Category Archives: Government Oppression

Antiguans protesting the governments policy on the vaccination of children on Nov 16, 2021

Over 300 residents in Antigua and Barbuda demonstrated against the governments vaccination policy for children 12 years and older today.

Parents, as well as students, gathered outside the Ministry of Education Headquarters from as early as 7:30 this morning.

The Cabinet says that it does not intend to renege on its policy of having only vaccinated students on school compounds.

According to the Gaston Browne administrations mandate, any secondary school student who has failed to receive the Covid-19 vaccine by this date shall not enter onto the premises of their Schools on Thursday November 11 2021, until vaccinated.

They are a bunch of wicked devils. So, my child wont get an education because I refuse to have him vaccinated?, one woman cried while speaking to reporters in the street.

Franz DeFreitas, the United Progressive Party (UPP) Candidate for St. Johns City South lead the protest

He said the Covid pandemic had already taken away almost two years from the students education.

The policy is terrible. We have decided that we have had too much oppression, discrimination and no action by the ministry to educate our students.

According to the government in St Johns, achieving herd immunity within the secondary schools is a lawful objective intended to keep all students, teachers and staff safe.

The law requires that parents prepare their children to attend schools. Getting their sons and daughters who are 12 years and older vaccinated, and eligible to attend secondary schools, is the responsibility of parents, the government said in a statement.

More here:

Protest in Antigua against vaccination for children 12 and over - Dominica News Online

Kites fly and children run outside renovated mosques. This is Xinjiang, Chinas western frontier region, in 2021. Or at least, this is what outsiders are allowed to see and what Chinese propaganda presents.

Beyond the sanitized streets of tourist areas, a different reality persists.

Heavily militarized police patrols and sprawling reeducation facilities may be disappearing. But highly securitized prisons, intensive propaganda and indoctrination, ubiquitous surveillance, population control, and coercive labor assignments are there to stay.

Kites fly and children run outside renovated mosques. This is Xinjiang, Chinas western frontier region, in 2021. Or at least, this is what outsiders are allowed to see and what Chinese propaganda presents.

Beyond the sanitized streets of tourist areas, a different reality persists.

Heavily militarized police patrols and sprawling reeducation facilities may be disappearing. But highly securitized prisons, intensive propaganda and indoctrination, ubiquitous surveillance, population control, and coercive labor assignments are there to stay.

The government is focused on redefining the regions image as an exotic travel destination and a safe haven for cultural integration.

Propaganda posters of smiling minorities flood the landscape while information operations use dancing Uyghur individuals as their main subjects to convince the world that people in Xinjiang are happy and grateful to the Chinese Communist Party.

But since the first revelations of the Chinese governments repression of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang back in 2017, a lot has come to light.

A robust array of government sources, police leaks, and first-hand testimonies have depicted a ruthless and systematic attempt to take control over and forcibly assimilate people perceived as an imminent (if imaginary) threat to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Since May 2014, with the beginning of a region-wide counterterrorism campaign, the government has put in place an intricate and brutal system of repression using arbitrary incarcerations, heightened and extremely intrusive surveillance mechanisms, and the installment of what became known as reeducation campsa net of detention and indoctrination facilities that have detained more than 1 million people.

In the governments version, this was to defeat the three evil forces of terrorism, extremism, and separatism. In reality, it put Xinjiangs Indigenous populations under a state of constant fear.

Much has been said about what is happening in Xinjiang. But how did this all come about? And what comes next?

A recent report by a team of researchers, including myself, at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute explores the whos and hows of Xinjiangs governance system. It brings to light previously unknown aspects of the mass political campaigns that have mobilized not only all sectors of Chinas party-state system but also most areas of Xinjiang society.

We had access to leaked police records from Urumqi, China, which prompted the first stages of our investigation. We then examined thousands of pages of government and party documentsmostly found online through virtual private networks (VPNs) that were later archived, some scraped directly from official government websites, and some from state media publications and social media poststo have a broader view of Xinjiangs governance.

This methodology is bound to become the norm when it comes to China research, as most journalists and researchers no longer have access to the country and free, on-the-ground research is not permitted. Despite attempts by the government to block key information from foreign audiencesmost Xinjiang government websites, for example, are currently only accessible via certain VPNsthere is still a great amount of data available online that is worth saving and analyzing.

Our main focus is on two features that may help answer unresolved questions on Xinjiang: the return to Maoist-style political campaigns, where the masses are unleashed on the nations hidden enemies, and the penetration of the CCP down to the most intimate aspects of citizens daily lives.

Although previous political campaigns in Chinese history, such as the Cultural Revolution or the Strike Hard! anti-crime campaigns, ended abruptly with a subsequent push to reinstate normality, the CCP desires to normalize campaign-style governance tools and methods in Xinjiang to achieve and maintain what it calls comprehensive stability.

