48th edition – Move! – Pike & Hurricane

Extinction Rebellion: Creating stoppage to move climate politics forward

Merle Emrich — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 15:49:03 +0000

Extinction Rebellion (XR) is an international movement founded in the UK in November 2018. Their aim is to evoke social and political change in regards to climate change by means of peaceful civil disobedience. Extinction Rebellion’s protest is centred around three demands: the declaration of a climate emergency, actions to protect biodiversity and reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025, and the creation of Citizens’ Assemblies.

In early August, Extinction Rebellion Copenhagen brought traffic on Holmens Bro – located between parliament and the climate ministry – to a halt for twenty-four hours.

Two weeks later, Extinction Rebellion Skåne called for a ‘Nordic Uprising’. Activists from several countries came together to ‘flood the streets’ of Malmö in protest. Fourteen activist were taken into custody. They were not charged and the police released them in the morning.

by Merle Emrich

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Car-free city, carefree sustainability

Elena Wasserzier — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 15:19:11 +0000

An approach to the newly invented topic of banning personal cars in parts of a city like Barcelona or Paris and increasing a more relaxed and sustainable lifestyle, as well as regarding safety issues and reducing traffic jams. Less air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, noise and in general a better quality of life.

Effects that affect

From the very start of our existence or let’s say, the past 100 years, mobility was one of the most important topics. Not only regarding motion, also in terms of status symbols and prestige. Automobiles were, and still are, symbols of wealth and, of course, a good vehicle to get from one place to another, get to work faster, in terms of travel and, in general, a fantastic way to accelerate life and at the same time, by saving time, decelerate it. We are left with this fact, that cars bring us faster to places, even though their emissions don’t work in their favor. We rely on them most of the time and could not fully imagine life without them. Still, by all means, we have to alter that. It is inevitable.

Climate change issues, the crisis we are facing right now, show us that we have to take action to seriously improve our situation and stop, or at least slow down, the process of the destruction of the Earth. What could be easier than giving up on cars? At least in big cities?

Cars basically block areas in towns for pedestrians and clog the streets. Long rows of parked cars hamper the field of view and driving cars, because they are so many in numbers, aggravate traffic, cause traffic jams, and bug everyone. People driving cars often come late to their jobs owing to accumulation of automobiles in the city they work in. Not only does it affect drivers, but also pedestrians and cyclists who have to stop at numerous traffic lights and be extra careful not to get run over.

Basically, the level of risk and the necessity of being mindful increases for everyone. Along with it, cars emit exhaust fumes, which cause tremendous damage to the environment. Another problem is the stress that honking and the constant passing of cars, cause to humans. Of course all these factors together greatly diminish quality of life in big cities because of air pollution, people getting stuck in huge traffic jams, and cars parked everywhere that block sidewalks and everyone’s view.

Californian car consumption disaster

We definitely have to change something about how our cities are created with more roads for cars than public transport, which can be perfectly illustrated by the heavily congested city of Los Angeles, USA. According to a rumour this city has more cars than people.

While that might not be entirely true, car density in Californian cities causes huge issues: traffic constipation, the air suffers from fumes and carbon monoxide, and due to over-crowding, less and less parking spots are available and, not to forget, also numerous accidents are caused. Therefore, we need new concepts to make the place we live in, our city, more livable and enjoyable.

Paris – taking alternate steps towards sparing the city from cars

In the capital city of France, attempts to lower automobile exhausts have been made and this eventually resulted in the concept of having the first Sunday of every month free of cars in the urban core of Paris from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

It all started with France’s effort to improve their international reputation regarding having the second worst air quality out of the largest 13 cities in Europe. Ever since, numerous restrictions have been imposed on vehicles. For instance, cars produced before 1997 are not allowed to enter the city center at any day of the week. Many more restrictions are planned to improve the pollution levels of Paris and clean up the air that Parisians breathe.

Malmö – biking preferred?

The city we live in, is a perfect example of a clean-aired and bike-friendly city which enhances the car-free lifestyle and improves the living conditions for its citizens.

In 2016, a major new success, the “Cykelhuset” or “bike house” opened up. It was created to encourage cycling in the city and it shows the will to diminish cars, as it is the first residential complex with no car parking spaces attached to it. The huge emphasis Malmö puts on biking naturally helps to keep the vibe of the city relaxed and pleasant. Moreover, it stands as a great example for a city that puts a huge emphasis on cycling to reduce car emissions.

Barcelona – the great pioneer

In exploring other successful concepts for city construction and efforts some governments are currently taking to make cities less loud, clogged and dirty, we have the example of Barcelona. In 2016, the city started closing off a three square city block to vehicle traffic in Poblenou (a working-class neighbourhood) reserving those streets for pedestrians and cyclists which immediately resulted in complaints made by motorists who felt offended by the fast change and tactics to lower car use.

However, soon people in the area started to realize that they had a nearly the double amount of space to play and walk and socialize with each other which resulted in resistance fading in other areas of Barcelona as well. Five more of these blocks have been created since, and Salvador Rueda, head of the “Urban Ecology Agency of Barcelona”, aims to implement 503 in total. Great emphasis is put on the idea that the citizens will reclaim the streets, hence the final goal is to turn over 70 percent of Barcelona’s streets to its people again. This project has drawn attention from all over the world ever since it has been implemented.

A new study, published in the journal “Environment International”, provides new evidence, supporting the idea that a car-free towns can deliver tremendous improvements in urban health. The Spanish and American scientists who developed the following statistical model to survey the potential outcomes of Rueda‘s street project for Barcelona, connected the known facts about mortality rates and exposure with health factors like traffic noise (and the stress it causes), air pollution, green spaces, physical activity and temperature and came to the conclusion that Barcelona could prevent over 600 premature deaths per year by conducting the “503-block plan“.

“The greatest projected decrease came from the reduction in nitrous oxide, a harmful tailpipe emission, followed by cuts in noise pollution and heat—all three the result of the big drops in vehicle traffic…“

Nevertheless, as urban populations compress and keep growing, vehicle emissions still rise in a vast number of countries. Barcelona presents a useful starting point for town planning in trying to win over the space for its people. Paris and New York City are just two of the global cities observing the Catalonian capital’s progress towards pedestrianization.

“Barcelona needs superblocks and other, complementary interventions designed to improve air quality, promote physical activity and tackle climate change,” Natalie Mueller, a researcher at Barcelona Institute for Global Health, proclaimed this statement during a press release. “We urgently need a paradigm shift away from the car-centered urban planning model and towards a people-centered approach”.

Pavement of the trail?

