Transsexual women and men and their supporters protested outside Tribeca Cinemas Tuesday evening to demand the removal of what they called a transphobic film from the Tribeca Film Festival lineup. The movie, “Ticked-Off Trannies With Knives,”, offends so many people because it represents parodically transgender women. They consider it inappropriate that the movie is shown on the festival.
The protests are led by Media Advocates Giving Equality to Trans People,aka Magnet. They also highlight Mr. Luna, the director, his use of the murder of Angie Zapata, an 18-year-old trans woman beaten to death in Colorado in 2008, in the film’s advertising campaign.
They are not calling for censorship; according to them, everyone can make a film about what they like, the problem for them is that the movie compete in a competition for an award, because that way people will consider it as an example.
-------------------
Transgender and transsexual women and men and their supporters gathered outside Tribeca Cinemas Tuesday evening to demand the removal of what they called a transphobic film from the Tribeca Film Festival lineup. The film, “Ticked-Off Trannies With Knives,” is described by its creator, Israel Luna, as an homage to 1970s exploitation films. But the inclusion of the word “trannie” — a pejorative, in some circles — in the title, and the film’s parodic representation of transgender women, has offended many people. Tuesday’s protest, led by Media Advocates Giving Equality to Trans People, or Magnet, also highlighted Mr. Luna’s use of the murder of Angie Zapata, an 18-year-old trans woman beaten to death in Colorado in 2008, in the film’s advertising campaign. “The transsexual and transgender communities are all too often the victims of violence, marginalization and discrimination as a result of inaccurate media depictions like this film, which is offensive, dehumanizing and misogynistic and causes further misunderstanding and harm to an already dangerously oppressed minority group”, said Ashley Love, a Magnet organizer.
Last week, in response to pressure, Mr. Luna vowed to alter the film’s trailer to exclude real-life victims of violent crimes. He said that he intended his film to highlight the violence trans people face. But Tuesday’s protesters insisted that the film did not belong in the festival at all.
“We’re not calling for censorship — anyone can make whatever film they want,” said Denise Leclair, executive director of the International Foundation for Gender Education. “We’re protesting Tribeca for putting this film in a competition for an award because that will make people look at this as an example.” Ms. Leclair added that the film’s portrayal of trans women seeking revenge for violence by castrating perpetrators was particularly upsetting. “The filmmaker is suggesting that the worst punishment we could dish out is to turn someone trans — to turn someone into one of us. It’s misogynistic.”
Ms. Love handed out signs reading “Tri again Tribeca” and “Our humanity is not a joke” to the small but vocal crowd who turned up on Varick Street to show support. The group lighted candles to commemorate victims of transphobic violence.
“People are telling us to lighten up,” Ms. Love added, “but I heard reports of two more trans women murdered this morning. It’s not a laughing matter. We’re not laughing at all.” The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has also come out against the film. According to a statement from Glaad, in one day 800 supporters e-mailed messages of protest to the festival calling for the film’s removal.
Festival officials declined to comment further Tuesday night. -------------------------------------- http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/transgender-film-draws-protests-at-festival-site/?scp=3&sq=protest&st=cse
The day Kyrgyzstan's anger boiled over (April 7) ----------------------------
Around 75 people lost their lives and 1,000 injured from massive protest against current regime in Kyrgyzstan on April 7, 2010. Thousands of people gathered in different parts of the country as hundreds of them marched toward the main government building known as the White House. Then, the shootings suddenly started and the marbled pavements were colored in vivid red from the unarmed public.
The protest was triggered by continuous economic depression and recent arrest of opposition political figures. Public uprising took over the government offices and soon seized control of national TV and radio stations. Protest groups made announcements through media that President Bakiyev's government is no longer in power. Instead, they said, the new interim government is now established with Ms Otunbayeva, an opposition politician who was arrested and released later on the day of protest, as a leader.
President Bakiyev, who took power through mass protests five years ago, known as the Tulip Revolution, was alleged to build his personal dynasty in the country by granting key government positions to his families and relatives. As the public's anger accumulating together with continuing economic downturn, government's arrest of opposition leaders sparked people's minds and resulted in ousting the president.
Yet there are sayings that Russia is behind this mass movement as President Bakiyev has been pro-American, allowing US military bases in the country. On April 9, officials of the new interim government, pro-Russian, visited Moscow to request financial aid for rebuilding the nation and the Russian government agreed to do so. -----------------------------------
Scores of people lost their lives. More than 400 were injured. This is the day that changed the course of history in this small, mountainous former Soviet state.
