CovertAction Bulletin

Global Movement Frees Julian Assange

After 1,901 days in Belmarsh Prison, and many more years fighting for his freedom, Julian Assange has agreed to a plea deal with the United States and is back in Australia. There, he’ll reunite with his wife, Stella, and his children who have only seen him in jail.

The official Wikileaks account on Twitter posted: “Julian's freedom is our freedom.” 

The struggle for Julian Assange’s freedom has been a global one, involving many sectors of society - advocates, activists, whistleblowers, artists, human rights workers, doctors and so many more, and of course a brilliant team of lawyers, all working tirelessly for him.

To discuss, we’re joined by Kevin Gosztola, the editor of The Dissenter, the author of the book Guilty of Journalism: The Political Case Against Julian Assange, co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure and more.

Pentagon Anti-Vax Propaganda Targets Philippines

In 2020 and 2021, a secret Pentagon program deployed fake social media accounts to sow distrust among people in Southeast Asian countries, particularly the Philippines, around China’s Sinovac vaccination for COVID-19. Clusters of accounts identified as having ties to US Central Command (CENTCOM) made posts with the hashtag #ChinaAngVirus - or “China is the virus” in Tagalog suggested that the coronavirus is real, but China’s vaccinations were not to be trusted. 

Posts in Arabic and Russian also targeted audiences in the Middle East and Central Asia.

In an article published on June 14 by Reuters, an infectious disease specialist at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine said of the propaganda campaign, “I don’t think it’s defensible.”

Dr. Nina Castillo-Carandang, a former adviser to the World Health Organization and Philippines government said “Why did you do it when people were dying? We were desperate”

We’re joined by Chris Bing, an investigative reporter with Reuters who worked on the June 14th article.

 

Read the full article here: https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-covid-propaganda/

Read the Stanford Internet Observatory’s “Unheard Voice” report mentioned in our conversation: https://cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/io/news/sio-aug-22-takedowns

When Biden Won’t Draw a Red Line, The People Will

Over 100,000 people surrounded the White House on Saturday, June 8th, wearing red and carrying a 2-mile long banner with the names of the tens of thousands of Palestinians who have died since the renewed Israeli assault began eight months to the day before. Through a rally, march and followed by a People’s Court of Justice on the Ellipse, the message was clear: the People’s Red Line rejected Biden’s lie that an Israeli attack on Rafah would be a so-called “red line” for him.

Though most mainstream media represented it with fearmongering reporting, both Rachel and Chris were there to bring you real on-the-ground info about what it was actually like and what June 8th means for the movement. We also discuss some of the latest developments in the situation, including June 11th’s ceasefire resolution in the United Nations Security Council, details of what actually happened during the Israeli assault on the Nuseirat refugee camp, and more.

Congo “Coup”? What’s Imperialism Got To Do With It

On May 19, forces calling themselves the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo launched what appears to be a failed coup attempt, attacking the home of the Deputy Prime Minister of Economy Vital Kamerhe, as well as the Congo’s presidential palace, Palais de la Nation. The country’s Republican Guard forces were able to put down the attack within hours. Three of the 50 people arrested were U.S. citizens, and another U.S. citizen who reportedly led the operation was killed during the attack. Christian Malanga was the founder of the DC-based United Congolese Party, which has deep ties to the west and the United States.

We talk with Maurice Carney, co-founder and Executive Director of Friends of the Congo, about the events of May 19, the history of the deadliest conflict since World War II, the role that the US and Israel play in the 3Ds: Displacement, Death and Destruction, and the resurgence of the anti-imperialist movement.

Thousands in Detroit Open Next Phase of Palestine Struggle

Over 3,500 people gathered in Detroit, Michigan for a three-day People’s Conference for Palestine on May 24, 25 and 26. Led by the Palestinian Youth Movement, the conference highlighted the work that has already been done over the last 8 months but also the historical work done over years and decades in the struggle to end Zionist occupation. Participants heard about how education, art, music, literature, labor and much more play a role in this evolving struggle. The conference celebrated and uplifted the martyrs, political prisoners and fighters in Palestine. Perhaps most importantly, it laid the groundwork for the next steps for the movement to go forward. Rachel and I were both there, and today on this special episode, we’ll be listening to a few clips from the conference and reflecting on what this historic convening means for the struggle. We want to thank our friends at BreakThrough News for livestreaming the plenary sessions, keynotes and many of the workshops, and for letting us use their audio on our program. You can check out the full video playlist from the conference on their YouTube page.

