Suggested chants / slogans for a Free Tibet protest:

Suggested chants / slogans for a Free Tibet protest:

• 1234, occupation no more, 5678, Tibet is-an apartheid state!
• New Zealand (or whether you are) please choose a side, human rights or apartheid!
• From Tibet, to Palestine, occupation is a crime!
• Hey, hey, ho, ho! Occupation has got to go!
• One solution, revolution!
• The people, united, will never be defeated!
• Tibetans are under attack. Stand up, fight back!
• (front calls) FREE TIBET, (back calls) FREE TI-BET!
• When I say peace, you say now! Peace! Now! Peace! Now!
• Free Tibet, not free trade!

Free Tibet Protest in Dunedin, New Zealand

100 people participated in a protest organized by Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), the Organisation for Global Nonviolent Action (OGNA) and the Coalition for Tibet Aotearoa on Friday the 4^th of August in the city centre of Dunedin, New Zealand. 

The protest was called in light of the current situation in Tibet, which is at its worst since the Chinese invasion in the 1950's.

“In the last year alone there have been 47 self-immolations in Tibet in protest to the Chinese government's rule and oppression”, says Joe Llewellyn, co-leader of SFT and OGNA. 

Starting from the Peace Pole in front of the Otago Museum, the crowd marched, with a banner saying "Tibet is burning - end the oppression of: Tibetans, Uyghers, Mongolians and Chinese", to the front of the Meridian Shopping Centre, blocking off George Street traffic to perform a ‘die-in’ – a symbolic lying down to symbolize the lives lost in the conflict that is ongoing in Tibet.  The group then progressed to the Octagon lawns where speeches were made, and the printed faces of the 51 self-immolators were lined up to emphasize the tragedy of the situation. 

The march and die-in were well received by the public, the die-in deliberately held only for a few minutes to minimize disturbances to traffic.  People from the sidewalks began joining the march as the crowd progressed and many cars showed their support by honking. 

 “Since the Beijing Olympics the situation has become increasingly worse, with an increased military presence and regular media blackouts”, says Joe Llewellyn. 

The Chinese Government has a track record of silencing political dissidents, Liu Xiaobo, Ai Wei Wei and Chen Guangcheng are recent examples, though many more remain unreported. Mr. Llewellyn says “There are now hundreds, if not thousands, of political prisoners- reports indicate the latest self-immolations have lead to 600 more Tibetans being incarcerated”.

Speaking about a recent report from the Washington-based Human Rights Watchdog, Freedom House, he said: “Freedom House have just upgraded Tibet in their 'Worst of Worst list' together with countries such as Somalia, Saudi Arabia and North Korea. It's a list of the top nine countries in terms of human rights violations”.

He says, “We are protesting to raise this under-reported issue. It also gives people a chance to have their say on it”.

“We are planning future action including a nation-wide petition and protests before the Dalai Lama's visit to New Zealand next year”.

Mr. Llewellyn says “The Free Trade Agreement New Zealand has with China should not be to the detriment of Chinese minorities”.

Reviews: Flim - Budrus

Called "a timely testimony to the power of peaceful resistance" (Tom Dawson of Total Film) Budrus documents the strictly non-violent reaction of a West Bank townn to Israel’s construction of the ‘Separation Barrier’ in the early 2000’s.   Budrus, a town of 1,500 Palestinians stood to lose 300 acres of land and 3000 olive trees if the Israeli Government’s plans went ahead – trees and land critical to economic survival, as well as being a sacred part of an intergenerational history.

The film places you in the world of Ayed Morrar, a Palestinian whose previous work for the political group Fatah had led to five detentions in Israeli prisons – a man not predisposed to non-violent action.  His strategic decision that the ‘Wall’ would be best opposed by non-violent tactics makes the film an all the more interesting watch.

The successes that unfold as non-violent strategies are put in place and courageously   adhered to paint a colourful picture of what peaceful resistance can achieve: the unification of previously  feuding political groups; the involvement of women in the heart of a struggle; the coming together of civilians from warring countries as they come to separate the people from actions done in their name, but without their consent.

Combined with interviews with the Israeli Border Police captain and military police spokesperson, Budrus allows for a certain balance in views to be obtained.  A must-see film that shows a piece of history in the Occupied Palestinian Territories that many Palestinian and Israeli citizens still now little about.

Reviews: Book - The Spirit Level by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett

“Early socialists and others believed that material inequality was an obstacle to a wider human harmony, to a universal human brotherhood, sisterhood or comradeship.  The data we present…suggest that this intuition was sound: inequality is divisive, and even small differences seem to make an important difference.”

In Western democratic societies it is commonly believed that we live in a ‘land of equal opportunity’.  Material living standards are high, education is generally free to all and it is up to the individual to make of it what they will; the more intelligent and motivated work their way to the top, with others finding their place down below.  The Spirit Level confronts this assumption again and again with evidence that smashes it to absolute smithereens.  

Using income inequality as the base measure of general societal inequality Wilkinson and Pickett paint a picture not completely unfamiliar.  Being poor puts in place various obstacles to achieving at school, being healthy and fit, staying out of trouble, and avoiding teenage pregnancies.  However this is only a minuscule part of the picture.  The biggest obstacles come from inequality.  In societies with a bigger gap between the rich and the poor, everyone is more prone to being violent, having teenage pregnancies, to mental illness, to being fat and to dying earlier than their counterparts (those who earn the same yearly income) in more equal societies. 

