White nationalists march again in Charlottesville
White supremacists lit tiki torches and gathered on Saturday night near the statue of American Civil War general Robert E Lee in Emancipation Park, Charlottesville, a focal point in recent demonstrations that turned violent.
The park was one of the scenes of the so-called Unite the Right protests on August 11 and 12 during which a white supremacist killed anti-fascist counterprotester Heather Heyer.
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Is Donald Trump giving a voice to white supremacists?
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On Saturday, local anti-fascist counter protesters confronted around 40 supporters of the alt-right, a loosely knit coalition of white supremacists, white nationalists and neo-Nazis.
Richard Spencer, a leading figure alt-right figure and head of the Virginia-based National Policy Institute think tank, was among those who attended.
Videos and photos posted to social media show alt-right demonstrators holding short speeches in front of the statue, as anti-fascist counterprotesters challenge the white supremacists.
White supremacists lit tiki torches and gathered on Saturday night near the statue of American Civil War general Robert E Lee in Emancipation Park, Charlottesville, a focal point in recent demonstrations that turned violent.The park was one of the scenes of the so-called Unite the Right protests on August 11 and 12 during which a white supremacist killed anti-fascist counterprotester Heather Heyer.On Saturday, local anti-fascist counterprotesters confronted around 40 supporters of the alt-right, a loosely knit coalition of white supremacists, white nationalists and neo-Nazis. Richard Spencer, a leading figure alt-right figure and head of the Virginia-based National Policy Institute think tank, was among those who attended.Videos and photos posted to social media show alt-right demonstrators holding short speeches in front of the statue, as anti-fascist counterprotesters challenge the white supremacists.White supremacists lit tiki torches and gathered on Saturday night near the statue of American Civil War general Robert E Lee in Emancipation Park, Charlottesville, a focal point in recent demonstrations that turned violent.
CBC Asks: How do we respond to white supremacy? It takes a village, presenters say
Shauna-Jean Matthews knows all too well about the power of community in battling bigotry.
The lifelong Manitoban was in the yard of her Winnipeg home just last week when a neighbour started shouting racial slurs at her across their shared fence, but police told her they couldn’t arrest the man.
“The police came and they looked at me and they said they can’t do anything. They were disgusted, 100 per cent, but legally, they can’t do anything,” she said.
Matthews shared her experience — and what she did next — at a CBC Asks town hall event Thursday, which looked at how we should respond to white supremacy and intolerance in our community.
“He called me what I can only refer to as a dog, using the N-word and many terrible slurs. He did this for 20 minutes on a lovely, light evening. Children could have been out here, they could have heard it,” Matthews the sold-out town hall audience.
“I had this moment of despair… you have this immediate feeling that you’re alone — there is no one around you and you’re just going to have to tolerate this.”
Matthews posted a video of the incident online, concealing the man’s face, and showed her neighbours, most of whom rallied around her.
The community expressed concerns to the man’s landlord, who removed him for two days. Matthews also contacted the Residential Tenancies Branch, which she said is conducting an investigation to see if the neighbour was in violation of the Neighbourhood and Community Safety Act.
“I say that as a community … there’s more of us. There’s more of us than there is of them, so let’s rally. And that’s how I’m trying to make this work,” she said.
Trump-Pence Administration Unleashes Sweeping Anti-LGBTQ #LicenseToDiscriminate
Today, HRC strongly condemned the Trump-Pence administration’s decision to carry out a sweeping “license to discriminate” that puts millions of LGBTQ Americans at risk of discrimination, as well as release a new regulation that could deny millions of Americans access to critical contraceptive care previously guaranteed under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
“Today the Trump-Pence administration launched an all-out assault on LGBTQ people, women, and other minority communities by unleashing a sweeping license to discriminate,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “This blatant attempt to further Donald Trump’s cynical and hateful agenda will enable systematic, government-wide discrimination that will have a devastating impact on LGBTQ people and their families. Donald Trump and Mike Pence have proven they will stop at nothing to target the LGBTQ community and drag our nation backwards. We will fight them every step of the way.”
