Broadcasted for the world to see through TikTok live stream before quickly going viral across several other social media platforms, a video shared early Tuesday, 25 June, by a young Kenyan TikTok user showed a group of anti-riot police – teargas canisters in hand and truncheons drawn –surrounded by hundreds of peacefully protesting citizens, forcing the officers to retreat to their vehicle and speed away from the Central Business District (CBD) intersection. The nearly two-minute video shows the protestors jointly chanting, “we are peaceful,” as they rushed to the intersection to encircle the officers, defuse hostilities, and prevent further violent repression. Other images of unity and collective action portray siblings protecting each other from unlawful arrests, groups of young protesters caring for one another amidst clouds of teargas, and Supreme Court staff and lawyers distributing water to protesters as they marched towards their destination, where they would seize and occupy parliament. These photos and videos of collective people-power are just a few of hundreds – if not thousands – of images and clips shared by Kenyan protesters on that historical day as they took to the streets of Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, Kakamega, Nakuru, and Kericho to resist and challenge parliament’s approval of President William Ruto’s austerity Finance Bill, which introduced unpopular tax proposals and levies that would further increase an already onerous cost of living for the majority of citizens.

Public outrage and collective demonstrations opposing Finance Bill 2024 began the week prior, when on Tuesday, 18 June, hundreds of primarily Gen-Z Kenyans gathered to protest the legislation in Nairobi CBD. As Wangui Kimari explains, the events marked the first time since Kenya’s independence that a spontaneous and organic people-driven movement took to the streets in droves to oppose political leadership and IMF-influenced austerity policies. Protesters were met in the streets by brute police force, resulting in the arrests of nearly 200 peaceful protesters, including the detainment of Njeri Mwangi, a member of the Mathare Social Justice Centre Secretariat.

In the hours and days that followed, more Kenyans raised their voices against the punitive Finance Bill and the government’s violation of citizens’ constitutionally protected right to peaceful and unarmed assembly and protest. Mobilized through social media under hashtags #OccupyParliament and #RejectFinanceBill2024, the politically amorphous yet unified movement quickly grew, collectively rallying around issues of concern and demands for change rather than ethnic divisions historically cultivated and exploited by the governing class for political control. On the morning of 19 June, mass protests erupted across the country and following the murder of Rex Kanyike Masai by riot police and the use of live ammunition during a peaceful demonstration on the afternoon of 20 June; the movement launched ‘7 Days of Rage’ – a week of planned protest actions that include #OccupyStateHouse and #totalshutdown among others to express their undying determination in opposing Finance Bill 2024 and challenging the unaccountable leadership of the Ruto administration.

For the many who fought a Western-supported KANU dictatorship for decades, such as NARC Party leader Martha Karua, the Generation Z challenge to the oppressive Kenya Kwanza regime is a continuation of the struggle to liberate the country from foreign influence and revolutionize the status quo of politicians favoring their own interests.

A historical, fearless moment

Public discontent reached new heights on Tuesday, 25 June, as young Kenyans – many of whom are directly impacted by these financial measures – were joined by other community members and activists to show their disapproval and desire for change in the streets of cities across the country. As the day progressed, what started as a mass protest against a proposed tax bill morphed into widespread dissatisfaction with President Ruto – namely, his use of colonial-era violence against peaceful protesters and the announcement of the arrival of 400 Kenyan police officers in Haiti to terrorize the population of the Caribbean Island in the service of US imperialism.

In the early hours of 25 June, thousands of anti-Finance Bill protesters surrounded the parliament building in the capital city to shut down procedures to approve the government’s plans to raise more than US$2.7 billion in new tax revenue from workers and rural poor, as dictated by a new financial agreement with the IMF. Despite threats of police violence, internet shutdowns, and the arrests of hundreds of protesters in the days before – including the abductions of many known bloggers, activists, and social media political influencers the previous night – protesters refused to be intimidated and courageously stormed parliament in a direct action that echoed louder than ever before the youth’s political consciousness and their demands for radical social change.

