#activists

Hundreds of #activists join #Arrernte #TraditionalOwners ahead of #PineGap #protest to voice their #concerns over the #expansion of the nation's most #secretive defence #facility and the nature of its operations in #warfare. It has been almost 60 years since Pine Gap was built in the heart of the nation, 18 kilometres south-west of #AliceSprings. It was originally sold to the public as a #SpaceBase, but the joint #Australian #US facility has since expanded to become a major #intelligence and #surveillance base, its large golf-ball-like domes growing in number and capacity. Its mission and secrecy have made it the target of countless protests. Lies and Els Paijmans were among those to make the trip to Alice Springs for tomorrow's protest action, travelling from regional New South Wales. They know the outback town well, having visited for decades and attended a major women's protest at Pine Gap in 1983. Els Paijmans said the pair were motivated by "the ongoing #American involvement in Pine Gap and what that means on a global level for the military machine". "I think the surveillance is used for negative purposes, far beyond any positive purposes that the government or a politician could describe," she said. Lies Paijmans said the two women had been protesting the facility for more than 30 years. "Certainly since the '70s when #Whitlam was in," she said. "We both went to the Women for Survival camp, and still things are bad, if not worse, definitely worse." Back then, the group of around 800 women camped along the road to Pine Gap, but protesters are no longer allowed to get so close. "It was really quite big, and it went for several weeks; it was huge," Lies Paijmans explained. "We were there to protest, and we were right at the gates, which we can't do now, but we were right at the gates. "We weren't planning to break in, but we started to push it, and then everyone started pushing, and then the whole thing came down. "So we were all wearing our frocks and had teacups and things, so we were on the Pine Gap land having a tea party. "But then the federal police in their helicopters started coming down really low and stirring up all the dust and the dirt and being quite terrifying." About 100 women were arrested that day, a world away from this week's "#ClosePineGap" convergence held on the red dirt among native trees and shrubs at a desert research institute, where more than 500 people have gathered to meet and share ideas. But the passion is just as fervent. Organiser Nathalie Farah said most participants were driven by "frustration", "confusion" and "grief". "There is real concern about escalations that are happening, that the US is waging #war in the #MiddleEast and in #Iran, and with the US being in a state of unpredictability," she said. "Why should we be dragged into their wars? "The other point about this is also that Pine Gap makes #Australia a target. "It actually isn't safe for Australians living here, for people living in Alice Springs." The group was welcomed by Arrernte traditional owners yesterday with a smoking ceremony that went for the better part of an hour, to allow all attendees to participate. Pine Gap sits on Arrernte elder Felicity Hayes' ancestral lands — but she cannot visit the sacred grounds and rock art sites that sit within the facility's boundaries. "We just want to ask to go there and, you know, look after country," she said. "You can go into the women's area, but you can't go into the men's site, and it's like, you know, really sad. "One of my family wants to go out there and check on the rock art and stuff like that. "Every time you go there, there's the federal police, you know, I'm just thinking there might be cameras, hidden cameras there that see people going towards, going into Pine Gap." Ms Hayes said her grandfather, who was involved in negotiations about the use of the land, did not understand English properly and she believed he did not know what was being proposed when authorities came knocking. "I would like to see my land back and compensate us for what they been doing," Ms Hayes said. "Must have did a lot of damage to our sacred sites there. "I just want to get compensated, and to have houses at my place too." She said most of her family lived in makeshift cabin homes and tents at the Whitegate town camp in Alice Springs where water has to be trucked in. In a statement, a #DefenceDepartment spokesperson said in accordance with longstanding practice by successive governments, the Australian government does not comment on intelligence matters or the operation of its joint or collaborative facilities, including Pine Gap. #auspol #uspol #TrumpRegime #EndlessWars #TrumpDictatorship https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-19/activists-traditional-owners-gather-for-pine-gap-protest/106931634

#watch 📲 Ali Abunimah discusses live in Zürich in June 2026 the real story about Israel you won't hear on #mainstream #news Ali discusses October 7 reporting, claims of sexual violence, #media coverage of #palestine, and the #US -Israel relationship - He also speaks about BDS, Gaza’s death toll, #swiss neutrality, support for student #activists, and the role of electoral politics and public pressure in changing policy - #gaza #genocide Video: Neutrality Studies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJh32Ox8Vto

Some #US officials…worry it is part of a #Trump admin effort to use powerful counterterrorism tools to crack down on US #activists they view as left-wing extremists. Trump’s counterterrorism czar, [the #AltRight #FarRight #WhiteNationalist media personality & fraudster] #SebastianGorka, has had discussions with colleagues about using foreign #terrorism labels for #Antifa to justify going after Americans with links to the movement…. #law #Constitution #RightToProtest #FirstAmendment

Almost 200 people killed last year trying to defend the #environment, report finds https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/sep/09/almost-200-people-killed-last-year-trying-to-defend-the-environment-report-finds-aoe "#Colombia, #Brazil, #Mexico and #Honduras were the most deadly countries for people trying to protect their lands and ecosystems, making up more than 70% of all recorded killings globally. ...Of those killed in 2023, 43% were from #Indigenous communities. Nearly 90% of those killed were men. Numbers from last year bring the total recorded killings to 2,106 since 2012, when Global Witness first started reporting on the data. ...Along with murders, the report said that disappearances and abductions of environmental defenders were common, as well as the wider #criminalisation of #activists around the world." #capitalism #ClassWar #EcoNews #Ecology #profit #govcrimes #Climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #StateTerrorism

Land and #environmental defenders—#Indigenous leaders, farmers, conservationists, and community #activists—risk their lives opposing the destructive exploitation of natural resources. The dangers facing defenders are widespread and persistent. Since reporting began in 2012, Global Witness estimates that at least 2,253 defenders have been killed or disappeared. #LatinAmerica remains the deadliest region, accounting for roughly 82 percent of killings in 2024: #Colombia reported 48 deaths, #Guatemala 20, #Mexico 18, and #Brazil 12. The #violence is linked to land disputes, #mining, agribusiness, and organized #crime. Indigenous peoples are disproportionately affected. Although they make up only six percent of the global population, they account for roughly one-third of defenders killed or targeted worldwide. A majority of killings and disappearances in 2024 were linked to extractive activities, with mining and logging at the forefront. “These defenders are ultimately safeguarding all ways of life on this planet, and we must protect them from enforced disappearance.” “If we still have rainforests, it’s because we, the indigenous, have fought for our lives to protect them”. https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/12/09/indigenous-and-environmental-defenders-risk-their-lives-as-the-last-line-protecting-the-planet/ #Climate #ClimateCrisis #press #journalism #honduras #Ecuador #capitalism #ClassWar

Sylvia Rivera’s 1973 Speech “Sylvia Rivera, a Puerto Rican street queen, revolutionary, and another Stonewall veteran, supported her community’s safety through many means, including direct action and mutual aid.” individual trans activists through the ages. #trans #activists #history https://scheerpost.com/2026/05/01/for-decades-trans-people-have-helped-lead-the-fight-against-sexual-violence/

#Palantir Will No Longer Profit Off of New Yorkers’ Health Data After #TheIntercept exposed Palantir’s deal with #NYC public hospitals, the health care system didn’t renew the contract. by Sam Biddle, March 24 2026 "A controversial multimillion-dollar deal between New York City’s public hospital system and military contractor Palantir, first reported by The Intercept, is coming to an end, according to recent testimony before the city council. "The Intercept reported in February that the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, which operates a network of public health care facilities across the city, had paid Palantir almost $4 million since 2023 for data analysis services. #NYCHH says it used Palantir’s software to boost its efficiency in billing Medicaid and other public benefits, which included the automated scanning of patient health notes. "The contract prompted #protests from #activists and local organizers who objected to the hospital system’s use of software from a company whose technology has facilitated lethal airstrike targeting, wide-reaching surveillance of American citizens, and deportation raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents." Read more: https://theintercept.com/2026/03/24/palantir-new-york-city-hospitals-contract/ Archived version: https://archive.ph/CRzWy #USPol #DefundICE #DefundDHS #ICEOut

Just did a quick history and writeup of the history of #Switzerland's co-operation with the US, including the recent incidents with #Protonmail, compromising the #data of #activists who thought they were paying for privacy and #cybersecurity. Everyone says the Swiss have a great privacy protection, but I've always disagreed, it is a paper tiger of privacy that rubber stamps US requests. https://areebyasir.com/protonmails-history-of-swiss-and-us-government-compliance/