· July, 2012

Stories about Protest from July, 2012

Spain: King's Controversial Son-in-law Gets Salary in Millions

Amid austerity cuts, the Duke of Palma and son-in-law of the King of Spain Iñaki Urdangarín's new salary has caused a scandal in the country. Urdangarín will receive a 1.5 million euro salary as well as 1.2 million euro in-kind this year, after renewing his contract with the telecommunications company Telefónica. Urdangarín is also currently being investigated for misappropriating public funds, for which he could be sentenced up to 18 years in prison.

23 July 2012

Mauritania: Outrage Over the Murder of a Worker

In the early hours of Sunday [July, 15], Guard Forces (police) in Mauritania attacked a group of workers on strike, at the headquarters of the Mauritanian Copper Company [MCM], where they work. The attack led to the death of a worker for the first time since the sixties of the last century. The case sparked the interest of Mauritanian activists. Mohamed Abdou summarizes their online reactions.

23 July 2012

Russia: Hacker Hell, Scourge of the RuNet

RuNet Echo

When noted Russian anti-corruption activist Alexey Navalny's email and Twitter accounts were hacked, it came as no surprise that the hacker "Hell" took responsibility. A legendary figure in the RuNet, the hacker can either be characterized as a Kremlin shill or a professional troll.

23 July 2012

Jordan: Orphans Sit-in Attacked

Jordanian blogger Ali Al Hasani blogs about the brutal crackdown on a protest by orphans in Amman, Jordan. “They were protesting their horrible living conditions and how the Jordanian government...

22 July 2012

Is Tunisia a Banana Republic?

Tunisian netizens react to a Tunisian MP's use of the term "President of the Banana Republic" to refer to interim President Moncef Marzouki, during a heated parliamentary debate.

21 July 2012

Mauritania: A Journalist Behind Bars

Mauritanian journalist Obeid Ould Amegn, whose health is in bad condition [Ar], is still in the central prison of the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott. Obeid Ould Amegn, a journalist and an anti-slavery human rights activist, is the vice-president of the Club of Activist Journalists. Mauritanian police had arrested him on April 29, in the capital Nouakchott, after he gave a statement to Al Arabiya TV network regarding those arrested following a book-burning protest.

21 July 2012

Peru: Graffiti Overshadows Coverage of Anti-Mining Protests

During a recent protest march in Lima against the Conga mining project, the monument to the liberator Jose de San Martin was defaced with slogans against the government and the mining project. The media attention, and even in the blogosphere, was more focused on this "graffiti", obscuring the message of the protests.

21 July 2012

Colombia: Locals Demand End to Cauca Conflict

For years, the indigenous people of the municipality of Toribio in Cauca have put up with hundreds of battles provoked by the guerrilla, paramilitary groups, and the military. The conflict has generated the displacement of thousands of indigenous people. Now, the indigenous people of the area have decided to intensify their struggle to expel these armed groups from their territory.

20 July 2012

Spain: Deputy Apologizes for Insult

Due to the outcry produced by parliamentarian Andrea Fabra's declarations, she had to publicly retract [es] (PDF) and present a written apology after having declared “¡qué se jodan!” (“Fuck them!”) when President Mariano Rajoy announced...

19 July 2012

Puerto Rico: Strong Support for Land and Agriculture

Various organizations have warned about the food dependency of Puerto Rico and the urgency of revitalizing the agriculture of the country. It was with this reason that a demonstration was held to demand that the University of Puerto Rico not be forced to give part of its agricultural land to the municipality of Gurabo for the construction of infrastructure.

19 July 2012

Bahrain: Tweeting Appalling Conditions at Jaw Prison

Bahraini netizens are rallying online to draw attention to appalling conditions at the central Jaw Prison, which houses political detainees, among others. Following the crackdown on Bahrain's February 14, 2011, uprising, hundreds of people were arrested, put on trial and imprisoned for taking part in anti-government protests.

19 July 2012

Iran: “If Bashar Gets Killed, the Iranian Regime Will Call Him a Martyr”

Iranian bloggers reacted with humour to the Syrian rebels attack in Damascus and the bomb blast that killed three top security chiefs in the Syrian President Bashar Al Assad's regime. Iran and Syria enjoy excellent relations and netizens have resorted to poking fun at how impacted the Iranian regime would be should Al Assad finds himself out of power, following the 16 month revolution raging in Syria.

19 July 2012

Jordan: Women's Rights Demonstrators Face Barrage of Criticism

On June 25, 2012, more than 200 people created a human chain in the streets of Amman to raise awareness for some of the most controversial women's rights issues in Jordan. The reaction by readers of news websites in the following days reflected how unprepared Jordan was for this type of protest.

19 July 2012