Eritrean envoy to Israel calls for arrest of lynch mob

Haftom Zarhum, a 29-year-old Eritrean migrant, died in a Beersheba hospital on Sunday night after he, mistaken for an accomplice of a suspected attacker that killed an Israeli soldier, was shot by a security guard and kicked by bystanders. A video published online following the incident purported to show the Eritrean being kicked by several people as he lay bleeding on the ground.

Israeli police have not yet made any arrests two days after the incident. The private security guard who shot the unarmed Eritrean was questioned by the police and later released, Israeli police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld said. “We have arrested no one at this point, but we are still looking for people for questioning over this incident," Rosenfeld told Al Jazeera.

Footage released online from the bus station clearly showed faces of some of those who participated in the lynching, which Al Jazeera’s reporter in Israel Elias Karram said, included two Israeli officers. Moreover, an Israeli man, in an appearance on Israeli Channel Two on Monday evening, said that he had been one of those who kicked Zarhum. It remains unclear if Israeli authorities questioned the Israeli man or took any action against him. Footage from the station showed at least one Israeli soldier kicking Zarhum in the head as he lay bleeding on the floor of the terminal. Another man lifted a bench and dropped it on Zarhum's head as another tried to protect him by placing a bar stool over his body.

More at  Al Jazeera English – Also see nydailynews.com

Is the European Right Exploiting the Refugee Crisis?

Parties across Europe are appealing to voters through nationalistic, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric.

The Real News

Death of 18-month-old in arson attack heightens tensions in West Bank

The slumbering Dawabsheh family never stood a chance when a pair of arsonists crept into their home in a village in the West Bank in the early hours of Friday. A smashed window, a flaming molotov cocktail, a whoosh of fire and piercing screams followed. Within minutes, the parents had crawled from the house with life-threatening third degree burns covering most of their bodies. Inside, four-year-old Ahmad was shrieking in fear and pain; his infant brother, Ali, just 18 months old, was dead or dying, his body burned beyond recognition.

Within hours, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, condemned the attack – quickly attributed to extremist Israeli settlers – as an “act of terrorism”, the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, denounced it as a “war crime”, and the European Union and United Nations had demanded swift action to bring the perpetrators to justice. Thousands of Palestinians attended Ali’s funeral and other protests in the West Bank, their anger fuelled by a litany of settler violence and intimidation. The family’s home in Duma, near the Palestinian city of Nablus, was left blackened with soot and coated in ash, although graffiti left by the arsonists was still visible: “revenge”, “price tag” and “long live the Messiah” were scrawled in Hebrew letters.

More at The Guardian

Why Is America Outraged For Cecil The Lion, But Not For Sandra Bland?

Can someone – anyone – please explain why America is near-universally outraged over the death of Cecil the Lion, the 13-year-old protected African lion who was recently illegally poached, but not over the death of Sandra Bland, Sam Dubose and so many other recent victims of police brutality, injustice and murder? Cecil the Lion was shot and killed by wealthy Midwestern dentist Walter Palmer last week. Personally, I’m not happy about this. But then again, I’ve rightly been accused of being a “tree hugger” (to say the least).

When Cecil the Lion was killed, a number of news and alternative media sites ran pieces on the poaching. Each article easily got thousands of shares throughout social media. But Sandra Bland, by comparison, has received far less universal support. While there is outrage, for many it is quite conditional. While many say the police should have done things differently, Sandra Bland is also the recipient of their criticism.

But Cecil the Lion? Nearly everyone defends his right not to be shot. Even people who might not care one bit about what happened to him if he were a different species. Perhaps it’s because he is so rare and Americans want to hold on to him as something of an exhibit. His life is valuable not because it holds intrinsic value; not because it is valuable to him as a sentient being; not because it is anything other than a commodity of human intrigue. It is valuable because the dominant class in human society has decided it has value.

Article by M. David at Counter Current News

Outrage Grows After Mysterious Death of US #BlackLivesMatter Activist

Last Friday, an African-American woman was returning home from a job interview in Waller County, Texas, when she was stopped by police. Apparently, she had improperly signaled a lane change. Two days later, the woman, Sandy Bland, was found dead in a jail cell. A video taken by a bystander during the arrest shows Bland shouting that the officer had slammed her head into the ground. According to police, Sandra Bland was taken into custody and charged with "assault of a public servant." On Monday, police say Bland was "found in her cell not breathing from what appears to be self-inflicted asphyxiation." The announcement was made by Waller County Sheriff Glenn Smith. Meanwhile, reports have emerged that Smith was fired from his previous post as chief of police of Hempstead, Texas, amidst accusations of racism. Bland’s friends and family contest Smith’s account, saying the thought of her committing suicide by hanging is "unfathomable." Social media is now ablaze with people demanding answers about Sandra Bland’s death. The hashtag #SandraBland is now trending on Twitter, edging out the Emmys as a topic of discussion. We speak to Maya Schenwar, editor-in-chief of Truthout and author of "Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn’t Work and How We Can Do Better."

http://democracynow.org

Crazy Right-Wing American Preacher Says Confederates Will March On The North And Win This Time

Oh, Pastor James Manning, you’re the gift that just keeps on giving. This guy is the one who put up a sign telling black women that gays would take their men. That Obama has released the “homo demons.” That Starbucks was putting semen in their lattes. I seriously worry about this man’s mental state. Perhaps if he acted on those gay urges he’s admitted to, he’d get it all out of his system.