So after all, we are finally taking small steps towards improvement of the environment and of people’s health. Less vehicles in a town eases stress and unhealthy exhaust fumes, ultimately resulting in increasing the very lives of every citizen and everyone who visits the city. The more cities alter their town policies to more eco-friendly alternatives, the more they will present an alternate paradigm for the rest of the world. Just like the butterfly effect.

Written by Elena Wasserzier

Photo Credits

LA Traffic, Aaron Goodwin, CC BY-ND 2.0

carfreeday-2008 , Spacing magazine, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Setmana i fira de la mobilitat sostenible, Paula Pérez i de Lanuza, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

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Brexit: Should I stay or should I go?

Nina Kolarzik — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 14:40:48 +0000

There have been many movements and changes going on in international politics in past years- but much attention is also on an event that does not seem to move since more than three years- and if it moves, then not necessarily forward, but to the left and right and sometimes also backwards: Brexit. Going on exchange to the UK during the summer semester of 2019, I got a brief idea of the mood in the country.

Moving onbackwards

Is it coming, when and how? These are the questions that not only Brits, but all Europeans are asking when it comes to the exit of the UK from the EU. No one has any idea what is going to happen because politics keep changing directions all the time and the government does not seem to have one united direction that they are moving towards. Currently, the planned date for the Brexit is the 31st of October 2019. But by the time you are reading this, the world might have already changed again.

Being on exchange in the UK when Brexit was supposed to happen (but did not), I could experience the “chaos” that it creates. It is not an obvious mess, everyday life is still functioning- but questions appear here and there and, most importantly, no one knows what to prepare for: Move!? But where to?

Before leaving, I talked to Brexit protesters in Westminster in front of the British parliament. They use every opportunity to make their point and many of them come regularly to this place. We had a long conversation that revealed insights into the situation and some problems of the country. It needs to be mentioned that I made my experiences in the cities of London and Brighton where the population voted mainly for Remain. So yes, these quotes are opinions and represent a certain point of view. They are not representative of the whole UK or a claim of truth by Pike & Hurricane.

“I wish I would wake up and it’s not”

The real frustration derives from the lack of action from all politicians, the leading Conservative Party as well as the opposition. The Labour Party for instance is not united in what they want, which hinders them from taking a clear stance.

“The Labour Party does not know what it wants. […it] has got to make a decision and they want to try to be in the EU and not be in the EU. So, people are really frustrated with the Labour Party because they are not making a decision”

The country is not moving in one direction, instead everyone seems to want something different.

How could it come that far? Many possible explanations exist,therefore, it is interesting to see what the people in the streets are saying. Based on what they said it is possible to paint a picture of distrust and misinformation. One aspect are unequal conditions in the country, the other one is that various actors blame the fault on other actors- mainly the EU- and use the old geopolitical rivalries between the UK and continental Europe. In that regars, the press does have a significant role to play when it comes to shaping the public opinion through their information and story-telling.

“It is a brainwashing thing. We have a very poor press […] in this country and it supports this nonsense.”

Many still have the political views of the last world war in their mind which saw Germany as the opponent, and thus eat up stories that the EU is controlled by Germany who is trying to dictate laws on Britain and undermine its sovereignty.

“It’s a terrible situation in this country, there are a lot of very unhappy people, […] so they blamed Europe, the politicians blamed Europe”.

The protesters in Westminster see dark times ahead if Brexit takes place. They fight especially for the faith of future generations who will lose the privileges of the EU, that present generations could enjoy.

“[In] particular the young people, they are the ones who suffer. It won’t be the older people with their houses and their cars and their pensions, they are all set up, so they can afford to be nationalistic and stupid. But it is actually going to threaten the working opportunities of my children”.

And they are disappointed in their own country and where it is moving.

“I thought I lived in a diverse country that is reasonably progressive […] but we are not progressive at all- we are going backwards.”

“I’m British, and I’m European. And I would say that I’m European first and British second.”

“We can’t afford to give up”

The protesters I met see leaving the EU not as the solution to problems. Changing an institution can only be done from within.

“Like many other organisations, the EU has its faults, you can try to change it.”

That is why they are hoping for another “people’s vote”, which is the reason why they still stand regularly in front of Westminster to protest. Since the last referendum three years have passed and according to them, many people only see now what actually will happen to their country and therefore come to the realisation that they would not vote for Leave anymore. The Brexit referendum has no support and mandate anymore to be executed, they say.

“We haven’t voted to leave , a small minority of the overall population […] voted Brexit. A lot of people have changed their minds, the opinion polls suggest that. On a decision of this importance, we are fighting for another referendum, a second opportunity”

“People know more about what is in price and we are confident that if we get another referendum […] we will remain full members of the EU”

It needs to be kept in mind that the disagreement over British politics just reflects the many conflicting opinions in the UK. And they need to be respected, listened to and understood to resolve the situation.

Motion sickness

What seems to unite the UK now, is that they want something to be done, they want to know in which direction they are moving. The British people are frustrated because too little is happening. And that makes it tricky, also for the international political community: how to deal with a country that does not know where it stands and where it will go? That is the real problem of this constant moving back and forth: the time, energy and resources that are spent on Brexit could be better invested in solving problems of more pressing issues. May it be environmental issues, culture clashes, the gap between rich and poor or the city and the countryside, security questions… the list of priorities is long.

Before leaving, I asked the protesters for a message they want to give to the rest of Europe. They all sounded similar:

“Please don’t give up on us!”

“Please be patient. Don’t chuck us out, ‘cause it’s not sorted out here.”

“Millions of us love you.”

Written by Nina Kolarzik

Photo Credits

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Insults, provocation, net-politics: The war of words

Pauline Zaragoza — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 14:29:29 +0000

How new populist leaders have killed the way to practice diplomacy

In 2016, the election of Donald Trump, a former TV star, as head of the first global power marked a turning point on the world stage. The following past years have seen the arrival of other populist leaders in global superpowers such as Italy, Brazil and recently in the United Kingdom. This along with the use of social media has shuffled the cards of diplomacy’s practice.

By definition, diplomacy is the management of relationships between countries but it also implies to deal with people without offending or upsetting them. But the performance we have assisted to those previous years does not seem to correspond to this meaning anymore.

Fake news, hate speech, insults spread by political leaders have become our daily reality. In the past, we used to assist to those types of rude behavior within countries between parties. What’s new is that it is happening now at the global scale between global superpowers. This shift can be explained by the democratic accession of far-right politicians who usually represent the hard opposition to power.

