mintpressnews--2020-06-09--Inauthentic Behavior: SouthFront is the Latest Victim of the Facebook Banhammer

Where can you find daily news , videos , analysis and maps about the conflict in Syria ?
Detailed reports about the conflicts in Libya , Yemen , and Venezuela ?
News about the rise of ISIS in Mozambique ?
The original analysis of events in the United States and Russia ?
SouthFront is the place , or at least it was before recently being targeted by tech giants Facebook and Youtube .
Unique and influential and reaching a global audience of hundreds of thousands , SouthFront offers both editorials and factual news reports , both in text format and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : SouthFront focuses on issues of international relations , armed conflicts and crises… We try to dig out the truth on issues which are barely covered by the states concerned and the mainstream media.
” A major disinformation and censorship drive against SouthFront was recently launched .
On April 30 , SouthFront ’ s Facebook account , which had nearly 100,000 subscribers , was deleted without warning or notice .
On May 1 , SouthFront ’ s main YouTube account , boasting over 150,000 subscribers , was also terminated .
The English language @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 60 million views over the past five years .
While the SouthFront website is still operational , the removal of its Facebook and YouTube accounts deprives it of important distribution channels that it so painstakingly built .
The censorship has been accompanied by a disinformation campaign pushed by government-linked think tanks .
The move is part of a broader push by the US State Department ’ s Global Engagement Center ( GEC ) , which has a direct liaison with Silicon Valley companies and teams focused on countering what it claims is propaganda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The GEC operates with a current budget of $ 60 million per year .
In a March 2020 hearing , Senator Chris Murphy ( D-Conn ) lobbied for increased funding and more censorship , saying , “ It ’ s hard to chase one lie after another .
You have to actually go after the source and expose the source as illegitimate or untrustworthy , is that right ?
” Lea Gabrielle , head of GEC , responded , “ That ’ s correct.
” When Murphy says , “ it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another , ” he is acknowledging that it ’ s often hard to prove what is a lie .
Even more so when it is not a lie .
It is much easier for authorities to simply dismiss a source as untrustworthy – or better yet to eliminate them altogether- as they have tried to do with SouthFront .
The elimination of SouthFront ’ s Facebook account was based on a Facebook sponsored investigation titled “ April 2020 Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior Report.
” The 28-page report claims , We ’ re constantly working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seek to manipulate public debate across our platforms… We view influence operations as coordinated efforts to manipulate public debate for a strategic goal where fake accounts are central to the operation… This month we removed eight networks of accounts , Pages and Groups… Our investigation linked this activity to… two media organizations in Crimea – News Front and SouthFront .
We found this network as part of our internal investigation into suspected coordinated inauthentic behavior.
” Yet SouthFront does not endeavor to “ manipulate public debate , ” they provide news and information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to find elsewhere .
It seems to be the censors who manipulating debate by shutting out certain voices .
SouthFront does not have “ fake accounts , ” they have a public website and , until recently , a standard social media presence on Facebook and YouTube .
SouthFront also has no connection to NewsFront nor does it have operations in Crimea .
NewsFront and SouthFront are completely different organizations .
They share the name “ Front ” but that is irrelevant .
Would Facebook conflate the New York Times with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both have “ Times ” in their name .
Facebook ’ s shuttering of SouthFront is based on little more than misinformation and smears .
The Digital Forensic Research Lab ( DFRLab ) was created by the Atlantic Council , a “ non partisan organization ” that claims to “ galvanize US global leadership.
” The Atlantic Council has been at the forefront of efforts to dismiss alternative foreign policy perspectives as “ Russian propaganda.
” DFRLab claims to have “ operationalized the study of disinformation by exposing falsehoods and fake news.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Medium post titled “ Facebook removes Russian propaganda outlet in Ukraine.
” The report , which bore the no-so subtle subtitle , “ The social network took down assets connected to News Front and SouthFront , propaganda websites supportive of Russian security services , ” reported that SouthFront and News Front “ demonstrated a close relationship by liking each other ’ s pages.
” As anyone who uses Facebook is aware , it is common to “ like ” a wide variety of articles and publications , and the suggestion that “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a close relationship is silly .
The DFRLab report claims that News Front and SouthFront “ disseminated pro-Kremlin propaganda in an array of languages , indicating they were attempting to reach a diverse , international audience beyond Russia.
” First , NewsFront and SouthFront are completely distinct and separate organizations .
Second , there is nothing unusual about a website trying to expand and reach different audiences , indeed it all publications do so .
This is a tactic of the new censors : to portray normal behavior as sinister .
Another censorship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impermissible to question the veracity of certain findings .
Thus DFRLab report says NewsFront posted “ outright disinformation ” when it published a story that “ denied the culpability of Russian-backed separatists ’ involvement in the shoot-down of Malaysia Airlines MH-17.
” DFRLab suggests this proves it is Russian propaganda , and , by extension , false .
However , the facts surrounding the downing of MH-17 are widely disputed .
One of the foremost American investigative journalists , the late Robert Parry , concluded that the MH-17 investigation was manipulated and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Parry penned many articles on the event , undermining the notion that simply doubting the official narrative does not constitute “ Russian propaganda.
” The Atlantic Council , one of the most influential of U.S. “ think tanks , ” appears to have created the DFRLab as a propaganda tool to disparage and silence sources of alternative information and analysis .
The goals and priorities of the European Union are set by the European Council , a non-legislative body that is also increasingly active in suppressing alternative information and viewpoints .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ StratCom Task Force to “ address Russia ’ s ongoing disinformation campaigns.
” Their major project is called EUvsDISINFO , whose stated goal is “ Using data analysis and media monitoring services in 15 languages , EUvsDISINFO identifies , compiles , and exposes disinformation cases originating in pro-Kremlin media.
” EUvsDISINFO has also taken part in the campaign of disinformation against SouthFront .
In April 2019 , it published an analysis “ SouthFront – Russia Hiding Being Russian.
” The report claims that SouthFront “ attempts to hide the fact it is registered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though is that the SouthFront team is international and includes Russians along with numerous other nationalities .
Key spokespersons are the Bulgarian , Viktor Stoilov , and American Brian Kalman .
Kalman and Stoilov do not hide the fact that the website is registered in Russia or that PayPal donations from readers go to a bank account in Russia , nor that SouthFront is hosted by a service in Holland .
SouthFront is genuinely international .
EUvsDISINFO claims to have “ exposed ” something that is “ hidden ” when it is public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collaboration between nationalities , including Russia .
EUvsDISINFO suggests there are sinister “ pro-Kremlin networks.
” In reality , SouthFront is a website run by a dedicated and underpaid staff and lots of volunteers .
While the European Council gives millions of dollars to EUvsDISINFO , SouthFront operates on a tiny budget without government support from Russia or anywhere else .
False accusations by the Department of Defense On April 9 , Deputy Assistant Secretaries of Defense for Europe and NATO ; Russia , Ukraine and Eurasia , Laura Cooper , spoke at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by name and accused them of “ reporting that there actually was no pandemic and that some deaths in Italy might , in fact , have been from the common flu.
” The first accusation stems from a SouthFront article , “ Pandemic of Fear.
” In contrast to Cooper ’ s accusation , the article states that “ The COVID-19 outbreak is an apparent threat which can not be ignored.
” It also discusses the much less reported environment of fear that has come to surround the pandemic .
Cooper also makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toll in Italy .
SouthFront reported on findings from the Italian Ministry of Health which suggested the previous mild winter and flu season had “ led to an increase in the pool of those most vulnerable ( the elderly and those with chronic illnesses ) that can increase the impact of the epidemic COVID-19 on mortality and explain , at least in part , the increased lethality observed in our country.
” This is very different than saying the deaths were caused by the common flu .
In any case , the findings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not from SouthFront .
In the same press conference , Cooper said she wishes to “ reign in malign actors that are spreading misleading disruptive information.
” The censors claim the higher ground but engage in misinformation and falsehoods as they seek to silence discussion and debate .
There is a coordinated effort to manipulate and restrict what the public sees and hears in both North America and Europe .
Under the guise of “ fact checking ” and stopping “ Russian propaganda , ” establishment has created private and government-sponsored censors to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official narrative .
They label alternative media “ Russian ” or “ pro-Kremlin ” even though many of the researchers and writers are from the West and have no connection or dependency on the Russian government .
SouthFront is an example of media doing important and original reporting and analysis .
It is truly international with offices in several countries .
The staff and volunteers include people from four continents .
The censorship and vilification they are face seem to be because they are providing information and analysis which contradicts the mainstream narrative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a secondary YouTube channel called SouthFront TV .
When that was also taken down on May 16 , they challenged the ruling and won .
The channel was restored with the acknowledgment , “ We have confirmed that your YouTube account is not in violation of our Terms of Service.
” SouthFront is still trying to have its main channel with 152,000 subscribers , restored .
Its Facebook account is still shut down and attempts to disparage their journalism continues .
The censorship has only escalated during the COVID-19 crisis .
Editor ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ article appeared on other websites before it was published by MintPress News .
Rick Sterling is an investigative journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area .
He can be reached at rsterling1 @ protonmail.com .

