Perth Indymedia

May 15th marked 74 years since the Nakba, Arabic for the catastrophe, the day mourned, and remembered in defiance, by Palestinians the world over. It was on that day in 1948, in fact technically the day before on the Israeli calendar, that the Zionist state's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, declared victory over the Palestinian people, having overseen the expulsion of some 750 000 men, women and children from their homes, soon to be cast adrift to every corner of the world, where their descendants remain in exile to this day. This past Saturday, the Palestinian Community of WA, in coordination with Friends of Palestine Western Australia, commemorated the Nakba, but also used the event as a platfrom to express people's anger at Israel's murder, earlier this month, of the esteemed Palestinian journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh. Alex Whisson spoke to Friends of Palestine WA convener, Nick Everett.

In the aftermath of Saturday's federal election, Indymedia's Alex Whisson provides a report and analysis on all the many facets of the result.

We speak to Kyle Gleadell from the School Of Critical Arts about the school, their upcoming courses and the need for alternatives to the increasingly neoliberal university system. http://www.criticalarts.org.au

We speak to the founders of The Abortion Project about a 'pro-life' rally in Perth, the US supreme court's expected decision to reverse abortion laws and the work that the Abortion Project are doing to increase awareness around reproductive and medical rights.

Are you nauseated by this election campaign? Does the corporate media's banal coverage of it, replete with ridiculous 'gotcha' moments, and sports-like commentary on who is winning and losing, make you feel physically ill? Rest assured, you are not alone. In fact, it may well be you're in the majority. Indymedia's Alex Whisson had the opportunity to chat with someone who feels the same way. Dr Tad Tietze is an author, commentator and political analyst.

We speak to Zane Wayman from the North Fremantle Social Club about plans to create a community hub for art, well-being, social activities and activism.

We speak to traditional owner Josie Alec from Murujuga in the Pilbara about the threat to Aboriginal rock art and the climate from the proposed Scarborough Gas Hub in WA's north.

We speak to long-term activist, journalist and commentator Federico Fuentes about the Novak Djokovic case and what it says about the Australian government's response to the Covid19 pandemic.

We speak to Palestinian activist Fahad Ali from Palestinian Justice Movement Sydney about the boycott of the Sydney Arts Festival 2022 over a sponsorship deal with the Israeli embassy.

Knee jerk border closures without an examination of the evidence, the spreading of fear & panic, and abject indifference, at best, to the suffering of poorly vaccinated populations in the global South. Familiar aspects of the Australian government’s COVID-19 political playbook that we’ve grown used to almost two years into the pandemic, this time in response to the emergence of the Omicron variant. Alex Whisson spoke to social justice activist, academic and commentator Paddy Gibson to discuss the politics of Omicron, the left’s response, and the continuing rise of the far right on the back of the anti-vaccination movement.

We speak to Clancey from Blockade Australia about the ongoing direct action in and around Newcastle to shut down the word's largest coal port and confront our government's inaction on the climate crisis.

We speak to Liz Downes from Rain-forest Action Group about community opposition to gold and copper mining in the north Ecuadorian town of Buenas Aires. The community have been peacefully resisting Gina Rinehart's company Hanrine mining the area despite brutal crackdowns from military police.

Indymedia's Jessie Noakes speaks to Noongar man Brendan Jones about his experience of sleeping rough on the streets of Perth throughout the pandemic.

Street protests in Colombia began some two months ago on the basis of widespread opposition to regressive tax changes proposed by the government of Ivan Duque. Duque was forced to withdraw those proposals within a matter of days, but the protests continued. To discuss the question of why those protests morphed into a more generalised anti-government movement, Alex Whisson spoke to Colombian political activist Christian.

We speak to researcher and author Iain McIntyre about his book Environmental Blockades: Obstructive Direct Action and the History of The Environmental Movement. A new book that chronicles early environmental blockades in Australia, the USA and Canada. You can read and listen to some of the interviews that contributed to the book at www.commonslibrary.org Photo by David Kemp.

We speak to Curtin NTEU branch vice president and state-secretary candidate, Dr Thor Kerr, about how the covid-19 pandemic, federal budget cuts and neoliberal management is impacting on the university sector, as well as the need for a fightback from students and staff.

We speak to Margaret Pestori,us a Brisbane based activist who is helping to organise a festival of resistance that is hoping to disrupt the 2021 Land Forces convention, a convention of the military industrial complex.

Voices of Palestinian-Australians, and their supporters, from the Palestine solidarity demonstration, Perth, Western Australia, Sunday 23rd May.

Yet again the world reels in horror at another Israeli assault on the people of Gaza, yet again the governments of the world, including the Australian government, give their imprimatur to the slaughter. Dr Ramzy Baroud is a Palestinian-American author, journalist, and editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He spoke to Alex Whisson from his home in Seattle.

The 1946 Pilbara strike of Aboriginal pastoral workers is one of the most significant episodes in both the history of the Australian labour movement, as well as the history of the Aboriginal self-determination movement. On the 75th anniversary, Alex Whisson spoke to Paul Roberts, writer and producer of How the West Was Lost, the 1987 documentary which recorded the history of this great and important strike.