The impact of this is huge.  Simply being Japanese, one of the most equal societies in the world, means that you will live on average 5 years longer than if you were American.  Notably, this is not due to living standards or whether you are a toilet cleaner or a doctor.  It is due to a variety of physical and psychological factors stemming from the increased stress from the increased importance of having and maintaining the appearance of high social status.  This is incredibly relevant to New Zealanders, as the gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ is ever-increasing; income inequality between the rich and the poor in New Zealand is one of the highest in the world.  Essentially, the greed of the prosperous and powerful who set policies allowing the gap between rich and poor to grow and grow  damn both the greedy and everyone around them to lives of greater misery and tragedy than need be.  Whether you are a Libertarian, Capitalist or Marxist, this cannot be seen as anything other than counterintuitive. 

The great thing about this book is not just the plethora of facts, figures, and funny cartoons that support and drive home the central message as stated in the title, everyone does better in more equal societies; it is how amazingly accessible it is.  If you have no scientific background– no worries!  All is explained clear and simple so that anyone from any background can pick it up and be on their way.  A must for anyone wanting to better understand how they, and everyone else, can be happier in this world. 

Overall: Four and a Half Stars

Non-Violent Warriors: Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

It is hard to properly study Gandhi’s moral and political concepts without studying his personality. Einstein said of him that generations to come will “scarcely believe that such a one as this, ever in flesh and blood, walked upon this earth”. More books and essays have been written about Gandhi than any other figure in world history apart from the founders of great religions. He has been celebrated as perhaps the greatest man to live in the 20th century and has been compared to a wider range of historical personages than anyone else, from the likes of the Dalai Lama, Krsna, Rama, Buddha and St Joan, to Cromwell, Jefferson, Mazzini, Lincoln, and Lenin, and yet again to Thoreau, Marx, Rousseau and Tolstoy – comparisons that can be more confusing than helpful but none the less show his level of influence and how many people admire him.

Gandhi combined many roles in his life that show why these comparisons were made. He was the leader of a large successful human rights campaign in South Africa in the early 1900’s; he was a skilled lawyer; the founder of many ashrams and communes; a voice against oppression as he championed many causes such as woman’s rights, animal rights and rejected the caste and class systems; and the revolutionary leader of a mass nonviolent movement that played a very large part in removing the British from India.

Unfortunately his personality, radiant goodness and kindness, has had such an intense impact that it has diverted attention from his claims to be a political thinker. In India he is viewed more as a saint or a prophet than a revolutionary and is called “the father of the nation” – this is compensation by a large portion of the intelligentsia for its failure to study his writings and to put serious consideration into his moral and political thoughts. Moral and political thought that showed the world that revolution is possible without ever taking up arms.

Gandhi’s life

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in 1869 in Porbander in the state of Gujarat, India.

He studied Law in London and was called to the bar in 1891. He then enrolled in the high court of London but later that year returned to India where he accepted a job at an Indian law firm in Durban, South Africa. While in South Africa, Gandhi became appalled with the treatment of Indian immigrants who were without political rights. He decided to fight the South African government and launched a non-violent direct action campaign.

After seven years of non-violent action and multiple periods in prison, Gandhi and his followers forced the South African government to concede to many of Gandhi’s demands. He returned to India shortly afterwards.

In the 1920’s Gandhi attracted millions of followers as he began campaigning for Indian independence from Britain by organising strikes, boycotts of British goods and institutions, as well as protests. He knew that it is impossible to rule without cooperation and showed that much can be done to achieve this without acting with aggression. In 1930 he wrote “Much can be done... Liquor and foreign cloth shops can be picketed. We can refuse to pay taxes if we have the requisite strength. The Lawyers can give up practice. The public can boycott the Courts by refraining from litigation. Government servants can resign their posts...” Throughout his life he put many of these tactics and more into practice to force the British out of India.

 Gandhi and followers on the famous “Salt March in 1930

 As the peaceful non-cooperation movement grew, Gandhi was sentenced to six years in prison - just going to show how effective his actions were and how much of a threat his movement had become to British rule. He viewed this as a success and it did not deter him as the nonviolent resistance movement continued to grow.

On the 6th of April, 1930, a 61 year old Gandhi, now addressed by many as Mahatma (great soul), embarked on his most famous act of nonviolent action. He arrived at small village on the Indian coast and gathered salt. Soon hundreds of thousands of people were doing this – breaking the British salt laws. This may seem like a relatively insignificant law to break but salt was something that was needed by all members of Indian society, rich and poor. This act showed a defiance of the British monopoly on a vital resource, that neither they nor anybody else had a right to control. From this simple act, the civil disobedience movement grew and Gandhi, along with thousands of others, was again arrested. This only succeeded yet again in increasing Gandhi’s support and the numbers of people engaging in non-violent action.

The British grew more and more worried at this response. They were well equipped at dealing with violent uprisings and crushing them but did not know how to respond to an active non-violent campaign. Throwing people in jail only succeed in gaining more support for Gandhi and in filling the prisons to the point that no further arrests could be made, the British were forced to release Gandhi, and sub-sequentially invited him to a round table conference in London to negotiate the possible terms of Indian independence.

The conference failed and it wasn’t until 1942 that Gandhi issued his last call for independence from Britain where he asked every Indian to lay down their life, if necessary, for the cause of freedom. The protests, strikes and boycotts started once again and in 1947 the British could no longer hold power and left India. Gandhi had succeeded in his aim to remove the imperial oppressors but unfortunately this did not lead to the world Gandhi was hoping to make as India split along religious lines into India and Pakistan. He was assassinated in 1948 by a Hindu nationalist fanatic.