Where can you find daily news, videos, analysis and maps about the conflict in Syria? Detailed reports about the conflicts in Libya, Yemen, and Venezuela? News about the rise of ISIS in Mozambique? The original analysis of events in the United States and Russia? SouthFront is the place, or at least it was before recently being targeted by tech giants Facebook and Youtube.
Unique and influential and reaching a global audience of hundreds of thousands, SouthFront offers both editorials and factual news reports, both in text format and informational videos. As their website says:
SouthFront focuses on issues of international relations, armed conflicts and crises… We try to dig out the truth on issues which are barely covered by the states concerned and the mainstream media.”
Censorship by Facebook and YouTube
A major disinformation and censorship drive against SouthFront was recently launched. On April 30, SouthFront’s Facebook account, which had nearly 100,000 subscribers, was deleted without warning or notice.
On May 1, SouthFront’s main YouTube account, boasting over 150,000 subscribers, was also terminated. The English language channel had 1,900 videos which racked up 60 million views over the past five years.
While the SouthFront website is still operational, the removal of its Facebook and YouTube accounts deprives it of important distribution channels that it so painstakingly built.
The censorship has been accompanied by a disinformation campaign pushed by government-linked think tanks. The move is part of a broader push by the US State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC), which has a direct liaison with Silicon Valley companies and teams focused on countering what it claims is propaganda from Russia, China, and Iran. The GEC operates with a current budget of $60 million per year.
In a March 2020 hearing, Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn) lobbied for increased funding and more censorship, saying, “It’s hard to chase one lie after another. You have to actually go after the source and expose the source as illegitimate or untrustworthy, is that right?” Lea Gabrielle, head of GEC, responded, “That’s correct.”
When Murphy says, “it’s hard to chase one lie after another,” he is acknowledging that it’s often hard to prove what is a lie. Even more so when it is not a lie. It is much easier for authorities to simply dismiss a source as untrustworthy – or better yet to eliminate them altogether- as they have tried to do with SouthFront.
False accusations by Facebook
The elimination of SouthFront’s Facebook account was based on a Facebook sponsored investigation titled “April 2020 Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior Report.” The 28-page report claims,
We’re constantly working to find and stop coordinated campaigns that seek to manipulate public debate across our platforms… We view influence operations as coordinated efforts to manipulate public debate for a strategic goal where fake accounts are central to the operation… This month we removed eight networks of accounts, Pages and Groups… Our investigation linked this activity to… two media organizations in Crimea – News Front and SouthFront. We found this network as part of our internal investigation into suspected coordinated inauthentic behavior.”
Yet SouthFront does not endeavor to “manipulate public debate,” they provide news and information which is difficult, if not impossible, to find elsewhere. It seems to be the censors who manipulating debate by shutting out certain voices.
SouthFront does not have “fake accounts,” they have a public website and, until recently, a standard social media presence on Facebook and YouTube. SouthFront also has no connection to NewsFront nor does it have operations in Crimea. NewsFront and SouthFront are completely different organizations. They share the name “Front” but that is irrelevant. Would Facebook conflate the New York Times with the Moscow Times? After all, they both have “Times” in their name.
Facebook’s shuttering of SouthFront is based on little more than misinformation and smears.
False accusations by DFRLab
The Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) was created by the Atlantic Council, a “non partisan organization” that claims to “galvanize US global leadership.” The Atlantic Council has been at the forefront of efforts to dismiss alternative foreign policy perspectives as “Russian propaganda.” DFRLab claims to have “operationalized the study of disinformation by exposing falsehoods and fake news.” They reported the censorship of SouthFront in a Medium post titled “Facebook removes Russian propaganda outlet in Ukraine.” The report, which bore the no-so subtle subtitle, “The social network took down assets connected to News Front and SouthFront, propaganda websites supportive of Russian security services,” reported that SouthFront and News Front “demonstrated a close relationship by liking each other’s pages.” As anyone who uses Facebook is aware, it is common to “like” a wide variety of articles and publications, and the suggestion that “liking” a publication is tantamount to a close relationship is silly.
The DFRLab report claims that News Front and SouthFront “disseminated pro-Kremlin propaganda in an array of languages, indicating they were attempting to reach a diverse, international audience beyond Russia.”
First, NewsFront and SouthFront are completely distinct and separate organizations. Second, there is nothing unusual about a website trying to expand and reach different audiences, indeed it all publications do so. This is a tactic of the new censors: to portray normal behavior as sinister.
Another censorship tactic is to assert that it is impermissible to question the veracity of certain findings. Thus DFRLab report says NewsFront posted “outright disinformation” when it published a story that “denied the culpability of Russian-backed separatists’ involvement in the shoot-down of Malaysia Airlines MH-17.” DFRLab suggests this proves it is Russian propaganda, and, by extension, false. However, the facts surrounding the downing of MH-17 are widely disputed. One of the foremost American investigative journalists, the late Robert Parry, concluded that the MH-17 investigation was manipulated and the incident likely did not occur as portrayed. Parry penned many articles on the event, undermining the notion that simply doubting the official narrative does not constitute “Russian propaganda.”
The Atlantic Council, one of the most influential of U.S. “think tanks,” appears to have created the DFRLab as a propaganda tool to disparage and silence sources of alternative information and analysis.
Disinformation by European Council “Task Force”
The goals and priorities of the European Union are set by the European Council, a non-legislative body that is also increasingly active in suppressing alternative information and viewpoints.
In 2015 the European Council created an East StratCom Task Force to “address Russia’s ongoing disinformation campaigns.” Their major project is called EUvsDISINFO, whose stated goal is “Using data analysis and media monitoring services in 15 languages, EUvsDISINFO identifies, compiles, and exposes disinformation cases originating in pro-Kremlin media.”
EUvsDISINFO has also taken part in the campaign of disinformation against SouthFront. In April 2019, it published an analysis “SouthFront – Russia Hiding Being Russian.” The report claims that SouthFront “attempts to hide the fact it is registered and managed in Russia.” The reality though is that the SouthFront team is international and includes Russians along with numerous other nationalities. Key spokespersons are the Bulgarian, Viktor Stoilov, and American Brian Kalman. Kalman and Stoilov do not hide the fact that the website is registered in Russia or that PayPal donations from readers go to a bank account in Russia, nor that SouthFront is hosted by a service in Holland. SouthFront is genuinely international.
EUvsDISINFO claims to have “exposed” something that is “hidden” when it is public information. There is nothing sinister about collaboration between nationalities, including Russia. EUvsDISINFO suggests there are sinister “pro-Kremlin networks.” In reality, SouthFront is a website run by a dedicated and underpaid staff and lots of volunteers. While the European Council gives millions of dollars to EUvsDISINFO, SouthFront operates on a tiny budget without government support from Russia or anywhere else.
False accusations by the Department of Defense
On April 9, Deputy Assistant Secretaries of Defense for Europe and NATO; Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, Laura Cooper, spoke at a press briefing where she identified SouthFront by name and accused them of “reporting that there actually was no pandemic and that some deaths in Italy might, in fact, have been from the common flu.”
The first accusation stems from a SouthFront article, “Pandemic of Fear.” In contrast to Cooper’s accusation, the article states that “The COVID-19 outbreak is an apparent threat which cannot be ignored.” It also discusses the much less reported environment of fear that has come to surround the pandemic.
Cooper also makes a false accusation regarding the high death toll in Italy. SouthFront reported on findings from the Italian Ministry of Health which suggested the previous mild winter and flu season had “led to an increase in the pool of those most vulnerable (the elderly and those with chronic illnesses) that can increase the impact of the epidemic COVID-19 on mortality and explain, at least in part, the increased lethality observed in our country.” This is very different than saying the deaths were caused by the common flu. In any case, the findings came directly from Italian health authorities, not from SouthFront.
In the same press conference, Cooper said she wishes to “reign in malign actors that are spreading misleading disruptive information.” The censors claim the higher ground but engage in misinformation and falsehoods as they seek to silence discussion and debate.
A coordinated effort
There is a coordinated effort to manipulate and restrict what the public sees and hears in both North America and Europe. Under the guise of “fact checking” and stopping “Russian propaganda,” establishment has created private and government-sponsored censors to distort and diminish media that questions the official narrative. They label alternative media “Russian” or “pro-Kremlin” even though many of the researchers and writers are from the West and have no connection or dependency on the Russian government.
SouthFront is an example of media doing important and original reporting and analysis. It is truly international with offices in several countries. The staff and volunteers include people from four continents. The censorship and vilification they are face seem to be because they are providing information and analysis which contradicts the mainstream narrative.
SouthFront is now posting videos to a secondary YouTube channel called SouthFront TV. When that was also taken down on May 16, they challenged the ruling and won. The channel was restored with the acknowledgment, “We have confirmed that your YouTube account is not in violation of our Terms of Service.”
SouthFront is still trying to have its main channel with 152,000 subscribers, restored. Its Facebook account is still shut down and attempts to disparage their journalism continues. The censorship has only escalated during the COVID-19 crisis.
Editor’s note | A version of this article appeared on other websites before it was published by MintPress News.
Feature photo | Shutterstock
Rick Sterling is an investigative journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He can be reached at [email protected].


mintpressnews--2020-06-09--Black Lives Matter Everywhere: Its Time to Defund the US Military

