Spain
Analysis: Catalonia’s pro-independence movement forces Spain to approve amnesty
Catalan film-maker Jordi Oriola Folch on Spain’s amnesty for pro-independence politicians and activists and the success it represents for them
Photograph: Josep Renalias – Lohen11
In the Middle Ages, Catalonia was one of the great European nations, but after 1714 it was subjugated by Castile (Madrid) and lost its sovereignty. The Spanish way of being (vertical, authoritarian, conquering and warlike) is opposed to the Catalan way (horizontal, pacifist, democratic and merchant), that is why Catalonia has always tried to become independent, but Spain has violently prevented it.
From 1939 to 1978, Spain had a fascist dictatorship, which was not defeated as in the case of Germany and Italy. The transition to democracy was not by conviction but because the world demanded it and it was very deficient. Since then, two major parties have alternated in power, PP from the right and PSOE from the center. The PP is the direct heir of fascism and the PSOE is the heir, by environmental osmosis, of the same intolerant nationalism.
The ongoing independence attempt is the most powerful in history because now Spain cannot consider killing us in the institutional framework of the EU. In 2017 we held and won a self-determination referendum. The PP fought it using anti-democratic methods: judges, secret services, police… and then the PSOE is doing the same: repression and denial of any option towards freedom for Catalonia.
In the recent electoral campaign, the PSOE ridiculed Catalan independence, assured that it would arrest and lock up in prison Carles Puigdemont (the president of Catalonia who carried out the referendum in 2017 and who is in exile in Belgium) and denied the possibility of an amnesty for pro-independence criminals or any referendum on self-determination for Catalonia. The PSOE was showing off its chest by exhibiting the aggressive nationalism that is typical of the Spanish identity.
But the PP and the extreme right of VOX won the elections of July 23, 2023 without an absolute majority. Then the PSOE, seeing that it does not govern in any large region or city council, wanted to get the government of Spain so that its party has economic viability. And everything has changed. They no longer blaspheme the Catalan independentism, but they make a pact because they need their 7 votes to govern.
On March 7, the amnesty law that the PSOE said it would never approve was passed. And they have approved it with the Catalan pro-independence parties and other parties, in total 8 parties (179 seats and 12.3 million votes). It is a success for the Catalan independence movement because it has shown that they were falsely accused. Nobody would have been able to approve an amnesty that would pardon real terrorists. Spanish nationalism, in full fury, invented accusations against Catalan independence: rebellion, sedition, terrorism, treason, hate crimes, economic embezzlement,…. But it is quite the opposite, the Catalan independence movement is exemplary in its democratic approach (it does not want to impose independence but has always wanted to hold a referendum of self-determination for the Catalan society to decide democratically) and it is not violent (it has made massive and peaceful mobilizations). Aware that there had been “lawfare” (judicial dirty war), the PSOE has now accepted an amnesty.
But the right and the extreme right do not want to accept the amnesty, because they see it as a defeat. They have always imposed themselves by force and now they do not want to accept the law passed by the Spanish parliament. The judges threaten to sabotage the law and not to apply it. And the fact is that, there being no crimes, an amnesty law is needed because the judges accept the invented accusations and condemn the pro-independence supporters to destroy this political movement. With that motivation, the judges will look for subterfuges not to apply it and to continue condemning.
And all this is because now the PSOE needs the 7 pro-independence votes, but what will it do when it does not need them? What will it do when the Catalan pro-independence movement, remade from this chapter of repression, mobilizes again to free itself from Spain? We know: Both PP and PSOE will go back to repression. But for the moment, the independence movement has managed to demonstrate that it is not guilty of any crime and that it only wants freedom from a country that only increases the desire of the Catalans to free themselves from it.
The EU cannot continue tolerating these abuses and will have to intervene sooner or later, because the European Justice is about to issue judgments against Spain (this imminence has also motivated the PSOE to approve the amnesty). In order not to waste time, or energy, or increase the Spanish institutional crisis, it would be better for the EU to force Spain to accept the result of the 2017 referendum or hold a new one in which the Catalans can decide their future free of impositions and authoritarianism.
Jordi Oriola Folch is a physicist, documentary filmmaker and teacher who lives in Barcelona and fights for the independence of Catalonia.
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Globetrotting for Genocide: Foreign Fighters From US, France and India Are Fighting Israel’s War in Gaza
Israelis aren’t the only demographic among the IDF’s forces in Gaza. Foreign fighters from as far away as the United States, France, Spain, the Netherlands and even India actively participate in the hostilities. While the exact number of internationals fighting in Gaza isn’t known, what is known is that citizens from numerous countries appear to be at least complicit in what has been called a genocide.