 A quote off of a Gandhi monument in South Africa

Gandhi’s Politics: Ahimsa, Satyagraha and Civil Disobedience

Gandhi highly valued the principle of ahimsa, which literally means nonviolence. He believed that violence used against oppression was not only morally wrong but also a mistake. It could never really end injustice because it inflamed the prejudice and fear that fed oppression. He wrote in 1909 “The means may be likened to a seed and the end a tree; and there is just the same invioble [sic] connection between the means and the end as there is between the seed and the tree... we reap exactly what we sow”.

 Gandhi teaching about Satyagraha in India

Gandhi knew that the use of violence dehumanises those upon which violence is used, and can only create a system that is unequal and can never lead to peace – where the poles reverse and the oppressed become oppressors rather than creating equality.

Gandhi used methods of political action that were effective and nonviolent. He called this “passive resistance”- a term he later rejected as there was nothing passive about it. It worked like this:

1)      Announce opposition to an unjust law (such as restrictions on free movement)

2)      Break the Law (by crossing a border illegally)

3)      Suffer the consequences (arrest, physical abuse, prison)

Gandhi believed that resister’s calm and dignified suffering would open the eyes of oppressors and weaken the hostility behind oppression. Rather than adversaries being bullied to give in they would be obliged to see what was right, and that would make them change their minds and actions. Gandhi called this satyagraha which translates to “truth” and “holding firmly”. Gandhi realised that for this to work it needed to do more than just appeal to oppressors. It needed to put pressure on them and force change.

Satyagraha was developed because terms such as Ahimsa, nonviolence, and the absence of violence, did not show the pro-active nature and the strength of his political action. Gandhi was a non-violent political activist, not a pacifist, and had contempt for any kind of non-active pacifism stating that he would rather see someone resist violently than not resist at all. He saw pacifism as cowardly, stating “Violence is any day preferable to impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent.” 

 Howard Zinn and Gandhi agree about the necessity of law breaking to make change

In order to be forceful, satyagraha needed to threaten rule and control. Strikes stopped productions and vital services such as the communication networks the British relied on and well as power production and the transportation of food and water. Law breaking, or civil disobedience, despite the possible violent oppression from the British that could ensue, removed the British oppressors’ ability to bully and control.

Would Gandhi have been as successful if his was challenging a more brutal oppressor?

The argument has frequently been made that Gandhi’s tactics could only have worked against the British due to their “good nature”, “fairness” and “respect”. This argument fails to acknowledge that the British Empire was a ruthless fighting force that secured land and maintained control through its military. This is as true in India as it was throughout the rest of the British Empire.

No case shows this better than that of the Pathans who lived in and around the Khyber Pass – the gateway from India to Afghanistan. The Pathans were Muslim-tribesmen who where known as some of the most warlike people in the world (as were the British). The British sent thousands of troops into the Pathan hills to control the gateway to central Asia. They shelled the Pathans in the 19th century and bombed them from the air in the 20th. Thousand of Pathans were killed, flogged and beaten. After decades of this the Pathans made a decision that made them much more of a threat to the British – they joined Gandhi’s nonviolent movement. The “gentle” British did not believe that the Pathans were capable of this. They sealed off the area for two whole decades and brutalised the nonviolent resistors through mass executions, torture, imprisonment and hangings. Despite this, tens of thousands more Pathans swore vows of nonviolence and became a large part of the movement that removed the British from India.

Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan leader of the Pathans with Mahatma Gandhi.

Khan was closely identified with Gandhi and he is known in India as the `Frontier Gandhi'.

Gandhi wanted to achieve a world of equality and peace. In 1931 a cartoon in “The Star” newspaper depicted him in a loin cloth besides Mussolini, Hitler, de Valera and Stalin, who were clad in black, brown, green and red shirts respectively. The caption, "And he isn't wearing any blooming shirt at all" was not only literally but figuratively true. For a man of nonviolence, who believed in the brotherhood of man, there was no superficial division of nations into good and bad, allies and adversaries. This did not, however, mean that Gandhi did not distinguish between the countries which inflicted and the countries which suffered violence. His own life had been one struggle against the forces of violence, and Satyagraha was designed at once to eschew violence and to fight injustice.

Gandhi’s life and struggles were only one out of many steps towards creating a world of peace and equality. He inspired many, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who have used his methods since to make positive social change. We can do this and unite to overcome the injustices of the current world system as Gandhi has shown is possible. But to do so we must study the mistakes and the successes of revolutions throughout history; protest and campaign; organise and unite; and remove the elite and oppressors in our society- forcefully and non-violently in order to create a world of equality and freedom. History has show that oppressors will never voluntarily give up their power. Fortunately the likes of Gandhi have shown us that it is possible to remove them with the weapons of love and truth.

If you would like to do this, join the Organisation for Global Nonviolent Action (OGNA).

Hamas and Nonviolence?

