· December, 2012

Stories about Ethnicity & Race from December, 2012

Kenya: Teaching Ethnic Tolerance Through Science Fiction

  29 December 2012

Kenyan children are taught ethnic tolerance through science fiction: “Attack of the Shidas:AKAs Save the Planet” is the story of three communities who live in a desert town which depends on a lone borehole for all their water. But the people are threatened when they discover that the water is...

Iranian-Americans Seek Heros to Save a Life

  24 December 2012

Nasim, a young woman from Northern California of Iranian decent is in need of a bone marrow transplant. Several Iranian celebrities have stepped up to help spread the word to save her. They are using social media to find a hero to give a bone marrow donation.

Rohingya Refugees Rejected by Singapore

  23 December 2012

Singapore turned away 40 Rohingya shipwreck survivors who were rescued by a Vietnamese ship. Singapore netizens and human rights groups reacted strongly to the decision of authorities to send away the refugees.

Tempers Flare As Court Frees Dagestani Boxer Who Killed Russian Teenager

RuNet Echo  20 December 2012

Rasul Mirzaev, a 26-year-old mixed martial arts world champion from Dagestan, is a convicted killer. His victim was a 19-year-old Russian man, Ivan Agafonov, whom he murdered in a scuffle outside a nightclub in August 2011. On November 27, 2012, a Moscow court let him walk free, after a little more than a year in custody. The RuNet has responded with often vehement emotion.

Zambian President Orders Killing of “Rebels” No One Can Find

  20 December 2012

It remains difficult to confirm the existence of the Barotse Liberation Army, the supposed paramilitary wing of various groups calling for the secession of Zambia’s Western Province. After President Michael Sata’s ordered the army to kill the rebel activists, some have accused the government of fabricating lies.

Macedonia Fails to Honor Victims of 1911 Terror Campaign

  20 December 2012

GV Author Filip Stojanovski blogs about Macedonia's failure to properly commemorate the victims of “the so-called ‘Donkey Assassinations'” that took place in the city of Štip in 1911: […] Several months ago, several right-wing political parties including the ruling party running the Government of RM paid respects to the organizer...

Reflections on the Croatian Generals’ Acquittal

  20 December 2012

Alan Jaksic of Balkan Anarchist posts a follow-up to his initial comments on the Nov. 16 reversal of the convictions of the Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač: […] So do I still consider last month’s acquittal at the Hague a “disgraceful acquittal”, an “outrage” and an “insult to...

Caribbean: What Happened in 2012 (Part 1)

  19 December 2012

This year, events in the regional blogosphere were curiously bookended by hunger strikes. Part 1 of this 2012 recap takes a look at the topics that most shaped online discussion in the Bahamian, Cuban and French-speaking Caribbean blogospheres.

United States: Occupy Sandy Stands Up to Destruction

  18 December 2012

Occupy Sandy has proved to be a great help in alleviating the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. Organized by the group InterOccupy, Occupy Sandy was created as a part of the Occupy movement whose methodology was to organize general assemblies, attracting individuals and groups working to promote mutual communication. As stipulated in its mission, the movement seeks to respond to the needs of the 99 percent.

The Elusive Quest for Peace with the M23 in the DRC

  18 December 2012

The current conflict in the Kivu Region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) threatens to linger on despite an international effort to broker a truce between the M23 rebellion and the Congolese government. The conflict is difficult to grasp, because the M23 rebellion has been a shifting movement, both geographically and politically.

Chinese Youth Association of France Sues Magazine for Racial Defamation

  17 December 2012

We are flabbergasted that the (French magazine) Le Point would stigmatize in such manner a category of the French population in the article “The intriguing success of Chinese people in France” [..] No, not all Chinese Frenchmen are criminals. No, not all Chinese Frenchwomen are prostitutes. They are french citizens like any other citizens. The Chinese Youth...

Kuku's Case Reignites Racism Debate in Portugal

  12 December 2012

The recent acquittal of a police agent who shot and killed a 14-year-old boy named Kuku in a neighborhood of the outskirts of Lisbon in 2009 reignited the debate about racism and marginalized communities in Portugal, as well as multiplied the number of social media commentary repudiating the Portuguese judicial system.

Chinese-American Children Left Behind in China

  12 December 2012

Left-behind children is a term to describe a special group of children who are left in rural areas while their parents work as migrant workers in big cities in China. However, in Fujian province in Southern China, there are about 10,000 left-behind foreign children whose parents are illegal immigrants to other...

Tibet Scholars Appeal to China's President Xi Jinping

  11 December 2012

A group of international Tibetan studies scholars launched a petition addressed to China's Xi Jinping, asking the new leader to adjust its language, culture and religion policy in the Tibetan region: As specialists in the areas of Tibetan language, culture and religion, we would like to share with you, through this...

Fighting Deportation in the U.S.

  8 December 2012

The national "We Belong Together" campaign is compiling testimonies in response to the passing of new immigration laws in the U.S. and addressing the prejudices they perpetuate.

Ecuador Launches Oil Auction Amid Indigenous Protests

  7 December 2012

On Wednesday November 28, 2012, Ecuador began an international licensing round for 13 oil blocks - nearly ten million acres - of untouched south-central Amazonian territory as indigenous leaders took to the streets in Quito to protest petroleum concessions on their lands.