Category Archives: Government Oppression

Two-thirds of countries classified as not free because of their dire record on human rights and civil liberties have received weapons licensed by the UK government over the past decade, new analysis reveals.

Between 2011-2020, the UK licensed 16.8bn of arms to countries criticised by Freedom House, a US government-funded human rights group.

Of the 53 countries castigated for a poor record on political and human rights on the groups list, the UK sold arms and military equipment to 39.

Noteworthy recipients include Libya, which received 9.3m of assault rifles, military vehicle components and ammunition. Last week it was the focus of international peace talks to stabilise a country where armed groups and foreign powers compete for influence.

Further analysis by the London-based Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) found that 11.8bn of arms had been authorised by the UK government during the same period to the Foreign Offices own list of human rights priority countries. Two-thirds of the countries 21 out of 30 on the UK government list of repressive regimes had received UK military equipment.

The Department for International Trade has also identified nine nations as core markets for arms exports that groups say are guilty of many human rights abuses, including Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Turkey.

The UK government has already admitted that a Saudi-led coalition has attacked Yemen using weapons made by British companies with the UK supplying more than half of combat aircraft used by the Middle East kingdom for its bombing raids.

Right now, UK-made weapons are playing a devastating role in Yemen and around the world. The arms sales that are being pushed today could be used in atrocities and abuses for years to come, said Andrew Smith of the CAAT.

Further arms deals are expected in the near future with many of the countries on the Freedom House list expected to send representatives to Septembers international arms fair in east London.

Wherever there is oppression and conflict there will always be arms companies trying to profit from it, and complicit governments helping them to do so, said Smith.

Many of these sales are going to despots, dictatorships and human rights abusing regimes. They havent happened by accident. None of these arms sales would have been possible without the direct support of Boris Johnson and his colleagues, added Smith.

Russia was also among the beneficiaries of UK arms sales in the last decade, it received 44m of UK arms including ammunition, sniper rifle components and gun silencers, analysis shows. Moscow last week claimed it had chased a British destroyer out of Crimean waters with warning shots and bombs.

The sales to Russia and Libya were, however, made before ongoing arms embargoes to both countries were introduced, a situation that critics say highlights the short-term thinking behind most arms sales.

The Department for International Trade has been contacted for comment.

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17bn of UK arms sold to rights abusers - The Guardian

Criticizing a nationality for their governments actions only leads to oppression and bias. Lets be clear in our discussions of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Editors note: This piece discusses antisemitic and anti-Arab comments posted online that may be offensive to some readers.

In recent weeks, the global community has grappled with spikes in both anti-Israeli/anti-Palestinian sentiment following an uphill trend in violence between the State of Israel and the State of Palestine. In the midst of the deaths and injuries that resulted, a flurry of political discussions took social media by storm, revving internet users from all corners of the world to take sidesas if one side is completely in the right or wrong.

As an individual with no Israeli-Palestinian ties and a rudimentary understanding of the decades-long conflict, I sit on the sidelines eager to learn and absorb all that I can. However, I am filled with disgust at the sheer amount of ignorance and delusion. By using nationality in the critique of a governments actions, we are participating in the undergirding of biases and false equivalences that create perpetual cycles of hostilities and oppression. To best demonstrate the argument that I pose, lets take a look at this tweet written on June 25, 2021:

48 hours left before the Israelis besiege Silwan & ethnically-cleanse al-Bustan before moving onto the next. We must stop this #SaveSilwan.

This Tweet is among the masses in the ceaseless Twitter vacuum that propel such dangerous rhetoricmore so than others, since its author has a large following. Irrespective of the validity and accuracy of the tweet, the inherent issue with this assertion lies in the word Israelis. To neglect the usage of a more specific term like Israeli forces bolsters an inherent bias that all Israelis support ethnic cleansings. The tweet extrapolates the actions of a small sect of Israelis and applies them to an entire population of people. Dangerous rhetoric retains strength in numbers.

Given the speed and rate at which information spreads on social media, public opinion can quickly generate hatred and resentment. Take a look at these examples from Twitter:

The settlers are attacking Palestinians, the Israelis are shooting rubber bullets inside the Palestinian hopes right now in #SheikhJarrah. LOOK AT THEIR BRUTALITY!

Israelis chant for our death, while we chant for our freedom, So (sic) who of us is the terrorist or extremist? This is Zionism! #IsraelApartheidstate.

Palestinians are so serious about peace that theyre willing to murder as many Jews as possible in order to achieve it.

Israelis literally respond to rocks by shooting children.

Israelis like to build. Arabs like to bomb crap and live in open sewage. This is not a difficult issue. #settlementsrock

In these examples, self-proclaimed Middle East experts outrageously use out-of-context video clips or news sources to support an overly simplistic outlook on an entire nation of people. Moreover, these Twitter users fail to provide more in-depth context for the egregious claims they perpetuate. This is especially true for the last tweet written by Ben Shapiro, a popular conservative political commentator. Rather than saving his criticism for the perpetrators of the violence erupting in the Middle East, Shapiro thoughtlessly dispenses his criticism towards all Arabs.

We can see that decrying a collective group of people perpetuates a gross oversimplification of the actualities. Social media platforms like Twitter cater to the simplification of complex topics by condensing them into up to 280 measly characters. Both conservative commentators, liberal pundits, influencers, and celebrities attempt to vaguely weigh in on nuanced issues which only continues to stoke the flames.