This systems potential longevity is made possible by a convoluted architecture of party and government institutions, summarized in this interactive chart, as well as the insidious penetration of the party-state into remote villages and the homes of Xinjiangs Indigenous populations.

Neighborhood and village committees represent the lowest tier in the CCPs hierarchy across the country. They are, in theory, voluntary self-governing organizations. In Xinjiang, they have become the true focal point of the partys approach to control people at the community level, with new exceptional policing powers.

Officially paired with local police stations, human surveillance, and mosque management teams to form the trinity mechanism, the committees manage their respective jurisdictions and are at the forefront of the reeducation system.

On the streets, tourists may now be able to observe sights common to many destinations in China, exploring the newly built cultural sites that replace ancient symbols of Uyghur culture, which is continuously under threat.

Yet just across the road, down to residential neighborhoods and more remote, rural villages, the party runs business as usual with an army of cadres and civilians at their mercy.

Community control is driven by the fanghuiju program, a Xinjiang-specific human surveillance policy run by the regions Organization Department of the Chinese Communist Party, through which mainly Han officials are dispatched to Uyghur homes to spy on their activities, monitor their thoughts and feelings, and carry out indoctrination.

This redistribution of law enforcement power to civilians and civil society groups blurs the line between civilians and cadres, victims and perpetrators, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute report said. Everyone is responsible.

Indoctrination is hidden behind the walls of reeducation facilities but is also a part of daily lifein schools, office buildings, and public squares.

Life is punctuated by public loyalty pledges, chants wishing Chinese President Xi Jinping good health, and public denunciation sessions of two-faced traitors. Many people are gathered in public arenas to speak up and brandish the sword, putting a fist next to their face, condemning religious extremism, and praising the CCP.

People are pitted against one another and incentivized to self-police their own neighborhoods. Some of them are convinced the enemy hides among them and they need to uproot a phantom evil taking over their childrens brains. Others going along with it for the sake of their own safety.

The way Xinjiang is governed is invisible at first glance, and that may be the partys biggest achievement so far. But without this level of control at the grassroots level, the architecture of repression would quickly crumble.

See the article here:

China's Oppression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang Moves to New Models - Foreign Policy

This week marks the end of Bostons historic mayoral election. It also marks the start of the Hindu festival of Diwali two seemingly unrelated events that have always been connected in my mind.

When I was a kid growing up in West Virginia in the early 1980s, there was a young man named Paul Saluja who would take the mic each year at Diwali and encourage our small Indian community to get involved with local government. To talk with politicians. To work on campaigns. To run for office, even. Paul would speak with passion and conviction, but no one seemed to be listening: the aunties kept having their side conversations; the uncles shook their heads and grumbled; the kids kept running laps in the hallways of the high school where our Diwali dinner was held. The unspoken message drowning Paul out was clear: electoral politics wasnt a realm for people like us.

We were supposed to work hard, get educated, contribute to our communities, but we were not supposed to be seen, or be heard, or be advocating for the needs of people like us.Proximity to whitenesswas supposed to be the key to our success. Proximity to whiteness required obedience and compliance and making ourselves small not resistance and visibility and demanding to be heard.In too many cases, we left the work of advancing justice in America to Black people, neither understanding our complicity in systems of oppression, nor that we were not immune to oppression, either. Thevery construction of the model minority stereotypehas division as its purpose if we cant see our shared oppression, then we cant fight together to end it. And the power status quo is maintained.

This unspoken message of maintaining invisibility impacted Asian-American political participation, not just inmysouthern West Virginia, but throughout the country. For much of my life, Asian-American voter turnout has lagged behind that of other communities. The 2020 election, which came amid a massive spike in anti-Asian violence,marked a high point in Asian-American electoral engagement, with 60% of eligible voters going to the polls.

Even the aunties and uncles have come to realize that keeping our heads down wont keep us safe. The accumulation of deathover decades-- ofVincent ChinandBalbir Singh SodhiandSrinivas Kuchibhotla, the shootings atOak Creek, theIndianapolis FedEx facility, and theAtlanta spas, and beatingsof grandmas on the streets ofNew YorkandSan Francisco-- has shown us this so clearly.

When I moved to Boston in the early 2000s, I carried everything Id learned about politics with me about who has power, and who doesnt.I surmisedthat the messages in this city seemed to be much the same of what Iobserved at home.

Since 1822, when Boston transitioned from being a town to a city, every elected mayor has been a white man.Meanwhile, demographically, the city was increasingly populated by folks like me: immigrants and their children, Black and brown people. Yet city government remained largely white. I used to joke that if I wanted to run for mayor, Id need to change my name to Norma, only use my first name on campaign signs andmake sure no one saw me until I got elected.