On June 1 , President Trump threatened to deploy active-duty U.S. military forces against peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters in cities across America .
Trump and state governors eventually deployed at least 17,000 National Guard troops across the country .
In the nation ’ s capital , Trump deployed nine Blackhawk assault helicopters , thousands of National Guard troops from six states , and at least 1,600 Military Police and active-duty combat troops from the 82nd Airborne Division , with written orders to pack bayonets .
After a week of conflicting orders during which Trump demanded 10,000 troops in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ordered back to their bases in North Carolina and New York on June 5th , as the peaceful nature of the protests made the use of military force very obviously redundant , dangerous and irresponsible .
But Americans were left shell-shocked by the heavily armed troops , the tear gas , the rubber bullets and the tanks that turned U.S. streets into war zones .
They were also shocked to realize how easy it was for President Trump , single-handedly , to muster such a chilling array of force .
But we shouldn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowed our corrupt ruling class to build the most destructive war machine in history and to place it in the hands of an erratic and unpredictable president .
As protests against police brutality flooded our nation ’ s streets , Trump felt emboldened to turn this war machine against us—and may well be willing to do it again if there is a contested election in November .
Americans are getting a small taste of the fire and fury that the U.S. military and its allies inflict on people overseas on a regular basis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Palestine , and the intimidation felt by the people of Iran , Venezuela , North Korea and other countries that have long lived under U.S. threats to bomb , attack or invade them .
For African-Americans , the latest round of fury unleashed by the police and military is only an escalation of the low-grade war that America ’ s rulers have waged against them for centuries .
From the horrors of slavery to post-Civil War convict leasing to the apartheid Jim Crow system to today ’ s mass criminalization , mass incarceration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treated African-Americans as a permanent underclass to be exploited and “ kept in their place ” with as much force and brutality as that takes .
Today , Black Americans are at least four times as likely to be shot by police as white Americans and six times as likely to be thrown in prison .
Black drivers are three times more likely to be searched and twice as likely to be arrested during traffic stops , even though police have better luck finding contraband in white people ’ s cars .
All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policing and prison system , with African-American men as its prime targets , even as U.S. police forces are increasingly militarized and armed by the Pentagon .
Racist persecution does not end when African-Americans walk out the prison gate .
In 2010 , a third of African-American men had a felony conviction on their record , closing doors to jobs , housing , student aid , safety net programs like SNAP and cash assistance , and in some states the right to vote .
From the first “ stop and frisk ” or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system designed to entrap them in permanent second-class citizenship and poverty .
Just as the people of Iran , North Korea and Venezuela suffer from poverty , hunger , preventable disease and death as the intended results of brutal U.S. economic sanctions , systemic racism has similar effects in the U.S. , keeping African-Americans in exceptional poverty , with double the infant mortality rate of whites and schools that are as segregated and unequal as when segregation was legal .
These underlying disparities in health and living standards appear to be the main @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at more than double the rate of White Americans .
While the U.S. war on the black population at home is now exposed for all of America–and the world–to see , the victims of U.S. wars abroad continue to be hidden .
Trump has escalated the horrific wars he inherited from Obama , dropping more bombs and missiles in 3 years than either Bush II or Obama did in their first terms .
But Americans don ’ t see the terrifying fireballs of the bombs .
They don ’ t see the dead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leave in their wake .
American public discourse about war has revolved almost entirely around the experiences and sacrifices of U.S. troops , who are , after all , our family members and neighbors .
Like the double standard between white and black lives in the U.S. , there is a similar double standard between the lives of U.S. troops and the millions of casualties and ruined lives on the other side of the conflicts the U.S. armed forces and U.S. weapons unleash on other countries .
When retired generals speak out against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ troops on America ’ s streets , we should understand that they are defending precisely this double standard .
Despite draining the U.S. Treasury to wreak horrific violence against people in other countries , while failing to “ win ” wars even on its own confused terms , the U.S. military has maintained a surprisingly good reputation with the U.S. public .
This has largely exempted the armed forces from growing public disgust with the systemic corruption of other American institutions .
Generals Mattis and Allen , who came out against Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protesters , understand very well that the fastest way to squander the military ’ s “ teflon ” public reputation would be to deploy it more widely and openly against Americans within the United States .
Just as we are exposing the rot in U.S. police forces and calling for defunding the police , so we must expose the rot in U.S. foreign policy and call for defunding the Pentagon .
U.S. wars on people in other countries are driven by the same racism and ruling class economic interests as the war against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long , we have let cynical politicians and business leaders divide and rule us , funding police and the Pentagon over real human needs , pitting us against each other at home and leading us off to wars against our neighbors abroad .
The double standard that sanctifies the lives of U.S. troops over those of the people whose countries they bomb and invade is as cynical and deadly as the one that values white lives over black ones in America .
As we chant “ Black Lives Matter , ” we should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people dying every day from U.S. sanctions in Venezuela , the lives of black and brown people being blown up by U.S. bombs in Yemen and Afghanistan , the lives of people of color in Palestine who are tear-gassed , beaten and shot with Israeli weapons funded by U.S-taxpayers .
We must be ready to show solidarity with people defending themselves against U.S.-sponsored violence whether in Minneapolis , New York and Los Angeles , or Afghanistan , Gaza and Iran .
This past week , our friends around the world have given us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of international solidarity looks like .
From London , Copenhagen and Berlin to New Zealand , Canada and Nigeria , people have poured into the streets to show solidarity with African-Americans .
They understand that the U.S. lies at the heart of a racist political and economic international order that still dominates the world 60 years after the formal end of Western colonialism .
They understand that our struggle is their struggle , and we should understand that their future is also our future .
So as others stand with us , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we must seize this moment to move from incremental reform to real systemic change , not just within the U.S. but throughout the racist , neocolonial world that is policed by the U.S. military .
Feature photo | A demonstrator calls out to a military line near the White House to protest the death of George Floyd , June 3 , 2020 , in Washington .
Carolyn Kaster | AP Medea Benjamin is cofounder of CODEPINK for Peace , and author of several books , including Inside Iran : The Real History and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Nicolas J. S. Davies is an independent journalist , a researcher with CODEPINK and the author of Blood On Our Hands : the American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq .

On June 1, President Trump threatened to deploy active-duty U.S. military forces against peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters in cities across America. Trump and state governors eventually deployed at least 17,000 National Guard troops across the country. In the nation’s capital, Trump deployed nine Blackhawk assault helicopters, thousands of National Guard troops from six states, and at least 1,600 Military Police and active-duty combat troops from the 82nd Airborne Division, with written orders to pack bayonets.
After a week of conflicting orders during which Trump demanded 10,000 troops in the capital, the active-duty troops were finally ordered back to their bases in North Carolina and New York on June 5th, as the peaceful nature of the protests made the use of military force very obviously redundant, dangerous and irresponsible. But Americans were left shell-shocked by the heavily armed troops, the tear gas, the rubber bullets and the tanks that turned U.S. streets into war zones. They were also shocked to realize how easy it was for President Trump, single-handedly, to muster such a chilling array of force.
But we shouldn’t be surprised. We have allowed our corrupt ruling class to build the most destructive war machine in history and to place it in the hands of an erratic and unpredictable president. As protests against police brutality flooded our nation’s streets, Trump felt emboldened to turn this war machine against us—and may well be willing to do it again if there is a contested election in November.
Americans are getting a small taste of the fire and fury that the U.S. military and its allies inflict on people overseas on a regular basis from Iraq and Afghanistan to Yemen and Palestine, and the intimidation felt by the people of Iran, Venezuela, North Korea and other countries that have long lived under U.S. threats to bomb, attack or invade them.
For African-Americans, the latest round of fury unleashed by the police and military is only an escalation of the low-grade war that America’s rulers have waged against them for centuries. From the horrors of slavery to post-Civil War convict leasing to the apartheid Jim Crow system to today’s mass criminalization, mass incarceration and militarized policing, America has always treated African-Americans as a permanent underclass to be exploited and “kept in their place” with as much force and brutality as that takes.
Today, Black Americans are at least four times as likely to be shot by police as white Americans and six times as likely to be thrown in prison. Black drivers are three times more likely to be searched and twice as likely to be arrested during traffic stops, even though police have better luck finding contraband in white people’s cars. All of this adds up to a racist policing and prison system, with African-American men as its prime targets, even as U.S. police forces are increasingly militarized and armed by the Pentagon.
Racist persecution does not end when African-Americans walk out the prison gate. In 2010, a third of African-American men had a felony conviction on their record, closing doors to jobs, housing, student aid, safety net programs like SNAP and cash assistance, and in some states the right to vote. From the first “stop and frisk” or traffic stop, African-American men face a system designed to entrap them in permanent second-class citizenship and poverty.
Just as the people of Iran, North Korea and Venezuela suffer from poverty, hunger, preventable disease and death as the intended results of brutal U.S. economic sanctions, systemic racism has similar effects in the U.S., keeping African-Americans in exceptional poverty, with double the infant mortality rate of whites and schools that are as segregated and unequal as when segregation was legal. These underlying disparities in health and living standards appear to be the main reason why African-Americans are dying from Covid-19 at more than double the rate of White Americans.
Liberating a neocolonial world
While the U.S. war on the black population at home is now exposed for all of America–and the world–to see, the victims of U.S. wars abroad continue to be hidden. Trump has escalated the horrific wars he inherited from Obama, dropping more bombs and missiles in 3 years than either Bush II or Obama did in their first terms.
But Americans don’t see the terrifying fireballs of the bombs. They don’t see the dead and maimed bodies and rubble the bombs leave in their wake. American public discourse about war has revolved almost entirely around the experiences and sacrifices of U.S. troops, who are, after all, our family members and neighbors. Like the double standard between white and black lives in the U.S., there is a similar double standard between the lives of U.S. troops and the millions of casualties and ruined lives on the other side of the conflicts the U.S. armed forces and U.S. weapons unleash on other countries.
When retired generals speak out against Trump’s desire to deploy active-duty troops on America’s streets, we should understand that they are defending precisely this double standard. Despite draining the U.S. Treasury to wreak horrific violence against people in other countries, while failing to “win” wars even on its own confused terms, the U.S. military has maintained a surprisingly good reputation with the U.S. public. This has largely exempted the armed forces from growing public disgust with the systemic corruption of other American institutions.
Generals Mattis and Allen, who came out against Trump’s deployment of U.S. troops against peaceful protesters, understand very well that the fastest way to squander the military’s “teflon” public reputation would be to deploy it more widely and openly against Americans within the United States.
Just as we are exposing the rot in U.S. police forces and calling for defunding the police, so we must expose the rot in U.S. foreign policy and call for defunding the Pentagon. U.S. wars on people in other countries are driven by the same racism and ruling class economic interests as the war against African-Americans in our cities. For too long, we have let cynical politicians and business leaders divide and rule us, funding police and the Pentagon over real human needs, pitting us against each other at home and leading us off to wars against our neighbors abroad.
The double standard that sanctifies the lives of U.S. troops over those of the people whose countries they bomb and invade is as cynical and deadly as the one that values white lives over black ones in America. As we chant “Black Lives Matter,” we should include the lives of black and brown people dying every day from U.S. sanctions in Venezuela, the lives of black and brown people being blown up by U.S. bombs in Yemen and Afghanistan, the lives of people of color in Palestine who are tear-gassed, beaten and shot with Israeli weapons funded by U.S-taxpayers. We must be ready to show solidarity with people defending themselves against U.S.-sponsored violence whether in Minneapolis, New York and Los Angeles, or Afghanistan, Gaza and Iran.
This past week, our friends around the world have given us a magnificent example of what this kind of international solidarity looks like. From London, Copenhagen and Berlin to New Zealand, Canada and Nigeria, people have poured into the streets to show solidarity with African-Americans. They understand that the U.S. lies at the heart of a racist political and economic international order that still dominates the world 60 years after the formal end of Western colonialism. They understand that our struggle is their struggle, and we should understand that their future is also our future.
So as others stand with us, we must also stand with them. Together we must seize this moment to move from incremental reform to real systemic change, not just within the U.S. but throughout the racist, neocolonial world that is policed by the U.S. military.
Feature photo | A demonstrator calls out to a military line near the White House to protest the death of George Floyd, June 3, 2020, in Washington. Carolyn Kaster | AP
Medea Benjamin is cofounder of CODEPINK for Peace, and author of several books, including Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Nicolas J. S. Davies is an independent journalist, a researcher with CODEPINK and the author of Blood On Our Hands: the American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq.