Five years ago Kyrgyzstan made headlines around the world when mass protests that became known as the Tulip Revolution brought to power a former opposition leader, Kurmanbek Bakiyev.
There is a popular image from those days that shows Mr Bakiyev marching with other opposition figures, including Roza Otunbayeva.
Now it is she who is heading an interim government of Kyrgyzstan.
It all began on Tuesday in the north-western town of Talas, where the arrest of an opposition figure triggered mass protests.
Thousands of demonstrators stormed a government building and imposed their own "people's governor". They demanded the resignation of Kurmanbek Bakiyev.
Late on Tuesday, riot police sent from the capital, Bishkek, took over the building. But not for very long.
In an unexpected turn of events the protesters re-took the building, by throwing stones and petrol bombs at the riot police.
Portraits of President Bakiyev were set on fire.
Later that day, the government announced the situation was under control. Many opposition leaders were detained.
Ready for action
April 7 was the date the opposition planned to have a nationwide rally. But no-one expected what the day would bring.
Hundreds of people started gathering in front of the opposition headquarters in Bishkek.
Thousands gathered in other parts of the country. The people were ready for action.
Protesters in Bishkek broke through a police cordon and marched towards the main government building - the White House.
Several police cars were set on fire along the way.
As the protesters approached the White House they were met with a fusillade of stun grenades and live rounds.
Some were killed. On this rainy day, the puddles were coloured red with blood.
A body of one young protester was lying on a marbled pavement. Angry crowds gathered next to it.
"I was walking past with my friend and he was shot in the back," one distraught young man said.
Events were moving fast in Kyrgyzstan. The protesters stormed the national TV and radio company. They moved on to police headquarters, the general prosecutor's office and the parliament building.
A state of national emergency was declared by President Bakiyev and curfews imposed in the cities of Bishkek, Talas and Naryn.
Later on Wednesday, opposition leaders arrested the day before were released. They set up an interim government, led by Roza Otunbayeva.
In a comment to a Russian TV channel Ms Otunbayeva said the situation in the country remained tense and difficult.
Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin also commented on the Kyrgyz events - he said President Bakiyev had made the same mistakes as his predecessor when he was ousted in that popular uprising, five years ago. ---------------------------------------
Zhangyu (11/04） Hamas talks with factions over Gaza calm ---------- Hamas won Palestinian elections in 2006 and wrested control of Gaza from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement in 2007. Abbas, who still controls the West Bank, called for the cease-fire to hold Sunday. Leaders of Hamas, the dominant political and military force in Gaza, indicated Friday that they were trying to keep attacks on Israel in check, in what appeared to be an effort to keep recent acts of violence from spiraling into open conflict. Hamas made this known just hours after an Israeli airstrike on Gaza in response to the latest rocket attack on southern Israel. Three Palestinian children were wounded in one of the airstrikes, said a Gaza health official, Dr. Moaiya Hassanain. A statement released by the Hamas government after the aerial attacks accused Israel of an “escalation” against Gaza. Hamas has never explicitly criticized attacks against Israel, though its top officials have said that such attacks do not serve Palestinian interests right now. Some in Gaza have criticised Hamas -whose main rallying cry is armed confrontation against Israel _ for seeking to restrict rocket attacks on Israeli territory. Last year, Israel conducted a bruising war in Gaza after years of rocket attacks. Since then, Hamas has tried to avoid provoking sweeping Israeli military action. The militant group's leadership apparently doesn't want to be held responsible for increased suffering in Gaza, where 80 per cent of the population relies on UN food handouts for basic sustenance. Gazans have been unable to rebuild after the Israeli offensive that left large swaths of the seaside territory in ruins because of an Israeli and Egyptian blockade that keeps out building materials. Israel, for its part, has an interest in keeping tensions in check so its southern communities can live peacefully. New violence in Gaza could also intensify world criticism against Israel as it tries to fend off war crimes allegations from its Gaza offensive and to ease frictions with the Obama administration over settlement construction. Meanwhile, Israel yesterday threatened widescale military action against the Gaza Strip. -----------------
A well-informed source close to Hamas told Xinhua in condition of anonymity that the urgent meeting is "a new strong gesture to reduce the tension on Gaza-Israel border, including rocket attacks on the Jewish state."
"The participants, including leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad movement and left-wing groups, agreed on certain tactics to avoid a possible Israeli army retaliation that might harm the Palestinians' interests," said the source.
Saleh Zeidan, a senior leader in the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), told Xinhua that "resistance is a legal right, and it is the right of the factions to defend their people."