In a country with a history of Western-backed authoritarian leadership carrying out disappearances of left-wing students and workers – most notably done by former president Daniel Arap Moi’s Special Branch – and the recent memory of bloody confrontation and the deaths of 75 protesters during the opposition party-led anti-austerity protests last year, Kenyans are fully aware of the dangers of opposing belligerent and brutal power and have remained fearless.

The mass demonstration on Tuesday did not end without violence, casualties, and property damage. Yet many of those active within the movement have reported that government-paid goons disrupted protests, instigating violence and looting – an infiltration tactic known all too well by many organizers and activists. Social media posts and witness accounts suggest that, once again, disorder, chaos, and division are what the ruling class seems intent on provoking during peaceful protests that challenge the status quo. In a comment given to Socialist Worker, one protester stated that ‘we are the flames burning up the country and we will not stand still while we are robbed and made poor.’

Despite challenges, Gen-Z influenced a historic moment and a unified movement that overcame all ethnic, social, and cultural differences and defied all structural obstacles to collectively demand dignity and justice.

While numbers are contested, as the day ended, it was reported that at least 14 protesters had lost their lives and over 200 people were being treated for gunshot wounds and other injuries at Nairobi’s central Kenyatta National Hospital. It’s expected that thousands of others were injured across the country, and hundreds arrested. State-led violence continued into the night as Kenyan Defense Forces were deployed to harass and assault citizens as they returned home, and residents of Githurai suffered an evening of police terror that left a yet unconfirmed number of citizens dead. The day ended with President Ruto’s public address, where he called protesters treasonous and vowed to quell what he called ‘a grave threat to national security.’

All eyes on Kenya

In a sudden reversal on Wednesday, 26 June, President Ruto announced plans to withdraw the controversial Finance Bill. In a statement given to the press, the president said that the people of Kenya have spoken loudly in opposition to the bill. However, according to Article 115 (1) of the Constitution of Kenya, the president does not have the authority to withdraw a bill and instead can only assent or return the bill to parliament with recommendations. In fact, under Article 115 (6), even if the president refuses to sign the bill, after 14 days, the bill automatically becomes law. Like the empty promises offered during his 2022 presidential campaign that assured voters of his platform to ease economic hardships for the poor and working class, Ruto seems to have done nothing more than provide Kenyans and the international community with political theatre.

In its simplest understanding, the government’s 2024 tax bill will drastically increase the cost of foods and other basic needs. This tax increase comes by suggestion from the IMF as a way to increase state revenue, offset the budget deficit, and lessen the national debt. These are not taxes on the rich or the wealth of the bosses, but instead on daily staples such as bread and milk, as well as fuel and hygiene or menstrual products. The mass opposition to these measures comes from those that will bear the greatest burden – the poor and working class of Kenya, who consume these goods at the greatest level per capita.

The IMF has influenced Kenya’s economic policies since the 1990s, but since his election in September 2022, Ruto has been an enthusiastic servant to the demands of international finance capital. As a result of his allegiance to Western influence, the demands for change from the working poor stretch beyond the Finance Bill to a rejection of public sector privatization, social benefit cuts, and the dismantling of domestic health and education systems. The visible beneficiaries to this faithfulness have been the ruling elite and political class, which has aided the wide popularity and support for the current mass, youth-led movement.

The popular uprising in Kenya has shaken the government and the ruling class. It has raised fears in other African capitals and Western boardrooms where international finance capital is negotiated. Today, 27 June, Kenyans peacefully take to the streets once again to demand accountability and remind Ruto and his government that the people in their majority hold real power in their democracy. Mobilizing people using the hashtags #RejectFianceBill2024 and #ZakayoStopKillingUs, the coalition of organizers is calling on Gen-X, Millennials, Gen-Z, and all other Kenyan citizens to join the 1 million people to march to the state house and parliament.

While questions remain about whether this youth-led movement can inspire a broader, more inclusive national social movement that can mobilize the various factions of the working class while avoiding the cooption and depoliticization that often accompanies the support offered by international NGOs and civil society organizations, it is clear that their actions to date have sparked a nationwide political awakening. What the youth have decided for themselves is that they will not sit idly by as pawns of Western multinationals and organizations and that they will make their voices heard for the future they desire– shedding their fear and exerting their collective power to forge a Kenya that is equal and just. Those of us in the global north, in ROAPE, and across Africa stand in full solidarity with these emancipatory demands and with all Kenyans in their opposition to the repression of democratic rights. The world will be watching Kenya today, and we will be cheering for the people in their struggle for liberation.