As a proud Asian-American with Chinese heritage, I recognize just how xenophobic and despicable poor language can be. Similarly, to declare that the Israelis did this or the Palestinians did that runs the same inherent risk of misrepresenting a group of people for arbitrary falsehoods.

We all find ourselves falling into the habit of using national origin in lieu of the government in everyday conversations on politics. We as Americans have subscribed to these tendencies from day one. From sentences like the Japs bombed the Americans during WWII to the Americans constantly steal oil from the Middle East, our habit of directly correlating nation to nationality is a perilous habit to maintain since it only pits people against people. Perhaps the most foot-in-mouth politician weve all come to learn and love would be former president Donald Trump, who propelled divisive phrases like kung flu or the Chinese virus at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

How can we engage in mature conversations that do not consign a group of people on faulty notions? When immersed in political discourse, I implore you to be cognizant whenever attributing specific actions or traits to a collective. Specify that they are Israeli forces, the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority, or Palestinian insurgents. Never attribute them to the millions of Palestinians or Israelis who are compassionate, understanding, empathetic, and considerate.

An age-old saying declares that sticks and stones may break bones, but words can never hurt. I beg to differ.

As students, scholars, and leaders, I encourage the Vanderbilt community to discuss tough topics with respect, curiosity, and open-mindedness. To avoid overgeneralization and simplification, do your due diligence with your research. Always choose your words carefully when sharing your opinion with others. After all, knowledgeability triumphs all the black squares people post for #BLM. Only through using respectful, courteous, and civilized language can we break the mold ingrained into us that divides and vanquishes our community.

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ZHAO: When words hurt more than fists The Vanderbilt Hustler - The Vanderbilt Hustler

New data shows the UK has made a nice profit over the past decade selling weapons to countries classified by London itself as having a dire record on human rights and civil liberties.

Between 2011-2020, the UK sold 16.8 billion pounds sterling worth of military equipment to 53 countries.

Two-thirds of whom (39 nations) have been condemned for a poor human rights record. Further research by the London-based Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) found that 11.8 billion pounds sterling worth of arms had been authorized by the UK government during the same period to the UK Foreign Ministrys own list of nations that London acknowledges has human rights problems. These include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Libya.

Two-thirds of the countries 21 out of 30 are on the governments list of repressive regimes. Another government branch, the Department for International Trade has also identified nations as core markets for arms exports that campaigners say are guilty of many human rights abuses.

Downing Street has already admitted that Saudi Arabia is attacking Yemen using British-made weapons.

The UK has also supplied more than half of the warplanes used by Riyadh for its almost daily bombing raids. CAAT says Right now, UK-made weapons are playing a devastating role in Yemen. The group added that The arms sales that are being pushed today could be used in atrocities and abuses for years to come

In the future, the UK is likely to be affected by two major markets, namely the European Unions tax free Single Market following Brexit and, amid rising tensions with Beijing, it could lose out on contracts with another major booming market; China. In order to restore its economy, badly hit by the coronavirus, more arms deals are expected in the near future in what has become a lucrative but ugly market where profit is put ahead of lives and human rights. CAAT says Wherever there is oppression and conflict there will always be arms companies trying to profit from it, and complicit governments helping them to do so, many of these sales are going to despots, dictatorships, and human rights-abusing regimes. They havent happened by accident. None of these arms sales would have been possible without the direct support of Boris Johnson and his colleagues.

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New details of UK's arms sales to repressive regimes condemned - Tehran Times

In observance of the freedom holidays, this is a tribute to Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Juneteenth. You dont have to agree with my opinion or accept it to understand it.

The soldiers through our nations history, they fought. Our brave were courageous and willing. They defended and protected our privilege, and they died for our rights. Our soldiers also died for the rights of those who loathe our nation.

Why would anyone risk his life to give that right to those who despise, and yet choose to live, in the very country that allows such a display of contempt and dishonor?

Its because America is the freest nation on Earth. Its precious and rare. It was formed on an idea. Folks from around the world are running toward that idea, and not away from it.

When we escaped the oppression of a tyrannical king, who dictated our lives, as separatists; weve been fighting ever since to safeguard our immunity. Never again would we allow any form of autocracy.

We formed a declaration of statehood followed by a constitution of inalienable liberties for all the people. It may not have always been this way, but its the way that its supposed to be. Its the way that it could be. The choice, and the responsibility, today are ours.

Still today there are those who would silence our voices, ideas, beliefs, expressions and opinions. The same fascism in which weve defeated over and over again throughout our historys independent sovereignty.

If we begin to oppress others rights, no matter how we disagree with them, then the oppression we escaped from starts all over again. Do we persecute those who persecute us? Are we no different than they are? Do we ban them? Imprison them? Kill them?

So, what do we do when our free nation is threatened by modern indoctrination and the historically uneducated who would unknowingly turn our way of life into a totalitarian government? Not the first time. Wont be the last. We fight. Weve never stopped fighting, and never will, for our freedom.

Lest we never forget how we got here. Lest we never forget where we came from. Lest we never forget who we are. Lest we never forget what we could become by silent allowance. I will fight, sacrifice and even die for freedom. Because if I dont, there can be no freedom for our childrens future.

And what of Juneteenth? All unfree slaves and freed slaves fought in all the wars since the Revolutionary War to the Civil War and all other wars against those who would take our freedom. A slave with no freedom at all would likely be the first to fight for any freedom at all.

Despite all the senseless wars and agendas of politicians our soldiers fight anyway. A soldiers mission is a call of duty to protect, defend, and serve. It should always be We The People for All The People.