Under Israel’s Law of Return, any individual with at least one Jewish grandparent or spouse can obtain Israeli citizenship. In this regard, many born abroad can serve in Israel’s military while still keeping their birthplace’s nationality. They often emigrate and then serve in the army.
Currently, 45% of the Israeli army’s “lone soldiers,” those who serve but don’t have family in Israel, are new immigrants. The current “lone soldier” program has troops from over 60 countries, with approximately 35% from the U.S. It’s important to note, though, that individuals part of Israel’s “lone soldier” program are not considered mercenaries, who are professionals hired by a country’s government to fight in its war and aren’t citizens of said country.
To widen the recruitment pool, the Israeli military now accepts great-grandchildren of Jews to join. While they aren’t eligible to become Israeli citizens under the Law of Return, they can serve in the Israeli army.
Another route is volunteering in Israel’s Mahal program, which permits Jewish youth from other countries to join the army without becoming citizens. There are currently 500 Mahal volunteers in Israel’s military.
“Most mercenaries fighting for Israel now are welcomed based on their religious affiliations and dual citizenships, making their accountability pretty complex,” Mustafa Fetouri, a Libyan journalist and analyst, told MintPress News. “Many countries whose citizens are fighting for Israel, including the USA, have laws criminalizing such actions, but it is not a straightforward issue when the dual citizenship is factored in.”
Fetouri expanded on this, writing in the Middle East Monitor that “America’s Neutrality Act, dating back to the founding days of the US, mak[es] it illegal for any American citizen to take part in any foreign war, or establish a militia for that purpose.” He noted the legislation, however, hasn’t been reinforced lately “as hundreds of Americans have participated in wars in Ukraine, in Libya in 2011 and, now, in Gaza.”
The Israeli military also openly recruits nationals of other countries. For instance, the Israeli consulate in Toronto has advertised appointments with its military representative for those wishing to join the military.
From November 11-14, the Israeli consulate in Toronto will be recruiting Canadians to serve in Israel’s terrorist military.
It is obscene that @justintrudeau’s government allows this terrorist recruitment to occur on Canadian soil.#Palestine #Israel #terrorism @CanadaFP pic.twitter.com/pOXyrQHLRJ
— Dimitri Lascaris (@dimitrilascaris) November 3, 2019
The consulate’s website said, “Young people who wish to enlist in the IDF or anyone who has not fulfilled their obligations according to the Israeli Defense Service Law are invited to meet with him.”
Organizations like Nefesh B’Nefesh, which encourages Jewish immigration to Israel from North America, have hosted events on joining the Israeli military. Sar-El (National Project for Volunteers for Israel) recruits Jewish and non-Jewish internationals to assist Israeli military efforts on army bases, such as packaging food and medical supplies.
The Nationalities Serving
In November, the Spanish newspaper, El Mundo, revealed that Spanish mercenary Pedro Diaz Flores is now fighting for Israel, having previously fought in Ukraine with the neo-Nazi Azov Brigade.
“So I came for economy, for money. They pay very well, they offer good equipment, and the work is calm. It is 3,900 euros [$4,187] per week, complementary missions aside,” Flores told El Mundo.
While pictured next to a border checkpoint with the Gaza Strip, he told the newspaper he’s working in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, saying, “We only provide security support to arms convoys or the troops of the Israeli armed forces that are in the Gaza Strip, we do not fight Hamas directly, nor are we involved in assault operations.”
“We are in charge of the security of the checkpoints and access control on the borders of Gaza and Jordan. There are many PMCs [private military companies] here, and they share the work. Traditionally, they have guarded border terminals between Eilat and Aqaba,” he added.
He told the newspaper he was recruited by Raven and Global CST. Information on Raven isn’t available online. MintPress News reached out to Global CST to verify Flores’ contract. Global CST said it doesn’t know Flores and that “Global CST holds no security or military activities of any type or form, not in Israel, not in Gaza, and not in any other territory worldwide.”
Global CST told MintPress News it’s a renewable energy company and denied reports it’s providing defense and security services to governments and other organizations. On LinkedIn, Global CST is described as offering “strategic consulting and project integration management.” The website listed on Global-CST’s LinkedIn is currently down. When asked for a website, Global CST directed MintPress to Global Group’s website, which promotes agricultural projects worldwide.