However, he said that the conferees "saw that confronting the Israeli threats and the military escalation need an in-advance coordination among all the factions of resistance, and need to reinforce unity among them."
"Today's meeting focused on Palestinian issues of internal interests and reiterated that the Palestinians should intensify their efforts to succeed the Egyptian efforts to achieve inter- Palestinian reconciliation," said Zeidan.
Meanwhile, Salah al-Bardaweel, a senior Hamas leader who attended the meeting, told Xinhua that the meeting "discussed the current tension on the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel."
"The meeting studied the ways of how to confront any upcoming Israeli retaliation by all possible means," said al-Bardaweel.
On Friday, the deposed government of Hamas called on the Palestinian factions' armed wings for self-restraint following nine successive Israeli airstrikes on Thursday night on different targets in the Gaza Strip. --------------- http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-04/04/c_13236562.htm
Tension simmers in South Africa as Eugene Terre'Blanche is laid to rest
In South Africa the death of Eugene Terre'Blanche drew out a lot of far right white extremists from the AWB group.
During his funeral, the extremists of the AWB group sang the apartheid era national anthem and some made nazi signs.
Terre Blanche who had been violently beaten to death last week in his bed was known as the leader of the AWB group and was known to oppose the end of racial apartheid in the 90's. He himself had served a jailtime for beating a black man nearly to death. In realtion to Blanche's death, 2 black men were arrested.
An obvious 2 party can be seen in this situation. The black people claim that they suffered under the mistreatment of Blanche while the white people say he was a man with a good heart and a farmer said: "God separated us. We can't have a mix. The 'rainbow nation' could never be possible." At his funeral a reverand said: "He was a good person, the world was against him, they looked for the bad things about him." Also Afrikaner singer Steve Hofmeyr spoke at the funeral about how the un-interaction of the government makes things worse for both blacks and whites.
Meanwhile the AWB itself has given very mixed signals about the possibility of a rveenge action. -------------------------- After a violent life and violent death, Eugene Terre'Blanche was laid to rest in peace yesterday as family members threw petals on his coffin. But there was every sign that the white South African's extremist views have not been buried with him.
At a funeral service Terre'Blanche's coffin was defiantly draped in the flag of his far right Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) movement, the swastika-style insignia and blood red surround reminiscent of the Nazis.
Just before noon the coffin was borne into church by burly but pot-bellied men in green berets and brown shirts with "Boerkcommandos" epaulettes. The congregation burst into a passionate rendition of the apartheid era national anthem, Die Stem and some gave Nazi-style salutes.
The casket, topped with a red and white floral wreath, was placed beneath the pulpit alongside a framed photograph of Terre'Blanche, a man who once threatened to wage war rather than allow black rule, riding his beloved horse like a Boer Napoleon.
Then came an angry but sombre two-hour service in a packed church, deep in farming country, where black mourners could have been counted on one hand. As the pious congregation raised their arms and sang hymns in Afrikaans, the language descended from Dutch settlers, it was easy to believe that this was a sepia-tinted bubble in which democracy and Nelson Mandela never happened.
This community's long simmering resentments have been focused by the bloody killing of Terre'Blanche in his bed last Saturday. He was found beaten so badly that his face was unrecognisable, and his trousers had been pulled down to expose his genitals. Two black farm workers have been charged with murder. Terre'Blanche was the talisman of hardline opposition to the end of racial apartheid in the early Nineties. But he had been in relative obscurity since his release in 2004 after a prison sentence for beating a black man nearly to death.
Several police and army units had been deployed in Ventersdorp, North West province, to ensure there was no repeat of the scuffles between black and white protesters outside court three days earlier. Officers could be seen patrolling in body armour and helicopters flew overhead.
Mourners rose before dawn and travelled from all over South Africa. There were camouflage-clad men carrying pistols and little girls in their Sunday best. There were men on motorbikes in Hell's Angels-style black leather jackets. There were also many cars and pick-up trucks flying the pre-1994 national flag.
Jan Bosch, 52, from Vanderbijlpark, had left home at 5am. "I've been close to Eugene and in his heart many times," he said. "In his heart he was a good person. He was a great leader of our people."
But this was a tale of two nations. The aggressive pilgrimage was watched with curiosity and consternation by black people living in roadside shacks and working in shops and at petrol stations.
"They must take their flags and go and wash their faces with them," said Selow Tshukamane, 43, a teacher, leaning against the window of a convenience store. "There's still a lot of tension here. Terre'Blanche treated us as dogs so we can't feel for him."
Some public insults were traded, with white people shouting the highly offensive term "kaffirs". Some mourners, dressed in combat fatigues, muttered "housemaid" in Afrikaans when a black politician paying official respects walked past.