Clay Burton lives in Hitchcock.

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Guest commentary: Keep fighting to make 'we the people' mean all the people - Galveston County Daily News

One hundred years ago this month, a woman named Sadie T. Mossell (later known as Sadie Alexander) became the first African American to receive a doctoral degree in economics in the United States.

But despite her economics Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, she could not find paid work as an economist. She later returned to school to pursue a law degree and went on to a long career as a civil rights attorney and activist.

Economists assumed that after she became a lawyer, she had given up her interest in economics, said Nina Banks, an associate professor of economics at Bucknell University and editor of a new book called Democracy, Race, and Justice: The Speeches and Writings of Sadie T. M. Alexander. And so when I went to the archives at the University of Pennsylvania in 2003, I was really shocked to find that for all of her life, she had a sustained interest in economics [and] the economic status and condition of African Americans.

After that, Banks spent years researching the archives of Sadie Alexander to uncover the economic ideas within her words.

The book is my excavation of her economic thought and the return of it to the economics profession, Banks said.

Marketplaces Kimberly Adams spoke with Banks about her explanation of Alexanders work. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

Kimberly Adams: If youll indulge me a bit, I was struck by two particular passages, because over the years, you can see through her speeches, how shes grappling with an idea thats still a topic of debate sort of this balance of personal responsibility of Black people on an individual and community basis to change the situation versus the role and responsibility of government. You have a fragment of one of her speeches from the 1920s, where she talks about the poor mortality rates and literacy rates of Black people due to a failure on our part to train our bodies and our minds. Fast forward several decades to a speech she gave in 1963 called New Tempos, New Concepts. She talks about to push for change, were going to have to do a lot more than change the self-image of Negroes, were going to have to restructure society.

Nina Banks: Yes, you identified, I think, a really problematic speech, where she focused on, as you said, individual responsibility and group efforts, behavioral factors. But certainly, her thinking shifted, I think, as she experienced discrimination and witnessed more discrimination and racial oppression. And so by the 1960s, with the speech that youve read, she has really gone full circle. And so shes looking at systemic structural barriers. And that speech, I think, is really interesting, because she talks about the need for a restructuring of our society, so that African Americans would be fully able to participate in our society, economically, politically, socially and so on. And we are still, as you said, grappling with that today.

The test of our belief in the Bill of Rights is the extent to which these rights are enjoyed by the minority. The object of these restrictions on the government was to assure the common man the enjoyment of certain God-given rights, outlined in the first ten amendments to the Constitution. If their object is to protect the average man, then the acid test as to whether or not he is protected is found, not in the rights enjoyed by the majority, which are incidental, but in the rights enjoyed by the minority, which are essential.

Adams: She wrote and spoke, of course, on the Black economic experience. Alexander also did a great deal of work and data mining and research on gender roles and women in the workforce, and illuminating so many of the same problems that were seeing now in the she-cession of the pandemic.

Banks: So, in her section on women in the political economy, what I find really interesting is that the group of women she was most concerned about were African American women who were domestic workers. Those are the women who were the most vulnerable to economic downturns, as you said, and so, absolutely, if we look at the recession today, we see that the domestic workers have been especially hurt women who are in personal service. So, youre absolutely right. She was prescient in many ways and this was one, also in terms of the acute vulnerability of African American workers.

We must provide the hope and the certainty of productive employment to everyone, and especially to Negro young people. The basic purpose of this comprehensive design, this total process, is the development of the deprived, the neglected the discriminated against the minority to its full potential. This is necessary not only to meet the ends of social justice and morality, to fulfill the guarantees of our constitution and laws, but because in this era of automation, when tens of thousands of unskilled and semi-skilled jobs are being eliminated, it becomes an economic imperative which is basic to our very existence as a free society.

Adams: Another area in which she was pretty prescient in her writings was another debate were having today about one of the key themes in her speeches and writing being, as you put it, her understanding of the problems of income inequality on the macroeconomy. And you have a question posed at the beginning of the book, literally, in the first paragraph, that Im wondering if you can try to answer, which is: How might our understanding of the economy be different today if Sadie Alexander had been allowed to work as an economist at the time? And to add to that, if even her economic contributions have been acknowledged before now?

Banks: Yeah, I think that that is a really important question. And I think that its a question that can only be answered by the context of the time. And the context of the time, 1920s into the 1960s, is that African American scholars were employed at segregated institutions. So my sense is that had Sadie Alexander had been able to find employment as an economist, her economic thought would probably not have influenced the overall thinking within the economics profession, because there is still a tendency on the part of economists to dismiss the critical thought of African American economists, even in a post-civil rights era, unfortunately. [But] it would have made a difference in the thinking, certainly of students who would have been influenced by her students who would have gone to [historically Black college or university].

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Why the words of Americas first Black economist resonate today - Marketplace

The book is the authors efforts to express sensitivity towards Baloch people living in traumatic conditions under suppression and oppressions of Pakistan.

By Anand Kumar,

The land of the Balochs and one of the four provinces of our neighbouring Pakistan has always remained an integral part of coffee table conversations or a hot topic inside the political circles. The land that comprises 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan despite rich natural resources remains underdeveloped and continues to struggle to safeguard its cultural fabrics from the dominant groups who continue to clean the little vibrancy remaining in the country. Balochis have a rich history that dates back to the 11th century that faded from memories as times passed. Throughout its struggle for independence, the land has never received its long due attention. And now in an attempt to highlight struggles of Balochis in their own land, Azad Singh Rathores new book Balochistan: The Heights of Oppression is a simple yet perfectly weaved narration that familiarizes a reader with Balochistan.

