General Electric is laying off 50% of its highly skilled workforce and firing 2,600 workers due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. As GE workers already make ventilators, GE could easily expand production of them. Hundreds of thousands of lives are at stake.

GE workers are demanding that the company immediately reprioritize and start mass-producing ventilators and essential medical equipment. Support the workers' demands that GE provide necessary protections for workers and instead of laying off its trained workforce, ramp up the building of ventilators and focus on the welfare of the people.

GE is a major defense contractor. Pouring hundreds of billions into the U.S. Defense Budget defends no one except Wall Street.

We are in dire need of medical equipment to defend those fighting for every breath.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's message to the people of the United States For weeks now, the world stands still, trying to control a pandemic that, without any doubt, is the greatest challenge we have faced together as a society and as international community.  Our priority is confronting it, as is the priority of the people of the United States. [read more]

Sanctions Kill (and more so during this pandemic) AS the COVID-19 pandemic spreads throughout the world, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for the easing of economic sanctions against countries such as Iran to allow their medical systems to fight the disease and limit its global spread.  Instead the US has increased sanctions against Iran to increase the suffering of the Iranian people in an attempt get them to turn against their government.  While countries like Cuba and China have expressed solidarity with those most suffering with the coronavirus and have sent doctors, medical equipment and medicine the US has used the sanctions to deny these necessities to these countries.  Many of the US allies have started to break with the US during this period and are sending aid to countries in need, whether the US wants them to or not.  The European union has started sending aid to Iran and Italy, and other countries have asked and received aid from Cuba and China over the objections of the US.  Now is the time for us to redouble our efforts to end all sanctions and economic warfare as the US government’s policies are being exposed to the world as never before.  The Sanctions Kill coalition, of which UNAC is a founding member, is starting to organize webinars, educational activity and actions.  We will send out more information on the activity or you can check on the UNAC web site (UNACpeace.org) or the Sanctions Kill web site (sanctionskill.org).  Additionally, we will be supporting the week of anti-sanctions activity that has been called as a result of a recent international solidarity conference in Cuba and will take place on May 25 – 31.  May 25 is also African Liberation Day and on that day we can focus on the sanctions against African countries many of whom are now starting to see their COVID-19 numbers climbing.  The exact nature of the activity during this week will depend on the pace of the coronavirus in each area.  More information will come out in future emailings. sanctionskill.org

Free Julian Assange

(Webinar and livestream, see below to register)

The Prosecution of Julian Assange and the Fight for Free Speech

Sunday, April 19, National/International  Zoom Webinar

12 Noon Pacific  2 pm Midwest  3 pm East Coast 8 pm London

(Benefit for the Courage Foundation, for Julian Assange’s defense*)

Join us for a panel discussion of leading attorneys, human rights
defenders and social justice activists as the London trial of WikiLeaks
founder Julian Assange is underway. If Assange is extradited to the
United States, he faces the first-ever charges under the Espionage Act
of 1917 for the publication of truthful information  in the public
interest. Speakers will present the critical legal and policy issues
involved as well as rebut government efforts to undermine the reputation
and credibility of Assange. In these difficult times for civil liberties
and democratic rights we demand: Free Julian Assange! Defend Free Speech
and the First Amendment!

 

Panel Speakers: Jim Lafferty, Executive Director for three decades, National Lawyers Guild, Los Angeles

Representative, Bay Area National Lawyers Guild

Jennifer Robinson, Julian Assange’s London attorney (message)

Joe Lombardo, National Coordinator, United National Antiwar Coalition

Nathan Fuller, Executive Director, Courage Foundation*

Nozomi Hayase, author, contributor to the new book, In Defense of Julian Assange

Moderator: Jeff Mackler, author, Obama’s National Security State: The Meaning of the Edward Snowden Revelations

*The Courage Foundation, an international whistleblower support network,
campaigns for the public and legal defense of Julian Assange and for the
protection of truthtellers and the public’s right to know,
internationally. Contribute to Julian Assange's defense here:
defend.wikileaks.org/donate
Sponsors: Bay Area Julian Assange Defense Committee • National Lawyers Guild Bay Area • Courage Foundation  • United National Antiwar Coalition

To register for the Zoom conference click here.

Please see and share the Facebook event here.  The webinar will also be livestreamed to the Facebook event here.

Initial co-sponsors: CodePink Bay Area • Social Justice Center of Marin • Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, US Section • Kevin Zeese, Popular Resistance, advisory board, Courage Foundation, past Steering Committee member  Chelsea  Manning Support Committee • Marin Peace and Justice Center • Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, 

 For more information, jmackler@lmi.net