In this week’s issue
- India’s Cockroach protests have shown the power of youth-led dissent, forcing a major concession from Modi’s authoritarian regime
- Revealed: UK doctors’ watchdog accidentally shared sexual abuse victim’s confidential file with another patient, exposing intimate details
- Imprisoned Palestine Action activist warns her barrister’s prosecution sets chilling precedent intended to stop lawyers defending protesters
- One month after Venezuela’s devastating earthquakes, rescue teams have left, but families still search desperately for missing loved ones
- US urges allies to target “far-left terrorism”, raising fears of a global crackdown on progressive protests
- Paul Rogers: Will looming foreign policy hurdles end Burnham’s honeymoon period?
- Plus, the joys of re-reading Elena Ferrante on an 11-hour flight (or anywhere!)
A few weeks ago, Aman, our editor-in-chief, wrote to tell you he was taking a break to see his mum in India.
Famous last words. His trip to Delhi coincided with the rise of India’s most successful protest movement of the past 12 years, which this week forced the education minister to resign.
But why did these protesters win a concession from Narendra Modi’s authoritarian regime, where countless others have failed? Aman has been on the ground meeting activists involved in the student-led Cockroach Janata Party to find out. I hope his mum didn’t mind too much.
The next election is only three years away, and we are determined to keep exposing Reform and prevent the rise of the far right. To do that, we want to recruit 500 paid subscribers by the end of 2026.
Will you be part of the movement to fight the far right, with a monthly donation today?
Some 12,000 kilometres from the Indian capital, Donald Trump’s administration is seeking to put a stop to these youth-led protests – and others like them around the world. Earlier this month, US secretary of state Marco Rubio convened representatives from nearly 70 countries, including India, in Washington to urge them to join the global fight against “far-left terrorism”.
The ‘terrorists’ in question? Progressive protest and social movements – and even political parties.
“Rubio’s threat is clear,” warns Argentine human rights organisation, the Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales, in a report on the summit. “Washington is willing to repeat the extreme state violence seen across Latin America in the 20th century – and the egregious human rights violations it led to.”
The UK is not immune to this global crackdown on dissent. Last month, Charlotte Head was among the first protesters to be sentenced as terrorists in England, after an action at a UK subsidiary of an Israeli arms firm. Now, in another chilling development, the group’s lawyer, Rajiv Menon KC, will become the first barrister in English history to face prosecution over remarks made to a jury in a closing speech.
“Menon was not threatened for being inaccurate,” writes Charlotte in an article for us. “He was persecuted for jeopardising what has become a lynchpin case in the British state’s war against Palestine Action.”
Elsewhere, senior investigative reporter Sian Norris uncovers a data breach at the UK’s General Medical Council, and openDemocracy columnist Paul Rogers assesses Andy Burnham’s honeymoon period – and whether it can last.
Finally, scroll down to our poll, leave us a comment, write to us to join the conversation, and forward this newsletter to someone you think will enjoy it. And if you value our reporting on the global crackdown on protest, please consider giving us a donation.
Have a great weekend,
Indra Warnes, Editor
Aman Sethi
Sian Norris
Charlotte Head
Magda Gibelli
Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS)
Paul Rogers
Weekly Poll
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Last week's poll included a broken link. We apologise and would love to hear your thoughts this week.
Our brand new podcast
At 23, Ghanaian trans woman Awo Dufie is outed, homeless, and facing a prophecy that says she will die at 30 — because she is queer.
This threat is reinforced by Ghana's current social climate and a looming anti-LGBT bill. Determined to break free from the prophecy, Awo embarks on a risky journey to find an 83-year-old queer elder who didn't just survive decades of hatred and colonial laws — she built a rich life.
Can Awo, too, live long and live free?
This is the first episode of openDemocracy's new narrative non-fiction audio series, ‘How to find queer elders’, an alternative history of queerness on the continent at a time when over 13 African countries (including Ghana) are passing increasingly harsh anti-LGBTQI laws. It is a touchstone for queer people around the world to know that there is hope and they are not alone. The first episode is published in collaboration with Radio Workshop.
Reader Comments
"In view of this at the next general election vote Lib Dem/Green/Not Labour. Labour is almost becoming fascist in its attitude. Hopefully with Andy Burnham as PM now the law will be changed. If he does the decent thing I will vote labour at the next general election. It is over to you, Andy. Just do the decent thing."
David via email re: I was sentenced as a terrorist. Now my barrister is on trial for defending me
What we're reading
The Neapolitan Quartet, Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein
I’ve been travelling a lot lately, and when I travel I tend to re-read very long books, such as Middlemarch or Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel. These recent journeys led me to revisit Ferrante’s incredible series of novels about girls coming of age in mid-century Naples. Ferrante’s novels are best known for her stunning portrayal of the complexities of female friendship. But they are also about mothers and daughters, about social class, and bring the reader right into the heat and violence of the intense political battles that engulfed post-war Italy. It’s nice to recommend Ferrante in the newsletter, as my review of the novels was my second ever article for openDemocracy, back when I was an aspiring freelance journalist. You don’t have to be on an 11-hour flight to read them. You can start now!
Sian Norris, senior investigations reporter