The Palestinian political and terrorist group Hamas has been known to commit acts of violence since the First Intifada (Uprising against Israel), from 1987-93. This is also when Hamas began to gain political momentum in the Palestinian territories, with a goal to liberate Palestine and unite the territories into one Islamic state. Between 2001 to May 2008, Hamas launched more than 3,000 Qassam rockets and 2,500 mortar attacks into Israel. The attacks by Palestinians are often reported as the start of the altercations between the two nations, though this isn't the simple truth. Moreover, since December 2011, Hamas leader Khaled Meshal has anounced the group is committed to a tactical change towards non-violence, following the example of the Arab Spring. It is also pushing for elections and a long-needed unity between the two sides of Palestine. And by agreeing to do so is implicitly recognising Israel.  Albeit Israel has ignored these claims without a change in its strategy towards Gaza.

 Haniyeh—the Prime Minister of Gaza

Since Israel was founded as an independent state in 1948, it has gone on a rampage to control land they believed theirs, but was already owned. The common line was to say it only had a few herders and goats, in truth the land had been farmed and occupied by Palestinians for millenia.

Despite Hamas being elected in Gaza in 2008, which legitimises the terrorist group and its actions, the Guardian reported the group would shift tactics towards nonviolent resistance “as part of a raprochement with the Palestinian Authority (PA)”. Though it was not a full repudiation of violence, the group asked its members to halt attacking Israel. Haniyeh, the Prime Minister of Gaza stated Hamas would agree to the PA's call for the '67 borders, this is an implicit acceptance of Israel, which it had hitherto denied.

Hamas is not the only terrorist group in Palestine, so its potential abdication of violence won't stop attacks on Israel, but it is the most influential.

The group later on said nonviolence would “draw world sympathy”, as the Arab Spring-style protests “have the power of a Tsunami”.

Subsequent Palestinian protests include the more-than-traditional shoe-throwing to a UN envoy with Ban Ki-moon in January, hunger strikes, and a called-for cyber-attack on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

According to Israel's Ha'aretz newspaper coverage from the 18th of December to the beginning of March, Israel dismissed the Palestinian ceasefire and even started preparing for more “painful and forceful” incursions into Gaza, according to an Israeli Defence Force Commander. Indeed, even after the press release in December, Israel has continued to attack the Palestinian territories, targeting “Jihad operatives” but always wounding civilians. Hamas MP's, including the leader of the Palestinian parliament, and others involved in “Hamas activities” have also been detained in their own territory.

Israeli journalist Gideon Levy says “most of the media is systematically obscuring the situation”, and he adds with contempt: “over the [New Year's] weekend, the IDF took pride in the fact that its troops killed 100 Palestinians in Gaza over the past year, a year in which barely a single Israeli was killed”.

This is not the first time the world's media is biased against Palestine, and the peace efforts by hitherto terrorist group Hamas- a group which must be noted isn't considered terrorist by Russia, the Arab League, Turkey and Switzerland. Merav Michaeli in the Ha'aretz explains how Israel ignored peace initiatives initiated by Saudi and ratified by the Arab League in 2002 and 2007.

Israel says it does not trust the deal between Hamas and Fatah, the most important party in the internationally-recognised Palestian representative body, the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO). Particularly the Hamas element. Due to past violence, Israel says Hamas is not committed to peace. Israel, however does not want the PLO to seek for independence through the UN nor does the country want to continue the peace talks.

On the one hand this can be explained by Hamas' close ties to Syria and Iran. Khaled Meshal, leader of Hamas, was based in Damascus until recently. However he is moving to Jordan, where there are almost 2 million refugees, as he has recently restored ties with the king. His departure from Damascus follows the group's rejection of Assad's regime. This has put the relationship with Iran in a strain, and now Turkey has taken over the role of prime-fundraiser of Hamas. Iran has severed the money-flow.

On the other hand, there isn't full unity in the Hamas party. Ismael Haniyeh, elected Prime Minister of Gaza has not cut down his anti-zionist rhetoric. While he doesn't disagree with Meshal's desire for a Palestinian Arab Spring, he has recent statements in Tehran saying “the gun is the only response to the zionist regime” and “Hamas will never recognise Israel”.

If Hamas keep to their promise though, elections in the whole of Palestine will put Haniyeh's position on the line, these elections are initially scheduled for May.

Israel's position is untenable. It refuses to accept advances made by Hamas, even though it has kept to its promises since December. Meanwhile Israeli settlements, decreed illegal by the UN, are continuing their spread across Palestinian territories, the trade exports out of Gaza is limited to 18 trucks a day and recently Gaza's only power plant was shut down for days- leaving in the dark 1.7 million people, with schools, hospitals and water pumps closed.

Here in OGNA we support Hamas in their plight for nonviolence. At the same time we reject Israel's inhuman approach to both sides of Palestine, as they slowly leak people through the borders to refugee camps. A fourth, more peaceful intifada is necessary and any group prepared to let the people of Palestine have their say should support the Palestinian struggle.

Watch and Control...

...Bradley Manning, SOPA and the Food Bill

Bradley Manning, the key leaker of Wikileaks and a US soldier, is still in prison for supplying Top-Secret US files “to the enemy”. The treatment he has received has been termed torturous by the UN's rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez- who was at first denied permission to visit him. Manning's crime, namely providing his citizens and the world with information of the US' actions abroad, demonstrates the on-going degradation of freedoms and human rights in the West.

A top US official was recently forced to resign after siding with Manning. The soldier is being made an example of; but the right to protest, internet freedoms and food rights are also getting a prison sentence.  The US Occupy movement supports Bradley Manning's release, but an updated version of the National Defence Authorization Act passed by a majority in December could see any potential “terrorist” being detained as well.

