Million Mask March Activists Clash With Police In London, Russell Brand Joins Crowds

Thousands of anti-capitalist activists took to the streets of central London on Bonfire night to protest against "political oppression", with ten people arrested as masked marchers clashed with police. Demonstrators wearing Guy Fawkes masks and carrying banners and placards descended on Trafalgar Square before marching towards Parliament Square at 6.30pm. Protesters chanted anti-establishment slogans as they milled around, and some who had climbed on to the base of Nelson's Column let off fireworks.

There was a heavy police presence at both Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square, as well as along Whitehall, with officers carrying riot gear, but the protest began peacefully. The entire protest was filmed and streamed live online. Footage showed protesters pushing over bins, shouting at bemused shoppers and commuters and hitting cars and people with yellow flexible tubes. In one section they surrounded a man driving a new Mercedes car and sprayed the back of it with an aerosol, pushing their tubes at him as he opened windows to remonstrate with them. There was a chorus of boos and whistles as an officer from the Metropolitan Police warned protesters about their behaviour over a loud hailer. The protest, the so-called Million Masks March, was organised by activist group Anonymous.

huffingtonpost.co.uk

Hong Kong Activists Defy Police Tear Gas As Protests Spread

Riot police advanced on Hong Kong democracy protesters in the early hours of Monday, firing volleys of tear gas that sent some fleeing as others erected barricades to block the security forces in the heart of the former British colony.

Earlier, police baton-charged a crowd blocking a key road in the government district in defiance of official warnings that the demonstrations were illegal. Several scuffles broke out between police in helmets, gas masks and riot gear, and demonstrators angered by the tear gas, last used in Hong Kong in 2005.

The unrest is the worst since China took back control of Hong Kong from Britain in 1997. It poses a serious challenge to Communist Party leaders in Beijing, concerned that calls for democracy could spread to cities on the mainland and threaten their grip on power.

Thousands of protesters were still milling around the main Hong Kong government building, ignoring messages from student and pro-democracy leaders to retreat for fear that the police might fire rubber bullets. Police, in lines five deep in places, earlier used pepper spray against activists and shot tear gas into the air. The crowds fled several hundred yards (meters), scattering their umbrellas and hurling abuse at police they called "cowards."

More at The World Post

Student in anti-government protest in Turkey faces 98 years in jail for wearing red scarf

Prosecutors in Turkey are demanding the maximum sentence for Ayse Deniz Karacagil, saying that her scarf represented socialism. The 20-year-old has spent the last four months in jail after being arrested for taking part in an anti-government protest.

Ayse was part of a group who took to the streets of Antalya, southern Turkey, last September to complain at the death of demonstrator Ahmet Atakan. The circumstances of his death have still not been explained. 

Ayse was singled out when police moved to break up the demonstration and they managed to get a photograph of her wearing the red scarf.

Red, according to prosecutors, is the colour of socialism, and that meant that she knew by wearing the red scarf she was indicating her membership of the illegal MLKP, an underground Anti-Revisionist Marxist-Leninist and Hoxhaist communist party in Turkey. However Ayse says she wore it solely to protect herself when the tear gas was sprayed. 

She is facing a sentence of between 24 and 98 years in jail over charges of being a member of a terrorist organisation, opposing Assembly Law and resisting against law enforcement officers. Four others face between 11 and 95 years in jail for being at the event. 

Daily Express

No foul play Brazil!

The lead up to the World Cup has prompted large scale demonstrations and public protests to which the police have responded with use of force, and in some cases "less lethal" weapons such as tear gas and rubber bullets.
Protests are likely to continue in coming weeks and the Brazilian Congress is considering new laws that could be used to crack down on protesters. Additionally, inadequate regulations and training for policing demonstrations pose a risk of more injuries to protesters due to excessive use of force by police.
Everyone has the right to peaceful protest -- to exercise their human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly - and the Brazilian Government has a duty to ensure that they can. aiyellowcard.org

Venezuela Rising

The message from Venezuelan Students

Thousands drawn to Australia-wide protests against government policies

Thousands of Australians have taken to the streets this weekend to protest against a range of Federal Government policies. The March in March protests started in regional centres yesterday and stepped up in major capital cities today.

Protesters say they are non-partisan, but united in frustration with the Abbott Government's approach on numerous policy issues. Demonstrators waving placards have today voiced anger on issues including climate change, the treatment of asylum seekers, marriage equality, the tax system and media ownership. Coordinators gave massive estimates of crowds in Melbourne and Hobart, and Sydney police say about 10,000 braved the rain in the city.