Bolsonaro: provocation as the norm

One of the greatest examples of this rude diplomacy is Bolsonaro, Brazil’s president. Last summer, the Brazilian president made some great performances. During the visit of the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean Yves Le Drian, he decided at the last minute to stand him up for doing a Facebook live while he was at the hairdresser. A few days later, he declared about environmental issues:

“It’s enough to eat a little less. You talk about environmental pollution. It’s enough to poop every other day. That will be better for the whole world.”

He pronounced those words while the Amazon rainforest was being torn down at a rate that it has never seen before. Then, to sustain his momentum, he rudely insulted Macron’s wife on Twitter by commenting a tweet describing her as ugly. At the same time, one of the Brazilian ministers used the Portuguese word « calhorda » to describe the French president, which can be translated as “idiot”, “bastard” or “trickster”. A word very far from the traditional diplomatic vocabulary. The response of the French president didn’t take long to come. He declared with diplomatic words:

“He said very disrespectful things about my wife. I have great respect for the Brazilian people and can only hope they soon have a president who is up to the job”.

Is this diplomatic behaviour new?

Diplomacy has its own rules. The job of diplomats such as President is to weigh the words, use euphemism and play with semantic shades. Diplomacy as an institution appeared in the Middle Age around the sixteenth centuries. Its aim was to ensure peace and set up trade by negotiations as a tool to avoid violence. This came with stabilization between states thanks to the creation of multilateral institutions such as the League of Nations and later the United Nations, with the ratification of treaty such as the Vienna Treaty in 1815 or the International Human Rights Convention in 1948.

In addition, diplomacy is a perfect instrument when it comes to solving international crisis for example, the Cuban crisis. At least, it was created to put an end to the practice of selfish states who were only looking out for their own interests. Diplomacy helps to negotiate a conflict outcome, put a stop to state raid and raise collective security.

In the past, even Hitler wasn’t insulted by other countries’ leaders. Also, during the Cold War, both sides worried about each other’s action and thus use the diplomatic language. Usually in diplomacy, leaders used to speak frankly only in private. With time, it’s getting worse. During his presidency, Obama was treated as “son of a whore” by Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte, Johnson (who after becoming chief diplomat) compared Hillary Clinton to “a sadistic nurse in a mental hospital”, Trump named Kim Jong-Un in front of the UN Assembly “the Rocket Man”. We are spectators of a shifting diplomacy where insults represent the standards way of talking.

A redefinition of the political leader

This change in the political landscape raises the question of the definition of a political leader. Is it implied to be exemplary or a good person? Are Obama, Trudeau or Macron the definition of good leaders?

The Latin “Regere” means to govern and to act rightly. At least, is governing a moral matter? Because besides their disrespectful behavior, those extremist leaders have been democratically elected because they represented political game’s transparency. People are fed up with the expectation to be politically correct. They are acting, that is why there are in power now.

They represent their countries interest in a provocative way as Trump showed recently by his will to buy Greenland from Denmark to insure the US’s position in the subsurface resources race. Even with all those “diplomatic incidents”, it is working as they are popular in their country. They have legitimized a new style by institutionalizing their rude, impolite and unfiltered behavior and vocabulary. Perhaps right now governance means to behave badly.

Good things even in the worst times

However, there is still light in the dark. As well as there being those populist leaders, there are “standard” political leaders who do not have rude behavior as strategy. Diplomacy is not dead as the Pope gave us the proof when he sent a message to Donald Trump without naming him:

“A person who thinks only about building walls — wherever they may be — and not building bridges, is not Christian.”

In addition, this change has led to an increase of the political commitment. In France, during the second round of the presidential elections there was a huge mobilization against the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, people are mobilized against populist leaders’ action. Demonstrations for climate change are growing around the world even if populist leader try to spread the fake news that global warming doesn’t exist. Associations for human rights, refugees’ rights, and LGBTQ rights are more active than ever in reaction to those leaders.

The hope and the opposition are here. But this change in the diplomatic area may be the reflection of our time. The question is “How are we going to respond to it?”

Written by Pauline Zaragoza

Photo Credits

Jair Bolsonaro, Jeso Carneiro, CC BY-NC 2.0

Union nations Headquarters, United Nations Photo, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Climate change march, Matthew Kirby, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Declaracao a impresa, Palacio do Planalto, CC BY 2.0

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A voyager and a settler: West Papuans protest for freedom

Naufal Rasendriya Apta Raharema — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 14:17:36 +0000

Security means something different to different people. This specific argument can also be seen in the recent conflict in West Papua between the large numbers of locals demanding independence and the Indonesian authorities. Several deaths and injuries have been the result of never-ending tensions, including in the latest series of protest that started in mid-August this year.

History of the Long Voyage

Historically, Papua used to be a colony of the Netherlands which was then incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 as a result of the “Act of Free Choice”. Despite the fact that the UN also reaffirmed and accepted Indonesia’s sovereignty over Papua, high politics between Indonesia and the West can be argued to have been behind this whole event. The process itself was considered as very controversial due to the fact that the US-backed “Act of Free Choice” only consisted of 1,025 West Papuans who are handpicked by the Indonesian government. Adding to this, they were forced to vote to be controlled by the Indonesian government, at the gunpoint of Indonesian army. Allegations of human rights violations started to grow since that date.

Since then, the fight for freedom took flight for several reasons. In the highlands, the Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM) forces, the Papuans independence fighters, have continuously launched guerrilla attacks on the Indonesian police and army. Meanwhile, there are also several NGOs that have voiced the desire for independence of the West Papuans through diplomatic talks and several non-violent actions, both in Indonesia and abroad, including the United Nations.

Never-ending Discrimination and Prejudice

Since mid-August, protest rallies, some of which turned violent, took place in several cities in Indonesia. These rallies demand that the West Papuans would be given the rights of self-determination to become independent as well as condemning the racism against the Papuans. These rallies actually were triggered by a racist incident in Surabaya.

In Surabaya, the student housing of the Papuans was surrounded by people protesting due to the alleged disrespecting of the Indonesian flag. Among the angry masses were also Indonesian soldiers and nationalist groups; actors that are anticipated to always be there when the issue is related to nationalism. Unfortunately, racial slurs were also used by the masses to demand the Papua students to come out from their housing. A viral video showing that the security officers surrounding the student housing were mocking the students with racial slurs was later spread. It was this specific case that sparked all the outrage in Papua.

Basically, racism and prejudice towards the Papuans are very common in Indonesian society. The physical differences, as the Papuans are Melanesians who are very different from most Indonesians, and all the stereotypes that have been there for years may be the main reasons here. In the neighborhood, Papuans who are studying outside Papua often have a hard time living their student life.