The meaning of the word “terrorist” is subject to interpretation, but if Manning can be thrown into solitary confinement for months on end for 'aiding the enemy', there is no reason why protesters who want to change the status quo, even if by nonviolent means, cannot be seen as enemies too. The bill grants power to the military to arrest U.S. citizens on American soil and detain them in military prisons forever without offering them the right to legal counsel or even a trial.

Recently we have also witnessed the US Senate attempting to pass through legislation that could severely affect our internet-based lifestyles. Even sites like Wikipedia, YouTube, BoingBoing and Facebook could have been affected by the legislation as they rely on referenced sources in a public domain- without these sources receiving a profit.

The two bills, SOPA and PIPA were made to curb online piracy, with offenders legally being shut-off the internet, fined and/or imprisoned. Many sites across the net blacked-out their activity for a day in protest causing the senators and US officials to be flooded with public submissions against the bills.

The protesting sites say the bills would stifle creativity, innovation and internet freedoms: Wikipedia asked its users to imagine a world without knowledge. A spokeswoman for the intellectual property group Electronic Frontier Foundation said the bills would force providers to block access to infringing sites and calls the moves censorship. Soon after the internet black-out, senators began retracting their support from the bills.

Sadly SOPA and PIPA have spawned in new forms, such as the Open Act, and are facing the Senate again, backed by the Music and Film Industries. In New Zealand the recent Food Bill, being looked at by Parliament, could threaten local producers and community gardens. The bill is likely to push the costs up for local producers, despite the fact that big meat industry is the primary cause of food-borne illnesses.

The two bills, SOPA and PIPA were made to curb online piracy, with offenders legally being shut-off the internet, fined and/or imprisoned. Many sites across the net blacked-out their activity for a day in protest causing the senators and US officials to be flooded with public submissions against the bills.

The protesting sites say the bills would stifle creativity, innovation and internet freedoms: Wikipedia asked its users to imagine a world without knowledge. A spokeswoman for the intellectual property group Electronic Frontier Foundation said the bills would force providers to block access to infringing sites and calls the moves censorship. Soon after the internet black-out, senators began retracting their support from the bills.

Sadly SOPA and PIPA have spawned in new forms, such as the Open Act, and are facing the Senate again, backed by the Music and Film Industries. In New Zealand the recent Food Bill, being looked at by Parliament, could threaten local producers and community gardens. The bill is likely to push the costs up for local producers, despite the fact that big meat industry is the primary cause of food-borne illnesses.

The new piece of legislation will not just be an update of the old, it will give unprecedented rights to Food Safety Officers who will be able to confiscate food and personal information as “proof” if a company, or a producer, are thought to infringe the law. What's worse, these police-like FSOs could be contracted by private companies.

The Food Bill is dangerous because of what it allows, but it is also dangerous because the Minister in charge will have the right to give exemptions and even rewrite the bill without having to tell. Our society is becoming increasingly watched and controlled. The Food Bill is just the local version of trade regulations pushed by the International Monetary Fund. If it passes, we could lose the rights to grow our own food, share it and sell it.

The Food Bill is dangerous because of what it allows, but it is also dangerous because the Minister in charge will have the right to give exemptions and even rewrite the bill without having to tell. Our society is becoming increasingly watched and controlled. The Food Bill is just the local version of trade regulations pushed by the International Monetary Fund. If it passes, we could lose the rights to grow our own food, share it and sell it.

We will also be handing over our keys to contracted police officers. Meanwhile our right to protest is also in peril and our freedom to express it online will be scrutinised.

Oil Dependency

As the number of oil deposits wane, our dependence on the tarry substance becomes more apparent. Time and time again small pressure groups have sought alternatives. It is now time to really start looking into them, and quickly.

The Pacific island-nation of Kiribati has started to buy land off Fiji to slowly migrate all residents from the coral reefs to safer shores. Authorities in the nation and scholars of Fiji's University of the South Pacific, where many young i-Kiribati study, are scared the move to Fiji could lead to a loss of culture.

Luckily the well-planned transfer of population isn't expected to result in conflict. Many other nations affected by climate change may not have the same fate. The change to alternative resources, and a conscious realisation of the effects of climate change may just as well start here, before our coasts are severely plundered for oil.

By 2050 it is predicted the population will reach 9 billion people. As well as that, it is calculated there will be circa 200 million climate refugees. The rise in global temperatures will hit poor nations more severely. The Center for American Progress (CAP) states 1 billion people in Asia could be affected by shrinking freshwater resources, while in Africa agricultural yields could fall by as much as 50%.

Migrants will be hitting our shores much more often, and CAP states it will be more permanent: “Refugees from natural disasters usually can return home over time but future climate migrants could be permanently forced to leave”.

Climate change has drastic consequences. Albeit, in New Zealand we will soon see oil wells off our shores. The early warning signs have been ignored by the big businesses that profit from oil extraction. Moreover, their tactics have become much more brutal; fracking shoots liquids into the ground to expel or break open new oil deposits, this method has been linked to contaminated aquifers and earthquakes in non-earthquake prone Ohio, or Lancaster. Imagine what the effects would be here!

The RENA disaster should have been a forewarning: New Zealand is uncapable of capping an environmental catastrophe even of a small scale. Alternatives to oil have to be found immediately.

Plans for a windfarm in Otago were recently filed after the nouveau-riche of the area decided it would be aesthetically unpleasing. This sort of mentality should be frowned upon, we are currently facing the baby footsteps of a problem that will affect the whole world. We will soon witness mass starvation, genocides and war due to the crises.

