[Peace] Saturday April 30 / 7:30pm: Benefit Dinner to send local people to conference in Chicago / Jerusalem Cafe!

[Karen Medina]

Saturday, April 30, 7:30-9:30 PM
Jerusalem Cafe (601 S. Wright St.)

Revolution in the Air: A Fundraising Dinner for the Socialism 2011 Conference

Revolution is in the air--the epic revolutions spreading throughout
North Africa and the Middle East have shown that masses of ordinary
people can take control over their own lives. And the heroic struggle
of Wisconsin workers to defend their unions have inspired people
across the country to fight for their own rights. The urgency of an
alternative to a system of austerity, war and profiteering has never
been more apparent to millions of people. Dozens of people from
Champaign-Urbana and the University of Illinois will be heading to the
Socialism 2011 conference in Chicago to discuss this alternative, and
network with more than 1,000 activists from around the country.

But we need your help to make sure everyone who wants to can afford to
go! To help contribute to the cause, or to find out more about
attending the conference, or getting involved in the socialist
movement, join us Saturday for an evening of food, entertainment and
political discussion.

$10 suggested donation (dinner included). For more info, email
iso.champaign at gmail.com. For more info about the conference, visit
www.socialismconference.org
______________________________________________________________________________________
http://www.socialismconference.org/
Socialism 2011: Revolution in the Air
Chicago, July 1-4
Revolutionary Politics, Entertainment & Debate

>From the Middle East to the American Midwest, working people have come
together to make their own history. In 2011, mass mobilizations have
ousted seemingly unmovable dictatorships, and hundreds of thousands of
U.S. workers have rallied to draw the line against union busting and
scapegoating of public-sector workers for budget crises unleashed by
Wall Street’s disastrous profit seeking.

After years of devastation in the clutches of the Great Recession,
masses of people are discovering their power to change the world. The
movements sweeping the Middle East, from Tunis to Cairo to Tripoli,
have revived the politics of class struggle and revolution for the
21st century. Instead of cutbacks, unemployment and repression that
our rulers offer us, solidarity in struggle shows that "another world
is possible."

Socialism 2011 will provide an unparalleled opportunity for new and
veteran activists and scholars to discuss what these events mean for
our world, and for our own movements today.

Last year, more than 1,500 people turned out to explore the history of
struggles of ordinary people, to learn about radical figures who led
social movements and to debate theoretical questions that can help us
change the world.

Don’t miss the chance to meet, talk and hang out with hundreds of
others like you who want to build an alternative to a system of greed,
racism, war and oppression.

Join us for more than 100 talks on topics such as:

Capitalism, Climate Change, and the Future of Humanity •
Obama and Black Politics •
Is a Second Recession Coming? •
Breaking the Siege of Gaza •
Is Human Nature a Barrier to Socialism? •
The ABC's of Marxism •

What they say about past Socialism Conferences...

The young people at the conference took me back in time to when you
were ready to stand for what was right. It lets you know that what you
may have planted years ago will come to reality today. I feel great to
have become a part of it.

—Dr. John Carlos, 1968 Olympic bronze medalist who raised the Black
Power salute.

Socialism conferences are exciting gathering places for students and
young activists, for revolutionary scholars and fighters for social
justice, to share ideas and experiences that can help us understand
and change the world. I've been to a couple—it's not enough. I'm
coming again.

—Paul LeBlanc, socialist and author
Socialism 2011 Sponsored by: Center for Economic Research and Social
Change (publisher of International Socialist Review and Haymarket
Books).
Cosponsored by: The International Socialist Organization (publisher of
Socialist Worker and Obrero Socialista). For more information, email
info at socialismconference.org or call (773) 583-7884.

For local info about the conference and transportation, contact
iso.champaign at gmail.com

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

http://socialistworker.org/2011/04/25/repression-and-defiance-in-syria

Analysis: Yusef Khalil

Repression and defiance in Assad's Syria

Yusef Khalil reports on the groundswell of protests that have swept
across Syria--and the savage crackdown of the regime of President
Bashar al-Assad.

April 25, 2011

Protesters fill the streets of the Syrian city of Baniyas, calling for
Bashar al-Assad to step down (Al Jazeera)

BRAVING A heavy security presence and roadblocks leading into cities
and towns, tens of thousands of Syrians took to the streets across the
country following prayers in both mosques and churches on "Great
Friday"--as Good Friday is known in Arabic--in the latest popular
challenge to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his regime.

But protesters were met once again with deadly violence--in spite of
the long-awaited lifting of the country's half-century-old Emergency
Law the day before and a series of other reforms. More than 100
unarmed peaceful demonstrators were reportedly killed by the Assad
government's security forces in the bloodiest crackdown yet.

As a follow-up, in the early hours of April 24, security forces burst
into the homes of opposition activists, arresting an unknown number.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based
group, dozens have been arrested.