For instance, a lot of locals would offer housing to students, except for Papuans due to the stereotype that they like to get drunk and cause trouble. Hence, they can’t receive the best educational outcomes. As it is difficult for them to find housing and they generally choose to live in the Papua’s students housing, sticking with other Papuans to make them feel safer. Still, a circulating prejudice, that they have such a secret activity associated with the Free Papua Movement inside the student housing, prevails.

Added to this, the fact that the Indonesian police decided to “let” the other organizations and angry masses surround the Papuans Student Housing in Surabaya, including all the racial slurs that took place, can also be seen as an example of the never-ending prejudice and racial discrimination within the society. No deeper investigations were done by the police before they decided to surround the premise, coercing students to comply under threat of tear gas. In fact, all 43 students that were arrested from the housing were freed the next day as the police couldn’t find any evidence about the alleged disrespect of Indonesian flag.

In this case, Prof. Ariel Heryanto argues that Indonesia is moving backwards into the colonial era with its aggressive and masculine style of nationalism, called hypernationalism. Quite similar to facsism, there are people who are overly idolizing certain symbols including the angry mob who came to the Papuans student housing because of an alleged disrespect of Indonesian flag.

Hence, why would you demand a group of people to stick with you, yet you can’t treat them equally and humanely?

Nationalism?

From this point, it can be understood that what the Indonesian authorities want is to implement the third principle of Pancasila, Indonesia’s ideology, the unity of Indonesia. Not only in Papua, a lot of separatism movement in Indonesia, such as those that occurred in Aceh, has always been solved by military measures. Jakarta perceives the Free Papua Movement, whose goal is to achieve the rights of self-determination for the Papuans, as a separatist movement which may disturb the structure and unity of the archipelago country. In fact, a demand to be given the rights of self-determination shouldn’t be regarded as an act of treason. Yet, anything linked to an independence movement in certain areas such as Free Papua Movement may be sued by Indonesia with the crime of treason.

Non-violent protests, which are also quite commonly held in several cities, are also usually disbanded by the security forces. Hence, it seems that Indonesian authorities forgot about the fourth principle of just and civilized humanity. One of the reasons why there are tensions is because the Papuans accused the Indonesian military as human rights violators, matched with all the circulating arguments about a huge number of human rights abuses in Papua.

Nevertheless, people might have a high probability of being accused of treason if they decided to speak out against the inequality and abuses in Papua. In fact, a lot of human rights and pro-democracy activists have been arrested and prosecuted due to their involvement in spreading the messages. One of them is Veronica Koman, a popular human rights lawyer, she got labelled as a suspect for spreading false information and provoking bigger protests through social media. On the 20th of September, Indonesian police issued a red notice to Interpol for her, as well as her name on the wanted persons list.

During these series of protest, the President of Indonesia, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, said that “you may get angry, but forgiving is better” as he urged the people to forgive each other as the same citizens of the country. For some people, this was a very disappointing move from the President as it doesn’t sound helpful at all, especially as Jokowi won 78% in Papua during the Presidential Election. In this case, Jokowi should put more focus on respecting human rights in the region, including giving punishment to those involved in the racism and discrimination against the Papuans. True actions would be more appreciated rather than just ‘apologizing’.

The Danger of Inequality

As of now, the tension has significantly reduced and the situation has gotten better. Tri Susanti as one of the highest members in FKKPI, an organization that has linkages to the Police Department, has been enacted as the suspect of the racist incident in Surabaya. Added to that, 5 members of the Indonesian military have also been suspended for future investigation due to their alleged involvement.

Hence, I think it is very clear that even the smallest act of racism, distinction between us versus them, and unequal treatments may lead to the breakdown of national integrity and harmony in the social life if they are not treated wisely. The long period of discrimination faced by the Papuans in various areas is now known by the whole world.

Written by Naufal Rasendriya Apta Raharema

Photo Credits

West Papua Morning Star Flags, AK Rockefeller, CC BY-SA 2.0

“West- Papua-demonstrations”, Apdency, CC BY-SA 3.0

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Moving on as a nation: Collective trauma and ways forward

Merle Emrich — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 14:08:03 +0000

Wars, accidents and natural disasters seem to be on the news almost on a daily basis, and we only need to open a history book to find an entire plethora of terrible events of the past. It is no wonder then that, just like individuals, whole communities and even nations can experience trauma which can pass on to future generations either through socialisation or even genetically and can affect cultural or national identity. As with all trauma the question of how to process it and how to – ultimately – move on, so as not to become paralysed by it stands in the room.

In between past and future

‘A crime takes place in two acts. First, the act of killing. Then, that of getting rid of the evidence’, Lebanese film director Ghassan Halwani, son of Wadad Halwani who is president of the Committee of disappeared and kidnapped people [during the Lebanese civil war], told journalist Emmanuel Haddad. After the civil war, in August 1991, an amnesty law was quickly passed and a second law, in 1995, urged the families of those that had disappeared (a total number of 17 415 people in addition to 150 000 deaths) to declare them dead if they’d been gone for more than four years.

Yet, instead of enabling the nation to reconstruct and face the future, this course of action trapped a large part of the population in a state of frozen mourning. Not knowing what happened to their loved ones, if they were dead or alive, possibly imprisoned in Syria or Israel, they were faced with a government that would rather have everyone forget about the years in between 1975 and 1990, and turn the page.

The conflict between the wish to move on and the necessity to find justice or at least answers and process the past is not unique to Lebanon. Describing a post-conflict Kosovo, German journalist Carolin Emcke writes about a group of women protesting for their husbands taken hostage during the war and missing since then: ‘But all those politicians who are not prepared to speak to the disheartened women are all too prepared to mention their fate if they can instrumentalise it in their speeches on independence and the possibility of reconciliation with Serbian civilians. […] The crime committed against them is of use, the victims of the crime are overlooked: No one wants to be reminded of their pain, their presence disturbs the general pursuit of normality. […] One year after the war, there is not only the issue of territorial ghettos but also that of mental enclaves’ (Carolin Emcke, Von den Kriegen: Briefe an Freunde, 2004, pp.122-124).

Healing society

‘What I’ve learned is that when traumas are ignored, they are passed on from generation to generation’, says filmmaker Andres Lubbert who investigated the past of his father who fled Chile after being forced to work for Pinochet. ‘The only way to heal a society is by starting a dialogue.’

But how to start a dialogue when society is expected to forget and move on?