This time the head of the ATLAH World Missionary Church in the Harlem area of New York City is gearing up for a new Civil War. Not metaphorically. No, he means a real, honest-to-god, marching-Confederate-troops-in-uniforms Civil War. To “rescue the North.” Yeah.

“Surely the Confederates and the South will win this time. There’s no doubt about it. They will win this time. Now the nation must be rescued from the liberal God-haters and Constitution-haters and those that are pushing this sodomy agenda. America will be rescued and the rescuers will be the Confederates, the Southerners, those that have been the blood-washed, Bible-believing, locked-and-loaded. I’m James David Manning and I want to be one of them. I’m the Lord’s servant.”

Addicting Info

A Dinosaur Name in ‘Jurassic World’ is So ‘Racist’ That the Movie Has Come Under Fire

“Jurassic World” was an instant box office hit when it opened in theaters two weeks ago. But now, moviegoers are noticing details that aren’t sitting well with some people. The uproar started when moviegoers began complaining about one of the dinosaur species in the movie called Pakisaurus.

ijreview.com

The Confederate Flag: Views from the Heart of Dixie

White Riots vs Black Protests

Brave New Films

4 black officers held at gunpoint

CNN's Jason Carroll reports on a group of parole officers who allege they were racially profiled by police officers.

Racism Is Real In The USA

Brave New Films

The Story Of The Tulsa Race Riots Will Disgust You

Ana Kasparian (The Young Turks)  discusses the story of the Tulsa Race Riots which took place after a community known as Black Wall Street or Little Africa was burned down in 1921. The Tulsa Race Riots was basically a war by the KKK against a very prosperous African-American community in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After describing what happened Ana goes on to tell the story of how the KKK incited the riots. Do you think we've made any progress since then? Tell us what you think in the comment section below.

Freddie Gray Intentionally Severed His Own Spine

On April 12, a 25-year-old African-American named Freddie Gray was arrested in Baltimore. No one knows exactly why he was arrested, other than the report that he ran after making eye contact with the police. Reportedly, Gray had a switchblade. He also had a record. During the arrest, though, Gray was seriously injured and ultimately, he died from spinal cord injuries.

Amid massive protests in Baltimore, the police have begun the public relations spin. Initially, rumors were making the social media rounds that Gray had a preexisting spinal injury from a car accident. That’s not true at all. On Wednesday, while official Baltimore police spokespeople are saying that they will not release information and they will instead take the case straight to the prosecutor (who, unless an outside prosecutor is appointed, is someone who works with the police every single day), the police office sprung a leak. They are now attempting to say that Gray injured his own spine – on purpose.

According to a police document obtained by the Washington Post, a prisoner shared the transport van with Gray and said that he could hear Gray “banging against the walls” of the van. He also said that he believed that Gray was “intentionally trying to injure himself.

More at addictinginfo.org

Lynchings Of Black People In The USA In The Last Century

Lynching, the practice of killing people by extrajudicial mob action, occurred in the United States chiefly from the late 18th century through the 1960s. Lynchings took place most frequently against African-American men in the Southern US after the American Civil War and emancipation, and particularly from 1890 to the 1920s, with a peak in 1892. Lynchings were also very common in the Old West, where victims were primarily men of Mexican and Chinese minorities, although whites were also lynched. (Wikipedia)

Blackface for the holidays

Is The Netherlands' tradition of putting Santa's helpers in black-face racist or a harmless custom? We look at Zwarte Piet or Black Pete

Our Colonial Hangover

Dutch Black Pete in London

Darren Wilson’s Testimony Is Pure Weird Racist Fantasy

Saint George and The "White Whore"

Lana Lokteff from Radio 3Fourteen and Red Ice Creations reviews the propaganda found within the TV show Saint George, starring George Lopez. She’ll also take a look at the politics of George Lopez’s stand-up comedy and discuss the strained relationship between Latinos and European Americans.

No indictment for Ferguson officer

 

A white police officer will not face charges for fatally shooting an unarmed black teenager in a case that set off violent protests and racial unrest throughout the nation. A St. Louis County grand jury declined to indict officer Darren Wilson, 28, for firing six shots in an August confrontation that killed 18-year-old Michael Brown, St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch said Monday night.

Crowds of protesters filled streets near the Ferguson police station following the announcement. A police car and stores were set on fire, other stores were looted, gunfire was heard and bricks were hurled. Police said they had been fired on and responded with smoke bombs and pepper spray before using tear gas.

Police later said they came under heavy automatic weapon fire, and some buildings were left to burn because of the danger. County police said an officer suffered a gunshot wound, but it was unclear if it was because of the protest violence. Protests sprang up in cities from New York to Los Angeles and remained mostly peaceful.

USA Today – Ferguson Decision: No Justice for the Family of Michael Brown (Alternet)

‘This is apartheid!’ Israeli minister blasts bus segregation for Palestinians

Requests for separate buses for Palestinians in Israel are “unacceptable” and resemble “apartheid,” the country’s Justice Minister said, adding that this kind of discrimination is banned by Israeli law.

“It’s intolerable, the claims that they [the settlers] need their own buses, because one [Palestinian] didn’t get up for a woman or an elderly person, and another wasn’t nice to them. This is apartheid!” Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni said. “That’s something I find unacceptable, and I’ll work against it,” she vowed. “This is discrimination that’s forbidden by Israeli law.”

Livni’s statements come after the country’s Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon decided that West Bank Arabs working in Israel should have their own segregated public buses when traveling to and from Israel via a single crossing.

Full article at RT News

READ MORE: Israel Apartheid? Palestinians to be banned from West Bank settlers’ buses