The mass protests in Syria began in early March in the city of Daraa
after police arrested and tortured teenagers and boys for writing
anti-regime graffiti based on slogans from the Tunisian and Egyptian
revolutions.

At first, it appeared as if the protests would be contained. However,
other cities and towns joined in, and the protests gathered support
across ethnic and religious lines. A huge mobilization on Friday,
April 15, rocked the regime after it thought it had regained the upper
hand through a combination of repression and promises of reform.

The following week, in the capital city of Damascus, a massive
security deployment started as early as Thursday in preparation for
what has become a common feature of the Arab revolutions: the
ever-growing mobilization after noon prayers on Friday.

On the day itself, any protest--or even a beginning of a
gathering--was swiftly attacked with tear gas and live ammunition.
Nevertheless, thousands of people were still able to come out in
Damascus and the surrounding towns.

Demonstrations continued in the southern city of Daraa, the site of
the arrest and torture of the teenage boys in March. Nearby villages
of Houran also saw significant protests and a security crackdown--most
notably in Izraa, where at least 10 people were killed, including a
7-year-old child.

The city of Homs saw some of the angriest demonstrations in response
to a regime assault with live ammunition last Tuesday against a
peaceful sit-in at what is now called Freedom Square. Adding insult to
injury, the Syrian government and official news agency justified the
murders by characterizing the demonstrators as Salafists--members of a
fundamentalist current in Islam known for their intolerance towards
more moderate Muslims, as well as non-Muslims.

According to some sources, citizens formed committees to defend their
neighborhoods from attacks by regime forces, but that didn't prevent
the killing of at least eight people. In an alarming development,
eyewitnesses have reported seeing security forces posing as Salafists,
sent out to tarnish the image of the protesters by carrying out
looting and provoking state security forces.

North of Homs, the women and children of ar-Rastan came out in
solidarity with the nearby city of Talbiseh which has been under
siege, without electricity, water, or communications for several days.

But not all protests were met with repression. In some areas, like the
coastal cities of Tartous and Baniyas, people were able to march and
demonstrate without interference from the regime. In Qamishli, around
6,000 marched together under the banner "Arabs, Assyrians and Kurds
Against Corruption"--an important statement that captures the spirit
of unity and solidarity that has characterized the struggle in Syria.

However, in a cycle that has now become familiar to many, security
forces opened fire the next day killing at least a dozen people who
were mourning Friday's victims.

The intensity of the crackdown last weekend--with 120 killed in two
days--led to the first resignations from the Assad regime when two
members of parliament from Daraa stepped down. "If I cannot protect
the chests of my people from these treacherous strikes, then there is
no meaning for me to stay in the People's Assembly," one of the
members of parliament, Nasser Hariri, told Al Jazeera.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

ASSAD AND his regime are attempting to survive the tide of revolt by
carrying out terrible violence, while also promising to make changes.

The most anticipated reform came April 21, with the lifting of the
Emergency Law, which grants the government temporary powers during a
"state of emergency." This "temporary" law has been in effect for the
last five decades. It gives the state far-reaching powers to detain
citizens, ban demonstrations, control the media, eavesdrop on private
communications and interrogate people.

But the regime's move is highly conditional. First of all, though the
State of Emergency has been lifted, the Emergency Law is still on the
books and can always be activated again.

And in its place, a new permanent law went into effect that severely
restricts demonstrations. Although formally recognizing the right to
protest, the new law requires demonstrators to apply for permission
from the Interior Ministry at least five days in advance. The ministry
then has the power to deny the request, or change the date, time,
location, duration and course of the demonstration.

Further articles in the new law seem to imply that any demonstration
or gathering--even if it is peaceful--that is not pre-approved by the
authorities may be considered a "riot." In an ominous sign, the first
applicant for a license to demonstrate was detained for several hours.

In anticipation of the Friday protests, the Syrian Local Coordination
Committee, a network of groups organizing the protests, issued its
first statement to clarify the demands it has united around.

The committee called for an end to the killings, torture, arrest and
violence against peaceful demonstrators, as well as the release of all
political prisoners and prisoners of conscience from Syria's jails. It
also demanded constitutional changes that would limit presidential
terms, increase the power of parliament and repeal Article 8 of the
constitution, which recognizes the Baath Party as the one and only
ruling party in Syria.

Judged by these demands--which are far from radical on their face,
though they are profoundly so in the context of a 50-year-old
dictatorship--the regime has shown itself incapable of any meaningful
reform, and very capable of killing its own citizens. The
non-concessions offered so far by the government are adding fuel to
the fire of the pro-democracy movement.

The regime's arrogance has led to an escalation in the demands of the
protesters, which started with appeals for small-scale reforms and
more freedoms. There is a shift in consciousness underway in Syria
towards revolutionary conclusions. It has yet to reach the tipping
point achieved by Tunisians and Egyptians, but the trajectory is
unmistakable. In city after city, in town after town, the protesters
are calling for the downfall of the regime.