Around 700 people gathered inside the Afrikaner Protestant Church, which was soon standing room only, with thousands more outside listening via loudspeakers. A banner had been hung on a tree opposite the building. "Murdered by SA government? Afrikaner genocide", it said.
The congregation, including Terre'Blanche's family and AWB members, listened to Bible stories delivered by the Reverend Ferdie Devenir in Afrikaans. "He was a good person, the world was against him, they looked for the bad things about him," he said of Terre'Blanche. Behind him was a large cross in the somewhat utilitarian building of white ceiling tiles, bare beige brick walls and two stained glass windows.
The coffin, bathed in soft light, was overseen by a man in dark sunglasses, beard, khaki uniform and short sleeves. A respectful silence was interrupted by the wails of a baby and the ring of a mobile phone.
The Last Post was played on a traditional Kudu horn. But the assembly erupted in cheers and applause evocative of a political rally when addressed by Afrikaner singer Steve Hofmeyr.
"No nation's tolerance is unconditional," he told them, mixing Afrikaans and English. "We've lost more than any other European people in Africa. You must understand that to understand the Afrikaner. You must understand that."
Hofmeyr added: "It is not enough to ask of us to remain patient for the sake of transformation and a soccer tournament," referring to the World Cup being hosted by South Africa in June.
He condemned the government's failure to act, adding: "Silence is complicity. Our government's paralysis here will afford us many sad days like this, black and white."
The AWB has given conflicting signals over its desire for revenge for Terre'Blanche's murder. After the service an AWB member, who did not wish to be named, said: "We're quite calm. We're not up to anything drastic. Not yet. You never know." Wearing a badge with the apartheid era flag, Jan Jacobs, 72, from Bloemfontein, said: "No one came with any weapons. We left them at home to be peaceful. We're not mighty enough to take on the blacks. God will do it for us."
"Eugene Terre'Blanche was a sober man and a fighter for his share of the land. That's what I'm fighting for. Anarchy developing in this black nation causes us to worry. I've got the bible: it says 2010 will be the last year."Asked about the African National Congress youth leader Julius Malema, who has been accused of inciting violence by singing "Shoot the Boer", Jacobs added: "I reckon he's going to be taken out very soon. It won't be a Boer. It will be his own people. I reckon that's what we need in this country.He added: "God separated us. We can't have a mix. The 'rainbow nation' could never be possible."
The guests included provincial premier Maureen Modiselle, who is black, and Pieter Mulder, deputy agriculture minister and leader of the Freedom Front Plus party. He said: "I walked here because of traffic and got the feeling of the people – anger, frustration, a sense that something needs to be done.
"In a country where 3,000 people are being murdered on farms since 1994 it is a crisis. Today the dam wall burst. People here want the threat issue dealt with."
But on a nearby street corner, black people said they too felt under threat. Thabo Ntai, 23, a local journalist, said: "There is a lot of tension from these guys. You find people pushing you around. The apartheid flags show that people haven't forgiven and forgotten: they want to get back to the past.
"This town is dominated by white Afrikaners. The black people here are scared. In the next two months it won't settle down. Anything could happen."
After the funeral, as heavy rain began to fall, a motorcade led by a white hearse and police outriders wound its way to Terre'Blanche's farm, where he was buried within sight of the largely disused farmhouse where he was killed. Family members wept and embraced during the 20-minute ceremony.
Mourners on motorcycles, in cars and trucks, some of them flying the group's flag, followed the hearse carrying the coffin. A long queue snaked along the road long into the afternoon.
As a gesture of reconciliation, dignitaries from the local black community were invited to attend the funeral service, but few took up the offer. One black face was prominent, however. Isaac Medupe, a lay preacher for the Seventh Day Adventist Church, had special reason to remember Eugene Terre'Blanche.
"That is my friend," said Medupe, smart in a pinstripe suit. "I knew him from the time he was in prison and I was the chaplain. I was carrying out the rehabilitation. He accepted it and became a changed man. I don't say he was an angel, but he definitely became a better person." -------------------- http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/09/eugene-terreblanche-south-africa-funeral
A very down to earth* kind of guy. I'm an environmental sociologist interested in establishing material and organizational sustainability worldwide. I'm always looking for interesting materials/technologies, inspiring ideas, or institutional examples of sustainability to inspire others to recognize their choices now. To be fatalistic about an unsustainable world is a sign of a captive mind, given all our options.
*(If "earth" is defined in a planetary sense, concerning comparative historical knowledge and interest in the past 10,000 years or so anywhere...) See both blogs.
