Examples of Political Action Flashcards
Fathers 4 Justice
Liberalism - A group formed in the summer of 2001 by Matt O’Connor after he was denied access to his two boys in Britain’s Secret Family Courts. O’Connor pledged to reform family law for the benefit of his two sons whom he feared would suffer the same experience when they became fathers. Examples of political action they engaged in are: 200 Father Christmases storming the lobby of the then Lord Chancellor’s Department, Spiderman at Tower Bridge to Batman at Buckingham Palace and the flour bombing of the Prime Minister in the chamber of the House of Commons. With the departure of Tony Blair as Prime Minister, F4J switched from direct action to political dialogue and between June 2008 to May 2011, the organisation negotiated in good faith with the Conservative party, securing 10 written commitments to reform family law. In June 2011 the Prime Minister David Cameron broke those commitments and on Father’s Day he launched an unprecedented attack on fathers. Just days later, on the 10th anniversary of his forming F4J, Matt O’Connor declared that he would go on a hunger strike and that F4J would return to direct action to finish the work they had started a decade ago.
Stonewall
Liberalism - Stonewall is a lesbian, gay and bisexual rights group in the UK which is now the largest gay equality organization not only in the UK but in Europe. Formed in 1989 by political activists and others lobbying against section 28 of the Local Government Act, stonewall has had major high profile achievements through parliamentary lobbying. In 2002 it saw amendments to the Adoption and Children Bill, which treated lesbian and gay, couples in the same way as heterosexuals. As well as this it was in successful parliamentary campaigns to: repeal Section 28 of the Local Government Act (local authorities were prohibited from teaching of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship, in schools), recognise anti-gay hate crimes, through the Criminal Justice Act 2003, introduce the Civil Partnership Act 2004 giving gay and lesbian couples a legal framework, introduce the 2007 Sexual Orientation Regulations, protections against the grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods and services secured through the Equality Act 2006, equalise treatment of lesbian parents an their children in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 and introduce an offence on incitement to homophobic hatred in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, matching existing protections around race and religion.
Operation Rescue
Conservatism - one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation. Founded in 1986, Operation Rescue became one of the most outspoken groups opposing abortion in the United States. Prior to 1993, over 70 abortionists lived in San Diego County. Rescuers launched a campaign to expose wrongdoing by abortionists in the community. Since then, over 40 abortionists have quit doing abortions, retired, or moved out of town, many as a result of OR’s activism. In addition, over 20 abortion mills have closed in San Diego County. Also abortionists all over California had their clinics closed, licenses revoked and/or have left the abortion business due to pressure from OR. In 2002, Operation Rescue relocated its offices to Wichita, Kansas, where they worked to expose the abortion practices. In 2006, Operation Rescue bought the building occupied by the Central Women’s services abortion clinic, forcing it to close. OR documented the filthy and unsafe conditions under which the abortion clinic had operated before completely renovating the structure. The building, once the site of an estimated 50,000 abortions, now serves as OR’s National Headquarters.
Operation Save America
Conservatism - Christian conservative organisation based in Dallas, Texas, that opposes human induced abortion and its legality, non-Christian religions and homosexuality. Operation Save America conducts mass protests at abortion clinics to promote pro-life causes. Operation Save America has mobilized its members for other causes common to the Christian right, for example, opposition to Gay-Straight alliances in public schools. At South Rowan High School, North California, when a Gay-Straight Alliance was forming was forming at that school, Operation Save America arranged to have some 700 people to show up at the school board meeting and get the board to ban the club from the school. They have also been involved in burning the Islamic holy text, the Qur’an, despite opposition of most of the Muslim community to the practice of abortion. In August 2006 the Wal-Mart announced its corporate partnership with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber. Operation Save America began a nationwide campaign to protest the alliance, campaigning with the slogan ‘Corporate America is being blackmailed by the Radical Homosexual Agenda’. On July 12, 2007, three members of the organization were arrested after they tried to shoot down a Hindu clergyman as he offered the traditional Morning Prayer on the US Senate floor.
