember Rashida Tlaib “shameful” and describes her as a “hero.” We also hear from leading Holocaust scholar Omer Bartov, who recently signed an open letter warning of the potential for genocide in Israel’s assault on Gaza. “The refusal of the Israeli government to find any kind of compromise with the Palestinians … is what led and keeps leading to this ongoing and increasingly violent confrontation between Israel and the Palestinians,” says Bartov."

#Youtube #marione ingram #strike for palestine #rashida tlaib #the hands of war #the hands of peace #democracy now

[plitnick]

Bernie Sanders' refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza is alienating his base

Only one US senator has called for a ceasefire. You’d probably guess it would be Bernie Sanders, who has established himself as the leader in the Senate in supporting Palestinian rights, even if that is damning with faint praise. But it is not Bernie, but Dick Durbin of Illinois who remains the only senator to call for a ceasefire. Why has Bernie explicitly refused to call for a ceasefire? I…

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#AIPAC #Bernie Sanders #ceasefire #CNN #Condition aid to Israel #David Klion #Democracy Now #Dick Durbin #Gaza #Jim Zogby #Joe Biden

[bunnyhugs22]

This is a holocaust.

#democracy now #war crimes #free palestine #free gaza

[uzumaki-rebellion]

CW: Gun violence, racism

Americans love celebrating racist oppressive murderers. And using guns when there is pushback against it.

#democracy now #Youtube