Hong Kong Activist Group Forced to Delete Social Media

In order to comply with China’s recent national security law, a well-known pro-democracy group was ordered to scrub its online presence. 

A  2015 vigil for the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests. VeryBusyPeople. CC BY-SA 2.0

In early September 2021, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, a well-known activist group in Hong Kong, received notices from officials to delete all online content to comply with the recent national security law. As a result, the group has closed its website as well as all social media pages, including their Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. The Hong Kong Alliance is most well known for hosting vigils for the 1989 Tiananmen Square student protests that resulted in hundreds of deaths. The protests in 1989 called for political and economic reform, and Chinese police responded violently and arrested tens of thousands of protesters. In addition, the group is known for advocating for democratic movements and does not hesitate to criticize the government online. Officials also used the national security law to arrest several leaders of the group who refused to provide information to police regarding the group’s funding and membership.

The security law went into effect on June 30, 2020, causing concerns that Hong Kong was losing its judiciary independence and other democratic freedoms such as freedom of speech and assembly. Under the initial 1997 agreement, when China gained control of Hong Kong from Britain, there was always supposed to be a national security law in Hong Kong. However, Hong Kong would retain a separate judiciary system. Hong Kong has previously had protests starting in 2019 in response to a law that allowed extradition to the mainland. The protests turned increasingly violent, and eventually, the extradition bill was withdrawn. The controversial security law criminalized succession, subversion of state power, terrorism and collusion with foreign entities. The law takes precedence over a local Hong Kong law, and a National Security Committee will be put in place with no local oversight. In addition, crimes considered to be serious national security threats will be tried on the mainland in Chinese courts, essentially a version of the extradition bill that was thrown out as a result of the 2019 protests. 

The Hong Kong Alliance was not the first group that faced the consequences of the recent security law. Shortly after the law was enacted in 2020, many people deleted their social media, and pro-democracy media outlets deleted old posts and entire archives. The Hong Kong alliance has restarted a Facebook page. Still, it is unclear how the group will be using social media in the future.

Dana Flynn

Dana is a recent graduate from Tufts University and holds a degree in English. While at Tufts she enjoyed working on a campus literary magazine and reading as much as possible. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she loves to explore and learn new things.

Brazil’s Black Lives Matter Movement 

Brazil, the last South American country to abolish slavery in the late 1800s, struggles to uplift their nation’s Black lives. Through pay gaps, urban designs, government representation and policing, Brazil’s society threatens the Black community. 

A protester on the streets in Brazil. Michelle Guimarães.

Over the course of 300 years, approximately four million Africans were taken to Brazil as slaves. Today, Brazil’s racial demographics are  47.7 percent white, 43.1 percent multiracial and 7.6 percent Black. The average income for white Brazilians is almost double that of the average income for Black or multiracial Brazilians, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Also, 78.5 percent of people in Brazil who are receiving the lowest rate of income (equivalent to $5.50 U.S. dollars per day) are Black or multiracial people.

This May, Black Lives Matter protests filled the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Brasília after 28 people died during a police raid. Human rights activists said that the officers killed people who wanted to surrender and posed no threat. The raid took place in Rio de Janeiro, where heavily armed officers with helicopters and vehicles went into Jacarezinho, a poor neighborhood. Thousands of residents were subject to nine hours of terror.

Organizers said that 7,000 people took to the streets in Sao Paulo. Protesters painted the Brazilian flag with red paint and held up a school uniform stained with blood. In Rio de Janeiro, protestors chanted, “Don’t kill me, kill racism.”

As Brazilian author and activist Djamila Ribeiro said, “The Brazilian state didn't create any kind of public policy to integrate Black people in society," and that "although we didn't have a legal apartheid like the U.S. or South Africa, society is very segregated—institutionally and structurally."

In 2019, the police killed 6,357 people in Brazil, which is one of the highest rates of police killings in the world—and almost 80 percent of the victims were Black. 

During COVID-19, Black Brazilians were more likely than other racial groups to report COVID-19 symptoms, and more likely to die in the hospital. Experts attributed this disparity to high rates of informal employment among Black people, preventing them from the ability to work from home, and a higher prevalence of pre-existing conditions. Specifically, in 2019, Black Brazilians already accounted for the majority of unemployed workers (64.2%); therefore, they already lacked economic support even before the pandemic.

An artist’s photoshoot with Brazil flag covering their bodies. Eriscolors. 

Only a quarter of federal deputies in the lower chamber of Brazil’s Congress and a third of managerial roles in companies were Black people, according to the IBGE statistics from 2019.  

Brazil’s President, Jair Bolsonaro, said during his campaign in 2018 that descendants of people who were enslaved were “good for nothing, not even to procreate,” while using the slogan “my color is Brazil.”

Keisha-Khan Y. Perry, a professor at the University of Texas, conducted an ethnographic study looking at how Black women in Gamboa de Baixo—a city culturally and historically tied to Black Brazilians—are leading the community towards social activism against racist politics. Specifically, these racist policies include political urban revitalization programs that push out Black and poor people. Perry said that these policies are a political tactic continually utilized in Brazilian cities. 

However, recently in May, Milton Barbosa, one of the founders of the most notable Black civil rights organization in Brazil, Unified Black Movement, said, “There’s been an increase in awareness nationally… We still have to fight, but there have been important changes.” 

