Yearly Archives: 2024

Columbia Faculty Walk Out Over Student Suspensions, Arrests for Gaza Protests

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Original article by JESSICA CORBETT republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

While expressing gratitude for solidarity actions, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar—whose daughter was suspended—said that “this about the genocide in Gaza and the attention has to remain on that.”

Over 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by U.S.-backed Israeli troops, and Columbia University students have been suspended and arrested by New York Police Department officers in recent days for protesting the slaughter—which led to a walkout by the Ivy League institution’s faculty on Monday.

The Guardian reported that “hundreds of members of the teaching cohort at Columbia walked out in solidarity with the students who were arrested” while “students put protest tents back up in the middle of campus on Monday after they were torn down last week when more than 100 arrests were made.”

Yonah Lieberman, co-founder of IfNotNow, a Jewish-led U.S. group that organizes against Israel’s apartheid, declared: “Solidarity with these faculty members. Shame on establishment politicians and agitators who are smearing the anti-war protest at Columbia as anything other than what it is: a courageous stand for freedom and peace.”

Naureen Akhter, a founding member of the New York-based group Muslims for Progress, said: “Thank you to the professors who stood in solidarity with student protestors, who didn’t give into instigators who are fanning flames of hate and division. Remember the calls are for transparency, divestment, and amnesty for students!”

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)—a critic of Israel’s war on Gaza whose own daughter, Isra Hirsi, was suspended from Columbia’s Barnard College last week for “standing in solidarity with Palestinians facing a genocide,” as the 21-year-old junior put it—also noted the faculty walkout and “nationwide Gaza solidarity movement.”

“This is more than the students hoped for and I am glad to see this type of solidarity,” said Omar. “But to be clear, this about the genocide in Gaza and the attention has to remain on that.”

The walkout in New York City followed 54 Columbia Law School professors sending a letter to administrators that states, “While we as a faculty disagree about the relevant political issues and express no opinion on the merits of the protest, we are writing to urge respect for basic rule-of-law values that ought to govern our university.”

“Procedural irregularity, a lack of transparency about the university’s decision-making, and the extraordinary involvement of the NYPD all threaten the university’s legitimacy within its own community and beyond its gates,” they wrote. “We urge the university to conform student discipline to clear and well-established procedures that respect the rule of law.”

In a statement early Monday, several hours before the walkout, Columbia University president Minouche Shafik—who last week enabled NYPD arrests of students at the encampment—announced in her first statement since the sweep that all classes would be virtual “to deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps.”

“Faculty and staff who can work remotely should do so; essential personnel should report to work according to university policy. Our preference is that students who do not live on campus will not come to campus,” Shafik said. “During the coming days, a working group of deans, university administrators, and faculty members will try to bring this crisis to a resolution.”

The national group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) on Monday accused Columbia of creating “a climate of repression and harm for students peacefully protesting for an end to the Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza” over the past six months.

“Columbia University has actively created a hostile environment for students who are Palestinian or who support Palestinian freedom. Additionally, the administration’s actions have made the campus much less safe for Jewish students,” JVP said.

According to JVP:

Instead of listening to the calls of Columbia and Barnard students to divest from the genocide perpetrated by the Israeli government, the university has called in the NYPD to arrest students, suspended them, and even expelled them. At present 85 students, 15 of whom are Jewish, are suspended.

Yesterday’s statement by the White House, like the administrators of Columbia University, dangerously and inaccurately presumes that all Jewish students support the Israeli government’s genocide of Palestinians. This assumption is actively harming Palestinian and Jewish students.

The administration has not only harassed Jewish students and failed to ensure their safety and well-being, it has also obstructed their religious observances during Shabbat and prevented them from accessing their Jewish community on the eve of Passover.

While President Joe Biden’s Sunday statement was officially about Passover—a Jewish holiday that begins at sundown on Monday—and not the protests at Columbia and other campuses across the country, it was widely received as a response to the latter.

Biden said in part that “we must speak out against the alarming surge of antisemitism—in our schools, communities, and online. Silence is complicity. Even in recent days, we’ve seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous—and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country.”