“It’s unconscionable that the Trump-Pence administration also today encouraged employers to exert control over the essential health care decisions of their employees,” continued Griffin. “The rule change on contraception will undoubtedly limit access to vitally important care that women and so many in the LGBTQ community rely on every day. We each deserve to have the freedom to live and plan our lives with dignity, and this administration’s reckless efforts to undermine the health care of millions of Americans must be stopped.”
Today, HRC strongly condemned the Trump-Pence administration’s decision to carry out a sweeping “license to discriminate” that puts millions of LGBTQ Americans at risk of discrimination, as well as release a new regulation that could deny millions of Americans access to critical contraceptive care previously guaranteed under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).“Today the Trump-Pence administration launched an all-out assault on LGBTQ people, women, and other minority communities by unleashing a sweeping license to discriminate,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “This blatant attempt to further Donald Trump’s cynical and hateful agenda
UN: Myanmar violence may be ‘crimes against humanity’
UN rights experts have warned that the violence against women and children in Rakhine State “may amount to crimes against humanity”.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Committee on the Rights of a Child called on Myanmar authorities to “promptly and effectively investigate and vigorously prosecute cases of violence against women and children” in northern Rakhine.
“We are particularly worried about the fate of Rohingya women and children subject to serious violations of their human rights, including killings, rape and forced displacement,” the committees said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Such violations may amount to crimes against humanity and we are deeply concerned at the state’s failure to put an end to these shocking human rights violations being committed at the behest of the military and other security forces, and of which women and children continue to bear the brunt.”
More than 507,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since Myanmar’s army launched a military crackdown in response to an attack by Rohingya fighters on dozens of police posts and an army base on August 25.
Rohingya who have fled have told stories of rape and other sexual abuse, indiscriminate killings and arson by Myanmar security forces.
The UN has previously called the Rohingya exodus from Myanmar to Bangladesh “the most urgent refugee crisis in the world”.
The mainly Muslim minority, who live primarily in Rakhine State, is not recognised as an ethnic group in Myanmar, despite having lived there for generations. They have been denied citizenship and are stateless.
On Monday, Bangladesh’s foreign minister said Myanmar proposed taking back Rohingya refugees who had fled to his country.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Myanmar official Kyaw Tint Swe, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said both countries agreed to form a joint working group to begin work on the massive repatriation.
58 Human Rights and Civil Liberties Organizations Demand an End to the Backdoor Search Loophole
EFF and 57 organizations, including American Civil Liberties Union, R Street, and NAACP, spoke out against warrantless searches of American citizens in a joint letter this week demanding reforms of the so-called “backdoor search” loophole that exists for data collected under Section 702.
The backdoor search loophole allows federal government agencies, including the FBI and CIA, to, without a warrant, search through data collected on American citizens.
The data is first collected by the intelligence community under a section of law called Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, which provides rules for sweeping up communications of foreign individuals outside the United States. However, the U.S. government also uses 702 to collect the communications of countless American citizens and store them in a database accessible by several agencies.
The data is first collected by the intelligence community under a section of law called Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, which provides rules for sweeping up communications of foreign individuals outside the United States. However, the U.S. government also uses 702 to collect the communications of countless American citizens and store them in a database accessible by several agencies.EFF and many others believe this type of mass collection alone is unconstitutional. The backdoor search loophole infringes American rights further—allowing agencies to warrantlessly search through 702-collected data by using search terms that describe U.S. persons. These terms could include names, email addresses, and more. This practice needs to end. And a proposal before Congress to require warrants on backdoor searches used only in criminal investigations—as recently reported by the New York Times—does not go far enough.The data is first collected by the intelligence community under a section of law called Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008h.The data is first collected by the intelligence community under a section of law called Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008
Hearings on systemic racism in Quebec haven’t started but already nationalists are feeling victimized
MONTREAL – Before a single witness has been heard at Quebec’s hearings on systemic racism, before a single study has been tabled, a clear portrait of the victims is emerging.