Sam Wijnants
ReplyDeleteTransgender Film Draws Protests at Festival Site
--------
Transsexual women and men and their supporters protested outside Tribeca Cinemas Tuesday evening to demand the removal of what they called a transphobic film from the Tribeca Film Festival lineup. The movie, “Ticked-Off Trannies With Knives,”, offends so many people because it represents parodically transgender women. They consider it inappropriate that the movie is shown on the festival.
The protests are led by Media Advocates Giving Equality to Trans People,aka Magnet. They also highlight Mr. Luna, the director, his use of the murder of Angie Zapata, an 18-year-old trans woman beaten to death in
Colorado in 2008, in the film’s advertising campaign.
They are not calling for censorship; according to them, everyone can make a film about what they like, the problem for them is that the movie compete in a competition for an award, because that way people will consider it as an example.
-------------------
Transgender and transsexual women and men and their supporters gathered outside Tribeca Cinemas Tuesday evening to demand the removal of what they called a transphobic film from the Tribeca Film Festival lineup.
The film, “Ticked-Off Trannies With Knives,” is described by its creator, Israel Luna, as an homage to 1970s exploitation films. But the inclusion of the word “trannie” — a pejorative, in some circles — in the title, and the film’s parodic representation of transgender women, has offended many people.
Tuesday’s protest, led by Media Advocates Giving Equality to Trans People, or Magnet, also highlighted Mr. Luna’s use of the murder of Angie Zapata, an 18-year-old trans woman beaten to death in Colorado in 2008, in the film’s advertising campaign.
“The transsexual and transgender communities are all too often the victims of violence, marginalization and discrimination as a result of inaccurate media depictions like this film, which is offensive, dehumanizing and misogynistic and causes further misunderstanding and harm to an already dangerously oppressed minority group”, said Ashley Love, a Magnet organizer.
Last week, in response to pressure, Mr. Luna vowed to alter the film’s trailer to exclude real-life victims of violent crimes. He said that he intended his film to highlight the violence trans people face. But Tuesday’s protesters insisted that the film did not belong in the festival at all.
“We’re not calling for censorship — anyone can make whatever film they want,” said Denise Leclair, executive director of the International Foundation for Gender Education. “We’re protesting Tribeca for putting this film in a competition for an award because that will make people look at this as an example.”
Ms. Leclair added that the film’s portrayal of trans women seeking revenge for violence by castrating perpetrators was particularly upsetting. “The filmmaker is suggesting that the worst punishment we could dish out is to turn someone trans — to turn someone into one of us. It’s misogynistic.”
Ms. Love handed out signs reading “Tri again Tribeca” and “Our humanity is not a joke” to the small but vocal crowd who turned up on Varick Street to show support. The group lighted candles to commemorate victims of transphobic violence.
“People are telling us to lighten up,” Ms. Love added, “but I heard reports of two more trans women murdered this morning. It’s not a laughing matter. We’re not laughing at all.”
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has also come out against the film. According to a statement from Glaad, in one day 800 supporters e-mailed messages of protest to the festival calling for the film’s removal.
Festival officials declined to comment further Tuesday night.
--------------------------------------
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/transgender-film-draws-protests-at-festival-site/?scp=3&sq=protest&st=cse
Dasol Lyu
ReplyDeleteThe day Kyrgyzstan's anger boiled over (April 7)
----------------------------
Around 75 people lost their lives and 1,000 injured from massive protest against current regime in Kyrgyzstan on April 7, 2010. Thousands of people gathered in different parts of the country as hundreds of them marched toward the main government building known as the White House. Then, the shootings suddenly started and the marbled pavements were colored in vivid red from the unarmed public.
The protest was triggered by continuous economic depression and recent arrest of opposition political figures. Public uprising took over the government offices and soon seized control of national TV and radio stations. Protest groups made announcements through media that President Bakiyev's government is no longer in power. Instead, they said, the new interim government is now established with Ms Otunbayeva, an opposition politician who was arrested and released later on the day of protest, as a leader.
President Bakiyev, who took power through mass protests five years ago, known as the Tulip Revolution, was alleged to build his personal dynasty in the country by granting key government positions to his families and relatives. As the public's anger accumulating together with continuing economic downturn, government's arrest of opposition leaders sparked people's minds and resulted in ousting the president.
Yet there are sayings that Russia is behind this mass movement as President Bakiyev has been pro-American, allowing US military bases in the country. On April 9, officials of the new interim government, pro-Russian, visited Moscow to request financial aid for rebuilding the nation and the Russian government agreed to do so.
