The People's Record

An ongoing chronicle of communities of resistance around the world: anti-racism, anti-zionism, anti-imperialism, the Arab Spring, anti-austerity protests in Greece and across Europe, student movements all around the world, the Occupy Movement, anti-capitalist movements, anarchist movements, socialist movements, leftist communities and other relevant international news.

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Indigenous people of Australia face housing crises and increasingly impossible living conditions October 18, 2012 A shortfall in government-owned accommodation is forcing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into overcrowded homes, their cars or the streets, say Canberra welfare groups. Concern over a lack of accommodation follows an increase in the number of self-identified indigenous public housing tenants in the past year. One problem highlighted by housing groups is overcrowding, as seen in the case of a single mother who until recently lived in one room with her four young sons aged between seven years and 20 months. Now in emergency accommodation with the help of a local charity, the woman said she felt there was some discrimination against her and others due to the higher levels of family support traditionally provided by indigenous families. ”I’ve had problems with housing since I moved here in December,” she said. ”At the time, I was living with my parents in a crowded house. I’ve got four young boys of my own and we were all in one room.” Aboriginal Housing and Management Support Inc director Darren Williams said overcrowding was a common impact of insufficient housing for indigenous families, who work on a kinship basis. ”You’re not going to turn away any family and friends, especially if they’re in need,” he said. ”That’s why you’ve got problems with overcrowding.” Source

Indigenous people of Australia face housing crises and increasingly impossible living conditions

October 18, 2012

A shortfall in government-owned accommodation is forcing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into overcrowded homes, their cars or the streets, say Canberra welfare groups.

Concern over a lack of accommodation follows an increase in the number of self-identified indigenous public housing tenants in the past year.

One problem highlighted by housing groups is overcrowding, as seen in the case of a single mother who until recently lived in one room with her four young sons aged between seven years and 20 months.

Now in emergency accommodation with the help of a local charity, the woman said she felt there was some discrimination against her and others due to the higher levels of family support traditionally provided by indigenous families.

”I’ve had problems with housing since I moved here in December,” she said.

”At the time, I was living with my parents in a crowded house. I’ve got four young boys of my own and we were all in one room.”

Aboriginal Housing and Management Support Inc director Darren Williams said overcrowding was a common impact of insufficient housing for indigenous families, who work on a kinship basis. ”You’re not going to turn away any family and friends, especially if they’re in need,” he said.

”That’s why you’ve got problems with overcrowding.”

Source

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An investigation into the potential poisoning of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat may become reality September 5, 2012 Palestinians on Wednesday welcomed news that a delegation of French judges investigating suspicions that Yasser Arafat was poisoned may travel to the West Bank. “We welcome the visit of the French committee that was formed to look into the late president Arafat’s death,” a statement from Tawfiq Tirawi, head of the Palestinian committee investigating the circumstances of the veteran leader’s death in November 2004, said. His remarks came just hours after Arafat’s widow Suha said three investigative magistrates were making plans to travel to Ramallah following claims the late leader may have succumbed to poisoning by the radioactive substance polonium. No date has been given for the trip which would involve forensic officers exhuming the body and taking samples for laboratory testing, she said in a statement released by her lawyer. Source

An investigation into the potential poisoning of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat may become reality

September 5, 2012

Palestinians on Wednesday welcomed news that a delegation of French judges investigating suspicions that Yasser Arafat was poisoned may travel to the West Bank.

“We welcome the visit of the French committee that was formed to look into the late president Arafat’s death,” a statement from Tawfiq Tirawi, head of the Palestinian committee investigating the circumstances of the veteran leader’s death in November 2004, said.

His remarks came just hours after Arafat’s widow Suha said three investigative magistrates were making plans to travel to Ramallah following claims the late leader may have succumbed to poisoning by the radioactive substance polonium.

No date has been given for the trip which would involve forensic officers exhuming the body and taking samples for laboratory testing, she said in a statement released by her lawyer.

Source

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Indigenous mobilization challenges Colombian government August 13, 2012 Indigenous resistance in Colombia has become a social movement. Colombia’s right wing, U.S. supported government has to deal with that now, plus guerrilla insurgencies and agitation for negotiated peace. The indigenous, guerrillas and leftist opposition parties are all fighting against the take-over of land and subsoil resources by the wealthy few and the Colombian government which supports them. Indigenous people from throughout Colombia and beyond gathered on August 9 in Popayán, capital of Cauca department in Colombia’s southwest. Some 15,000 indigenous people demonstrated in the streets the next day. Later, they later marched to an indigenous reserve 12 miles away. Students, small farmers, and Afro-Colombians were also on hand on August 12 -13 for the National Indigenous Encounter in Defense of Mother Earth, organized by the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca. Dora Muñoz of the Association of Indigenous Councils of North Cauca set the stage: “The indigenous of Cauca won’t leave our territory, nor are we going to allow indiscriminate exploitation of Mother Earth. [We want] to consolidate our autonomous territories and our own government…For us, Mother Earth is sacred, for the government and multinationals, it’s wealth.” Cauca is rich in natural resources, coca plantations, and drug trafficking corridors. Pacifist Nasa indigenous people make up 95 percent of its population. Also at issue for Nasa people, says CRIC, are unfulfilled promises regarding health and education; guarantees on human rights; prior consultation for government actions affecting the indigenous; lack of dialogue on peace; and, crucially, removal of armed combatants from their homelands. Source Photo source

Indigenous mobilization challenges Colombian government

August 13, 2012

Indigenous resistance in Colombia has become a social movement. Colombia’s right wing, U.S. supported government has to deal with that now, plus guerrilla insurgencies and agitation for negotiated peace. The indigenous, guerrillas and leftist opposition parties are all fighting against the take-over of land and subsoil resources by the wealthy few and the Colombian government which supports them.

Indigenous people from throughout Colombia and beyond gathered on August 9 in Popayán, capital of Cauca department in Colombia’s southwest. Some 15,000 indigenous people demonstrated in the streets the next day. Later, they later marched to an indigenous reserve 12 miles away. Students, small farmers, and Afro-Colombians were also on hand on August 12 -13 for the National Indigenous Encounter in Defense of Mother Earth, organized by the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca.

Dora Muñoz of the Association of Indigenous Councils of North Cauca set the stage: “The indigenous of Cauca won’t leave our territory, nor are we going to allow indiscriminate exploitation of Mother Earth. [We want] to consolidate our autonomous territories and our own government…For us, Mother Earth is sacred, for the government and multinationals, it’s wealth.”

Cauca is rich in natural resources, coca plantations, and drug trafficking corridors. Pacifist Nasa indigenous people make up 95 percent of its population.

Also at issue for Nasa people, says CRIC, are unfulfilled promises regarding health and education; guarantees on human rights; prior consultation for government actions affecting the indigenous; lack of dialogue on peace; and, crucially, removal of armed combatants from their homelands.

Source

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