Red Pepper News

News from Palestine

Every year many internationals travel to Palestine to help with the autumn olive harvest. Alys Jenkins, an activist from Lancaster, returns to Palestine to find ordinary people facing intimidation and humilation from illegal settlements and the israeli army during this crucial time.

The 4th European Social Forum

James O'Nions writes from Athens.  The 4th European Social Forum started in Athens on Thursday.  Previous ESFs have been around a year apart, but it has been a year and a half since the last one.  Those who remember the vast distances between sites at the Paris ESF were relieved to find that the event was all on one site, albeit one which is some distance from the centre of the city. 

Photos from World Water Forum

A collection of photos from the World Water Forum and protests against it can be found here: http://redpepper.blogs.com/photos/world_water_forum/
(photo credit: Samantha Dietmar)

20,000 march for water without profit

Joe Zacune, 16 March: Today´s demo was the largest ever mass mobilization against the privatization water. Over 20,000 people turned up to protest against the corporate takeover- including indigenous groups, urban social movements, Zapatistas, anarchists, campesinos and other grassroots organizations. The Mexican presence and organisation was amazing. They came in their masses and were dancing, shouting, singing, playing drums for this massive four-hour rally. The World Water Council must be kicking themselves- they made a big mistake when they decided to hold the Forum in Mexico.

Privatisation? What us?

The blue pearl necklace fell out of the corporate press pack like an unwanted christmas cracker toy. It was accompanied by a new-age sounding insert that explained that the necklace "represented the transparency and fragility of water, a crucial resource that needs our constant care."

The media pack was embossed with glossy photos of water works across the world and talked of dignity, tolerance, rights, progress and transparency.

Clearly the Fourth World Water Forum in Mexico which has been condemned by activists as a front for promoting worldwide water privatisation is seeking an image change.

So what is the World Water Forum?

Joe Zacune from War on Want has written a good introduction at OpenDemocracy.

Also check out the blogs from WDM activists and US water activists, Food and Water Watch

World Water Forum

Where ever there is a conference to talk about poverty, you can normally find luxury hotels full of delegates. Mexico is no different as the Fourth World Water Forum kicks off today.

The city is full of international delegates from around the world making emotional speeches about the three thousand nine hundred children who will die by the end of today due to unclean drinking water who then head to their hotels to drink imported French mineral water with their sumptuous dinners.

I have come with a delegation from Bolivia, but even though I am surrounded by endless posters and booklets of water droplets, waterfalls, kids playing in rivers, it still at times needs some effort to remember why I am here. The reality of the 200,000 people who live on my doorstep in Bolivia who still don't have drinking water and who have led massive rebellions to end disastrous water privatisation experiments can seem very far away.

Philippines state of emergency

Herbert Docena writes: Yesterday morning, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared an indefinite "state of national emergency" in the Philippines. Issued on the very week when Filipinos were celebrating the 20th anniversary of the "People Power" uprising which ended Ferdinand Marcos' 14-year dictatorship, Arroyo's order authorizes the police and the military the power to do everything necessary to neutralize "enemies" of the state, bans all protest rallies, and threatens to take over media outlets. Effectively placing the country under martial law, Arroyo has restored what Filipinos ended twenty years ago.

About 10,000 of us defied the President's order and marched on Manila's busiest highway. We were violently dispersed. Twenty-six of us, including minors who were beaten up by the police, were arrested.

Nothing Stops Mardi Gras in New Orleans

Jordan Flaherty writes: In New Orleans’ Central Business District, a prominent billboard advertising Southern Comfort liquor proclaims “Nothing Stops Mardi Gras.  Nothing.”  The festive ad haunts me, seeming callous and cruel, "you've faced a huge loss, and now we want to use your city and cultural traditions to sell a lot of alcohol."

Citywide, Mardi Gras is everywhere, but not without controversy. Many are angry at the idea of a huge party taking place while bodies are still being recovered in Ninth Ward houses, And in diaspora communities such as Atlanta, there is a lot of anger at the idea of a huge party going one while they are kept out.  A past leader of the Zulu Mardi Gras Krewe even sued his organization (unsuccessfully) to stop them from parading this year.

 

It's never too late to move beyond the choices of the cold war

Apologies that this blog has been a little slow of late. In the meantime, you might be interested in Red Pepper editor Hilary Wainwright's contribution to a debate on socialism in The Guardian (her piece is a response to Martin Kettle).

Carbon Offset Controversy at Phone Co-op AGM

Heidi Bachram writes:On 28 January at the UK based Phone Co-op’s Annual General Meeting, members revolted against the company’s use of so-called ‘carbon offsets’. Member Andrew Wood put forward a motion to remove discontinue the practice and called such offsets, provided by Oxford-based firm Climate Care, a “scam” warning fellow members that their use “seriously threatens the ethical reputation of our brand.” He added that according to the Phone Co-op’s own surveys, 70% of its customers move their telecom services to the company because of its rigorous ethics and environmental commitment. Wood stated that because of the controversial nature of carbon offsets, the Phone Co-op’s reputation could be harmed.