More on Yahoo!7

Femen protesters held in Ukraine after topless protest near Crimean Parliament

Two members of Femen have been detained in Crimea's capital today after staging a topless protest near the regional parliament.

Dramatic pictures show security guards, believed to be Cossack irregulars, dragging the women who had 'stop Putin's war' written across their chests away from the Autonomous Republic building in Simferopol.

Femen released a statement on their website saying their members had been "severely beaten" by "pro-Russian activists" and arrested. Video footage has also emerged showing the women being carried away by security guards before being put into a police van.

The Independent

People Of Euromaidan

Spectacular images of riots and clashes in the streets of the Ukrainian capital Kiev have made the rounds of newspapers and social media in the past weeks. A new video by Max Zabolotnyi, however, shows a completely different side of the protests.

In the 3-minute compilation, Zabolotnyi gives viewers a glimpse into the world of Kiev's demonstrations and barricades, highlighting the sense of camaraderie and community among the protesters. The film was shot over a 3-day span in mid-December at the Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Nezalezhnosti Square, in the heart of the city.

Huffington Post

Meanwhile: One of Maidan leaders kidnapped, tortured and crucified - English pravda.ru

On Lâche Rien" (english subtitles)

"Here is On Lache Rien ! (We Don't Give Up!), a great French revolt song by the French band HK et Les Saltimbanks. They come from around Lille and they've just released their first album Citoyen du Monde (Citizen of the World) on January 31, 2011.
After subtitling it in Japanese, here it is in English (thanks to Maja and David).
As one of the Saltimbanks' lines goes: "The alarm clock has gone off/It's time to reset the counters to zero!" Peoples of Europe wake up! Thank you to our brothers and sisters in the Arab world who have broken the ice! You are our sparks! Thousands of young people in Spain are on a war footing! Hats off to the youths in the U.K. and the people occupying Wall Street...!
Down with the capitalist leaches! Eat the rich!
Ya Basta! Enough is Enough! Y'en a marre! Kfa!"

The Meaning of the Brazilian Protest Movement

Last month's protests swept through Brazil's cities, bringing hundreds of thousands onto the streets to protest rampant political corruption, declining government services and rising public costs. Contrary to the rosy economic picture that the World Bank and the IMF have tried to paint over the past decade, Brazil's growing discontent with the neoliberal model is now on full display. Find out more in this week's GRTV Backgrounder on Global Research TV.

Turkish protesters drone that was shot down by police

Tuesday afternoon on June 11th 2013, Police fired bullets at RC controlled flying camera during the protests in Taksim square, Istanbul. Here is the footage from that camera! Unfortunately the last video was not saved properly on the memory card due to the impact on the camera. Police aimed directly at the camera. Both the camera and the helicopter are completely broken. However, all the footage you are about to see is from the previous flights minutes before the incident.

Sao Paulo transport fare protest turns violent

Protests against bus and underground fare rises in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo have turned violent. Police fired rubber-coated bullets and tear gas, and detained more than 200 people. Police say they seized petrol bombs, knives and drugs. Violence has also been reported at protests in Rio de Janeiro.

Prices for a single ticket in Sao Paulo were raised on 2 June from 3 reals ($1.40, £0.90) to 3.20 reals ($1.50, £0.96). The authorities say that the rise is well below inflation, which since the last price rise in January 2011 has been at 15.5%, according to official figures.

An estimated 5,000 protesters converged on the streets of Sao Paulo's central area on Thursday - the fourth day of the protests. Most of the protesters are thought to be university students The protesters clashed with police, who fired tear gas to try to disperse the crowd. At least 55 people have been injured, according to the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper. It added that six of its journalists had been wounded, two of them shot in the face. State Governor Geraldo Alckmin branded the rioters "vandals" and promised to act to avoid a repeat of the violence.

More on BBC News

Burma confirms phosphorus used in crackdown on mine protesters

An official report has confirmed that police in Burma used smoke bombs that contained phosphorus during a crackdown on anti-mine protesters last year that left 108 people with burns. The report also recommended the controversial Chinese-backed project continue.

The report by an investigation commission appointed by President Thein Sein and chaired by the opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, was released on Monday, more than three months after the incident at the Letpadaung copper mine in north-western Burma. It was the biggest use of force against protesters in Burma since Thein Sein's reformist government took office in March 2011.

Protesters say the joint-venture between China's Wanbao mining company and a Burma military conglomerate causes environmental, social and health problems. They want it halted and are demanding punishment for those who hurt peaceful protesters. The findings are likely to disappoint opponents of the project and could reignite demonstrations.

