On Friday, June 19, Checkpoint 303 perfumed at the Pork Store at SF. Checkpoint 303 (Palestine/Tunisia/France) is a non-profit activist sound art project launched in 2004 by sound-catcher SC Yosh (Palestine) and sound-cutter SC MoCha (Tunisia). It creates experimental electronic music aimed at raising international awareness about the ongoing injustice and suffering of civilian populations throughout the Middle East. It combines field recordings performed in Palestine with electronic beats, FX and subtle oriental tunes. Checkpoint 303 next two performances will be held in SF on Tuesday June 23rd at the Balazo Gallery (2183 Mission Street), and on Wednesday 24th at Baobab Village (3372 19th Street).

Let's get real about Iran, anti-imperialism and internationalism

There is a self-deceptive politics (among some leftists) that seeks to prettify all kinds of reactionary forces that (for one reason or another) are in opposition to U.S. imperialism — including Islamic reactionaries, Kim Jung Il, “hardline” revisionists of the Li Peng and Eric Honecker type and so on. And in the process they have a real, almost startling, hostility toward sections of the people who rise up in important if still-inarticulate ways. My sense is that such politics arise from a despair over actually developing our own revolutionary forces — and a resigned assumption that we have no other alternative but to fall behind any forces (ugly, oppressive, reactionary or not) who (one way or another) who seem to be on America’s shit list.

“Neoliberalism is the root cause of rampaging gentrification and displacement, from New York to New Orleans to Atenco, Mexico.” Keen observers of political-economy would agree with this assessment from Zapatista-inspired community activists in Spanish Harlem, who recently organized an “encuentro” with similar minded Black and Asian activists. All concluded that the issue is bigger than Harlem: “This displacement is created by the greed, ambition and violence of a global empire of money that seeks to take total control of all the land, labor and life on earth.”

A coalition of 13 grassroots organizations in Boston delivered a letter today to the Peruvian Consulate to raise concerns over the military and police aggression against a peaceful protest of indigenous people in Bagua, Peru. On June 5th, police forces opened fire on a protest of more than thirty thousand people, representing several indigenous groups, who had held a 57-day strike to contest the enactment of new laws that would open indigenous lands to the exploitation of their natural resources. LISTEN TO AUDIO REPORT:

On June 5th, Peruvian national police attacked a roadblock near the city of Bagua in northwestern Peru, killing at least sizty people. Several thousand indigenous protesters had been blocking the main road to protest measures the government has taken to sell their ancestral land to energy companies. On Tuesday June 16th, over 30 people converged outside the Peruvian Consulate in San Francisco to amplify their concerns with the Peruvian and US Government's complacency in protecting indigenous rights

A decade ago, tens of thousands of people converged in Seattle, Washington to protest the ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization. Directly confronting some of the planet's most powerful corporations, governments and security forces, those activists made history by successfully derailing the WTO's expansionist agenda.

Today, we find ourselves in the midst of the worst economic and environmental crises in generations. The same corporate interests activists confronted in Seattle are attempting to exploit these crises in order to concentrate their own power. We need to fight back. It is time to reclaim the "Spirit of Seattle," come together as affected communities and take control over the policy decisions that affect our economic and ecological well-being.

Aviva Chomsky is a professor of history and Latin American Studies at Salem State College in Massachusetts, and is a founder of the North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee, which has been working since 2002 with Colombian labor and popular movements, especially those affected by the foreign-owned mining sector. She just returned from a Witness for Peace delegation (May 28 – June 6) that traveled to two regions devastated by coal mining: the state of Kentucky and to northern Colombia.

Despite the rain on Wednesday morning, several intrepid activists picketed outside Halton Cat on Columbia Boulevard in Northeast Portland. The small, but spirited group of protesters held the action in solidarity with the national day of action against Caterpillar, timed to coincide with the company's annual shareholder meeting.

Tonight, Rad Rich and I got free tickets to the Pelosi event and even the reception. We walked past the jeering crowd of tea-party people and my friends from the peace movement to attend the green-room reception for Nancy Pelosi and I got to talk to her for two minutes.

I introduced myself as Nick from Friends of Brad Will and told her who Brad was and she said she was sorry about his death. I told her that we were concerned about human rights abuses taking place in places where we have free trade agreements like Peru and the deaths there last week. She replied that she was waiting for Obama's cue on that.[read full article with photos]

When we got downtown, we were surprised to see a very large crowd of protesters in front of the Wortham Center and it took us a minute to realize (as we biked closer) that they were overwhelmingly right wing protesters. Our friends from PAA, and folks from the RCP and ISO had gathered on the corner by the Angelika theater and had signs condemning Pelosi's silence about torture, and demanding an end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

HPD had set up barricades which forced attendees of the event to walk through a metal gauntlet at least 200 feet to reach the door which had shouting people on both sides yelling at you as you walked in. I heard chants of "Shame on you" "boooing" and "Dont come back". I was told by other peace activists that they had been chanting "Traitor" at attendees. [Read full article with audio]

On May 19, Melissa C. Roxas was abducted along with two Filipino companions, Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Jandoc from a house, in La Paz, Philippines. Melissa Roxas is a well known community and cultural activist and human rights advocate. She is a member of the cultural group Habi-Arts and of BAYAN-USA, the progressive alliance of Filipino organizations. Roxas and her companions were taken by suspected elements of the Philippine Armed Forces, accusing them of being members of New People's Army, the military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

Friday, June 12, 2009 LOS ANGELES -- Crowds of curious onlookers surrounded a group of indigenous rights activists, members of the Peruvian community, and environmentalists as they demonstrated in front of the Peruvian consulate today through dance, procession, chant, and speech.