Over the years, Boston elected a handful of Black and Latinx male city council candidates. Leaders like Bruce Bolling, Felix D. Arroyo, Chuck Turner, Charles Yancey, Tito Jackson, and Felix G. Arroyo took us a step closer to governance that reflected our citys population, but it took us afull 106 yearsto elect Ayanna Pressley as our first Black woman councilor.

It took nearly as long for us to elect our first Asian-American councilor,Sam Yoon. We didnt get a second Asian-American on the council until 2013, when Michelle Wu was elected, and Boston didnt see a Latinx woman on the City Council until 2019, with Julia Mejias election. That was the same year we finally reacheda majority on the council that reflects the majority in our city.

While some of us have been told we dont belong in government, others have gotten the message that they absolutely do.

Whats more, it has taken until 2021 for our cityto elect both a woman, and a person of color, to the highest seat of power. It wasnt just my Desi peers and I learning the rules of politics at Diwali every year. We are all learning them, always.

While some of us have been told we dont belong in government, others have gotten the message that they absolutely do. Unlearning the messages weve all been taught about what a leader looks like, who should be in government, who belongs and who does not, is taking us a very, very long time.

Bostons municipal election campaigns have not been easy to watch. It has included ugly, dog-whistle racism campaign strategies likeskin darkeningand evokingthe perpetual foreigner stereotype, implying that a candidate who is not "from here" is less qualified to lead. It hasraised big questions about voter engagement and participation. And it has left some voters and organizers feeling likeBostonscontinued struggles with racismare evident in our unwillingness to elect a Black candidate to lead our city,particularly in an election where there were three Black candidates to choose from. There have been multiple times over the past few months when I wished we could just fast-forward through the painful parts, through the battle between anold Boston that is slowlylosing its chokeholdon the seat of power, and a new Bostonthat is learning how to build coalitions and collective power.

But finally, we are here. Election Day has come and gone. Our city has broken its elected 199-year white, male mayor streak.

While there is much work to do, many more conversations to be had about race and representation in electoral politics in our city, today I am thinking back to my child self. To the kid who stayed in the auditorium to listen to Paul Saluja, instead of running in the hallways, or chatting with the aunties, or grumbling with the uncles.

I am thinking about the fact that ournextmayor was probably listening to someone like Paul in her community. Someone who told her that keeping our heads down wouldnt keep us safe and successful. But that standing up, speaking up, and fighting to build equitable communities forallBostonians, would ultimately yield our collective well-being.

I am thankful to all of the Pauls who came before us. And I am thankful that for the young people who come after us the Asian-American youth, the children of immigrants, the young people who are told they have no place in politics a new model has emerged.

Theyll see not only the Paul Salujas, who articulate the possibility of electoral power, but the Michelle Wus who make the possibility real.

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Unlearning the 'rules' about what a leader looks like - WBUR

The October 25 military coup in Sudan was led, surprisingly, by incumbent President Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the civilian-military Sovereign Council formed to oversee the transition to democratic elections. Security forces placed civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi and other top administration officials under house arrest, and the military spread throughout the capital Khartoum and encircled it with roadblocks. At least seven protesters were killed in the ensuing rioting, some 140 were injured and many others were arrested. Internet services were blocked. Burhan issued a series of proclamations, dissolving the government and the labor unions and establishing a new government of technocrats, announcing in an address to the nation that it would remain in power until elections in 2023.Coups are hardly rare in Sudan. In fact, there have been no fewer than five successful coups since gaining independence in 1956. The power-sharing civilian-military government was formed in 2019 after the overthrow of dictator Omar al-Bashir who had ruled the country for 30 years. It was intended as a temporary compromise between senior military commanders and senior civilian leaders for a transition period until elections were to be held in 2022. This power-sharing structure was bound to hamper the running of the state, but the desire to extract Sudan from the deep economic and political crisis in which it was mired prompted the rival factions to cooperate, at least temporarily.

The joint government was not popular. The participation of the military was perceived by many as a continuation of Bashirs rule, despite assurances by Burhan that his intention was to heal the economy and improve adherence to human rights. The civilian leadership under Hamdok was not popular, either, due to his communist past. His stated plans to promote political liberalization and combat religious oppression were met with skepticism. He also failed in his attempts to put an end to the tradition of Khitan female genital mutilation and to extradite Bashir to the International Court of Justice in the Hague to stand trial for crimes against humanity (especially the genocide in Darfur by the Janjaweed militias under his command).