Kyla Denisevich

Kyla is an upcoming senior at Boston University, and is majoring in Journalism with a minor in Anthropology. She writes articles for the Daily Free Press at BU and a local paper in Malden, Massachusetts called Urban Media Arts. Pursuing journalism is her passion, and she aims to highlight stories from people of all walks of life to encourage productive, educated conversation. In the future, Kyla hopes to create well researched multimedia stories which emphasize under-recognized narratives.

Deforestation in Myanmar Amid Political Unrest

While deforestation has been a major issue in Myanmar for decades, recent data shows a surge in deforestation that could be linked  to the nation’s recent coup and ongoing internal conflict. 

Environment and Food Security in Myanmar. United Nations Development Programme. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

On February 1, a coup took place in Myanmar. The Tatmadaw, Myanmar’s military, overthrew many democratically elected members of the National League for Democracy , the ruling party in Myanmar following the November 2020 general elections. After  the coup, the Tatmadaw enforced a year-long state of emergency, transferring power from the elected democratic authorities to the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Min Aung Hlaing. The military assumed control of the nation and invalidated the November vote on the premise that the elections were fraudulent; however, many question the legitimacy of this premise. Some believe that this reasoning was a cover for the Tatmadaw to step in because many members of its party lost in the election. 

Interestingly, the coup took place the day before the Parliament of Myanmar swore in the newly elected members from the November 2020 election, preventing the election. Unsurprisingly, residents did not welcome the control of the Tatmadaw with open arms—many protested the coup and experienced grave, and sometimes deadly, consequences. Citizens who spoke out against the Tatmadaw authorities were punished, as freedom of speech and the press are not guaranteed by law in Myanmar. Since the conflict began, over 900 civilians have been killed by military or police forces and at least 5,000 people have been arrested, charged or sentenced. Additionally, three prominent members of the NLD have died while under police custody in March.

 While this political situation in Myanmar is new, its environmental situation is not. When the nation achieved its independence from the British in 1948, Myanmar, previously known as Burma, had a landscape that was  70 percent forest. In 2014, there was around 48 percent forest cover, as the nation lost around 19 percent of its forests between 1990 and 2010. Although Myanmar’s deforestation rate is less than some of its neighbors, including Indonesia and Vietnam, deforestation is still a major concern in the region. Deforestation in Myanmar is often attributed to three major factors: unsustainable and illegal logging, unresolved land disputes and agricultural development. Despite deforestation, Myanmar has the largest tropical forest in mainland Southeast Asia that is home to more than 80 endemic species. Despite the size of Myanmar’s forests, only around six percent of its land is protected by law while the rest is susceptible to deforestation. 

 Myanmar’s Tanintharyi region exemplifies the consequences deforestation can have on Myanmar’s wildlife. Satellite data from the University of Maryland shows that deforestation is increasing in the nation, especially in the Mergui and Kawthoung districts of the Tanintharyi. According to UMD, Mergui and Kawthoung lost around 15 percent of their tree cover between 2001 and 2019, and recent data from UMD’s Global Analysis and Discovery lab suggest that this number may be higher in 2020 and beyond. 

Gurney’s pittas, small birds with a stubby tail, live in the area between Mergui and Kawthoung in the Tanintharyi. These birds were thought to be extinct until they were rediscovered in the 80s. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Gurney’s pitta is a critically endangered species with only between 1,000 and 2,500 remaining in 2019, a drastic decline from the 10,300 to 17,000 that were alive 15 years earlier. Habitat loss is the reason behind this decline. 

 Gurney pitta. darwin_initiative. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Beyond threatening extinction for wildlife that has been around for decades, deforestation in Myanmar is also threatening the advancement of science in studying biodiversity. New species have recently been discovered in the Tanintharyi region. In 2015 and 2016, researchers discovered two species of geckos, genus Cyrtodactylus, that are known for their bent toes. In 2019, another group of researchers discovered an Asian rock gecko known as Cnemaspis tanintharyi. Some scientists are worried that continued deforestation in the Tanintharyi region could mean the extinction of undiscovered and recently discovered species, in addition to well-known species.

 Myanmar’s political climate has implications for its environmental situation. With Myanmar’s 70-year-long and ongoing internal conflict as well as the recent coup, displaced individuals have turned to its forests for support. Many have taken up farming in the Tanintharyi to make a living and others have sought refuge in surrounding forests—both of which have contributed to increased deforestation in the Tanintharyi region and the decline of unique, local species.

In addition to the environmental consequences of displacement, experts speculate that the coup has opened the nation to increased illegal deforestation as international oversight and trade partnerships deteriorate. With other nations increasing sanctions against Myanmar and refusing to cooperate with the country because of the coup, Myanmar is more susceptible to illegal deforestation and the selling of illegally obtained wood to foreign partners who neglect to question its legitimacy. Satellite data by Planet Labs, Google Earth and Global Forest Watch show that large patches of forest have been removed between January and April of this year. Despite this incriminating data, there is no clear evidence that directly links the recent deforestation to illegal activities conducted by the Tatmadaw.

Mia Khatib 

Mia is a rising senior at Boston University majoring in journalism and minoring in international relations. As a Palestinian-American, Mia is passionate about amplifying the voices of marginalized communities and is interested in investigative and data-driven journalism. She hopes to start out as a breaking news reporter and one day earn a position as editor of a major publication.