Jonathan Ben-Menachem, a Ph.D. student at the university, toldCNN that “Columbia students organizing in solidarity with Palestine—including Jewish students—have faced harassment, doxxing, and now arrest by the NYPD. These are the main threats to the safety of Jewish Columbia students.”

“On the other hand, student protesters have led interfaith joint prayers for several days now, and Passover Seder will be held at the Gaza solidarity encampment tomorrow,” he added. “Saying that student protesters are a threat to Jewish students is a dangerous smear.”

Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine said in a lengthy statement that “we are student activists at Columbia calling for divestment from genocide. We are frustrated by media distractions focusing on inflammatory individuals who do not represent us. At universities across the nation, our movement is united in valuing every human life.”

“As a diverse group united by love and justice, we demand our voices be heard against the mass slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza,” the statement continues. “We’ve been horrified each day, watching children crying over the bodies of their slain parents, families without food to eat, and doctors operating without anesthesia. Our university is complicit in this violence and this is why we protest.”

The Columbia Spectator reported Monday that Columbia College passed a divestment referendum that “asked whether the university should divest financially from Israel, cancel the Tel Aviv Global Center, and end Columbia’s dual degree program with Tel Aviv University,” with respective votes of 76.55%, 68.36%, and 65.62%. However, a statement from a university spokesperson signaled the referendum would not lead to any shift in campus policies.

Beyond Columbia, there are ongoing demonstrations at institutions including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University, the University of Michigan, and Yale University, another Ivy League school, where at least 47 peaceful student protesters were arrested on Monday.

Those arrested were “charged with class A misdemeanors, which is the highest class of misdemeanors in Connecticut—the same degree applies to third-degree assault,” according to the Yale Daily News. Citing a university spokesperson, the student newspaper added that they “will be referred for Yale disciplinary action—which could include reprimand, probation, or suspension.”

Pushing back against some administrators’ statements, journalist Thomas Birmingham, who was with the Yale protesters overnight, said on social media: “Here’s some things I saw… 1. Repeated and loud calls to remain peaceful. 2. Students locking arms, teaching Arabic and Hebrew, and passing around pizza and water. 3. Lots of singing.”

Original article by JESSICA CORBETT republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

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Death, drought and devastation: Europe faces ‘huge number’ of climate extremes, report finds

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https://www.itv.com/news/2024-04-22/death-drought-and-devastation-europe-faces-huge-number-of-climate-extremes

How was Europe impacted by climate extremes in 2023? ITV News’ Health & Science Correspondent Martin Stew explains the UN and EU report

Heat-related deaths have risen, wildfires the size of London, Paris and Berlin combined raged across Europe, and the UK coastline faced a “beyond extreme” marine heatwave in 2023, a climate report has found.

Europe, including Britain, suffered a “huge number” of climate extremes as the continent was hit by heatwaves, wildfires, droughts and flooding last year, EU and UN scientists have said.

Extreme weather has affected human health and caused billions of pounds in economic losses, and is set to worsen as the world warms, experts said as they launched a report on the European state of the climate in 2023.

The report, from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and the UN’s World Meteorological Service (WMO), details the impacts of global warming, including a “beyond extreme” marine heatwave off the UK and Irish coasts, the continent’s largest ever wildfire and exceptional glacier melt.

Heat-related deaths are on the rise in Europe, where it was found 63 lives were lost to storms, 44 to floods and 44 to wildfires in 2023.

Weather and climate-related economic losses totalled an estimated 13.4 billion euros (£11.5 billion), the report said.

Celeste Saulo, WMO secretary-general, said: “The climate crisis is the biggest challenge of our generation. The cost of climate action may seem high but the cost of inaction is much higher.”

