Tag Archives: 2: Unfavorable

Sexual + Gender Minorities

Moldova News | LGBT

Anti-LGBT protesters disrupt LGBT Pride festivities in Moldova

Video Credit: Campania socială Fără Frică

  • Hundreds demonstrated against a Pride march taking place in Chisinau, the Moldovan capital, by chanting, singing, and reportedly throwing eggs and holy water at participants.
  • The protests appeared to have been led by Orthodox Christian demonstrators, who carried Moldovan and Orthodox flags symbolizing the close ties of religion and national identity in the predominantly Orthodox country.
  • Under heavy police protection, more than 150 participated in the parade, including German, French, and Swedish diplomats, before having to be escorted to safety.

Read more:
“Protesters disrupt Moldova Pride march” (The Washington Blade)
“Activists, Police Fend Off Counter-Protestors At Moldova’s First-Ever LGBT March of Solidarity” (Unicorn Booty)

 

Sexual + Gender Minorities

Romania News | LGBT

Romanian groups work to block same-sex unions in the country
  • Anti-LGBT activists undertook a signature campaign to push for a constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex unions.
  • The campaign was spurred by the Coalition for Family, a confederation backed by the Orthodox Church that claims to have amassed 3 million signatures in support of the amendment.
  • Current marriage law in Romania defines marriage as a union of “partners,” which conservative activists have attempted to have changed before in a failed 2013 campaign.

Read more:
“Romanian groups push for same-sex marriage ban” (AFP via 7 News)
“Three Million Romanians Back Anti-Gay Marriage Campaign” (Balkan Insight)

(Image Credit: AFP)

Ideology + Affiliation

Vietnam News | Political Dissidents

Political activists muzzled in Vietnam during visit by President Obama
  • Several activists reported having been detained or otherwise barred from meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama during his visit to Hanoi.
  • President Obama met with a group of civil society leaders and spoke to ongoing concerns over the suppression of free expression and assembly in the country.
  • International human rights groups estimate more than 100 political prisoners languish in Vietnamese prisons, while most of the more than 100 who attempted to run as independents in recent elections were excluded from the ballot.

Read more:
“As Obama Presses Vietnam on Rights, Activists Are Barred From Meeting” (The New York Times)
“Obama prods Vietnam on rights after activists stopped from meeting him” (Reuters)
“In shadow of Obama’s visit, Vietnam cracked down on protests over dead fish” (The Washington Post)

(Image Credit: Kham/Reuters, via The Washington Post)

Gender

India Research | Women

Gender-based Harassment in India’s Urban Spaces

A YouGov/Action Aid UK survey recently polled 502 Indian women about their experiences in urban public spaces, finding that nearly four-in-five women have experienced public harassment in cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, and Kolkata. In the aftermath of the brutal gang rape of a woman on a Delhi bus in late 2012, government and civil society campaigns have encouraged women to report violence, although advocates say crimes (particularly domestic violence) continue to be underreported.

79%

Percentage of women reporting having experienced public harassment in cities

46%

Percentage of women reporting public insults and name-calling

39%

Percentage of women reporting having been groped or touched involuntarily

16%

Percentage of women reporting having been drugged

337,922*

Number of reports of violence against women in 2014, including rape, abduction, and molestation

Read:
“Almost 80 percent of Indian women face public harassment in cities: survey” (The Thomson Reuters Foundation)
“79% of women in India faced public harassment” (The Times of India)
“Three in four women experience harassment and violence in UK and global cities” (ActionAid UK)

* According to India’s National Crime Records Bureau

Ideology + Affiliation

Myanmar News | Labor Activists

More than 70 arrested in Myanmar after labor demonstration
  • Police reportedly detained 71 protesters and charged 51 after they attempted to march from their wood-processing factory in Sagaing State to Naypyitaw, the capital.
  • Protesters organized to call for organizing rights and the re-hiring of terminated factory workers.
  • Myanmar’s government has come under fire from rights groups for a proposal to retain junta-era restrictions on assembly and free speech, including the exclusion of non-citizens (including the Rohingya minority) from demonstration rights.

Read more:
“More than 50 people charged in Myanmar after protest: police” (Reuters)
“New Myanmar government proposes keeping some junta curbs on protests” (Reuters)
“Protest law changes fail international standards: Amnesty” (Frontier Myanmar)

Nationality + Migration

Kenya News | Refugees

Kenya announces plans to close refugee camps, including world’s largest
  • If carried out, the decision would impact hundreds of thousands of refugees (most Somali), including more than 300,000 at Dadaab, the largest refugee camp in the world.
  • The government has cited national security concerns for the abandonment of a repatriation agreement with Somalia and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, taking the initial step of disbanding the Department of Refugee Affairs and calling on the international community to support the transition.
  • In the lead up to the announcement, the camps experienced major reductions in resources, including food and healthcare.