Cubans Protest Government’s Response to Economic Crisis 

Political turmoil, severe economic struggles and lack of freedom have pushed Cubans to take a stand against their government. 

People walking the streets of Havana, Cuba. Tiago Claro. Unsplash. 

Thousands of Cubans marched the streets of Havana on Sunday, July 11 in protest against the poor economic conditions and governmental response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other hardships, many demonstrators have faced long-term hunger and medicine shortages due to the Cuban government's lack of action to address the struggles of its people. These protests have led to the damaging of police equipment, the detainment of a journalist and the death of a civilian. 

Besides having a mere 15 percent vaccination rate, due to shortages, pharmacies and hospitals lack even the most basic medicines such as penicillin and aspirin. According to Cuban healthcare authorities, on Sunday there were almost 7,000 new reported COVID-19 cases, with a total of nearly 240,000 COVID-19 patients across the country. Many Cubans have also reported having to wait hours in line to purchase food, if they even have access to food to begin with. 

These cruel living conditions have pushed many Cubans to a breaking point—in fact, these protests mark the first large-scale acts of defiance that Cuba has seen since the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. The main difference since then is the easy accessibility of the internet, which has been used to spread the word about the protests and inspire a larger turnout. In an attempt to silence protesters on social media, internet access across Cuba was cut off for roughly 30 minutes amidst protests on July 11, with shutdowns intermittently continuing. This makes the stories from activists who were arrested or beaten by police difficult to corroborate due to lack of evidence. 

Despite suppression efforts, protesters have managed to maintain a far reach, with Cuban communities such as Little Havana in Miami gathering in solidarity with Cubans. The Cuban protest movement has also garnered international support on social media with the hashtag #SOSCuba, and many celebrities have gotten involved to raise awareness about the protests. 

In response to the unrest, the Cuban government has directed the blame toward the American trade embargo, which they believe is responsible for the nationwide shortages. While some activists agree with this point, others have argued that the issue goes far beyond the American embargo, and that it is more due to governmental financial mismanagement and a lack of tourism revenue. 

Zara Irshad

Zara is a third year Communication student at the University of California, San Diego. Her passion for journalism comes from her love of storytelling and desire to learn about others. In addition to writing at CATALYST, she is an Opinion Writer for the UCSD Guardian, which allows her to incorporate various perspectives into her work.

Pakistani Women Continue to Push for Societal Change

On March 8, Pakistani women’s rights activists took to the country’s streets for the Aurat March, which celebrates International Women’s Day and advocates for better treatment. The organizers of the protest immediately experienced backlash from the Taliban. 

Pakistani woman sitting with friends. Vicki Francis. CC BY 2.0

Pakistani women, despite the presence of the Taliban in the country, still organized and marched on International Women’s Day. The Aurat March included pushing for accessible health care, basic economic rights and equal opportunities for women. After the marches, the Taliban posted a forbidding statement: “We want to send a message to those organizations who are actively spreading obscenity and vulgarity in our beloved Pakistan. Fix your ways.” The Taliban accused participants in the Aurat March of insulting Islam. The group falsified photos and videos, signifying that protesters held the French flag.

The social media organizer for the Aurat March in Karachi responded to the Taliban’s accusations of “obscenity and vulgarity” on Twitter: “Their attempts do not and will not deter us. We will continue to organize and speak out against the violence we are subject to. We will continue to build political power and fight back.” 

Pakistan was ranked the world’s fourth worst-performing country when measuring women’s well-being and empowerment in their homes, communities and societies, according to the 2020 Women, Peace and Security Index. At least 28% of women aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence, according to the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey. In the same survey, 40% of men agreed that it was acceptable to beat one’s wife under certain circumstances. With no national data for comparison, the scale of the violence against Pakistan’s women is difficult to gauge with other countries.  

The fight for women’s rights in Pakistan is not new. In 1983, over 200 women marched on the Lahore High Court in protest against former Gen. Zia ul-Haq’s discriminatory laws. In 1979,  Zia enacted the Hudood Ordinance, which required four male witnesses for an accusation of rape. Under this same ordinance, women who filed accusations of rape without without the proper witnesses could be sent to jail for adultery.

In December 2020, President Arif Alvi signed into law an anti-rape ordinance that approved the speedy trial of rape cases with women and children as victims. The ordinance also include the creation of a countrywide registry of sex offenders. The law came months after a rise in social outcry across Pakistan because of a motorway gang-rape incident. 

Inequalities are still seen between men and women in Pakistan through lower literacy rates, lesser wages and a smaller representation in government. Pakistan ranked 151 out of 153 countries on global gender parity, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2020. 

Despite the adversities facing women in Pakistan, they continue to organize and push for sweeping changes. In the words of Aurat March Karachi’s social media organizer, “Merely existing is a radical act of resistance.” 

Kyla Denisevich

Kyla is an upcoming senior at Boston University, and is majoring in Journalism with a minor in Anthropology. She writes articles for the Daily Free Press at BU and a local paper called Urban Media Arts. Pursuing journalism is her passion, and she aims create well researched multimedia stories which emphasize under-recognized narratives to encourage productive, educated conversation.