The LinkedIn profile of the firm’s founder, Israel Ziv, a retired Israeli general, details Global CST as an “Israeli-based security consultancy group…which has built a vast and unique track record in various continents around the globe, such as South America, Eastern Europe, and Africa.” Global CST confirmed to MintPress News Ziv is its founder. The company, which also operates under the name Global N.T.M., was established in 2006 and remains active.
In 2018, the U.S. government imposed sanctions on Global CST and Ziv for allegedly supplying weapons to South Sudan. The U.S. Treasury Department said Ziv used an agricultural company “as a cover for the sale of approximately $150 million worth of weapons to the government, including rifles, grenade launchers and shoulder-fired rockets.”
The U.S. also said Ziv “planned to organize attacks by mercenaries on South Sudanese oil fields and infrastructure in an effort to create a problem that only his company and affiliates could solve.” The U.S. lifted its sanctions on Ziv and his company in 2020 without an explanation.
Since El Mundo’s publication, reports have also emerged of other nationalities involved in a more direct capacity with Israel’s assault on Gaza. Footage has surfaced of Israeli soldiers speaking with American accents or with American flag patches on their uniforms.
A soldier with a Southern US accent has reportedly called for Gaza to burn to the ground. In the video, he compares the people of Gaza to rats and tells Israeli soldiers “It’s hunting season”.
US officials said that 6 American citizens serving in Israel have died since October 7 pic.twitter.com/7KsV5aTYIK
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) November 22, 2023
Bisan herself said she saw American troops months back.
There were also reports of mercenaries from the Azov battalion in Gaza https://t.co/sEqJvmvfRF— Najat Abdi (@theafroaussie) March 1, 2024
According to the U.S. State Department, 21 American citizens who were members of the Israeli military have been killed in Gaza since the war began. Canadian media has reported its own nationals are volunteering with the Israeli army and are motivated to serve in Gaza. And British newspaper, The Guardian, reported British nationals have been killed in Gaza while fighting for Israel. Britons are also arriving in droves to volunteer with the military like doctors and university chaplains. Around 100 British citizens are currently part of Israel’s military.
In December, Al Jazeera reported seven Ukrainian mercenaries were reportedly killed near Gaza City while fighting alongside Israeli forces. This news came as images of Israeli soldiers speaking Ukrainian circulated on social media. The Ukrainian government denies its citizens are fighting in Gaza, however.
I believe these guys are dual citizenship holders (Ukrainian and Israeli) and the majority served in the IDF. There were about 800-1000 of them in Ukraine fighting first for Ukraine and after Oct 7 with the call from the IDF, they went back home (which was actually a good excuse…
— Mike Mihajlovic (@MihajlovicMike) December 20, 2023
“We did not send any soldiers to the Gaza Strip or any other region of the world,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Al Jazeera.
“The footage that shows people speaking Ukrainian in the Gaza Strip may be Israelis of Ukrainian or Slavic origins who have no connection to the state,” the spokesperson added.
According to Australian journalist CJ Werleman, Israeli soldiers of Indian origin are also fighting in Gaza. The Indian Foreign Ministry did not respond to inquiries on whether its citizens are fighting in Gaza.
The involvement of Hindu mercenaries in Gaza’s genocide echoes Israel’s racist policies in Kashmir. The world must stand against this injustice.@BBC @CNN @SkyNews @MSNBC @nyTimes @washingtonpost @latimes @guardian @IntlCrimCourt @CIJ_ICJ @UNHumanRights @hrw https://t.co/jlAxikrOfN
— Abdulrhman A.Fathy | عبدالرحمن أ.فتحي (@Abdulrhman_25J) February 28, 2024
In December, Eekad, an Arabic open-source platform, revealed Forward Observations Group as an American mercenary company fighting alongside Israeli forces in Gaza.
Our inquiry unveiled reports from the Dutch open-source investigative journalism group Bellingcat. These reports categorized the Azov Battalion as Nazi and far-right, accusing it of perpetrating crimes of ethnic genocide in Ukraine.
Additionally, the reports exposed its ties… pic.twitter.com/sVyAfnnRwi
— EekadFacts | إيكاد (@EekadFacts) February 1, 2024
Close examination of Forward Observation Group’s Instagram account suggests the group has been cooperating with the Israeli army since October — first stationed around the Gaza border and then located within the enclave by the end of November. The last image on its account from Gaza is dated January 16. Another post dated January 11 depicts camera footage of Israeli soldiers fighting in Gaza. It is captioned, “Helmet cam footage from a LOTAR Special Forces team leader we embedded with shortly after the OCT 7th attack.” A recent Instagram Story from Forward Observations shows a soldier in a hospital bed draped with Forward Observation’s flag. An Israeli flag hangs on the wall next to him.
