Libya has heard its first meeting of unitary parliament in a rare light for a country that’s been mired into darkness ever since the US-led intervention in 2011.
In the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard, Carol Stavris told the Communist Party’s executive at the weekend that violence against women has “deep roots in the capitalist system of exploitation”. “The position is made worse by inequality, poverty, sexist stereotyping, the commodification of women’s bodies, loss of crucial public services and inadequate support for women and children suffering abuse”, the CP Women’s Organiser declared.
Last night (13 March 2021), hundreds gathered to remember the life of Sarah Everard and to call for changes to keep women safe in our society. The cancellation of the vigil couldn’t stop hundreds from gathering to express their emotions in the aftermath of Sarah Everard’s murder. The night ended in violence as police crushed flowers and dragged women kicking and screaming from the vigil. Previously, the Metropolitan police had refused to allow the event to go ahead, stoking rising tensions across Britain. Tensions had started as soon as it was revealed that a serving officer had been charged with Everard’s abduction and murder.
Civil liberties campaigners have warned that the controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, contains proposals are set to restrict demonstrations, threatening the right to protest. Buried deep in the 300-page document, proposals would grant, by law, further powers to police officers and the Home Secretary to clamp down on protests. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) have since published its ideas for the future of policing demonstrations.
MSPs have passed what has been described as “Scotland’s most controversial piece of legislation”. The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill was passed on Thursday (11 March 2021) by 82 votes to 32, with 4 abstentions after a marathon debate of amendments on Wednesday. The legislation seeks to consolidate existing law and extends protection for some vulnerable groups with a new offence of “stirring up hatred”. Concerns have been raised about the potential impact on freedom of speech, with opponents arguing that the full implications of the proposed law have not been thought through. While supporting the principle of protecting people from prejudice, they argue that the definition of “‘stirring up hatred” is too vague and open to interpretation.
Police fired tear gas and protestors threw petrol bombs as violence broke out in Athens following a demonstration against police brutality on Tuesday night, forcing Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis to take to television to call for calm.
The Communist Party has issued the March edition of its news sheet Unity! focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tory budget, International Women’s Day 2021, anti-racism and the Party’s new Housing Charter.
On Wednesday (10 March 2021), the Young Communist League of South Africa (YCLSA) released a statement following the death of a civilian during student protests near the University of the Witwatersrand. Protests have been raging in South Africa since the turn of the year, when the ANC Govt introduced new measures stopping students laden with debt from enrolling for university.
Women marching on International Women’s Day (8 March 2021) clashed with police at barricades surrounding the National Palace in Mexico City, where officers fired pepper spray after the protesters attempted to tear down a metal wall. The three meter high metal wall was erected to protect the National Palace but the protesters have turned it into a memorial for women killed simply because of their gender. The government said that the wall was put up there to protect the palace from “vandalism”.
Following revelations in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s interview with American Oprah Winfrey, that an unnamed member of the Royal Family had expressed concern of the colour of Meghan’s child prior to his birth, thousands took to Twitter demanding Britain became a Republic. Markle, who starred in American legal drama Suits, expressed concern about the racial bigotries held in the Royal Family. Saying that the harassment from them and the right wing tabloids made her “suicidal”.
Deliveroo riders are set to receive up to £10,000 from a £16m ‘thank you fund’ this year, however, it’s unknown when exactly pay outs are set to occur. Only a quarter of riders will receive any money. Only riders that have worked with Deliveroo for at least a year and have completed 2,000 orders will receive money from the rider fund.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced yesterday (4 March 2021) that it’s members would be preparing for potential strike action over the pay rise announced in the UK budget, which they describe as ‘pitiful’. The RCN announced it was preparing a £35 million strike fund in advance of potential industrial action in England. Healthcare pay is devolved, hence the inclusion of England only. Although, workers in Scotland and Wales are preparing similar actions related to equally dismal pay rises.
On Wednesday morning, The Loyalist Communities Council (LCC) said it was temporarily withdrawing support for the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) due to concerns around the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Communists from Britain and internationally came together last weekend (27 February 2021) in a special webinar paying tribute to the life of Mark Ashton former general secretary of the Young Communist League and founder of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners. Organised as part of our centenary celebrations the YCL LGBT+ Commission had arranged the webinar to look at the current issues affecting LGBT+ working people and Socialism’s answer to LGBT + liberation.
The Communist Party has launched a stinging criticism of today’s (3 March 2021) budget by Tory Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget is for the profits of the few rather than the wellbeing of the many. He plans to dole out many more billions to big business but still refuses to admit who is going to end up paying for yet another eye-watering bail-out of British capitalism. He claims economic growth will generate some of the tax revenues needed, yet the Office for Budget Responsibility has now cut its economic growth forecasts for every year from now until the end of 2025 except the next one.
George Galloway, leader and founder of ‘Workers Party Of Britain’, has stated his intention to vote for Douglas Ross’ Scottish Conservatives in May’s Holyrood elections. Galloway, who is heading up the ‘electoral alliance’ named Alliance for Unity to maintain the union and “kick out the SNP”, took to Twitter to claim he would vote for the incumbent Tory MSP in his constituency and use his secondary vote on the South Scotland list to vote for himself.
The Communist Party of Britain is urging labour movement bodies not to rush to judgment on the Uyghur question in China. The Beijing government has been accused of ‘genocide’ against the mostly Muslim population of 13 million people in the Xinjiang autonomous region, in north-west China. But Communist Party General Secretary Robert Griffiths told his party’s Political Committee on Wednesday evening (24 February 2021) that the charges of ‘genocide’ are ideologically motivated, lacked independent evidence, and are part of the ‘new Cold War’ being waged against China.
The US carried out an air strike on facilities used by Iranian-backed militia groups in eastern Syria on Thursday night (25 February 2021) in response to three separate rocket attacks against US forces in Iraq, according to a Pentagon spokesperson. The strikes is alleged to have destroyed several facilities at a border control point used by a number of Iran-backed militia groups linked to the attacks against US forces in Iraq, including Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada,
People gathered in Kolkata on the 28th February during a massive rally organized by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and its allies. The rally – one of the largest political gatherings of recent years, was held at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground.
It has been revealed that the Home Office is secretly planning another network of immigration detention units for women, despite their pledge to reform the system and decrease the amount of vulnerable people detained. This autumn, the first detention centre in this plan will open where a former youth prison stood in County Durham. In addition to this facility and others alike, the Home Office has informed asylum groups that they were considering smaller units for women around the UK. There’s no guarantee that children will be spared from detainment in these facilities.