Anti-Coup Protesters Launch Garbage Strike in Myanmar

Over 500 civilians have been killed since Myanmar’s Feb. 1 military coup. Protests and civil disobedience campaigns launched by pro-democracy activists are ongoing. 

On March 30, pro-democracy activists in Myanmar launched a civil disobedience campaign of throwing garbage into the streets at key intersections in protest of the country’s military rule and the frequent killing of civilians by security forces. At least 512 civilians have been killed since Myanmar’s Feb. 1 military coup. 

The military seized control of Myanmar two months ago, ousting democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi of the National League for Democracy (NLD). After Suu Kyi’s landslide victory, the opposition began claiming widespread election fraud and demanded a recount of the votes. The military backed the opposing party’s claims of fraud, despite the election commission’s statement that there was no evidence to suggest the election had been tampered with. On Feb. 1, Parliament was scheduled for its first meeting since the Nov. 8 election, where it was expected to endorse the election results and approve the next government. The military detained Suu Kyi and the leaders of the NLD, arrested a number of writers and activists, and declared a yearlong state of emergency. 

The coup returned Myanmar to full military rule after the country’s decadelong quasi-democracy. Myanmar was under full military rule from 1962 to 2011, when the military implemented a parliamentary election system. Since the coup, Suu Kyi has been held in an undisclosed location and faces several charges, including violating the country’s official secrets act. 

Protests against the coup began immediately, and are some of the largest and most widespread protests in Myanmar since 2007, when thousands of monks spoke out against the military. A number of civil disobedience campaigns, like the current garbage strike, have been ongoing as well, paralyzing various sectors of the economy. The military’s response to protests escalated quickly, from imposing curfews and limits on gatherings to the use of rubber bullets and live ammunition. Hundreds of civilians have been killed by security forces. March 27 was Myanmar’s Armed Forces Day, and the deadliest day of the coup thus far, with 141 deaths resulting from the military’s attempt to stop protests. 

The current garbage strike reportedly began after loudspeaker announcements in some areas of Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, urged residents to dispose of their garbage properly. Word of the protest circulated on social media alongside the message that anyone could join in protest against the military. Once the protest had started, photos of garbage piling up in the streets began to circulate. 

Also on March 30, a joint letter from the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, the Arakan Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army called for the government to stop killing protesters and to resolve political issues. 

Rachel Lynch

Rachel is a student at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY currently taking a semester off. She plans to study Writing and Child Development. Rachel loves to travel and is inspired by the places she’s been and everywhere she wants to go. She hopes to educate people on social justice issues and the history and culture of travel destinations through her writing.

Muslim Victims of India’s Worst Riots Fret Over Delayed Justice

For victims of any crime, the wait for justice to be served is often a painstaking process where emotions run high. The victims of last year's Hindu riots in New Delhi now feel that any hope for justice has fizzled away.

A Muslim praying in a mosque in New Delhi. Riccardo Maria Mantero. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. 

Almost exactly a year ago, India’s bustling capital of New Delhi broke out into the worst religious rioting seen in the country since 1984. For four bloody days, Hindu mobs ravaged the city targeting Muslims, many of whom grew up experiencing peaceful relations with their Hindu neighbors. The mobs set fire to Muslims’ homes and mosques, while others dragged Muslims into the streets where they were mercilessly beaten to death. Muslims were also wounded by crowbars and iron rods, while others were lynched. Families were burned alive as the violence ensued, often by Hindus wearing helmets to prevent police identification. One victim, Mohammad Zubair, was seen crouching on a dirt street with his hands over his head; he prayed as a group of men beat him senseless. Zubair narrowly survived after the mob left his barely conscious body for dead in a nearby gutter. 

“… a letter was found from a police chief calling on officers to ease punishments toward Hindus involved.”

Although a horrific scene, religious tensions and rioting are certainly nothing new to India. Hindus make up around 80% of the country’s population, while 15% are Muslims. The two groups have been in conflict since the country’s inception, but the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has exacerbated tensions to unprecedented levels. 

Now, a year has passed since the riots. Although the peak of violence has passed over, neither the widespread tension nor the fear among Muslim residents has eased. Most victims of the rioting find themselves at a dead end: police have often refused to help victims due to political ties with the currently elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has connections to Hindu nationalist groups. Many victims worry that the ruling party actually supported the riots against Muslims. 

Local police view the situation differently. They claim that the necessary investigations were carried out, and that almost 1,750 perpetrators were punished. Evidence seems to show otherwise; a letter was found from a police chief calling on officers to ease punishments toward Hindus involved. 

In addition, the complex situation has led to a web of accusations. Kapil Mishra, a leader of the BJP, believes that the riots were started by the Muslim population to incite violence against Hindus. Other Hindus claim that Muslims were behind the rioting, claiming that the goal was to tarnish India’s image on the world stage. 

Unfortunately, the situation for Muslim victims appears bleak. All that can be done now is for the anguished residents to wait some more and hope for a new path forward. 

Ella Nguyen

Ella is is an undergraduate student at Vassar College pursuing a degree in Hispanic Studies. She wants to assist in the field of immigration law and hopes to utilize Spanish in her future projects. In her free time she enjoys cooking, writing poetry, and learning about cosmetics.

