Feature Archives

An international day of action was held on May 5 against a US nuclear submarine base in the Australian Port Kembla. Rallies took place at Port Kembla and in San Francisco against the base and the Australian, UK, and US military alliance (AUKUS). Several speakers representing Veterans for Peace, union activists, and others spoke of their opposition to the build-up of a war with China, along with using Australia as a pawn in that effort.

In San Francisco on May 1, IBU-ILWU ferry boat workers marched and rallied at Alcatraz Cruises at Pier 33 which is owned by the anti-union Hornblower company. In San José, union members and allies gathered from throughout the South Bay and beyond, then took to the streets. They chanted, "Up, up with liberation! Down, down with deportation!" In Fresno, around 200 people marched through downtown to advocate immigrants' rights.

Though technically legal, over seventy percent of the French people feel that the way President Macron pushed through legislation raising the retirement age was a violation of their democratic rights. He relied on Article 49.3, which allows legislation to pass without voting. Even though the Constitutional Assembly claimed the increase was legitimate, working people continue to reject the "reform." Huge demonstrations have wracked the country.

On March 18, Answer Coalition and numerous other anti-war organizations rallied and marched in San Francisco. Banners and signs demanded peace in Ukraine, abolishing NATO, the diversion of taxpayers' money to meet human needs, and the end of US aggression toward other nations. Counter demonstrators said Russians are committing genocide and Ukrainians need more weapons. March 19 was the twentieth anniversary the US invasion of Iraq.

In Israel, the reascension to power of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to head an extreme Zionist government in Israel has provoked huge protests, even spreading to the Israeli military. Settler terrorism against Palestinians, while rampant before, has even more leeway under the new government. A series of protests against the occupation and moves to disempower Israeli courts have happened in San Francisco.

CodePink hosted a demonstration and press conference at U.C. Berkeley Law School on January 11, the 21st anniversary of Guantanamo Prison. The demand was for the Biden administration to close Guantanamo, free the 20 men cleared for release yet still detained, and prosecute U.C. law professor John Yoo for complicity in torture. It was John Yoo who provided the legalistic rationale for torture at US prisons throughout the world.

On December 25, Bethlehem commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a holy time of year for residents and visitors. Many people picture a sleepy, picturesque town surrounded by hills, dotted with sheep, but the reality in the city of Bethlehem is much different. It is a historic and troubled town. Since the municipal Christmas tree was lit on December 3, Israeli forces and settlers have committed a number of human rights abuses in the area.