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Nonetheless, the government partnership succeeded in improving ties with Sudans neighbors, chief among them Egypt and South Sudan. In an unusual step, South Sudan President Salva Kiir was asked to mediate between the government in Khartoum and rebel groups in Darfur, whom he convinced to join the government (under the Juba Agreement). In the international arena, the government committed to fight terrorism and did indeed act on its promise, for example, expelling Hamas activists from Sudan some two weeks ago.

The US and Western Europe embraced this double-headed government, realizing that domestic stability in Sudan was an important aspect of regional stability. The Trump administration took the opportunity to clarify that the road to the West goes through Israel, too. But the road to Washington also crossed Tel Aviv because the Sudanese government sought the countrys removal from the list of states sponsoring terrorism in order to achieve international rehabilitation and qualify for loans and investments. To that end it needed the support of Israel and of the Jewish lobby in Washington. The initial change actually began under Bashir, who put out feelers to determine whether a trilateral Sudanese-American-Israeli deal was feasible.

But real progress was only achieved in February 2020 with the meeting in Uganda between Burhan and then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. An Israeli statement after that meeting said a decision had been made on cooperation leading to normalization between the two states.

Hamdok, it should be noted, was initially not enthusiastic about rapprochement with Israel, but various exigencies convinced him to go along with the line adopted by the military. And, indeed, on October 23, 2020, following the signing of Israels normalization agreements with the UAE and Bahrain, Sudan also joined the Abraham Accords. In return, the US provided Sudan with a $1.2 billion loan and, as promised, removed it from the list of states sponsoring terrorism.

The coup in Sudan could potentially deteriorate into further violence, inter alia because of its complex ethnic mosaic and tribal-affiliated social structure. Thus, for example, the Beja tribe in the east of the country could carry out its threat to secede from Sudan and thereby cut off the vital seaport of Port Sudan from the capital. Several groups of Darfur rebels, who were brought into the government at great pains, could also carry out their threat to form camps for its people in the Khartoum area. And, of course, the struggle between the military and civilians could deteriorate into all-out civil war. What is more, Qatar and Turkey were quick to jump into this seething cauldron in a bid to bolster their standing in Africa (Turkey, for example, has already established a significant bridgehead in Libya).

President Biden was quick to cut off $700 million in aid to Sudan and advised Israel to freeze the normalization process, for now. The new US envoy to Sudan, Jeffrey Feltman, who coincidentally was in Khartoum a day before the coup, will be forced to go back there and see how the fire can be doused.

And what about the agreement between Israel and Sudan? Progress toward normalization, it would seem, will have to await more auspicious timing. The signing agreement planned for next month in Washington will be postponed. Nonetheless, given the militarys support of the agreement with Israel to begin with, the coup is unlikely to affect change. Any government that is formed in Sudan will have to confront economic difficulties, a challenge invariably linked to continued US aid and, indirectly, to continued ties with Israel. Sudan is at a crossroads. Hopefully it will take the most straightforward road.

Prof. Elie Podeh teaches at Hebrew Universitys Department of Islamic and Middle East Studies and is a Board member of Mitvim, the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies. Dr. Haim Koren is a former Israeli ambassador to Egypt and South Sudan and current lecturer at Reichman University.

Here is the original post:

Will the Sudan coup affect future ties with Israel? - opinion - The Jerusalem Post

The Virginia gubernatorial election has dominated national political news this week, but Glenn Youngkins victory and the largely white, conservative backlash across the country to lesson plans about inequality are just one piece of the story. In fact, Tuesdays results saw several Democratic candidates making history as the first of their race or ethnicity to hold key offices at the local level.

Taken together, the results paint a fascinating picture of a fractured nation: Black and brown candidates coming into power as the conservative movement including its base, prospective candidates and media continue to push rhetoric condemning diversity and lessons about its value.

Multiple cities elected history-making mayors. In Boston, City Council member Michelle Wu, the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, became the first person of color and the first woman to be elected the city's mayor.

Were ready to be a Boston that doesnt push people out but welcomes all who call our city home, Wu said in her victory speech Tuesday.

In Durham, North Carolina, voters selected Elaine ONeal to become the citys first Black, female mayor. In Cincinnati, Aftab Pureval who is half-Tibetan, half-Indian was elected the citys first Asian American mayor. In Pittsburgh, Ed Gainey was elected the citys first Black mayor. In New York City, retired police officer Eric Adams became the citys second Black mayor. And in Dearborn, Michigan home to one of the largest Arab communities in the country Abdullah Hammoud became the first Arab and first Muslim to be elected mayor.

New York City voters also made Alvin Bragg the first Black district attorney for Manhattan, a powerful office that oversees thousands of cases and is currently investigating former President Donald Trump and his family business.

These candidates arent all cut from the same Democratic cloth: Ideologically, they represent various factions of the party. (I dont suspect Adams and Wu will pursue the same policies around policing, for example.)