9/11 attacks
Neo-Conservatism - The September 11 attacks were a series of four coordinated attacks upon the United States in New York City and Washington D.C areas on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 terrorists from the Islamic militant group al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger jets. The hijackers intentionally flew two of those planes into the North and South towers of the World Trade Centre complex in New York City. Suspicion quickly fell on al-Qaeda, and in 2004, the group’s leader, Osama Bin Laden, who had initially denied involvement, claimed responsibility for the attacks citing US support of Israel, the presence of US troops in Saudi Arabia and sanctions against Iraq as motives for the attack. The al-Qaeda group can be traced to 1979 when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden travelled to Afghanistan and helped organize Arab mujahedeen to resist the Soviets. Under the guidance of Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden became more radical. In 1996 bin Laden issued his first fatwa (Islamic law), calling for American soldiers to leave Saudi Arabia. In a second fatwa, bin Laden outlined his objections to American foreign policy with respect to Israel, as well as the continued presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia after the Gulf War. Bin Laden used Islamic texts to exhort Muslims to attack Americans until the stated grievances are reverse, and according to bin Laden, Muslin legal scholars “have throughout Islamic history unanimously agreed that jihad is an individual duty if the enemy destroys the Muslim countries.”
London Bombings
Neo-Conservatism - The 7 July 2005 London Bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in London, which targeted civilians using the public, transport system during the morning rush hour. On the morning, four Islamic homegrown terrorists detonated four bombs, three in quick succession aboard London Underground trains across the city and, later a fourth on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square. Two of the bombers made videotapes of themselves describing their reasons which included statements such as ‘Your democratically-selected governments continuously perpetuate atrocities against my people across the world. And your support of them makes you directly responsible… until we feel security you will be our targets and until you stop the bombing, gassing, imprisonment and torture of my people we will not stop this fight.’ Also ‘I myself, I myself, I make a dua (pray) to Allah… to raise me amongst those whom I love like the prophets , the messengers, the martyrs and today’s heroes like our beloved Sheikh Osama Bin Laden, Dr Ayman al-Zawahri and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and all other brothers and sisters that re fighting in the …of this cause.’
G8 Summits
Marxism - The Genoa Group of Eight Summit protest, from July 18 to July 22, 2001, was a dramatic protest, drawing an estimated 200,000 demonstrations. Dozens were hospitalized following clashes with police and night raids by security forces on two schools housing activists and independent journalists. Demonstrators were part of anti-globalisation groups who believed that G8 summits are non-legitimate attempts by eight of the world’s most powerful governments to set the rules for the planet at large. The Italian government insisted that police used the minimum amount of force necessary to achieve their goals and claimed that the protesters claims were exaggerated. The meeting itself was held inside a “RedZone” in the centre of town that had been declared off-limits for non-residents and surrounded by a barricade, leaving protestors no chance to communicate with summit delegates. Only one activist managed to breach the RedZone barrier but was immediately arrested by police agents.
Occupy
Marxism - The occupy movement is a protest movement against social and economic inequality, its primary goal being to change the economic structure and power relations in society into what organizers consider to be more fair. The first Occupy protest to receive wide coverage was Occupy Wall Street in New York. Now Occupy has taken place in over 95 cities in 82 countries. On 15 October 2011, protesters gathered in London, Bristol, Birmingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh. The London Stock Exchange was the initial target for protestors. 2500-3000 people gathered nearby outside St. Paul’s Cathedral, with 250 camping overnight. The reactions to this movement in the UK were that former Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the protests were about fairness. “There are voices in the middle who say, ‘Look, we can build a better financial system that is more sustainable, that is based on a better proportionate sense of what’s fair and where people don’t take reckless risks, or, if they do, they’re penalized for doing so’
WTO Protests
Marxism - When the WTO convened at the Washington State Convention and Trade Centre in 1999 the talks were overshadowed by massive protests outside the hotel as part of the second phase of the anti-globalization movement in the United States. On the morning of Tuesday 20 November 1999, the Direct Action Network’s plan was put into effect. Several hundred activists arrived in the deserted streets near the convention centre and began taking control of key intersections. Over the next few hours, a number of marchers began to converge on the area from different directions. These included a student march and a march of citizens of the developing world. Some demonstrators held rallies, others held teach-ins and at least one group staged an early-morning street party. That morning, the King County Sheriff’s Office and Seattle Police Department fired pepper spray, tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets at protestors at several intersections in an attempt to reopen blocked streets. The police downtown were eventually overwhelmed by the mass protestors, including many who had chained themselves together and were blocking intersections. The opening of the meting was delayed, and it took police much of the afternoon and evening to clear the streets. Seattle mayor imposed a curfew and a 50-block “No-protest Zone”. Over 600 people were arrested over the next few days.
