Former leader of the Lebanese Community Party, George Hawi was assassinated in a car bomb in the Kola district of Beirut today. The violence comes one day after the win of Hariri, of the anti-Syrian party. FSRN’s Stefan Christoff reports from Beirut.

listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon.

putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past.

thank you for listening !

stefan @spirodon

CANADA RENEWS FUNDING FOR THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY

Canada’s Conservative government has announced it will resume financial aid for the Palestinian Authority, weeks after Pro-Western President Mahmoud Abbas expelled Hamas legislators. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal.

The Canadian government HAS pledged a limited $7.6 million towards the Palestinian Authority, 18 months after Canada became the 1st western government to cut all financial and diplomatic ties with the PA. The Canadian government launched a western boycott of the PA, just days after Hamas won a parliamentary majority in legislative elections in January of 2006. Khaled Mouammar is the President of the Canadian Arab Federation. (audio) “By imposing this blockade and boycott against the Palestinians, they wanted to encourage civil-strife, to try to remove the democratically elected government of Ismail Haneyeh.” None of the resumed Canadian aid will be directed toward the 1.5 million Palestinian residents of the impoverished Gaza Strip, WHERE [CUT:in which] Hamas maintains political control. This is Stefan Christoff in Montreal, reporting for FSRN.

///

listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon.

putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past.

thank you for listening !

stefan @spirodon

Canadian President Introduces Motion to Recognize Québec as a Nation (3:05)

Canada’s conservative Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, introduced a controversial motion to Parliament this week to recognize Quebec as a nation within a united Canada. FSRN’s Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal.

///

listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon.

putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past.

thank you for listening !

stefan @spirodon

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Chief Resigns over Torture

Canada’s top police officer resigned admits major political pressure Wednesday over the case of Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen deported by U.S. authorities to Syria. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal.

///

listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon.

putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past.

thank you for listening !

stefan @spirodon

Demonstrations Against Trilateral SPP(4:13)

The trilateral summit between President George Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon closed in Montabello, Canada yesterday. During the summit over one thousand protesters converged to oppose the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP). The accord is a trilateral trade and security initiative which critics say will be a blow to labor, health, environmental standards and more. FSRN’s Stefan Christoff reports from the streets of Montabello.

///

listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon.

putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past.

thank you for listening !

stefan @spirodon

NATO Calls for More Troops in Afghanistan

NATO’S top commander today urged member states to send more troops to Afghanistan. This, as a growing death toll is fueling debate within Canada about involvement in the occupation. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal.

Canada maintains one of the most significant NATO-lead forces in Afghanistan with approximately 2300 troops. Growing anger throughout the country at the increasing Canadian death toll in Afghanistan & the U.S. killing of a Canadian soldier has forced organizers of an international air-show in Halifax, Canada to remove the participation of a U.S. war plane. The A-10 Thunderbolt II plane, which has been pulled from the Halifax International Airshow, is the same type of plane that took the life of a Canadian soldier on Monday. Growing anger at the militarization of the Canadian role in Afghanistan is present throughout the country. Stewart Neatby of the Halifax Peace Coalition in Nova Scotia. (sound) “There have been military families in Nova Scotia that have spoken-out critically about the mission, who call for a removal of Canadian troops.” This is Stefan Christoff reporting for Free Speech Radio News in Montreal.

///

listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon.

putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past.

thank you for listening !

stefan @spirodon

SIX NATIONS PROTEST

A Provincial court in Canada has ruled that protestors at the indigenous community of Six Nations in Ontario can legally continue a land reclamation protest which has sparked a national debate within Canada concerning land rights. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal.

In February 2006, the indigenous community of Six Nations reclaimed a tract of south of Toronto which had been the location of a major housing development. The land granted to Six Nations by British authorities in the late 19th century had been occupied by a Canadian construction project. For almost one year, indigenous protestors and their allies have camped outside at the location demanding that the Federal government recognize their rights to the land, sparking condemnation from Canadian politicians. This week, the Ontario Provincial court of appeal ruled that the land protest can continue indefinitely without being in contempt of court, a legal victory for the indigenous protestors. Ongoing negotiations sponsored by Canadian authorities continue as the Six Nations protest enters its eleventh month. Jacqueline House is a spokesperson for the protest site in Six Nations. (sound) “It is a small step, in favor of what’s right. We aren’t foreigners to the land and stop treating us like we are.” The protest of Six Nations has highlighted serious questions across the country about Canada’s colonial history. This is Stefan Christoff reporting for Free Speech Radio News in Montreal.

///

listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon.

putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past.

thank you for listening !

stefan @spirodon

Canadians Protest Condaleeza Rice (3:20)

While George Bush spoke to the nation last night, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice marked the 5 years anniversary of 9/11 north of the border in Halifax, Canada illustrating the growing political relationship between the Canada’s Conservative government & the Bush Administration. Questions regarding Canada’s combat mission in Afghanistan were brought to the streets by hundreds of protesters in Halifax who called for a withdrawal of Canadian forces from participation from the “War on Terror”. Stefan Christoff reports from Montreal.

///

listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon.

putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past.

thank you for listening !

stefan @spirodon

Lebanese Government Emerges Out of Economic Crises (3:39)

It has been one month since Lebanon’s 2005 Parliamentary elections saw the anti-Syrian “opposition” coalition lead by Saad Hariri, son of the assassinated former Prime Minister, win a majority of seats. This past week, politicians announced the government’s formation, after a long delay in the shadow of a serious economic crisis. Stefan Christoff and Mohammed Shublaq report from Beirut.

///

listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon.

putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past.

thank you for listening !

stefan @spirodon

Update in Lebanese Elections (4:05)

In the shadow of the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, people across Lebanon went to the polls last Sunday in the last of five rounds of regional voting for theParliamentary elections in Lebanon. With a voter turnout estimated by most observers at between 40-50%, Saad Hariri of the Future Movement and son of the slain former Prime Minster lead the Opposition block to a majority in the Lebanese Parliament. In Beirut, Lebanon, FSRN’s Stefan Christoff provides this post-election report.

listen to reports produced for Free Speech Radio News between 2002 - 2012, the flagship Pacifica radio daily news program, these reports were produced in Montreal, but also in Beirut, Lebanon.

putting these reports up for archiving purposes, they address numerous grassroots struggles for justice and against oppression, particularly looking at struggles surrounding migrant justice, also indigenous movements for land and rights, while also struggles against colonialist wars today & the persisting impacts of wars past.

thank you for listening !

stefan @spirodon