mintpressnews--2020-06-09--George Floyd Protests: Stunning Photos From the Epicenter of a Revolution

The historic uprising against police brutality that has raged through Minneapolis , Minnesota over the past weeks has captured the @ @ @ @ @ world over .
That uprising , sparked by the police murder of George Floyd , @ @ @ @ @ begged for his life as a police officer knelt on his neck for over eight @ @ @ @ @ across America and the world .
Photographer and independent journalist Emma Fiala captured some of @ @ @ @ @ stunning photos captured exclusively for MintPress News .
Feature photo | A man holds up @ @ @ @ @ Police officers after they repeatedly shoot rubber bullets at him as he attempts to retrieve @ @ @ @ @ near them on the night of May 27 .
Emma Fiala is a documentary photographer @ @ @ @ @ and an independent journalist .
Her stories have been featured on MintPress News , the @ @ @ @ @ and Steemit .
Find her on Twitter .

The historic uprising against police brutality that has raged through Minneapolis, Minnesota over the past weeks has captured the imagination of disenfranchised people the world over. That uprising, sparked by the police murder of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who begged for his life as a police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes, has now spread across America and the world. Photographer and independent journalist Emma Fiala captured some of those historic moments in these stunning photos captured exclusively for MintPress News.
Feature photo | A man holds up his middle fingers toward Minneapolis Police officers after they repeatedly shoot rubber bullets at him as he attempts to retrieve his vehicle that is parked near them on the night of May 27.
Emma Fiala is a documentary photographer, mom of two, and an independent journalist. Her stories have been featured on MintPress News, the Anti-Media, Media Roots, and Steemit. Find her on Twitter.


mintpressnews--2020-06-09--Police Attacking Protestors, Journalists and  Doctors While Defending Racist Attackers

A man in a black sedan car barrels towards a large Seattle demonstration protesting the killing of George Floyd .
After he stops , he gets out and shoots a protestor at point blank range .
The crowd scatters in terror .
The man , still brandishing his weapon , casually walks through the mayhem towards the line of police , and is apprehended without incident .
The police surround him , facing the crowd , shielding him from a non-existent threat , apparently totally unconcerned at turning their backs on an armed terrorist who just shot someone .
Police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have saved lives by accosting him to hospital : that was left to the fire department .
After the incident , the police began shooting at the crowd who had just survived the terror attack .
In Bakersfield , California , a drug trafficking white supremacist hit and killed protestor Robert Forbes , an African-American .
Police refused to arrest or handcuff him , allowing him to smoke a cigarette while they protected him from angry protesters .
Police claimed Forbes ’ injuries ( which he died from ) were only “ moderate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protestors themselves for causing the crash by being in the road .
According to local media , the driver has still not been arrested .
Police themselves have been guilty of mowing down protestors with their vehicles .
In New York City , multiple incidents of NYPD cars running over protestors have been caught on camera .
Demonstrators in Brooklyn had placed a yellow road barrier between themselves and a stationary police car .
A second police cruiser accelerates into the crowd , knocking multiple people to the ground before fleeing .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet more people .
On Saturday evening , a second incident involving the NYPD driving into crowds of protestors also occurred .
Historically , it has been law enforcement that escalated race riots , rather than protestors themselves , while MintPress reported that police across the country are doing the same , smashing windows and making “ white power ” gestures at demonstrators protesting racist policing .
A study by The Intercept found that police have been “ responsible for the vast majority of assaults on journalists.
” This has included shooting reporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arresting others live on television .
Medical workers have also been a target of police repression .
Last weekend , the NYPD attacked 32-year-old African-American hospital worker Rayne Valentine as he was leaving his job , kicking and beating his head in until he lay unmoving in the fetal position .
Valentine had to return to the same hospital he had just left , his co-workers putting seven staples in his head to stop the bleeding .
Valentine himself later suggested the police may have only stopped beating him because they saw his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arresting and charging healthcare workers in the midst of the COVID pandemic , the police have proven once again that their purpose is not ‘ to protect and to serve ’ the people , but rather , to protect the ruling class and private property and uphold white supremacy by terrorizing black and brown communities , ” wrote two local activist groups in Left Voice , “ The NYPD is the most well-funded and organized gang in the city , protected by their ‘ union , ’ the Fraternal Order of Police , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instance , ” they added .
Between 2013 and 2019 , 99 percent of police killings resulted in no officer being charged .
Fewer still resulted in a conviction .
In 2019 , law enforcement killed over 1,000 people , and there were only 27 days where police did not kill someone in the United States .
Black people are three times more likely to be shot than white people , with a number of police departments , including Las Vegas , Anaheim , St. Louis , Oklahoma City and Scottsdale , killing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. murder rate .
Cops are legally allowed to have sex with people in their custody in 35 states , further speaking to a culture of immunity within police departments .
While many have been appalled by what they see as unjustifiable police brutality , this culture gives law enforcement themselves a totally different viewpoint .
After a Buffalo cop was fired for pushing a 75-year-old chemo patient to the ground , his head immediately cracking and blood pouring onto the street , the entire city ’ s emergency response team resigned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Philadelphia police inspector Joe Bologna was given a standing ovation from his fellow officers as he turned himself in on police brutality charges stemming from a video showing him attacking a 21-year-old with his club , beating him in the head .
Incidents like these led journalist Jason Koslowski to state that , “ police violence isn ’ t a glitch in the system – it is the system , ” arguing that their role in society is to defend reactionary forces and persecute those trying to change the system .
Thus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the forces of repression , depending on what they stand for , with killers and even racist terrorists treated more leniently than those peacefully protesting racist violence .
Police , therefore , will be extremely alarmed at a veto-proof majority of the Minneapolis City Council pledging to completely dismantle the “ not reformable ” police force .
In Minneapolis , at least , cops ’ days may be numbered .
Feature photo | Delaware State Rep. Sherry Frost tweeted this photo of a New Hampshire State Trooper fist-bumping a member of an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

