Tag: george floyd

Blackface Puts Arab Celebrities in Line of Fire Amid Anti-Racism Protests

Posted on by webmaster

Hundreds of thousands of people in the US and around the world have taken to the streets in the past three weeks to protest police brutality and racism. With the outrage going global, Arab celebrities took to Instagram and Twitter to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. But in doing so, some have sparked outrage on social media after posting photos of themselves donning blackface.

In one instance, Lebanese singer Tania Saleh posted a photoshopped image of herself with an afro hairstyle and darkened skin. In her caption, she wrote: “I wish I was black, today more than ever… Sending my love and full support to the people who demand equality and justice for all races anywhere in the world.”

Similarly, Moroccan actor Mariam Hussein, who has over 640,000 followers on Instagram, shared an image of herself with darkened skin. In the caption of her photo, the actor shared a reference to a religious verse from the Quran, which states that there is no superiority of one race over another, except through piety.

She has since deleted her post.

Algerian actor and singer Souhila Ben Lachhab also shared with her over one million Instagram followers a photo of her face painted half-black.

A photo, she captioned: “Racist people are the true black-hearted ones. They are black on the inside, though they do not know it.”

Social media users have called out the celebrities for posting “tone-deaf” and “racist” images and failing to understand the racist roots behind blackface.

What is blackface, and why is it offensive?

Blackface is a practice that dates back to the early 19th century when white people mocked black people and their features for entertainment purposes.

White actors, called minstrel performers, slathered their faces coal-black makeup, exaggerated the size of their lips, and wore clownish wigs. Such performances promoted demeaning stereotypes of black people that helped promote notions of superiority based on race.

“The first minstrel shows mimicked enslaved Africans on Southern plantations, depicting black people as lazy, ignorant, cowardly, or hypersexual,” according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. “The method was used as a way of solidifying the white identity in opposition to the black ‘other.’”

While the early minstrel shows started in New York, they quickly spread across the US, enlisting popular American actors including Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, making blackface, at the time, an acceptable form of entertainment.

Times have thankfully changed and the practice is now rightfully deemed offensive as it perpetuates a demeaning portrayal of an entire race. And when blackface faux-pas still happen, they result in a major uproar. Luxury fashion brand Gucci retailed an $890 face covering that resembled blackface took intense heat before pulling the garment from its online and physical stores and issuing an official apology.

In the Arab world, however, blackface is still used as a comic staple and is featured on major television networks.

In August 2019, a prank show on one of Libya’s major primetime networks not only featured a woman in blatant blackface but also gave the character monkeys for children.

According to the New York Times, Libyan activist Nader Elgadi said “the clip reflects deep-seated prejudices in a country where 600,000 mostly African migrants live in desperate conditions.”

Just last year, popular Egyptian comedian Shaimaa Seif played a Sudanese woman who swears, drinks, and talks gibberish on a public bus.

When flooded with criticism on her Facebook page, she made light of the controversy, insisting that “nothing bad was intended.”  

Critics say her cavalier response shows just how out of touch many in the Arab world are to the issue of racism in their societies, despite increasing global awareness of the matter. 

 

Read also: US Burns With Anti-Racism Rage One Week After George Floyd’s Murder

Violent ‘Boogaloo’ Movement Aims for Second Civil War in the US

Posted on by webmaster

On June 4, three men made their way to protests in downtown Las Vegas: Twenty-three-year-old Army reservist Andrew Lynam, 35-year-old former Navy enlistee Stephen Parshall, and 40-year-old Air-force veteran William Loomis. The three white Las Vegas residents filled gas canisters at a local parking lot and used glass bottles to make Molotov cocktails as they made their way to the anti-racism protests in the city’s center.

Before they could make it to their destination, an FBI anti-terrorism unit busted the three men, arresting them on terrorism-related charges. A complaint filed at the Las Vegas district court claimed the men identified as members of the “Boogaloo” movement, which the government document described as “a term used by extremists to signify a coming civil war and/or fall of civilization.”

Eager to escalate

The arrests were the result of nearly two months of work. Earlier in April, the three men had attended a rally to advocate for the ending of COVID-19 measures. At this “Reopen Nevada” rally, they had struck up a conversation with a man that turned out to be an FBI informant.

On May 29, the informant accompanied the three men at a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest on the famous Las Vegas strip.

Lynam, Parshall, and Loomis had decided to bring their rifles to the event. Lynam joined the crowd of protesters and deliberately went up to the police, yelling at them to taunt them into a reaction. Parshall became agitated as the protests continued peacefully.

Parshall was “very upset that the protests were not turning violent,” the court complaint said. The armed men told the FBI informant that they had gathered all the ingredients to make Molotov cocktails, prompting the Bureau’s anti-terrorism unit to intervene on their next outing.