Fast forward to November 26, 2023, when the FOG account shared yet another image of a fully geared-up fighter accompanied by a caption disclosing that the photo was captured within the confines of the Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/0HDLaSKLmW
— EekadFacts | إيكاد (@EekadFacts) February 1, 2024
Eekad discovered the company was founded in October 2018, and while billing itself as a military gear shop, it currently only has one item in stock — a first aid bag. Forward Observations was registered as a foreign limited liability company in Nevada on October 15, 2020, and remains active. Derrick Bales, a former U.S. infantry soldier who fought in Afghanistan, founded the company. A Forward Observations’ Instagram post on November 9, 2023, confirmed Bales as the company’s former director and revealed his official Instagram is under the name “Raoul Duke.” In February, Bales responded to Eekad’s investigation with a photo from Gaza on his Instagram account, writing, “@eekadfacts here’s some more pictures for your article.”
An extensive search through publicly available sources revealed that the company was registered as a foreign limited company in Nevada. The registration, dated October 15, 2020, lists the company under the name “Forward Observations Group, LLC,” bearing the registration number… pic.twitter.com/6eJKQ3Rdf4
— EekadFacts | إيكاد (@EekadFacts) February 1, 2024
According to Foreign Policy, Forward Observations traveled to Ukraine to source medical supplies, gear, and money for Ukrainian soldiers. Bales has been criticized for associating with Vadim Lapaev, a member of the far-right Azov Battalion. He apologized for his connections to Lapaev but said the brigade isn’t as radical as alleged.
Yet Eekad found otherwise. For instance, Eakad’s thorough scrutiny of Lapaev’s social media accounts found photos of Lapaev giving a Nazi salute, holding a sign featuring a swastika, and wearing a necklace with the infamous Nazi symbol as well.
In May 2016, Vadim shared a series of controversial photos: one depicted him performing the Nazi salute, while another showed him holding a sign emblazoned with a swastika, the infamous Nazi emblem. He also posted images of himself wearing a necklace adorned with the same… pic.twitter.com/iTJoAjizjK
— EekadFacts | إيكاد (@EekadFacts) February 1, 2024
Forward Observations did not respond to MintPress’ inquiries to verify if its personnel are indeed in Gaza and what it’s doing there.
Complicit in War Crimes
Amid the revelations that citizens of other countries may be participating in Israel’s genocide on Gaza, some governments and activists are taking a stand.
In December, South Africa announced it might prosecute or even strip the citizenship of South African nationals who have joined the Israeli army and are fighting in Gaza.
“The South African government is gravely concerned by reports that some South African citizens and permanent residents have joined or are considering joining the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the war in Gaza and the other occupied Palestinian territories,” the state’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, said.
Also, in December, French parliamentary member Thomas Portes sent a letter to France’s Justice Minister, Eric Dupond-Moretti, requesting he investigate around 4,000 French citizens fighting with Israeli forces on the frontlines in Gaza.
The March 30 Movement, a European pro-Palestine group founded in November, has already filed seven complaints against Dutch Israelis currently serving in the Israeli army in Gaza. They have also filed complaints against Israeli soldiers who traveled to the Netherlands to protest the International Court of Justice proceedings and a French-Israeli soldier, who was also in the Netherlands. While these soldiers don’t have Dutch nationality, they can be investigated because they were on Dutch soil, the March 30 Movement told MintPress News. The group is also submitting a case in Belgium and other cases against French nationals.
“They’ve posted themselves on Instagram or on TikTok, standing on the rubbles of a house in Gaza saying, ‘We want to wipe out Amalek from under the sky, and we will kill them all,'” Dyab Abou Jahjah, president of the March 30 Movement told MintPress News. Amalek refers to Israelites’ rival in the Hebrew bible and was invoked by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when calling to attack Gaza.
Abou Jahjah added, “They think they are beyond the reach of justice. Maybe if they are only Israeli, but if they are Belgian, we are going to make sure that we take them to court.”
Feature photo | Illustration by MintPress News
Jessica Buxbaum is a Jerusalem-based journalist for MintPress News covering Palestine, Israel, and Syria. Her work has been featured in Middle East Eye, The New Arab and Gulf News.
The post Globetrotting for Genocide: Foreign Fighters From US, France and India Are Fighting Israel’s War in Gaza appeared first on MintPress News.
