by Globetrotter and Peoples Dispatch
This week’s news highlights escalating tensions and activism worldwide. Israel’s airstrikes have struck Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, worsening regional conflicts. In the U.S., protests have erupted over the police killing of Sonya Massey, revealing ongoing racial justice issues. The U.S. has controversially declared Edmundo González the winner of Venezuela’s elections without evidence, raising doubts about the electoral process. Meanwhile, grassroots groups in Britain are mobilizing to counter a rise in far-right violence, signaling a determined response to extremism. – Editor
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| DJ Sherrill, 11, sets white roses down at a Sonya Massey poster on Monday before a candlelight vigil at Kiener Plaza in downtown St. Louis. [Sophie Proe / St. Louis Public Radio] |
Israel Carries Out Series of Deadly Airstrikes on Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon
On August 4, Israeli fighter jets targeted tents sheltering displaced people within the premises of Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital, in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. The airstrike left at least five people killed and 18 others wounded. Thirty were also killed on the same day in airstrikes on the United Nations-run Al-Nasr and Hassan Salama schools, in western Gaza City.
On August 3, at least 17 people including children were killed, with dozens injured in airstrikes on the Al-Huda and Al-Hamama schools, where many displaced people were sheltering, in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City.
The Israeli Occupation Forces also launched a series of airstrikes in the West Bank and in southern Lebanon, killing nine resistance fighters and a military official on August 3.
An Israeli airstrike targeted a car on Zeita-Attil road within the governorate of Tulkarm in the northern West Bank, killing five Palestinian resistance fighters on the morning of August 3.
A few hours later, another airstrike targeted an area between the Bal’a and Iktaba villages in Tulkarm, killing four Palestinian resistance fighters affiliated with the Al-Quds Brigades in the West Bank.
On the same day, a third Israeli airstrike targeted a car traveling on the main road of Bazouriyeh, in southern Lebanon, killing Hezbollah military official Ali Nazih Abdul Ali.
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Waves of Protests Follow Police Killing of Sonya Massey
On July 6, 36-year-old Black woman Sonya Massey was shot and killed by white police officer Sean Grayson after inviting the police into her own home, seeking protection from a potential intruder. On July 22, body camera footage was released to the public of Massey’s killing.
Protests have erupted over the past few weeks across the country, including in major cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. In Springfield, Illinois, where Massey was killed, her family members mobilized the community in a mass action, converting Massey’s last words to officer Grayson into a chant: “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus!”
In the released body camera footage, two officers berate Massey in her home, ordering her to retrieve her identification despite her not being a suspect in any crime. In fact, it was she who called the police and invited them into her own home because she feared for her safety. While in Massey’s home, police officers also ordered her to check on the boiling water on her stove. While Massey was doing as she was ordered, Grayson appears to have become agitated, stating that he was moving “away from your hot steaming water.”
Massey then states, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” Grayson replies, “You better f-cking not, I swear to God, I’ll f-cking shoot you right in your f-cking face,” and subsequently does just that, shooting three times at Massey’s head, killing her.
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Without Evidence, the U.S. Declares Edmundo González Winner of Venezuela’s Presidential Elections
History has repeated itself in U.S.-Venezuelan relations. On August 1, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a statement, “Assessing the Results of Venezuela’s Presidential Election,” wherein he declares that “it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election.”
The statement also harshly criticizes Venezuela’s electoral system, the process on voting day, and the manner in which results have been released by Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE).
The declaration has been harshly criticized by different governments, political analysts, and social movements, which accuse the U.S. of once again trying to implement the failed “Guaidó plan.” In that plan, the United States unilaterally propped up a seemingly unheard-of member of Venezuela’s National Assembly, and declared that he was the constitutional president of Venezuela.
The statement stands in stark contrast to the reality on the ground in Venezuela. In the early hours of July 29, CNE president Elvis Amoroso had announced the results of the election with 80 percent of the ballots counted and stated that there was an irreversible trend pointing towards a Maduro victory with the current president having obtained 51 percent of the votes. Amoroso also announced that 59 percent of the electorate had participated in the elections. Right-wing candidate Edmundo González came in second place with 44 percent of the vote.
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Grassroots Mobilizations to Challenge Surge of Far-Right Violence in Britain
Anti-fascist groups in Britain are preparing for a weekend of mobilizations against the far-right. Far-right groups have recently incited a series of violent rallies across England, exploiting the public discourse after three children were tragically killed in a stabbing in Southport in northwest England.
Exploiting the town’s mourning, far-right groups have cynically manipulated the narrative surrounding the event into their hate-driven, racist, and Islamophobic discourse. Hundreds traveled to Southport and other towns in the north following vigils held for the killed children, only to spark violent riots. The rioters surrounded and attacked mosques with people inside, set police vehicles ablaze, and vandalized local shops.
In the aftermath of the far-right destruction in Southport, reports started to circulate about attacks against BIPOC community members in other areas. Safety concerns remain high throughout the country, with non-Christian places of worship placed under police protection. In Liverpool, anti-racists surrounded mosques to express support and shield them from potential attacks. On the night of August 2 in Sunderland, far-right rioters set fire to a Citizens Advice office, an organization that provides free advice on social security and legal matters.
The escalation was at least partly fueled by misinformation on the Southport event shared on social media, falsely identifying the accused stabber as an asylum seeker, an undocumented migrant, and a Muslim—targets consistent with the Islamophobia promoted by fascist organizations like Patriotic Alternative and figures like the founder of the England Defence League, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known under the name Tommy Robinson.
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