Tag: protests

Employee sues Google over ‘unfair’ dismissal linked to anti-Israel protest – Guardian

A former AI engineer at Google DeepMind has accused the US tech giant of unfairly dismissing him over protests against the company’s deals with Israel, The Guardian reported on Wednesday. The man described the decision to fire him as discriminatory and filed a claim with a British employment tribunal.

Google’s ties with the Israeli government, including a $1.2 billion AI and cloud computing contract signed jointly with Amazon, have repeatedly sparked employee protests. In 2024 alone, the company fired dozens of dissenting staff members.

According to the engineer, he was called into a meeting with a manager that led to his dismissal after distributing flyers around DeepMind’s London office reading: “Google provides military AI to forces committing genocide” and “Is your paycheck worth this?” He also reportedly sent emails to his colleagues and called on them to unionize.

The former employee, who is of Palestinian origin, alleged in his lawsuit that Google discriminated against his belief that no one should be complicit in war crimes and claimed he was acting as a whistleblower, according to The Guardian. The US tech giant insisted that the employee’s version of events “does not accurately reflect the facts” and said that he had resigned.

In October, several media outlets reported that the 2021 agreement Google and Amazon signed with Israel barred the companies from restricting West Jerusalem’s access to their services even in cases it violated their terms of use. The deal also reportedly included clauses explicitly preventing the two tech giants from breaking ties with Israel under pressure from employees, shareholders and activists.

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German Intelligence Deems Watermelon Emoji Hate Speech

Germany has reached the point where even a watermelon can now be treated as a political threat. That is how absurd Europe has become. According to reports surrounding the latest antisemitism controversy in Germany, authorities and institutions are increasingly targeting symbols tied to pro-Palestinian activism, including the watermelon symbol that protesters began using after Palestinian flags and imagery started facing restrictions in some settings.

Think about how insane this has become. A watermelon is now being politically analyzed for “hate speech” implications while Europe is collapsing economically, energy prices remain elevated, migration tensions are exploding, and Germany itself is entering one of the worst industrial downturns since World War II. Instead of fixing the economy, Berlin is policing fruit symbolism and online speech.

I have warned that Germany has been moving steadily toward censorship for years. They raid homes over social media posts, prosecute citizens for insults online, and constantly expand speech laws under the excuse of fighting extremism. The problem is governments never stop at genuine extremism. Once censorship machinery exists, everything eventually becomes “dangerous.” Today it is a watermelon emoji. Tomorrow it becomes criticism of migration policy, opposition to war, or questioning government spending.

The Germans of all people should understand where this road leads. Europe has convinced itself that suppressing speech somehow eliminates social anger. It does not. It only drives resentment underground where it becomes more radicalized. History has shown repeatedly that governments trying to regulate political thought always end up creating even greater instability.

The frightening part is the sheer hypocrisy. Europe claims to defend democracy while simultaneously deciding which symbols, opinions, protests, or political expressions are acceptable. A watermelon itself is obviously not hateful. It is a piece of fruit. What governments fear is not the symbol itself. They fear losing control over public opinion as anger grows across Europe over war, migration, inflation, and collapsing living standards.

This is the real crisis developing in Germany. Not merely antisemitism, which absolutely exists and should be condemned, but the broader destruction of open discourse itself. Once governments begin defining ordinary political symbolism as dangerous, free society is already in serious trouble.

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Unite the Kingdom rally goes ahead, despite Starmers’ best efforts to disparage and ban attendees

The Unite the Kingdom rally is taking place today.

Despite Keir Starmer’s best efforts to discourage and ban people from attending, under the banner “Four Nations. One Kingdom. Under God,” a huge crowd from across the United Kingdom and further afield is gathering in London to highlight the destruction Starmer and his cronies are causing, and to stand up for their rights, freedoms and their culture. 

The rally is not only for the United Kingdom, but for the West.  So, Starmer has taken it upon himself to stop representatives from Western nations from attending the rally. He has been busy cancelling their visas so that they are unable to enter the UK.

On Monday, during a press conference, Keir Starmer again showed his left-wing autocratic tendencies. He announced that he will stop “far right agitators” entering the UK to attend the rally.

On hearing about Starmer’s plans, Robinson said, “We [ ] have members of Congress coming over to speak – will Starmer have the guts to ban Congressmen?”

In an email to supporters on Wednesday, Robinson said:

It has come to light today that a notorious Muslim extremist organisation is the driving force behind Keir Starmer banning our overseas guests from the ‘Unite The Kingdom’ event on Saturday.

‘5 Pillars’ is an infamous organisation of extremist Muslims, and it is ‘5 Pillars’ that has revealed that they were behind the wave of bans that has prohibited our overseas guest speakers from attending.

Keir Starmer is literally in league with Islamists who hate Britain.

You couldn’t make it up, but what else do we expect from treacherous communists like Starmer.