A man in a black sedan car barrels towards a large Seattle demonstration protesting the killing of George Floyd. After he stops, he gets out and shoots a protestor at point blank range. The crowd scatters in terror. The man, still brandishing his weapon, casually walks through the mayhem towards the line of police, and is apprehended without incident. The police surround him, facing the crowd, shielding him from a non-existent threat, apparently totally unconcerned at turning their backs on an armed terrorist who just shot someone. Police did not take the hero who might have saved lives by accosting him to hospital: that was left to the fire department. After the incident, the police began shooting at the crowd who had just survived the terror attack.
A man just drove through a crowd of demonstrators in Seattle and then appeared to shoot someone. Authorities say the man is in custody, one person shot is in the hospital in stable condition. Here's a capture from a FB livestream, via twitch pic.twitter.com/tlaqvpwGjm — Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) June 8, 2020
This video shows the guy going up to police and getting taken into custodypic.twitter.com/iVPe4wvdFt — Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) June 8, 2020
In Bakersfield, California, a drug trafficking white supremacist hit and killed protestor Robert Forbes, an African-American. Police refused to arrest or handcuff him, allowing him to smoke a cigarette while they protected him from angry protesters. Police claimed Forbes’ injuries (which he died from) were only “moderate to major,” and blamed the protestors themselves for causing the crash by being in the road. According to local media, the driver has still not been arrested.
Police themselves have been guilty of mowing down protestors with their vehicles. In New York City, multiple incidents of NYPD cars running over protestors have been caught on camera. Demonstrators in Brooklyn had placed a yellow road barrier between themselves and a stationary police car. A second police cruiser accelerates into the crowd, knocking multiple people to the ground before fleeing. The first car follows suit, driving into yet more people. On Saturday evening, a second incident involving the NYPD driving into crowds of protestors also occurred.
Historically, it has been law enforcement that escalated race riots, rather than protestors themselves, while MintPress reported that police across the country are doing the same, smashing windows and making “white power” gestures at demonstrators protesting racist policing. A study by The Intercept found that police have been “responsible for the vast majority of assaults on journalists.” This has included shooting reporters in the face with rubber bullets and arresting others live on television.
Medical workers have also been a target of police repression. Last weekend, the NYPD attacked 32-year-old African-American hospital worker Rayne Valentine as he was leaving his job, kicking and beating his head in until he lay unmoving in the fetal position. Valentine had to return to the same hospital he had just left, his co-workers putting seven staples in his head to stop the bleeding. Valentine himself later suggested the police may have only stopped beating him because they saw his bloodied hospital identification card.
“By arresting and charging healthcare workers in the midst of the COVID pandemic, the police have proven once again that their purpose is not ‘to protect and to serve’ the people, but rather, to protect the ruling class and private property and uphold white supremacy by terrorizing black and brown communities,” wrote two local activist groups in Left Voice, “The NYPD is the most well-funded and organized gang in the city, protected by their ‘union,’ the Fraternal Order of Police, which defends racist killer cops at every instance,” they added.
TW // On May 27th, a Tallahassee police officer shot & killed Tony McDade, a black trans man. Since, TPD has not released body cam footage or named the officer involved. Yesterday 100 cops walked out in protest of releasing that name. Yes, all cops. https://t.co/1Efn22GScx — alexis isabel (@lexi4prez) June 7, 2020
Between 2013 and 2019, 99 percent of police killings resulted in no officer being charged. Fewer still resulted in a conviction. In 2019, law enforcement killed over 1,000 people, and there were only 27 days where police did not kill someone in the United States. Black people are three times more likely to be shot than white people, with a number of police departments, including Las Vegas, Anaheim, St. Louis, Oklahoma City and Scottsdale, killing black men at a higher frequency than the U.S. murder rate. Cops are legally allowed to have sex with people in their custody in 35 states, further speaking to a culture of immunity within police departments.
While many have been appalled by what they see as unjustifiable police brutality, this culture gives law enforcement themselves a totally different viewpoint. After a Buffalo cop was fired for pushing a 75-year-old chemo patient to the ground, his head immediately cracking and blood pouring onto the street, the entire city’s emergency response team resigned en masse in protest. Meanwhile, Philadelphia police inspector Joe Bologna was given a standing ovation from his fellow officers as he turned himself in on police brutality charges stemming from a video showing him attacking a 21-year-old with his club, beating him in the head.
BREAKING: @PhillyPolice Staff Inspector Joe Bologna,54,leaves @FOPLodge5 to turn himself in on felony charges for violent protest confrontation last week that severely injured @TempleUniv student,21, when hit on head with police baton @FOX29philly pic.twitter.com/VsJSYSseHY — Steve Keeley (@KeeleyFox29) June 8, 2020
Incidents like these led journalist Jason Koslowski to state that, “police violence isn’t a glitch in the system – it is the system,” arguing that their role in society is to defend reactionary forces and persecute those trying to change the system. Thus, political actors will be treated very differently by the forces of repression, depending on what they stand for, with killers and even racist terrorists treated more leniently than those peacefully protesting racist violence.
Police, therefore, will be extremely alarmed at a veto-proof majority of the Minneapolis City Council pledging to completely dismantle the “not reformable” police force. In Minneapolis, at least, cops’ days may be numbered.
Feature photo | Delaware State Rep. Sherry Frost tweeted this photo of a New Hampshire State Trooper fist-bumping a member of an armed group of counter-protesters.
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-06-09--From Superpredators to Black Lives Matter: Hillary Clinton’s Opportunistic Career Arc

After the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis two weeks ago , a spontaneous nationwide movement of millions of people protesting racist policing has gripped the country .
Politicians of all stripes have staked out their positions , condemning , endorsing , or trying to co-opt the radical movement .
The latest of these is failed 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton .
The former New York senator published her thoughts on her on Medium blog , where she appeared to endorse the Black Lives Matter movement , something she has previously stayed well clear of doing .
“ George Floyd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Breonna Taylor ’ s lives mattered .
Black lives matter , ” she began by stating .
“ I promise to keep fighting alongside all of you to make the United States a place where all men and all women are treated as equals , just as we are and just as we deserve to be , ” she added , positioning herself on the same side as the protestors , many of whom are demanding the abolition of the police .
Clinton commended the amazing “ power of solidarity ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out against white supremacy in all its forms , ” declaring that America is long overdue for “ an honest reckoning ” with its racism problem .
However , an honest reckoning with Clinton ’ s past unearths a myriad of troubling incidents and positions that are difficult to square with her newfound radical antiracist stance .
She supported her husband and Joe Biden ’ s 1994 Crime Bill that led to an explosion in mass incarceration across the country .
In 1996 , she went further , using well-established racial dog whistles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people had emerged in America : that of the superpredators , stating : We need to take these people on , they are often connected to big drug cartels , they are not just gangs of kids anymore .
They are often the kinds of kids that are called superpredators .
No conscience .
No empathy .
We can talk about why they ended up that way but first we have to bring them to heel.
” In practice , this largely meant young men of color , and was part of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the right , turning against working-class people and racial minorities .
Clinton has hardly been an ally to black people outside the United States either .
In 1998 , she supported her husband ’ s missile strike on a Sudanese drug factory , a largely forgotten attack that the German Ambassador to Sudan estimated killed “ several tens of thousands ” of civilians by depriving them of much-need medicines .
President Clinton also continued George H. W. Bush ’ s destruction of a fledgling democracy in Haiti , giving his support to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state Jean-Bertrand Aristide .
After the 2010 earthquake that wrecked the country , Clinton , in her role as Secretary of State , presided over what amounted to a U.S. invasion and occupation of the island , one whose consequences reverberate to this day .
In Libya too , Clinton pushed for a supposedly humanitarian intervention in the country , cajoling other nations into complying .
Leaked emails show that she was aware that the extremist groups they were funding were carrying out massacres against black Libyans and that NATO was committing war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in her achievement ; speaking of the deposed and executed head of state , Muammar Gaddafi , she laughed , stating , “ We came , we saw , he died !
” Today , the extremist groups who control the country regulate open slave markets where black Africans are bought and sold .
Despite her new proclamations that black lives matter , it is unclear whether activists will accept her apparent change of heart .
For one , a leaked 2015 Democratic Party memo on dealing with Black Lives Matter told members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but instructed them clearly : “ don ’ t offer support for concrete policy positions.
” Black Lives Matter responded to the leak , stating they were “ disappointed at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ’ s placating response , ” adding that “ black communities deserve to be heard , not handled.
” Clinton herself was accosted by Black Lives Matter activists during her 2016 election campaign , who asked her to apologize for the mass incarceration state she helped build .
“ I am not a superpredator , ” one told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Iraq , Clinton has often changed her positions in tune with what is politically expedient .
In reality , any “ honest reckoning ” would involve taking a look at her own hand in upholding and enforcing structural racism across the country and the world .
Feature photo | Hillary Clinton winks as she speaks to Lesley McSpadden , right , the mother of Michael Brown , while working the rope line during a campaign stop at a union hall on Dec. 11 , 2015 , in St. Louis .
Brown was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officer in Aug. 2014 setting off the Black Lives Matter movement .
Jeff Roberson | AP Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

