Despite 700 people marching on January 26, describing it as a day of mourning with a call to change the date, the City of Greater Geelong subsequently decided to re-institute Australia Day celebrations next year. Sue Bull reports.
Issue 1422
News
Thirty-two mainly older boarding house tenants at 58–64 Selwyn Street, Paddington, are facing eviction after several attempts to stop their homes from being demolished seem to have failed. Rachel Evans and Paula Corvalan report.
Communities and health providers are pushing back against the Queensland Liberal National Party government’s decision to stop providing puberty blockers and hormone therapies to young transgender people. Alex Bainbridge reports.
Sue Bolton said her 12-year experience as a Merri-bek councillor means that she has what it takes to wage a fight with the community for outcomes that they want. Jacob Andrewartha reports.
Sarah Schwartz, executive officer of the Jewish Council of Australia, has been attacked by the right for criticising Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s conflation of Jews with Zionism. Pip Hinman reports.
Jews Against the Occupation ’48 asked on the 80th year since the liberation of Auschwitz, how much longer until the liberation of Palestine? Jepke Goudsmit reports.
Tens of thousands of people protested around the country on Invasion Day. Here are some of the reasons why.
Disrupt Burrup Hub climate campaigners defiantly pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and will return to court to fight other charges. Riley Breen reports.
Activists again stopped logging in the West Kunanyi Range, part of the Wellington Range, following a call from Uncle Jim Everett to protect Country in the lead-up to Invasion Day. Kerry Smith reports.
Forty-nine activists fronted the Melbourne Magistrates Court on a variety of charges related to organising and participating in the Disrupt Land Forces protest. Chloe DS reports.
The Chris Minns government has known for at least 16 months about the 140 vacancies in the psychiatry workforce, but rather than rectify this it has gone on the offensive against public health professionals. Jim McIlroy reports.
Isaac Nellist and Riley Breen discuss the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas and the implications for Palestinians in Gaza and the global Palestine solidarity movement.
The Jewish Council of Australia has warned politicians not to use antisemitic attacks to point-score or spread other forms of hatred, such as Islamophobia or anti-Palestinian racism. Kerry Smith reports.
Pro-Palestine protesters around Australia mobilised on the 471st day of Israel’s genocide, expressing their guarded relief at the ceasefire deal. But they vowed to keep demanding justice for Palestine and for the criminals and conspirators to be held to account. Alex Bainbridge, Isaac Nellist, Peter Boyle and Niko Leka report.
Analysis
Sarah Hathway, speaking on behalf of the Socialist Alliance, addressed the Cry for Truth and Justice rally, which was organised by Be Tru 2 Uluru.
Science Magazine predicts that Australia will be one of the countries with the highest risk of extinctions worldwide, as temperatures increase above 1.5°C. Josie Mackay-Sim reports.
Why is a former Miss America touring Australia to promote nuclear energy? Mariota Spens reports.
Mirroring the dynamics of colonial-era plunder, international trade involves a systematic transfer of wealth and labour from the Global South to the Global North. Ben Radford reports.
While the Socialist Alliance welcomes the ceasefire agreement, whether it will hold up until its final phase will depend on the global pro-Palestine movement maintaining its pressure on governments to force Israel to comply, argues Jacob Andrewartha.
Across the world, governments are targeting climate change protesters, while allowing fossil fuel companies to continue to pollute. In Australia, such arrests are above the international average. Binoy Kampmark reports.
While not all billionaires supported United States President Donald Trump, more are swinging to his side, just as governments that serve capitalist interests — including Australia’s Labor government — are now cosying up. Peter Boyle reports.
Any ceasefire, already soured by Israel’s invasion of Jenin in the Occupied West Bank, does little to address the institutional chasm that will be left if UNRWA is forced to cease operating, argues Binoy Kampmark.
Djab Wurrung Gunnai Gundjitmara woman and independent Senator Lidia Thorpe spoke to Chloe DS on the latest episode of the Green Left Show about resisting racism, the importance of truth-telling and Labor and Liberal’s refusal to deliver justice for First Nations people.
NSW Greens MLC Sue Higginson has spoken out about dangerous “lynch mob politics”, saying it is “stupidly ignorant” and leads to laws that don’t work. Paul Gregoire reports.
World
Brazilian socialist Israel Dutra speaks with Ben Radford about the country’s recent local elections, Donald Trump’s return and the challenges of resisting the far right and confronting the climate crisis.
Palestinians evacuated from Egypt are languishing in a Malaysian military hostel, waiting for news that they will be sent home to Gaza. Khaled Ghannam spoke with some of them about their plight.
Members of the European Parliament are calling for a stronger stance against Turkey’s ongoing attacks on North East Syria, reports Medya News.
The Transformative Justice Collective, a social justice and anti-death penalty group based in Singapore, announced that it had been forced by the government to shut down its website and social media accounts, reports Isaac Nellist.
Trump’s presidential victory comes in the context of emboldened far-right governments in Latin America, which are looking to foster closer links with each other. Ben Radford reports.
Within days of being inaugurated, United States President Donald Trump signed dozens of executive orders attacking migrants and rolling back the gains made by Black, LGBTIQ and women’s rights movements. Malik Miah and Barry Sheppard report.
The United States has used sanctions since 2022 to stop China from acquiring advanced computer chips and the technology to manufacture them. However, this seems to have backfired, reports Peter Boyle.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s decision to send troops to fight in Russia’s war on Ukraine shocked many in South Korea and internationally. Won Youngsu looks behind this decision.
Narratives surrounding the California wildfires deflect from the urgent need to address the root causes of climate disasters, argues S A Hamed Hosseini.
Culture
Mat Ward looks back at January’s political news and the best new music that related to it.
Isaac Nellist reviews a documentary about the historic victory of Amazon workers who formed a union at a warehouse in Staten Island, New York City, which inspired workers around the world.