Balochis share important and close cultural and religious ties with Indian subcontinent. In this book, Azad not only gives readers an account of Pakistans oppression while uncovering its inhumane face but also briefly paints Baloch history, geography and their valid demands on the canvas. He also briefly puts how Pakistani government, its political leaders, including army and agencies are not only betraying and oppressing Baloch people but also betraying humanity.

Azad, through his book, explains to a reader that after annexing Balochistan, Pakistan has followed a sustained campaign of social, economic and cultural exploitation. A deep dive into the regions history, the book introduces a reader to the Greater Balochistan region that was remotely located far away from the Kingdom of Persia in the west and equally at a distance from Indian princely states in the east. Balochistan- a part of Greater Balochistan- is now a disputed remote territory, illegally annexed by Pakistan, lies between Sindh province of Pakistan and the western international border of Iran. The whole region was populated most heavily by ethnic Baloch people and while going through the book, a reader can feel an unreal connection with the region and the people.

The heights of discrimination are such that Balochistan, despite having many natural resources including large reserves of natural gas, gold, copper and iron receives almost no royalties from the Pakistani government. Capturing the real face of Pakistans military might, Azad elaborates how the country is suppressing their freedom movement. Balochistan is a living example of how an independent civilization in a modern world is suffering from all kinds of oppression and tyranny where the real owners are even deprived of basic amenities. This book finely exposes manipulated narratives, uncovers half-truths and voices in support of human rights in a region which Pakistan choses to call an economic liability but is actually a saviour of its economy.

Azad in his writing describes the history, culture, and Baloch peoples suffering from the last seven decades of pain, atrocity and oppressions that Pakistan has given them to suppress their voice. The book is the authors efforts to express sensitivity towards Baloch people living in traumatic conditions under suppression and oppressions of Pakistan. Nothing much has been told about Balochistan so far and the land still remains an untold tale. A world that is so near to India, yet remains mysteriously hidden from view. A well-researched and well-curated book, Azads work touches on many aspects of the land including its history, economy, socio-political issues, its people and everything that we dont know about Balochistan.

(The author is Founder of Super 30. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the Financial Express Online.

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Book Review | Painting the perfect picture, new book reveals what we dont know about Balochistan - The Financial Express

You can either be queer or you can be Muslim.

This is something Ive thought about more and more this pride month.

For Muslims worldwide, our identities are trapped in this dichotomy. Sometimes the problem is caused by the bigotry present in mainstream Muslim communities, largely driven by colonization and the interests of western powers. But in many instances, we are forced, by western societies, to choose between our dignity and our Muslimness.

Queerness is apparently a gift youre given when you abandon your faith and its associated culture.

When, as a Muslim, you say that you dont feel people should die for being Muslim, particularly those residing in majority-Muslim states, you take a difficult stance. You are strongly opposed by some queer peopleespecially white queer people. These opposers will say they dont support a religionand by extension a peoplethat doesnt support queer rights.

Its an argument I have heard repeatedly. Every time I dare to speak out against racism and Islamophobia, I am told to try going to a Muslim country to see how I like it there.

How dare I ask for more when, apparently, here in the west Im safer than I deserve to be? How dare I open my mouth when Canada has given me so much? Never mind that I was born here.

White non-Muslim Canadians get to exist separately from their governments, even when those governments enact queerphobic legislation. No white Canadian is told theyre undeserving of rights because the Canadian government has been debating conversion therapy for many months.

Muslims, however, do not get to exist separately from Islamic states who enact queerphobic legislation, even though we make up the bulk of those suffering from their hands.

Critiques of queerphobia rooted in opposition to Islam arent coming from people concerned with queer rights. Theyre coming from Islamophobes who have a vested interest in hiding behind the false dichotomy of Islam and liberation in order to shield their own prejudice.

I will be the first to tell you that there are deep-rooted issues in the Muslim community that make it hard for Muslims to be queer, to be women, to be Black, or to be anything other than an upstanding straight brown man.

But the whataboutism that non-Muslims weaponize when were advocating for the dignity and livelihoods of Muslims here and abroad does not serve to address these issues.

Whether or not you feel queerness is compatible with Muslimness, there will always be queer Muslims whose voices need amplifying. They will always exist and resist. There is no queer liberation without Muslim liberationbecause all systems of oppression are linked.

When youre concerned that you will be persecuted in a Muslim state, remember that queer Muslims are as afraid as you are, if not more. Remember that here, in the so-called queer haven that is Canada, were still murdered for our Muslimness.

Aysha is a fourth-year Commerce student and one of The Journals Editors in Chief.

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The false dichotomy between queerness and Islam only hurts queer people - Queen's Journal

While most of the attention over the past week has been on the election in Iran, something important has happened in the field of labor at the same time.

Reports from various parts of the country indicated that in some refineries and companies operating under the supervision of Irans Ministry of Oil, contract workers went on strike.

After investigating why this happened, it became clear that the constant problem of contracts and the inappropriate and unfair behavior of the contractors, and the negligence and lack of supervision of the Ministry of Oil have prevented this hard-working class from achieving their true rights.

According to local sources, the salaries of official employees of the Ministry of Petroleum are between three and four times higher than those who work as contractors.