London’s Mayor Promises Police Reform After Months of Unrest

In London, Mayor Sadiq Khan promises police reform after months of Black Lives Matter protests. By committing to hiring diverse police officers, Khan sets the precedent for other major cities to follow. 

The Metropolitan Police Service at Trafalgar Square in London. CGP Grey. CC BY 2.0.

On Nov. 13, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced that by 2022, at least 40% of new recruits will be from minority backgrounds. Like many police forces around the world, London’s police have come under criticism in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests that began in the United States. London’s action in reforming its police force sets the precedent for other communities to follow. 

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is Britain’s largest police force. Also known as Scotland Yard and colloquially called the Met, MPS employs over 44,000 police officers and receives over 25% of the police budget for England and Wales. Along with most other police forces, the Met has come under criticism in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests and demands for police brutality reform. London’s record with police brutality is quite different than that of America’s, but it and racial inequality are still common across the United Kingdom. In the U.K., Black people are more than nine times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police than White people. Though people of color make up 13% of the population in England and Wales, 48% of minors in custody belong to the group. 

While London is an incredibly diverse city, in 2017 an overwhelming 87% of MPS officers were White, with just 13.3% of officers identifying as Black and Minority Ethnic. These statistics have come under fire recently, with Black Lives Matter protesters taking to the streets of London demanding reform. Protesters turned out in thousands throughout the summer of 2020, with protest numbers spiking after Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared the U.K. as “not a racist country” and designating protesters’ behavior as “thuggery.” 

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. Steve Punter. CC BY 2.0. 

Despite Prime Minister Johnson’s wavering views toward protests, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, acknowledged the institutional racism that he believes inflicts the country. In a statement from the mayor’s office, Khan said: “To the thousands of Londoners who protested peacefully today: I stand with you and I share your anger and your pain. George Floyd’s brutal killing must be a catalyst for change worldwide. No country, city, police service or institution can absolve itself of the responsibility to do better. We must stand together and root out racism wherever it is found. Black Lives Matter.” Khan’s acknowledgment of racism and discrimination is groundbreaking compared to American political leaders’ relative lack of action regarding this issue. 

On Nov. 13, Sadiq Khan announced that by 2022, at least 40% of new recruits in the MPS will be from minority backgrounds. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick released a rare public statement acknowledging that the Met “is not free of discrimination, racism or bias.” Commissioner Dick also announced that her “job is to continue to try to eliminate any such racism and discrimination, however it appears.” London’s active anti-racist stance will set the precedent for other communities and cities to follow. This commitment to diversity is evidence of tangible and long-lasting change within potentially racist institutions. 

Sarah Leidich

Sarah is currently an English and Film major at Barnard College of Columbia University. Sarah is inspired by global art in every form, and hopes to explore the intersection of activism, art, and storytelling through her writing.





How the BLM Movement Blossomed in the UK

As voices of the Black Lives Matter movement flooded American streets, British proponents alike rushed to rally. The seeds of the movement germinated in the U.K., but problems soon sprung up alongside them. 

Black Lives Matter protest in Bristol, England. KSAG Photography. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. 

In late May, the death of George Floyd ignited outrage in nations across the world, including in the United Kingdom. In the early summer months, the pages of social media and eager British ralliers mirrored the zeal of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. However, over the course of a few short months, the unmatched vigor of the movement in Britain quickly dropped off; neither the media channels nor the once fiery minds of residents continued active coverage and support. 

What had started as weekly protests in Britain’s largest cities had dissolved into a deferred dream for a few young activists. As more racial inequalities surfaced, less and less government engagement was found. 

Regardless of this obstacle, the young remaining supporters continue their fight with the unbattered zeal of seasoned activists. A few such activists are the founders of All Black Lives U.K., which is a movement started this past May by a group of students. The group organized protests for 10 weeks this summer and has since made substantial headway; its outreach, primarily made through social media and hosted panels, has garnered enough engagement to establish posts in other urban areas such as Bristol and Manchester. 

The movement pushes for a list of demands to be met by the government, which includes the removal of the highly scrutinized “gangs matrix.” 

The gangs matrix is a database that has been run by the Metropolitan Police since 2012 following the 2011 London riots. The database contains the names of “gang nominals,” or people whose online activity has been flagged for suspected gang affiliation. The Metropolitan Police advertised the database as a tool to combat violence in London, but many studies found that its standards have resulted in the disproportionate representation of young Black males. Thus, All Black Lives U.K. believes that the abolition of this database will remove a racist stronghold in the government. 

Aside from more obvious racial discrimination, many protesters think that the U.K. suffers from a profound lack of diversity. The movement continues to fight for increased inclusion of Black voices in local councils, as well as diversity in the national school curriculum. Campaigns have been launched to modify what is included in the national curriculum, specifically in order to make learning Black history compulsory. Proponents intend for this modification to fairly represent the Black population while creating a more well-rounded picture of the nation’s history for all students. The education campaigns were met with immediate backlash, with claims by educators that this change is too closely tied to political extremism. 

With several months of tumult having reshaped the face of racial discussions in the U.K., there is little that the British government has changed to address the issue. However, the few brave faces trailblazing the movement keep pressing on, calling others to educate themselves in the meantime. 

To Get Involved

To sign up to volunteer for the Black Lives Matter movement in the UK, click here.

To find out more about the Black Lives Matter movement in the UK, click here.

