The good, the bad and ugly emerge post Easter Sunday massacre

 Saturday, 27 April 2019

The good, the bad and the ugly amongst the 225 Members of Parliament came to the fore yet again, on 24 April, Wednesday, during the Parliamentary debate on imposing a state of Emergency in the wake of the Easter Sunday massacre.

While some spoke sense, the rest did their best to outdo each other in a unique tragicomedy. For those of us who watched this pathetic performance on television, it was disgusting to see the lows some stooped to, to make maximum political mileage out of the Easter Sunday carnage. Their vitriol and obvious hypocritical lamentations may have touched the hearts of only the gullible. To put it mildly, their stark lack of dignity and decorum given the tragic reasons for the debate left a bitter taste in our mouths.


At a time when an entire nation is still reeling in shock, sorrow, despair and fear, the last thing we needed to see was such a crude and ugly drama. This was a stark reminder of the quality of people – asinine, immature and irresponsible – we have elected to represent us and how politically bankrupt we are.

To say that politicians on both sides of the divide – the Government and the Opposition – have ‘screwed up big time’ is a justifiable summation.

To begin with, the Head of State of this country – Maithripala Sirisena – who is also the Minister of Defence and National Security, took off on a private overseas sojourn leaving the likes of Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando in charge of overseeing defence and national security related matters in the country.

This is the man – Hemasiri Fernando – who had prior knowledge of the Easter Sunday attacks. He, along with several amongst the Police hierarchy and heaven knows how many others, had been alerted by the State Intelligence Service (SIS) of a probable attack being carried out targeting Christian and Catholic Churches.

He is now on record for telling a foreign journalist: “To how many Churches could we give protection? It was quite impossible to protect a large number of Churches last Sunday despite receiving prior information on these attacks.” The stark lack of remorse and downright arrogance with which he made this inhumane statement was shocking and disgusting to say the least.

Moderate Buddhists like myself demand to know from Mr. Fernando, if his response would have been the same had Buddhist temples been targeted on a full moon (Poya) day, instead. I don’t think so!

Are Christians and Catholics not our fellow humans, Mr. Hemasiri Fernando?

Against this tragic backdrop we now have a President and a Prime Minister who claim they were “not told/did not know” of a probable attack targeting Christian and Catholic Churches on Easter Sunday. What message does this convey to the people of this country of their ability to look after our interests and ensure our safety?

It is only now, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe tells us that he, despite being the most senior member, next to the President, of the National Security Council (NSC) – the executive body charged with the maintenance of national security – was kept out of NSC meetings along with the State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene, following the failed constitutional coup in October last year. Why did the Prime Minister fail to raise this issue publicly, before? Had he the will/backbone/spunk, would he not have insisted on or even forced himself into those meetings? After all, he had every right to do so!

It now transpires that post October 2018, it were some members of the Opposition and not the Government who sat in on National Security Council meetings. This makes the Opposition too, responsible, for the Easter Sunday carnage. They too cannot claim “we did not know”!

Further, it is now reported quoting a member of the Badriya mosque in Kattankudy that they had informed the authorities in power, way back in 2012, of the extremist activities of the radicalised suspected mastermind of the Easter Sunday massacre, Zahran Hashim. Members of the mosque had even provided dockets containing detailed and vital information about Zahran Hashim to 11 authorities including the then Secretary of Defence, the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General. However, a trustee of the mosque claims, “They all fell on deaf ears.”

The hard and unpalatable truth for some is, the battle of egos between the two leaders of this country – the President and Prime Minister – and the Opposition failing to act in 2012 when they were the government in power to nip this extremist scourge in the bud, cost the lives of 253 innocent civilians, injured over 500 and has left a nation in shock, despair and utter disgust. Hence no one has the right to point a finger at the other at this juncture because all are equally culpable.

While it may not have been possible to entirely prevent the dastardly terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday, the destruction to life and property could definitely have been minimised had those who were privy to information disclosed by the State Intelligence Service had acted responsibly. And others who obviously knew but publicly claim they did not know, will have to deal with their conscience, eventually.

At this point I recall an article I wrote one year ago (March 2018), titled ‘Shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted’. What I stated then still holds true.