Authorities had said they used water cannon, teargas and smoke grenades to break up the 11-day occupation of the mine last November, but protesters said burns were caused by incendiary devices. They described "fire balls" being shot at them during the night-time raid on their encampment. A separate, independent report released last month by a lawyers' network and an international human rights group said police dispersed the protesters by using white phosphorous, an incendiary agent generally used in war to create smoke screens.

The Guardian

Russia activist Sergei Udaltsov under house arrest

A court in Russia has placed the prominent opposition activist Sergei Udaltsov under house arrest. Mr Udaltsov is charged with organising "mass disorder" during a protest in Moscow in May 2012. He was arrested in October before being released.

The leader of the Left Front coalition has rejected the accusation, saying it is an attempt to discredit the opposition to President Vladimir Putin. If convicted, Mr Udaltsov faces between four and 10 years in prison.

BBC News

As Self-Immolations Near 100, Some Tibetans Ask, Is It Worth It?

A crowd of Tibetans came here to India’s capital last week, bearing flags and political banners and a bittersweet admixture of hope and despair. A grim countdown was under way: The number of Tibetans who have set themselves on fire to protest Chinese rule in Tibet had reached 99, one short of an anguished milestone.

Tibetan monks shout slogans as they take part in a rally during a four-day gathering billed as the Tibetan People’s Solidarity Campaign.

Yet as that milestone hung over the estimated 5,000 Tibetans who gathered in a small stadium, so did an uncertainty about whether the rest of the world was paying attention at all. In speeches, Tibetan leaders described the self-immolations as the desperate acts of a people left with no other way to draw global attention to Chinese policies in Tibet.

“What is forcing these self-immolations?” Lobsang Sangay, prime minister of the Tibetan government in exile, asked in an interview. “There is no freedom of speech. There is no form of political protest allowed in Tibet.”

The New York Times

Russian activist kills himself after failing to win Dutch asylum

A Russian opposition activist has been found dead in the Netherlands after being refused political asylum, the Dutch justice ministry confirmed on Thursday. Aleksander Dolmatov, arrested last May during a demonstration opposing president Vladimir Putin, applied for political asylum in the Netherlands in June, saying he feared for his life.

Dolmatov was found dead in a Dutch detention centre early on Thursday morning. He was sent to the centre on Wednesday to await deportation after his application for asylum failed. A spokesman for junior justice minister Fred Teeven told the NRC he had left a note for his mother, but did not go into details about why his application for asylum had been rejected.

The spokesman also said staff at the detention centre did not see any signs that Domatov intended to kill himself. However, based on earlier reports, he was being held in a section for asylum seekers with psychiatric problems, the spokesman said.

DutchNews.nl - Radio Free Europe

China police crack down after riot over new factory

Authorities in east China ordered a security crackdown Sunday after thousands of locals clashed with police during a protest at the construction of a chemical plant.

In the latest environmental unrest to erupt in China, police at Ningbo city in Zhejiang province fired tear gas Saturday night after six days of demonstrations over the project, online reports said.

"In recent days some unreasonable activities such as illegal gatherings and rioting have occurred, seriously impairing the normal work and life of the people and severely impacting overall development and stability," said a statement on the website of Ningbo's Zhenhai district government.

At an emergency meeting late Saturday local Communist Party officials insisted that the chemical plant project had not been formally approved and agreed to listen to the protesters' demands, the statement said. The government also ordered police to "maintain stability in accordance with law", rhetoric that often signals a heavy-handed crackdown.

France 24 - molihua.org

Libyans storm militia bases in Benghazi

Ansar al-Sharia, blamed for consulate attack, forced to evacuate base as public anger against armed groups boils over. At least one person has died and 20 others injured after demonstrators in Benghazi attempted to storm the headquarters of militias based in the eastern Libyan city.

Protesters seized the headquarters of the Ansar al-Sharia militia and evicted its fighters from its bases on Friday night. The confrontation appeared to be part of a co-ordinated sweep of militia headquarters buildings by police, government troops and activists following a mass public demonstration against armed groups earlier in the day.

Ansar al-Sharia has been linked to the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi last week in which  J Christopher Stevens, US ambassador to Libya, and three other Americans died amid demonstrations over a YouTube video deemed insulting to Prophet Muhammad. The group denies any involvement in the killing of Stevens.

Chanting "Libya, Libya," hundreds of demonstrators entered the compound, pulling down militia flags and torching a vehicle inside the headquarters, Ansar al-Sharia's main base in Benghazi - once an internal security base under former leader Muammar Gaddafi. People in the crowd waved swords and even a meat cleaver, shouting "No more al-Qaeda!" and "The blood we shed for freedom shall not go in vain!"

Al Jazeera English

Protest