After the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis two weeks ago, a spontaneous nationwide movement of millions of people protesting racist policing has gripped the country. Politicians of all stripes have staked out their positions, condemning, endorsing, or trying to co-opt the radical movement. The latest of these is failed 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The former New York senator published her thoughts on her on Medium blog, where she appeared to endorse the Black Lives Matter movement, something she has previously stayed well clear of doing. “George Floyd’s life mattered. Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor’s lives mattered. Black lives matter,” she began by stating.
“I promise to keep fighting alongside all of you to make the United States a place where all men and all women are treated as equals, just as we are and just as we deserve to be,” she added, positioning herself on the same side as the protestors, many of whom are demanding the abolition of the police. Clinton commended the amazing “power of solidarity” she had seen and promised to “speak out against white supremacy in all its forms,” declaring that America is long overdue for “an honest reckoning” with its racism problem.
Against a backdrop of a pandemic that has disproportionately ravaged communities of color, we are being painfully reminded right now that we are long overdue for honest reckoning and meaningful action to dismantle systemic racism. https://t.co/ulLKpTFSrF — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 6, 2020
Inconvenient Truths
However, an honest reckoning with Clinton’s past unearths a myriad of troubling incidents and positions that are difficult to square with her newfound radical antiracist stance. She supported her husband and Joe Biden’s 1994 Crime Bill that led to an explosion in mass incarceration across the country. In 1996, she went further, using well-established racial dog whistles to argue that a new class of people had emerged in America: that of the superpredators, stating:
We need to take these people on, they are often connected to big drug cartels, they are not just gangs of kids anymore. They are often the kinds of kids that are called superpredators. No conscience. No empathy. We can talk about why they ended up that way but first we have to bring them to heel.”
In practice, this largely meant young men of color, and was part of the “New Democrats’” swing to the right, turning against working-class people and racial minorities.
Clinton has hardly been an ally to black people outside the United States either. In 1998, she supported her husband’s missile strike on a Sudanese drug factory, a largely forgotten attack that the German Ambassador to Sudan estimated killed “several tens of thousands” of civilians by depriving them of much-need medicines. President Clinton also continued George H. W. Bush’s destruction of a fledgling democracy in Haiti, giving his support to the removal of the newly elected head of state Jean-Bertrand Aristide. After the 2010 earthquake that wrecked the country, Clinton, in her role as Secretary of State, presided over what amounted to a U.S. invasion and occupation of the island, one whose consequences reverberate to this day.
In Libya too, Clinton pushed for a supposedly humanitarian intervention in the country, cajoling other nations into complying. Leaked emails show that she was aware that the extremist groups they were funding were carrying out massacres against black Libyans and that NATO was committing war crimes. However, she was triumphant in her achievement; speaking of the deposed and executed head of state, Muammar Gaddafi, she laughed, stating, “We came, we saw, he died!” Today, the extremist groups who control the country regulate open slave markets where black Africans are bought and sold.
When do black lives matter?
Despite her new proclamations that black lives matter, it is unclear whether activists will accept her apparent change of heart. For one, a leaked 2015 Democratic Party memo on dealing with Black Lives Matter told members to “listen to their concerns” but instructed them clearly: “don’t offer support for concrete policy positions.” Black Lives Matter responded to the leak, stating they were “disappointed at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s placating response,” adding that “black communities deserve to be heard, not handled.”
Clinton herself was accosted by Black Lives Matter activists during her 2016 election campaign, who asked her to apologize for the mass incarceration state she helped build. “I am not a superpredator,” one told her.
From same-sex marriage to trade to Iraq, Clinton has often changed her positions in tune with what is politically expedient. In reality, any “honest reckoning” would involve taking a look at her own hand in upholding and enforcing structural racism across the country and the world.
Feature photo | Hillary Clinton winks as she speaks to Lesley McSpadden, right, the mother of Michael Brown, while working the rope line during a campaign stop at a union hall on Dec. 11, 2015, in St. Louis. Brown was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer in Aug. 2014 setting off the Black Lives Matter movement. Jeff Roberson | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-06-09--Podcast: Pandemic Profiteering – How Billionaires Are Looting American Taxpayers

Welcome to MintCast , the official MintPress News podcast hosted by Mnar Muhawesh .
MintCast is an interview podcast featuring dissenting voices , independent researchers , and journalists the establishment would rather silence .
In this episode , we are joined by MintPress News senior staff writer , Alan MacLeod .
MacLeod covers everything from socioeconomic inequality , the oligarch class in Western nations , U.S. foreign policy in the Global South , and press freedom .
He is also the author of “ Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Since April , he has uncovered how COVID-19 came to be a boon for the ultra-wealthy , reporting that America ’ s billionaires , including Jeff Bezos , Bill Gates , Warren Buffet , Michael Bloomberg and others , accrued more wealth in the first three weeks of the lockdown than they made in total prior to 1980 .
Billionaire wealth surged by $ 484 billion in just three months , while a record 40 million Americans filed for unemployment .
This economic phenomenon , the largest radical transfer of wealth out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hands of billionaires , was the largest taxpayer bailout of the wealthy in American history .
While the pandemic and subsequent lockdown turned the world upside down for working-class people , forcing upon them school closures , long lines at the grocery store , empty shelves , panic buying , record unemployment , and miles-long bread lines , little media attention was given to the Billionaires buying islands and land where they could enjoy life in first-class bunkers built to withstand a nuclear war .
If anything , the coronavirus has lifted the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States , an unfortunate reality in the world ’ s richest country .
Macleod leaves us with a salient statistic , explaining that while Amazon owner Jeff Bezos makes $ 1 million every three minutes , “ Amazon staff , directly employed by Bezos , also risk their lives for measly pay .
One-third of all Amazon workers in Arizona , for example , are enrolled in the food stamps program , their wages so low that they can not afford to pay for food.
” Alan MacLeod joins MintCast to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming economic crash that is expected to contract the economy by 40 percent will only advance the interests of America ’ s ultra-wealthy and increase their wealth even further .
America already faces a reality in which less than one thousand billionaires influence policies that ensure more tax obligations for the working class to the benefit of ultra-wealthy oligarchs .
Corporate media ensures this reality by presenting billionaires in a positive light , often as philanthropists who run charitable organizations .
Yet , in reality , they are little more than big fish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the working class .
This program is 100 percent listener supported !
You can join the hundreds of financial sponsors who make this show possible by becoming a member on our Patreon page .
Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes , Spotify and SoundCloud .
Please leave us a review and share this segment .
Mnar Muhawesh is founder , CEO and editor in chief of MintPress News , and is also a regular speaker on responsible journalism , sexism , neoconservativism within the media and journalism start-ups .

Welcome to MintCast, the official MintPress News podcast hosted by Mnar Muhawesh. MintCast is an interview podcast featuring dissenting voices, independent researchers, and journalists the establishment would rather silence.
In this episode, we are joined by MintPress News senior staff writer, Alan MacLeod. MacLeod covers everything from socioeconomic inequality, the oligarch class in Western nations, U.S. foreign policy in the Global South, and press freedom. He is also the author of “Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent.“
Since April, he has uncovered how COVID-19 came to be a boon for the ultra-wealthy, reporting that America’s billionaires, including Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Michael Bloomberg and others, accrued more wealth in the first three weeks of the lockdown than they made in total prior to 1980. Billionaire wealth surged by $484 billion in just three months, while a record 40 million Americans filed for unemployment.
This economic phenomenon, the largest radical transfer of wealth out of the hands of taxpayers and into the hands of billionaires, was the largest taxpayer bailout of the wealthy in American history.
As MacLeod reported,
In the last 30 years, U.S. billionaire wealth soared by over 1100 percent while median household wealth increased by barely five percent. In 1990, the total wealth held by America’s billionaire class was $240 billion; today that number stands at $2.95 trillion. Thus, America’s billionaires accrued more wealth in just the past three weeks than they made in total prior to 1980.”
While the pandemic and subsequent lockdown turned the world upside down for working-class people, forcing upon them school closures, long lines at the grocery store, empty shelves, panic buying, record unemployment, and miles-long bread lines, little media attention was given to the Billionaires buying islands and land where they could enjoy life in first-class bunkers built to withstand a nuclear war.
If anything, the coronavirus has lifted the veil to expose the growing inequality in the United States, an unfortunate reality in the world’s richest country.
Macleod leaves us with a salient statistic, explaining that while Amazon owner Jeff Bezos makes $1 million every three minutes, “Amazon staff, directly employed by Bezos, also risk their lives for measly pay. One-third of all Amazon workers in Arizona, for example, are enrolled in the food stamps program, their wages so low that they cannot afford to pay for food.”
Alan MacLeod joins MintCast to explain all of this and how the coming economic crash that is expected to contract the economy by 40 percent will only advance the interests of America’s ultra-wealthy and increase their wealth even further.
America already faces a reality in which less than one thousand billionaires influence policies that ensure more tax obligations for the working class to the benefit of ultra-wealthy oligarchs. Corporate media ensures this reality by presenting billionaires in a positive light, often as philanthropists who run charitable organizations. Yet, in reality, they are little more than big fish eating off of the hard work of the working class.
This program is 100 percent listener supported! You can join the hundreds of financial sponsors who make this show possible by becoming a member on our Patreon page.
Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify and SoundCloud. Please leave us a review and share this segment.
Mnar Muhawesh is founder, CEO and editor in chief of MintPress News, and is also a regular speaker on responsible journalism, sexism, neoconservativism within the media and journalism start-ups.


mintpressnews--2020-06-10--Flights Logs Suggest Bolivia Coup May Have Been Planned in Brazil