I repeat, “Proactive – control a calamitous situation rather than just responding to it after it has happened – is not a quality our laid-back politicians and bureaucrats are familiar with. No matter which political hue they belong to, proactive they are not! Instead, they remain inactive until the situation goes beyond control and only then do they react. Usually, too late!

“Once all hell breaks loose the blame game and finger pointing starts. It’s never the responsibility of those who are rightfully responsible but the blame is laid at the doorstep of every other Tom, Dick and Harry.

“Now, the country is returned to a state of emergency, a blow to the economy with foreign governments issuing travel advisories against Sri Lanka, followed by the blanket social-media blackout leaving those dependent on it for their daily bread wondering what hit them and for no fault of their own.

“An entire country is now being made to pay the price for political and bureaucratic apathy!”

Alas, nothing much has changed since I penned those word, one year ago – déjà vu!

Related links

n http://www.ft.lk/opinion/Shutting-the-stable-door-after-the-horse-has-bolted/14-651168

n http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/58313

n http://www.dailymirror.lk/liveblog/165648/From-the-Den-of-the-Mastermind

Six Maldivians arrested over Easter Sunday attacks

APR 27 2019

Six Maldivians have been arrested by Sri Lankan authorities in connection to the terrorist attacks that took place in Sri Lanka last Sunday.

The Maldivian Foreign Ministry has confirmed to AVAS that the six people were arrested and summoned to Sri Lankan police headquarters for questioning. The ministry did not comment whether the men have been released from police custody after questioning.

According to reports, one of the five men was arrested after a library book on terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) was discovered in his home during a home search. Four out of the five remaining men were arrested in the Negombo city area, and are all flight engineering students. It has been reported that a type of gun used for hunting was discovered in their home upon searching.

Some reports say the men have not been released from police custody and will be presented to court on Saturday morning to decide on their remand. Four out of the six men are being held at the main police station in Negombo.

320 people died and over 500 people were wounded in a series of bomb blasts that targeted churches and high-end hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. Over 40 people have been arrested in connection to the blasts, with ISIS claiming responsibility for the attacks.

Over 15,000 Maldivians reside in Sri Lanka.
Source: Avas
-Agencies

Easter Sunday massacre: Who is sabotaging national security?

27 April 2019

“The opinions that are held with passion are always those for which no good ground exists; indeed the passion is the measure of the holder’s lack of rational conviction. Opinions in politics and religion are almost always held passionately.” ~ Bertrand Russell, Skeptical Essays 

Three hundred plus dead, more than five hundred injured. The Easter Sunday massacre claimed many lives, destroyed many families and disturbed many neighbourhoods and communities. The fading memories of the 30-year scourge will haunt and visit upon Sri Lankan psyche for many more years to come. Yet, an event of this magnitude cannot and should not be looked upon in isolation. The context, social, cultural and political, is even more significant than the event itself. What is the ultimate objective of the event? Who gains most and who loses most by the event? Is there, as always is, a political agenda behind the conception, planning and eventual execution of the event? How was the wherewithal necessary for all three phases of the event – conception, planning and execution – and the sophistication associated with the three phases of the massacre, made available to those who possessed the evil genius to complete it to a sinister end. 

Analysis is paralysis. So they say. But failing to cut through the veneer and penetrate into the core and peel away layer after layer of superficial coating would help us all, if we possess the necessary discipline and patience. One needs education and sophistication of organised mind to resolve issues of modern day complexities. Ordinary minds simply cannot see it, leave alone understand it and make amends. 

Coordination of nearly eight attacks at eight different locations which were geographically far apart from each other, except of course the three Colombo Hotels –Shangri-la, Kingsbury and Cinnamon Grand – requires planning way ahead of time, a minimum of three to six months, access to the local human resources, infrastructure, safe-houses of the intelligence genre, materials to make and put together explosive devices, transport them on time for the eventual explosion, makeup for those who execute the suicidal killings and of course, the spiritual and religious fanaticism and the training and rehearsals, all these pieces of terror architecture do not come easy to an unsophisticated and untrained craftsman. 