Zachary J. Patterson is an independent researcher, activist, and ROAPE.net contributor. He writes about Kenya, NGOs, socialist politics, and movements on the continent. He works in the space of art and revolutionary politics and is an organizer with the Indianapolis Liberation Center. 

June 26 — The militant mobilization of dockworkers at Greece’s major port, Piraeus, on Saturday, 15 June, led to the cancellation of the arrival of “MSC ALTAIR”, a container ship transporting weaponry and ammunition to Israel.

As “Rizospastis” daily reported, MSC ALTAIR began its itinerary from Valencia, Spain, and was due to reach Israel via Piraeus. According to information, the cargo ship was carrying ammunition and other war material destined to be used by the IDF against the Palestinians in the slaughterhouse of Gaza.

The Dockworkers’ Union ENEDEP in Piraeus declared its firm refusal to facilitate the cargo ship, forcing it to change its route towards Italy.

“We, the Piraeus’ dockworkers declare that we will not accept whatsoever to unload the ship”, they said in a statement, adding: “We won’t participate in the slaughter of innocent people for the profits of the few. We are raising our children with humanity and through our struggles we have taught them the lesson of solidarity, resistance and pride.”

In a statement, the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) denounced “the arrival at the Piraeus port of cargo ship MSC ALTAIR which among other things is transporting war material with Israel being the final destination […] This is one more proof of the Greek government’s plans for the increasingly deeper involvement of the country in the U.S.-NATO plans and its support towards the ‘state-murderer’ of Israel, at the expense of the struggle of the Palestinian people.”

Source: Labor Today International

Queer Liberation March

Targets weapons profiteers Boeing and RTX

On one of the hottest days of the year thus far, hundreds of demonstrators representing over 20 organizations gathered in the blistering heat at a complex in El Segundo, California, shared by Boeing and RTX, formerly known as Raytheon. 

They were there to demand an end to the provision of U.S.-made arms to Israel and denounce the role of billionaire weapons makers in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Some activists from the Black Alliance for Peace had traveled nine hours from Tucson to participate.

Banners and signs were attached to the gates of the Boeing/RTX campus in El Segundo, charging the weapons manufacturers with complicity in the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. The group then marched down to the Los Angeles Times building to demand honest and accurate reporting of the atrocities in Gaza. 

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Boeing and RTX have seen record profits. In the weeks immediately following the outbreak of the conflict, weapons manufacturers such as Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, among others, have experienced a nearly $30 billion surge in market capitalization, according to Forbes. This has been mainly facilitated by Congress and the Biden administration’s extensive military aid packages, which include numerous F-15 Joint Strike Fighters, Apache attack helicopters, and thousands of laser-guided missiles, bunker-busters, and other munitions that Israel has utilized in its indiscriminate bombing of Gaza.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, the death toll from the conflict reached at least 37,626 on June 24. Save the Children estimates that more than 21,000 children are dead or missing in Gaza.

At the first rally, Ayman Obeid of the Free Democratic Palestine Movement told the crowd, “All of these U.S. weapon manufacturing facilities that are participating in the transfer of these illegal, prohibited, and destructive weapons to the zionazi enemy make them complicit in human rights abuses, to violations of international law, crimes against humanity and the genocide and devastation taking place against our people in Gaza now. These disgusting, dirty war profiteers and criminals should be punished and sent to jail where they belong. They must be held accountable for putting the tools of death in the hands of the zionazi murderers who are committing these savage crimes and for spilling innocent pure Palestinian blood on their monstrous hands.”

Similar sentiments were also echoed by several other speakers at the demonstration, who drew the connection between the devastation and mayhem experienced in Gaza and the death merchants here at home, demanding that enough is enough.