Black and brown people are obtaining political power that, in turn, feeds white resentment and irrational fears of displacement.

All of these Democratic victories counteract the prevailing narrative that a formidable, GOP-led, predominantly white backlash to discussions about race is the grand takeaway from Tuesdays elections. The reality is more complex.

My view and its certainly not just mine is were seeing a Reconstruction-esque movement in American politics: Black and brown people are obtaining political power that, in turn, feeds white resentment and irrational fears of displacement.

The post-Civil War Reconstruction Act of 1867 provided a pathway to suffrage for many Black people, and, newly enfranchised, many of them pursued elected positions themselves. During Reconstruction, between 1865 and 1877, more than 2,000 Black people held public office. That period was followed by an era of violent, anti-Black, government-backed oppression known as Redemption.

When I witness conservative outrage over nonwhite educators and lessons about Americas racist history, I see parallels between those periods and the current one. Today, still, there is a conservative movement enraged by the idea of nonwhite people holding the power to change America for the better. And today, still, theres a crop of nonwhite officials unafraid of wielding that power.

Related posts:

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These Republicans are literally talking about setting off explosives in the Capitol

Head over toThe ReidOut Blogfor more.

Ja'han Jones is The ReidOut Blog writer. He's a futurist and multimedia producer focused on culture and politics. His previous projects include "Black Hair Defined" and the "Black Obituary Project."

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The 2021 elections were about more than white, conservative outrage - MSNBC

At last months International Roundtable, student activist and guest speaker Bafanabakhe Sacolo faced government censorship as he spoke on police violence in Eswatini. Chaos broke out last June as police authorities fired live rounds on peaceful pro-democracy protesters. Macalester students Tema Zulu `23 and Bobbie Pennington `24 organized a documentary viewing last Thursday to raise awareness about the violent oppression of these pro-democracy demonstrators.

Saneliswa Magagula is an activist and co-producer of The Unthinkable | Eswatini Brutality of Armed Forces. The Eswatini Solidarity Fund, a relief organization, organized the documentary production and compiled shots of interviews and police and military violence from mobile phones. Magagula called the documentary a labor of love.

The first large protests broke out in late June 2021 after years of oppression under King Mswati III, Africas last absolute monarch. When armed forces began firing on the crowd, activists founded the Eswatini Solidarity Fund to provide financial and material relief to Swati victims and their families. It offered food and financial support for medicine, surgery and legal representation for Swatis. As the relief organization contacted demonstrators families, they recognized the opportunity for spreading awareness.

Lets show people the true extent of what this regime has done to the people, Magagula said. Hopefully by telling their stories, we can inspire people to help.

At the time of the viewing, at least 200 demonstrators had been killed and 800 imprisoned out of a population of only 1.2 million and these are only the cases that advocacy groups are aware of. Zulu expressed that numbers only tell half of the story.

It dehumanizes the whole movement when people just see numbers, as opposed to seeing the real people involved and their experiences, Zulu said.

The documentary cited many deaths, mutilations and physical and emotional traumas inflicted by the Swati armed forces. A majority of the victims are youth or breadwinners for their families. Many were innocent bystanders who ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Others approached the demonstrations out of curiosity, only to get caught in the fire. Many peaceful protesters were shot in the back as they fled from the military. The interviews detailed the slow, painful recovery process as victims learned to adjust to their new realities, many living with amputated limbs or bullets still lodged in their bodies.

These events were traumatizing for Swatis around the world, including Macalester students, to watch.

These are our families, these are our friends I looked up names from the casualties on Facebook and found that we had five, ten mutual friends Magagula said.

Zulu expressed the helplessness that she and other students felt watching their country burn from afar.

With organizations like the Eswatini Solidarity Fund picking up the pieces of a broken nation, some survivors express hope for change. A gunshot wound survivor soberly claims that his generation will be the last generation to be oppressed.

Magagula summed up the resolve of pro-democracy demonstrators in a scene.

When one man is shot in the crowd, the others dont move, Magagula said. They say go ahead and shoot. They dont have that much to lose at this point. You can kill some of us, but you cant kill everybody. People are fearless and tired and they just want change by all means necessary.

When student spectators asked how they could support Eswatini in this time of crisis, Magagula first recommended donating to the Eswatini Solidarity Fund, citing how far the money goes towards providing relief. Many people can live off of $2-$4 per day, and with exchange rates, even smaller donations can go a long way to providing families with medicine and food. Magagula also emphasized raising awareness through social media and lobbying American representatives to put pressure on Mswati if he attempts to flee at any point.

Journalists in Swaziland have been harassed for reporting, so its up to activists outside Swaziland to get the story out, Magagula said. Thats why the government tried to shut down the internet. They know that if no ones watching, the armed forces can do anything.