Let's face it, soon our sweet New Zealand renowned for its beauty will lose its characteristic green.

The National government is both blind and masochist. They tried to open up protected national parks to mining last term but public pressure from protests and petitioning stopped the government at its tracks. With the new plans to fuck our shores, local councils have no power. We will need another concerted effort to bring the environment back to local hands, for local interests. In Otago the demonstrations to keep Neurosurgery in Dunedin scared the government proposal away. We need a similar campaign if we want to protect our shores.

The issue is not just a leftie side-project, it is a moral issue. If you care about the future of the planet, would like to see less wars and want more of a say on issues that affect you personally: we will have to bring the issue back to the streets and to the community, where we can choose what our back garden will look like while others will also have the choice.

In The News...

Child Poverty in NZ is Extremely Common!

An article in today’s NZ Medical Journal (30/03/12) finds that New Zealand’s investment in children is low by OECD standards. 

 The report highlights poverty as a major driver of preventable illnesses amongst children. There are 230,000 children in New Zealand currently living in poverty. An extremely high number when you think that New Zealand’s whole population is little over 4 million.

 Prof Innes Asher from the Children’s Poverty Action Group (CPAG) said, “New Zealand needs to take immediate action to address child poverty.  While reports are written and committees deliberate, children are growing up in extremely deprived conditions.  A year is not a long time for a government committee, but in the development of a child it is crucial.  We know that childhood illnesses can have life-long consequences, including cardiovascular disease and mental illness in adult life.”

 The Southern young Nats solution to this problem is to give out a few jars of marmite to the poor… hardly a solution!

 OGNA’s solution is simple: work from the bottom up rather than the top down. Job creation, free education and a higher minimum wage would pull families out of poverty and New Zealand’s children along with them. 

National to Sell our Gambling Laws to SkyCity Casino

Harmful gambling can cause stress-related physical and psychological ill health and over 75000 New Zealanders suffer from inferior Mental Health as a result of problem gambling. Other adverse effects include family breakdown, domestic violence, criminal activity such as fraud, disruption to or loss of employment and social isolation. Harmful gambling also profoundly impacts on the physical, emotional, and financial health of family, friends, workmates and others in the wider community.

This is well known by the government. Over the past years pokie machine restriction laws have been put in place to prevent problem gambling and money has been put into rehab programs for problem gamblers.

Despite this the National government has decided to sell the gambling laws that aim to prevent people developing gambling addictions in return for a $350million convention centre in   central Auckland! …Mind you we shouldn’t be overly surprised. It wasn't that long ago, after all, that Key’s Government agreed to change our employment laws to suit American film giants Warner Bros, the makers of The Hobbit.

This goes to show just how undemocratic our “democracy” is as large corporations just have to ability to change law by throwing money at the government. Ordinary people have no say in this, which completely shows where the governments priority is –to make more money. It doesn’t matter whether the changes are going to negatively affect people or not, they are concerned with profit and nothing more – showing the inherent downfall of the capitalist system.

 We need a new system – where the focus is on improving people’s lives, not on profit. To do this we must strengthen our communities, not weaken them by increasing the number of people with gambling addictions. Mr Key is free to sell and cut whatever he likes if we let him. Over the last few years we have been, as our education system, welfare system, and state assets slowly disappear. It is us who have let this happen and it will not stop until we organise, take to the streets and show our voice.

Homophobia in Chile

On March 3, Daniel Zamudio was sleeping in a the San Borja park in Santiago when a group of four young Neo-Nazis beat him, kicked him, burned him with cigarettes, and carved swastikas into his body before leaving him for dead. The reason?- because he was homosexual. These heinous crimes have left a bitter taste in the mouth of the Chilean public and have lead to an outcry to change the laws and penalize this type of violence in the country which has very weak  anti-discrimination laws.

Although Nazism seems like it would not appeal to youths with at least some indigenous ancestry, according to research by journalist Lygia Navarro, most Chilean youth became involved in neo-Nazism because of economic disenfranchisement, and they direct their hatred toward those whom they believe to be a threat to society (and, in effect, the raza chilena or Chilean race), such as homosexuals, Peruvian immigrants, alcoholics, drug addicts, thieves, and punk rockers. 

A large reason this happens is because the left is weak. It must grow and present an active challenge to Nazi ideas- redirecting youths anger and frustration at the system that leaves them jobless with few prospects - not towards each other. Gay, lebian, bisexual and transgendered people must be free from violence, harassment and legal constraints, and be   extended the same rights as others, including the right to marry and divorce in order to prevent prejudice and attacks such as the attack on Daniel Zamudio.

Capitalism, in Chile and the rest of the world, divides the working class, based on sexual, gender, racial, national and other distinctions. In order to create a world of equality we must overcome these divisions and fight for the rights of all oppressed people which includes fighting to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Through collective grass roots action this can be achieved.

Tibet's Brutal Occupation and How We Can Change It

Tibet is a large plateaux region in Asia, situated north of the Himalayas. With an elevation of 14,000 ft it is literally the highest nation in the world! Until 1950 it was a sovereign state inhabited by six million people. By the end of 1950 it had fallen victim to a Chinese occupation which has resulted in the death of over one million Tibetans; the destruction of over 6,000 monasteries, nunneries and temples; countless cases of blatant human rights abuse; severe and irreversible environmental damage; and genocide. In short the Chinese government has enforced a non-democratic and authoritarian rule over Tibet which has lead to the mass exploitation of the Tibetan people. They have no say in any of this and lack all basic freedoms. All this has    happened with limited criticism from the majority of the international community, who have ignored Tibet’s cries for assistance,  despite the obvious injustices that have been prevailing for almost 60 years. Most governments – including New Zealand’s – do not recognize Tibet as an occupied state.