Melina Abdullah of Black Lives Matter delivered a message of Black solidarity with Palestine when she said, “We demand a world free of genocidal terror. We demand a world free from the kind of capitalist structure that is hellbent on exploiting both its workers and all of the people of the world. … We demand that and are willing to put our bodies on the line for that.” Abdullah, a Black Lives Matter Movement co-founder, is Cornel West’s running mate in the 2024 presidential campaign.

When the rally at the site of the weapons makers concluded, the crowd took over all four lanes of East Imperial Highway and marched a mile east to the Los Angeles Times building. Among the speakers was Fatin from the Unmute Humanity organization. Judeh blasted the Times for its pro-Zionist reporting and history of completely ignoring the brilliant and widespread protest movement that has taken to the streets over and over again since the Zionist genocide against the people of Gaza began. Soon after the Zionist state launched its bloody assault, the Times banned 38 of its own reporters from covering Gaza after they signed an open letter criticizing the paper for its pro-Israel bias.

The crowd then took over all four westbound lanes of Imperial Highway for a slow march back to the original site, stopping for yet another impromptu rally along the way. 

Endorsing organizations for the June 22 demonstration include Al-Awda, Association of Raza Educators, BAYAN, Black Lives Matter Grassroots, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice, Catholic Worker LA, CODEPINK LA, Free Democratic Palestine Movement, Healthcare 4 Us, Justice 4 Palestine Contingent, Jewish Voice for Peace LA, LA Lavender Guard, Struggle-La Lucha, Students for Justice in Palestine from both Santa Monica College and UCLA, Union del Barrio, Unmute Humanity, and Veterans for Peace LA, and others. 

Resistance News Network report from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

The position of the resistance factions is clear and firm: complete cessation of aggression and full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip

The war criminal Netanyahu firmly confirms he does not want to stop the war for narrow calculations and rejects Biden’s proposal contrary to American claims.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine confirms that the announcement by the enemy’s Prime Minister, war criminal Netanyahu, yesterday in a televised interview, stating he “does not want to stop the war, and he wants a partial agreement to resume the war afterwards,” is a definitive confirmation that he does not want to stop the war and rejects Biden’s proposal in this regard, contrary to American claims.

This stance put forth by Netanyahu proves that he is the primary obstacle to the ceasefire agreement and indicates an American-“israeli” game to impose a ceasefire and prisoner exchange proposal without guarantees, allowing the occupation to resume aggression.

The Front emphasizes that the position of the resistance factions is clear and firm: any ceasefire must include a complete cessation of hostilities, a full withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip, the return of all displaced persons to their homes, reconstruction, the lifting of the siege, and the unconditional opening of all crossings.

The Front reiterates that the American position is biased towards the occupation and that its efforts to achieve a ceasefire are suspicious and dubious.

Regarding the war criminal Netanyahu’s remarks about “failed plans to have clans manage the Gaza Strip,” and that he “has other plans he will not disclose,” the Front stresses that no Palestinian or Palestinian entity agrees to play this dubious role and that there is national consensus to thwart this plan and determine the future of the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu’s statements confirm his relentless efforts to prolong the war for narrow political calculations, even at the expense of “israeli” captives, disregarding all the realities on the ground, the appeals of the families of “israeli” prisoners, or the advice of zionist political and military leaders, who affirm the inability to achieve any goal in the Gaza Strip, that the occupation army is sinking in the mire of Gaza, and that the only solution is to reach a political agreement.

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Central Media Department
June 24, 2024

Trade union retiree in Seattle talks with Clarence Thomas

William “Bill” Proctor was on the front lines of ILWU Local 10 rank-and-filers during the anti-apartheid struggle before transferring to Local 19 in the 1980s. As a winch operator, he personally refused to discharge South African cargo. He was a member of the Southern African Liberation Support Committee, the first rank-and-file labor organization of its kind. In the 1970s, a photo of Bill with Local 10 activists loading a container to be sent to freedom fighters in Southern Africa appeared in the ILWU Dispatcher Newspaper. The photo shows Bill holding his young son Max, who is now a longshore worker in Local 19 in Seattle.

Clarence Thomas: Were your parents International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) members?