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Anomalies in the annual surface air temperature for European land.
Credit: Copernicus

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https://www.itv.com/news/2024-04-22/death-drought-and-devastation-europe-faces-huge-number-of-climate-extremes

Continue ReadingDeath, drought and devastation: Europe faces ‘huge number’ of climate extremes, report finds

Ruling against Just Stop Oil doctor alarms BMA

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0x0zzey7lpo

A tribunal has found Dr Sarah Benn’s fitness to practise to be impaired

The British Medical Association (BMA) has said it is “very concerned” by a tribunal’s finding that a doctor’s participation in Just Stop Oil protests amounted to professional misconduct.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service ruled Dr Sarah Benn’s fitness to practise was impaired and said it must consider whether a sanction should be imposed on her registration.

The General Medical Council (GMC), which referred the case, said the hearing was convened due to the fact her actions at Kingsbury oil terminal in Warwickshire broke the law and resulted in her imprisonment.

But Dr Emma Runswick, BMA deputy chair of council, said there was “no possible public or patient interest” in such circumstances for proceedings where potential sanctions included the removal of a doctor’s licence.

Addressing the tribunal’s findings, Dr Runswick said the BMA was concerned Dr Benn’s registration as a doctor could be threatened for taking part in peaceful protests relating to the climate change emergency.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0x0zzey7lpo

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High Court judge blocks contempt of court action against woman who held up a sign

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/high-court-judge-blocks-contempt-court-action-against-woman-who-held-sign

Trudi Warner with supporters outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, April 18, 2024

A HIGH COURT judge has refused to allow contempt proceedings against a retired social worker who held up a sign outside a court where Insulate Britain activists were due to be tried.

Trudi Warner, from Walthamstow, East London, told of her relief following today’s ruling.

She was arrested on March 27 last year and accused of “deliberately targeting” the jury by holding up a placard outside an entrance used by jurors at Inner London Crown Court.

The sign read: “Jurors you have an absolute right to acquit a defendant according to your conscience.”

Rendering judgement at the Royal Courts of Justice, Mr Justice Saini said he would not give the Solicitor General permission to pursue proceedings against Ms Warner as she had “accurately informed potential prospective jurors about one of their legal powers.”

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“The proper forum for the Solicitor General to address this concern is Parliament, not by way of contempt proceedings,” he said.

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/high-court-judge-blocks-contempt-court-action-against-woman-who-held-sign

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Ahead of Treaty Negotiations, Hundreds March to ‘End the Plastic Era’

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Original article by OLIVIA ROSANE republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Frontline community members and environmental groups marched in Ottawa, Canada, on Sunday, April 21, 2024 to demand an ambitious Global Plastics Treaty.
 (Photo: Ben Powless/Survival Media Agency)

“As adults who come to Ottawa to negotiate the plastic treaty, you must protect our rights to live in a healthy and safe environment,” one young activists said.

Days before national delegates gather for the fourth and penultimate negotiations to develop a Global Plastics Treaty in Ottawa, Canada, around 500 Indigenous and community representatives, members of civil society and environmental groups, and experts and scientists gathered for a “March to End the Plastic Era” on Sunday.

The protesters, organized under the banner of Break Free From Plastic, called for a treaty that significantly reduces plastic production and centers the frontline communities most impacted by the plastics crisis.

“Delegates must act like our lives depend on it—because they do,” Daniela Duran Gonzales, senior legal campaigner with the Center for International Environmental Law, said in a statement. “Our climate goals, the protection of human health, the enjoyment of human rights, and the rights of future generations all rest on whether the future plastics treaty will control and reduce polymers to successfully end the plastic pollution crisis.”

“Short-sighted business interests must be out of the room because the only way to achieve equitable livelihoods is when we have a healthy planet.”

The official meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to craft a “international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment,” will run from April 23 to 29 in the Canadian capital.

Break Free From Plastic called the negotiations a “make or break” moment for the treaty, which is supposed to be completed in late 2024 in Busan, South Korean. However, civil society groups have expressed concern that oil-producing countries and the plastics industry will water down the agreement and steer it toward waste management and recycling, which has been revealed to be a false solution to plastic pollution knowingly promoted by the industry for decades.

The last round of negotiations concluded in late 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya, with little progress made after 143 fossil fuel and chemical lobbyists attended.

Salisa Traipipitsiriwat of Thailand, who is the senior campaigner and Southeast Asia plastics project manager for the Environmental Justice Foundation, said ahead of Sunday’s march that it was “crucial for world leaders to step up and put the people and planet at the forefront.”

“Short-sighted business interests must be out of the room because the only way to achieve equitable livelihoods is when we have a healthy planet,” Traipipitsiriwat added.

On Sunday, marchers gathered for a press conference at 10:30 am ET before marching at around 11:30 am from Parliament Hill to the Shaw Center, were negotiations will begin on Tuesday. Crowds began to disperse around 1:30 pm. Participants carried large banners with messages including, “End the plastic era,” “End multigenerational toxic exposure,” and pointing out that 99% of plastics came from fossil fuels. The gathering featured live music and art, including a giant tap pouring out plastics and a “Plastisaurus rex” with the message “Make single-use plastic extinct.”

(Photo: Break Free From Plastics)

“Now’s the time to be bold and push for a treaty that cuts plastic production and holds polluters accountable,” Julie Teel Simmonds, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a pre-march statement. “I’m inspired to be joining so many advocates in Ottawa, standing up against the enormous harm the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries are causing to people’s health and the planet. I hope to see countries showing ambition this week, and I urge them to remember what’s at stake for future generations.”

Civil society groups have compiled several demands for an ambitious and effective treaty. These are:

  1. Centering human rights, especially those of Indigenous communities, young people, and workers most impacted by plastic pollution;
  2. Protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples throughout the treaty process;
  3. Dealing with plastics across their entire lifecyle;
  4. Reducing production as a “nonnegotiable” part of the treaty;
  5. Eliminating toxic chemicals and additives from plastics;
  6. Bolstering reuse systems for plastics that are non-toxic;
  7. Prioritizing first prevention, then reuse, recycling, recovery, and disposal when managing plastic waste;
  8. Ending “waste colonialism” by strengthening regulations for trading plastics;
  9. Guaranteeing a “just transition” for people employed across the plastics lifecycle;
  10. Including “non-party” provisions in the treaty;
  11. Establishing a mechanism to fund countries so they can fully implement the treaty; and
  12. Enshrining conflict-of-interest policies as a protection against plastics industry lobbying.

The coalition emphasized the need to tackle the problem of plastic from cradle to grave.

“Plastic doesn’t just become pollution when it’s thrown away,” said Jessica Roff, the U.S. and Canada plastics and petrochemicals program manager for the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives. “Plastic is pollution, from the moment the fossil fuels are extracted from the ground to the eternity of waste it spawns.”

Chrie Wilke, global advocacy manager for the Waterkeeper Alliance, said “Clearly the crux of the plastic pollution crisis is too much plastic being produced. There is no way to recycle our way out of this. We must face the fact that plastic and petrochemicals, at current production levels, endanger waterways, communities, and fisheries across the globe. Cutting production and implementing non-plastic alternatives and reuse systems is essential.”

(Photo: Ben Powless/Survival Media Agency)

Activists also emphasized the environmental justice implications of plastic pollution, and how some communities and groups are more burdened than others, both from the dangers of the production process and from waste disposal.

“Children and youth like me suffer the most and are recognized as a vulnerable group,” said Aeshnina ‘Nina’ Azzahra, the founder of River Warrior Indonesia. “My playground and my future are at risk. We all want our environment to be plastic-free, but please don’t put your burden on the other side of the world—this is NOT fair. As adults who come to Ottawa to negotiate the plastic treaty, you must protect our rights to live in a healthy and safe environment.”

Jo Banner, co-founder and co-directer of The Descendants Project, said:”Frontline community members, such as myself, are participating in these treaty negotiations with heavy hearts as our communities back home are struggling with sickness and disease caused by the upstream production of plastic.”

“Although our hearts are heavy, they are full with passion urging negotiators to aim for an ambitious treaty that caps plastic production,” Banner added. “Areas such as my hometown, located in the heart of Louisiana’s Cancer Alley, need a strong treaty now. There is no more time to waste.”

Original article by OLIVIA ROSANE republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Continue ReadingAhead of Treaty Negotiations, Hundreds March to ‘End the Plastic Era’