François Legault, leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec, this week called on Premier Philippe Couillard to “end all unfair accusations against Quebecers” and cancel the commission. “Quebec doesn’t need an additional crisis on the identity issue, and especially not a crisis created by the Liberal Government,” he said.
Parti Québécois leader Jean-François Lisée said an examination of systemic racism is unnecessary and would “simply put vinegar in the wounds.” He said Couillard should “stop being so arrogant towards the will of the people” and scrap the hearings.
MONTREAL – Before a single witness has been heard at Quebec’s hearings on systemic racism, before a single study has been tabled, a clear portrait of the victims is emerging. François Legault, leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec, this week called on Premier Philippe Couillard to “end all unfair accusations against Quebecers” and cancel the commission. “Quebec doesn’t need an additional crisis on the identity issue, and especially not a crisis created by the Liberal Government,” he said. Parti Québécois leader Jean-François Lisée said an examination of systemic racism is unnecessary and would “simply put vinegar in the wounds.” He said Couillard should “stop being so arrogant towards the will of the people” and scrap the hearings. . “Quebec doesn’t need an additional crisis on the identity issue, and especially not a crisis created by the Liberal Government,” he said. Parti Québécois leader Jean-François Lisée said an examination of systemic racism is unnecessary and would “simply put vinegar in the wounds.” He said Couillard should “stop being so arrogant towards the will of the people” and scrap the hearings.
Indian MP accuses Winston Churchill of genocide, calls out Britain’s ‘deeply shameful’ colonial past
Indian MP accuses Winston Churchill of genocide, calls out Britain’s ‘deeply shameful’ colonial past
Sir Winston Churchill is remembered admiringly by many in Britain and around the world. But not by the renowned Indian author and politician, Shashi Tharoor.
Recently Tharoor compared the legendary British wartime leader to some of the worst genocidal dictators of the 20th Century. He made the comparison during a panel discussion on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
As It Happens host Carol Off spoke with Tharoor about his comments and his latest book “Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India.” Here is part of their conversation.
As you know, Churchill was a fairly controversial personality in his own lifetime. He’s been retrospectively deified in many ways, principally because of his heroic speeches during the Second World War. But he was a racist and an imperialist throughout his life, as was expressed in numerous statements.
The worst example of his conduct came during the decisions that he took that directly contributed to the deaths of 4.3 million people during what was called The Great Bengal Famine of 1943, 1944.
There was a drought in Bengal and the British persisted in acquiring grain from Bengal and exporting it, not so much to aid the war effort, as apologists have suggested, but to bolster stocks in Europe in the event of a possible future invasion of Greece or Yugoslavia.
When confronted with the mounting reports of the horrors this had unleashed and the deaths that were taking place, [Churchill] made remarks saying, “Oh it’s their fault anyway for breeding like rabbits.
” On another occasion, he said, “I hate Indians. They’re a beastly people with a beastly religion.” You ended up, in fact, with a file reaching the Prime Minister’s desk about the mounting toll after it had crossed 4 million people.
Churchill simply wrote, peevishly on the margins, “Why hasn’t Gandhi died yet?”
Discrimination Is the Big Winner in the Justice Department’s New Religious Guidelines
The Department of Justice today issued religious-liberty guidelines for all federal agencies, and anyone who values equality for all and the separation of church and state should be deeply disturbed by the message the guidelines send.
Purporting to interpret religious-liberty protections in federal law, the guidance — a 25-page memo sent to all executive branch departments — doubles down on a distorted understanding of religious freedom. Not only does it allow discrimination in the name of religion, it also treats the separation of church and state as a mere afterthought.
One of the most troubling aspects of the guidance is its broad reading of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). You’ve probably heard of RFRA before: It’s the statute under which the Supreme Court ruled that some closely held corporations like Hobby Lobby could obtain a religious exemption from a federal regulation requiring employers who offer health insurance to provide birth control coverage for employees.