In Lebanon, some of the families of the disappeared have been organising since 1982 to find out what happened to them, to achieve justice and act against forgetting. After 36 years, on 28 November 2018, the Lebanese parliament passed a law (no. 105) which recognises the right of the victims’ families to know the fate of their loved ones. To grant this right, an independent commission is supposed to be created to localise mass graves and identify the bodies buried there.

Despite suspicions that this law is merely a strategy to gain respectability in the eyes of the international community without there being any sincere intent to apply it in practice, as was the case with 39 other laws on various issues, it still denotes an achievement of those demanding justice and clarity. For the first time the telling of the story of the civil war is up to them.

A group of Syrian women pursued a similar strategy as they protested outside the United Nations (UN) headquarters in Geneva in 2017. Their demand to the UN was to bring up the disappearance of their family members in the Geneva talks. For years now, these women have been trying to find out what happened to their loved ones, to no avail. But still they continue. One of the protesters, 63 year-old Fadwa Mahmoud, stated that even though they were only five women at the protest in Geneva, there were thousands more in Syria supporting them. ‘It’s different when politicians claim to speak on our behalf. We are the ones that represent the real people’, she said.

To move on from collective trauma, there needs to be a dialogue – an act of balancing remembering and active forgetting as a step toward letting go. Policies that instead seek to suppress all memory of the events that have created the trauma or to deny the traumatised the knowledge of what happened in the first place will merely leave society paralised by its inability to process its traumatic past.

The comfortable horrible

After the end of the dictatorship in 1983, the Argentine government (under Raúl Alfonsín) set in motion the 1985 Trial of the Military as an ‘exemplary educative trial’. Yet, responsibility for the disappearances during the dictatorship extended beyond the most senior ranks of the military to which the trial was limited and public demands for more trials grew as they were seen as an effective way to find answers and pursue justice. However, both Alfonsín and his successor Carlos Menem introduced a series of amnesty laws and pardons in the name of reconciliation. Menem went so far with his policy of reconciliation that stands in contrast to public demands for justice and the establishment of collective memory as to suggest the demolition of the Escuela Superior de Mecánica de la Armada (ESMA), a building used as a secret detention centre during Argentina’s ‘dirty war’.

The plan was ultimately stopped by a court ruling which decrees that the victims’ relatives have a right to the preservation of the ESMA in addition to there possibly being further evidence inside the facility that might offer knowledge about the whereabouts of the victims’ remains and what happened to them. In 2004, the government of President Néstor Kirchner gave in to public demand and opened up a new pathway to deal with the nation’s trauma by deciding that the ESMA should be turned into a pedagogic space of public memory.

Unlike judicial procedures and court trials that aim to establish justice, commemorative spaces such as museums provide the opportunity to create and establish collective memory that is entirely accessible to the public and can serve as a placeholder for justice. From the Liga Argentina por los Derechos Humanos’ opinion that the ESMA should be reconstructed to appear exactly as it was when it was used as a torture centre to the suggestion of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo to turn the building into an art school, a debate ensued about how to tell the story of the place. What needs to be remembered and what forgotten? How can the past be connected to the present and future? Should art be included to mediate, to create the ‘comfortable horrible’ that prevents defensive ignorance? How can the memory of the past be passed on and how can the singularity of being alive be recovered that was stripped from the victims as their existence was turned into bare life? In essence: how to move on from collective trauma as a nation?

Written by Merle Emrich

Photo Credits

Lebanese Town Opens its Doors to Newly Arrived Syrian Refugees, M. Hofer (UNHCR), CC BY-NC 2.0

Basement Area – Escuela de Mecanica de la Armada (ESMA) – Detention and Torture Center – Buenos Aires – Argentina – 01, Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0

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Moving money out of the public eye: tax evasion in the EU

Isa Tiilikainen and Jasmin-Leyla Virta — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 13:49:02 +0000

Tax fraud and tax evasion within the European Union (EU) form a big problem that concerns all EU citizens. For instance, in 2017 the EU lost 137 billion euros in value-added-tax revenues, but taking also other types of tax frauds into account, the estimates of lost revenues due to tax evasion and avoidance go all the way up to 1 trillion euros.

Tax avoidance and evasion can be carried out in different ways, such as aggressive tax planning by taking advantage of loopholes in legislation or by transferring money to tax havens. Tax havens are often associated with remote and foreign states but, despite the close economic integration of the EU, can also be found within the Union.

Today, tax avoidance is a recognized problem in the EU, so how is it still possible?

Free movement of capital facilitating tax avoidance

The free movement of capital is one of the EU’s four freedoms and the basis of the European Single Market meaning that all restrictions and limits on the movement of capital – for example, on buying and selling shares and assets, as well as foreign investments between member states being prohibited. This freedom, related to banking secrecy, has created an opening for tax frauds – or at least made the monitoring of tax compliance trickier.

The EU has been working on harmonizing taxation and legislation in the member states, but still there are big differences regarding state provided tax reliefs and tax transparency. This has offered more room for systematic tax planning, tax avoidance and, eventually, tax evasion. As the taxation differs from one member state to another and the tax rates can be notably lower, tax payers, investors and companies might consider directing their income and profits through a different member state that is not their country of residence. Due to this, a total of seven EU member states, Belgium, Cyprus, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands, are considered tax havens.

In recent years, this action has been closely observed through the Luxembourg Leaks – a major investigation revealing that over 300 foreign companies avoided taxes by channelling the taxation through Luxembourg where companies pay significantly lower corporate taxes than in other European states as the state’s legislation makes offers of substantial tax relief and deduction deals in privacy.

Several multinational companies, such as Disney, Pepsi and IKEA, profited financially by centralizing their income stream on European market through Luxembourg where they had to pay less than 1% taxes of their profits whereas taxation in other EU countries could have cost them billions of euros more, as the average corporate income tax rate in the EU countries is currently around 21,3%. Similar taxation deals are found for example in Ireland with Apple and in the Netherlands with Nike, as revealed by an investigation of the so-called Paradise Papers.

Zero-sum game?

Free movement of capital and tax planning within legal framework can create healthy competition and maximize profits for all actors, the EU, the member states, the companies, as well as individuals. However, at worst, harmful tax competition can unbalance the equality between the member states.

According to Spanish Member of the Parliament, Miguel Urban, the problem with tax evasion is the lack of fiscal unity in Europe which leads to fiscal competition and dumping aimed at attracting companies and capital. One can even argue that free movement of capital facilitates tax evasion. Miguel Urban states: “We are returning to a feudal system, where the feudal lords don’t pay any tax. This aristocratic class and modern feudalism is called Bono, Messi, Christiano Ronaldo as well as Nike, Apple and Amazon. It’s a class that positions itself not only above the middle class but also above small and medium-sized businesses. It’s a new nobility that believes to be above the law.’’

States’ right to choose their form of taxation is an argument often referred to by the tax-avoiding nations. For example, many Luxembourgers have publicly expressed this opinion, as a spokesman for the Luxembourg Finance Ministry says: “Each country should be free to fix taxes according to its national priorities”. Many lobby organisations promote this view as well, as Nicolas Mackel from Luxembourg’s financial lobby puts it: “Competition is healthy. And it is legitimate. To align the rules would certainly increase taxation. And that is not necessarily the most appropriate thing”.

These opposing views have created some contradictory outcomes mainly associated with the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. Previously Juncker has been the Finance Minister of Luxembourg, meaning that he has been one of the main actors preparing the tax relief deals with multinational companies, but as the President of the Commission he has been forced to fight against these deals and tax evasion.

However, with regards to the internal market system of the EU, it is evident that when one country offers tailored tax deals to multinational corporations, it steals the revenue from all the other countries. When multinationals dodge taxes, the gap has to be somehow compensated for and this often means increasing taxes on small and medium-sized enterprises, lower- and middle-income households and cutting back on public services.

The EU loses around 20% of its corporate tax revenue to tax havens. The woeful part about tax evasion is its clear connection to inequality between citizens all over Europe. Had the correct amount of corporate taxes been paid accordingly, there would be no need for any budgetary cuts.

Time to act

Recently the EU has taken measures to combat tax evasion as one of the focus points of its agenda.

One of the most effective and recent actions of the EU in the fight against tax evasion is the Anti Tax Avoidance Package based on the recommendations of The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The package was introduced in 2016 and aims at achieving fairer and more coherent corporate taxation by increasing transparency and helping the member states to act united against tax frauds. As a part of this package the Anti Tax Avoidance Directive, creating a minimum level of protection against tax avoidance, was applied on 1 January 2019. The directive includes rulings against profit shifting to low-tax countries, to prevent double non-taxation and to discourage artificial debt arrangements.

Even though these measurements are now applied, the fight against tax evasion is still in its early stages. Like with many other major issues within the EU there seems to be more talking than taking action. One reason for this is the fact that taxation is still very highly associated with member states sovereignty. As a consequence, policies and rulings related to taxes are handled in the Council of the European Union with unanimity which means that one single member state can obstruct the proposed changes and legislation if it collides with their own national interest.

Issues with a cross-border dimension, like aggressive tax-planning and evasion, are hard to tackle with only domestic policies. The EU’s internal market structure between 28 member states can both be the accelerator of the problem, as well as the key to a possible resolution.

Written by Isa Tiilikainen & Jasmin Virta

Photo Credits

Bad Weather, Frédéric Schneider, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker debated the last EU summit, Pietro Naj-Oleari (European Parliament), CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Members making statement during vote on motion of censure against the Commission, Pietro Naj-Oleari (European Parliament), CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

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Fishballs of Fury: Contesting Hong Kong Identity

Louis Louw — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 13:29:13 +0000

It’s Lunar New Year and a cart full of goodies is being pushed through the hustle and bustle of a cramped Hong Kong street. In an instant, a mouth-watering smell rises into the air, drawing in hungry tummies as plates of fishballs exchange hands. A once common sight with as many as 50 000 hawkers and informal vendors plying their trade in the 1970s, Hong Kong now only boasts around 6 000 legally licensed food hawkers to cater to a hungry Hong Kong populace.

This community of itinerant hawkers or food peddlers infamously and affectionately referred to as the jau gwei (lit. running from ghosts) scatter in all directions as warning cries of approaching authorities fill the streets. Without official documentation, many jau gwei operate illegally with small carts which they push towards jostling markets and busy city intersections. Always on the hunt for their next sale, the jau gwei have long been considered a public nuisance by authorities seeking stricter regulations on the informal food market. Hygienic standards, noise pollution, and traffic congestion are some of the common bureaucratic buzzwords sparking controversy, especially as the jau gwei are seen as an authentic expression of working-class Hong Kong identity.

Fishball Riot 2016

Therefore, it is barely a surprise that attempts by city authorities – whether backed by the British Crown or mainland China – to regulate the jau gwei are viewed with distrust. Traditionally, caution rather than coercion has been the path to follow. However, since the early 2010s, authorities have stepped up their efforts at cracking down on the scene. In the politically charged atmosphere of Hong Kong, the fuse burned through once more in 2016, and culminated in the now infamous violent Mong Kok riot between localist groups and police forces. Heavily concerned with and informed by the notion of self-determination, the latter were quick to jump on the bandwagon to defend what they saw as an interference by mainland China to curb local culture.

The Mong Kok riot was striking for two of its features: first, for the use of violence and second, for the well-known plight of the jau gwei prior the violent outbreak. Two questions arise from these features: why were both sides prepared to fall back to the use violence, and why were the jau gwei worth fighting for or against in this particular instance?

The historical background is to be taken into account as a first instance to delimit the efforts of peaceful protest and its role in challenging the legitimization of the state. The path of Hong Kong identity thereafter gained leeway as an inherently political manifestation in challenging the legitimization of the state, and embedded the plight of the jau gwei within the context of this (re)configuration of Hong Kong identity in the greater pursuit of political representation. Importantly, Hong Kong identity in its particular (re)configuration(s) is taken as a naturally given process. The way of talking about this identity however is variable under the process of discourse, e.g. in the contemporary scope of Hong Kong society and its growing polarization and politicization.

Umbrella Movement 2014

One can’t talk about this polarization without reference to the Umbrella Movement in 2014. In a nutshell, the Umbrella Movement sought by means of popular sentiment to protest for more – and especially fairer – representation in the government. The largely peaceful protests aimed at highlighting and proposing betterment to Hong Kong’s skewed political system ultimately fizzled out in disappointment as the Communist Party neither budged nor exhibited a willingness to engage, let alone negotiate, any solutions. Too high were the rulers and tycoon profiteers in their ivory tower to be touched by the people’s demands. Arguably, by sitting out the wave of discontent, the Communist Party showed its disregard for Hong Kong civil society. What was to be done to effect change?

Due to the resulting disappointment and disillusionment within Hong Kong society, new forms of questioning the authority arose and older ones such as localism or nativism once again gained traction. These groups aimed their sights at the “one nation, two systems” policy. The leading line of argumentation being: if there are two nations with two different sets of essentially different people, then this policy doesn’t work. The Mong Kok riot can be seen in this light, however, it doesn’t offer any clues as to why violence was used.

By means of understanding the resurgent electrification of Hong Kong politics, one must necessarily evaluate the role the jau gwei have been assigned to within it. As a group, which has its historical roots in mainland China yet is firmly embedded within contemporary Hong Kong culture as a space of shared memory, the jau gwei offer a unique green screen to project values, which I argue to be generationally all-encompassing.

Contested Identities

This all encompassing identity is notoriously difficult to pin with two generational camps pitted against each, namely the pro-independence youth versus the island’s elderly. Notably, the historical origins of the jau gwei and Hong Kong bureaucracy have both done their part in fostering a close link between the jau gwei and the (imagined) mainland, especially from an elderly perspective. After all, the jau gwei are descendents from impoverished Chinese mainlanders who sought to scrape a life in the former colony – that’s how the informal food market came into being. Generally, the jau gwei represent the opinions of the elderly mainlanders who prefer maintaining the status quo. In their opinion, retaining Hong Kong’s slight concessions in terms of freedom is considered infinitely better than risking it all for an uncertain outcome.

In addition, the jau gwei’s profession is strictly hereditary as stipulated by Hong Kong law and its licensing practices. These were put into place to restrict access to – and naturally ‘eradicate’ – the itinerant market in favour of tax-paying and state-building revenue opportunities. Attempts to squash the market underscores the ironic twist behind the story of the jau gwei: they are rooted in mainland culture but uprooted by its authority at the same. Keeping tabs with the status quo will not end their plight in the long run. Localists helping the jau gwei only fosters a sense of interdependence amongst Hong Kong citizens that prefer – more and more – the tag of an all-encompassing and distinct Hong Kong identity.

Lion Rock Spirit

Lastly, this all-encompassing identity also finds an outlet of expression in the entrepreneuring Lion Rock Spirit, the can-do mentality that drives the common man to fulfil his potential and live a dignified life within China’s special administrative region. Riding their luck and hardship-hardened, the jau gwei make ends meet as small-scale entrepreneurs in the informal food market, thus, ensuring the legacy of the endeared delicacy despite ever-increasing repression by authorities.

In essence, the jau gwei are more than merely merchants. They are the embodiment of a narrative not dissimilar to the American Dream: social mobility through hard-work embedded in liberal entrepreneurism. Hong Kong’s position – and understanding of itself – as an exceptional city carved out on inhospitable rock by exceptional individuals presupposes the city’s entrepreneurial success.

Through this ideal representation of the Lion Rock Spirit, the jau gwei function as a juxtaposition to the ruthless exploitation of unbridled capitalism under pro-Beijing loyalists before, and especially after, a post-Umbrella Movement political landscape. Unlike the property magnates who distribute financial favours amongst themselves to detriment of the general populace, the jau gwei are of the people and authentically cater to the people. A far cry from the plutocratic megalomania exhibited elsewhere.

In the crossfire of ideology

In summary, the itinerant hawkers and informal food peddlers beloved by Hong Kongers have found themselves in the crossfire of an ongoing ideological debate over cultural, and therefore inherently political, identity in relation to the legitimacy of the state. In the times of localist and nativist groups demanding a Hong Kong for Hong Kongers (pardon, Chinese, mind you), the jau gwei have come to symbolize something distinctly and peculiarly “of and only from Hong Kong” within the discourse of the legitimacy of the state. Moreover, guided by the small-scale entrepreneurial drive of the individual, the jau gwei signal a juxtaposition to unbridled state capitalism backed by a local pro-Beijing plutocracy, which distributes wealth and power amongst its members.

The narrative of the jau gwei is grinded out somewhere between the tension resulting from the unfair distribution of wealth, power, and politics. To what extent may individual partake take in the distribution thereof before becoming troublesome to the state? As the Mong Kok incident has shown, tensions are running high. As unclear as the future of Hong Kong may be, I venture to say that this analysis hints at these areas of contention within Hong Kong society for future developments in the ongoing crisis.

Written by Louis Louw

Photo Credits

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Death and Moving On: Dictating the Afterlife

Julia Glatthaar — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 12:56:12 +0000

Everybody will die at some point. Some people die young and others manage to live through a whole century. Some people die naturally, and others have their lives taken by force.

The essence is, and I think all of you will agree, that our days are counted and that sooner or later we will pass away. What humans fail to agree on, is the question of what comes next. And this creates tension. Because our beliefs in different hereafters impact our behavior, our attitudes and actions towards others, and in that sense it also shapes the way others see us and what they see in us.

When looking at some answers of the main religions the afterlife is used as the carrot and stick that motivates us to do good deeds during our time on Planet Earth. For instance, whilst Christianity and Islam focus on the soul that enters one’s body when being conceived and returns to their god when one dies, Buddhism revolves around the concept of reincarnation. So in this article, we will take a closer look at the cycle of life according to the concept of reincarnation, and talk about one of the most famous recurring souls of our time and his squabbles with China.

Reincarnation

The basic idea of reincarnation or rebirth is a central point of Buddhism, as well as many other religions. It is based on the concept of mortality and immortality of the soul. Hence death, until the soul reaches Nirvana, only precedes another reincarnation. Which means that when your body, the current host of your soul, gives out, your soul will go on a journey and settle in a new body.

On closer inspection, different people express different opinions on how exactly reincarnation can and should work. Some people believe that reincarnation is not strictly reserved for humans, but that you could also be reincarnated into animals. Others believe that reincarnation is not bound by the fixed chronology of timelines. This makes for an interesting thought experiment because it would mean that you could meet “yourself” at some point in life. Or even that every single living being on this planet shares the same soul being reincarnated time and time again…

One of the most important, if not the most important, souls in Buddhism, when it comes to reincarnation, is that of the Dalai Lama. So let’s grab a cup of tea and look at what makes this person and his reincarnations so important.

The Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama represents a soul from the 14th century and has been the symbol of unity and national identity in Tibet. Currently, this particular soul is occupying its 14th home, the now 83-year old body of this guy:

The basic idea is that this is the soul currently experiencing its 14th life. It was first born in 1391. Therefore, this soul has witnessed over 630 years, or around 224 280 days. It is safe to say that it has experienced quite a lot. Which brings us to the next point: why is it so important for this particular soul to be passed on and, throughout the centuries, collect even more experiences and wisdom?

The Dalai Lamas are sacred to Tibet, and they are key to Tibetan national identity. It all started in 1913 when the 13th Dalai Lama took to the political stage announcing Tibetan independence and starting to meddle with the political system. Since Tibet is not recognized by China, it is too dangerous a place for the Dalai Lama which is why he has been living in exile in India for the past decades.

