WORLD REFUGEE DAY COMMUNITY FESTIVAL
When: 9am – 6pm, Sunday 24th June.
Where: Annerley Soccer Fields, Ridge & Juliette Sts, Annerley.
Cultural performances, food, community stalls, children’s activities, sport, citizenship ceremony.
Presented by: Multicultural Development Association
I went to the world refugee day community festival to ask if people would sign the Justice for Palestine petition to Free Ridha! who was taken by Israeli soldiers on 20 may 2012. Individuals said they would.
So I approached the Red Cross, the Amnesty, 4EB and PACSI stalls. None would put the petition on their stalls. Amnesty and PACSI gave me a hearing but said it was political. The person from Red Cross said that she would take up the petition as an individual but not on behalf of the Red Cross. The others did not give me much of a hearing. Amnesty said they would teach me how to run a campaign. PACSI said that if they put the petition out they would not be invited back next year because it was political. Since when were basic human rights political – I’ll tell you when – SINCE THE DAWN of TIME. So why in a democratic country has having a petition to Free Ridha! on display become forbidden. Why?
BTW I saw a great game of soccer between an African side and a local team. I think the Africans were going to win – thanks guys for your skills on the field.
Interview with people from Bahraini Youth Movement
Plane down, leaders shot
Two contrasting events occurred yesterday – a plane fell from the skies over Syria and a leader of the main Bahraini opposition party was shot in the street. All the world’s media focused on the shooting down of an US F-4 phantom fighter plane with two Turkish airmen on board but not one mainstream media outlet spoke of the shooting of three peaceful protestors depicted in the YouTube video below.
The pilots were rescued from the sea. The leaders are wounded.
Paradigm Shift interviewed a Bahraini refugee to Australian about these attacks to contrast how the US and Australian governments are dealing with these to events.
Both events force people to become refugees.
The ottoman empire invaded Lebanon and Syria and held it till 1922. The huge conglomeration of territories and peoples formerly ruled by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire was divided into several new nations by the League of Nations carving up the Arab world for Britain France and the US i.e. what was to become NATO. Britain got Palestine. France got Lebanon and Syria. The league of Nations carved up the Arabian Peninsula became parts of what are today Saudi Arabia and Yemen which the US has controlled since the 1960s when Israel began its wars against the Arab world.
Last Thursday before we interviewed the Bahrainis the Turkish pilots flew over Syria the first time and nothing happened.
Turkey flew its F4s over Syrian air space to test Syrian defences.
So, with the knowledge of the US administration, the Turkish Generals ordered the pilots to repeat the fly over and Syria shot one of their planes down.
NATO and the gulf states are trying to escalate the conflict with Syria by doing such things.
Equally Assad is trying to split the Sunnis by blustering against NATO.
Assad has the best missile defence system in the world (provided by the Russians) but do his men know how to use it?
Freedom from oppression and war will not come from missiles, Sunnis or Shias – it can only come from a united resistance — by Sunni, Shia, Christians, and secularists.
Ian Curr
June 2012
Ironically, the most generous hosts to Afghan and Iraqi refugees, according to UNHCR are three countries now in the sights of Americas bombs, missiles, drones and destabilizing mercenaries, spooks and varying paid and murderous meddlers.
They are: Pakistan, Iran, and Syria who have the largest refugee populations at: 1.9 million, 1.07 million, and 1.005 million respectively.
[Editor’s Note – thanks to AllBornEqualRights here some background on the struggle in Bahrain. Please note that the Bahraini regime has refused permission for Kuwaiti doctors to enter the country to give urgent medical assistance to the sick, wounded, and tortured protestors.]
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/bahrain-opposition-leader-injured-in-protest-1.1039388
http://www.abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=324109
http://www.rt.com/news/bahrain-protest-injured-opposition-553/
This is RT’s take of it:
The uprising in the Kingdom of Bahrain, which hosts America’s Fifth Fleet, has been ongoing for 16 months. The country’s Shia majority is rallying against the Western-backed Sunni monarchy to get broader political rights and participate more actively in the governing of their country.
The ruling Sunni Muslim Al Khalifa family has made some concessions to the Shia protesters. The parliament’s powers of scrutiny over ministers and budgets have been extended, although the key demands for full legislative powers and elected governments was turned down.
The government accuses Al Wefaq supporters of following a sectarian Shiite agenda. The opposition party insists the Bahraini leadership is making excuses to avoid giving up its privileges.
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http://bahrainjdm.hopto.org/tag/sheikhali/
Serious attack on opposition leaders during peaceful protest
By admin
Published: June 22, 2012
A peaceful protest by the opposition was violently suppressed today with opposition leaders sustaining injuries. It is the first time since the crackdown of February and March 2011 that opposition leaders have been directly targeted by security forces.
Al Wefaq say that their General Secretary Sheikh Ali Salman was shot with rubber bullets in the back and the shoulder during the attack. Former MP Jawad Fairouz was also said to be injured.
Activists say the protest was attacked with tear as as well as rubber bullets, described as being used in an “indiscriminate and manic” way.
The most serious injury appears to have been suffered by Hasan Marzooq, the First Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Assemblage.
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http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message1906389/pg1
Re: BREAKING: Bahrain “Spring” crackdown
Bahrain is turbulent place for at least a year but west doesn’t give a damn about “democracy and freedom”
Anonymous Coward (in Croatia) writes: These are the countries that need their dictators overthrown, This is the uprising the West should be aiding…Not Libya or Syria, but Bahrain and Saudi…
Bahraini regime forces have raided houses in the northeastern island of Sitra in their search for anti-government demonstrators, making several arrests.
A number of people were also injured when the Manama regime forces attacked homes in Sitra on Monday.
Meanwhile, police used tear gas, rubber bullets and sound grenades to disperse protesters in several other towns and villages.
The opposition in Bahrain is not calling for revolution, or the overthrow of its royal rulers, the al-Khalifa clan. But it is calling for deep political reforms — a constitutional monarchy with an empowered parliament, an elected government and an end to gerrymandering that has left Bahrain’s poor Shiite majority disenfranchised… [link to topics.nytimes.com] [link to http://www.rt.com]
There have been mass arrests, mass firings of government workers, reports of torture and the forced resignation of the top editor of the nation’s one independent newspaper. Emergency laws gave the security forces the right to search houses at will without a warrant and dissolve any organization, including legal political parties, deemed a danger to the state. Even two members of the national soccer team were arrested, despite apologizing on television for attending antigovernment rallies.
Re: BREAKING: Bahrain “Spring” crackdown
Bahrain riot police shot birdshot gun at 4 year old kid
[link to http://www.bravo-bahrain.org]
http://www.bravo-bahrain.org/?lang=en
BRAVO has been watching closely over the case of 4 year old Ahmed Nasser AlNaham, and we have been briefed about the severe injury that he has incurred due to direct gunshot to the eye. We learned that the child was admitted to Salmaniya Medical Complex as seen in this video then moved to Saudi Arabia for treatment. As we are waiting for news and further progress on the child’s condition, BRAVO is highly concerned over the child’s health and well being and would strongly encourage the family and the authorities in Bahrain to allow BRAVO to intervene in his treatment and to provide emergency assistance in his case. Given the fact that BRAVO is the only NGO in the Gulf Region with such expertise and worldwide contacts, we could facilitate a premium level of professional care and prognosis of the child’s condition, if he needs surgery and follow up care. Once again we would like to stress, in the strongest possible terms, our sincere and genuine offer to assist the child and his family and the Bahraini Authorities in handling the case.