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Heated Protests in Cuba After Yet Another 30-Hour Blackout in Havana

Residents of Havana took to the streets of several neighborhoods in the capital city on Tuesday night for the second day in a row to protest against the communist Castro regime amid a new, over 30-hour-long blackout.

Over the past two days, Cubans living in Havana have been enduring yet another over 30-hour-long blackout as the ailing communist regime finds itself unable to consistently provide power to the Cuban capital city. Cuban-focused outlets reported that residents of the Havana neighborhoods of Bahía, Marianao, Diez de Octubre, Nuevo Vedado, Luyanó, and others banged pots, set up campfires, and burned piles of trash that the ailing ruling regime has failed to properly dispose of during Tuesday night’s protests.

Cuban dissidents with internet access successfully managed to publish footage of the protests on social media and share it with outlets. Cubanet published footage of a cacerolazo (“pot-banging”) protest in Diez de Octubre — a neighborhood described by the outlet as a location that has become a central spot for peaceful protests against the Castro regime in recent months. In another piece of footage, shared by Cuban dissident Eliécer Ávila and published by Cubanet, shows fires burning along the side of a road while dozens of people protest during the blackout.

Cuban activist Orlando Ramírez spoke with Martí Noticias on Tuesday and described the situation as “chaotic.” Ramírez resides in Santo Suárez, a neighborhood that lost power on Monday afternoon and only had power for a brief 14-minute period before it went out again. His area also lacks running water, as there is not enough pressure to pump water through the pipelines of his neighborhood and, without power, no one can operate any pumps to move water upwards into tanks. Having access to fuel-powered generators is no guarantee to overcome the blackout, Ramírez pointed out, as generators are not suited to provide power to the old refrigerators that are commonplace in Cuba — in addition to soaring fuel costs across the island, which make running generators an expensive endeavor.

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Tennessee Democrat State Senator Stands on Desk, Fights with Sergeant at Arms After Republicans Pass New Congressional Map Eliminating Dem District

All hell broke loose on Thursday after Tennessee Republicans passed a new congressional map eliminating the only Democrat district.

Tennessee’s Republican-led House passed the new map that eliminates the state’s only majority-black district in Memphis.

Shortly thereafter, the State Senate passed the congressional map.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed the new map into law.

NBC News reported:

Tennessee’s Republican-led Legislature passed a new congressional map splitting up the state’s lone majority-Black district, swiftly responding to the U.S. Supreme Court’s major redistricting ruling last week.

The redrawn district lines, which Gov. Bill Lee is expected to sign into law, put Republicans in position to gain a seat in this fall’s midterm elections and secure full control over Tennessee’s congressional delegation.

The new map carves up a Memphis-based seat held by longtime Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., into three districts, spreading the Democratic voters into more rural, Republican districts that stretch hundreds of miles east. It also further splits the Nashville metropolitan area, the state’s other Democratic stronghold, into five districts.

The long districts run across cross Tennessee’s distinct geographic regions and tie voters from different media markets and time zones together to achieve the desired partisan impact.

Democrat state lawmakers didn’t take it too well.

State Senator Charlane Oliver stood on a desk and got into a tug-of-war with the Senate Sergeant at Arms over her banner that read, “No Jim Crow 2 Stop the Steal.”

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Locals Protest Mexican Government’s Unwillingness to Stop Gulf Cartel Targeting Innocents

Dozens of residents in the cartel-controlled city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, took a high risk by holding a protest, blocking one of the area’s main avenues, and asking to be able to live in peace. The protest follows an attack by gunmen from the Gulf Cartel that led to the murder of two innocent citizens with complete impunity, while the Tamaulipas government claims that the state is one of the safest in the nation.

This week, residents in Reynosa held hands as they blocked Hidalgo Boulevard, one of the city’s main arteries, demanding peace. The peaceful protest lasted for a short while as passing motorists honked and cheered in support. The move came just one day after a group of gunmen with the Gulf Cartel shot and killed two victims in a brazen daytime attack.

The attack also took place along Boulevard Hidalgo when the gunmen pulled up next to a motorist and began shooting. The male victim got down and tried to run away, but died in a hail of bullets. The gunmen were able to drive off with complete impunity. Some of those bullets also struck a young teen girl who was on her way to school. Her parents tried to rush her to a local hospital, but the girl died soon after.

Preliminary information points to the gunmen having killed the male motorist for having tried to sell a vehicle without paying a fee or tax to the criminal organization. Breitbart Texas has reported extensively on the reign of terror spread by the Gulf Cartel, where the criminal organization collects extortion fees from average citizens for most business endeavors.

The shootings sparked much outrage within the city, where residents began pressuring the local mayor and dared to become widely outspoken about the poor security conditions in the region.

By Friday evening, after much pressure from various protests and local news outlets, the Tamaulipas government issued a prepared statement claiming that they had arrested seven individuals in connection with the shooting. As with other cases in the past, the arrests focus on low-level gunmen, with government officials rarely targeting the leadership of the top Gulf Cartel, who are the ones that impose the extortion fees and have the protection of top-level government officials.