Bill Proctor: I was born at Kaiser Hospital, Oakland, California, nine months after World War II ended, as were many of our generation. My mom and biological father separated and divorced before my fourth birthday. During the war, my mom was a Welder on the Oakland and Richmond dry docks, building Victory ships.

My grandparents were politically active and met in the IWW [Industrial Workers of the World] free speech campaign. Grandad was a member of the IWW free speech Flying Squad. Soapboxing was his thing; he had the gift of gab. I am only a continuation of IWW political doctrine in the flesh. My grandad’s book is Memoirs Of A Wobbly by H.E. McGuckin. It is, of course, out of print.

Following the war, my mom, Virginia McGuckin, found work out of Local 6 ILWU Eastbay and wound up at the Colgate/Palmolive plant in Berkeley. It was at this worksite that my mother met Roscoe “RQ” Proctor, the man who became my father by proxy. At age 16, when I wanted to find a summer job, I needed a Social Security card, and when I applied, I entered my name as William Proctor; from then on, it is the only name I go by, as RQ was the only father I knew. I met RQ when I was almost six years old, and over time, I guess you could say, RQ and I bonded soon after, and I learned lessons from him about many things, most importantly, the importance of the struggle to end racism.

We lived in West Oakland, and during that time, I attended Lafayette, Longfellow, and Durant elementary schools, went on to Hoover Jr. High, and in the middle of 7th grade, our family moved to South Berkeley.

During my formative preteen and teen years, I was part of a Red Diaper group of kids that circulated petitions to end the threat of nuclear war and to end school segregation at Housewives Market and Swan’s.

We were the kids of dyed-in-the-wool Communists. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, both of my folks were seated on the Central Committee CPUSA. My Dad, RQ, was indicted as an agent of a foreign power in the case of Albertson v. Subversive Activities Control Board in 1962 and acquitted by the Supreme Court in 1965. 

I cited Proctor vs. USA in my successful avoidance of the Selective Service draft to fight in Vietnam.

As my dad read Jet magazine, I would often try to sneak a peek at the centerfold Beauties. In 1955, I opened one of his Jet magazines, and while thumbing through, I came across a photo of Emmitt Till. I was traumatized when I saw my playmates in that picture. The image is burned into my brain to this day!

CT: When did you become a member of the ILWU? Which Local?

BP: In May 1967, I was one of 600 or so B-man hires at Local 10. I started and worked my first shift on June 6, 1967. [B men get the dirtiest and heaviest jobs.]

CT: My waterfront career lasted 42 plus years, and I retired on Oct. 1, 2009, from the Port of Seattle. My career was almost evenly split between San Francisco and Seattle.

CT: Are you active in the local? 

BP: Since retirement, I have been active with the Seattle Pension Club, PCPA. I am on the verge of leaving this Club as it is not at all interested in engaging in struggle; they are a fat and sassy bunch.

CT: Did you submit a resolution regarding the Palestinians to your pensioner’s club?

BP: Yes, I presented a Resolution that cited facts about civilian casualties, called for an end to the war on the Palestinian people by Zionist Israel, and an investigation of our pension funds for investments in Israeli stock, bonds, and securities, with an eye toward divestment. 

It was rejected by the “Fat and Sassy” members!  

CT: Did you attend the 39th ILWU Convention in Vancouver?

BP: I did not attend the 39th convention.

CT: How has the rank-and-file changed over the years, social justice issues?

BP: For the last 30 years or so, I see the union slowly moving to the right politically as the power base of the longshore division shifted from San Francisco south to Los Angeles and Long Beach, where the lion’s share of West Coast cargo comes in at Southern Cal.

Los Angeles has never been as radical politically as the Bay Area. In fact, it is quite conservative.

CT: What direction do you see the ILWU going and why?

BP: I truly do not have any idea where the union is headed. I just know it is not the same union it was when I entered the industry. When I consider our union stance on various social issues, I see that the union is losing its perspective.

Peace Out!

Clarence Thomas participated in the 39th Convention of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) held in Vancouver, B.C., as a fraternal delegate representing the ILWU Pacific Coast Pensioners Association (PCPA).

