By Candice Bernd - Thursday, May 31, 2012

Trenched up in riot gear and equipped with billy clubs, batons, pepper spray, machine guns, snarling dogs, whirring helicopters, LRAD sound cannons in tow the Chicago Police Department, the Illinois State Police and other government agencies and military forces casted the perfect climate for imminent clashes between themselves and NATO protesters for last week's summits as occupiers and activists descended on the Windy City to voice their discontent for a range of NATO-backed policies.

By Jules Boykoff and Dave Zirin - May 21, 2012

To be in London, two months before the 2012 Summer Olympics, is to feel a bit like a fish in an aquarium, with people constantly poking at the glass. Cameras adorn nearly every street corner and police vehicles are more prevalent than double-decker buses. It’s easy to understand why many are saying enough is enough...On Saturday, July 28, protesters will be gathering in London to just say no to the priorities imposed by these most corporate of Olympic Games, and it’s hardly difficult to understand why.

By Martin Lukacs - Thursday 24 May 2012

In its contempt for students and citizens, the government has riled a population with strong, bitter memories of harsh measures against social unrest – whether the dark days of the iron-fisted Duplessis era, the martial law enforced by the Canadian army in 1970, or years of labour battles marred by the jailing of union leaders. These and other occasions have shown Québécois how the political elite has no qualms about trampling human rights to maintain a grip on power.

By Krystalline Kraus - May 22, 2012

...[T]his report does nothing but in essence defend the state and the police from any wrong doing by not providing any real points of accountability or condemn any police or state tactics..."The OIPRD report is proof that Toronto police will when given the chance systematically do everything they can to hurt, harass and humiliate people..."

By Matt Reichel - AlterNet

...[T]he Chicago Police Department welcomed the predominantly peaceful protesters with flailing batons, dozens of arrests, baseless terrorism charges, and an attempted vehicular manslaughter. Despite this spate of state repression, spirits remained high throughout, with many demonstrators staying out into the wee hours of the night Sunday, in solidarity with arrested comrades.

By Lauren Kelley - AlterNet

Some anti-NATO protesters in Chicago have been arrested and charged with “possession of incendiary or explosive device, conspiracy to commit terrorism & providing material support for terrorism," in apparent retaliation for being involved with a recent video that shed light on Chicago police intimidation practices.

By Samantha McGavin - May 9, 2012

Across North America, Mother's Day is widely celebrated. Families pay tribute to women's contributions to the family with a nice meal, flowers, jewelry, clothing, even electronics. The National Retailers' Federation estimates that over $16 billion was spent in the U.S. last year to mark the day...But the day did not begin as a day of consumerism to celebrate mothers' contributions to the home and family; once upon a time it was a day meant to celebrate their contributions to society.

By Stefan Christoff - May 10, 2012

As a collective project, Moments of Excess is a meaningful read for readers in Quebec and across Canada, as students' sustain a collective uprising to fight for accessible education, a movement clearly inspired by anarchist models of horizontal activism deeply explored in the book...Moments of Excess also offers important reflections for participants in the grassroots Occupy movement for economic justice across North America, sparked by Occupy Wall Street this past fall.

By David Wearing - Znet

Few single voices play a greater role in propagating the dogmas of neo-liberalism than Thomas Friedman, three-time Pulitzer Prize winner and leading columnist on international affairs for the world’s leading English-language newspaper, the New York Times...In engaging with Friedman’s body of work, and subjecting it to forensic critical analysis, Belén Fernández has produced a book that is sometimes entertaining, sometimes horrifying in what it exposes, always readable, always thought-provoking, and of clear political importance.

by Louise Koster
PotentNews.com
May 6, 2012

Potent News Blast #7

By Dave Zirin - May 6, 2012

In the ’60s they said, “Don’t trust anyone over 30.” When it comes to remembering Adam “MCA” Yauch, who died on May 4, I don’t trust anyone under 30. Adam Yauch and the Beastie Boys stood for more than just hip hop and their personal “sounds of science”...The Beasties were global ambassadors from a lost New York City since smothered under the weight of police violence and gentrification. It was a city that churned out hip hop and basketball legends with arrogant ease.

By Stefan Christoff - Coop Média de Montréal

During the day, on the ground in Victoriaville, police forces seemed at times overwhelmed by both the size and the militancy of the protest...At the protest a number of de-arrests took place, protesters rushing Sûreté du Québec (SQ) police to break-up arrest attempts. SQ forces instead chose to arrest students under the cover of night, away from the media cameras...Just after 10pm, fully armed SQ forces boarded and took control of our Montreal-bound bus, announcing all were under arrest for “participating in a riot.”

By MIKE KING - May 03, 2012

When the FBI sends agents [to Occupy] talking about blowing up bridges they will be hard pressed to find someone stupid enough to work with them. But they have a very big bag of tricks we need to educate ourselves about. Occupy is not going to stop. The State won’t stop trying to kill it either. The outcome of this death match is unknown, but the terrain of state repression is becoming quite clear.

By Alexander Billet - May 2nd, 2012

Just as Pussy Riot’s own actions were inspired by an amalgam of Egyptian protest, western riot grrrl and their own rich traditions of resistance, so do we have something to learn from them. Namely, that “protest music” isn’t merely the stuff of history books or passive hippies. It can be brash, it can be in your face and on the streets. It can be a battering ram, widening the cracks in the edifice for all to see. Putin and others like him have every reason to be nervous about that. We too would do well to pay attention.

by Amir Alwani
PotentNews.com
April 30, 2012

Episode 6 of the Potent News Blast covers the demonization of Iran, Canada's approval of torture, the fraud of "green" homes, and much more.