Boogaloo movement

The Boogaloo movement that the three men identified with is an offspring of the American gun rights movement. An online network of gun owners, fearful of any regulation of their firearms, started an escalating joke over their perceived idea of an inevitable conflict with the government over their gun rights.

The term “Boogaloo” comes as a Reddit reference to a potential “sequel” to the American Civil War. The term is derived from the 1984 movie sequel “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo,” and has since sparked a variety of other movement-related terms.

Members of the movement call themselves a variety of related names, including the “Boogaloo boys,” the “Big Igloo Bois,” or the “Boojahideen,” in reference to Afghanistan’s anti-Soviet guerrilla force from the 1990s.

As their names suggest, the group consists of mostly male online-engaged gun rights supporters that consider themselves to be the victims of an ever-expanding state that will inevitably “come for their guns.” The men identify themselves by wearing Hawaiian-print shirts often matched with military-grade body armor and rifles or handguns.

Provocateurs

Because members of the Boogaloo movement consider another civil war to be inevitable, they appear to have little remorse in escalating the progress towards such a conflict. The current protests over state violence and structural racism have provided a platform on which they appear to want to trigger a full-blown civil war.

The movement’s preference for military fatigues and equipment gear has meant it is relatively easy for its members to pose as “Antifa” protesters, a left-wing anti-fascist group. US President Donald Trump is moving to classify Antifa as a terrorist organization, although experts doubt the official designation will be constitutionally possible.

Members of the Boogaloo movement have been caught impersonating the left-wing group on Twitter. Posting under the account “@antifaUS,” Boogaloo members called for violence, stating, “Tonight is the night comrades, tonight is the night we say f… the city and we move into the residential areas, the white hoods, and we take what is ours.”

Once the group was exposed as a Boogaloo operation, the Twitter account promptly re-styled itself as an “Antifa parody account,” deleting earlier calls for violence. It appears that members of the movement are trying to provoke the police and the country’s right-wing by posing as violent left-wingers in order to spark a violent reaction.

Because there is no official membership or vetting process, any person can claim a role in the non-organized and leaderless protests in the United States. The Boogaloo movement’s apparent aim is to use the protests to provoke both political sides into a violent conflict.

Now that the Boogaloo movement is getting significant attention from the media and law enforcement, it remains to be seen whether it can realize its dangerous goal.

Is the US Under a De Facto State of Martial Law?

Posted on by webmaster

The United States is in a state of social unrest not seen since protests against the Vietnam War and for civil rights peaked in the 1960s. But unlike during the 1960s, the country is facing an unprecedentedly unresponsive government.

Political silence

Even while politicians espouse the validity of the protesters’ grievances, not a single politician has offered them anything tangible in response. The only response that the self-professed beacon of democracy is offering is for frustrated citizens to “shut up” and go home.

There have been no five-point plans, no official strategies, no bills proposed, and no committees formed to investigate. The US is not even offering these usual empty gestures. The best protesters have received is an indication that Democrats are “considering reforms.”

With few allies in government and no power of redress, protests have spiraled out of control, often provoked by police officers geared-up as if facing a foreign enemy force. With thousands of people on the streets, simple probability tells us that criminal acts would occur.

Government oppression

Instead of framing acts of vandalism and looting as a logical result of years of pent up frustration and despair, or even a statistical likelihood, politicians and celebrities are calling on protesters to stop. Go home and “wait for justice to be served” is the near-universal response.

It is exactly the absence of justice and the clear disregard from their Democratic representatives that is spurring people on to keep up the pressure. Instead of diffusing the tension, the Trump administration is callously adding fuel to the fire in what appears to be a sad and desperate electoral ploy.

The result of pitting protesters against police in riot gear is nothing less than a de facto declaration of martial law. When the state arbitrarily silences, arrests, and attacks citizens, when law enforcement officials shoot, pepper spray, or arrest journalists showing their press credentials, when the government ignores the professed will of the people, only a declaration of martial law is left to formalize the state of the country.

Mock political process

It appears that the protesters in US streets are seeing their government in a new light. Through the lens of black suffering, Americans of all backgrounds are seeing the disingenuous political divide for what it is: A smokescreen to hide that US politicians have become nothing more than the administrators of a country bought and paid for by big business and the extremely rich.

For years the Republicans and Democrats have performed a play reminiscent of the fixed basketball games of the Harlem Globetrotters, with the Democrats taking the role of the Washington Generals, doomed to lose but eager to make a show of it. Rich donors purposely support weak, ineffective Democrats that have no shot or desire to actually change the system, which has resulted in over 1,000 electoral losses since Obama became president.

While many refer to the Trump era as an era of anti-Trump Democratic resistance, in reality 70% of all bills that are signed into law have received bipartisan support, with the common denominator being that both parties’ donors agreed on these bills.