Bolivian President Evo Morales was overthrown in a U.S.-backed coup in November .
But new details have emerged that suggest Brazil had a larger hand in his ouster than previously confirmed .
Argentinian outlet Pagina 12 reports that flight logs of the presidential jet show that on November 11 , the day of the coup , the vehicle was not in La Paz , nor any other Bolivian airport , but flying to Brazil ’ s capital Brasilia .
Throughout much of November , where the country entered an intense period of conflict between Morales supporters and coup leaders , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Brazil .
Since the coup , the Bolivian jet has made 25 separate visits to the country and has not visited another state .
Questions abound : Why is the Bolivian presidential jet making so many trips to Brasilia ?
Since Jeanine Añez , the far-right Christian fundamentalist senator that replaced Morales was in the presidential palace , who was on the plane ?
To what extent was Brazil involved in the November coup ?
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro , who came to power under questionable circumstances himself , made no effort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was overthrown by the military and replaced with Añez .
“ The Brazilian government congratulates Sen. Jeanine Añez for constitutionally assuming the Presidency of Bolivia and welcomes her determination to work for the country ’ s pacification and prompt holding of general elections , ” read a statement from Bolsonaro ’ s Foreign Ministry .
The “ pacification ” refers to the massacres carried out by death squads , who were given pre-immunity for any crimes committed while destroying resistance to the new regime .
One of the first victims of the coup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sebastian Moro .
Just hours after Moro had penned an article denouncing attacks against journalists by the coup plotters , he was found unconscious in the street , beaten into a vegetative state .
He died a few days after arriving at the hospital .
His death has been largely ignored by media , human rights , and press freedom groups .
Indeed , MintPress News was the only Western outlet to cover his murder .
The United States , and virtually the entire spectrum of corporate media , hailed the military overthrow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , this week , the New York Times admitted that the basis for supporting the coup – a report into Morales ’ supposed election meddling in the October election – was completely false .
Morales comfortably won the election and was about to start another five-year term .
In 13 years in office , Morales and his Movement to Socialism Party ( MAS ) had managed to halve poverty and reduce extreme poverty even further .
Per capita GDP , adjusted for inflation , grew by over 50 percent under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this by renationalizing Bolivia ’ s hydrocarbons industry , taking back public control over the country ’ s vital resources from transnational corporations , and by transferring a very small amount of the elite ’ s wealth to the bottom 99 percent of the country .
In November , Morales was forced to flee the country on a jet belonging to the government of Mexico .
It is now clear why he did not use his own presidential plane .
Añez was a little-known senator from a party who received only four percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Despite this , the military hand picked her to become the figurehead of the new administration .
According to Pagina 12 , the Brazilian Ambassador had a hand in her selection .
As soon as she took power , she began massacring protestors and building an engine of state repression .
The much-promised new elections were postponed amid the COVID-19 pandemic , but questions remain as to how democratic a process can be when the MAS party , who convincingly won in October , are effectively banned from campaigning , with many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charges .
Last week , the country ’ s Supreme Court announced that elections should take place on September 6 , a decision welcomed by MAS but condemned by the new government .
After supporting the coup in Bolivia , Bolsonaro now appears to be pushing for a “ self-coup ” in Brazil .
Last month , after a number of key members of his cabinet resigned in protest , he led a demonstration calling for the military to intervene and shut down Congress and the Supreme Court .
Five former defense ministers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to oppose his demands .
The conflict is taking place amid the second-worst COVID-19 outbreak in the world , with three-quarters of a million Brazilians already testing positive .
Bolsonaro has constantly downplayed or denied the existence of the coronavirus , brushing it off as merely a “ little flu ” and holding public rallies with supporters even after he and many in his entourage tested positive for the virus .
“ Brazil is at the mercy of a deranged lunatic ” is how independent outlet Brasil Wire described the country ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might be suffering the same fate as well .
Feature photo | Jeanine Anez laughs during her opening campaign rally for the presidency in La Paz , Bolivia , March 8 , 2020 .
Juan Karita | AP Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

Bolivian President Evo Morales was overthrown in a U.S.-backed coup in November. But new details have emerged that suggest Brazil had a larger hand in his ouster than previously confirmed. Argentinian outlet Pagina 12 reports that flight logs of the presidential jet show that on November 11, the day of the coup, the vehicle was not in La Paz, nor any other Bolivian airport, but flying to Brazil’s capital Brasilia. Throughout much of November, where the country entered an intense period of conflict between Morales supporters and coup leaders, the aircraft was traveling around major cities in Brazil. Since the coup, the Bolivian jet has made 25 separate visits to the country and has not visited another state.
Questions abound: Why is the Bolivian presidential jet making so many trips to Brasilia? Since Jeanine Añez, the far-right Christian fundamentalist senator that replaced Morales was in the presidential palace, who was on the plane? To what extent was Brazil involved in the November coup? Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who came to power under questionable circumstances himself, made no effort to appear disappointed or outraged when Morales was overthrown by the military and replaced with Añez. “The Brazilian government congratulates Sen. Jeanine Añez for constitutionally assuming the Presidency of Bolivia and welcomes her determination to work for the country’s pacification and prompt holding of general elections,” read a statement from Bolsonaro’s Foreign Ministry. The “pacification” refers to the massacres carried out by death squads, who were given pre-immunity for any crimes committed while destroying resistance to the new regime.
One of the first victims of the coup was Pagina 12’s own journalist Sebastian Moro. Just hours after Moro had penned an article denouncing attacks against journalists by the coup plotters, he was found unconscious in the street, beaten into a vegetative state. He died a few days after arriving at the hospital. His death has been largely ignored by media, human rights, and press freedom groups. Indeed, MintPress News was the only Western outlet to cover his murder.
The United States, and virtually the entire spectrum of corporate media, hailed the military overthrow of Bolivia’s most popular leader. However, this week, the New York Times admitted that the basis for supporting the coup – a report into Morales’ supposed election meddling in the October election – was completely false. Morales comfortably won the election and was about to start another five-year term. In 13 years in office, Morales and his Movement to Socialism Party (MAS) had managed to halve poverty and reduce extreme poverty even further. Per capita GDP, adjusted for inflation, grew by over 50 percent under the MAS. They were able to do this by renationalizing Bolivia’s hydrocarbons industry, taking back public control over the country’s vital resources from transnational corporations, and by transferring a very small amount of the elite’s wealth to the bottom 99 percent of the country. In November, Morales was forced to flee the country on a jet belonging to the government of Mexico. It is now clear why he did not use his own presidential plane.
Añez was a little-known senator from a party who received only four percent of the vote in the October elections. Despite this, the military hand picked her to become the figurehead of the new administration. According to Pagina 12, the Brazilian Ambassador had a hand in her selection. As soon as she took power, she began massacring protestors and building an engine of state repression. The much-promised new elections were postponed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but questions remain as to how democratic a process can be when the MAS party, who convincingly won in October, are effectively banned from campaigning, with many of their leaders under arrest on bogus charges. Last week, the country’s Supreme Court announced that elections should take place on September 6, a decision welcomed by MAS but condemned by the new government.
After supporting the coup in Bolivia, Bolsonaro now appears to be pushing for a “self-coup” in Brazil. Last month, after a number of key members of his cabinet resigned in protest, he led a demonstration calling for the military to intervene and shut down Congress and the Supreme Court. Five former defense ministers penned an open letter asking the military to oppose his demands. The conflict is taking place amid the second-worst COVID-19 outbreak in the world, with three-quarters of a million Brazilians already testing positive. Bolsonaro has constantly downplayed or denied the existence of the coronavirus, brushing it off as merely a “little flu” and holding public rallies with supporters even after he and many in his entourage tested positive for the virus. “Brazil is at the mercy of a deranged lunatic” is how independent outlet Brasil Wire described the country’s situation. Thanks to Brazil, Bolivia might be suffering the same fate as well.
Feature photo | Jeanine Anez laughs during her opening campaign rally for the presidency in La Paz, Bolivia, March 8, 2020. Juan Karita | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-06-10--Palestine Bleeds: Israel’s Execution of an Autistic Man is Not an Exception but the Norm