In short, national security was shattered beyond recognition, and it had to happen, either by design or accident, when the commander-in-chief, the craftsman, was outside the shores of the land. 

President of the country is no mean job; its fundamental function is to provide safety and security to the citizenry; upholding the intrinsic value of the Constitution, swearing allegiance to defending and protecting the motherland needs to be held over and above petty personal animosities and political differences. Complete lack of awareness of the grave responsibility of protecting a nation is a very serious deficiency. That serious deficiency was in vivid display by our commander-in-chief. His unwillingness to trust his own Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers is a total failure on the part of the Executive. His failure to share the information he is purported to have received two weeks ahead of the massacre is unpardonable. Yet, the blame game would not make us any richer in ideas, nor would it make us any wiser. 

If, on the other hand, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) decided to pay us a visit of the deadly kind, we must be ready; we must be prepared hereinafter, for the ISIS national boundaries evaporate; for wielding of arms and ammunition, such boundaries don’t exist. ISIS does not consist of semi-trained guerilla fighters of the Al-Fatah, nor are they products of ill-trained armies of Yasser Arafat. ISIS consists of educated, motivated (however ill-motivated maybe) and a sophisticated band of men and women whose singular aim is to sabotage whatever they perceive as enemies of their Allah and would spare no effort to gain those aims. 

To protect her people and be prepared for all eventualities of a brutal massacre of the sort we saw on Easter morn, April 21, our ruler(s) must be equally inquisitive and/or even more sophisticated in his (or their) mindset. Simplicity is not being servile to the traditions of the soil alone; simplicity could be dangerous in the absence of a penetrative mind. Simplicity is not imposed upon a person by his lack of education; it is not being non-studious and non-bookworms. Simplicity of mind sets one free of all encumbrances of mind-destroying superstitions and narrow thoughts that Tagore so vividly described in Geetanjali, his masterpiece collection of poems. 

That misplaced simplicity seems to have confined the mind of our Executive; it seems to have made him a prisoner of his own making, a character of a ruler which could be utterly dangerous and hazardous to the country’s advance and accommodation amongst the global family of communities. Appearing before the country and making a confession of some sort would not vindicate the Executive; it would not explain away his being unwilling to share crucial information of ‘intelligence’ with his Prime Minister and the rest of the Cabinet of Ministers. That is simplicity gone berserk; it’s simplicity of an unwise mind and even an untrained mindset. Because even more sinister things are yet to come. 

Sri Lanka seems to be in the grip of suffocation; a thirty-year war and its successful conclusion have not taught us a single lesson or our rulers have refused to learn from the harsh realities of war and destruction man could be visited upon by evil machinations of a dedicated army of killers of the ‘Jihad’ or whatever it might be. There is no excuse; there should not be any reasoning that would justify or pardon the callous disregard for sensitive and delicate information to be shared within a conclave of people’s representatives whose responsibility it is to protect and defend their people. 

It is not one ruler who is responsible for these irresponsible statecraft; scores of our leaders, from D.S. Senanayake up to the incumbent President, have all contributed willy-nilly to this dismal state of the motherland. Every corner and each thoroughfare will now be grounds for suspicion; every five-star hotel and place of religious worship would be a potential ground for massacre and killings. The points of contact, so to speak, of the perpetrators of the heinous crimes committed by those who committed them reveal the degree of sophistication.
On Easter Sunday, they attacked the Christian/Catholic churches at the morning mass; then they synchronised it with attacks on the five-star hotels in Colombo at breakfast time. Non-Muslim religious devotees on the one hand and tourists and the super-rich who visit the five-star hotels in Colombo for their Easter breakfast on the other may be an easy target to hit.
However, all these human follies and mundane errors cannot be held as a shield against legitimate and valid rancor of men and women of the ordinary kind. If those who fear to tread the usual paths and go to work to earn their living decide to stay at home, then those who committed these unspeakable criminal executions shall have prevailed in the end. If our ruler/s places his/their personal interests and preferences over and above those of the nation, then we need to look for other leaders who would not subordinate their people to narrow in-fights with his Cabinet colleagues. Such behaviour is not only petty and narrow; it is indeed dangerous and perilous to the national cause of freedom, liberty and prosperity. 