That is if an official employee with the same job but under a contract with the Ministry of Oil receives a salary of 120 to 150 million rials [$485.82] per month, a contract worker who does the same job with the same conditions and difficulty but is under a contract with a contractor of the Ministry of Oil will receive a salary of 40 million rials [$161.94], which is to be accepted, a figure that is both extremely unjust and does not cover the living expenses of this day at all.

Iranians Continue Protests; at Least 22 Rallies and Strikes on May 22 and 23

And as usual, these strikes have been ignored by both Irans media and the authorities. As a result, the workers strike in Khark terminal has become a widespread movement and has spread from the oil sector to other areas, and workers in other sectors, such as steel, have also gone on strike in support of the oil workers. An event that will undoubtedly cause serious damage to the countrys economy and will be like a shock to Irans oil industry.

Instead of responding and trying to solve the workers problem and monitoring the performance of the contractors who have a contract with this ministry, the Ministry of Petroleum, in charge of this field, referred the problems to the private sector in response to reporters questions.

And on the pretext that this is in the realm of private companies, the ministry of Petroleum evaded accountability. The result of this stance has been the widespread dismissal of workers.

What the oil workers are demanding is not strange. These workers are demanding the right that their companions with similar working and professional conditions are receiving the benefits, and the officials of the Ministry of Oil have to prevent this discrimination to occur in their subdivisions even if the area is in the hands of the private sector.

The fact that the contractors of the ministries and organizations are abusing their employees and workers is an issue that has a long history, and the responsible agencies and the governments three branches are closing their eyes on this issue so that the country is witnessing a recurrence of this situation. If this issue is not resolved radically, even if these strikes end well, the government will face such events again in other parts of the countrys working class.

According to the opposition Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), workers and employees in around 61 refineries, petrochemical and industrial centers, and power plants have gone to the strike. They are as follows:

1- Contract workers of Gachsaran Petrochemical Plant in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province2- Bidboland Refinery Behbahan Phase 2 in Khuzestan province3- Civil Industry Phase 14 in Tehran province4- Petrochemical Elixir of Industry Phase 14 in Bushehr province5- South Pars Oil and Gas Companies, Gas Fieldin Bushehr province6 Sina Sanat Ahmadpour Company in the unit ASU in Khuzestan province7 Sadaf Petrochemical Company in Bushehr province8 Khesht va Kenratakhteh Company in Fars province9 South Adish Refinery Kangan Spherical and Cylindrical Tanks of Karami Contracting and Rajan Company in Bushehr province10 Jahan Pars Petrochemical Company in Tehran province11 Satrap Sanat South Pars Company in Tehran province12 Sina Refining Company Qeshm in Hormozgan province13 Tavanmand Company Phase 22 and 24 in Isfahan province14 Overhaul of Tehran Oil Refinery in Tehran province15 FarjudSite 1 in Bushehr province16 Persian Gulf Star Oil Co in Hormozgan province17 Pars Phenol and Sina Pars Phenol Industry in Asaluyeh in Bushehr province18 Petrochemical Site 1 Samsam Sanat in Bushehr province19 Tondgouian Refinery in Tehran province20 Dena Petrochemical in Bushehr province21 Jahan Pars Company in Tehran province22 Payandan Company Contract in Phase 14 Assaluyeh in Bushehr province23 Phase 13 of Lidoma Company in Tehran province24 Phase 13 (Akhtar Phase) South Pars in Bushehr province25 Welding section of Bushehr Petrochemical in Bushehr province26 Spherical tanks Construction of Arak in Markazi province27 Farab Company project in Bidkhoon power plant in Bushehr province28 phases 11, 12, 13, 14, and 24 phases of Assaluyeh in Bushehr province29 Abadan refinery in Khuzestan province30 phase 13 of Kangan in Bushehr province31 Bidkhoon refinery in Bushehr province32 IGC Abadan refinery in Khuzestan province33 Hajipour Contracting Co in Tehran province34 Qeshm Oil Reservoirs in Hormozgan province35 Marine operations of Iran Oil Terminals Company in Bushehr province36 Sepahan Cement of Isfahan Holding in Isfahan province37 Employed AJC Company, Abadan Refinery Phase 2 in Khuzestan province38 ILD Power Supply and Instrument Company located at Bandar Tonbak in Bushehr province39 Kayhan Pars site in Khuzestan province40 Sazeh Pod Company in Tehran province41 Abadan Refinery in Khuzestan province42 South Tehran Company located in Mahshahr Port in Khuzestan province43 Employed Petrosaz Company In Bandar Abbas Oil Company in Hormozgan province44 Mobin Sanat Company working in Adish Petroleum Refinery in Hormozgan province45 Rajan Company working in Adish in Hormozgan province46 Refinery of Ramin Power Plant in Ahvaz in Hormozgan province47 Damavand Petrochemical in Bushehr province48 Dena Petrochemical Plant in Bushehr province49 D-Polymer Company in Petrochemical Industries in Bushehr province50 Butia Steel in Kerman province51 Pima Ney Sazeh Farafan Qeshm Co. in Hormozgan province52 Bid Boland 2 Mahshahr Project in Khuzestan province53 Overhaul Strike 15 and 16 in Tehran province54 Jahrom Combined Cycle Power Plant Workers in Fars province55 Darya Sahel Jofeir Company in Bushehr province56 Radiograph section of Bidkhoon Kargaran Power Plant in Bushehr province57 Bandar Abbas No. 5 Pumphouse in Hormozgan province58 Zolal Contractor Co. in Isfahan province59 Various sections of Jahan Pars in Ilam province60 Pishro Sanat Company in Adish Petroleum Refinery in Hormozgan province61 ODCC Oil Refinery in Isfahan province