The Department of Justice today issued religious-liberty guidelines for all federal agencies, and anyone who values equality for all and the separation of church and state should be deeply disturbed by the message the guidelines send. Purporting to interpret religious-liberty protections in federal law, the guidance — a 25-page memo sent to all executive branch departments — doubles down on a distorted understanding of religious freedom. Not only does it allow discrimination in the name of religion, it also treats the separation of church and state as a mere afterthought. One of the most troubling aspects of the guidance is its broad reading of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). You’ve probably heard of RFRA before: It’s the statute under which the Supreme Court ruled that some closely held corporations like Hobby Lobby could obtain a religious exemption from a federal regulation requiring employers who offer health insurance to provide birth control coverage for employees.
Cavs Owner: I Received ‘Vile’ Voicemails After LeBron James Called Donald Trump a ‘Bum’
(CLEVELAND) — Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert received “vile, disgusting” voicemails after LeBron James called President Donald Trump a “bum” on Twitter.Gilbert said he was flooded with phone messages when the NBA’s most celebrated player criticized Trump for rescinding a White House invitation to Golden State’s Stephen Curry to honor the team’s NBA championship.
“I received voicemails after LeBron tweeted that were some of the most vile, disgusting, racist,” Gilbert said Friday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box. “There’s an element of racism that I didn’t even realize existed in this country this much.”
Gilbert said he had not told James about the voicemails. He called the comments unnerving.
“And you could hear it in their voice — the racism,” Gilbert said. “It wasn’t even really about the issue, and that’s what really got me, because they went to who they really are, some of them.”
Earlier this week, James said he did not regret his comment about Trump.
“Me and my friends call me that all the time,” James said during a news conference on media day. “I’m not his friend, though. He’s not my friend. No, when I woke up and saw what he said about Steph Curry. First of all, it’s so funny because it’s like you inviting me to your party, right? As a matter of fact, it’s not like you invited me.
“It’s almost, like, ‘Hey, I’m not going to be able to make it. I’m not coming and then you would be like, ‘LeBron, guess what? You’re not invited. I wasn’t coming anyways, so that was funny to me when I woke up and saw that. So, my first initial response was, you bum.”
James also commended NFL players for protesting after Trump said owners should fire any players who kneel during the national anthem.
NFL Says Fans Will Be Banned for Racist Comments After Terrelle Pryor Incident
NFL Says Fans Will Be Banned for Racist Comments After Terrelle Pryor Incident
The National Football League confirmed any fans who engage in racist activity during games will be banned from attending future contests.
On Thursday, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk passed along comments from NFL spokesperson Joe Lockhart as the league continues to review a situation involving Washington Redskins wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, who alleged racist abuse (language NSFW) during Monday night’s game.
“We have no tolerance for racial comments directed to anyone,” Lockhart said. “Those fans are not welcome to come back this week, next week, or any time.”
TMZ Sports posted a video Wednesday showing Pryor getting into a verbal altercation with a fan following the Redskins’ 29-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday.
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The National Football League confirmed any fans who engage in racist activity during games will be banned from attending future contests. On Thursday, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk passed along comments from NFL spokesperson Joe Lockhart as the league continues to review a situation involving Washington Redskins wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, who alleged racist abuse (language NSFW) during Monday night’s game. “We have no tolerance for racial comments directed to anyone,” Lockhart said. “Those fans are not welcome to come back this week, next week, or any time.” TMZ Sports posted a video Wednesday showing Pryor getting into a verbal altercation with a fan following the Redskins’ 29-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday. “We have no tolerance for racial comments directed to anyone,” Lockhart said. “Those fans are not welcome to come back this week, next week, or any time.” TMZ Sports posted a video Wednesday showing Pryor getting into a verbal altercation with a fan following the Redskins’ 29-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday.