Headlines for 23 December 2009

British priest recommends shoplifting

According to the CBC,

Rev. Tim Jones told his Anglican congregation in York last Sunday that in times of desperate need, people may be justified in stealing from large chain stores.

In an interview Tuesday with the BBC, Jones said he didn't want his message "misrepresented as a simplistic call for people to shoplift."

He said it was [a] call for society to "no longer to treat its most vulnerable people with indifference and contempt."

Jones, who previously worked as a prison chaplain, said shoplifting was sometimes the only option for poor families and is preferable to prostitution, mugging, or burglary.

"My advice, as a Christian priest, is to shoplift," he said to the congregation, according to the Independent newspaper. "I do not offer such advice because I think that stealing is a good thing, or because I think it is harmless, for it is neither."

Jones asked parishioners not to steal from family stores, but from large national chains and for them to take only what they need.

Olympic torch relay disrupted

In Ontario, Olympic torch relay events continue to be disrupted.  People in Six Nations prevented the torch relay from passing through their community, and in Toronto the relay was delayed nearly an hour, and had to be split into two groups because of protests.  Pledges have come from across the country to disrupt the 2010 Vancouver Olympics for its role in worsening the situation of those in poverty and indigenous people, among others.

Another mining critic assassinated in Latin America

Another critic of a Canadian mining company has been murdered in Latin America by someone with links to the company.  On Sunday, Ramiro Rivera Gomez was gunned down in El Salvador.

Rivera was a leader in the resistance to Canadian mining company Pacific Rim Mining Corporation, which has been trying to secure permits for its El Dorado gold mine in Cabanas.

This was not the first time Rivera suffered physical attacks by individuals connected to Pacific Rim. In August, he was shot eight times in the back in front of his house. He identified one of his attackers as Oscar Menjivar, who has relationships with local mayors in favour of opening the El Dorado mine.

Nor was this an isolated incident of violence with respect to the company's activities in the region. In June, the body of environmentalist Gustavo Marcelo Rivera Moreno was found in a well, with signs of torture.

Two weeks ago we reported at length on the murder of Mariano Abarca by individuals tied to the Canadian mining company Blackfire.

One year since Gaza massacre

This week marks one year since Israel began its attack on the Gaza Strip. Gaza residents were subjected to three weeks of violence, during which the Israeli military systematically targeted civilian areas, partially destroying dozens of schools, including several run by the UN, where civilians were taking shelter.

This assault left over 1,440 Palestinians dead, predominantly civilians, of whom 431 were children.

A statement released Sunday, Dec. 20 by Palestinian organizations including the Boycott National Committee, read:

"The people of Gaza need your support to end the blockade. Over 1400 international activists from over 42 countries will be in Gaza on December 31. They will march with us to demand that Israel lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip immediately and permanently. We ask you to show your solidarity with Gaza on the same day: wherever you may be, organize a protest, a march or a petition collection in your own country."

In Winnipeg, a vigil is being held this Sunday, December 27 at the Manitoba Legislative Building to commemorate the Gaza massacre at 3:30 pm.

BCCLA condemns Vancouver Olympic Police Force

Yesterday, December 22, the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association released a statement condemning the the head of the 2010 Olympic police force, who has refused to promise that his undercover officers won’t take over and direct the activities of activist groups, or commit illegal acts themselves.


The BCCLA has repeatedly tried to get the head of the Vancouver Integrated Security Unit Bud Mercer to commit to guidelines of conduct for undercover officers, but to date the Security Unit has only agreed to refrain from activities that “provoke others into committing illegal acts.”

Rare Burmese worker protest

On Friday, December 18, Burmese authorities sent a large number of security personnel into a western suburb of the former capital, Rangoon, after rare protests by more than 1,000 workers in a dispute with management at a Malaysian-owned garment factory. Workers who took part in the protest said that deputy labor minister U Tin Tun Aung and deputy military divisional commander Brigadier Kyaw Kyaw Htoon visited the factory, along with northern divisional deputy inspector-general of police Ko Ko Aung.

Workers at the Wong Houng Hand factory claim that foreign supervisors have been mistreating workers and forcing them to sign "confessions" of alleged wrongdoing.
The workers are demanding a pay raise, living allowance, and transportation provisions.