Tag: Abiy

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Ken Stone, Selam Gebremeskel January 10, 2024

Welcome to Gorilla Radio, recorded January 10th, 2024

Listen. Hear.

Approaching 100 days of Israel’s bombing of civilians in Gaza, (and its kidnap and murder campaign in the West Bank) Britain’s newest Foreign Minister, David Cameron says he’s worried Israel may have committed some breaches of international law. Responding to questions from the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, the former UK PM admitted to “deep concern” over Israel’s methods, but said he was reassured by his government’s legal advisors Israel has exhibited a “…commitment, the capability and the compliance” to international law in Gaza. Though the issue of Israel’s assassination of foreign nationals in neighbouring countries wasn’t broached, that too presumably fails to meet Britain’s threshold for international criminality.

Ken Stone is an activist and author working for peace with the Syria Support Movement International and Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War. His book, ‘Defiant Syria: Dispatches from the Second International Tour of Peace to Syria’ is a compilation of his dispatches from his 2016 visit.

Ken Stone in the first half.

And; while Israel’s three months-long martial rampage in Gaza has knocked many other stories of desperation from the news cycle to be fair, Ethiopia’s civil war and the dismal disappointment of the Pretoria agreement for Tigrayans was long-forgotten long before October 7th.
Selamawit Gebremeskel is an Ethiopian emigre who has lived in Canada for nearly thirty years. Now a health care professional in Victoria, she has relatives in Tigray who were caught up in the war the Abiy government waged against its civilians, and are now suffering the peace accord Addis Ababa fails to honour.

Selam and the GVTRRS community invite Victorians to join them February 3rd at the Oddfellows Lodge, down town Victoria, for a special evening titled “Feast to Fight Famine“, a dinner fundraiser focused on delivering much-needed support to Tigrayan families suffering from the post-war famine.

Selamawit Gebremeskel and Ethiopia’s continuing struggle in the second half.

But first, Ken Stone and Israel’s “deeply concerning” behaviour.

 

Music: If a Song Could Raise an Army

Artist: David Rovics

 

Feast to Fight Famine: Contact us @ gvtig.ref.relief@gmail.com or call in Victoria, 250 217-9692

 

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, broad/webcasting since 1999. Check out the Archive at Gorilla-Radio.com, GRadio.Substack.com, and the GR blog at: https://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.com/

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Andy Worthington, Finian Cunningham October 22nd, 2022

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Welcome back to Gorilla Radio, recorded October 22nd, 2022.

Britain’s political disorder continues. This week, the latest inhabitant of 10 Downing St. vacated before having a chance to change the draperies. The ill-starred Truss premiership began with the spiking of the economy, and just got worse from there. Now the woman who would be Margaret again is gone…but what’s to follow for an Albion at sea?

Andy Worthington is an English journalist, activist, author, photo-historian, filmmaker, musician, song-writer and principle of The Four Fathers band. He is too co-founder of both the ongoing Close Guantánamo campaign and successfully completed We Stand With Shaker campaign. Worthington’s book titles include: ‘The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison’, ‘Stonehenge: Celebration and Subversion’, and ‘The Battle of the Beanfield’. Andy’s articles appear at his website, AndyWorthington.co.uk, where he’s inviting participants to take part in 2022’s Close Guantanamo effort.

Andy Worthington in the first half.

And; there is a thread connecting the political chaos and discord we see play out nightly on our teevee screens, and its name is BRI. That’s the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s plan to remake the World economy. Almost all the mad military manoeuvring and diplomatic thrashing on the part of America, NATO, and the rest of the erstwhile West witnessed these past years is best understood as the flailing efforts of a drowning hegemon – one willing to take all down with it.

Finian Cunningham is a prolific journalist and two-time Serena Shim Award for Uncompromising Integrity in Journalism recipient. His articles on international affairs appear at numerous online outlets, including Strategic Culture, where his recent piece, ‘All Roads (and Railways) Leading to China…And the West Ain’t Happy’ appears.


Finian Cunningham in the second half.

But first, Andy Worthington and the witless brevity of Liz Truss.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, broad/webcasting since 1999. Check out the Archive at Gorilla-Radio.com, GRadio.Substack.com, and the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.com/

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Selam Gebremeskel/Meron Dejene, Bill Johnston June 3, 2021

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Welcome back to Gorilla Radio’s Home Edition, recorded on the dates, May 31st and June 1st, 2021

Last November, the federal government of Ethiopia, in concert with the dictatorship of neighbouring Eritrea, launched a military invasion of Tigray. Since, millions have been displaced and millions more are in dire need of humanitarian assistance in what the Biden administration said last week is shaping up to become the greatest manufactured disaster since the Ethiopian famine of the 1980’s.

Last week, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock told the UN Security Council, president Abiy’s troops and its allies have, as well as committing “mass rapes and murder“, “attacked, obstructed or delayed [deliveries of] life-saving assistance… and killed at least 8 aid workers since November“.

Selamawit Gebremeskel is an Ethiopian emigre who has lived in Canada for nearly thirty years. Selam, now a health care professional in Victoria, has relatives in Tigray caught up in a war the government there is waging against its civilians.

Selam Gebremeskel and Meron Dejene in the first half.

And; Day 295 of Direct Action against timber company Teal Jones’ clear-cutting of the Fairy Creek watershed was marked by more than 2,000 blockaders joining the nine months-long campaign in defiance of a BC court injunction and the massive presence of Canada’s paramilitary federal police, the RCMP. Despite scores of protesters arrested to date, or perhaps because of it, the size of the blockade has continued to grow. And the stakes are high. According to the Rainforest Flying Squad in the face of biodiversity and climate crises the logging of old growth forests must stop. It’s just as British Columbia’s own Old Growth Strategic Review Panel recommended last year, but the cutting continues.

Bill Johnston is a retired officer of the Canadian Foreign Services and active Green Party member. He and partner Jan have been traveling up island to participate directly in the blockade. They were up there Saturday, just two of the more than two thousand that showed up to slow up the clear-cuts.

Bill Johnston and the fight to save Fairy Creek in the second half.

But first, Selam Gebremeskel, Meron Dejene and Ethiopia’s engineered catastrophe in Tigray.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Thursday between 11-Noon Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: https://cfuv.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.com