IV489 - October 2015

IVP489 October 2015 PDF magazine

For a couple of weeks now hundreds of citizens of Kosovo- have been rallying in support of greater autonomy for the University of Pristina. Gathered under the slogan ‘For University’ they joined in support of the Rector’s proposed reforms for improving the quality of higher education. Yesterday’s dismissal of the Rector by the Governing Council of the University, sparked outrage amongst his supporters from “For University”, who called for a protest scheduled to start at 11:00, on 22nd of October outside the Ministry of Education in Pristina.

At 9:30 yesterday morning Turkish citizens opposed to their government’s war policies gathered at the Ankara Train Station for a demonstration organized by a broad alliance of organizations: the country’s two main oppositional labor unions (DISK and KESK), the national Chamber of Architects and Engineers (TMMOB), the Medical Association (Tabipler Birli?i) and the June Movement (Haziran Hareketi) formed in 2013 to give lasting organizational form to the Gezi Park protests, to name a few. Shortly before ten o’clock the group began its march toward S?hiyye Square where from 12:00-16:00 they were to hold a rally titled “Stand Up to War, Demand Peace Now!” (Sava?a ?nat, Bar?? Hemen ?imdi).

An historic victory over South African neoliberalism was won on October 23, after the most intense three-week burst of activist mobilization here since liberation from apartheid in 1994. University students have been furious, as their cry “Fees must fall!” rang out on campuses and sites of political power across this society. But though there will be an effective 6% cut in tuition for 2016, the next stage of struggle looms, with demands for free tertiary education and university labor rights atop the agenda.

After experimenting with tuition fees, all the federal German states have been persuaded to reverse their decision. In the UK and US, there is no political will to change the policies which are blighting whole generations. The only way forward is to copy German protest movements.

Several thousands of workers at two of Egypt’s largest textile companies — the Kafr al-Dawwar Textile Company and the Misr Spinning and Weaving Company in Mahalla al-Kubra — are on strike over unpaid bonuses promised by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

This article was updated by the author on the 23rd of October 2015.

Syriza won the Greek general elections on September 20, 2015 amidst a sea of resignation from the Greek people, forced to choose between the austerity of Tsipras and that of New Democracy. No celebration after its victory, no displays of joy. Only symptoms of routine acceptance of reality in the streets of Athens. The idea that things could be otherwise evaporated without remission.

Ilya Budraitskis interviewed Gilbert Achcar about the Russian military operation in Syria for LeftEast

A spontaneous agitation by a collective of women labourers has thrown Kerala’s plantation sector into disarray, caught its male-dominated trade unions off guard, and focussed public attention on the growing inequalities and gender-related disparities in the sector.