At this latest in a series of demonstrations in front of the large building on the Koreatown stretch of Wilshire that houses the consulate, protestors angered by President Alan García's use of military force against indigenous rights activists decried the massacre of an unknown number of people. They also lashed out against the "free trade" policies the victims gave their lives fighting against. Full Report: Protest at Peruvian Consulate by Rockero

LOS ANGELES – June 9, 2009 - Scores of Filipino American activists rallied in front of the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles in solidarity with mass protests taking place in this month in the Philippines. At issue is the continuing interventionist policy of the US towards the Philippines. Activists hope to stop proposed changes to the US-Philippine charter that seeks to keep the current unpopular government in power. Holding a banner which read: “No To Charter Change”, activists drew honks of support from passing motorists. The three-hour picket and rally coincided with a press conference held every month at the 3600 Wilshire office of the Philippine Consulate. Los Angeles County has the largest Filipino community in the US with 262,000 recorded in the year 2000 US census. From the Newswire: Filam Activists Rally vs Chacha in LA by Echo Park Community Coalition

Upcoming events and related stories: KALAYAAN (FREEDOM) PHILIPPINES SERIES by AJLPP | MILITARY ABUSES AgAINST FILIPINO PEASANTS CONTINUES by Pesante-USA | Celebrating Philippine Independence Day by Dionesio C. Grava

Related from Indybay: Melissa C. Roxas Abducted and Tortured by Suspected Elements of Philippine Armed Forces

Three young men were arrested protesting Senator Schumer's support for "free trade" agreements

Activists charge Schumer with complicity in the murder of dozens of indigenous Peruvians killed over the weekend in a wave of repression against indigenous people engaged in nonviolent protest against the US-Peru Free Trade Agreement. Peruvian President Alan Garcia has used the FTA as a pretext to institute new laws that usher in an unprecedented wave of extractive industries – expanding logging, oil and gas drilling, mining, and destructive agriculture into the Amazon Rainforest. Read More & Pics | Related from Los Angeles: Local Peruvians and Environmentalists Protest at LA Peruvian Consulate

A CALL FOR A GLOBAL MOBILIZATION AGAINST THE G20 SUMMIT IN PITTSBURGH, PA., U.S. SEPTEMBER 24 AND 25, 2009 ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE – BUT WE MUST FIGHT FOR IT! BAIL OUT THE PEOPLE JOBS & SOCIAL NEEDS--NOT WAR AND GREED

On 6/10/09, three human rights activists representing Friends of Brad Will, Houston Indymedia, and Houston Food Not Bombs met with The Consul General at the Peruvian Consulate in Houston. Ellie Sequeira, Rachel Clarke, and Nick Cooper expressed concerns and delivered a letter about the role of the Peruvian government, oil corporations and free trade in the deaths of dozens of indigenous Peruvians. [...] The meeting was respectful with all parties having the opportunity to express their thoughts and finished with a photo and an agreement to continue the dialogue.

Hours later, the Houston activists held a press conference on the steps of the Petroleum Club where, last year, a Shapibo indigenous leader interrupted an auction of indigenous lands to oil developers, respectfully telling the bidders about the devastating toxic effects of 35 years of petroleum development on indigenous territories. Houston also hosted two Achuar leaders visited Houston to discuss oil drilling in the Amazon in 2006.

Cobertura en español: Durante la programa "Proyecto Latino Americano" 6/9/09, en la estacion KPFT, Nick habló sobre planeando su reunion con El Consul General de Perú. Escuchar aqui. Ver una video: parte 1, y parte 2.

More Indymedia Coverage: Peru Indymedia | Global Indymedia Feature

On June 6th, the 42nd anniversary of Israel's seizure of Gaza, a protest was held at the UN Plaza (7th and Market) at noon, in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Organized by the ANSWER Coalition, organization and individuals came to show support and to demand an to end the siege of Gaza.

On Wednesday, May 27, members of "Achoti" (my sister), a feminist organization representing jews of color (Mizrahim-Jews who emigrated from Arab countries) and members of the Democratic Mizrahi Rainbow, came to the Jerusalem Theater to demonstrate a convention about culture in Israel. The activists held signs that looked like bank checks with names of cultural institutions and the amount of money given to each. One check (in the picture below), addressed to "Mizrahi culture" had no money on it and the wording "void" was added.

On June 6, several hundred people gathered at the Israeli Embassy to protest the ongoing and deadly seige of Gaza and mistreatment of Palestinians by Isra-Hell. June 6 is the anniversary of the destruction of the former state of Palestine-and the start of the refugee crisis that resulted. WSQT Broadcast audio Video by Mike Flugennock: "G-Day, the Sixth of June", streaming out of YouTube, 07:36 Still photos by Mike Flugennock, from his video

"Shemiron limps into the room to meet us. Her right leg, from the knee down, is covered up by a stiff prosthetic leg. Her face is in a constant grimace of pain. Her eyes are the saddest eyes I have ever looked into and when I do, I feel myself falling into her grief and pain. Tears line her eyes like crystal eyeliner…" Excerpt from our blog: April 11, 2009

On Saturday May 30th, members of Anarchists Against the Wall, international and Palestinian activists, came to Safa, West Bank, to help Palestinian farmers work their land. In recent years, farmers have been under a constant harassment by settlers who have been violently attacking them and destroying and stealing their crops. After working for a couple of hours, the Israeli military declared the area a "closed military zone" and started to attack and arrest Palestinians and solidarity activists.