It’s time we thought outside the box, as the cliché goes. We better look for leaders who place the country first and everything else second. The luxuries and comforts of ‘Office’ may have deadened the senses of our Executive; complexities and convolution of issues may have posed a challenge to an unsophisticated mind far too frequently and far too soon; that is the burden of leadership, the Executive alone should carry. No way can he escape that reality. 

SL seems to be in the grip of suffocation; a 30-year war and its successful conclusion have not taught us a single lesson or our rulers have refused to learn from the harsh realities of war and destruction man could be visited upon by evil machinations of a dedicated army of killers of the ‘Jihad’ or whatever it might be

Yet, who gains from these attacks on Easter Sunday in 2019? Politically, the government in power loses and it loses badly, and it cannot be helped. Containing the damage is the order of the day. Yet, as to who gains is anyone’s guess. Those who preach discipline over freedom may think their day has come. Yes, your day has come, to go that is. Some even have gone to a not-so-unbelievable end of putting two and two together and making it five, saying the vicarious beneficiary of any uncertainty is the one who protrudes a false sense of stability by proposing neo-fascism. The danger looming large is really that the sinister hand of fascism lurking in the dark. 

The writer can be contacted at vishwamithra1984@gmail.com 

Peace Loving Muslims Should Assert Themselves

What particularly causes concern is the suspicion in some quarters that the world is really not united in defeating the terrorists

by N.S.Venkataraman-APRIL 26, 2019

 

The terrorist attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka when more than 300 people died and more than 500 people were injured have shaken the world community. It is even more tragic to hear that some extremist Muslim group has claimed responsibility for this terrorist act , as if it is a matter of glory and victory.

 

In the last few years, several terrorist attacks have taken place in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, USA, UK, France, Belgium, Iran , Canada, Russia, Germany and in middle east countries , and others. In the case of most of such terror attacks which caused destruction of property, killing of innocent people and injuries to hundreds of people, the Muslim extremist groups have claimed responsibility or Muslim extremist groups are suspected to have caused such terror attacks.

 

Almost all people across the world do wonder as to what is the objective of those indulging in such terrorist acts and who really gain by such insane acts, while the enormous damage caused is very much evident. It is particularly sad that most of such terrorist acts were caused by extremist Muslim groups, though the recent attacks on the mosque in Newzealand is an exception. The net result of the situation is the rapidly spreading impression in the world that members belonging to Islamic groups are causing such havoc. Now, it appears that there is a war between the violent and extremist Muslim groups and rest of the world,.

 

There is absolutely no doubt that Islam is a great religion like other religions. The holy Quron has never advocated hatred and violence. Some extremist groups in Islam seem to believe that Islam religion calls for Jihad ( which means a struggle or fight against the enemies of Islam). However, many scholars who have extensively studied and understood the religious tenets of Islam have denied this and said that it is a mischievous interpretation of Holy Quron, to claim that Islam religion calls for Jihad. Unfortunately, a small group of Muslim extremists have taken to violence in the name of Islam and are brain washing the innocent youth and exhorting them to destroy and cause violence by forming suicide bomb squad.

 

Certainly, the world opinion is turning strongly against the terrorists, most of whom seem to belong to Muslim community. However, the Muslim terrorists seem to have free run as evident from several terrorist acts that are taking place frequently and repeatedly. The ground reality is that the world and United Nations Organisation are not able to decisively put down and defeat the terrorists.

 

What particularly causes concern is the suspicion in some quarters that the world is really not united in defeating the terrorists. Atleast a few governments are suspected to be using the terrorists selectively for their partisan ends and at the same time , pretending that they are against terrorism When a few countries moved resolution in the Security Council of United Nations Organisation to impose restrictions on a dreaded terrorist operating from Pakistan soil, China opposed the resolution for whatever reasons. China has not given any satisfactory explanation for it’s stand , creating an impression that China finds some use for terrorism for it’s own ends.

 

The sad development is that the great Islam religion is gaining a bad name. The peace loving Muslims around the world living in different countries are embarrassed and feel sad and distressed that extremist terrorists from Islam are the cause for the widespread terrorism in the world today. They do realize that due to the acts of a small fraction of Muslim extremists , every Muslim is looked upon with suspicion. Many countries are now subjecting Muslims to extra check and control while giving visa or entry passes.

