Perth Indymedia

Indymedia's Raymond Grenfell speaks to Greens Senator Scott Ludlam regarding the implications of changes to government policy on metadata retention and the recent breach by the Australian Federal Police.

The Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) is currently circulating a public statement to Keep Australia out of U.S. wars - A public call for an Independent and Peaceful Australian foreign policy. The statement will be published in national media outlets, including on-line journals and newsletters. Karun Cowper speaks with former Greens Senator, long-time peace activist and IPAN member Jo Vallentine.

It seems an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement is further away than ever, with the Netanyahu government approving late last week the first new illegal colonial outpost, commonly referred to as a settlement, in the West Bank in 20 years. Military occupation remains a daily reality for millions of Palestinians, and the people of Gaza continue to go about their lives under conditions of siege. There are fragile signs of hope however, perhaps none more so than in the West Bank village of Nabi Salih, for seven long years home to weekly peaceful protests against the Israeli occupation. The key leader of these protests is Nabi Salih resident Bassem Tamimi. Bassem was due to arrive in Perth this Wednesday evening to begin a speaking tour of Australia, but his entry visa has thus far been denied by the Turnbull government. Alex Whisson began by asking Bassem why he felt it was so important for the people of his village to so defiantly maintain weekly protests against the occupation over such a long period of ti

In the wake of Mark McGowan's crushing victory in last weekend's Western Australian election, MUA State Secretary Chris Cain was quick to remind the Premier-elect of the contribution made by the union movement to his win, telling the press, "We've delivered for them so it's not too much to expect them to deliver for working-class people." Alex Whisson began by asking the long-standing union leader what confidence he had in McGowan's ability to deliver on his promises, especially with respect to keeping Western Power and the Fremantle Port in public hands.

Emma June aka Mumm Ghi on her epic tree sit protesting #Roe8 and #NakedforNature.

Ms Dhu family spokeperson and Deaths In Custody Watch Committee (WA)co-chair Carolyn Lewis on the WA coroner's report into Ms Dhu's death who died after being locked up at South Hedland Police Station in August 2014.

Father Chris Bedding on his participation in recent creative action in support of asylum seekers with a entourage of the Holy Family greeting shoppers in Garden City.

Dr Kate Raynes-Goldie on the roe 8 madness and why WA can be doing so much more to support real innovation

Following a decision by the West Australian state government to allow for preparatory work on the controversial Roe 8 Highway, which goes through the Beeliar Wetlands, Indymedia spoke with Green's MLC Lynn MacLaren about the implications of this decision, and protests which began on 5 December.

We speak to Sydney-based political commentator and blogger Dr Tad Tietze on the eve of the U.S. Presidential elections. Alex Whisson began by asking for his take on the rise of the Trump phenomenon.

Lizeth Castellanos and Daniel Rojas from Perth City Farm on creating engaging community spaces such as the upcoming Twilight Festival Mini-Series Episode Two: Community Gardens https://www.facebook.com/events/670516106435666/

Australian activist Samantha Castro reports back on her recent trip to the "United" States - apocalype pending vibes in Amurica (Fuck Yeah), can our brothers and sisters there stop the train before it goes over the cliff(?), 5 years post-Occupy, wash up of #feelthebern, what the hell is Julian Assange up to (?), the #noDAPL stand off and glimmers of hope...

Karun Cowper speaks with Perth Muslim and social justice activist Marziya Mohammedali about the French Muslim citizen made to undress by four armed police as she lay on the beach. The 38-year-old was made to remove her burkini under the watch of four French policeman in accordance with a controversial new ban on the garment in parts of the country.

An ANU social survey, Attitudes to National Security: Balancing Safety and Privacy, has revealed a range of shocking attitudes among a random selection of 1200 Australians, with some 71% of respondents concerned about the possible rise of Islamic extremism, and 41% not bothered by the singling out of Muslims for "increased surveillence and monitoring". Alex Whisson started the conversation by asking Dr Morsi, a lecturer in politics at La Trobe University, for his initial reaction to these disturbing findings.

Jeff Sparrow is the author of Radical Melbourne: A Secret History, former editor of Overland literary journal, and one of the hosts of 3RRR's Breakfasters program. He is also a regular columnist for the Guardian. Alex Whisson spoke to him regarding the return of Pauline Hanson to federal parliament, the rise of Islamophobia, and the burning question of how to combat racism in Australian society. He began by asking Jeff about the recent Essential Media poll, which found 49% of respondents favoured a blanket ban on Muslim migration to Australia.

Following news that euthanasia has been performed on a terminally ill minor in Belgium, Indymedia spoke with National Ethnic Disability Alliance president Suresh Rajan about the implications on people with disabilities.

In his Prison Notebooks of 1930, the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci wrote, "The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear." In his new book, Morbid Symptoms: Relapse in the Arab Uprising, published by Saqi Books, Gilbert Achcar, Professor of Development Studies and International Relations at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London, argues we are witnessing precisely such an interregnum unfold in the Arab world. Will the counter-revolution triumph, or are we likely to see successive waves of revolutionary ferment continue to break out across the region? Only time will tell. Indymedia's Alex Whisson began by asking Professor Achcar to outline the key events in the northern summer of 2013 that consolidated the counter-revolution - the Iranian-backed al-Qusayr offensive by the Assad regime in Syria, and the July 3rd military coup d'etat in Egypt - events which contribute

The ongoing social revolution in Rojava, within the Kurdish Territories in Northern Syria, is providing inspiration for activists and libertarian socialists around the world. While having to pursue the revolution and self-determination amidst the ongoing war with ISIS and the Assad regime, as well as suffering attacks from Turkey, the Ocalan movement is putting into practice real democratic alternatives to the system, based on gender equality and a respect for ecology. Catalan libertarian activist Saura travelled to the Kurdish territories to observe the unfolding revolution, Indymedia's Ray Grenfell caught up with her to hear about her experiences.

Wiradjuri elder Jenny Munroe on the Kalgoorlie uprising by Perth Indymedia Collective

Very few people remember the Jobs for Women campaign of the late 1970’s and 80’s. Fewer still remember the 1973 ‘work in’ protest by a determined group of women at BHP’s Port Kembla steelworks in Wollongong. They should, for it was these struggles that forged the path for women working today in heavy industry. With the 25-minute short The Women Who Were Never There, and a potential feature film on the way, Jill Hickson and a team of filmmakers set out to recover this treasured history for a new generation of militant trade unionists and women in struggle.