Solidarity 080, 22 September 2005

After an international campaign of solidarity, Iranian trade union activist Borhan Divargar has released from prison (see Solidarity 3/79 for more details). From Worker Communist Party of Iran (Hekmatist): “The release of Borhan Divargar is an important victory for all of us and it marks a new chapter in workers international solidarity movement. Without your consorted efforts, without the tremendous pressure exerted by you on the Islamic Republic authorities this great humanitarian achievement would have been impossible. The Islamic Republic of Iran arrested, imprisoned and tortured Borhan...

On Saturday 1 October the AWL begins a series of nationally-organised political day schools for our members, sympathisers, and friends. To organise these schools was one of the major decisions of our 2005 AWL conference, held in May. With the evaporation of the anti-war movement, the fact that the “new anti-capitalist movement” remains much more a diffuse mood than a “movement”, the continuing relatively low level of trade-union activism, and the liquidation of the Socialist Alliance, AWL members do not have a tidily-presented, conveniently-organised milieu to slot our political activity into...

The GMB have launched an anti-fascist/anti-BNP campaign in the run up to the 2006 elections. The aims of Target BNP are: • Legislation to deny trade union membership to members and active supporters of fascist organisations. • A co-ordinated trade union campaign against the BNP. • Support for positive policies on the development of social housing, the introduction of contract compliance and the development of local health care plans. To tackled urban blight and the causes of fascism. • To mainstream anti-fascist and anti-racist political activity throughout the trade union and labour movement...

A musicians’ fund has been set up to help New Orleans’ musicians who have lost everything. This is from the person who has set up the fund, Stan King Joe “Fish” Bastie, a New Orleans drummer with the Preservation Hall Band, has just shown me a letter from Mr Michael D Brown, the incompetent, Bush-croney, ex-head of FEMA. Joe has been rejected for any government aid... though Joe has lost everything he's ever had. FEMA suggests that he get a small business loan. . .how generous! Joe is not a business. He’s the rhythm heart of the world’s most famous jazz band, which just happens to reside in...

Larry Bradshaw and Lorrie Beth Slonsky, two paramedics attending a conference, were trapped in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. Two days after Hurricane Katrina struck the Walgreen’s store at the corner of Royal and Iberville streets remained locked. The dairy display case was visible through the widows. It was now 48 hours without electricity, running water, plumbing. The milk, yogurt, and cheeses were beginning to spoil in the 90-degree heat. The owners and managers had locked up the food, water, pampers, and prescriptions and fled the city. The much-promised federal, state and local aid...

Around 70 student union officers and student activists attended “Putting political activism back into the student movement”, a one day conference on 3 September to launch Education Not for Sale (ENS) as a fully-fledged activist network. Held at University of East London’s Docklands campus, and organised jointly with Students Against Sweatshops and University of East London Student Union, it combined campaigns training with political debate and discussion in a way now virtually unique in the student movement. Certainly it was in stark contrast to NUS training events where sessions on how to...