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San Antonio Leftists ‘Turn May Day Strong’ into Protest Against Practically Everything

A small crowd of leftists gathered in downtown San Antonio on Friday afternoon for a May-Day-Strong demonstration in support of International Workers’ Day. The event quickly pivoted into a protest against a wide range of Trump administration policies as demonstrators chanted slogans and carried signs opposing billionaires, a planned ICE facility, the perceived U.S. embargo on Cuba, ICE agents, the war in Iran, U.S. military action in Venezuela, and in support of queer rights.

Breitbart Texas observed protesters as they shouted chants led by members of the San Antonio Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL). Before the group marched through the tourist-lined streets just blocks from the historic Alamo, several local union leaders gave speeches on income inequality to a crowd of nearly 200 attendees.

The protest was attended by members of the local PSL, the Chicano Paramilitary Brown Berets, and members of several labor unions, including the Texas State Employees Union and the Communications Workers of America local 6186. Some protesters sported Palestinian Keffiyeh scarves and waved Palestinian flags, while other attendees with the Brown Berets held flags featuring the image of Argentine Marxist Che Guevara as they listened to the speakers.

Friday’s protest was part of a nationwide May Day Strong campaign focused on workers’ rights. The organizers of the events asked supporters to stage walkouts and engage in economic boycotts to demonstrate the power of organized labor. The protesters quickly pivoted from labor-related causes to a host of other left-leaning causes.

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Communist and socialist groups call for ‘revolution’ and seizure of property at Minneapolis May Day rally

Communist and socialist groups called for a “revolution” at a May Day rally in Minneapolis Friday, highlighting the growing influence of far-left organizations at an event traditionally centered on workers’ rights.

Some of those demonstrators denounced capitalism and pushed for the seizure of private property and the means of production, marking a shift in tone from past May Day rallies that primarily focused on labor issues.

Protesters on the ground outlined a range of demands, including rent caps tied to income, a reduced work week and the redistribution of wealth from billionaires. The rally, which drew well over 1,000 people, was organized as an immigrant rights demonstration but brought together a broad mix of labor unions, activist organizations and far-left political groups marching side by side.

Among the groups present were the Communist Party USA, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), the Revolutionary Communists of America (RCA), the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) and members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), with numerous participants carrying flags and signage featuring socialist imagery like the hammer and sickle.

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Chicago Schools to Bus Students to Anti-Trump May Day Protests Using Tax Dollars

Tomorrow on May 1st, teacher unions in Chicago have decided to once again hold ‘May Day’ protests, which will obviously be aimed at Trump and all things Republican.

As part of these protests, Chicago Schools are going to allow students to attend, and if they choose to go, they can be shuttled to the protests using tax dollars.

Aside from the fact that a significant number of students in Chicago schools can’t read at grade level, how is any of this even legal?

Using tax dollars to transport students to political protests? Where is the outrage?

This report is from PBS:

Chicago labor unions, community groups, students and other advocates are expected to participate in events around the city on Friday in recognition of May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day.

Thousands of Chicagoans are expected to participate in a May Day rally and march starting at Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph St., and ending at Daley Plaza downtown. Other related actions are scheduled in different parts of the city in the morning ahead of the march.

The main rally is expected to begin at 1 p.m. in Union Park. The march is set to step off at 2 p.m.

The expected May Day actions come after disagreements between Chicago Public Schools CEO Macquline King and the Chicago Teachers Union over whether to close schools on Friday to allow students and teachers to participate in demonstrations…

Chicago Public Schools will still hold classes on May 1 after reaching an agreement with CTU that will also allow students and staff to attend labor rallies.

The union said the school district has pledged to provide buses for field trips for students and educators who choose to attend the afternoon May Day rally in Union Park.

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Israel Attacks Gaza Flotilla Near Greek Waters

On Wednesday evening Israeli naval forces attacked the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) to Gaza. 

An unknown number of Israeli military ships went over 700 miles to attack the 54-ship flotilla that was headed for Gaza.

It was attempting to break the illegal Israeli naval blockade and to bring worldwide attention to the continuing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza; the Israeli ethnic cleansing of the West Bank; the destruction and occupation of southern Lebanon and the attacks on Iran.

Twenty-one boats were attacked by Israeli naval forces about 80 nautical miles west of the Greek island of Crete in international waters. 

One hundred seventy nine participants from 33 countries were taken against their will from boats that were damaged by Israeli naval forces and put onto a commercial cargo ship that may arrive at the Israeli port of Ashdod around Saturday.

We anticipate that they will be processed at a dock facility in Ashdod, then transported to an Israeli prison and in three-to-five days be deported from the country with a 10-100 year ban on returning to Israel.

That means that one cannot get to the West Bank for actions in solidarity with Palestinians who are under attack by Zionist Israeli settlers who steal Palestinian land and animals and burn Palestinian houses and cars. 

Fifteen U.S. citizens were among the 179 that were kidnapped by Israeli forces.

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