Slutwalk
Feminism - In 24th January 2011, a Toronto policeman told a group of law students that in order to avoid being raped ‘women should avoid dressing like sluts’. This sparked outrage around the globe and led to the formation of slutwalk. Sluts and allies from Chicago to Amsterdam standing up and saying that they’ve had enough of being victimised and labelled, speaking out for freedom, equality and fun and saying that nobody gets to tell us how to be women. Slutwalk will be organising protests, speaking up against victim blaming wherever we see it/hear it, and giving other women a platform to share your experiences and ideas. One of these protests took place on 22nd September meeting at London’s Piccadilly, where up to 5,000 women dressed like ‘sluts’ holding banners with statements like “cleavage is not consent”.
Women to Drive Movement
Feminism - The women to drive movement is a campaign by Saudi Arabian women, who have more rights denied to them by the regime than men, for the right to drive motor vehicles on public roads. In 1990, dozens of women in Riyadh drove their cars in protest against the driving ban. They were imprisoned for one day, had their passports confiscated, and some lost their jobs. In September 2008 the Association for the Protection and defence of Women’s Rights in Saudi Arabia, submitted a 1,100-signature petition to King Abdullah asking for women to be allowed to drive. On International Women’s Day in 2008, al-Huwaider filmed herself driving, for which she received international media attention after the video was posted on YouTube. In 2011, a group of women started a Facebook campaign called Women2Drive. The campaign called for women to start driving from 17th June 2011. As of 21st May 2011, about 12,000 readers of the Facebook page had expressed their support. On 17 June, abut 30 to 50 women drove cars in towns in Saudi Arabia and according to the Guardian the “police appeared to be under orders not to intervene” during women’s drives. On 29 June, five women driving in Jeddah were arrested, which was the first big pushback from authorities. On 29 June 2012, to celebrate the anniversary of the June 2012 driving campaign launch, a member of My Right to Dignity women’s right campaign drove her car in Riyadh. She stated that she had driven about 30-40 times in 2011 and that 100 Saudi women had driven regularly since June 2011.
2011 London Riots
Anarchism - Between 6 and 10 August 2011, several London boroughs and districts of cities and towns across England suffered widespread, looting and arson where thousands took to the streets. On 4 August 2011, a police officer shot and killed 29-year-old Mark Duggan during an attempt to arrest him. On 6 August a protest was held, initially peacefully, beginning at Broadwater Farm and finishing at Tottenham police station. The protest was organised by friends and relatives of Duggan to demand justice for the family. The peaceful march was followed by rioting and looting, first in Tottenham and later in Tottenham Hale retail Park. The spread of news and rumours about the previous evening’s disturbances in Tottenham sparked riots during the night of 7 August in the London districts of Brixton, Enfield, Islington and Wood Green. The morning of 8 August was quite, but by evening areas across London were affected by looting, arson and violence, with significant outbreaks in parts of Battersea, Brixton, Bromley, Camden, Crayford, Ealing, Hackney, Lewisham plus more. Following a greatly increased police presence, London was quiet o 9 august, but rioting continued in Birmingham, and Nottingham, and spread to Leicester. On 10 August, London remained quiet while hundreds of arrests were being made by the police. Three men were killed in Birmingham and looting and violence continued in two locations around Manchester and Liverpool.
Brixton Riots 1995
Anarchism - The riots began on December 13 after the death of a black 26 –year-old, Wayne Douglas, in police custody. Trouble broke out after what had been a peaceful protest outside the Brixton Police station where the death occurred. With several hundred people involved, the riot resulted in damage to property and vehicles in the area. Police sealed off a 2-mile area around Brixton in south London/ The riot lasted for five hours, 22 people were arrested and charged with public order offences, theft and criminal damage. Three police officers were hurt. Violence was triggered by a standoff between the police and about 100 demonstrators. Witnesses reported hearing black youths shouting “killers, killers” at the police and some eyewitnesses describe the police presence at the demonstration as “incredibly heavy-handed”.
