The BBC (Lina Sinjab, etc.) and NPR seem to be claiming that the new Sunni Islamist Syrian "government," which NPR's Jane Arrath (spelling?) just said doesn't have military or police forces, is both fighting resistance by ancien regime 'loyalists' Alawites, Ba'athists, etc. and "flooding" Islamist "rebel" forces into the region because other "rebel" forces carried out "revenge attacks" and stirred up public anger. According to Arrath, Syrian Druze think that they will be targeted next, and want protection, even from Israel. NPR and the BBC have been ignoring Syria for around two or three months, except to say how bad the former government was and to examine Russia's relationship with the new regime and whether Assad will face what they call 'justice.'
NPR cares about censorship of the new, award-winning joint Israeli-Palestinian documentary, but not other "Western" censorship of anti-war views, including their own choices about what to cover and what wording to use, and they put it into their own "woke" "identitarian" framework. In 2023 they acted like only Arab and Muslim Americans, and a few college students, could be very angry (on the "pro-Palestinian" side) about Biden and Harris' policies in the Middle East. In recent days the BBC and NPR have been going on about how happy Russian "propagandists" are about Trump's views on the Ukraine War, as if the BBC and NPR coverage isn't propagandistic and as if the mainstream US and UK media didn't back the "War on Terror" (and now even alternative media voices have backed the wars started since George W Bush left office) Things might be bad for dissenters in Russia now, but anti-war voices were and still are marginalized or censored and even arrested in the US and UK and other countries. NPR and Co. doesn't even want to admit that "anti-war" views continue to exist after the Vietnam War, only referring to "isolationism" on the right, though they did refer to "anti-war" opinions regarding the "Gaza War" occasionally. I saw parts of some reruns of the mathematical crime drama "NUMB3RS" from the late Bush-early Obama era recently and noticed the overt background of pro-war sentiment in some episodes, even regarding the Vietnam War (and there were complaints about Ken Burns' portrayal of the Vietnam War). NPR's recent headlines from Ukraine have been about how Ukrainians have united around Zelensky in the face of Trump's attacks, fears that the western Ukrainian military will be deprived of both Maxar (spelling?) and StarLink (today), etc. and they directly state that Trump is wrong and Russia, alone, started the Ukraine War and that Zelensky isn't a "dictator." They didn't correct Biden's Israel serving claims regarding the war in the Middle Eastern, which they won't name as one war with multiple independent fronts. I noticed that the BBC or NPR suddenly started using the formulation 'Iranian-backed' with Hamas again earlier in March; they don't constantly use 'US-backed' or 'UK-backed' with Israel or "self-governing democracy" Taiwan, though that is obviously the case (and eastern Ukraine was at least "self-governing," in ordinary language, before 2022, and might have been as "democratic" as western Ukraine). It might be true that many Ukrainians still support Zelensky, but that is also what NPR would be expected to say, since they back the Ukraine policies of the Democratic Party/bipartisan "war party"/"deep state." They also refuse to examine what happens to alleged dissenters, independent journalists, conscientious objectors, dissenting churches, Zelensky's opponents, etc. under the western Ukrainian government (but a few days ago, I think on The Documentary, the BBC spent half and hour claiming that disagreement with the eastern Ukrainian governments is deadly), they don't ask about the war in eastern Ukraine prior to the Russian intervention or harm to civilians living there now (they basically deny that anyone with rights lives there) or in third countries due to attacks by western forces or NATO, they avoid talking about the bombing of the NordStream pipelines, the assassination of civilians, and western Ukrainian cooperation with "terrorist" groups in West Africa and western Asia, etc. NPR and PBS are in favor of and even spread "conspiracy theories" that make the Russian government or other official "enemies" look bad, and decry theorizing about our government and elites. They also don't want to talk about resistance to foreign occupation. They don't even cover Palestinian non-violent resistance very much. I've hardly heard anything about non-violent marches that were apparently organized in Gaza before October 7, 2023 (and shot up by Israel from the border?). NPR does say "the occupied West Bank" but doesn't want to talk about the Israeli occupation of Gaza before the current war or the occupation of the Golan Heights and the area seized after the "West" had the Ba'athist government toppled .
From Bobby Allen at NPR: how dare X "affix" "state affiliated" on NPR's Twitter account, we only get 1% of our funding from the government! How much government funding is required for them to accuse foreign media of being foreign government mouthpieces (and therefore not worth hearing out). How much government funding is received by Voice of America, the BBC, (their "partner") Deutsche Welle, the NHK, the CBC, Ireland's public media, etc.? I doubt that they base the decision on an examination of how foreign media are funded, and media organizations can receive significant non-monetary support from government in addition to funding.
They play soft anti-war music from the 60's (now they want Vietnam to help keep China down), but that's it. "To everything, turn, turn,..."
[Around Moday, March 3rd NPR information warrior Deana Temple Rastin (spelling?) was on 1A to vilify TikTok for allegedly manipulating content for political purposes. They played a segment from her documentary, regarding a story from a young Uyghur woman in Germany about trying to post content against the Chinese government. I didn't listen to everything, but I didn't hear them discuss whether US-based companies serve the government or display a US bias. I can't recall any mainstream media discussion of systematic corporate bias against pro-Palestinian or leftist speech (beyond the "liberal" Democratic Party left) at Facebook and Twitter, and hardly any discussion of anti-Russian bias. If I remember correctly, early in the Ukraine War Facebook made an exception for threatening or violent language regarding Russia and Putin. If violent talk about Russians is harmless, why don't they get rid of the rule entirely? Why don't they let users blow off steam about the Middle East? Or do they hope for actual violence? The media tries to spread fear about alleged actions by TikTok, while ignoring or normalizing actions by US companies to aid the united "Western" war effort against Arab countries, Iran, and Russia. I haven't heard any mainstream mention of the charge that a desire to block pro-Palestinian content is a major reason the "West" is targeting TikTok to begin with. NPR ignored and excused the Biden administration's pressure on social media companies to carry out the censorship that the government can't, and what else was/is Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. conspiring with the government to carry out? There also hasn't been further discussion of other Chinese social media Americans can join to replace TikTok, though they aren't discussing/pushing alternatives to Twitter/X now either. NPR's coverage hasn't been completely against TikTok, but they leave things out and take US government arguments seriously, without much evidence.]
Slightly edited:
NATO Not Wanted in Latin America
A webinar organized by Global Women for Peace United Against NATO was held March 8th at 10:30am EST, but I didn't get this posted in time: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UnAjaRt8RSK8AEdjCwo5uA#/registration
"Our next webinar is on a much neglected subject - the creeping NATO push for Latin American countries to join the military alliance. Colombia has been a NATO partner from some years and Argentina is a 'Global Partner'.
We bring you women's voices from Mexico, Nicaragua and Venezuela for insight into the perspective of their countries and their organisations as they strike out for independence and neutrality in an increasingly violent world..
NATO Not Wanted in South America
Please also register if the timing is not suitable for you, as we will send out a recording of the webinar a day or so later. Please also like and share!
Speakers:
Alicia Angli - Mexico
Fravia Marquez - Venezuela
Coleen Littlejohn - Nicaragua
Lorena Gimenez - Venezuela
Please also register if the timing is not suitable for you, as we will send out a recording of the webinar a day or so later to all who register.
From UNAC -- Speakers:
Fravia Marquez Silva, is a former Venezuela Diplomat and the Executive Director for the International Summit for Antiimperialist Africans and Afro Descendants (Venezuela). She is part of the Free Alex Saab Committee.
Andreina Chavez is a political journalist with Venezuela Analysis and Peoples Dispatch.
Coleen Littlejohn is a retired development economist who has lived in Nicaragua for 44 years. She has worked for Catholic Relief Services, Save the Children Canada and the World Bank, both in Nicaragua and in West Africa.
Alicia Angli works in the Secretariat of Welfare in Campeche, Mexico, where several social programs are delivered. She will brief us on the current administration of president Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.
On the founding conference of the Anti War Action Network (AWAN), held at the Wilder Foundation in Saint Paul, Minnesota February 15th:
From Fight Back! News: fightbacknews.org/articles/founding-conference-for-anti-war-action-network-a-major-success
Originally posted at: nepajac.org/unacgreetingawan1.htm --
Richie Merino, a member of the UNAC Administrative Committee and the Bronx Antiwar Coalition, spoke at the conference:
UNAC greetings to the Anti-War Action Network
Good afternoon, comrades. My name is Richie, and I am honored to represent the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) here today. I proudly stand for UNAC—a coalition that unites member organizations across the country including my own the Bronx Anti War Coalition (BXAW) and Workers World Party. Your unwavering dedication to resisting imperialism and war energizes our shared struggle for justice and peace.
Today, we confront brutal challenges that target our communities both at home and around the world. The U.S. settler-colonial regime is not a benign institution—it is a repressive imperial system built on capitalist exploitation and designed to instill fear, deepen division, and secure power for the ruling class who profit from our suffering.
Deportation policies have long been a tool of oppression. For years, this repressive settler-colonial regime has used mass deportations against migrants, who are the victims of U.S. imperialist and interventionist policies in their own countries. These policies force people to flee oppressive conditions created directly by our interventions abroad. Many migrants are escaping nations crippled by sanctions or ruled by dictators and puppets installed by U.S. and Western regimes. Defending these migrants is not a crisis-dependent stance; it remains a core tenet of our organizing. We must acknowledge that the migrant crisis is a direct result of imperialism, and our struggle must reflect that reality.
Drastic reductions in healthcare, Medicaid, and public education continue to undercut decades of hard-fought progress. These cuts shatter the support structures built by generations of working-class struggle. We must firmly stand for universal programs and reject any means-testing that forces individuals to prove their poverty, for essential services like healthcare and education are human rights, not privileges to be earned.
White supremacy is not confined to transient political rhetoric; it is a persistent and pervasive force. Nonwhite communities face its brutal realities every day through state-sanctioned police brutality, mass evictions, entrenched poverty, and chronically under-resourced schools. We cannot choose to mobilize against white supremacy only under Republican presidents; combating this systemic violence must be an integral, everyday part of our work.
These repressive measures are part of a calculated strategy to instill panic and secure control in the hands of those who profit from division and fear. History teaches us that oppression only sharpens the resolve of the people. As our communities endure these relentless attacks, our response must be equally unyielding. It is imperative that we build our resistance block by block, starting right in our own neighborhoods. We must get to know our neighbors and understand the challenges they face every day—challenges that are often directly tied to the destructive effects of war and imperialism. Our local struggles—whether with crumbling infrastructure, persistent poverty, or under-resourced public services—are not isolated incidents; they are symptoms of a system that diverts our tax dollars from building community well-being and instead channels them into funding genocide and imperial aggression abroad.
When we ground our activism in the lived experiences of our communities, we forge unbreakable bonds locally while laying the critical groundwork for international solidarity. Our local efforts are integrally linked to our global fight. From Palestine, Syria, and Iran to the workers in our own cities, our movement spans geographies and unites our common struggles against capitalism and Western imperialism. Make no mistake: there is only one empire in the world—the Western empire—with the United States at its head. The U.S., a settler-colonial entity founded in the exact same way as Israel, through the systematic genocide of indigenous people, is actively committing genocide and dividing the globe into spheres of influence. It abhors any nation that resists becoming a vassal, and any state that stands up for its sovereignty and self-determination becomes the target of relentless U.S. imperial aggression.
If your organization is not yet part of UNAC, please find me, talk to me, and join us. We are militantly anti-imperialist and determined to build a national movement to support indigenous resistance to imperialism.
Congratulations to the Anti-War Action Network on this founding conference. This conference is a vital opportunity to build a robust anti-imperialist wing of the peace movement. Let us share our experiences, forge enduring alliances, and dismantle an oppressive system that thrives on war, exploitation, and division. Our adversaries, regardless of the labels they claim, have repeatedly demonstrated that they cannot defend the working class. They are all part of a repressive system built on capitalist imperial profit and the exploitation of our labor, lands and resources.
As we face the challenges ahead, let our unity resonate with one resounding call: “They say Get Back! We say Fight Back!” This is more than a slogan—it is the heartbeat of our ongoing struggle. Every day, in every action, we resist war, imperialism, and the oppressive systems that prioritize profit over people. Thank you for your tireless work and unwavering commitment. We look forward to deepening our dialogue, forging lasting alliances, and strengthening the bonds of international solidarity as we build a future free from war, exploitation, and systemic injustice.
In solidarity, forward together!
The US’ Role in Regime Change
Syria, Iraq, Libya...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftK-lE5KDbo
"This is a recording of a livestream of an in-person meeting at the New School in New York City that took place on Feb. 6th, 2025. The US was deeply involved in the recent overthrow of the Syrian government and has been deeply involved in the internal affairs of countries around the world including "color revolutions" and regime change operations in every country that will not bow to its dictates. The people of the world are seeing this and fighting back. This meeting was sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine at the New School in New York as well as the Bronx Antiwar Coalition, Workers World Party, Black Intifada, Young Democratic Socialists at the New School and the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC)."
Originally posted at: nepajac.org/trumpgazaplan.htm
UNAC Statement on Trump's Plan for Gaza
2/10/25
The United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) condemns Trump’s planned new Nakba in Gaza. He plans to remove Palestinians from their home in Gaza and force them to some third country, and to have the US “own” Gaza and turn it into a “Riviera of the Middle East” with lots of real estate development and profit for him and his cronies. This plan can be called by many names such as “ethnic cleansing,” “forced displacement,” and “genocide.” It is all a war crime as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Geneva Accords. In his recent statement, Trump bragged that if all Israeli hostages are not returned immediately, “all hell will break out” in Gaza, as if US and Israeli policies have not already caused “hell” for the people of Gaza.
Palestinians return to the north after ceasefire
Trump also claimed that when the Palestinians are expelled from Gaza, they will not be allowed to return. His claim that the Palestinians would not want to return to their destroyed homes and infrastructure in Gaza is belied by the joy they displayed as they embarked on the harsh journey back to their ruined homes and cities during this ceasefire. Their determination to stay in Gaza is an act of resistance against the criminal Zionist entity called Israel and its US backers. UNAC applauds them for this resistance. And we also applaud the heroic resistance of the Palestinian fighters as they resisted the Israeli military with its US arms, tanks, planes and bombs against their few small arms and improvised weapons.
Despite the Israeli terror and genocide, the determined resistance of the Palestinian people caused Israel to fail in Gaza. They were unable to destroy Hamas and eliminate the Palestinian people. World opinion came down of the side of the Palestinian people and Israel and the US were isolated as the entire world voted in the United Nations for a ceasefire while Israel and the US stood alone and opposed it. With each bomb that dropped on Gaza the resistance was strengthened.
So, when Israel could not eliminate the Palestinians in Gaza and was forced into a ceasefire it did not want, Trump stepped in to try and accomplish the task for them. Trump’s plan for the US to “own” Gaza is little more than naked imperialism. The US has no right to Gaza. If Russia had asserted that it would take over and “own” Gaza the US and the rest of the world be up in arms. Trump will fail too. The Palestinians will not leave their homeland. The Arab states and the entire world are opposed to the US plan and we in the US, in the heart of this genocidal regime have a special role to play. We must remain in the streets and struggle till we end this imperialist, genocidal regime and help bring peace and sovereignty to the Palestinian people.
From the River to the Sea all of Palestine Will be Free!
[Added here March 9th; originally posted at: www.gp.org/green_party_condemns_trumps_call_to_displace_palestinians
Green Party Condemns Trump’s Call to Displace Palestinians
The Green Party of the United States condemns the proposal by President Trump to permanently displace Palestinians from Gaza and their homeland. For more than 70 years, Palestinians have sought the right to return to their homes after being displaced by Israel and other colonial powers.
Greens also condemn the United States for failing to arrest Israel President Netanyahu, an indicted war criminal, when he came to Washington, DC to meet with Trump. It called on Trump and Congress to make clear that the U.S. strongly opposes the ongoing efforts by Netanyahu to break the ceasefire.
Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org
For Immediate Release:
February 5, 2025
Contact:
Gloria Mattera, Media Coordinator, media[at gp org], 202-804-2758
“Both the Democrats and Republicans have aided Israel in their genocide against the Palestinian people. The unwavering support by President Biden and the Democrats for Netanyahu’s war crimes was a major factor in returning a convicted felon calling for a dictatorship back into the White House. It is no surprise that Trump is embracing ethnic cleansing. He primarily sees the destruction of Gaza by Israel as an opportunity for profits by turning the occupied territories into a redevelopment project to benefit Israel, contractors, and predatory financiers,” said Craig Cayetano, co-chair of the national Green Party.
The Green Party national platform has long called “on the U.S. President and Congress to suspend all military and foreign aid, including loans and grants, to Israel until Israel withdraws from the Occupied Territories, dismantles the separation wall in the Occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem, ends its siege of Gaza and dismantles settler colonies and systemic apartheid toward its non-Jewish citizens.”
As Americans for Justice in Palestine Action has pointed out, “international law is clear: the forced transfer of a civilian population under occupation is a war crime. The Fourth Geneva Convention (Article 49) prohibits an occupying power from deporting or transferring the population of an occupied territory.”
Trump’s proposal to forcefully relocate the Palestinian people to Jordan and Egypt has long been rejected not only by Palestinians but by both countries. Such relocation was a principal goal of the IDF in its recent genocide.
MORE INFORMATION
Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org
202-804-2758
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