To become a partner or sponsor for the movement in the UK, click here.

Ella Nguyen

Ella is an undergraduate student at Vassar College pursuing a degree in Hispanic Studies. She wants to assist in the field of immigration law and hopes to utilize Spanish in her future projects. In her free time she enjoys cooking, writing poetry, and learning about cosmetics.

Street Artists Save Protest Masterpieces

Artists adorned New York City with Black Lives Matter tributes. But what becomes of graffiti when the world tries to erase it?

A mural in Minneapolis remembers George Floyd’s life. Lorie Shaull. CC BY-SA 2.0.

SoHo prepared for the worst. In the days before the election, the Manhattan neighborhood’s famed boutiques and shops barricaded their windows with plywood to protect their merchandise from looters. After a summer of uprising, one more round of rioting seemed inevitable. The wooden boards provided yet another reminder of how unlivable 2020 had become. It was as if the neighborhood shut its eyes to a reality too bleak to bear. 

Enter into this dismal cityscape the artists who first put SoHo on the map. Before high-end shops and wealthy shoppers gentrified this stylish slice of Manhattan, street artists like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat adorned its concrete buildings with graffiti. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, countless creatives made SoHo an international hub for artists of all stripes. Now, history comes full circle. Street artists see a rare and irresistible opportunity to take the plywood covering SoHo’s shops and create masterpieces. 

Peace, love and police abolition. iamrenny. CCO 1.0.

Among them are Konstance Patton and Trevor Croop. This past summer, Patton focused on her Goddess Project, adorning the streets with vibrant, noble portraits of Black and Indigenous women. Croop spent much of 2020 abroad, leading art workshops and reconnecting with his Lebanese heritage. Within days of his return to the U.S., the two met on the street, throwing up artwork side by side. 

Both seasoned street artists, they knew firsthand how transitory the form can be. An artist might spend hours on a painting that will be erased in a matter of days. The situation in SoHo is much more fraught. When businesses began reopening, they trashed the pieces painted on sheets of plywood. Others scrambled to grab as many panels as they could and loaded them into vans to sell to the highest bidder. 

Can’t we just get along? iamrenny. CCO 1.0.

Recognizing the inestimable value of these pieces of art, Patton and Croop founded the SoHo Renaissance Factory (SRF), which stores wooden boards bearing protest art in an empty SoHo dance studio. It consists of themselves and three fellow artists: Sule, Amir Diop and Brendan McNally. They developed an extensive network of friends, artists and security guards who alert them when a work of art is about to be trashed. They rush to the scene in an attempt to save the piece. Sometimes they arrive in the nick of time; other times they do not.

SRF member Amir Diop experienced the latter firsthand. During the protests demanding justice for the death of George Floyd, Diop painted a mural on the plywood boards covering the Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) design store. It showed smiling faces circling around a black hole beneath the words “Take me to a place where Black Lives Matter.” Only days after he painted it, MoMA tore down the piece and shredded it. In the words of Diop, “They said that place doesn’t exist and they just threw it in the garbage.”

Spray their names. drburtoni. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Street artists enjoy few legal protections. The Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA) of 1990 protected art from being mutilated or destroyed but only if it reached a “recognized stature.” In the digital age, this term is ambiguous. Instead of a signature, artists leave their social media handles in a painting’s corner, raising the question of whether online fame qualifies under VARA. For the time being, however, artists cannot depend on the art establishment. If the MoMA won’t recognize art, it is unlikely that a court will. 

A moment to remember. drburtoni. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

The future of the SRF is unclear, but it does look promising. The group recently struck a deal with Mana Contemporary, an arts center in New Jersey, to display the wooden boards in a public show next year when COVID-19 restrictions hopefully ease up. For now, the SRF has moved to a spacious studio in the NoMo SoHo Hotel, where it landed a residency. The new space offers a comfortable environment to create art, but the work of the SRF will always be rooted in the streets.

See the work of the SoHo Renaissance Factory on its website:

https://sohorenaissancefactory.com/

Or check out each artist’s work on their Instagram pages:

Konstance Patton - @konartstudio

Trevor Croop - @light.noise

Sule - @sulecantcook

Amir Diop - @amir.diop99

Brendan McNally - @brendantmcnally

You can also support the mission of the SoHo Renaissance Factory by getting involved with organizations that support racial justice, some of them listed below:

Black Lives Matter - https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019

Color of Change - https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/support-us?refcode=coc_website_popup

SURJ - https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/donate-to-surj.html

Organizations for Black Struggle - https://www.obs-stl.org/

Project South - https://projectsouth.org/

Michael McCarthy

Michael is an undergraduate student at Haverford College, dodging the pandemic by taking a gap year. He writes in a variety of genres, and his time in high school debate renders political writing an inevitable fascination. Writing at Catalyst and the Bi-Co News, a student-run newspaper, provides an outlet for this passion. In the future, he intends to keep writing in mediums both informative and creative.

Meet 6 Athlete-Activists Demanding Change

Social activism and athletics have become intertwined, especially in the digital age. Here are some of the world’s most impactful athlete-activists. 

The San Francisco 49ers kneeling during the playing of the national anthem. Keith Allison. CC BY 2.0.