No options

In a state where the government does not respond to the will of voters and social movements, many feel the only response left is civil disobedience and attempts to block the functioning of the economy. The Trump administration appears to recognize this fact in its response to the protests. Calls to “dominate” protesters and heavy-handed police action are the last remaining responses available to a government unwilling to give an inch towards greater social and economic equality.

The only political option left for those hoping for change is to vote for Joe Biden, a man who only promises to “not be Trump,” who said any additional wishes for progress or justice must mean that “you ain’t black.” Trump’s opponent in November has his own archive of problematic statements about the black community and he does not even appear to want to pretend he will bring any change.

Last resort

The only redress left to protesters is to desperately confront the police they meet on the streets. With no legitimately authoritative representative of the state offering them any solutions, the crowds can only channel their anger and frustration towards heavily armed police, most of whom themselves are part of the increasingly shrinking American middle class.

It appears now that the Trump administration is fearing that the men and women in law enforcement might reach a breaking point and turn on the government itself. In Washington, DC, unmarked military forces have started to make an appearance, with no identifying badges or tags. First reported on Twitter, these soldiers have stated they are part of the “justice department,” but the failure to properly identify themselves is a breach of the Geneva Convention.

With both protesters and the government becoming increasingly desperate, the US is in a precarious state that resembles a “state of emergency” in an authoritarian context. Much remains unclear as those on the streets of the United States write a new history.

US Burns With Anti-Racism Rage One Week After George Floyd’s Murder

Posted on by webmaster

George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in Minneapolis, Minnesota after a white police officer jammed a knee into his throat for seven painful minutes during an arrest for a non-violent crime on May 25. The video documenting the incident, when Floyd repeatedly told officers “I can’t breathe,” triggered a wave of outrage that has transformed into protests across the United States and in major cities around the world. 

Protestors chanting “I can’t breathe” and “George Floyd, say his name” filled the streets of Minneapolis, New York, Boston, Washington, Los Angeles, and 135 other cities around the US. Protests in cities like Phoenix and Albuquerque remained peaceful, while others turned violent, resulting in vandalism, burnt-out buildings, looting, and a heavy-handed police response.

Amid the anger and violence, the message from protesters has been clear: Black lives matter, and systemic racism and injustice must end. The protestors’ messages have spilled onto social media, which has been filled with calls for white people not to be silent, to recognize their privilege, respect black culture and experiences, and move from being passively non-racist to vocally anti-racist. 

Mahira Louis, a 15-year-old protestor from Boston, summed up protestors’ sentiments.  

“They keep killing our people. I’m so sick and tired of it,” Louis told the Associated Press News (AP News).  

“I hate to see my city like this but at the end we need justice,” said Jahvon Craven, an 18-year-old protestor from Minneapolis. 

Trump retreats 

On Sunday evening, as a protest in Washington, D.C. encroached on the White House, Secret Service agents rushed President Donald Trump into a secure bunker. Trump spent nearly an hour in the bunker as protesters in adjacent Lafayette Park chanted “George Floyd” and peppered the presidential mansion with rocks as police and the National Guard held them back.  

The response from US law enforcement and government has been mixed, with some lawmakers praised for their efforts to calm tensions and others including President Donald Trump accused of inflaming them further. Trump’s advisers counseled him against giving an Oval Office address to try and quell the country’s anger, according to reports from White House insiders, but he has continued to tweet about the unfolding situation. 

Police response criticized

Dozens of cities have rolled out night-time curfews, including Minneapolis, where the National Guard and military police are enforcing restrictions. Utopian scenes played out on Sunday evening as military hummers rolled through the suburban streets of Minneapolis and military police viciously ordered citizens to get inside their houses ahead of the 8 p.m. curfew.  

A number of violent police responses to the protests sparked by the police brutality that killed George Floyd have also drawn criticism. In Atlanta, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms fired two officers and placed others on desk duty for using excessive force after video emerged of officers circling a car on Saturday and stun-gunning the occupants.  

The mayor and “mother to four black children” launched a passionate plea for calm in Atlanta on Friday and has since called on Trump to “just stop talking.”  

“He speaks and he makes it worse. There are times when you should just be quiet and I wish that he would just be quiet. Or if he can’t be silent, if there is somebody of good sense and good conscience in the White House, put him in front of a teleprompter and pray he reads it and at least says the right things, because he is making it worse,” she told CNN on Sunday night.   

Pepper spray from police hit black lawmakers Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, 70, and Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin at the end of a rally in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday. “Too much force is not the answer to this,” Beatty said in a Twitter video posted after the incident.  

The police response comes as no surprise to people like the Director of the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, Christ White. “What’s happening, it’s the way American society has always been,” White said.

Police have arrested over 4,100 people to date in connection with the George Floyd protests. Police have repeatedly used pepper spray, batons, tear gas, rubber bullets, and driven their vehicles at demonstrators to disperse and control crowds.  

Read also: US Meets Protests Over Police Brutality With Increasing State Violence 

 

Most Popular