-----------------------------------
Scores of people lost their lives. More than 400 were injured. This is the day that changed the course of history in this small, mountainous former Soviet state.
Five years ago Kyrgyzstan made headlines around the world when mass protests that became known as the Tulip Revolution brought to power a former opposition leader, Kurmanbek Bakiyev.
There is a popular image from those days that shows Mr Bakiyev marching with other opposition figures, including Roza Otunbayeva.
Now it is she who is heading an interim government of Kyrgyzstan.
It all began on Tuesday in the north-western town of Talas, where the arrest of an opposition figure triggered mass protests.
Thousands of demonstrators stormed a government building and imposed their own "people's governor". They demanded the resignation of Kurmanbek Bakiyev.
Late on Tuesday, riot police sent from the capital, Bishkek, took over the building. But not for very long.
In an unexpected turn of events the protesters re-took the building, by throwing stones and petrol bombs at the riot police.
Portraits of President Bakiyev were set on fire.
Later that day, the government announced the situation was under control. Many opposition leaders were detained.
Ready for action
April 7 was the date the opposition planned to have a nationwide rally. But no-one expected what the day would bring.
Hundreds of people started gathering in front of the opposition headquarters in Bishkek.
Thousands gathered in other parts of the country. The people were ready for action.
Protesters in Bishkek broke through a police cordon and marched towards the main government building - the White House.
Several police cars were set on fire along the way.
As the protesters approached the White House they were met with a fusillade of stun grenades and live rounds.
Some were killed. On this rainy day, the puddles were coloured red with blood.
A body of one young protester was lying on a marbled pavement. Angry crowds gathered next to it.
"I was walking past with my friend and he was shot in the back," one distraught young man said.
Many more were shot dead or injured.
(cont'd)
ReplyDelete'Same mistakes'
Events were moving fast in Kyrgyzstan. The protesters stormed the national TV and radio company. They moved on to police headquarters, the general prosecutor's office and the parliament building.
A state of national emergency was declared by President Bakiyev and curfews imposed in the cities of Bishkek, Talas and Naryn.
Later on Wednesday, opposition leaders arrested the day before were released. They set up an interim government, led by Roza Otunbayeva.
In a comment to a Russian TV channel Ms Otunbayeva said the situation in the country remained tense and difficult.
Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin also commented on the Kyrgyz events - he said President Bakiyev had made the same mistakes as his predecessor when he was ousted in that popular uprising, five years ago.
---------------------------------------
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8608518.stm
Zhangyu (11/04）
ReplyDeleteHamas talks with factions over Gaza calm
----------
Hamas won Palestinian elections in 2006 and wrested control of Gaza from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement in 2007. Abbas, who still controls the West Bank, called for the cease-fire to hold Sunday.
Leaders of Hamas, the dominant political and military force in Gaza, indicated Friday that they were trying to keep attacks on Israel in check, in what appeared to be an effort to keep recent acts of violence from spiraling into open conflict. Hamas made this known just hours after an Israeli airstrike on Gaza in response to the latest rocket attack on southern Israel. Three Palestinian children were wounded in one of the airstrikes, said a Gaza health official, Dr. Moaiya Hassanain. A statement released by the Hamas government after the aerial attacks accused Israel of an “escalation” against Gaza. Hamas has never explicitly criticized attacks against Israel, though its top officials have said that such attacks do not serve Palestinian interests right now.
Some in Gaza have criticised Hamas -whose main rallying cry is armed confrontation against Israel _ for seeking to restrict rocket attacks on Israeli territory.
Last year, Israel conducted a bruising war in Gaza after years of rocket attacks. Since then, Hamas has tried to avoid provoking sweeping Israeli military action.
The militant group's leadership apparently doesn't want to be held responsible for increased suffering in Gaza, where 80 per cent of the population relies on UN food handouts for basic sustenance.
Gazans have been unable to rebuild after the Israeli offensive that left large swaths of the seaside territory in ruins because of an Israeli and Egyptian blockade that keeps out building materials.
Israel, for its part, has an interest in keeping tensions in check so its southern communities can live peacefully.
New violence in Gaza could also intensify world criticism against Israel as it tries to fend off war crimes allegations from its Gaza offensive and to ease frictions with the Obama administration over settlement construction.
Meanwhile, Israel yesterday threatened widescale military action against the Gaza Strip.
-----------------
A well-informed source close to Hamas told Xinhua in condition of anonymity that the urgent meeting is "a new strong gesture to reduce the tension on Gaza-Israel border, including rocket attacks on the Jewish state."