 

It is high time that the peace loving Muslims should assert themselves and raise their voice effectively against the Muslim extremist groups. While some isolated voices have been raised, it is still very feeble and has not made an impact. It would be appropriate for the peace loving Muslims across the world to put their heads together and launch a peace campaign that call for defeating the Muslim terrorists everywhere,. The ball is clearly in the court of the peace loving Muslims, who are in very large number and constitute significant size of the world population

Post Easter Reflections 2019

By Bishop Kumara Illangasinghe –APRIL 27, 2019

Bishop Kumara Illangasinghe

“Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”. ~  Luke 23:34

 Lanka is once again in deep shock and saddened by the attacks on the peaceful worshippers on Easter Sunday and the innocent visitors from abroad and from within Sri Lanka, who were at the hotels. The carnage is unprecedented in the recent times, when as a nation Sri Lanka was struggling to emerge from the depths of racial, ethnic and religious divide. This is the largest number of innocent civilians in the recent history of the country, who have been killed in one day. It is the most vulnerable in the community, the women, young people and children, who have been mainly affected. 

During the long and violence ridden history of our nation, many have been trying hard and assisting ordinary people of our country to overcome religion-based oppression, domination and violence. Even at this most crucial hour, it is important for our people to understand that such drastic and violent action cannot be generalized. We are thankful that the people of all religions and of all ethnicities in the country are able to understand this situation and they have shown much maturity in the aftermath of this most recent and horrendous wave of violence.

Against such creative background, it is extremely sad to note that those who have been responsible in all aspects of security, maintaining law and order and governance, have started the dirty practice of pointing fingers at each other and attempting to evade responsibility. In addition to passing the responsibility to others, they themselves and their stooges are making vain attempts shamelessly to defend themselves, to the extent of justifying their inaction. As a genuine and a responsible community of people and those who govern them and wield power, let us be humble enough to accept our weaknesses and shortcomings and express our regret. It is only then that the people will be able to forgive and understand us. May those who have been and are responsible, have the courage to be humble and honest.

As expected there have been many attempts to gain political advantage, amidst death and destruction. Let us whole heartedly condemn and reject such heinous attempts and drive such persons away  completely and for ever, from the sacred arena of good governance and politics. It is such personal and selfish agendas that have destroyed the fabric of our society and divided our communities.

We have observed in the recent days that many a statement has demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice. This is not unusual. But it is important for everyone to understand that such appeals are not directed towards asking for the ‘pound of flesh’ and that our demands cannot stop at that. We need to go beyond and engage in committed acts of consoling and healing.  We cannot also ignore the fact that there has been serious breakdown in our intelligence networks and of the rule of law. As usual, the irresponsibility and indifference of those in authority, have allowed such carnage. 

Those who thought it fit to act in these most destructive ways and their thoughts, reasons and understandings alone, are the causes for this appalling carnage and certainly no particular religious or ethnic group should be held responsible or targeted.  However, initially let us remind ourselves the words of Jesus from the cross, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”. This is important to console ourselves amidst loss, frustration and hopelessness. Jesus sacrificed himself in order that others may have life and have life abundantly. He showed us that it is only in losing that we gain. It is only after death, that resurrection will be experienced. There is no meaning in Easter, without Good Friday. The seed having fallen on the ground had to die, before it starts germinating. Therefore, the words of forgiveness from the cross are not only meaningful, but also a valuable part of God’s purpose and had to be experienced by Jesus himself. Without those words of forgiveness, the death of Jesus would not have been meaningful and the resurrection itself could not have been complete and the true purpose of God couldn’t have been achieved. This is the truth about life that we learn anew.

It has been a hard process of learning and experience for the victims. Further we need to explore the reasons for these extremist elements to act in such horrific ways and what they intend to gain.  Because they belong to a particular group, either religious or ethnic, there is every possibility of finding fault with and tarnishing the whole group.  We appeal to all people to be much more rational in this and be responsible in their thoughts and actions. This is pure terrorism, which is worldwide, and we need to emphasise on the need to deal with that. It remains the responsibility of the government to ensure security of all people in the country, irrespective of where they belong, ethnically or religiously.