 

A Very Brief History

Over past centuries, some countries, including Britain and Mongolia have sought to exert control over Tibet, with periodic and partial success. International legal scholars agree that from 1911 until the Chinese   invasion in 1950, Tibet was a fully independent state by modern standards. Since then the people of Tibet have struggled to regain their freedom and keep their culture intact.

In March 1959, Tibetans rose up against their  Chinese occupiers. The uprising was brutally crushed and the Tibetan leader, His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, escaped to India after the governments’ of other countries, including neighboring Nepal (and the USA), offered little or no assistance. The Tibetan leader was followed by more than 80,000 Tibetans. Tens of thousands of Tibetans who remained were killed or imprisoned.

Tibet has been continually oppressed over the  decades- always from the top down. During the 1960s and 1970s, repression took place under a state that was trying to exert total control over the economy. Today, private capital is a partner of the state, but the need for repressive methods remain. Tibet was never ruled under communism- the nation was first  oppressed under state capitalism, now it is market capitalism. During the era of state capitalism, workers and peasants were ruled by Chairman Mao’s         nationalist ideology, which forcefully bound China’s masses to its rulers. This is the reason for the       continuous Tibetan oppression still now.

The UN general assembly has passed multiple   resolutions condemning the Chinese government for violations of fundamental human rights of the Tibetan people and called on China to respect the Tibetan peoples’ rights – including their right to self-determination.  This has been to no avail.

The situation in Tibet is now getting worse rather than better. Close to 180,000 Tibetan people are now in exile. To prevent any more the Chinese government is now paying the Neplese police to arrest Tibetan exiles as they try to cross the border and send them back to the Chinese authorities. Cultural restrictions are more severe and many Tibetans cannot get employment due to their ethnicity.

On Tibetan New Year's, which happens on the 22nd February, we would normally see images of the Dalai Lama, government officials and reincarnated monks praying and reciting invocations. Tibetans would be giving out offerings for good luck. The next fifteen days are celebrated with singing and dancing to celebrate Tibetan culture. However this hasn't been the norm for over 6 decades. The restrictions on the celebrations this year were more restrictive than ever with a total ban on foreign tourists and millions of Chinese troops surrounding the city of Lhasa.

This year the Tibetan Parliament in exile and Tibetan communities across the globe observed a day-long hunger strike, in solidaity with the 30 monks that have self-immolated since 2011. Their sacrifice proves the severity of the situation in Tibet, and the fact that we haven't heard it – its censorship.

The Dalai Lama and many Tibetans have had to flee over the Himalayas to Dharamsala in northern India. Dharamsala, meaning “resting place for travellers” in Hindi is only a temporary refuge where Tibetans can live in relative freedom, waiting for the world to act.

Shide Monastery, one of the Tibets most venerable Buddhist monasteries, 

was destroyed during the Chinese invasion of Tibet in the 50s.  Evidence of the wreckage like this 

statue of the Jigshe in now being cleared by authorities

The Effect of the Occupation On...

1) The Tibetan People

The effect of the occupation on the Tibetan has been devastating. Fundamental human rights have been abused with the imprisonment, torture and exploitation of thousands of Tibetan people.

They have no freedom of speech - There is no free media and 4000 Tibetan political prisoners are currently being held by the Chinese government. Arbitrary arrests continue. Many Tibetans that are and have been imprisoned have been subject to torture.

They do not have the right to assembly, movement and expression.

Genocide has been committed in Tibet. In 1959, the International Commission of Jurists found that genocide has been committed in Tibet. With the help of new railways the Chinese government has got high numbers of other people from China to migrate to Tibet, offering them higher wages and other inducements. This policy is threatening the survival of Tibetan people. Tibetans are becoming a minority.

Discrimination and Racism. The Tibetans that remain in Tibet suffer from discrimination from the new settlers. These results in them not being able to get employment and support their families as well as they should be able to.

Force Abortions, often late in pregnancy, and sterilization of Tibetan women is common.

Their religion and culture is monitored, limited and controlled - Over 6,000 monasteries, nunneries and temples to date have been destroyed. New Chinese houses are being built to replace the Tibetan ones - Tibetans are forced out of their homes into non-Tibetan houses and are then required to take up loans to pay for it.

Exploitation of the Tibetan people through mining, deforestation and tourism. Mining, logging, and tourism companies destroy take huge profits – none of which get back to the Tibetan people, who, are in most cases unable to work for these companies in the first place.

Tibet has been heavily militarized. There is one Chinese armed troop for every ten Tibetans. One  quarter of China’s nuclear missiles are situated in Tibet. This is a huge intimidation tactic by the     Chinese government and devastating for a peace-loving people like the Tibetans.

 2) The Environment

Mining and Deforestation has lead to irreversible environmental damage. Almost half the tree that were in Tibet fifty years ago have been chopped down leading to soil erosion and the extinction/endangerment of many species. Mining leaves damaging by-products that are not cleaned up and are bad for the health of the people living near them. It also contributes to destroying the habitats that may species depend on to survive – species that are found nowhere else in the world.