Following the lead of Colin Kaepernick, a football player for the San Francisco 49ers who protested police violence through kneeling during the national anthem, athletes have increasingly embraced the intersection of athletics and activism. Four years after Kaepernick’s original act of peaceful protest, athletes are now some of the most vocal activists in the world, using their status to encourage social activism. Due to the modern celebrity of sports, combined with the wide platform of social media, athletes from almost every sport have devoted their time off the field to social causes. Here are six athlete-activists working to transform their communities:

Naomi Osaka playing tennis. Peter Menzel. CC BY 2.0. 

1. Naomi Osaka — Tennis

Naomi Osaka, the reigning U.S. Open champion, is the world’s highest-paid female athlete. She is also one of the most vocal supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement, using her platform to commemorate victims of racial violence. In August, Osaka withdrew from a tournament she was favored to win in protest of anti-Black injustice. In a statement on her social media accounts, Osaka wrote: “Before I am an athlete, I am a Black woman.” Osaka is an activist on the court as well, wearing seven different masks with the names of victims of police brutality and racism: Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Philando Castile and Tamir Rice. 

Brittney Griner playing for the Phoenix Mercury. Lorie Shaull. CC BY 2.0. 

2. Brittney Griner — Basketball 

WNBA player and Olympian Brittney Griner is an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. In 2017, Griner led the charge to prevent Texas from passing Senate Bill 3, which would have forced transgender people to use restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender assigned at birth. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Griner encourages young adults to be authentically themselves. Griner is also at the forefront of the movement for the WNBA to stop playing the national anthem prior to games in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Akim Aliu in a mid-game interview. Anders H Foto. CC BY 2.0.  

3. Akim Aliu — Hockey 

In his essay titled “Hockey Is Not for Everyone,” written in May, professional hockey player Akim Aliu exposed the National Hockey League’s unaddressed problem with racism. After recognizing rampant racism in his sport, Aliu co-founded the Hockey Diversity Alliance, an organization dedicated to eradicating “systemic racism and intolerance in hockey” while making the sport accessible to all communities. In a statement posted on Twitter by the board of the organization, Aliu wrote: "We are hopeful that anyone who puts on skates or sits in the stands will do so without worrying about race, gender or socioeconomic background and will be able to express their culture, identity, values and personality without fear of retribution."

Juan Mata playing for his former team, Chelsea. Christopher Johnson. CC BY 2.0.

4. Juan Mata — Soccer

Manchester United player Juan Mata launched Common Goal in 2017, a charitable organization geared toward redistributing global soccer wealth back into the communities that raised and trained the world’s premier soccer stars. Mata was the first of his peers to pledge 1% of his salary to this organization, and the organization has now grown to include 390 pledgers and 207 partner organizations. Mata told The Players’ Tribune: “Through Common Goal we're creating a collaborative way for football to give back to society … By making the pledge, we can form a lasting connection between football as a business and football as a tool for social change.”

Fu Yuanhui and teammate Liu celebrate a 2015 backstroke win. Oleg Bkhamri. CC BY 2.0. 

5. Fu Yuanhui — Swimming

Chinese Olympic swimmer Fu Yuanhui is breaking down the stigma surrounding menstrual cycles for female athletes. At the Rio Olympics in 2016, Yuanhui openly shared the way in which her period affected her athletic performance, with social media users sharing widespread support for her honesty. In China, taboos around menstrual cycles lead to the topic seldomly being discussed, and Chinese swimming fans took to social media apps to praise Yuanhui for her honesty. Only 2% of women in Chinese use tampons, and Yuanhui’s acknowledgment of her period on a world stage was eye-opening for Chinese women, 76% of whom are reported to feel uncomfortable in social settings when they have their period. 

Fish on stage delivering a TED Talk. TEDxYouthSeattle. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

6. Rosalie Fish — Running

College runner Rosalie Fish is the least-known athlete on this list, but one of the fiercest advocates of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). In her senior year of high school, Fish ran her meets with the outline of a red hand painted across her face and the words Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women written on her leg. Now in college, Fish has become a leading figure in advocacy for MMIW. A member of the Cowlitz Tribe, Fish told Off the Cuff: “For me to say I don’t want Indigenous women to be ignored anymore is, by some people, a political statement. Advocating for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, they will say that’s political. To me that’s survival.” Fish has also delivered a TED Talk explaining her activism, which you can watch here. 

Sarah Leidich

is currently an English and Film major at Barnard College of Columbia University. Sarah is inspired by global art in every form, and hopes to explore the intersection of activism, art, and storytelling through her writing. 

Indonesian Muslims Protest French President 

Thousands of people gathered at Indonesia’s French Embassy to protest French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron has a history of anti-Muslim rhetoric and recently defended the publication of caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad. 

On Nov. 2, thousands of people gathered outside the French Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, to protest French President Emmanuel Macron. 

Macron defended the publication of cartoons that depict the Prophet Muhammad, which many have deemed inflammatory. The cartoons were originally published in the Charlie Hebdo magazine in 2015. They were republished in September to mark the opening of the trial for the 2015 attacks against the magazine’s staff, which were partially motivated by the publication of the cartoons. 