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Oppression of Contract Workers of Irans Ministry of Oil, a Recurring Story That Led to a Strike - Iran News Update

The Stonewall Inn was one of several bars in New York City where it was safer for LGBTQIA+ individuals to congregate. However, the New York State Liquor Authority prohibited liquor licenses to establishments that served these communities. On a late June evening in 1969, when Stonewall was raided by police, one of the arrested patrons challenged the bystanders to stand up to the injustice. For the next six days, there were demonstrations and skirmishes between the police and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Although this was not the first time the LGBTQIA+ community had resisted its oppression, the Stonewall Uprising is widely recognized as the start of the Gay Rights Movement. Since then, progress has been madethrough the passing of laws prohibiting discrimination and protecting individuals rights, celebrations such as the Pride Parade and the ascension of leaders in government, business, athletics and the arts who identify as LGBTQIA+. Even so, there are still areas where LGBTQIA+ identification, and the intersection of LGBTQIA+ identities, are not accepted. The struggle continues.

There are those who have silently and overtly identified as LGBTQIA+. In 2014, Michael Sam, a drafted linebacker with the St. Louis Rams, became the first Black, masculine-presenting professional football player to publicly announce that he was gay. Unfortunately, he did not make the full roster. Continued evidence of this struggle can be found in the recent announcement by Las Vegas Raiders football player Carl Nassib. Nassib courageously stated to the world that he identifies as gay, and that he has been struggling with sharing his intersectional identities of being a football player who identifies as gay for over 15 years. Warren Moon, one of the first African Americans to break the color barrier as a quarterback, tweeted his support, and many other past and present players have praised Nassibs couragea significant gesture within the context of a sport that can be stereotypically macho and homophobic.

It is commendable that Nassib made the announcement, however, there is discussion regarding how his race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status and masculine-presenting intersectional identities provided him the privilege of being more accepted. These disparities are far too common in the transgender and gender-nonconforming communities.The Human Rights Campaign has argued that there is an invisibility that historically tends to be attached to the lived experiences of those who have been the victims of harassment and violence.With intersecting co-identities, such as gender, race and ethnicity, ability, and overall insecurity, these names continue to go unnoticed despite resulting in increases in gun violence and undocumented deaths.Names like Marsha P. Johnson, Fifty Bandz, and Chyna Carrillo are just a few that have been important to the fight for justice and members of society who were family and friends of those who loved them.

Sports is one of many contexts wherein LGBTQIA+ individuals have to negotiate the intersectionality of their identities. On a daily basis, energy is spent on how to express oneself without receiving microaggressions, being misgendered or misunderstood. Within the arts, LGBTQIA+ voices and narratives have also been suppressed. In her lecture Queer Art: 1960s to the Present, art historian Tara Burk discusses how LGBTQIA+ artists historically had to express and share their identities through hidden codes in their work. The Stonewall Uprising sparked a movement within the art world to become more visible, audible and expressive with their identities.

During the early years of the AIDS epidemic, which continues to this day, diversely populated activist groups like ACT UP weaponized art to achieve their goals of getting experimental drugs to those who were dying, and they did so against all odds. As writer and activist Sarah Schulman states so accurately at the beginning of Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987 1993 (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021), theirs is a story of a despised group of people, with no rights, facing a terminal disease for which there were no treatments. Abandoned by families, government, and society, they joined together and forced our country to change against its will, permanently impacting future movements of people with AIDS throughout the world and saving incalculable numbers of future lives.

Today we have artists and professionals expressing and celebrating the lives and histories of LGBTQIA+ people across multiple disciplines, to broad and widely accepting audiences. Yes, progress has been made. But the work continues.

At SVA, we continue to work toward creating a welcoming, inclusive and supportive environment for all, and to honor and celebrate the diverse achievements, experiences and voices of our LGBTQIA+ community members. On Sunday, June 27, the LGBTQ SVA student group took over the Colleges official Instagram account, @svanyc, for a day of Pride-themed content. Click here to follow LGBTQ SVA on Instagram, and here for a list of Pride-friendly Instagram accounts selected by LGBTQ SVA student leaders.

See more here:

Rise Up in Power and Thrive: Celebrating Pride Month - SVA Features

This is a rush transcript from "Watters' World," June 26, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

JESSE WATTERS, FOX NEWS HOST: Welcome to WATTERS' WORLD. I'm Jesse Watters.

Waking the sleeping giant: that's the subject of tonight's Watters' Words.

President Biden will not protect you, you're going to have to protect yourself. Biden has no solutions, because he doesn't even understand the problem. He's never been a big thinker, and it's really starting to show.

This week he tried to spin the crime wave against the NRA. He is insulting all of our intelligence. All Joe knows is how people get shot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Reduce gun violence.

Your guns.

Gun lobbying.

Gun laws, gun violence.

Gun manufacturers.

Gun violence research.

Throw gun dealers.

Selling guns.

Could own a gun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATTERS: Yes, we know criminals shoot people with guns, Joe. But why are shootings up? Why are homicides up?

Biden is incapable of figuring that out, or he is ignorant and just doesn't want to. The White House up against the wall as the murder rate rises, was forced to come up with a plan to stop the violence. Here it is You ready?