Tibet is being used as a dumping ground for nuclear waste.

From Top to Bottom: An SFT protest in
San Fransisco; A poster from an SFT
campaign; Protests in New York; the
Tibetan Flag

The 'Free Tibet' Movement 

The Free Tibet Movement is set up for anyone who wants to  support the Tibetan people. It raises funds for various different charities, organises and leads local and international campaigns and fights for human rights. It has done lots of every important work over the last two years in building awareness of the Tibetan cause, especially in 2008 over the Beijing Olympics.

Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) is one of the largest and  argueable more successful groups with active chapters working around the world. They work in solidarity with the Tibetan people in their struggle for freedom and independence. Through  education, grassroots organizing, and non-violent direct action, they campaign for Tibetans’ fundamental right to political freedom. Their role is to empower and train youth as leaders in the worldwide movement for social justice. In Their work for Tibetan independence they also aim to inspire and enable people, especially youth, to create a just and equitable world, free of    oppression, in which there is respect for the earth and all living things.

This is exactly what groups outside of Tibet need to do in order to successfully support the Tibetan people. Through their work,   especially through protests, they show solidarity with Tibetans; demonstrate the power that people have to change society;   increase visibility of the cause; build active relationships with   others who what to make a positive change; and energize participants to carry on organizing and fighting for the cause. This is the same as what OGNA tries to do in its work.

Problems Within the Movement

Unfortunately a small minority in the Free Tibet movement have run campaigns with anti-Chinese feelings. Many of these look at imperialist powers, such as the US, to intervene. As has been shown in Afghanistan, Iraq and countless cases in the past,  imperial powers only intervene when it is in their interests- and even then, living conditions and human rights abuses only get worse. In the case of Tibet, the US’s support for the Tibetan   people is superficial; offering nothing to them of any substance- it serves as a platform for the USA to stick its middle finger up to China.  The only good it can do is to raise awareness of the Tibetan situation. This generally encourages people to help in none productive, reformist rather than revolutionary ways.   Relying on the United Nations is an example, multiple reports on the plight of Tibet have been released, but in the last 60 years things have yet to change.

In the U.S., people need to continue to expose the hypocrisy of politicians who decry the abuse of human rights overseas as they pursue their own violent course to exploit the world’s people and resources, from New York to Baghdad. These worldwide purveyors of oppression are up to no good in their support for the Dalai Lama. The experience of other oppressed nationalities has shown that U.S. support represents a     hazard in the struggle for self-determination, not an advantage.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and how a Positive Change for Tibet can Come About

From Top to Bottom: A Free Tibet
protest in Delhi; His Holiness the Dalai
Lama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize
in 1989; A monk protesting in
Kathmandu Nepal

 The Dalai Lama has been the leader of the Free Tibet movement since the Chinese invasion. In recent years he has made many steps towards further democracy within the Tibetan Government in Exile. He is striving to achieve equality in Tibet and freedom for   everyone. He has gained mass world wide support and respect as he advocates for a peaceful solution that benefits both the Tibetans and the Chinese. This draws similarities to the approach of Mahatma Gandhi.

The movement in Tibet has always been non-violent. This strategy has huge popular support. It is unlikely to change as the whole  essence of Tibetan culture is based on Buddhism – a philosophy focused on ending the suffering of all living things. The Tibetan non-violent approach is principled rather than pragmatic.

With popular support and a mass movement behind them, backed especially by the working class of China, there is no need for violent resistance. This idea is especially ridiculous when you take into   account that the Chinese army is 3 million strong, with highly sophisticated weaponry well out of the grasp of poor Tibetans.

The Tibetan movement is not just about Tibetans. It is linked to the millions of poor, oppressed and exploited people who live under the rule of the Chinese government including those in East-Turkistan, Inner Mongolia and many of the Chinese themselves! The Chinese working class, some of the worst treated workers in the world, are capable of delivering real liberty as they can strike the biggest     possible blow to the government’s control. They can do this by   striking, and shutting down production and vital services, and through non-cooperation with the government, taking away its power. In recent times Chinese workers have started to fight back against the Chinese authorities, organising in unions, and partaking in effective strikes. This, if it continues, offers hope to the Tibetan people who can then assist through their own action in Tibet.

The control over the future course of resistance in China is up for grabs. The political views that develop in China among workers, peasants, and the oppressed will make the crucial difference. A   Chinese movement for genuine socialism and liberation is possible on the basis of antiracist unity against all oppressors—unity that   equires an adamant defense of the right to self-determination for   oppressed nationalities. The efforts of solidarity activists in the West would also benefit from adopting the same sort of politics.

The occupation of Tibet has lead to a state of control – an authoritarian, non-democratic system that exploits and harms the Tibetan people. They get no profits from the companies that destroy their land. They get no say and no freedom.

At least one million Tibetans have died as a direct result of the Chinese government’s policies since 1950 - through starvation, torture and execution. Thousands more have died in East Turkistan and Inner       Mongolia. Millions of people in China live in abrupt poverty. The Tibetan struggle has been non-violent for almost 60 years and their courage in the face of sustained persecution and world-wide apathy deserves the support of those with the freedom to do so but ultimately – for them to be liberated and truly freed from oppression – they need support from the lower class of Chinese society and solidarity with others around the world. They, ultimately, are the only people who can help Free Tibet. Not the               undemocratic, exploiting governments of the West.

 Help. Free Tibet. Join OGNA and Students for a Free Tibet and make a difference.