This is not the time for any person or a group to retaliate. There is no need to take the rule of law in to anyone’s hands, except that we leave it to those to whom that responsibility has been assigned. It is the responsibility of the citizens of our country to extend our corporation to those who are responsible for law and order. Let us remind ourselves the year 1983, when a black July erupted due to loss of lives and their funerals. We do not need a repetition of such enormity, which took over thirty years to overcome. But that overcoming too was very limited and insufficient. Hence the continuing struggle we are called to engage in the areas of reconciliation and healing. We appeal to all concerned to, not seek short term solutions. Long term and lasting solutions are needed, for which we need to commit ourselves.

While we extend our heart-felt condolences and the assurance of our prayers to those who have been the victims and their families, and wish speedy recovery to those injured, we need to resolve within our own faith traditions to be guided by the teachings of our spiritual founders. Sri Lanka is blessed with four or more major living religions and our people are equipped with adequate religious resources to face this emotional situation. Let us decide and commit to draw from our own faiths, as well as from those of others to maintain sanity in our communities. 

It is now the time, if this has not happened thus far in our communities and villages, to come together to protect each other. Let us be united with power, so that we will be able to reject and overcome those ‘powers’ that try to bring in disharmony, mistrust, bitterness, animosity, anger, division and the like. It is our time of unity as Sri Lankans, to be together amidst the diversity we enjoy, in our communities. Diversity is a gift that God has given us. Let us celebrate that tremendous gift of diversity. How do we do that is an important area, that needs our attention and reflective commitment. In our diverse communities we are called to work together for the common purpose of building the community, by pooling all our diverse resources for the common good of all people, irrespective of who we are and where we belong. We need to organize ourselves in inter-faith and inter-ethnic ways. Let us build powerful community teams that will ensure peace and harmony, within and outside the community. It has to be our resolve to be powerful by being united. We need such inter-faith and inter-ethnic peace maker teams, in every community, and in every village in Sri Lanka. It is only then that we will be able to face and defeat the evil powers in our midst.

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Federal judge blocks anti-BDS law in Texas

A federal judge in Texas has blocked the state’s anti-BDS law on constitutional grounds. (Jonathan Cutrer)

Nora Barrows-Friedman -26 April 2019

In a major victory for free speech rights, a federal court judge in Texas issued a temporary injunction on Thursday against the state’s 2017 law that requires public employees and companies who contract with the state to certify that they will not engage in a boycott of Israel.

The Texas law is part of a systematic nationwide attempt to stigmatize and outlaw the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign for Palestinian rights in the US.

In his 56-page order, US District Judge Robert Pitman writes that the law, House Bill 89, “threatens to suppress unpopular ideas” and “manipulate the public debate through coercion rather than persuasion.”

The injunction follows similar orders issued by federal judges against anti-BDS laws in Arizona and Kansas, citing First Amendment violations.

Lawsuits are also pending against anti-BDS laws in Maryland and Arkansas.

View image on Twitter

CAIR National@CAIRNational

#BREAKING: CAIR Wins Landmark #FirstAmendment Victory Striking Down Texas Anti-BDS Law

H.B. 89, the Texas Anti-BDS Act, stuck down as facially #unconstitutional.

READ FULL PRESS RELEASEhttps://www.cair.com/breaking_cair_wins_landmark_first_amendment_victory_striking_down_texas_anti_bds_law …#BDS #Texas #Constitution #CAIR #Arkansas

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7:05 PM - Apr 25, 2019

In December, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) filed a lawsuit against the state’s anti-BDS law on behalf of Bahia Amawi, a speech pathologist in Texas who refused to sign a contract to renew her job with the Austin public school district.

The contract included a clause that she “does not” and “will not” engage in a boycott of Israel or “otherwise tak[e] any action that is intended to inflict economic harm” on that country.

In response to Amawi’s lawsuit, Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted that “Texas stands with Israel. Period.”

State officials then offered to amend the law to block it from applying to individuals, but according to the Statesman newspaper, Amawi said the amendment would not satisfy the plaintiff’s demands as it would not strike language that stops the government from contracting with companies that refuse to do business with Israel.