A 32-year-old man with the mental age of an 8-year-old child was executed by Israeli soldiers on May 30 , while crouching behind his teacher near his special needs school in the Old City of Jerusalem .
The cold-blooded murder of Eyad Hallaq might not have received much attention if it were not for the fact that it took place five days following the similarly heartbreaking murder of a 46-year-old black man , George Floyd , in Minneapolis , at the hands of American police .
The two crimes converge , not only in their repugnancy and the moral decadence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American police officers have been trained in Israel , by the very Israeli ‘ security forces ’ that killed Hallaq .
The practice of killing civilians , with efficiency and callousness , is now a burgeoning market .
Israel is the biggest contributor to this market ; the US is the world ’ s largest client .
When thousands of people rushed to the streets in Palestine , including hundreds of Palestinian and Israeli Jewish activists in Jerusalem , chanting “ Justice for Eyad , justice for George ” , their cry for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to injustice so great , so blatant .
Hallaq ’ s story might appear particularly unique , as the ‘ suspected terrorist ’ was killed while merely walking in King Faisal Street in Jerusalem , on his way to take out the trash .
He was afraid of soldiers and terrified of blood .
“ He was also afraid of the armed police officers who stood along the route to the special needs center he went to , where he participated in a vocational training program , ” the Israeli newspaper , Haaretz @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fears , which may have appeared exaggerated by his family , turned out to be true .
Even an autistic person in Palestine is not safe from the vengeance of soldiers .
But Eyad Hallaq did not need to die for Israel to maintain its pathological sense of ‘ security ’ .
The fact that he was already shot and wounded , and found bleeding in a roofless garbage room in Jerusalem ’ s Old City , was not enough to spare him that horrific fate .
The fact that the man screamed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who pleaded with the soldiers , begging them to stop puncturing his already bleeding body with more bullets , was also not enough .
Still , the soldiers stepped forward , and from a very close range , fired three bullets into Hallaq ’ s midsection as he lay wounded on his back .
Instantly , the young man , the ‘ apple of the eyes of his parents ’ , ceased breathing .
“ He was our mother ’ s love , her entire life , ” Eyad ’ s sister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ magazine .
“ She would hold his hand like he was a baby , and he would walk with her to the market , or the mosque or the clothing store .
He was like her shadow .
She worried about him and whether other kids would bother or hurt him.
” Caught off guard by the grisly nature of the murder and the mental state of the victim , Israel ’ s spin doctors moved quickly to contain the damage , initially spreading lies that Hallaq was carrying a toy gun at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backing off , promising an investigation .
But what is there to investigate ?
In recent years , the Israeli army has upgraded its code of conduct , adopting a shoot-to-kill policy of any Palestinian they suspect of attempting to harm Israeli occupation soldiers , even when the alleged Palestinian ‘ attacker ’ is no longer posing a threat .
In the case of Gaza , where protesters are separated from Israeli snipers by barbed wire and nearly a mile-long empty space , the Israeli military issued orders , as of June 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instigators ’ of the mass protests even while ‘ at rest ’ .
Hundreds of people have been killed in Gaza ’ s Great March of Return in this way , and the ‘ key instigators ’ included medics , journalists , young boys and girls .
Indeed , the killing of Palestinian civilians is a regular occurrence .
It is the devastating routine with which Palestinians have been forced to co-exist for many years and for which Israel was never ever held accountable .
Only one day before Hallaq was murdered , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killed by Israeli occupation soldiers while driving his car near the Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh , west of Ramallah .
The Israeli military immediately claimed that Qaad “ tried to ram his car into a group of soldiers ” before they opened fire , killing him on the spot .
This is the go-to Israeli military pretense that is often offered when a Palestinian driver is shot and killed by Israeli soldiers .
Otherwise , the Palestinian victim , whether a man , a woman , or a child , is often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ .
Hallaq ’ s mental disability might have spared him , in the eyes of some , from being that archetypical ‘ terrorist ’ , although the Israeli army immediately raided his house , looking for ‘ evidence ’ that would implicate him and be useful in their sinister propaganda .
In the case of Qaad , a Palestinian worker , on his way to join his wife in a nearby town to celebrate the Muslim Eid holiday , the Israeli army statement suffices , no questions asked .
This is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Palestine for so many years , and counting .
Children are killed for throwing stones at men with guns , who have invaded their homes and villages ; pregnant women are gunned down at Israeli army checkpoints ; men with amputated legs on wheelchairs shot by snipers while protesting and demanding their freedom .
All of this is taking place in the complete absence of any promising political horizon .
Even the protracted and ultimately useless ‘ peace process ’ has been halted in favor of greater American backing of Israel and of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to expand illegal Jewish settlements .
To secure his colonial accomplishments – read : land theft – Israel ’ s Prime Minister , Benjamin Netanyahu , is about to reveal the crown jewel of his legacy , as he prepares for the expansion of Israel ’ s borders through the annexation of yet more Palestinian land .
Inspired by the common struggle that ties them with their African-American brethren , Palestinians are now left only with their cries for justice : Palestinian lives matter , hoping , for once , the world may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perhaps , do something .
Feature photo | The mother of Eyad Hallaq kisses his photo in their home in East Jerusalem ’ s Wadi Joz , June 3 , 2020 .
Mahmoud Illean | AP Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle .
He is the author of five books .
His latest is “ These Chains Will Be Broken : Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons ” ( Clarity Press , Atlanta ) .
Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( CIGA ) , Istanbul Zaim University ( IZU ) .
His website is www.ramzybaroud.net

A 32-year-old man with the mental age of an 8-year-old child was executed by Israeli soldiers on May 30, while crouching behind his teacher near his special needs school in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The cold-blooded murder of Eyad Hallaq might not have received much attention if it were not for the fact that it took place five days following the similarly heartbreaking murder of a 46-year-old black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis, at the hands of American police.
The two crimes converge, not only in their repugnancy and the moral decadence of their perpetrators but also because countless American police officers have been trained in Israel, by the very Israeli ‘security forces’ that killed Hallaq. The practice of killing civilians, with efficiency and callousness, is now a burgeoning market. Israel is the biggest contributor to this market; the US is the world’s largest client.
When thousands of people rushed to the streets in Palestine, including hundreds of Palestinian and Israeli Jewish activists in Jerusalem, chanting “Justice for Eyad , justice for George”, their cry for justice was a spontaneous and heartfelt reaction to injustice so great, so blatant.
Hallaq’s story might appear particularly unique, as the ‘suspected terrorist’ was killed while merely walking in King Faisal Street in Jerusalem, on his way to take out the trash. He was afraid of soldiers and terrified of blood.
“He was also afraid of the armed police officers who stood along the route to the special needs center he went to, where he participated in a vocational training program,” the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, reported.
Hallaq’s many fears, which may have appeared exaggerated by his family, turned out to be true. Even an autistic person in Palestine is not safe from the vengeance of soldiers.
But Eyad Hallaq did not need to die for Israel to maintain its pathological sense of ‘security’. The fact that he was already shot and wounded, and found bleeding in a roofless garbage room in Jerusalem’s Old City, was not enough to spare him that horrific fate. The fact that the man screamed in agony while hiding behind his caregiver, who pleaded with the soldiers, begging them to stop puncturing his already bleeding body with more bullets, was also not enough.
Still, the soldiers stepped forward, and from a very close range, fired three bullets into Hallaq’s midsection as he lay wounded on his back. Instantly, the young man, the ‘apple of the eyes of his parents’, ceased breathing.
“He was our mother’s love, her entire life,” Eyad’s sister Diana said in an interview with +972 magazine. “She would hold his hand like he was a baby, and he would walk with her to the market, or the mosque or the clothing store. He was like her shadow. She worried about him and whether other kids would bother or hurt him.”
Caught off guard by the grisly nature of the murder and the mental state of the victim, Israel’s spin doctors moved quickly to contain the damage, initially spreading lies that Hallaq was carrying a toy gun at the time of the shooting, then backing off, promising an investigation.
But what is there to investigate? In recent years, the Israeli army has upgraded its code of conduct, adopting a shoot-to-kill policy of any Palestinian they suspect of attempting to harm Israeli occupation soldiers, even when the alleged Palestinian ‘attacker’ is no longer posing a threat.
In the case of Gaza, where protesters are separated from Israeli snipers by barbed wire and nearly a mile-long empty space, the Israeli military issued orders, as of June 2019, to shoot and kill ‘key instigators’ of the mass protests even while ‘at rest’. Hundreds of people have been killed in Gaza’s Great March of Return in this way, and the ‘key instigators’ included medics, journalists, young boys and girls.
Indeed, the killing of Palestinian civilians is a regular occurrence. It is the devastating routine with which Palestinians have been forced to co-exist for many years and for which Israel was never ever held accountable.
Only one day before Hallaq was murdered, Fadi Samara Qaad, 37, was killed by Israeli occupation soldiers while driving his car near the Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh, west of Ramallah.
The Israeli military immediately claimed that Qaad “tried to ram his car into a group of soldiers” before they opened fire, killing him on the spot.
This is the go-to Israeli military pretense that is often offered when a Palestinian driver is shot and killed by Israeli soldiers. Otherwise, the Palestinian victim, whether a man, a woman, or a child, is often accused of carrying a ‘sharp object’.
Hallaq’s mental disability might have spared him, in the eyes of some, from being that archetypical ‘terrorist’, although the Israeli army immediately raided his house, looking for ‘evidence’ that would implicate him and be useful in their sinister propaganda.
In the case of Qaad, a Palestinian worker, on his way to join his wife in a nearby town to celebrate the Muslim Eid holiday, the Israeli army statement suffices, no questions asked.
This is the same stifling logic that has prevailed in Palestine for so many years, and counting. Children are killed for throwing stones at men with guns, who have invaded their homes and villages; pregnant women are gunned down at Israeli army checkpoints; men with amputated legs on wheelchairs shot by snipers while protesting and demanding their freedom.
All of this is taking place in the complete absence of any promising political horizon. Even the protracted and ultimately useless ‘peace process’ has been halted in favor of greater American backing of Israel and of the Israeli government’s mad rush to expand illegal Jewish settlements.
To secure his colonial accomplishments – read: land theft – Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is about to reveal the crown jewel of his legacy, as he prepares for the expansion of Israel’s borders through the annexation of yet more Palestinian land.
Inspired by the common struggle that ties them with their African-American brethren, Palestinians are now left only with their cries for justice: Palestinian lives matter, hoping, for once, the world may hear and echo their screams and, perhaps, do something.
Feature photo | The mother of Eyad Hallaq kisses his photo in their home in East Jerusalem’s Wadi Joz, June 3, 2020. Mahmoud Illean | AP
Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of five books. His latest is “These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons” (Clarity Press, Atlanta). Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA), Istanbul Zaim University (IZU). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net