Today, the struggle for autonomy is still ongoing as the Dalai Lama pointed out during his visit to Malmö University: “I’m happy to meet you all here today, Tibetans and our friends and supporters. I often point out that since the cause of Tibet is a just cause, Tibet supporters are not so much pro-Tibet as pro-justice. We continue to keep up our struggle based on non-violence. Since 1974 we have not been seeking independence, but we have been seeking the rights mentioned in the Chinese constitution, the rights to be implemented on the ground, not only in the Tibet Autonomous Region but in all Tibetan areas, to preserve Tibetan language and culture.”

The uncertain future of the Dalai Lama

This split is apparently one of the worst fears of the Chinese government who are still occupying Tibet to this day. The Communist Party’s representative summed up China’s stance in a meeting, where he declared that the Dalai Lama was no longer a religious leader after he left Tibet in 1959 and that if he wanted to return to China he must acknowledge that Tibet is an inseparable part of China, with the People’s Republic of China being the only legitimate government, hence, the Dalai Lama must give up on “Tibetan independence”.

Moreover, as to not give any support or approval to the Dalai Lama living in exile right now, China recently passed a law that requests all Buddhas to be registered. This has already led to China announcing their own Buddhas, that now compete with their equivalents in Tibet. Hence, many fear that the Republic will “choose” the next state-conform Dalai Lama.

So, this cookie-eating guy from the picture has raised several possibilities of what might happen after he dies. From choosing to being reincarnated as a woman, appointing his successor whilst still being alive, being incarnated outside of Tibet in a free country, or not to reincarnate again. Many scholars believe that whilst this Dalai Lama does not have the power of stopping the reincarnation, he will pass on to one of the 130,000 Tibetans living in exile.

It will be very interesting to see what the future holds. But it is very likely that we will experience an age of two Dalai Lamas, one in China, and one in India. Or maybe even in Sweden.

Written by Julia Glatthaar

Photo Credits

The Dalai Lama @ The Vancouver Peace Summit (1), Kris Krüg, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The Dalai Lama @ The Vancouver Peace Summit (2), Kris Krüg, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Brass 1, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

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They move their body to move politics

Aimée Niau Lacordaire — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 12:42:07 +0000

How the movement of the body in sport can lead to a political movement…

Fists raised in protest

It’s a historical event, at the Mexico Olympic games in 1968 two African-American sprinters, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, raise their fists on the podium during the American anthem in protest against racism. The segregation is not allowed since the 1964 Civil Rights Act, but is still present. Intolerance and racist crimes still poison the integration of the black community in the US. Their actions are relayed by a lot of media, and will have a huge impact on their career, such as banishment from the Olympic Village, and being banned from competition for life. They need to wait until the end of the Eighties so that the world deigns to recognize their action. Their courage will be truly honored only in the years between 1990 and 2000.

40 years later, Barack Obama is elected President of the United States, the first Black American man in power, so we can think that the gesture of Smith and Carlos has helped to change attitudes in the United States. But we know that nothing is acquired, and that racism remains nested in mentalities, especially with the arrival of Trump in power. That’s why recently, some athletes did the same protest against Trump’s politics, and for minority rights.

Those athletes who revolted

In 2016, the American football player Colin Kaepernick knelt several times and refused to put his hand on the heart and to sing the American anthem. He said : “I will not show pride in the flag of a country that oppresses blacks.”

Then, on September 2016, Megan Rapinoe, a LGBTQI+ woman, became one of the first white sports figures to ‘take a knee’ during the national anthem in support of Colin Kaepernick. She also protested against the difference in wages between male and female players. At the 2019 World Cup she refused to sing the American national anthem and to go to the White House in protest against Donald Trump’s minority policy. She described herself as a “walking protest when it comes to the Trump administration.” And she described Trump as “sexist,” “misogynistic,” “small-minded,” “racist” and “not a good person.”

More recently, Race Imboden, a white fencer for the USA team, knelt on the podium during the national anthem at the 2019 Pan American games in Peru. He said, he “took a knee — following in the footsteps of Colin Kaepernick, Megan Rapinoe, Muhammad Ali, John Carlos and Tommie Smith: black, LGBT, female and Muslim athletes who chose to take a stand. I’m not a household name like those heroes, but as an athlete representing my country and, yes, as a privileged white man, I believe it is time to speak up for American values that my country seems to be losing sight of.” “Racism, Gun Control, mistreatment of immigrants, and a president who spreads hate are at the top of a long list”.

We can therefore see a surge of protest among athletes, whether they come from the black community, are women or less publicized sports athletes.

But what do all these gestures mean?

The raised left fist is a gesture of salute and a logo mostly used by leftist activists, such as Marxists, Anarchists, Communists or Pacifists.The raised fist is generally perceived as an expression of revolt, strength or solidarity. After the action of Smith and Carlos the raised fist became in the United States a symbol of Black Nationalism.

Kneeling is above all a sign of respect used during Mass, and also the forced position of the slave and the servant. But since this gesture was repeated in 2016 by American football players including Colin Kaepernick, this gesture has become a symbol of the fight against Trump’s policy.

So why use this position?

In some countries standing means pride and respect, you get up when someone important enters the room, you stand during the national anthem played at sport events …so we can make the hypothesis that kneeling would be in opposition to this position of pride, and perhaps even a reference to black slavery.

Sport can have a very important media coverage, sport makes people gather together, some people are a fan of it, they watch and support their favorite athletes on TV every day. That is why acts like these can have a strong impact on the people following the sport, as did the act of Smith and Carlos which helped to change mentalities. By standing up against Trump, these athletes show to the rest of the world their disagreement with the policy put in place by the president. They are trying to change mindsets and hope others will do the same.

Democracy in danger?

But as for Smith and Carlos, this gesture can have a huge impact on their career. A repression is made by the state to prevent this kind of act from happening, Kaepernick was blacklisted from the NFL, Rapinoe was singled out for criticism by the president. He said on twitter: “Megan should never disrespect our country, the White House and our flag. ” And we don’t know if Race Imboden will be able to participate in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

If such a repression is put in place by the state, if it prevents athletes to show their political positions and to assert their fundamental right which is the freedom of expression, are the United States really a democratic country?

Written by Aimée Niau Lacordaire

Photo Credits

Black power…, Vision Invisible, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

นักกีฬา NFL หลายคนร่วมแสดงออกประท้วงเหยี ยดผิวต่อเนื่องจากกรณี ‘โคลิน แคเพอร์นิค’, Prachatai, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Alyssa Naeher & Megan Rapinoe, Jamie Smed, CC BY 2.0

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