The photo of Bill Proctor with the Southern Africa Liberation Support Committee is from Thomas’ book “Mobilizing in Our Own Name, Million Worker March.” The book is available at  millionworkermarch.com

June 20 — Hundreds of people came to New York City’s reference library on Fifth Avenue today to protest shipping giant Maersk making profits from the genocide in Gaza.

The notoriously anti-labor Danish corporation operates 786 ships with annual revenues of $51 billion. It is a vital Pentagon maritime auxiliary in U.S. wars for oil profits.

Maersk has made millions in shipping U.S. weapons to the Zionist regime that has killed 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza. A worldwide campaign to Unmask Maersk has been launched.

The Palestinian Youth Movement, part of the Shut It Down for Palestine coalition, called the New York City action. Other supporting organizations included PAL-Awda: the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; The People’s Forum; ANSWER Coalition; Party for Socialism and Liberation; NYC City Workers for Palestine; and Code Pink.

Reyna from AFSCME District Council 37 and City Workers for Palestine denounced Maersk for shipping the bombs that have killed over 15,000 Palestinian children in Gaza.

Protesters marched to the Grand Central Terminal and Grand Central Tower, where Maersk has its New York City offices. There, they rallied and hung huge banners, including one that read, “Maersk profits from Gaza Genocide.”

On Friday, the Cuban government announced that it will join Nicaragua, Colombia, Libya, Maldives, Egypt, Ireland, Belgium, Turkey, Mexico, Chile and Spain as countries formally joining the lawsuit filed by South Africa before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel for the ongoing genocide in Gaza. “We must put an end to the massacre against the people of Palestine,” said Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, through his account on the social network X, shortly after the island made public its decision.

In view of the total impunity with which Israel continues to act, “the government of the Republic of Cuba has decided to intervene in the contentious proceedings initiated by the Republic of South Africa against the State of Israel before the ICJ. The decision was taken in correspondence with the firm and sustained commitment to support and contribute as much as possible to the legitimate international efforts to put an end to the genocide committed against the Palestinian people,” the MINREX statement reads.

We Cubans are watching with deep concern and horror the escalation of Israeli violence in the illegally occupied Palestinian territories that continues without even a pause. The Gaza Health Ministry reported on Thursday that the death toll stands at 37,431 and at least 85,653 people have also been injured in the onslaught, most of them women and children, since the hostilities escalated after October 7, 2023. We must remind ourselves of the thousands of missing Gazans buried beneath the rubble may never be found or counted.

Just today, the world got to see the barbaric display of a Palestine man strapped to the hood of an Israeli military jeep like he was some sort of war trophy instead of what he really is: a victim of Zionist torture.

“The Ministry strongly condemns, once again, the killing of civilians, especially women, children and humanitarian workers of the United Nations system, as well as the indiscriminate shelling of the Palestinian civilian population and the destruction of homes, hospitals and civilian infrastructure. Genocide, apartheid, forced displacement and collective punishment have no place in today’s world, nor can they be tolerated by the international community,” the Cuban statement continued.

In December last year, South Africa sued Israel for violating the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. At that time, the Court declared itself competent and accepted South Africa’s claim. And in May, during a hearing at the International Court of Justice, South Africa asked the UN’s highest court to order a halt to the offensive in Rafah as part of its case in The Hague.

“Israel must be stopped. South Africa is before you again today to respectfully request the court to invoke its powers (…) to order a measure to stop Israel,” Adila Hassim, South Africa’s lawyer, said on that occasion.

Despite repeated historical calls for peace, Israel continues a genocide that is not new, dating back 75 years, but now takes on extreme proportions that require the joint action of the peoples and governments of the world to immediately stop the indiscriminate extermination of girls, boys, women and civilians in general.

Havana, as a member of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, “will make use of its right to present its interpretation of the norms of the Convention that Israel has flagrantly violated with its actions in the illegally occupied Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip,” MINREX concluded.

Cuba will always be on the side of just causes. Palestine is not alone; the island will never abandon it, and we will defend its people until there is peace, justice, and respect for the United Nations Charter and International Law prevail.

Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – English