Friday, July 11, 2025

BAP: FIFA and the IOC must ban the US and Israel from international sport + petition

Black Alliance for Peace Launches Petition Drive Calling on the U.S. and Israel to be Excluded from All International Sporting Events for Crimes Against Humanity and Domestic Repression


For Immediate Release

Media Contact:

communications[blackallianceforpeace com]  

(201) 292-4591  

June 30, 2025 - The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) calls for the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to withdraw the invitations for the United States to host the World Cup in 2026 and the International Olympics in 2028. Ajamu Baraka, the director of BAP’s North-South Project for People(s)-Centered Human Rights states:

“There are two factors that make this call imperative. The environment of fear and political repression in the United States directed toward individual travelers to the U.S. and even those in transit to other nations has resulted in a number of nations issuing travel advisories against travel to the U.S. The other factor that is even more egregious is the lawlessness of the U.S. and Israel who are engaged in an ongoing genocide against the occupied Palestinian population of Gaza.”  

With tens of thousands of people from around the world who would like to attend the World Cup and the Olympic games, the U.S. has become a dangerous place to visit, especially for people of color. But as the petition points out, “anyone suspected of residing in and/or visiting the United States with or without “proper” documentation, including U.S. citizens, are being harassed, questioned about their political beliefs and even detained without due process.”

But the fact that the U.S. and Israel continue to operate as rogue states completely rejecting all of the normal constraints on lawless international behavior by engaging in unprovoked attacks on sovereign nations such as Lebanon and Iran and a barbaric slaughter of occupied Palestinians in Gaza and the murder of thousands in the West Bank by settlers and the Israeli Army, disqualifies both nations of hosting and participating in events involving the community of civilized nations.

Both FIFA and the IOC have previously denied hosting of, and participation in international events for nations and governments who have acted in ways they deemed antithetical to their stated core values of human rights and anti-discrimination.  

There is no more horrific example of the violation of FIFA, IOC and civilized values than what the world is witnessing today in Gaza.

FIFA and the IOC must be consistent. There must be accountability with one human rights standard for all!  Ban the U.S. and Israel, withdraw the invitations to host these events in the U.S.

###




The petition below can be signed atactionnetwork.org/petitions/no-world-cup-or-olympics-in-us  (1,163 have signed so far) 


The North-South Project for People(s)-Centered Human Rights:  peoplecenteredhumanrights.com




En Español abajo, Em português abaixo, En français ci-dessous

Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Must Demonstrate a Commitment to Universal Human Rights by Banning the United States and Israel from Hosting or Participating in International Sporting Events

The United States has become dangerous for members of the global community, and specifically for non-white/non-European people. The world is witnessing massive violations of human rights and the Constitution of the United States as masked agents using unmarked vehicles raid work places, homes, and places of public assembly to incarcerate and disappear Black, Brown, and Indigenous people and, in too many cases, denying them legal representation and basic information as to their whereabouts and wellbeing to their families and attorneys.

Under the current U.S administration anyone suspected of residing in and/or visiting the United States with or without “proper” documentation, including U.S. citizens, are being harassed, questioned about their political beliefs and even detained without due process. This repressive environment has created a sense of insecurity and anxiety for travelers to the U.S. including students, and even some diplomats of “foreign nations.” Even individuals while in transit to other countries have been subjected to harassment and intimidation.

But this is just part of the story.

The State of Israel, with direct assistance from the United States, is committing gross and profound violations of human rights and international law through military adventures, and carrying out an ongoing genocide in addition to other war crimes including, but not limited to collective punishment and starvation. This is on top of Israel’s eight decade pogrom of apartheid against the Palestinian people, as well as a perpetual disregard for the sovereignty and self determination of the Lebanese, Yemeni, Syrian, and Iranian people and their respective governments and bodies of leadership. The global community, everyday, witnesses Israel’s wanton slaughter of people and pillage of lives with the full endorsement of the United States which continues to fund, arm, and promote Israel’s tactics of terror and barbarity.

Both FIFA and the IOC have previously denied the hosting of, and participation in international events for nations and governments who have acted in ways they deem antithetical to their stated core values of human rights, anti-discrimination and global sustainability. For instance, both IOC and FIFA banned Germany and Japan from international competition following the second world war. Additionally, IOC banned the Republic of South Africa from participating in the Olympic Games from 1964 to 1992 due to the nation’s racist system of apartheid, and FIFA banned the nation from participating in its matches between 1961 and 1992 for the same reason. And, more recently, the IOC has instituted a standing ban on the Russian Federation from participating in its summer and winter games due to what is deemed an illegal invasion and occupation of Ukraine.

This raises the question as to why FIFA and IOC are affording the United States and the State of Israel with preferential treatment over other nations who have been and are currently sanctioned and banned from competition and the hosting of international sporting events for violations of the core values of both bodies.

Therefore, we, the undersigned, as members of the global community and people/institutions of conscience demand that FIFA and IOC withdraw the United States and the State of Israel from hosting or participating in international competition events until such time that both nations demonstrate a willingness to adhere to each agency’s core values and further operate in ways that adhere to international law and human rights.

/////

Federación Internacional de Fútbol Asociación (FIFA) y el Comité Olímpico Internacional (COI) deben demostrar un compromiso con los derechos humanos universales prohibiendo que Estados Unidos e Israel organicen o participen en eventos deportivos internacionales

Estados Unidos se ha vuelto peligroso para los miembros de la comunidad global, y específicamente para las personas no blancas/no europeas. El mundo está siendo testigo de violaciones masivas de los derechos humanos y de la Constitución de Estados Unidos, mientras agentes encapuchados que utilizan vehículos sin identificación allanan lugares de trabajo, hogares y lugares de reunión pública para encarcelar y desaparecer a personas negras, morenas e indígenas, y en demasiados casos, negándoles representación legal e información básica sobre su paradero y bienestar a sus familias y abogados.

Bajo la actual administración estadounidense, cualquier persona sospechosa de residir y/o visitar Estados Unidos con o sin documentación "apropiada", incluidos ciudadanos estadounidenses, está siendo acosada, interrogada sobre sus creencias políticas e incluso detenida sin debido proceso. Este ambiente represivo ha creado una sensación de inseguridad y ansiedad para los viajeros a Estados Unidos, incluidos estudiantes e incluso algunos diplomáticos de "naciones extranjeras". Incluso personas en tránsito hacia otros países han sido sometidas a acoso e intimidación.

Pero esto es solo parte de la historia.

El Estado de Israel, con asistencia directa de Estados Unidos, está cometiendo graves y profundas violaciones de los derechos humanos y del derecho internacional mediante aventuras militares, y llevando a cabo un genocidio en curso, además de otros crímenes de guerra que incluyen, pero no se limitan a, castigos colectivos y hambruna. Esto se suma a las ocho décadas de pogromo de apartheid de Israel contra el pueblo palestino, así como a un perpetuo desprecio por la soberanía y autodeterminación del pueblo libanés, yemení, sirio e iraní, y sus respectivos gobiernos y cuerpos de liderazgo. La comunidad global es testigo, día tras día, de la matanza indiscriminada y el saqueo de vidas por parte de Israel, con el pleno respaldo de Estados Unidos, que continúa financiando, armando y promoviendo las tácticas de terror y barbarie de Israel.

Tanto la FIFA como el COI han negado anteriormente la sede y la participación en eventos internacionales a naciones y gobiernos que han actuado de maneras que consideran contrarias a sus valores fundamentales declarados de derechos humanos, no discriminación y sostenibilidad global. Por ejemplo, tanto el COI como la FIFA prohibieron a Alemania y Japón competir internacionalmente después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Además, el COI prohibió a la República de Sudáfrica participar en los Juegos Olímpicos desde 1964 hasta 1992 debido al sistema racista de apartheid del país, y la FIFA lo excluyó de sus competiciones entre 1961 y 1992 por la misma razón. Y, más recientemente, el COI ha establecido una prohibición permanente contra la Federación Rusa para participar en sus juegos de verano e invierno debido a lo que se considera una invasión y ocupación ilegal de Ucrania.

Esto plantea la pregunta de por qué la FIFA y el COI están otorgando a Estados Unidos y al Estado de Israel un trato preferencial sobre otras naciones que han sido y están actualmente sancionadas y prohibidas de competir y albergar eventos deportivos internacionales por violaciones de los valores fundamentales de ambos organismos.

Por lo tanto, nosotros, los abajo firmantes, como miembros de la comunidad global y personas/instituciones de conciencia, exigimos que la FIFA y el COI retiren a Estados Unidos y al Estado de Israel de la organización o participación en eventos de competencia internacional hasta que ambas naciones demuestren voluntad de adherirse a los valores fundamentales de cada agencia y además operen de manera acorde al derecho internacional y los derechos humanos.

/////

A Federação Internacional de Futebol (FIFA) e o Comitê Olímpico Internacional (COI) Devem Demonstrar Compromisso com os Direitos Humanos Universais, Proibindo os Estados Unidos e Israel de Sediar ou Participar de Eventos Esportivos Internacionais

Os Estados Unidos tornaram-se perigosos para os membros da comunidade global, especialmente para pessoas não brancas/não europeias. O mundo testemunha violações massivas dos direitos humanos e da Constituição dos Estados Unidos, com agentes mascarados, utilizando veículos sem identificação, invadindo locais de trabalho, residências e locais de reunião pública para encarcerar e fazer desaparecer pessoas negras, pardas e indígenas e, em muitos casos, negando-lhes representação legal e informações básicas sobre seu paradeiro e bem-estar para suas famílias e advogados.

Sob a atual administração dos EUA, qualquer pessoa suspeita de residir e/ou visitar os Estados Unidos com ou sem a documentação "adequada", incluindo cidadãos americanos, é assediada, questionada sobre suas convicções políticas e até mesmo detida sem o devido processo legal. Esse ambiente repressivo criou uma sensação de insegurança e ansiedade para viajantes aos EUA, incluindo estudantes, e até mesmo alguns diplomatas de "nações estrangeiras". Até mesmo indivíduos em trânsito para outros países têm sido submetidos a assédio e intimidação.

Mas isso é apenas parte da história.

O Estado de Israel, com assistência direta dos Estados Unidos, está cometendo violações graves e profundas dos direitos humanos e do direito internacional por meio de aventuras militares e de um genocídio contínuo, além de outros crimes de guerra, incluindo, entre outros, punição coletiva e fome. Isso se soma ao pogrom de apartheid de Israel contra o povo palestino, que já dura oito décadas, bem como ao desrespeito perpétuo à soberania e autodeterminação dos povos libanês, iemenita, sírio e iraniano e de seus respectivos governos e órgãos de liderança. A comunidade global testemunha, todos os dias, o massacre desenfreado de pessoas e a pilhagem de vidas por Israel, com o total apoio dos Estados Unidos, que continuam a financiar, armar e promover as táticas de terror e barbárie de Israel.

Tanto a FIFA quanto o COI já negaram a realização e a participação em eventos internacionais de nações e governos que agiram de maneiras que consideram antitéticas aos seus valores fundamentais declarados de direitos humanos, antidiscriminação e sustentabilidade global. Por exemplo, tanto o COI quanto a FIFA baniram a Alemanha e o Japão de competições internacionais após a Segunda Guerra Mundial. Além disso, o COI proibiu a República da África do Sul de participar dos Jogos Olímpicos de 1964 a 1992 devido ao sistema racista de apartheid do país, e a FIFA proibiu o país de participar de suas partidas entre 1961 e 1992 pelo mesmo motivo. E, mais recentemente, o COI instituiu uma proibição permanente à Federação Russa de participar de seus jogos de verão e inverno devido ao que é considerado uma invasão e ocupação ilegais da Ucrânia.

Isso levanta a questão de por que a FIFA e o COI estão concedendo aos Estados Unidos e ao Estado de Israel tratamento preferencial em relação a outras nações que foram e estão atualmente sancionadas e proibidas de competir e sediar eventos esportivos internacionais por violações dos valores fundamentais de ambos os órgãos.

Portanto, nós, abaixo assinados, como membros da comunidade global e pessoas/instituições de consciência, exigimos que a FIFA e o COI retirem os Estados Unidos e o Estado de Israel da organização ou participação em eventos de competição internacional até que ambas as nações demonstrem disposição para aderir aos valores fundamentais de cada agência e continuar a operar de maneiras que respeitem o direito internacional e os direitos humanos.

/////

La Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) et le Comité International Olympique (CIO) doivent manifester leur engagement en faveur des droits humains universels en excluant les États-Unis et Israël de l’organisation et de la participation à des manifestations sportives internationales

Les États-Unis sont devenus une menace pour les membres de la communauté internationale, en particulier pour les personnes non blanches/non européennes. Le monde assiste à des violations massives des droits humains et de l'état de droit ancré dans la constitution des États-unis : alors que des agents masqués à bord de véhicules banalisés font irruption sur les lieux de travail, les domiciles et les lieux publics pour arrêter et faire disparaître des personnes noires, racisées et autochtones, refusant dans de trop nombreux cas à leurs familles et à leurs avocats l'accès à un·e représentant·e légal et à des informations élémentaires quant à leur sort et leur état de santé.

Sous l'administration États-Uniennes actuelle, toute personne soupçonnée de résider ou de séjourner aux États-Unis avec ou sans « papiers en règle », y compris des citoyen·nes états-unien·nes légalement documenté·es, est harcelée, interrogée sur ses opinions politiques et même détenue sans procédure légale. Ce climat répressif a créé un sentiment d'insécurité et d'anxiété chez des personnes voyageant aux États-Unis, y compris les étudiant·es, et même chez certain·es diplomates de « nations étrangères ». Même des personnes en transit vers d'autres pays ont été victimes de harcèlement et d'intimidation.

Mais ce n'est qu'une partie de l'histoire.

L'État d'Israël, avec l'aide directe des États-Unis, commet des violations flagrantes et sévères des droits humains et du droit international à travers ses opérations militaires, et perpétue un génocide en plus de mener d'autres crimes de guerre, incluant, mais sans s'y limiter, des punitions collectives et l'utilisation de la famine comme une arme de guerre. Ce n'est que le point d'orgue des huit décennies d'apartheid perpétré par Israël contre le peuple palestinien, ainsi que de son mépris perpétuel pour la souveraineté et l'autodétermination des peuples libanais, yéménite, syrien et iranien et de leurs gouvernements et dirigeants respectifs. La communauté internationale est chaque jour témoin du massacre arbitraire de civils et du saccage de vies humaines par Israël, avec le soutien total des États-Unis, qui continuent de financer, d'armer et de promouvoir les tactiques terroristes et barbares d'Israël.

Tant la FIFA que le CIO ont par le passé refusé d'accueillir ou de participer à des événements internationaux organisés par des nations ou des gouvernements ayant agi d'une manière jugée contraire aux valeurs fondamentales défendues par ces organisations, à savoir les droits humains, la lutte contre la discrimination et la durabilité à l’échelle mondiale. Par exemple, tant le CIO que la FIFA ont interdit à l'Allemagne et au Japon de participer à des compétitions internationales après la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Ailleurs, le CIO a interdit à la République d'Afrique du Sud de participer aux Jeux olympiques entre 1964 et 1992 en raison du système raciste d'apartheid en vigueur dans ce pays. De son côté, la FIFA a interdit à ce pays de participer à ses matchs entre 1961 et 1992 pour la même raison. Plus récemment, le CIO a interdit à la Fédération de Russie de participer à ses jeux d'été et d'hiver en raison de ce qu'elle considère être une invasion et une occupation illégales de l'Ukraine.

Cela soulève la question suivante : pourquoi la FIFA et le CIO accordent-ils un traitement préférentiel aux États-Unis et à l'État d'Israël, alors que d'autres nations ont été ou sont actuellement sanctionnées et interdites de compétition et d'organisation d'événements sportifs internationaux pour avoir violé les valeurs fondamentales de ces deux instances ?

Par conséquent, nous, soussigné·es, en tant que membres de la communauté mondiale et personnes/institutions de conscience, exigeons que la FIFA et le CIO excluent les États-Unis et l'État d'Israël de l'organisation ou de la participation à des compétitions internationales jusqu'à ce que ces deux nations démontrent leur volonté d'adhérer aux valeurs fondamentales de chaque agence et d'agir de manière conforme au droit international et aux droits humains.


More on the war in the Middle East and other news

 

Aaron Bushnell was born June 30th (he was 25 in 2024, so he must have been born in 1998?) according to:  husseini.substack.com/p/aaron-bushnell-presente 


Around July 5-6, 2025 Daniel Edrian Israeli soldier, reportedly set himself on fire and presumably passed away.  He reportedly said “I smell and see burning bodies all the time” (whose?).  According to the Quds News Network article from July 6th:  “Since the genocide began, the Israeli military reports that at least 40 active-duty soldiers, mostly reservists, have killed themselves” – husseini.substack.com/p/aaron-bushnell-presente (July 7th, with photos)  and qudsnen.co/i-smell-and-see-burned-bodies-all-the-time-israeli-soldier-commits-suicide-after-taking-part-in-gaza-genocide-and-lebanon-war/ 


Far more hospitable to the stranger than Americans? – "What If the Axis of Evil Served You Watermelon?"   www.counterpunch.org/2025/07/06/what-if-the-axis-of-evil-served-you-watermelon/


 Looking back at the "12 day war" – chrishedges.substack.com/p/everything-you-need-to-know-about


Abridging free speech in Australia for "Western" imperialism and Israel:  caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/07/11/australia-unveils-plan-to-fight-antisemitism-by-crushing-free-speech/


Major losses for Israel in Gaza and the Red Sea this week theworker.news/2025/07/10/ansar-allah-sinks-two-ships-bound-for-israel-while-zionist-forces-suffer-major-ambush-in-gaza/ 


indi.ca/israels-worst-day-since-october-7th/


On the source of Iran casualty figures in mainstream media:  www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-casualty-counts-us-funded-groups


www.kitklarenberg.com/p/usaid-leaks-censorship-as-regime


meaninginhistory.substack.com/p/tariffs-sanctions-and-stuff


meaninginhistory.substack.com/p/intel-stuff-71025


www.nefariousrussians.com/p/to-grow-food-and-to-kill-en-masse


husseini.substack.com/p/epstein-blackmail-israel-trump-annihilates


caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/07/12/genocide-summer-camp-and-other-notes-from-the-edge-of-the-narrative-matrix/


Michael Tracey claims that there was never an "Epstein Files" bombshell to release:  www.mtracey.net/p/the-epstein-humiliation


www.palestinechronicle.com/zohran-mamdani-globalize-the-intifada-or-the-reinvention-of-goebbels-doctrine/


The Palestinian inhabitants were driven out of the cities of Lydda and Ramle, now in Israel, July 12, 1948.


In 1995:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srebrenica_massacre


The Apache helicopter attack that killed two reporters from Reuters and many other civilians in the Al-Amin al-Thaniyah, New Baghdad part of Baghdad, Iraq, the subject of Collateral Murder (made public by WikiLeaks April 5, 2010), was July 12, 2007:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_12,_2007,_Baghdad_airstrike






Watch the recent "US INTERVENTION AND SALVADORAN RESISTANCE from ARENA to Bukele" webinar at:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Z5eB0ECcM



Sent out late on July 4th and originally posted June 29th at:  unac.notowar.net/2025/06/29/message-from-tehran-iran-will-resist-will-fight-back-and-shall-never-surrender/  The post and the email aren't exactly the same:



UNAC and BAYAN (Philippines), along with our membership, organized actions across the US and around the Globe to protest Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran to and to support Iran’s successful resistance to those attacks.   On this site, we have listed 70 actions in around 65 different cities, and more than 250 endorsements.     


Although there was a temporary “Ceasefire” in the U.S. / Israeli effort to destroy Iran, many groups internationally were determined to stay mobilized. The horrific genocide in Palestine, both in Gaza and the West Bank continues. Plots against Iran continue.


There were more than 70 actions around the world posted by United National Antiwar Coalition - UNACpeace.org based on a call for a week of actions June 21 to 28 from Global Resistance.


Internationally resistance actions were held from Philippines, Bangladesh and Japan to Norway and Denmark. Across Canada there were actions in Vancouver to Hamilton Ontario.


In the U.S. the week of actions stretched from Portland Oregon to NYC, Philadelphia and Boston. Mobilizations across the Mid West included Chicago and Minneapolis to across the state of New York in Albany, Rochester and Buffalo to Atlanta and Richmond in the South.


All actions are listed at: here [ unac.notowar.net/actions-june-28-international-day-of-action-against-war-on-iran/ ]


Message from Tehran: ‘Iran Will Resist, Will Fight Back and Shall Never Surrender’

June 29, 2025


The following messages from Global Resistance for Peace and Justice and its co-founder, Hamid Shahrabi, based in Tehran were issued on June 28, 2025.

To all organizations and individuals who responded to our call for international actions on June 28 in solidarity with Palestine and Iran, we extend our sincere gratitude for your participation. Your engagement in these actions reflects your commitment to just struggles, and while we recognize that you do not seek acknowledgment, we wish to express our appreciation for your support.

We would like to especially thank the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) and BAYAN-Philippines for not only providing their support but also actively organizing these important solidarity actions.

Today, just a few hours ago, millions of people in Tehran gathered to honor martyrs who have lost their precious lives during the 12 days of Israeli/United States brutal bombardments. This tribute included several of our high ranking military leaders, great scientists and numerous innocent civilians, including many children.

The gathering conveyed a strong message of resilience: that Iran is committed to defending its sovereignty and will respond to aggressions. The message was, that Iran will resist, will fight back and shall never be surrounded. In fact, it echoed the same message which was passed earlier by the brave supreme leader of Iran, who has stood firm at the forefront of the historical liberation struggles of our heroic nation.

This situation highlights a fundamental difference between those who advocate for human rights and dignity and those who pursue dominance and exploitation. Our struggle is deeply rooted in the values of liberty, peace, sovereignty and national integrity. In contrast, our adversaries resort to violence and oppression in their pursuit of power and racist supremacy.

So, we invite all who seek to understand the realities on the ground to recognize that Iran remains steadfast in its commitment to its sovereignty and will respond to any acts of aggression, regardless of the aggressor, including the United States, which is one of the most powerful empires in history.

Dear comrades,

This is a historical conjuncture, a decisive moment in the long struggle between the oppressor and oppressed, a battle in which Iran is proudly holding the banner of the oppressed people of the South, while its adversaries represent the camp of savage oppressors.

Let us have no doubt that we shall prevail in this crucial battle. The resoluteness of the Iranian people in defending their nation, backed by your indispensable support through international solidarity actions, shall guarantee our final triumph, a perspective that shall be realized sooner than what our adversaries may even think.

Thank you for your support once again.

In Solidarity,

Hamid Shahrabi – GRPJ co-founder

Long live Iran!






Originally posted atnepajac.org/natoprotesthague.htm



UNAC Joined and Helped Organize Protests Against the Recent NATO Summit in The Hague


Antiwar forces flooded into The Hague in the Netherlands prior to the NATO 2025 summit to protest the meeting of this aggressive, imperialist military alliance. A People’s Summit was held by the Resist NATO Coalition. UNAC members are part of the Resist NATO steering committee.  Other anti-NATO meetings were held by the Global Women United for Peace Against NATO (GWUAN), also represented on the Resist NATO steering committee, the No to war - No to NATO Network and other groups. All groups joined together for a mass protest in the Hague on Sunday, June 22 that drew an estimated ten thousand people.

A group of people holding signs

AI-generated content may be incorrect.

The NATO summit itself was held in The Hague on June 24 - 25 and happened in an atmosphere of crisis in NATO. NATO’s proxy war against Russia in Ukraine is being lost and the leading NATO power, the US, has been questioning its role in that war preferring to turn its attention towards its main, self-declared enemy, China. Some other NATO member states have also started to question their role in Ukraine. US talk of withdrawing its support for the Ukraine war has been used as a bludgeon against the other NATO member states to get them to spend more on their militaries and they passed a proposal to increase military spending to 5% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2035. This at a time when the European countries are going through sever economic problems and discontent is rising among the people as social programs are being cut while military spending increases.

Also, the NATO summit took place after the start or the Israeli/US attack on Iran, which along with their continuing genocide against the Palestinian people has exposed the true nature of the Zionist regime, the US and their NATO allies to the entire world. The attack on Iran refocused the anti-NATO forces and the actions against NATO also called for “Hands off Iran.”

More than 200 people attended the Resist NATO People’s Summit, mostly young, and many recently politicized people. The conference heard an important greeting and message of support from Ambassador Jorge Valero Briceno, the Venezuelan ambassador to the European Union. There were keynote addresses, panels and workshops throughout the day including one co-led, by UNAC coordinator, Joe Lombardo along with Rhonda Ramiro of the Resist US-led War Movement who is also a UNAC leader, on Defying Rising Militarism and Fascism. Another packed workshop called Organizing Women Against War and for Just Peace was co-led by UNAC and GWUAN leader Pippa Bartolotti, Ulla Klotzer from GWUAN and Donna Denina of the International Women’s Alliance (IWA). GWUAN also showed its slide show at the conference, which depicted women from countries throughout the world holding messages against NATO (click here for slide show).

After the march and rally GWUAN also held its own hybrid meeting with a full room of people in The Hague and many more from around the world through a zoom link. Women spoke in person and through Zoom about the fight against NATO and against war in their own countries.

Unlike past NATO summits, there was not much talk about Ukraine. Instead, there was a concentration on keeping the organization together and Ukraine would have been a divisive issue. They gave into the US demand that the various NATO members increase their military spending to 5 % but this is to happen over a 10-year period and Spain refuse to commit to this target. The focus of the Unite[d] States is shifting towards China, so they need to have the other NATO country play a bigger role in NATO and in its war against Russia for this to happen. Their increased military spending at the expense of social programs in their countries is meeting with resistance. During this period of crisis in NATO and among the Western imperialist power we must re-double our efforts to end this imperialist alliance and for peace.


BAP on the anti-austerity demonstrations in Kenya 2024-2025

Sent out in the afternoon on July 10th and originally posted at:  blackallianceforpeace.com/bapstatements/bap-stand-with-kenya-gen-z-movement 



See also:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya_Finance_Bill_protests




The Black Alliance for Peace Stands Unequivocally Behind Kenya’s Youth Upholding Resistance Against U.S. Puppet State Imperialism and Neo-Liberalism


In June 2024, Kenya was racked by youth mobilizations, referred to as the Gen Z Movement protests, as that nation’s young people rose up against the neo-liberal austerity measures enacted by the U.S. lackey president William Ruto. In typical fashion, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had demanded increased taxation and funding cuts to a country whose leadership has privileged the dictates of imperialism over its own people. Kenya’s police killed 60 people during those 2024 actions but the popular struggle resulted in the plans for taxation being cancelled.


On the first anniversary of these actions the young people rose up again in opposition to the Ruto government which sent its troops to Haiti at the behest of the U.S. government, and which was designated a major non-NATO ally in gratitude for its posture as a vassal state. Kenya’s police state is again killing those who oppose, including journalist Albert Ojwang, who died in police custody, and more recently Boniface Kariuki, ostensibly for protesting Ojwang’s assassination.


The Africa Team of the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) and the organizing arm of the U.S. Out of Africa Network (USOAN) once again stands in solidarity with the masses of Kenyans fighting against the neo-liberal austerity schemes and obedience to U.S. imperialism. Despite the fascist repression, the youth of Kenya are fearless in their resolve and persist in declaring and exposing the illegitimacy of the compradors of neo-colonialism.


The Gen-Z Movement represents the offspring or torch bearers of the unfinished revolution of the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA), known also as the Mau Mau, whose valiant fight paved the path toward defeat of their British colonizers in 1960. Gen-Z are the political cubs of their predecessors Comrades Dedan Kimathi, Mzalendo Bildad Kaggia, Wasonga Sijeyo, Pio Gama Pinto, and Mzalendo Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, true revolutionary heroes who stood firm in the fight for the genuine independence of Kenya.


BAP and the USOAN are clear that for the movement to decolonize Kenya to be complete the running dogs of imperialism must be driven from office and the neo-colonial economic structures must be dismantled allowing a truly sovereign Kenya to be established, untethered to the U.S.-EU-NATO Axis of Domination.


BAP remains unequivocal in the demand for U.S. imperialism to cease propping up the Ruto regime, for the unconditional and immediate release of our Kenyan family detailed and jailed during these protests, and for reparations to be dispensed to the family and loved ones of those killed by the state and their goons.


Forward to expelling AFRICOM from the entire continent!


Forward to dethroning the comprador class in Africa!


Forward to one united, socialist Africa!


No Compromise!


No Retreat!


La Flamme – US-DRC-RD Rwanda Tripartite Mining Agreement: An imperialist maneuver to better legitimize the plundering of the Congo

See also:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining_industry_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extractivism   


\This translation with notes was sent out July 1st:



Ferñent


"A Free Union of the Free Peoples of Africa. Internationalist solidarity of the workers"

July 2025


US-DRC-RD Rwanda Tripartite Mining Agreement:

An imperialist maneuver to better legitimize the plundering of the Congo


from La Flamme, organ of the Communist Party of Benin [ www.la-flamme.org/ ]


[African leaders image]


The ongoing signing of a military and security agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the United States for the settlement of the conflict between Rwanda and the DRC is an extremely serious event. Behind the discourse of cooperation and security lies a new form of imperialist domination. It is, no more and no less, a disguised return to the old colonial protectorate system which, yesterday as today, has as its sole purpose the subjection and exploitation of the Congolese people. Since its formal independence in 1960, the DRC has known nothing but wars, foreign interventions and chronic instability. This chaos is not the result of chance: it is cleverly maintained by the imperialist powers in order to keep their hands on the immense wealth of the Congolese subsoil. Cobalt, coltan, copper, iron, manganese, diamonds, gold, uranium, lithium, rare earths... are all strategic resources coveted by capitalist monopolies to run their industries and fuel their technological transition. But these riches do not benefit the Congolese people in any way. On the contrary, they are a source of war, misery and desolation, with more than 6 to 8 million deaths in thirty years in the east of the country. In this predatory system, Paul Kagame's Rwanda plays the role of subcontractor. For decades, this country, supported, financed and protected by the Western powers, in particular the United States, France and Belgium, has served as a military and logistical support point for the occupation and plundering of the eastern provinces of the DRC. The crimes committed by armed groups such as M23, supported by Kigali [capital of Rwanda], are widely documented. Yet the major powers turn a blind eye, as these crimes guarantee them indirect but safe access to Congolese minerals, under the guise of "official" supply chains. It is in this context that the regime in Kinshasa [capital of the DRC], weakened, corrupt and totally dependent, chooses to reach out to its executioner in order to sign a mining agreement with the United States, Rwanda's main protector, and with Rwanda as well. As a result, the DRC will institutionalize its own domination. This imminent agreement, presented as a security partnership, is nothing more than a protectorate treaty, like those signed at the time of colonization by African kings who were duped or coerced. It is in no way aimed at the protection of the Congolese people, but at securing imperialist interests in the region, to the detriment of the partisans of Pierre Mulélé [a revolutionary who had been Minister of Education in Lumumba’s cabinet] [DS – August 11, 1929 in Malungu, now Kwilu – Mobutu had him brutally tortured/mutilated alive in public and thrown into the Congo River October 3 or 9, 1968 according to:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Mulele ] and the sovereignty of the country. Let us remember that a year ago (February 2024), the European Union signed an agreement with Rwanda on sustainable value chains for raw materials while the war was in full swing in the DRC with Rwanda's involvement alongside the M23 rebels.


And it is proven and documented by the UN and NATO countries that Rwanda is arming the M23 and plundering the DRC's mineral resources in return. And so, this kind of agreement is so horrible that European Deputies voted a resolution in February 2025 to demand the suspension of this agreement, the freezing of budgetary and military aid to Rwanda and the M23. The United States also called on Rwanda to stop the aggression against the DRC, and even threatened it with sanctions. But here, practically the same people are now working on a mining agreement on the DRC. As a result, this agreement will legitimize Rwanda's aggression against the DRC in a more serious way. It makes Washington an arbiter in a conflict in which it is clearly judge and jury. In reality, the victim (the DRC) is under the guardianship of the protector of his executioner (Rwanda). It is a real politico-diplomatic scandal that shows the degree of alienation of some African leaders. What the DRC-USA-Rwanda agreement organizes is the continuation and legalization of the international network for plundering Congolese resources, with the imperialist powers of NATO, their predatory multinationals, as its conductor, and Kagame's Rwanda as its regional servant. The Congolese people, instead of being masters of their own resources, become hostages of a globalized mafia system that transforms their wealth into a curse. In the face of this new neocolonial aggression, African revolutionaries and patriots must learn the lessons of history. Real independence is achieved neither by military agreements with the imperialists, nor by appeals for help to those who organize our subjection. The only viable path is that of organized resistance, breaking with imperialist alliances and building active solidarity among African peoples in struggle against neocolonialism. This necessary leap forward requires the rejection of any reformist illusion and the overthrow of puppet regimes that sell off national sovereignty in the name of "security" or "cooperation". In conclusion, this agreement under negotiation is not a solution for peace in the Congo: it is a further step in the plan of the dismemberment, occupation and plunder of this martyred country. Like Patrice Lumumba, Pierre Mulélé or Laurent-Désiré Kabila, fighters for the true independence of the country, the Congolese people are called upon to mobilize to put an end to this new imperialist diktat to which President Tshisekedi is submitting. Sovereignty is not begged. It is won in struggle, defended in organization, and consolidated in the consciousness of the popular masses. It is the duty of progressive forces in Africa and around the world to stand with the Congolese people to demand an immediate end to this imposed war, the withdrawal of all foreign forces, and the full restoration of their sovereignty.