I think the biggest takeaway is for people to stay informed and find ways to support people who are going through things. Not all of us are coming to class with the same mindsets Zulu said. Im not the only one watching my country burn International students from Tigray, Sudan are going through things at home. Its sad when those things are overlooked.

Students can consult http://eswatinisolidarity.com/donate/ to donate to the Eswatini Solidarity Fund through Paypal, GoFundMe or through the website.

[emailprotected]

Excerpt from:

Students organize documentary on violence in Eswatini - Macalester College The Mac Weekly

The Chinese dissident artist Badiucao knew he was taking on a large canvas in painting human rights slogans on the basketball shoes for Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter.

But he didnt realize how big those shoes would be, a mens size 16 nearly 12 and a half inches long.

I was given a very tight schedule to finish this art When I did receive the shoe, it was so big I feel, I almost cannot finish it, he said in an interview with The Hill. Its bigger than I expected.

Badiucaois one of a number of artists who are producing protest shoes for the Swiss-born, Turkish basketball player. Badiucao's work is part of a campaign to raise awareness of human rights abuses by the Chinese Communist Party. The slogans he paintedon three pairs of sneakers include "End Slave Labor Now" and "Free Tibet."

Kanter has worn the shoes on the court leading to Celtics games reportedly censored in China and promoted them on his social media. On Monday, he posted a video to Twitter accusing Nike of being complicit in Chinas genocide against the Uyghur Muslim community.

Nike has previously said it conducts strict oversight of its manufacturing in China to ensure its not contributing to Beijings state-sponsored oppression against the Uyghurs.

In January, the State Department determined that China is committing genocide against the Uyghurs and other minority groups, particularly in the countrys Xinjiang province.

Kanters profile in the NBA and his outspoken advocacy for human rights, specifically related to his home country Turkey, has made him a celebrity for oppressed groups, a partner for lawmakers and a target of foreign governments.

Enes Kanter has this idea that human rights is a universal value, which means that we need to support each other, said Badiucao, who was born in Shanghai but lives in exile in Australia, where he is a citizen.

The artist is a high-profile target of the Chinese government for his satirical political art. Some of his most notable pieces include depicting Winnie the Pooh as a gun turret on a tank or a hunting trophy mounted on Chinese President Xi Jinpings wall.

The affable childrens stuffed-bear was censored in China after it gained popularity as a way to mock Xi.

I think satire art has this very interesting power, Badiucao said in a phone interview from Brescia, Italy, where his upcoming exhibit has come under attack from the Chinese government, who have called for Italian officials to cancel the show.

Were trying to laugh at authoritarian regimes like China, and make fun of it. Thats why Winnie the Pooh the lovely little yellow bear serves perfectly to dissolve this power from the Chinese government."

Badiucao said he was introduced to Kanter through a mutual friend and brought together for the shoe project. He said the shoe manufacturer they used is not associated with China but declined to name the brand.

The shoes that have so far been revealed include stark white basketball sneakers with what resembles splatters of blood along with black letters reading Hypocrite Nike and Modern Day Slave.

Other shoes include paintings of handcuffed and blindfolded men, representing Uyghurs, covered with red-barbed wire. Stop genocide, torture, rape, slave labor, the shoes read.

Badiucao said his collaboration with Kanter is focused on calling out Western companies that may be benefiting from Chinas oppression of the Uyghurs.

We are in every right to point out how hypocritical those brands, factories and companies that on one hand, they are trying to sell more sneakers, by fakely chanting Black Lives Matter but on the other hand, the same issue, racism, its even worse, its genocide happening in China against minorities there, and they become silent, he said. Thats something thats unacceptable.

Kanter has put Nike, and Nike-sponsored basketball superstars LeBron James and Michael Jordan, in his crosshairs drawing a stark contrast for their support for social justice and anti-hate movements in the U.S. but apparent silence on human rights in China.

How about I book plane tickets for us and let's fly to China together, Kanter tweeted on Tuesday tagging Nike, James and Jordan. We can try to visit these SLAVE labor camps and you can see it with your own eyes.

Nike has earlier said it ensures no slave labor is used in its Chinese-manufacturing supply chain, responding to a report published in March that said factories contracted by the shoe company were employing Uyghurs that appeared to be working under coercive conditions.

Badiucao said he grew up in China inspired by Jordan I remember my cousin and myself so obsessed with the man who can fly in the sky, that makes us believe that we can fly as well and believes athletes have a powerful platform to speak out on politics.

I do think that athletes... have a much more important role than just being a showman on TV, or playing on the court, they actually inspire people in real life, he said.

