Stories about Digital Activism from March, 2013
PHOTOS: Skis and Military Vehicles Battle Ukraine's Snowpocalypse
On March 22, Kyiv broke its monthly average of snow in just one day. While the authorities were combatting the weather, many Ukrainians united online to offer help and to share photos, stories and humor devoted to the snowfall. Tetyana Bohdanova reports.
Japan's Prime Minister On Your Smartphone
The Japanese prime minister’s office revealed apps that give smartphone users easy access to official announcements and photos from official events. Masaru Ikeda at StartupDating writes: for the younger generation who don’t subscribe to physical...
Protests and “Frozen Zones” in Brooklyn after murder of Kimani Gray
On Saturday, March 16, Kimani Gray, a 16-year-old African American boy, died at the hands of two New York City police officers. There have been riots in Brooklyn for four consecutive days and police have declared frozen zones in a neighborhood in this borough of New York. News of this event has spread through social networks due to lack of information in the mainstream media.
The Criminal Economics of Kremlin Propaganda
Anti-corruption blogger Alexey Navalny is causing more waves at Aeroflot Airlines, where he has called for an internal investigation into a contract worth 64 million rubles awarded without competition to Apostol Media Group.
Bolivia: Book Bill Excludes Copyleft
Bolivian activists are on alert [es] and writing a collaborative proposal [es] on the new Book and Reading Act [es] in the Plurinational Legislative Asemply (Parliament). The bill seeks to...
RIP Nora Šitum, “Brave Little Lion” Who United Croatia
In early February, thousands of Croatian citizens managed to raise enough money in just over a week to make it possible for Nora Šitum, a 5-year-old Croatian girl, to travel to the United States to receive treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Nora passed away a month and a half later, on March 20, 2013.
Shedding Light on Macedonia's “Black Monday”
In order to shed light on the events of Dec. 24, 2012, when journalists and opposition MPs were thrown out of the Macedonian Parliament [en, es, mk], Foundation Open Society...
Cries of Censorship as Brazilian Satire Blog Ordered Shut Down
A Brazilian court has ruled that satirical blog Falha São Paulo must remain shut down because its name is too similar to the newspaper it mocks, a move that critics decry as a dangerous legal precedent for freedom of expression.
Russian Nationalists Rally Behind Subway Shooter
After all, how can one not react with outrage upon learning that Alexandra Lotkova, a pretty, twenty-one year old college student, got three years in prison for using a non-lethal gun to protect herself from knife-wielding thugs, who had already stabbed one of her friends!
Coca Cola Machine ‘Out of Order’ in Australia
A nationwide campaign against Coca Cola has followed their successful legal challenge to container deposit legislation in the Australia's Northern Territory. An activist group reacted by putting “Out of Order” signs on Coca Cola vending machines in all capital cities.
Dominican Republic Wins World Baseball Classic
The hearts of the Dominicans are rejoicing thanks to their incredible performance during the III Baseball World Classic. On March 19, 2013, the Dominican team obtained the definite victory of the III Baseball World Classic 2013, after defeating the Puerto Rican national team 3-0
Accidental Email Exposes Trolls of Governing Party in Spain
The Balearic Popular Party of Spain sent an email meant for its trolls to the media, which included instructions about the news that they should comment on, and advice on ways to intervene in commentary.
Hackers Publish Turkish Mayor's Phone Number in Tit-for-Tat Cyber Attack
A group of Turkish hackers who call themselves Redhack have published the mayor of Ankara's cell phone number on Twitter in retaliation against him for publicizing the cell phone number of a college student.
Spanish Youth in Exile: “We're Not Leaving, They're Kicking Us Out!”
In 2012, the number of Spanish youth (15-29) residing abroad grew to 302,623. They have left for economic reasons related to the lack of employment in Spain. The Juventudes sin Futuro (Youth WIthout a Future) movement has launched a campaign entitled "We're not leaving, they're kicking us out" with a Twitter hashtag with the same name.
Japan's ‘Sex Slaves’ Phantom Fuels Petition
The GoPetition site published Do not select Tokyo to host the 2020 Summer Olympics petition which has been introduced to many local sites. It accuses the current Japanese administration of denying the...
Italy: Grillo's Party Takes the Lead in Political Stalemate
Social media played an influential role in the success of M5S, leading to one of the youngest Parliaments in Europe -- but Italy's political stagnation is far from over.
Today's Tibet, Tomorrow's Hong Kong?
An activist network in Hong Kong organized an assembly to express their solidarity with Tibetans on the 54th Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day last Sunday March 10, 2013. Some participants who joined the meeting believed that Hong Kong people should learn from Tibet and avoid the history from recurring in Hong Kong.
Australia: Locals Fight to Stop McDonald's in their Hills
Residents’ opposition to a new McDonald’s in the Melbourne hills suburb of Tecoma has linked direct action with online campaigning. In addition to lobbying, rallies and marches, the activists have also brought some fun to the protests by unleashing hundreds of gnomes on the steps of McDonald’s head office.
Video: Crisis Engenders Greek Documentary Boom
The 15th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival includes five crisis-themed Greek films in its lineup. As the Festival, and Greece at large, continues to labor under the mounting debt and austerity crisis, fiction and documentary filmmakers alike are increasingly focusing their work on its effects on society.
#Followme: Greek Documentary Explores Twitter
@andriotakis: Στο τρέιλερ του #followme οι @jeffjarvis @evgenymorozov @drandakis @vatraxokoritso @Urfurslaag @constantnos @asteris http://youtu.be/5OD_9oZXlH8 Videographer and author Manolis Andriotakis namechecks Greek tweeps and acclaimed critics he interviewed for his documentary on...
The Old Woman and a Potato: Ukraine's Poverty Story Goes Viral
Journalist Olena Danko wrote a short post about her supermarket encounter with an old woman who had just enough money to buy a single potato. A heartbreaking story, typical for Ukraine, with nothing in it that could surprise anyone who has lived in the country. Yet, within hours, it went viral.