"The participants, including leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad movement and left-wing groups, agreed on certain tactics to avoid a possible Israeli army retaliation that might harm the Palestinians' interests," said the source.
Saleh Zeidan, a senior leader in the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), told Xinhua that "resistance is a legal right, and it is the right of the factions to defend their people."
However, he said that the conferees "saw that confronting the Israeli threats and the military escalation need an in-advance coordination among all the factions of resistance, and need to reinforce unity among them."
"Today's meeting focused on Palestinian issues of internal interests and reiterated that the Palestinians should intensify their efforts to succeed the Egyptian efforts to achieve inter- Palestinian reconciliation," said Zeidan.
Meanwhile, Salah al-Bardaweel, a senior Hamas leader who attended the meeting, told Xinhua that the meeting "discussed the current tension on the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel."
"The meeting studied the ways of how to confront any upcoming Israeli retaliation by all possible means," said al-Bardaweel.
On Friday, the deposed government of Hamas called on the Palestinian factions' armed wings for self-restraint following nine successive Israeli airstrikes on Thursday night on different targets in the Gaza Strip.
---------------
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-04/04/c_13236562.htm
Valerie Raeymaekers
ReplyDeleteTension simmers in South Africa as Eugene Terre'Blanche is laid to rest
In South Africa the death of Eugene Terre'Blanche drew out a lot of far right white extremists from the AWB group.
During his funeral, the extremists of the AWB group sang the apartheid era national anthem and some made nazi signs.
Terre Blanche who had been violently beaten to death last week in his bed was known as the leader of the AWB group and was known to oppose the end of racial apartheid in the 90's. He himself had served a jailtime for beating a black man nearly to death. In realtion to Blanche's death, 2 black men were arrested.
An obvious 2 party can be seen in this situation. The black people claim that they suffered under the mistreatment of Blanche while the white people say he was a man with a good heart and a farmer said: "God separated us. We can't have a mix. The 'rainbow nation' could never be possible." At his funeral a reverand said: "He was a good person, the world was against him, they looked for the bad things about him." Also Afrikaner singer Steve Hofmeyr spoke at the funeral about how the un-interaction of the government makes things worse for both blacks and whites.
Meanwhile the AWB itself has given very mixed signals about the possibility of a rveenge action.
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After a violent life and violent death, Eugene Terre'Blanche was laid to rest in peace yesterday as family members threw petals on his coffin. But there was every sign that the white South African's extremist views have not been buried with him.
At a funeral service Terre'Blanche's coffin was defiantly draped in the flag of his far right Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) movement, the swastika-style insignia and blood red surround reminiscent of the Nazis.
Just before noon the coffin was borne into church by burly but pot-bellied men in green berets and brown shirts with "Boerkcommandos" epaulettes. The congregation burst into a passionate rendition of the apartheid era national anthem, Die Stem and some gave Nazi-style salutes.
The casket, topped with a red and white floral wreath, was placed beneath the pulpit alongside a framed photograph of Terre'Blanche, a man who once threatened to wage war rather than allow black rule, riding his beloved horse like a Boer Napoleon.
Then came an angry but sombre two-hour service in a packed church, deep in farming country, where black mourners could have been counted on one hand. As the pious congregation raised their arms and sang hymns in Afrikaans, the language descended from Dutch settlers, it was easy to believe that this was a sepia-tinted bubble in which democracy and Nelson Mandela never happened.
ReplyDeleteThis community's long simmering resentments have been focused by the bloody killing of Terre'Blanche in his bed last Saturday. He was found beaten so badly that his face was unrecognisable, and his trousers had been pulled down to expose his genitals. Two black farm workers have been charged with murder.
Terre'Blanche was the talisman of hardline opposition to the end of racial apartheid in the early Nineties. But he had been in relative obscurity since his release in 2004 after a prison sentence for beating a black man nearly to death.
Several police and army units had been deployed in Ventersdorp, North West province, to ensure there was no repeat of the scuffles between black and white protesters outside court three days earlier. Officers could be seen patrolling in body armour and helicopters flew overhead.
Mourners rose before dawn and travelled from all over South Africa. There were camouflage-clad men carrying pistols and little girls in their Sunday best. There were men on motorbikes in Hell's Angels-style black leather jackets. There were also many cars and pick-up trucks flying the pre-1994 national flag.
Jan Bosch, 52, from Vanderbijlpark, had left home at 5am. "I've been close to Eugene and in his heart many times," he said. "In his heart he was a good person. He was a great leader of our people."
But this was a tale of two nations. The aggressive pilgrimage was watched with curiosity and consternation by black people living in roadside shacks and working in shops and at petrol stations.