One, go after illegal gun dealers and two, spend more money on quote, "programs that work." Translation. They don't have a clue.

Joe Biden spoke for 30 minutes and never said black on black crime. You can't solve the problem unless you say what the problem is. Biden never mentioned gangs, drugs, or families. Never said a word about defund the police, bail reform or soft district attorneys.

The so-called compassionate President couldn't bring himself to articulate the painful loss that black American families are suffering from every single day.

That anti-gun agenda is a dodge.

New York City was awash with guns in the 90s when Rudy brought the crime rate down. Proactive policing was the key, along with tough senses. You've got to lock up the shooters. It's just that simple.

For instance, in Illinois, illegal possession of a firearm calls for three to seven years in prison. But shooters either get bailed out for nothing, and skip, or DAs and Judges go soft. All we have to do is enforce the law on the books.

When the streets aren't safe, the citizens arm themselves because they don't trust the law to protect them. Citizens all over the country are losing trust in the people we put in positions of power.

We don't want critical race theory taught to our kids. Why is that so hard to understand? White students aren't born racist and black students aren't born victims. Parents in Loudoun County, Virginia have had enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Resign.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Resign, cowards.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Western culture and values that brought forth Christianity and the founding documents are being called evil and racist.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm reminded the tyranny of Communist China where your money is legally stolen, and then used in government schools, not public schools -- these are not public schools, these are government schools like here to indoctrinate children, against their parents.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My child is not oppressed, and don't assume that. As long as you, Marxists, push your unconstitutional agenda on my child, she will not be returning back to Loudoun County Schools.

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATTERS: Loudoun County, Virginia schools are teaching racism in the classroom -- reverse racism -- whatever you want to call it, and they actually cut off parents from speaking up about it. That's when things got a little heated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... and the county taxpayer pay your salary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys are actually supporting the suppression of people's rights.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... are you refusing to leave at this time?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I am refusing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, Deputies, please arrest this individual for trespassing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my god.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATTERS: Gutfeld, nailed it on "The Five." You're looking at the beginning of a new Tea Party movement. The left tried to get woke, but they woke a sleeping giant instead. The left wasn't ready for this kind of pushback, and they're lashing out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOY REID, MSNBC HOST: We've seen a growing movement to reframe how American history is taught in public schools. Well, some parents are opposed to critical race theory as new curriculum aren't too pleased.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just because I do not want critical race theory taught to my children in school does not mean that I'm a racist, dammit.

REID: It actually does. It's just another example of Republicans turning kids into a wedge issue, just like their politically motivated attacks on transgender youth who just want to play sports.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATTERS: So, all whites are racist. And if you reject that, that means you're a racist. Those are the rules they're operating under. You don't believe me? Here they are in their own words.

A leading critical race theorists Barbara Applebaum makes no bones about what she's pushing, quote, "All white people are racist." Critical Whiteness Studies Professor, whatever that means. Robin DiAngelo explains it this way. "White identity is inherently racist."

So schools are embracing this ideology and forcing white students and white teachers to be ashamed of their own skin color, among many other things. Here's the kind of teachers your children are being indoctrinated by.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, this comment right here is asking me to explain why not wanting critical race theory in the classroom is racist. Thank you for asking me this question. I'd love to explain it.

So, critical race theory talks about how the systems that we have, the laws that we have, how all of those are designed to oppress people groups, things like mass incarceration, the prison industrial system, the military industrial system, all of those are used to oppress people groups.

By teaching this in the classroom, we can show our kids what systems need to be challenged and thought about differently.

Racism isn't going to be fixed by me going down to a kid right here and saying, hey, buddy, you really need to be nicer to that kid over there even though they look a little bit different than you.

We can dismantle racism by dismantling systems of oppression, not by being nice to people.

When you don't want to teach future generations about how these systems were designed to oppress people, you're taking the side of the oppressor and being racist.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATTERS: That man right there should be fired on the spot, not just for his haircut, I'd yank his license just so he never taught again. You're not supposed to train elementary school students to be political activists.

Now, parents are begging School Boards, can we please stick to English, Math, Science, and History? Especially after children were already left behind during the pandemic. But School Boards across America, they just aren't listening, and they're doing it at their own peril.

The grassroots movement is alive, and there is no stopping it

Joining me now to react, Senator Ted Cruz from the Great State of Texas.

Senator, thank you for joining WATTERS' WORLD.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): Jesse, great to be with you.

WATTERS: So, do you think that this anti-critical race theory kind of mirrors the Tea Party Movement that we saw maybe a little over a decade ago? Because I'm seeing the same type of energy, political potency that I saw during that time period?

CRUZ: Now, I think that's exactly right. I think it is waking a lot of people up, and the thing about it is, the people who are realizing that this garbage is being taught in school, many of them are not people who have been politically active in the past. They have been living their lives, raising their kids. And suddenly they're finding out that their local school is teaching them that America is fundamentally racist, that all white people are racist, and that every issue we have in America, is all about us fighting on racial lines that whites and blacks hate each other and have to hate each other.

And that's all a lie. That's all poison, and it's being poured into the minds of our kids. And I think a lot of moms, a lot of dads are really ticked off about it.

WATTERS: You're right. They've been now politically activated by this far left indoctrination, and they're not going to take it anymore. And you've now put forth a bill to, I guess, withdraw funding from any of this garbage anywhere in the United States.