The NBAs relationship with China is a lightning rod for controversy, where billions of dollars of multilayered deals between the league, athletes, commercial brands and the Chinese state are caught up in the debate over freedom of speech and preservation of human rights.

In 2019, Daryl Morey then the manager for the Houston Rockets sparked backlash from Beijing when he tweeted support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, leading to NBA games either blocked or censored from Chinese broadcasters.

The league is also under scrutiny from congressional lawmakers, raising concern that athletes are contracting with Chinese companies that may include Uyghur-forced labor in their supply chains.

Complicity in forced labor is neither consistent with American values nor with U.S. law. NBA players serve as unofficial ambassadors admired and emulated around the world, and we hope that their decisions on endorsements will reflect the NBPAs values, the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), a bipartisan committee of House and Senate lawmakers charged with monitoring the status of human rights and the rule of law in China, wrote to the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) on Oct. 19.

The NBPA did not respond to a request for comment by The Hill.

Kanter declined to be interviewed for this article, saying he wants to keep the focus on the conversation about human rights.

But the basketball player did say he is putting his support behind the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, proposed legislation that would put strict limitations and oversight on imports from areas of China documented to be oppressing minorities like the Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Kyrgyz minorities.

The legislation passed the Senate in July with bipartisan support but has yet to be taken up by the House. The New York Times reported in November 2020 that companies like Nike and Coca-Cola were lobbying to weaken the bill charges the companies refute.

Martina McLennan, a spokesperson for Sen. Jeff MerkleyJeff MerkleyLawmakers call on Biden to revoke Wounded Knee Medals of Honor Ocasio-Cortez applauds Merkley for opposing Rahm Emanuel's nomination Schumer hints at filibuster reform after GOP blocks voting rights bill MORE (D-Ore.), chair of the CECC, said the senator has met with Kanter on human rights issues and greatly appreciates him using his platform to draw attention to the dire human rights abuses Uyghurs, Tibetans, and other minorities in China are facing."

Badiucao said engaging athletes in conversations around human rights in China is even more pressing given the 2022 Winter Olympics to be held in February in Beijing.

The CECC have called on the International Olympic Committee to postpone and move the Winter Olympics if Beijing does not stop its campaign of genocide and crimes against humanity.

Badiucao said that athletes should be empowered to speak out if they feel comfortable doing so, but added the majority of the responsibility should be on companies and corporate sponsors of the Olympics.

They should make a very clear statement to justify their sponsor of Olympic games like this, which is hosted by a dictatorship who is committing genocide against people in this moment, he said.

On Saturday, Kantertweeted a photo of a new pair of sneakers painted byTibetan-American artist Khenzom Alling. The sneakers display a clear message: "No Beijing 2022."

The genocidal Chinese government and the insecure tyrant behind it all XI JINPING must not be allowed to host the upcoming Winter Olympics.

Say NO to @Beijing2022!!#FreedomShoes#NoBeijing2022 pic.twitter.com/Q6DXtpoZqE

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Meet the artist behind Enes Kanter's anti-Beijing shoes | TheHill - The Hill

Alex Hajkowski | staff columnist

Nov. 4, 2021

The Olympic Games are a one-of-a-kind event, instilling unique levels of excitement for athletes, countries and the people within them all throughout the world. The Olympics are one of the two most-popular sporting events in the world rivaled only by the FIFA World Cup.

In the past 20 years, the Olympics have averaged over 3 billion viewers, and once, in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, reached 4.4 billion viewers. The Olympics are a truly special celebration of the past, present and future.

On the Olympics website, you can see the organizations official vision, which stresses building a better world through sports. It also highlights the values of excellence, respect and friendship.

As we approach the 2022 Winter Olympics, which are set to take place in Beijing, China, we should ask whether it is acceptable for a country actively violating human rights and practicing imperialism to hold the Olympics. Especially with the values instilled in the Olympic tradition, can we really justify hosting the games in such a place?

Recently, there have been multiple protests against the 2022 Olympic Games, such as two weeks ago, when protesters in Greece held up banners with slogans like No Genocide Games, as Chinas Olympic organizers received the Olympic flame.

Notably for Americans, NBA player Enes Kanter has begun to protest the Olympics on and off the court.

Kanter, a player for the Boston Celtics, originally from Turkey, began his protest on Oct. 20, when he posted a video to Instagram directly addressing Chinese Leader Xi Jinping and the government, telling them to free Tibet.

Kanter talks about the oppression of the Tibetan people, how Tibetans have been tortured and even executed and shines light on how Tibetans have burned themselves alive, hoping that such a horrific act of sacrifice will raise awareness and attention towards the ongoing abuses within Tibet.

