roig

Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising (1903)

Sun Aug 02, 1903

Image: A map of the Balkans showing hots spots for uprisings of Ilinden, Preobrazhenie and Krastovden and also insurrectionary actions in Rhodope Mountains, in Macedonia and Thrace regions respectively [Wikipedia]

On this day in 1903, 800 Bulgarian rebels associated with the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) seized the North Macedonian town of Kruševo, beginning the Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising against the Ottomon Empire.

The name of the uprising refers to Ilinden, another name for Elijah's Day (a Catholic commemoration of biblical prophet Elijah), and to Preobrazhenie which means "Transfiguration".

Organized by IMRO, a revolutionary organization dedicated to achieving autonomy for the regions of Macedonia and Adrianople from the Ottoman Empire, the revolt lasted from the beginning of August until the end of October, covering a vast territory from the eastern Black Sea to the shores of Lake Ohrid.

Although the rebellion was successfully planned in secret, taking the Ottomans by surprise, many of its potential leaders had already been arrested or killed by the Empire. The revolution was crushed by overwhelming military force, and Turkish forces slaughtered the civilian population. Anarchist historian Georgi Khadziev wrote that 201 villages and 12,400 houses were burned, 4,694 people killed, and approximately 30,000 refugees fled to Bulgaria.

The survivors waged a guerrilla campaign for a few years, but the greater effect of the rebellion was the creation of the Mürzsteg reforms, which provided for foreign policing of the Macedonia region, financial compensation for victims of the violence, and establishment of ethnic boundaries in the region. These reforms, however, did little to solve the crisis, and the Empire lost nearly all of its European territory in the Balkan Wars of 1912-13.

Today, August 2nd is a national holiday in North Macedonia, known as "Day of the Republic". There are towns named after the rebellion's leaders in both Bulgaria and North Macedonia.

When the uprising began, IMRO issued a statement on its revolutionary aims. Here is a short excerpt:

"We are taking up arms against tyranny and inhumanity; we are fighting for freedom and humanity; our cause is thus higher than any national or ethnic differences. Therefore we express our solidarity with all others who suffer in the Sultan's dark Empire.

Today it is not only the whole Christian population which suffers, but ordinary Turkish villagers as well. Our only enemies are the Turkish authorities, those who use arms against us, betray us, or who carry out acts of retaliation against helpless old people, women and children rather than against us, the rebels. We will fight these enemies and avenge all wrongs!"

• Date: 1903-08-02
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.savanne.ch.
• Tags: #Imperialism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964)

Sun Aug 02, 1964

Image: Official U.S. Navy photo taken from USS Maddox (DD-731) during her engagement with three North Vietnamese motor torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin, August 2nd, 1964. The view shows all three of the boats speeding towards the Maddox [Wikipedia]

On this day in 1964, the Gulf of Tonkin Incident occurred when the American destroyer Maddox was damaged in North Vietnamese waters, an event the U.S. government lied about in order to justify military action against Vietnam.

The incident began when three North Vietnamese torpedo boats were surveilling the American destroyer USS Maddox as it performed intelligence operations in North Vietnamese waters. The Maddox initiated the incident by opening fire, shooting off three "warning" shots; the North Vietnamese boats replied with torpedoes and machine gun fire.

The exchange caused ten North Vietnamese casualties and damaged one U.S. helicopter; there were no American casualties.

In response, the U.S. Congress passed a "Gulf of Tonkin Resolution", which granted U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson the authority to assist any Southeast Asian country whose government was considered to be jeopardized by "communist aggression". The resolution served as Johnson's legal justification for deploying U.S. conventional forces and the commencement of open warfare against North Vietnam.

On television, President Johnson made misleading statements about the incident and portrayed U.S. military escalation as an act of defense. Since then, the Pentagon Papers, the memoirs of Robert McNamara, and NSA publications from 2005 have proven that the U.S. government lied about the nature of the incident to justify a war against Vietnam.

• Date: 1964-08-02
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.wsws.org.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Denise Oliver-Velez (1947 - )

Fri Aug 01, 1947

Image: **

Denise Oliver-Velez, born on this day in 1947, is a former member of both the Young Lords and Black Panthers, as well as an American professor, activist, and community organizer. Oliver-Velez is an adjunct Professor of Anthropology and Women's Studies at State University of New York (SUNY) New Paltz.

Oliver-Velez was a member of both the Young Lords and the Black Panther Party (BPP), and fought to make the Young Lords an organization more conscious of women's liberation, stating "Machismo will never be fucking revolutionary". In 1970, Oliver-Velez was appointed as Minister of Economic Development, becoming the highest ranking woman in the Young Lords.

In addition to her activism with the Young Lords, Oliver-Velez was also an AIDS movement activist, publishing ethnographic research as part of HIV/AIDS intervention projects. She has also worked in public broadcasting and community media for many years, becoming a program director and co-founder of WPFW-FM in Washington, D.C., Pacifica Radio's first minority-controlled station.

Oliver-Velez is featured in the feminist history film "She's Beautiful When She's Angry".

• Date: 1947-08-01
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.shesbeautifulwhenshesangry.com, www.blackwomenradicals.com.
• Tags: #Birthdays.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Angelo Sbardellotto (1907 - 1932)

Thu Aug 01, 1907

Angelo Sbardellotto, born on this day in 1907, was an Italian anarchist executed by the state for plotting to assassinate Benito Mussolini; he refused to ask for clemency, instead telling the court he regretted not succeeding in his plan.

Sbardellotto was born into a poor family who was compelled to emigrate to find work. Angelo and his father also left Italy in October 1924, living in France, Luxembourg, and Belgium, where Angelo worked as a miner and a machine hand.

While working as a miner, he joined the anarchist committee of Liege, and was active in the activities to bring about the general strike in Belgium in solidarity with framed Italian-American anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti.

Already under surveillance as a suspected communist subversive, Sbardellotto was stopped by police in Piazza Venezia, Rome in 1932 and was found to be armed with two rudimentary bombs and a pistol, as well as possession of a Swiss passport.

Admitting to having entered Italy clandestinely with the intent of avenging socialist Michael Schirru by killing Mussolini (Schirru himself had attempted to assassinate Mussolini), he was interrogated and likely tortured by police before his trial a week later on June 11th.

When Sbardellotto's lawyer requested that he write to Mussolini directly to ask for his life to be spared, he refused, stating that he was only sorry that he had not carried out the attempt on Mussolini. On June 17th, 1932, at twenty-four years old, he was put in front of the firing squad at the Bretta Fort. He refused last rites from a priest. His last words before being shot were "Long live anarchy!"

• Date: 1907-08-01
• Learn More: libcom.org, it.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Birthdays, #Anarchism, #Fascism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Washington Navy Yard Strike (1835)

Fri Jul 31, 1835

Image: Colored lithograph published by E. Sachse & Company, Baltimore, Maryland, c. 1862. It depicts the Navy Yard as seen from above the Anacostia River, looking north, with Building # 1 and the trophy gun park in the center. [Wikipedia]

On this day in 1835, the first strike of federal civilian employees in the U.S. began when workers at the Washington Navy Yard went on strike for a ten-hour day; the strike devolved into a race riot and failed to achieve its demands.

The strike, known as the Washington Navy Yard Strike, lasted just over two weeks and was part of the ten-hour day movement. Workers also demanded a redress of grievances such as newly imposed lunch hour regulations.

The striking workforce was all-white and took out its frustrations on nearby black communities. On August 12th, workers formed a lynch mob and rioted in the nation's capital, terrorizing the free black community there for days, until President Andrew Jackson ended the race riot by force.

In what is now known as the "Snow Riot", white workers attacked establishments run by free black people, such as schools, churches, and businesses. The riot caused public support for the strike to wane, and the black community received no compensation and little public sympathy for the violence they suffered.

Five years later, in 1840, all public workers finally received a ten hour day by order of President Martin Van Buren.

• Date: 1835-07-31
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, www.riotacts.org, blackandeducation.org.
• Tags: #Labor, #Riots.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Whitney Young Jr. (1921 - 1971)

Sun Jul 31, 1921

Whitney Young Jr., born on this day in 1921, was a civil rights leader known for his aggressive organizing with the National Urban League and proposal of a "domestic Marshall Plan" to alleviate poverty in black communities.

Young spent most of his career working to end employment discrimination in the United States and turning the National Urban League from a relatively cautious and passive civil rights organization into one that more aggressively lobbied the U.S. government and business leaders to provide equitable access to socioeconomic opportunity.

"The hardest work in the world is being out of work."

- Whitney Young Jr.

• Date: 1921-07-31
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.blackpast.org.
• Tags: #CivilRights, #Birthdays.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Marie-Louise Giraud Executed (1943)

Fri Jul 30, 1943

Image: "Story of Women" movie poster. Isabelle Huppert as Marie-Louise Giraud. Imdb.com

Marie-Louis Giraud was a working class French woman who was executed on this day 1943 for providing abortions during the reign of the Nazi Vichy Regime. In 1988, a film based on her life was released - "Story of Women".

Giraud was born on July 30th, 1903 to a poor family and settled in the port city of Cherbourg. She cleaned houses and worked as a laundress to support her family.

In 1939, the French government increased the criminal penalties for abortion, as World War II had caused a significant decline in the birth rate. Along these lines, the Vichy Regime (formed in 1940) created propaganda posters stating "The Family is the Foundation of Society".

When the Nazis occupied Cherbourg in June 1940, there was an influx of prostitutes to the area and Giraud rented rooms out to them. She performed abortions on 27 women, including one who died in January 1942. An anonymous letter detailing Giraud's activities written in October 1942 led to her arrest.

Such was the prominence of Giraud's trial that the head of the Vichy Regime, Philippe Pétain, called her an immoral woman himself She was guillotined on July 30th, 1943, the last woman to be executed by the Nazi French government.

Giraud's story was dramatized in the 1988 film Story of Women, directed by Claude Chabrol. The film premiered at the 45th Venice International Film Festival, in which Isabelle Huppert was awarded the prize for best actress.

• Date: 1943-07-30
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, historycollection.com.
• Tags: #Fascism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Arizona Copper Mine Strike (1983)

Sat Jul 30, 1983

Image: Employees at Phelps Dodge Corp's Morenci mine were greeted by yelling strikers and their supporters on Aug. 9th, 1983. Photo by Mari Schaefer, 1983 [uapress.arizona.edu]

On this day in 1983, workers of the copper-producing Phelps Dodge Corporation in Arizona went on strike, beginning a bitter strike that lasted three years, defeated in the biggest mass de-certification of unions in U.S. history.

The Arizona Copper Mine Strike of 1983 took place in the context of a global drop in copper prices, and began after negotiations between Phelps Dodge and their workers fell through.

The labor action lasted nearly three years and was a major turning point in U.S. labor history - Phelps Dodge managed to keep copper production going during the strike, most of the striking workers were permanently replaced, and 35 locals of 13 different unions representing Phelps Dodge workers were decertified in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, the largest mass de-certification in U.S. history.

Although there had been no fatalities during the strike, various acts and threats of violence increased the political pressure on Democratic Governor Bruce Babbitt to intervene. Despite having stated "Phelps Dodge has the worst record in labor relations of any company that has ever operated in Arizona", Babbitt sent 750 National Guard and state police officers to the area to protect business operations.

After a crowd of 1,000 armed protesters shut down the copper plant on threat of violence, ten strikers were arrested in Ajo and charged with rioting, further weakening the strike. The strike officially ended on February 19th, 1986, when the National Labor Relations Board rejected appeals from the unions attempting to halt decertification.

• Date: 1983-07-30
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, uapress.arizona.edu.
• Tags: #Labor.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Tavio Amorin Assassinated (1992)

Wed Jul 29, 1992

Image: **

Tavio Amorin was a Togolese socialist politician, Pan-Africanist, and human rights activist who was likely assassinated by Togolese state police on this day in 1992. Amorin organized with the Togolese Pan-African Socialist Party, a movement associated with figures like Kwame Ture, Julius Nyerere, and Marcus Garvey.

In the 1980s, Amorin studied engineering in France. In 1991, after increasingly strong pressure from the Togolese public, President Eyadéma decided to legalize political parties.

Shortly afterward, the "Haut Conseil de la République" (English: High Council of the Republic, HCR) was formed, which Tavio participated in after his return to Togo. There, he became an outspoken critic of the government. In his role as the Chair of Political Affairs, Human Rights, and Liberties Commission, he worked to expose the human rights abuses committed by the Togolese state, and sought systemic reforms.

On July 29th, 1992, Amorin died of gunshot wounds sustained on the 23rd, when he was visiting a relative. He died at the age of 34, leaving behind a wife and a one year old child.

"I am fighting against all forms of tribalism and make no distinction between the north and south of Togo."

- Tavio Amorin

• Date: 1992-07-29
• Learn More: www.amnesty.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Socialism, #Pan-Africanism, #Assassinations.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Dr. John Britton Murdered (1994)

Fri Jul 29, 1994

Image: Dr. John Britton with the .357 Magnum he carried for protection when visiting the Pensacola Ladies' Centre to perform abortions, 1993 [rarehistoricalphotos.com]

On this day in 1994, Dr. John Britton was murdered by a far-right anti-abortionist in Pensacola, Florida. Britton, who had replaced Dr. David Gunn after he was murdered the previous year, had armed himself after receiving death threats.

After Gunn's assassination by an anti-abortionist, Dr. Britton began flying across the state of Florida to Pensacola weekly in order to perform abortions at the Pensacola Ladies' Center. He continued to provide abortions even after receiving harassment and death threats, and began wearing a homemade bulletproof vest, carrying a .357 Magnum, and enlisted volunteer bodyguards to protect himself.

As Britton arrived at the clinic on July 29th, 1994, an anti-abortionist shot him dead with a twelve-gauge shotgun. The assassin also killed Britton's bodyguard, retired Air Force lieutenant colonel James Barrett (aged 74), and wounded Barrett's wife, June, a retired nurse.

Britton's killer became the first American executed for assassinating a doctor who was providing abortion services.

• Date: 1994-07-29
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, rarehistoricalphotos.com.
• Tags: #Assassinations, #CivilRights, #Feminism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Hugo Chávez (1954 - 2013)

Wed Jul 28, 1954

Image: Hugo Chávez greeting supporters during a political gathering in the town of Guarico in 2006 [theguardian.com]

Hugo Chávez, born on this day in 1954, was a socialist leader of Venezuela, serving as the country's President from 1999 - 2013. During that period, Chávez's government abolished illiteracy and codified healthcare as a human right.

Chávez was born to schoolteachers in the rural village of Sabaneta. While serving in the Venezuelan military as a young man, Chávez began reading Marxist literature which had been left behind by leftist insurgents his unit had been tasked with dispatching. By age 21, he came to recognize the need for a leftist government in Venezuela.

In 1982, while still active in the military, Chávez founded the Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200 (EBR-200), inspired by Latin American revolutionaries Ezequiel Zamora, Simón Bolívar, and Simón Rodríguez.

In 1992, EBR-200 attempted a coup to oust President Carlos Andrés Pérez, who had reneged on campaign promises and begun instituting economic policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The coup attempt failed, killing fourteen people. Although Chávez was imprisoned, this incident helped him become a symbol of anti-corruption for working class Venezuelans.

In 1994, Chávez was pardoned by President Rafael Caldera and went on a 100-day speaking tour, promoting the Bolivarian cause of social revolution. He visited Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, and Cuba, befriending Fidel Castro.

In 1998, Chávez won an election for the Venezuelan Presidency with 56% of the vote, promising widespread social and economic reforms. He would go on to serve as President from 1999 until his death from cancer in 2013 at age 58.

In 2002, Chávez fired executives of the state-run oil company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA). Following violent protests between anti- and pro- government forces, the Venezuelan military attempted a coup, kidnapping Chávez. This was met with a massive pro-Chávez uprising from the public, and he was re-instated to power after just 47 hours.

Chávez's government succeeded in abolishing illiteracy, expanding access to social services such as healthcare and education, and established rights that protected indigenous cultural practices.

Chávez was subjected to particularly vehement criticism from liberal institutions and intellectuals. British Trotskyist Alan Woods wrote that the "media campaign of vilification against Chávez had no precedent in modern history". Some of this criticism comes from institutions such as the "Freedom House", a majority U.S. government funded think tank based out of Washington D.C., and "Bloomberg", a newspaper named after and majority controlled by American oligarch Michael Bloomberg.

"The capitalist model, the developed model, the consumer model which comes from the North, which it has forced on the world, is falling apart on Earth, and there is no planet nearby that we can emigrate to."

- Hugo Chávez

• Date: 1954-07-28
• Learn More: www.marxist.com, thetricontinental.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Marxism, #Birthdays.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

U.S. Occupies Haiti (1915)

Wed Jul 28, 1915

Image: U.S. troops marching in Haiti [washingtonpost.com]

On this day in 1915, the U.S. occupation of Haiti began when, on orders from President Woodrow Wilson, 330 Marines landed at Port-au-Prince after the country's leader was assassinated. The imperialist occupation lasted until 1934.

Haiti had already been suffering from U.S. imperialism and political turmoil prior to the invasion. In 1914, U.S. Marines stole $500,000 in gold from the country's National Bank. Haiti's leader, President Vilbrun Guillaume Sam, had also recently been killed by insurgents angered by state-sanctioned murders of his political opposition.

President Wilson ordered the invasion to "protect American and foreign" interests and also wanted to rewrite the Haitian constitution, which banned foreign ownership of land, and replace it with one that guaranteed American financial control. To avoid public criticism, Wilson claimed the occupation was a mission to "re-establish peace and order...and has nothing to do with any diplomatic negotiations of the past or the future".

When the Haitian legislature refused to ratify a new constitution that allowed foreigners to own land there, the U.S.-backed President Dartiguenave dissolved the legislature and the constitution became law. U.S. occupiers also re-instituted a system of slavery known as civil conscription ("impressed labor"), in which Haitian civilians were captured and forced to work on public projects and established the National Guard.

The U.S. military occupation of Haiti continued until August 15th, 1934. According to the U.S. State Department's Office of the Historian, the invasion's result was this: "The United States gained complete control over Haitian finances, and the right to intervene in Haiti whenever the U.S. Government deemed necessary."

• Date: 1915-07-28
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.washingtonpost.com, www.studysmarter.co.uk.
• Tags: #Assassinations, #Imperialism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org