Thursday’s injunction “clears the way for Amawi to return to her position teaching 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds,” the Statesman reports.

The attorney general of Texas, CAIR notes, “is no longer permitted to include or enforce ‘No Boycott of Israel’ clauses in any state contract.”

“The First Amendment blocks any effort by state governments or the federal government from forcing their citizens to take sides in the widespread international debate about the relationship between Israel and Palestine,” said CAIR trial attorney Carolyn Homer.

The ruling is “a complete victory for the First Amendment against Governor Abbott’s attempt to suppress the rights of Texans to exercise their constitutional rights,” said Amawi’s lawyer, Gadeir Abbas, who added that it is forever “going to be a stain” on Abbott’s record.

“This victory should send an important warning to federal and state lawmakers across the country who have sought to suppress [the] rights of Americans to engage in the wonderful American tradition of expressing their views via boycott,” Abbas said.

ACLU

✔@ACLU

BREAKING: A federal court in Texas just blocked the state's law suppressing boycotts of Israel, ruling that the law violates the First Amendment.

This is now the third federal court to block an anti-BDS law as unconstitutional. We won't stop defending the right to boycott.

8,750

7:41 PM - Apr 25, 2019

In addition to Amawi’s lawsuit, a separate suit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of four Texans who were forced under the law to “choose between signing the certification or forgoing professional opportunities and losing income,” according to the ACLU.

They include a freelance writer who lost two contracts with the University of Houston; a doctoral candidate at Rice University who was forced to forfeit payment for judging a debate tournament; a student at Texas State University who lost opportunities to judge high school debate tournaments; and George Hale, a reporter for radio station KETR, who was forced to sign the certification in order to keep his job.

Hale told The Electronic Intifada on Friday that Texas has no right to tell public radio journalists what they can or can’t say about the situation in Palestine.

“I’m relieved that I can finally resume my boycott of companies complicit in Israel’s violation of Palestinian rights without fear of losing my job,” he said.

The ACLU applauded Thursday’s federal court decision as a victory for free speech and said it was not surprising since the right to boycott is “deeply ingrained in American tradition.”

“In its decision the court has affirmed its understanding that this law was intended to chill the expression of personal opinion,” said Terri Burke, executive director of the ACLU in Texas.

“Impermissible purpose”

Judge Pitman’s order states that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their claims that the law is unconstitutional because it is “an impermissible content- and viewpoint-based restriction on protected expression.” The order adds that the Texas law “imposes unconstitutional conditions on public employment [and] compels speech for an impermissible purpose.”

He also concludes that the law is too vague to implement. It makes it impossible for state contractors to know whether they could decline to purchase an Israeli product – or a US-made product from a company that does business with Israel’s military – or if they were “obliged to purchase it unless they can justify not doing so for business purposes.”

The plaintiffs “therefore have suffered harm by the enforcement of HB 89 and will continue to suffer harm unless it is enjoined,” the judge adds.

Notably, Pitman references the US Supreme Court’s 1982 decision in a Mississippi case over boycotts organized by Black civil rights activists who refused to buy from stores owned by white merchants in the 1960s, in protest at racist and unequal treatment.

The white merchants sued the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the civil rights group whose members called the boycott, demanding damages for lost earnings.

Mississippi state courts sided with the white merchants, holding the NAACP liable and declaring the boycott illegal.

But the US Supreme Court unanimously overturned these decisions, finding that boycotts called to bring about social and political change enjoy the highest protection of the First Amendment.

In his order, Pitman concludes that the “plaintiffs’ BDS boycotts are inherently expressive conduct,” just as the Mississippi case proved.

“I’m very happy that the judge has decided to support our right to hold our own political beliefs and express them as we see fit,” said John Pluecker, the freelance writer who was one of the plaintiffs in the ACLU lawsuit.

“This ruling goes beyond just the plaintiffs – this law needed to be challenged for everyone. People in Texas need to know that our ability to earn our livelihoods won’t be threatened by the state because of our political positions,” Pluecker added.

