Stories about Protest from February, 2008
Martinique: Dockworkers on strike. Again.
In Martinique, le blog de [moi] writes that the port of Fort-de-France is completely blocked [Fr], and has been for a week, by dockworkers on strike. She's not too sympathetic, noting, according to one report, that dockworkers’ salaries have doubled in the last five years, and that they last went...
African Intellectuals Critique Sarkozy's Dakar Address in New Book
Anandoo.net announces L'Afrique répond à Sarkozy [Fr], a collective critique of Nicolas Sarkozy's infamous Dakar speech by prominent African intellectuals, published in Paris this week.
South Korea: Haagen-Dazs Workers Protest
Chamnews reports about Korean Haagen-Dazs’ workers protest against the company's outsourcing and restructuring policy.
Afghanistan: Balkh Still Uneasy Over Language
Mohammad reports that university teachers, students, cultural activists, writers, poets, journalists and youths dramatic held a protest rally against the information minister in Balkh, a city in Afghanistan. The protesters said they had staged the demonstration against the official persecution of three journalists for using Persian words in their reports.
Spanish reactions to Kosovo's independence
Two days after Kosovo's declaration of independence in spite of Serbia's opposition, the debate about the merits of recognising it as a state is still raging. Within the European Union, countries such as France, UK, Germany or Italy have recognized it, while others such as Slovakia and Spain have strongly opposed it as they consider that the declaration does not respect international law.
Serbia: Bloggers Discuss Kosovo Independence
Sinisa Boljanovic translates some more reactions from the Serbian blogosphere to the declaration of Kosovo independence.
Morocco: Facebook's fake prince could face five years in prison
Fouad Mourtada, a 26-year old IT engineer has been held under arrest in Casablanca since February 5th for "villainous practices linked to the alleged theft of the identity" of King Mohammed VI's younger brother, Prince Moulay Rachid, on the popular social networking website Facebook. Fouad appeared in court on Friday February 15th. The trial has been postponed until February 22.
Serbia: Anger, disbelief over proclamation of Kosovo independence
Ljubisa Bojic translates some reactions from the Serbian blogosphere to the declaration of Kosovo independence.
Kosovo, Serbia: Crisis
Reluctant Dragon writes about Kosovo's independence: “…and once again, there is a crisis, a long-term and potentially far-reaching crisis, and we are at the heart of it.”
Kosovo, Serbia: “Chants of Killing”
A discussion of “chants of killing and slaughtering” in Serbia and in Kosovo – over at East Ethnia.
Kosovo, Serbia: A Pessimistic View From Albania
Living in Shkoder “can't see Kosova getting a smooth run in their new state.”
Kosovo: Legality; Economy
Eternal Remont discusses the allegedly missing “legal basis” for Kosovo's independence and Kosovo's allegedly missing economy.
Slovenia: Keeping Quiet in China
Dr. Filomena reports: “A few days ago, Slovenia’s Minister of Education and Sport Milan Zver apparently recommended , in an interview for the Associated Press, that Olympic athletes avoid talking about human rights while they are in Beijing. By today, his words have been quoted in over 300 sources online.”
Afghanistan: London's Afghans Rally for Freedom of Expression
Mohammad says that Afghanistanis, the citizens of U.K., have demonstrated to condemn reprisals against those who are speaking Persian language. The protesters marched in front of the Afghan Embassy in London last Friday.
Iran: Virginia Tech shooting as a piece of Theatre
Kosoof,a leading photo blogger, has published photos of a theatre group protesting against bad conditions of their workplace in Tehran. This group wants to play Cho's Manifest, the story of Virginia Tech shooting.
El Salvador: Charges Reduced to Public Disorder
Tim's El Salvador Blog writes that the charges of terrorism are being reduced to “public disorder” for the individuals, who were arrested during demonstrations against the water policy of President Tony Saca.
Kosovo & Serbia: Independence Blogging
Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia on Sunday, Feb. 17, has caused both celebrations and protests - as well as plenty of media coverage and an avalanche of blog posts. Below is a selection of some Anglophone bloggers' views.
Philippines: A Tale of Corruption and Bribery
Filipino bloggers react to the testimony of a whistleblower who testified against corruption and bribery in government. The revelation could prove damaging to the Philippine president whose husband was implicated in the controversy.
Japan: Reactions to alleged Okinawa rape
The news last week that a U.S. Marine had allegedly raped a 14-year-old schoolgirl in Okinawa sparked various degrees of condemnation from local citizens, politicians, the government and bloggers, reigniting anger at the continued presence of American military bases in Japan's southernmost prefecture. In blogs and internet forums, however, many Japanese also criticized the alleged victim herself for being careless and "allowing" the rape to happen.
Egypt: Free Kareem Rallies Planned
Worldwide rallies to protest the jailing of Egyptian blogger Kareem Nabil Sulieman are being lined up for February 22, announces Free Kareem.
Why the Senegalese government likes anti-gay protests
Blog politique au Senegal writes a searing critique of the government's attitude toward public protest in Senegal. Bad: protests against the forced marriage of young girls. Good: protests calling for the extermination or expulsion of homosexuals.