800+ US/EU officials sign statement that governments ‘risk complicity’ in Gaza genocide
Over 800 US and EU officials have signed a statement warning their governments that they are likely to be guilty of complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza and that their advice of the danger of “grave violations of international law” in Israel’s bombing and shelling of Gaza and its “deliberate blocking of aid” to create “one of the worst human catastrophes of this century” has been ignored. The statement comes from officials in twelve countries, including the US, UK, Germany and France.
The statement comes as a growing coalition of nations has committed to continuing to fund UNRWA, the UN aid agency providing desperately-needed humanitarian relief in Gaza, despite the collusion of the UK, US and other governments in defunding the agency after Israel claimed twelve of its 13,000 employees in Gaza participated in the 7 October raid. Ireland, Spain, Scotland, Norway, Belgium, Portugal, Slovenia and Luxembourg have all committed to providing continued funds.
Israel bombed Belgium’s aid agency office on Thursday night, shortly after Belgium’s announcement.
The International Centre for Justice for Palestinians has warned UK and US politicians it will bring prosecutions against those who collude in Israel’s slaughter of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, in Gaza.
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Trickett tables motion demanding disclosure of government legal advice on Gaza genocide
Left-wing Labour MP Jon Trickett has tabled a parliamentary ‘Early Day Motion’ (EDM) demanding that the government reveal the advice its legal experts have given it over Israel’s war crimes and South Africa’s powerful and thorough genocide case against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The motion reads:
That this House understands that questions have been raised internationally about the legality of the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza; recognises that in November 2023 UN experts raised the alarm about the risk of genocide in Gaza; highlights the UN General Secretary’s reasons for invoking Article 99 that there is a high risk of total collapse of the humanitarian support system in Gaza, which would have devastating consequences; further highlights his comments to the Security Council that international humanitarian law includes the duty to protect civilians and to comply with the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution and that the laws of war also demand that civilians’ essential needs must be met, including by facilitating the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian relief; notes the Spanish Prime Minister’s comments that he has serious doubts that Israel is complying with international humanitarian law; further notes the letter signed by prominent Israeli public figures to the Attorney General in December 2023 which said there have been explicit calls to commit atrocious crimes against millions of civilians, providing evidence of the discourse of annihilation, expulsion and revenge; acknowledges the case South Africa has brought to the International Court of Justice claiming Israel’s treatment of Palestinians is tantamount to genocidal actions; and calls on the Government to publish in full the legal advice it has received from its law officers regarding the situation in Gaza, particularly in the run up to UN votes, and the legality of the UK export licensing of arms to the Israel.
Tory MPs have spoken in the Commons to try to dismiss South Africa’s case as having ‘no legal merit’ – farcical when the ICJ, by accepting the case, has already decided that Israel has a case to answer. The disclosure of the government’s legal advice would be expected to reveal that the Tories have been told the same by their own lawyers – which means the government will fight to avoid it and broad support among MPs for the motion is vital to increase pressure.
Since it was tabled yesterday, only eighteen MPs have signed. Use theyworkforyou.com to contact your MP and tell them to support the motion.
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Video: Webbe ‘I will not be accomplice’ to war crimes, signs call for ICC Gaza investigation
Leicester East MP issues no-holds-barred speech; over 66,000 sign letter to International Criminal Court
Leicester East MP Claudia Webbe MP has signed a formal call to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate and prosecute Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
And in a no-holds-barred Westminster Hall speech to MPs explaining her decision to put her name to the formal letter of complaint, she said that she ‘will not be an accomplice’ to the daily atrocities against Palestinian civilians:
Webbe was one of the first of more than 66,000 international lawmakers, civil society representatives and civilians to sign the official complaint asking on the ICC to investigate, prosecute and arrest Israeli government figures, including Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, for war crimes against the people of Gaza including genocide and crimes against humanity.
“‘Never again’ must mean never again for anyone”
In a statement today, Ms Webbe MP said:
I have signed a formal complaint to the International Criminal Court for Justice calling on them to investigate and prosecute the Israeli government for war crimes against the people of Palestine, including genocide and crimes against humanity.
Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has destroyed or severely damaged 60-70% of homes and public buildings – some estimates say 80-90% – and has killed more than 20,000 civilians, including at least 10,000 children, as well as maiming countless others, who are now forced to undergo amputations and other serious surgery without anaesthetic, in impossible conditions.
The death toll from bombs and missiles is horrifying, but the toll from starvation and disease is set to be even worse, with Israel only allowing a fraction of the aid into Gaza that its people need and the UN unable to distribute it effectively because so many of their trucks have been destroyed. More than 150 UN personnel have been killed.
Yet the Israeli government is blaming the UN for the situation and is using humanitarian aid as a weapon of war, while Israel’s ministers have even suggested dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza and talk openly of ‘Nakba 2023’ – a repeat of the violent mass expulsion of Palestinians in 1948 – and Israeli troops have planted flags in the centre of flattened residential districts to stake their claim.
I have received well over 6,000 letters and emails from constituents calling for an immediate ceasefire and I am comforting too many who have lost family under the rubble and others desperately worried about their loved ones and friends in Gaza and I will not be silent. Collective punishment is a war crime, forcible transfer of the population is a war crime, indiscriminate bombing and the use of white phosphorus on civilians – now confirmed by Amnesty International – is a war crime. I will not be an accomplice.
I have signed the formal complaint to the International Criminal Court because there must be accountability for those responsible, and I have urged my colleagues in Parliament to do the same.
Never again must mean never again for anyone.
The formal letter of complaint to the ICC, which has been signed by hundreds of politicians globally as well as more than 66,000 others, is still open for readers to add their names here. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Podemos Social Rights minister Ione Belarra Urteaga and a host of other global lawmakers have signed. Details of signatories can be found here.
Despite the huge number of signatures, the UK media appear determined to ignore the war crime prosecution call.
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New wave of Black Friday “Make Amazon Pay” strikes and protests in 30+ countries
Global Amazon workers take action on one of online retailer’s busiest days of the year
Tomorrow on Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year – then on through the weekend and onto Monday, Amazon workers will stage strikes and protests in over thirty countries around the world, in a massive day of action coordinated by the Make Amazon Pay campaign.
Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of UNI Global Union, said of the wave of action:
This day of action grows every year because the movement to hold Amazon accountable keeps getting bigger and stronger. Workers know that it doesn’t matter what country you’re in or what your job title is, we are all united in the fight for higher wages, an end to unreasonable quotas, and a voice on the job. That’s what workers in Coventry are striking for, and that is why workers around the world are standing up to Make Amazon Pay.
The global day of action is taking place for the four Black Friday in a row. In previous years, thousands of workers went on strike at facilities throughout Germany, France, Spain, the UK and Italy; garment workers’ took to the streets in Bangladesh; US workers organised walkouts; civil society allies held demonstrations projecting the Make Amazon Pay logo at Amazon headquarters all over the world and projecting “pandemic profiteer” onto Jeff Bezos’s mansion; and climate activists blockaded Amazon warehouses in three European countries.
Co-convened by UNI Global Union and Progressive International, Make Amazon Pay brings together over 80 unions, civil society organisations, environmentalist groups and tax watchdogs including Greenpeace, 350.org, Tax Justice Network and Amazon Workers International. The groups have united behind a set of common demands that Amazon pays its workers fairly, respects their right to join unions, pays its fair share of taxes and commits to real environmental sustainability.
Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, co-General Coordinator of the Progressive International, said
From the warehouses in Coventry to the factories of Dhaka, this Global Day of Action is more than a protest. It is a worldwide declaration that this age of abuse must end. Amazon’s globe-spanning empire, which exploits workers, our communities and our planet, now faces a growing globe-spanning movement to Make Amazon Pay.
The day of action will include:
- Warehouse worker and driver strikes in the UK, Italy, US, Spain and Germany
- Climate activists in at least seven countries – Japan, Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Italy, United Kingdom and Canada – protesting at Amazon Web Services (AWS) facilities to call out Amazon’s ‘greenwashing’, its data centres’ growing climate impact and electricity consumption, and AWS’s contracts with fossil fuels companies
- Thousands of workers rallying to protest in more than ten Indian cities
- Bangladeshi Garment workers take mass action in Dhaka to demand a minimum wage of $209 per month, an end to police harassment, which has seen trade unionists killed, and demand that Amazon signs up to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety
These actions reflect the widespread criticism of Amazon’s corporate practices. According to a comprehensive 2023 UNI Global Union survey, Amazon’s intense performance monitoring has inflicted stress, pressure, anxiety, and a sense of mistrust among its employees across eight key countries. The survey reveals alarming statistics: 51% of employees report adverse health effects; 57% cite deteriorating mental health due to Amazon’s intrusive monitoring. This has led to increasing scrutiny from lawmakers and the public, with US Senator Bernie Sanders investigating the company’s “abysmal safety record.”
