PERU: 300,000 strike
Hundreds of thousands of people rallied across Peru on July 14 in protest against President Alejandro Toledo's neoliberal economic policies. The 24-hour strike was called by Peru's biggest trade union federation to demand higher wages and an end to the government's free-market policies. More than half of Peru's population lives below the poverty line and they are angry at the president's failure to fulfil his election promises to create more jobs and stamp out poverty. The Communist Party-led General Workers Union of Peru estimated that 300,000 people took part in protests.
UNITED STATES: New York mayor refuses protest permit
New York City's mayor Michael Bloomberg and NYC parks commissioner Adrian Benepe have refused to grant a permit for an anti-war protest in Central Park scheduled for the August 29 Republican National Convention. Bloomberg is refusing to even talk to protest organisers from the United for Peace and Justice coalition. "This has become a fight of national significance over the fundamental right to dissent", a UFPJ spokesperson stated on July 12. Visit to sign a petition calling for a permit to be granted.
BOTSWANA: Government to 'change constitution to get its way'
A Botswana government spokesperson said on July 13 that if it loses a court case being brought by the Indigenous Gana and Gwi people for the right to return to their land it would "change the law, or amend the constitution, to get its way". The "senior government source" was quoted in the British Daily Telegraph. More than 240 Gana and Gwi are suing the Botswana government after being forced off their ancestral land in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. They are asking the court to declare that the government's decision to evict them and stop providing services unlawful and unconstitutional. Visit for more information.
UNITED STATES: Labour federation calls for end to Iraq occupation
San Diego — On July 13, the biennial convention of the California Federation of Labor, which represents more than 2 million union members, voted overwhelmingly to call upon the AFL-CIO to "demand an immediate end to the US occupation of Iraq, and to support the repeal of the USAPATRIOT Act and the reordering of national priorities toward the human needs of our people". The Californian federation is the largest state branch of the AFL-CIO, with more than one-sixth of its members. For a full report of the debate around the anti-war motion, visit .
UNITED STATES: Army resister made prisoner of conscience
Camilo Mejia, the first soldier who refused to return to Iraq, has been adopted by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience. Amnesty is demanding his immediate and unconditional release. Mejia was sentenced on May 21 to one year in prison for refusing to return to fight in Iraq. For more information on the campaign for his release, visit .
Olympic hypocrisy
The official theme of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games is "Celebrate humanity". However Fila and other official Olympic sportswear suppliers are cynically violating international labour standards. The workers who produce the athletes' gear are mostly women, and many endure forced overtime, fines for mistakes, and threats of getting sacked if they join unions. Visit to send an email to demand that every Fila worker is paid a living wage, has free access to trade unions and enjoys safe working conditions.
UNITED STATES: Pentagon seeks to censor website
Citing alleged dangers to US Department of Defense research programs and employees, the US Marine Corps is insisting that the anti-chemical weapons activist group the Sunshine Project remove three US government documents from its website. The documents concern US Army research into banned "non-lethal" chemical weapons. Items discussed in the documents include the Advanced Riot Control Agent Device (ARCAD) program and the use of synthetic opiates (e.g. fentanyl), tranquilisers (normally used to sedate wild animals) and other drugs used as antipersonnel weapons. For information visit .
ENGLAND: Protesters occupy Australian consulate
On July 14, activists occupied the Australian consulate in Manchester to protest logging of old-growth forests in Victoria and Tasmania. The protesters pledged solidarity with environmental campaigns in Australia.
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, July 21, 2004.
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