Eyewitness: Police Repression of Students for Gaza

Student encampments and street protests for Palestine have been hit with a heavy wave of police violence and repression from coast-to-coast. In some cases, it’s the same police departments whose staff and leaders get training from the Israeli Defense Forces that are attacking peaceful events calling for divestment and justice. In Salt Lake City, police viciously attacked students at the University of Utah on April 29th, and then arrested student organizers the next day before a demonstration at the President’s Circle. Some of those arrested were held for hours or days before being released, even after bail was paid. Students and community have responded in force, mobilizing multiple times, demanding the charges be dropped, all the while keeping Palestine front and center.

We’re joined by Devin Martinez, a local organizer in Salt Lake City and Deja Gaston, an alumni of the University of Utah.

Will BRICS Break the US World Order?

After their highly-watched 15th summit, the core member nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have accepted six new members: Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who will become members on January 1, 2024. More than a dozen other countries have applied for membership.

But what is BRICS? As the world trends from a unipolar hierarchy led by the United States, to a multipolar reality with nations like Russia and China playing key political and economic roles challenging the reach of the West’s sphere of influence, we investigate what this grouping is, perhaps more importantly what it isn’t, and how US empire is reacting.

We’re joined by Amanda Yee, host of Radio Free Amanda.

Privatization and Dollarization: Will Argentina Fall to the Right?

n Argentina, the far right-wing Libertarian candidate Javier Milei of the Liberty Advances party won 30% of the country’s presidential primary, calling for an end to “Kirchnerism” - really, a call to end the social programs fought for and won by the Argentinian people. We dive deeper into the analysis of how we got here, and what this surge in popularity of libertarianism really means. 

 

Meanwhile in Guatemala, Bernardo Aréavlo de León of Movimiento Semilla won the Presidential election on August 20th and will be sworn in on January 14th of 2024. His defeat of the center-right Sandra Torres, candidate of the National Unity of Hope (UNE) party, by a margin of 58% to 37%, is a sign of change against the “pact of the corrupt”.

 

We’re joined by Zoe Pepper Cunningham, Co-Editor of People’s Dispatch to get a deeper understanding of what these results mean for their respective countries, for Latin America and more.

McCarthyism is Back: The Anti-China Red Scare

A recent article in the New York Times attacked peace groups and activists who oppose the U.S. government’s drive towards war with China. Just days later, Senator Marco Rubio sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding an investigation into Code Pink, Tricontinental Institute for Social Research, Dongsheng and others named in the article.

While they differ on tactics or on domestic social issues, both wings of the mainstream establishment in the U.S. are united in their effort to prevent China from becoming a world power and threatening the imperialist order. We’re joined by Ben Becker, the Editor-in-Chief of BreakThrough News, to investigate this New McCarthyism and review the history of the Red Scare from World War I through the Civil Rights movement.

To sign the petition we mentioned in the introduction opposing the McCarthyist attacks on those speaking out against a new Cold War with China, go to https://peoplesforum.org/sign-on

Niger Coup Explained: West Points to Russia, Ignores Neocolonialism

On July 26, former President Mohamad Bazoum was removed from power by a military general, Tchiani. This has set off a wave of condemnation and threats of military intervention from the US and France, for whom Bazoum proved to be a reliable ally. Thousands have rallied to support Niger’s new leadership since July 26, reportedly carrying banners reading ”Down with France” and “Foreign bases out”. The US has about 1,100 troops in Niger and France has about 1,500.

Rather than analyze the reasons behind abject poverty and anti-Western sentiment in Niger and much of the region, Western countries led by the US and France are pointing to Russian interest in the region while purposely ignoring their own neocolonial history.

To understand the situation in Niger and how it impacts the rest of the African continent, and the greater geopolitical landscape, we’re joined by Eugene Puryear, an author, activist and host of The Freedom Side on Breakthrough News.

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To sign the petition we mentioned in the introduction opposing the McCarthyist attacks on those speaking out against a new Cold War with China, go to https://peoplesforum.org/sign-on