· October, 2011

Stories about Western Europe from October, 2011

Greece: When the Crisis Hit the Fan

  31 October 2011

Freelance journalist Kostas Kallergis started a blog in English about the Greek crisis, documenting on a daily basis various “small things that usually go unreported in the international press,” from graffiti in the streets of Athens to roundups of the local press coverage and historical analyses.

Sounds of the European Podcast Award

  27 October 2011

The European Podcast Award has its own podcast featuring winners and nominees. The podcast is produced by Karin Høgh from Denmark and Dave Thackeray from the UK. The Global Voices Podcast is is one of more than 1,500 shows nominated (voting ends November 30).

Discovering Paris from a Guinean Perspective

  26 October 2011

Guinean blogger @limsow who recently moved to Paris for an internship, describes [fr] a less-hostile capital than expected on Guinée Plurielle: “I already know how to take the RER (the C line) to go down to Vitry Sur Seine  or to get to Avenue du Président Kennedy, in the 16th...

“Law Without Borders” Between Brazil, Angola and Portugal

  26 October 2011

Brazilian lawyer and researcher Vanessa Bueno, based in Portugal, launched the blog O Direito Sem Fronteiras (Law Without Borders) [pt] where she gives tips and writes reviews about legal issues, especially for migrants between Portugal, Brazil and Angola. She has also created a group on Facebook aiming to promote debate.

Libya: A Convenient Execution

  24 October 2011

Alain Gresh outlines in his post on Libya, “An Ambiguous Liberation” [fr], that Gaddafi's execution “puts an end to the possibility of a trial that would have shone light on the support given to Gaddafi by different countries, including France and Great Britain, since 2003.”

Spain: The October 15 Protests and Mass Media Coverage

  22 October 2011

The global October 15 manifestation that demanded the exercise of real democracy and protested against the corruption of elite financial corporations was truly massive in Spain. In this post, we reveal how a sector of Spanish mass media covered the event and the discussion among netizens.

France: Tunisian Diaspora Set to Vote

  19 October 2011

Tunisian residents in France will vote ahead of their compatriots, from Thursday, October 20, until Saturday, October 22, whereas polls in Tunisia open on Sunday 23 October. There are an estimated 600,000 Tunisians living in France. Les cahiers de la liberté (Notebooks of Freedom,) [fr, ar] has published a guide to the...

Italy: October 15 Protest Turns Violent in Rome

  19 October 2011

This post is part of our special coverage #Occupy Worldwide. Inspired by the “Occupy Wall Street” movement in New York and by the Spanish “Indignados”, citizens in 951 cities and 82 countries across the world took to the streets on October 15, 2011, to protest against the stranglehold on the...

France: The Twittosphere Pokes Fun at the Presidential Election Campaign

  19 October 2011

As can be seen on social networking sites like Twitter, the 2012 presidential campaign is well and truly underway in France. The left wing Primaries have animated the media landscape over the last couple of weeks, and resulted in François Hollande being named the Socialist Party (PS) representative. On Twitter, many Trending topics make reference to the up coming elections and are provoking amused reactions.

France: Violence Erupts in French Overseas Departement Mayotte

  19 October 2011

Violence has erupted during demonstrations against the rising cost of living in Mamoudzou, the capital city of the French overseas departement Mayotte, where one man has died and another is reported wounded [fr]. Events can be followed on Twitter via the #mayotte hashtag. Rue89 has published testimonies [fr] from Mayotte citizens, while Politis...

France: A Criticism of the “Imperialist Consensus”

  19 October 2011

“The televised debate between (presidential candidates) Hollande and Aubry showed us that, for the most part, the Socialist Party shares the opinions of the right on foreign policy,” writes [fr] the blog Le Petit Blanquiste, for whom the positions of the Socialist Party on Afganistan, Palestine, Iran, nuclear strategy and arms, and...

Portugal: Photos and Videos of October 15 Protests

  17 October 2011

The October 15 protests in Portugal, calling for “participatory democracy, transparency in policy and the end of the precariousness of life”, gathered around 80,000 in the main squares of the country. Citizen reporters used online platforms to share photo and video reports of events.

France: Global Voices in French Recommended in Volunteers’ Guide

  17 October 2011

Global Voices en français [fr] is happy to see the work of its volunteer translators highlighted and recommended in a recently published book in France, Impliquez-vous ! (Get Involved!) [fr]. Translating foreign blogs into French as part of the Global Voices Lingua project is one of  “101 acts of solidarity” listed by...