Earlier this month, Texas announced that it would pull $72 million in stocks from DNB, a Norwegian financial services agency managing two of the state’s pension funds, over its naming of three Israeli firms as human rights violators.

Thursday’s injunction means that the state may not be compelled to pull the funds from DNB on the grounds that the company has chosen not to do business with the firms, which are engaged in weapons manufacturing and illegal settlement construction in the occupied West Bank.

Meanwhile, civil rights attorneys have said they will continue to challenge the anti-BDS laws which remain on the books.

Palestine Legal

✔@pal_legal

"Texas cannot suppress boycotts for Palestinian rights just because lawmakers don't like the message that Palestinians deserve equality,” said Palestine Legal Senior Staff Attorney Liz Jackson. (1/2)

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8:11 PM - Apr 25, 2019

“Texas cannot suppress boycotts for Palestinian rights just because lawmakers don’t like the message that Palestinians deserve equality,” said Palestine Legal senior staff attorney Liz Jackson. “Neither can Congress, Arkansas, Kansas, Arizona, or any of the 27 states who have tried to restrict our right to boycott.”

“Judge Pitman of the US District Court in Texas got it right: there is no First Amendment exception when it comes to Palestine,” Jackson added.

Tens of thousands of protesters call for ousting of Algeria’s ruling elite

For a tenth consecutive week, Friday saw Algerians take to the streets in huge numbers

Demonstrators return to the streets of Algiers this month to press for changes well beyond Bouteflika's resignation (Reuters)

By MEE and agencies-26 April 2019

On Friday, protests in Algeria pressed on, with tens of thousands across the country marching for a tenth consecutive week to demand the overthrow of the political system and the weeding out of corrupt officials.

“It's an atmosphere of determination to carry on and keep mounting the pressure,” Malia Bouattia, a 31-year-old activist, told Middle East Eye from the northeastern city of Constantine, where more than 15,000 gathered in the old town.  

Friday’s protests are seen as a test of the movement’s ability to remain mobilised even as Algerian authorities have launched an anti-corruption drive, firing symbols of the former government and arresting people close to former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika over graft allegations.

Around a dozen businessmen with ties to Bouteflika’s inner circle are reportedly under investigation, according to Algerian media.

But the anti-graft push, which was supported by army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah, has yet to appease the protesters. They have also rejected an interim government set up by the military following Bouteflika's resignation earlier this month under heavy pressure from the army and after weeks of mass protests.

“After every announcement of an arrest or resignation, Algerians say: 'OK next.' They celebrate for five minutes but immediately start preparing for the next demonstration,” Bouattia said.

The interim government, then, is seen as an extension of the elite that has ruled the country since its independence from France in 1962.

Like everywhere else in the country, Constantine, the third largest city in Algeria, is suffering from high unemployment, corruption that trickles down to every aspect of its residents’ daily lives, and an educated youth living in despair due to the lack of opportunities.

Protesters in the city raised their voices and flags against government figures, chanting “They’ve all got to go” and “My country, I will give you my life.”

Earlier this week, five Algerian billionaires, including the country’s richest man, were arrested as part of the corruption probes. That same day, finance minister Mohamed Loukal and former prime minister Ahmed Ouyahia were called for questioning over suspected misuse of public funds.

Army chief Salah had called on prosecutors to "accelerate the pace" of the investigations into those with ties to Bouteflika's inner circle.

But while people are in favour of the latest series of arrests, Bouattia said they remain wary of the anti-corruption efforts and are not willing to accept these “minor concessions” as the limit of what can be done to affect real change in their country.

The chief demand of the protesters is the ousting of interim president Abdelkader Bensalah, who was a close associate of Bouteflika throughout his rule and Noureddine Bedoui, who has been prime minister since 11 March and is another member of the ruling elite.

Directing their messages to the elite, a crowd in the capital chanted “the people want to uproot you". Some protesters carried banners that read, "The system must go" and "We are fed up with you".

“Algerians have a total understanding of what is going on. They are calling the corrupt figures in all sectors by name, despite the years of secrecy and censorship led by the regime,” Bouattia said.

The interim government has said presidential elections will be held 4 July, but protesters reject any such vote overseen by Bouteflika-era officials.