Read more:
“Kenya Moves to Close Refugee Camps” (Voice of America)
“Kenya camp closures no surprise to refugees: ‘We’ve been crying out but no one heard’” (African Arguments)
“Closing camp will ‘worsen’ risk of terror” (The Star)

Additional:
UNHCR Dadaab Portal

(Image Credit: UNHCR via Voice of America)

Age, Class + Socioeconomics, Ideology + Affiliation

France News | Workers & Police

Massive protests against French labor reform bring about violence, arrests, strikes
  • Demonstrations have been ongoing since March, when labor and student unions organized against government proposals perceived as decreasing job security and negotiating power for workers.
  • More than 1,000 have been arrested during clashes with police in cities like Paris and Nantes that have seen more than 300 officers injured as protesters have alleged instances of police brutality, with police unions organizing counter-protests against anti-police violence.
  • After President François Hollande’s government survived a no-confidence vote, union leaders planned rolling strikes and continuing demonstrations across the country.

Read more:
“Une semaine de grèves et manifestations pour relancer le mouvement contre la loi travail” (Le Monde, in French)
“French police hit back at ‘anti-cop hatred’ after protest violence” (The Guardian)
“French government shrugs off no-confidence vote, faces new strikes” (Reuters)

(Image Credit: Geoffroy van der Hasselt/AFP/Getty Images, via The Guardian)

Gender, Ideology + Affiliation

Gambia News | Women Dissidents

Six women charged as Gambian authorities crack down on growing dissent
  • The six were among at least 25 arrested in Banjul for protesting the prosecution of some 45 members of the United Democratic Party (UDP).
  • As demonstrations have continued calling for electoral reforms, protests increased following the death of UDP leader Solo Sandeng in police custody.
  • Public demonstration is rare in Gambia, where President Yahya Jammeh has taken a zero tolerance approach to dissent since taking power in 1994.

Read more:
“Gambia charges six women for protesting trial of opposition figures” (Reuters)
“Fifty-five Gambia UDP opposition members arrested in government crackdown, says party executive” (Radio France Internationale)
“Protests signal serious challenge to Gambia’s ‘billion-year’ president” (Global Voices via The Guardian)

(Image Credit: SEYLLOU/AFP/Getty Images, via The Guardian)

Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

Turkey News | Armenians

Church seizures and political scapegoating heighten unease in Armenian-Turkish community
  • Turkey’s Armenian minority has found itself caught in the middle of increasing conflict between the Turkish government and Kurdish separatists, subject to intimidation, slurs, and attacks from politicians.
  • The Armenian-Turkish community has been particularly upset by the ongoing expropriation of historic churches through eminent domain seizures by the government.
  • In the wake of the centennial of the mass slaughter of Armenians in Turkey during World War I, the community has been fearful of hypernationalist discourse targeting Armenians.

Read more:
“Does Turkey See Its Armenian Minority as a Security Threat?” (EurasiaNet)
“Turkey’s Seizure of Churches and Land Alarms Armenians” (The New York Times)
“A Century Later, Slaughter Still Haunts Turkey and Armenia” (National Geographic)

(Image Credit: Bryan Denton/The New York Times )

Nationality + Migration, Religion + Belief

Germany News | Muslims

German anti-immigrant party adopts anti-Islam manifesto
  • The manifesto from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) states Islam is incompatible with the German Constitution and calls for bans on minarets, full-body veils, and calls to prayer.
  • The AfD holds no seats in the German Parliament, but has members in half of Germany’s state assemblies and polls as high as 14% nationally, causing concern ahead of the country’s 2017 federal elections.
  • Some 2,000 protesters descended on Stuttgart to disrupt the AfD conference, clashing with police during demonstrations.

Read more:
“Anti-immigrant AfD says Muslims not welcome in Germany” (Reuters)
“Germany’s AfD party adopts anti-Islam manifesto” (euronews)
“AfD manifesto criticized as ‘unconstitutional’ for statements on Islam” (Deutsche Welle)

(Image Credit: F. von Erichsen/picture-alliance/dpa, via Deutsche Welle)

Age, Race + Color + Ethnicity

Israel & Palestine Feature | Palestinian Youth

Palestinian Youth, from Classroom to Jail Cell

Comprising nearly half of those who have attempted or carried out attacks against Israelis since October, Palestinian youth have found themselves imprisoned in increasing numbers as a result of Israel’s two-tier criminal justice system. Since October, the number of imprisoned youth has more than doubled to 430, including 103 under the age of 17. While Palestinian families and human rights advocates have called for rehabilitation over punishment, Israeli authorities have cited the severity of the crimes as cause for the imprisonments, which would be illegal were the youth Israeli. The New York Times investigates recent cases of youth imprisonment, from the impact of the media to the effects youth violence has had on Palestinian families and communities.