A new report by the U.S.-based National Employment Law Project (NELP), Amazon’s warehouse workers receive significantly lower wages compared to other workers in the sector and considerably less than average earnings in their corresponding U.S. counties.
In a landmark move, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 17 state attorneys general have launched a lawsuit against tech and retail giant Amazon.com, Inc., accusing it of maintaining a monopolistic grip on the market through a series of anti-competitive practices.
Stuart Appelbaum, President of RWDSU, said:
This global action underscores the urgent need for Amazon to address its egregious labour practices and engage in fair bargaining with its workers. Our collective actions are gaining momentum, challenging Amazon’s unfair practices and advocating for workers’ rights and a sustainable future for all. Together, we can Make Amazon Pay.
Nazma Akhter, President of the Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation and Progressive International council member, added:
In Bangladesh, garment workers make the clothes that Amazon sells and profits from. But Amazon doesn’t even recognize us as its workers nor sign the Accord on Fire and Building Safety to keep our factories safe. That precarity leaves us open to even more abuse: dangerous working conditions, a minimum wage below the $209 per month we are demanding, and trade unionists attacked and killed by police. We make Amazon’s profits and together with our brothers and sisters around the world, we will Make Amazon Pay.
Irish Senator Lynn Boylan:
Amazon is failing our planet. At its current rate, Amazon won’t reach its stated 2040 net zero target until 2378. In my country, Ireland, Amazon’s hunger for relentless expansion will contribute to us exceeding our carbon budget with plans for three new data centres, whose insatiable demand for electricity drives up demand for gas. The unbridled expansion of data centres has raised alarms, with EirGrid warning of grid instability and the risk of rolling blackouts. Across the world, Amazon Web Services is deeply involved in different phases of oil production, focusing on pipelines, shipping, and storage for oil and gas companies. It’s time to Make Amazon Pay for its environmental damage.
Teamsters member Jessie Moreno at the Manchester summit
Jessie Moreno, Amazon Teamsters member from Local 396 in California:
Amazon workers are taking action around the globe to fight for the good jobs we deserve. In the U.S., my Teamster siblings and I are on strike against Amazon’s unfair labor practices. We have taken our picket line across the country and now we’re joining our colleagues from around the world to demand respect, fair wages, and a workplace where our health and safety are a priority. Amazon is no match for the power of its workers united.
Moreno’s union has been on strike against Amazon for more than 150 days. Watch his interview with Skwawkbox at last month’s Make Amazon Pay summit in Manchester here.
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Maritime Union of Australia joins Sydney protest for Gaza ceasefire
Seafarers and ports union joins global surge of unions backing Gaza freedom and branch supports Palestinian justice protest at Australia’s biggest port and campaign for boycott
The Maritime Union of Australia, via its Sydney branch, has backed a protest at Port Botany – Australia’s largest sea port – against an Israeli shipping company involved in the delivery of weapons to Israel.
In a statement, Sydney branch secretary Paul Keating said that the union ‘joins the community’s call for an immediate ceasefire’ and ‘will always stand with the oppressed, the colonised and the exploited, including the Palestinian community’ – and accused the Australian government of ‘complicity’ in the slaughter and oppression of Palestinians. The full statement is below:
Maritime Union of Australia Sydney Branch joins worldwide call to stop the war on Gaza and Free Palestine
The Palestinian Justice Movement Sydney has announced that the community will be leading an action in Port Botany in protest at the Israeli owned ZIM shipping line which frequents Australia’s largest container port.
Maritime Union of Australia Sydney Branch Secretary Paul Keating said that “the MUA joins the community’s call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The MUA will always stand with the oppressed, the colonised and the exploited, including the Palestinian community and a broad coalition of peace and justice organisations calling for freedom and justice for the Palestinian people as a long-term solution to the cyclical violence, death and destruction for all people living in both Palestine and Israel.
This community-led action in Sydney is part of the escalating actions by communities and unions around the world. In the USA, Italy, Belgium and elsewhere, communities and unions are escalating actions including to target Israeli owned vessels in ports in an effort to put a halt to the carnage unfolding in Palestine.“We will always defend the community’s right to stand up and fight for what is right. These community-led actions have for decades assisted movements fighting for justice including an end to Apartheid South Africa, against unjust wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq and innumerable others, against nuclear war, for First Nations rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights amongst others and act as bulwarks against discrimination, war and environmental destruction.
“Minimising the right to protest atrocities, war crimes and breaches of international law undermine the capacity for working class people and civil institutions to speak truth to power, which plays into the hands of the those who profit from war.”