"They must take their flags and go and wash their faces with them," said Selow Tshukamane, 43, a teacher, leaning against the window of a convenience store. "There's still a lot of tension here. Terre'Blanche treated us as dogs so we can't feel for him."
Some public insults were traded, with white people shouting the highly offensive term "kaffirs". Some mourners, dressed in combat fatigues, muttered "housemaid" in Afrikaans when a black politician paying official respects walked past.
Around 700 people gathered inside the Afrikaner Protestant Church, which was soon standing room only, with thousands more outside listening via loudspeakers. A banner had been hung on a tree opposite the building. "Murdered by SA government? Afrikaner genocide", it said.
The congregation, including Terre'Blanche's family and AWB members, listened to Bible stories delivered by the Reverend Ferdie Devenir in Afrikaans. "He was a good person, the world was against him, they looked for the bad things about him," he said of Terre'Blanche. Behind him was a large cross in the somewhat utilitarian building of white ceiling tiles, bare beige brick walls and two stained glass windows.
The coffin, bathed in soft light, was overseen by a man in dark sunglasses, beard, khaki uniform and short sleeves. A respectful silence was interrupted by the wails of a baby and the ring of a mobile phone.
The Last Post was played on a traditional Kudu horn. But the assembly erupted in cheers and applause evocative of a political rally when addressed by Afrikaner singer Steve Hofmeyr.
"No nation's tolerance is unconditional," he told them, mixing Afrikaans and English. "We've lost more than any other European people in Africa. You must understand that to understand the Afrikaner. You must understand that."
Hofmeyr added: "It is not enough to ask of us to remain patient for the sake of transformation and a soccer tournament," referring to the World Cup being hosted by South Africa in June.
He condemned the government's failure to act, adding: "Silence is complicity. Our government's paralysis here will afford us many sad days like this, black and white."
ReplyDeleteThe AWB has given conflicting signals over its desire for revenge for Terre'Blanche's murder. After the service an AWB member, who did not wish to be named, said: "We're quite calm. We're not up to anything drastic. Not yet. You never know." Wearing a badge with the apartheid era flag, Jan Jacobs, 72, from Bloemfontein, said: "No one came with any weapons. We left them at home to be peaceful. We're not mighty enough to take on the blacks. God will do it for us."
"Eugene Terre'Blanche was a sober man and a fighter for his share of the land. That's what I'm fighting for. Anarchy developing in this black nation causes us to worry. I've got the bible: it says 2010 will be the last year."Asked about the African National Congress youth leader Julius Malema, who has been accused of inciting violence by singing "Shoot the Boer", Jacobs added: "I reckon he's going to be taken out very soon. It won't be a Boer. It will be his own people. I reckon that's what we need in this country.He added: "God separated us. We can't have a mix. The 'rainbow nation' could never be possible."
The guests included provincial premier Maureen Modiselle, who is black, and Pieter Mulder, deputy agriculture minister and leader of the Freedom Front Plus party. He said: "I walked here because of traffic and got the feeling of the people – anger, frustration, a sense that something needs to be done.
"In a country where 3,000 people are being murdered on farms since 1994 it is a crisis. Today the dam wall burst. People here want the threat issue dealt with."
But on a nearby street corner, black people said they too felt under threat. Thabo Ntai, 23, a local journalist, said: "There is a lot of tension from these guys. You find people pushing you around. The apartheid flags show that people haven't forgiven and forgotten: they want to get back to the past.
"This town is dominated by white Afrikaners. The black people here are scared. In the next two months it won't settle down. Anything could happen."
After the funeral, as heavy rain began to fall, a motorcade led by a white hearse and police outriders wound its way to Terre'Blanche's farm, where he was buried within sight of the largely disused farmhouse where he was killed. Family members wept and embraced during the 20-minute ceremony.
Mourners on motorcycles, in cars and trucks, some of them flying the group's flag, followed the hearse carrying the coffin. A long queue snaked along the road long into the afternoon.
As a gesture of reconciliation, dignitaries from the local black community were invited to attend the funeral service, but few took up the offer. One black face was prominent, however. Isaac Medupe, a lay preacher for the Seventh Day Adventist Church, had special reason to remember Eugene Terre'Blanche.
"That is my friend," said Medupe, smart in a pinstripe suit. "I knew him from the time he was in prison and I was the chaplain. I was carrying out the rehabilitation. He accepted it and became a changed man. I don't say he was an angel, but he definitely became a better person."
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/09/eugene-terreblanche-south-africa-funeral