CRUZ: Well, within the Federal government, and so the background there, President Trump issued an executive order that prohibited any Federal funds from going to teaching critical race theory, teaching it to our soldiers, our sailors, our airmen, and Marines to teaching it to civilian Federal government employees, because you've had a lot of government agencies, including unfortunately the military that bring in these training outfits that teach critical race theory that try to divide people based on race.

And so President Trump issued an executive order banning that. Joe Biden came to office and one of the first things he did was repeal that Trump executive order. He wants this taught in the military. He wants this taught in the Federal government and it is wrong.

So, I've introduced legislation that says you cannot spend a penny of Federal money teaching critical race theory within the Federal government. It's not the job of the Federal government to try to indoctrinate employees, to try to indoctrinate our fighting men and women.

It's the job of the Federal government to carry out their responsibilities when it comes to the military to keep us safe and defend this nation.

WATTERS: I don't know if Joe Biden even wants this. I believe he is told what he wants because he even said himself, America is not a racist country. And that's exactly the opposite of what critical race theory actually teaches.

You saw the President out this week, I believe, on Wednesday talking about the rise in violent crime. He ignored all of the things that his own party that have triggered this rise in crime bail reform, soft DAs, defund the police, and all he wants to talk about is guns.

Senator, do you think he even gets it?

CRUZ: No, I think today's Democratic Party when it comes to crime, this party is a party of interest groups, of radical interest groups. And so when it comes to crime, this Democratic Party is the party of the criminals, of murderers, and rapists, and child molesters.

You know, you look at what they've done in the last five months. They've sent $1,400.00 stimulus checks to every criminal in America, murderers currently in jail got Federal taxpayer checks courtesy of Joe Biden.

They want every felon in America to vote. They want to strike down every law that prohibits felons from voting and their approach to this, it doesn't make any sense. Do you want to know where crime comes from? It comes from the criminals.

Stop supporting policies that let violent criminals out early. Stop supporting policies that undermine the police, abolish the police. You know, Jesse, two of the top officials in the Biden Justice Department are among the leading advocates for abolishing the police. Biden appointed them. Every single Senate Democrat voted to confirm them.

And when you undermine the police, when you make it impossible for them to do their jobs, what happens is what's happening now. Murder rates skyrocket, crime rates skyrocket. And what do Joe Biden the Democrats want to do? They want to take away your guns. They want to take away the guns of law-abiding citizens and not go after the criminals.

It's backwards. Go after the criminals and protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.

WATTERS: I believe you even mentioned Kamala Harris, Joe Biden campaign members bailed out rioters last summer and the left has always kind of romanticized violence going you go back to the 60s and the cop killers, and all of these people that that -- I believe, the Boston bomber was thrown on the cover of "Rolling Stone" Magazine.

There's always been that vein in the Democratic Party that has done this, and I think they've gone way, way overboard.

Speaking of boards, the border -- Kamala Harris, I guess she kind of went to the border. She went to El Paso, Texas, which I think is 800 miles from the Rio Grande Valley, where all the action is. I think it's about as far as New York is from Chicago.

She, was obviously under a lot of political pressure to go to the border. Do you think people are buying that this is actually going to do anything? I think it's kind of insulting all of our intelligence, Senator.

CRUZ: Well, it is. She gave in to the political pressure. It's been 93 days since she was appointed in charge of the border crisis, 93 days ago, that's over three months. And in the whole time, she hadn't been to the border once. She ran everywhere else she could go. She went to the Canadian border, but not our southern border.

Finally, after 93 days, she couldn't take the criticism. She said, all right, let's go to the border. But how far away can I get from the kids in cages? What she really wanted to avoid -- look, El Paso is a wonderful community. It's a vibrant border community, important city in Texas. But it's not the epicenter of the crisis.

WATTERS: Right.

CRUZ: The epicenter of the crisis, as you said, is 800 miles away in the Rio Grande Valley. And the reason she didn't go to the Rio Grande Valley is that's where the Biden cages are. That's where you see cage after cage after cage of little boys and little girls on the floor, no beds, no mats, no cots, side by side, one after the other after the other wrapped in reflective emergency blankets.

That's where you see facilities with a rate of COVID positivity of 10 percent, and what Kamala and Joe Biden desperately wanted to avoid is the TV cameras filming those kids in the Biden cages, so she went as far away as you can go in the State of Texas from where that was to say she went to the border.

And even more fundamentally, Jesse, when she went to El Paso, I'm glad she finally went to the border. She had no solutions. She had no answers.

She has caused this problem. Joe Biden has caused this problem. Three decisions they made caused this problem.

On day one, Biden halted building the border wall. On day one, he reinstated the failed catch-and-release policy. And on day one, he ripped to shreds the incredibly successful remain-in-Mexico policy, which had produced the lowest rate of illegal immigration in 45 years. It was working

And then Biden-Harris came in and screwed it up; and now, they have no solutions, and the reason is that they've given into the radical activists. All of these issues, Jesse, are actually tied together.

On the border, they've handed their agenda to the radical left activists who want open borders and not to enforce the border. On guns, they've given into the radical leftist activists who want to abolish the police and confiscate our guns.

And on critical race theory, they've given in to the radical activists who want to teach us the Marxist theories that America is inherently racist, and they want to divide us on racial lines and pit us against each other.

All of this is really dangerous for our country.

WATTERS: And it's everything we said during the campaign that he was a puppet of the far left. And we couldn't have said it any more clearer, and I think there's politics involved, too, Senator.

The rest is here:

'Watters' World' on the fight against critical race theory - Fox News