police state

New York City

Podcast: fascism, socialism and the NYC mayoral race

In Episode 301 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg offers his anarchist annotation of the New York City mayoral candidates’ debate. He makes the case that the promise of “socialism” represented by Zohran Mamdani is (alas) not as real as the threat of fascism represented by Curtis Sliwa—or acquiescence to fascism represented Andrew Cuomo. Both Cuomo and Sliwa invoked the too real possibility of Trump attempting to abrogate New York’s municipal powers if Mamdani becomes mayor. However, this contingency could heighten the contradictions in a politically salubrious way—prompting the needed rupture between progressive-run localities and the illegitimate Trump regime. (Photo: Jim Naureckas/Flickr)

Central America

Anti-mara militarization in Guatemala

Guatemala’s Congress passed a law designating the Barrio 18 and MS-13 gangs as “terrorist organizations.” The move came days after 20 Barrio 18 convicts broke out of the maximum-security Fraijanes II prison outside the capital. The new “Ley Anti-pandillas” provides for heavier sentences for gang members convicted of crimes such as extortion or recruitment of minors, and calls for the construction of more-maximum security prisons. (Photo: Danilojramirez via Wikimedia Commons)

Europe

Russia calls up more reserves as Ukraine war stalls

Russian authorities are preparing to call up thousands of reservists for active military service—while insisting they will not be sent to Ukraine to fight. The Main Mobilization Directorate of the General Staff announced orders that men who have been drafted and served in the military will be subject to mandatory “mobilization” for the purpose of “safeguarding strategically important facilities.” With the lines in Ukraine largely frozen in a war of attrition, the move would free up President Vladimir Putin to expand the Russian force for the “special military operation,” which is numbered at some 700,000 troops—mostly reservists who have signed contracts with the Defense Ministry. General conscripts are not sent to Ukraine, and the last call-up of reserves for the war, in September 2022, sparked a flight of young men from Russia to neighboring countries, and even scattered protests. The denial that the new mobilization is for the Ukraine war seems aimed at appeasing popular discontent, even while freeing up other soldiers to expand the invasion force. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Central America

UN experts press Nicaragua on fate of ‘disappeared’

United Nations human rights experts called on Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s government to clarify the fate and whereabouts of more than 120 individuals who appear to have been forcibly disappeared after the violent suppression of anti-government protests in 2018. The experts also urged the state to cease using arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance as tools of political repression. The experts said that families’ repeated attempts to locate their loved ones have been met with conflicting information, silence or threats. They documented a pattern in which detainees are held in secret and often denied access to lawyers, medical care or family contact, underscoring that “keeping families in the dark” acts as a mechanism of control. (Image: Nunca Más)

Africa

Chad: dynastic dictatorship consolidating

Human Rights Watch condemned the adoption of a constitutional reform in Chad, stating that it could pose a significant setback to democracy and the rule of law by empowering current President Mahamat Idriss Déby to remain in power for generations to come. The minimal number of opposition lawmakers present boycotted the vote, describing it as in contravention of the constitution. Déby inherited his late father President Idriss Déby Itno’s position after his 30-year rule marked by corruption and violence, and tensions are high amid concerns about the emergence of a political dynasty. (Photo: VOA via Wikimedia Commons)

North Africa

Italy urged to revoke migration pact with Libya

Human Rights Watch called on Italy to end its migration cooperation agreement with Libya, saying the arrangement “has proven to be a framework for violence and suffering, and should be revoked, not renewed.” The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the countries, first signed in February 2017, was part of Italy’s strategy to tighten border control. Under the agreement, Italy has provided technical, logistical and financial support the Libyan Coast Guard, enabling the force to intercept tens of thousands of people at sea and return them to Libya. However, NGOs have documented how intercepted refugees and asylum seekers are routinely detained in inhumane conditions, where they face torture and other degrading treatment. The MoU is up for renewal next month. (Map: Perry-Castañeda Library)

Africa

Côte d’Ivoire elections in atmosphere of repression

Amnesty International called on Côte d’Ivoire authorities to end the repression of peaceful protests ahead of the upcoming presidential elections, following the dispersal of a demonstration by security forces in Abidjan and the arrest of 255 individuals. The Ivorian government’s ban on peaceful assemblies is part of a broader set of measures announced by the National Security Council ahead of the elections later this month. Protesters have repeatedly attempted to defy the ban after the Electoral Commission barred two opposition candidates from running in the race. (Image: David Peterson/Pixabay)

Europe

‘Swan Lake’ anti-Putin protest in St Petersburg

Hundreds of young Russians gathered in a square in the center of St. Petersburg to defy censorship by performing a banned song that calls (in barely veiled terms) for the overthrow of Vladimir Putin. The crowd converged on the city’s iconic Palace Square to sing “Swan Lake Cooperative” by exiled rapper Noize MC, which was outlawed in May when judicial authorities labeled it “extremist.” The song title refers to the practice in Soviet times of suspending all regular TV and radio broadcasts to play Tchaikovsky’s ballet “Swan Lake” continuously whenever the old leader died or was deposed and the transition to a new one was underway. The lyrics go: “The old man still clings to his throne… When the czar dies, we’ll dance again, ‘Swan Lake’ on every screen… I want to watch the ballet… Let the old man shake in fear…” (Photo: Kanal13)

The Andes

Peru: new government prepares security crackdown

Peru’s Congress voted unanimously to remove President Dina Boluarte from office for “moral incapacity,” replacing her with congressional leader José Jerí. Once in office, Jerí quickly appointed as head of the Interior Ministry the former commander of the Peruvian National Police (PNP), Vicente Tiburcio Orbezo. Tiburcio has had a long career fighting organized crime and armed insurgents, having been part of the team within the PNP’s Special Intelligence Group (GEIN) that carried out the arrest of Shining Path leader Abimael Guzmán in 1992. He subsequently served in campaigns against both the Shining Path and Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA). He was chosen by Jerí with a mission of addressing the crisis of “citizen security” in Peru. (Photo: Wikipedia)

North Africa

Tunisia: activist gets death sentence for Facebook post

Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a statement condemning the Tunisian justice system for sentencing a man to death for Facebook posts dissenting from government actions. Saber Ben Chouchane was sentenced for posting pictures of himself at recent protests, and statements calling for citizens to take to the streets to demand the release of political prisoners on the upcoming anniversary of the Tunisian revolution of January 2011. HRW called for the Tunisian government to “stop detaining and prosecuting people solely for exercising their right of expression.” (Image: Grunge Love)

The Andes

Popular protests turn deadly in Ecuador

Widespread protests in Ecuador, sparked by cuts to fuel subsidies, reached a boiling point, as an indigenous land defender was killed by the armed forces, a government aid convoy was reportedly attacked by protesters, and 12 soldiers went missing. Meanwhile, the government continued to advance its plan to rewrite the constitution—an initiative that has further intensified public anger. Undeterred, the powerful Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (CONAIE), which initiated the nationwide strike, announced that it would extend the action. (Photo: CONAIE via Peoples Dispatch)

North America

Podcast: Better anti than fa, thank you II

Trump’s call at Quantico for the armed forces to use American cities as “training grounds” and fight the “enemy within” was quickly followed by militarized ICE raids in Chicago and mobilization of the National Guard. His National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7), issued four days before the Quantico meeting with Pentagon brass, explicitly identifies “anti-fascism” as a threat that must be targeted with the full power of the state. In Episode 298 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg continues to deconstruct the propaganda and examine the apparatus being employed to impose a fascist order in the United States—and explore the prospects for resistance, and even non-cooperation within the rank-and-file of the federal forces. (Image: APE)