Kanter, in his past few games, has been wearing painted shoes as a protest against the Chinese government, as well as Nike. The shoes have displayed images of people burning or kneeling sullenly behind barbed wire.

Written on the shoes are Stop genocide, torture, rape, slave labor, Free Tibet and No Beijing. Kanter has received positive feedback from fans and the media for his recent actions, but he is no stranger to political activism. Just two weeks ago, he received his tenth arrest warrant in the past four years from the Turkish government.

These warrants are due to his continuous criticism of the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for allowing the torture of pisoners, not recognizing the Armenian genocide and other human rights violations.

These are not your everyday protests, and the subject is not miniscule either. A 2020 China Human Rights Report from the U.S. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labors lists many examples of human rights violations under many topic areas.

These include, to name only a few: unlawful and arbitrary killings by government, forced disappearances by government and the detention of over 3 million Uyghers to either extrajudicial internment camps and day-time only re-education training.

Along with these violations, China continues with its imperialization of Tibet and Hong Kong, and oppression of the citizens there.

As an ordinary, American citizen, there is not one direct, substantial action to take that will fix these problems, but there are still ways to help. An effective and easy way to help is simply by

raising awareness.

In a society dealing with police brutality, a recent surge of anti-Asian hate crimes and many other domestic problems, it is easy for certain global atrocities to go unnoticed by the public, especially when the perpetrator is one of the most powerful countries in the world.

Raising awareness is the first step in making a grand change, and anybody can do it. This can be done by reposting Kanters video, or simply talking about it with others.

Another way to help is to support and vote for politicians who openly denounce the actions of China. A group of lawmakers including Republican Senator Mitt Romney of Utah and

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia have been working on adding a boycott measure against the Olympics to the defense budget bill, a bill that has passed every year for the last 60 years.

Voting for and supporting lawmakers like these can end up causing a directly positive effect for the innocent lives being oppressed by Xi Jinping and the Chinese government.

Human rights violations are still a huge problem in society today, and it will take a global effort to help eliminate them.

Read about it, inform yourself and, most importantly, talk about it. We should not take our freedom for granted, and we can use our freedom to help liberate others.

Even the smallest actions are still helpful, and never be afraid to call out injustice or cruelty in everyday life.

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Should Beijing host the 2022 Winter Olympics? The Duquesne Duke - The Duquesne Duke

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Srinagar Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday stated that patriotism cannot be imposed on anyone through power and oppression and that it cannot be developed through force.

Talking to reporters here at Anantnag, Mehbooba Mufti said that, Government is not able to understand that force and oppression wont do anything fruitful to the nation.

Nobody can be made a patriot through power. Patriotism needs compassion and tenderness so as to win the hearts of people of valley, she said.

Game is a game. The students who are studying in Agra might have their own choices of players. It doesnt mean they have to get punished for cheering neighbouring countrys team. Government should refrain from this policy of force as this will create more alienation between the centre and the people of valley, she added.

She said that, nobody can change anyones choices and interests on gunpoint. It is absolutely disappointing. India being a democratic nation has given everyone the right to liberty of choices. So, the government should not create such an atmosphere where everyone feels fear of expressing their choices.

The PDP workers today staged a protest for the revoking of charges against three Kashmiri students at Agra but they were prevented from doing so.

Nobody was allowed to protest peacefully by the forces. Is this what they call democracy? she questioned.

I have written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra modi and I have asked him to think about the future of youth of valley. I have requested him to revoke the charges against the three students in Agra. I hope he will intervene and release them soon, she said. (KNS)

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Patriotism cannot be developed through oppression: Mehbooba Mufti - Free Press Kashmir

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JAMSHEDPUR: Raising concern over "rising" rape and murder cases in Jharkhand, the BJP on Sunday, October 31, 2021, BJP leader Raghubar Das accused the Hemant Soren government of being insensitive towards women security.

Addressing a meeting of the BJP Mahila Morcha Jamshedpur Mahanagar Committee, Raghubar Das, the party's national vice president, said at least 2,725 women were raped and 2,961 people murdered during the 19-month rule of the grand alliance government in the state.

"The government has not been serious about the women security in the state. Incidents of oppression and rape of Adivasi girls have gone up, which is a sign of deteriorating law and order situation," Das, the former chief minister of Jharkhand, said.

He also alleged that the JMM and Congress failed to fulfil their poll promises after forming the government.

"They (JMM-Congress) made several promises to women during the elections but forgot everything soon after they came to power," Das said.

He appreciated the party's women workers for their services during the Covid-induced lockdown.

Menaka Sardar, former BJP MLA from Potka, said that "no concrete action" was initiated by the chief minister to curb the "increasing atrocities on women in the state".

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Rape, murder cases increasing, Jharkhand government insensitive towards women security: BJP - The New Indian Express