“Any politician in NSW that supports these protest laws and opposes the right to protest should be ashamed of themselves; would they have prevented the anti-apartheid movement from protesting against South Africa? The anti-protest laws being used to suppress these peaceful and legitimate protest actions are a disgrace and should be abolished.”
“MUA calls for an end to war crimes in Palestine
The latest reports show the situation is catastrophic. Israel’s retaliatory attack on Gaza has resulted in unimaginable carnage. There have been more than 5500 Palestinian children slaughtered since the siege upon the people of Gaza. This is a war crime.“Israel alone made the decision to fire barrage after barrage of missiles into one of the most densely populated cities on earth, and Israel alone is responsible for the deaths of more than 10,000 people who’ve been slaughtered during the sustained and indiscriminate aerial bombing of residential buildings and civic infrastructure.
Much of the rest of the world is turning a blind eye to these massacres in a heavily biased attempt to justify the murder of one child whilst condemning the killing of another. We unequivocally condemn all violence directed at innocent civilians whether they are Palestinian or Israeli.
“The MUA expresses deep alarm at the escalation of violence in Gaza and Israel and condemns the targeting of all civilians on both sides by Hamas and Israeli forces.
“Even in the face of the illegal occupation and a 16-year blockade of Gaza, there are obligations under international humanitarian law that must be upheld. We condemn the indiscriminate attacks on civilians and taking of civilian hostages by Hamas and other armed groups, which amount to war crimes under international law. All those responsible for war crimes should be dealt with under international law.
“We also condemn the attacks from Israeli forces, including the shelling of residential buildings and civilian infrastructure by the Israeli Defence Forces. Israel’s stated intention of imposing a complete siege on Gaza, which involves cutting electricity, food, medical and water supplies, amount to
collective punishment; a grave violation of international humanitarian law, which everyone who believes in justice should oppose without any equivocation. War crimes are war crimes no matter who is committing them.“The MUA calls on Hamas to immediately release the 220 Israeli hostages and we call on Israel to release the thousands of Palestinian workers from Gaza who were working in Israel when the war started, that have been detained without charge in military facilities. We call on Israel to release the 5000 Palestinian political prisoners taken hostage by the Israeli state since October 7. We call on Israel to release the 20 Palestinian women detained in the West Bank: female writers and journalists that have been taken to be used as bargaining chips in a potential prisoner exchange with Hamas”.
Australia must end its complicity
“Australian politicians have lined up to parrot the phrase ‘Israel has the right to defend itself’ while willingly ignoring the historical context and root causes that have contributed to the current crisis – including the 16-year blockade of Gaza and its devastating social and political consequences.
“We support the call from Palestinian Human Rights Groups for the Australian Government to release to the public a full list of weapons exported to Israel since this war began. The time for secrecy surrounding Australian complicity in these military assaults on civilians is over.
The MUA Sydney Branch completely backs the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) call to tear down the apartheid wall, end the blockade of Gaza and support the BDS campaign.
We support the statement issued by Progressive International including:“We join the global call to reject the false equivalence of colonizer and colonized, recognize that the violence of the oppressed is a response to the original condition of their oppression, and uphold the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to resist, enshrined in UN Resolution 2625, as ‘the legitimacy
of the struggle of peoples for independence, territorial integrity, national unity and liberation from colonial domination, apartheid and foreign occupation by all available means’.Nationally, the MUA has resolved to “Support campaigns for Palestinian self-determination and a
State that complies with UN Resolutions, particularly ending the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine and ending the blockade of Gaza; tearing down the apartheid wall; call upon Australia to endorse and support all UN Resolutions relating to Palestine and Israel;”Throughout its history, the MUA Sydney Branch has stood shoulder to shoulder with all oppressed peoples and for this we have often been wildly attacked by conservative media and politicians with all manner of hysterical ravings about our political stance, yet we have repeatedly been proven to be on the right side of history and we offer our support and solidarity with the incredibly brave and courageous Jewish people in Israel and around the world who have stated that this violence is “not in our name”.
Paul Keating
Sydney Branch Secretary
Maritime Union of Australia
The MUA joins Belgian, Italian, Spanish and South African dockworkers in taking action against Israeli shipping lines’ shipment of weapons to Israel that will be used against Palestinians. The United Auto Workers union in the US, the Central TUC in India, the United Tech and Allied Workers in Northern Ireland and unions in Canada, Japan, Poland and Colombia have also called for a boycott.
SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you’d like to help it keep revealing the news as it is and not what the Establishment wants you to hear – and can afford to without hardship – please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep doing its job.
If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.