Read:
“Surge in Palestinian Youths in Prison Tests Israel’s Justice System” (The New York Times)

Additional reading:
“Israeli forces detain two Palestinian children over alleged stabbing plans” (Ma’an News Agency, via Al Bawaba)
“Leaderless Palestinian Youth, Inspired by Social Media, Drive Rise in Violence in Israel” (The New York Times, October 2015)
“Palestinian youth devise a new, personalized approach to the Intifada using social media” (Ma’an News Agency, via Al Bawaba, October 2015)

(Image Credit: Rina Castelnuovo/The New York Times)

Nationality + Migration

Costa Rica News | African Migrants

Costa Rica looks to deport hundreds of African migrants
  • An estimated 600 African migrants have become stranded in the country in an attempt to reach the U.S., and the Costa Rican government is attempting to deport them despite the high costs of repatriation or resettlement in a third country.
  • The country is dealing with an ongoing crisis involving thousands of stranded Cubans, who because of border closures have found themselves unable to continue on their trek to the U.S.
  • The government has reportedly received around 200 applications for asylum since late March and denied all of them.

Read more:
“600 US-bound Africans stranded in Costa Rica after officials block route” (The Guardian)
“Deporting 600 migrants back to Africa could be expensive, and impossible” (The Tico Times)
“Deportation Will Be The Final Solution For African Migrants Who Re-enter Costa Rica IllegallyDeportation Will Be The Final Solution For African Migrants Who Re-enter Costa Rica Illegally” (QCostaRica)

(Image Credit: Public Security Ministry, via The Tico Times)

Class + Socioeconomics

U.S. Feature | Class & Socioeconomics

America’s New Gilded Age

Widening socioeconomic divergence in the U.S. has taken center stage in the 2016 presidential campaigns, with everything from campaign financing to banking practices under scrutiny as progressive candidates challenge growing wealth inequality. But economic analysts have noted how beyond governance, socioeconomic divisions are increasingly becoming codified through atomized marketing and service provision practices.  In business, product innovation has increasingly targeted the wealthiest Americans, creating both exclusive-service clubs and an aspirational marketing pipeline that some analysts say has fueled resentment.

Travel has been a particularly stratified industry: cruise lines maintain rigid hierarchies of accommodations and leisure facilities, while distinct class systems on airliners provide wildly different flying experiences for travelers. Talking points from luxury executives make clear that money is not the only bottom line: those of lower income willing to take the financial hit find their entry attempts circumvented by corporate policies that maintain a carefully curated elite. The New York Times examines how widening inequality is impacting innovation, service, and mobility in the U.S.

Read:
“In an Age of Privilege, Not Everyone Is in the Same Boat” (The New York Times)

Additional:
“Growing wealth inequality ‘dangerous’ threat to democracy: experts” (Reuters)
“Is the fear of a financial education widening the wealth gap in America?” (The Guardian)

(Image Credit: Edward Linsmier/The New York Times)

Sexual + Gender Minorities

Russia Feature | LGBT

Homophobia in the Heartland

As international media attention to the plight of LGBT Russians has waned, advocates have found themselves stretched thin trying to support embattled community members while responding to declining visibility and police intimidation. From ongoing violence against transgender Russians to attacks on private clubs and homes, support organizations like Avers have struggled to create stopgaps for the deteriorating conditions plaguing the Russian LGBT community. A Coda Story report highlights the difficulties the community faces in attempts to organize and resist both ongoing state persecution and everyday threats that burden life in Russia’s hyper-conservative heartland.

Read more:
“Gay clubbing and stoic activism in Russia’s homophobic heartland” (Coda Story, via The Guardian)

Additional:
Russian LGBT Network

(Image Credit: Zuma/Rex Features, via The Guardian)

Gender, Nationality + Migration, Religion + Belief

Latvia News | Muslim Women

Latvian ministry plans proposal to ban niqab despite paucity of affected individuals
  • The Ministry of Justice is crafting legislation to ban the niqab, though only a handful of women among the country’s estimated 1,000 practicing Muslims wear the full-body veil.
  • The proposed legislation is a part of Latvia’s widespread anti-immigration reaction to the surge of migration to Europe, framed as a preventative measure as the country prepares to take in 776 refugees over two years (of whom only six have arrived).
  • The legislation does not criminalize the wearing of hijab, but Latvian Muslims have reported public discrimination and vocal prejudice despite the absence of explicitly discriminatory laws.

Read more:
“Latvia Wants to Ban Face Veils, for All 3 Women Who Wear Them” (The New York Times)
“Latvia mulls face veil ban – but only 3 women wear them” (Al Arabiya)
“Latvia wants to become the third country in Europe to ban the face veil” (Al Bawaba)

(Image Credit: Reinis Hofmanis/The New York Times)