Last month, the cartoons were a topic of discussion in a Paris classroom during a lecture on freedom of expression. After the lecture, on Oct. 16, the teacher who led the class was beheaded by a student enraged by the cartoon being shown in class. In a separate incident on Oct. 29, three people were stabbed to death in the seaside town of Nice by a Tunisian man yelling “Allahu Akbar,” a commonly used phrase meaning “God is greatest.” Though it has an innocuous meaning and is used in a number of day-to-day situations, the phrase has been tarnished by an association with terrorist acts, such as the 2015 Charlie Hebdo attack.   

These recent incidents have reinvigorated anti-Muslim sentiment in France, and Macron has been criticized for his comments. Macron told the news site Al-Jazeera that he understands people’s concern over the cartoons, but said that he “will always defend in my country the freedom to speak, to write, to think, to draw.” He maintained his stance that the cartoons were protected under freedom of expression after the beheading of the teacher in October, and has been accused by some of spreading anti-Muslim sentiment in his statements. 

Macron has received criticism for his anti-Muslim rhetoric in the past. On Oct. 2, he called Islam a religion “in crisis” around the world and introduced a plan to push what he termed “Islamist radicalism” out of French education and the public sector. In the same speech, he announced the government’s intention to present a bill strengthening a 1905 law officially separating the church and state in France. 

In Indonesia, the French Embassy was heavily guarded and protected by barbed wire, but over 2,000 people stood outside chanting and holding signs. Protesters displayed banners that read “Macron is the real terrorist,” “Go to hell Macron,” and “Macron is devil” and called for a boycott of French goods. Some protesters stomped on Louis Vuitton bags to demonstrate their rejection of French products. Speakers at the protest demanded that Macron apologize and take back his anti-Muslim comments. They also called for the immediate removal of the French ambassador. 

On Oct. 31, Indonesian President Joko Widodo condemned the terrorist attacks in Paris and Nice while also speaking out against Macron’s defense of the cartoons. Widodo argued that freedom of expression that tarnishes the honor of religious symbols could not be justified and said that “linking religion with terrorist acts is a big mistake.” Muslims in France have repeatedly denounced the terrorist acts. 

Rachel Lynch

is a student at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY currently taking a semester off. She plans to study Writing and Child Development. Rachel loves to travel and is inspired by the places she’s been and everywhere she wants to go. She hopes to educate people on social justice issues and the history and culture of travel destinations through her writing.

Students Call for a Democratic Revolution in Thailand

2020 seems to be the year when students across the globe take part in changing their societies, no matter the cost.

Student protesters. Prachatai. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

In Thailand, student-run organizations have led the march that grew to be an all-out revolution in the busy streets of Bangkok. Thousands of protesters have congregated in the crowded commercial center, Ratchaprasong, chanting for the Thai government to listen to their demands. Protesters call for the removal of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, the reduction of the monarchy’s budget so the king’s funds would be separated from crown assets, and the abolition of the strict lese majeste laws which ban the voicing of criticisms against the king. 

The unrest began in 2019 when the government banned the most vocal party opposing the power of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Thai citizens are calling for his removal due to the potentially corrupt manner in which he came to power. In 2014 it is said that Prayut staged a coup that shifted his position from army chief to prime minister. The monarchy endorsed his premiership in 2019, allowing him to stay in power after elections which were controversially deemed “fair.” 

The Grand Palace in Bangkok. Tom Eversley. CC0

The protests were put on hold through the early part of the year due to COVID-19, but are now growing at a rapid rate. In early October, the government accused protesters of obstructing Queen Suthida’s motorcade during a mass gathering at the Government House to demand the removal of Prayut. Despite the government’s imposition of emergency measures such as banning the gatherings of five or more people, forbidding the  publication of news that could “harm national security” and deploying 15,000 police officers to quell the protesters, tens of thousands continually show up to stand for their rights.

Woman waving the Thai flag. The Global Panorama. CC BY-SA 2.0

According to Human Rights Watch, the new emergency measures are allowing officials to keep protesters for up to 30 days without bail or access to lawyers and family members. Human Rights Watch’s deputy director of the Asia Division, Phil Robertson, stated that, “Rights to freedom of speech and holding peaceful public assemblies are on the chopping block from a government that is now showing its truly dictatorial nature.”

University students seem to be at the core of the current demonstrations. The Free Youth Movement was behind the first major protest back in July, inspiring a group from Thammasat University to establish the United Front of Thammasat. Even high school students have joined the fray, identifying as the Bad Student Movement, as they call for education reform. Most of these kids are in their twenties, but they have attracted the attention and support of human rights leaders and lawyers like Arnon Nampa, who was arrested in October along with prominent youth leaders. 

Student protesters. Prachatai. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Panupon Jadnok, a teenage protest leader, led a passionate speech during a rally: 

“Like dogs cornered, we are fighting till our deaths. We won't fall back. We won't run away. We won't go anywhere.”

Raising their hands in the iconic three-finger salute made popular by ”The Hunger Games,” protesters are shouting in the streets for the police to “release [their] friends” and to stop being “slaves of dictatorship.” They will continue to fight for what they believe is right until all of their demands have been met and their friends and country are free.

 

Yuliana Rocio

is currently a Literature/Writing major at the University of California San Diego. Yuliana likes to think of herself as a lover of words and a student of the world. She loves to read, swim, and paint in her free time. She spent her youth as part of a travel-loving family and has grown up seeking adventure. She hopes to develop her writing skills, creating work that reflects her voice and her fierce passion for activism.