‘They weren’t natural at all. They were things that could be changed. And they were things that, more importantly, were wrong and should change.’ Storyville: The Internet’s Own Boy, Aaron Swartz, BBC 2015
Bothered by wealth disparity, Swartz moves beyond technology and into a broader range of political causes. ibid.
The arrest took its toll on Swartz. ibid.
Guerrilla Open Access Manifesto: Information is power. But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves. The world’s entire scientific and cultural heritage published over centuries in books and journals is increasingly being digitised and locked up by a handful of private corporations. ibid.
‘You are powerful ... You are making a difference.’ ibid. Swartz
Years before Edward Snowden would expose widespread internet surveillance, Swartz was already concerned. ibid.
In June 1989 a lone figure halting a battalion of tanks in the Chinese capital Beijing sent shockwaves around the world. It is an act which China itself prefers to forget. What had started as a peaceful student protest calling for freedom and democracy ended seven weeks later in carnage. Storyville: Tiananmen: The People v the Party, BBC 2019
Thirty years on, eye-witness accounts and secret documents now help provide a deeper understanding of how the Tiananmen massacre changed the course of Chinese history. ibid.
Large scale protests broke out in 21 provinces. ibid.
On the evening of May 19th Premier Li Peng revealed to the Party the emergency plan to suppress the students. ibid.
More than 200,000 soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army had been deployed. ibid.
The hunger strike was abandoned in favour of the permanent occupation of the Square. ibid.
Martial law was under threat from within through an unprecedented mutiny within every rank of the People’s Army itself. ibid.
On May 23th one million Beijing workers staged a mass strike in support of the student’ call for democracy. ibid.
News of the crackdown had brought more people out on the streets … They were the first to discover the brutal truth. ibid.
For five months huge protests have rocked Hong Kong. Hundreds of thousands of people taking on the authorities and the might of China. So why are they risking so much in an ever more violent battle? And how will this struggle end for ordinary Hong Kongers? Our World, Inside the Hong Kong Protests, BBC 2019
Since June hundreds of thousands of protesters have been out on the streets in Hong Kong. The demonstrations were sparked by a proposed law change allowing the extradition of Hong Kongers to face trial on mainland China, but they morphed into a movement demanding democracy and an end to the steady erosion of rights. ibid.
Holly is one of many dedicated first aid volunteers. ibid.
One year after the annexation of Crimea, a protest march was organised in Moscow by opposition leader Boris Nemsov. On the eve of the march, Nemtsov was murdered within sight of the Kremlin. He was shot four times in the head, heart, liver and stomach. All the CCTV cameras in the area were switched off for maintenance. KGB: The Sword & The Shield III, BBC 2019
Fan: What happened to Woody Guthrie, Bob?
Bob: These are all protest songs. Now come on. Bob Dylan, No Direction Home II
All my songs are protest songs. ibid.
No-one had heard anything like this before. ibid. fan
Just over a year ago a handful of people decided that it was time to do something radical about the climate crisis. Calling themselves Extinction Rebellion, their plan is to cause so much disruption that they force real change. Now there are tens of thousands of rebels committed to using the peaceful or controversial approach. Inside Extinction Rebellion: Martyrs or Maniacs? Channel 5 2020
‘Incompetent middle-class self-indulgent people who want to show us how to live our lives.’ ibid. Andrew Boulton, Sky News
A mass leaderless movement of rookie rebels attempted to raise the stakes by illegally blocking roads and gluing themselves to buildings. ibid.
The death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police has sparked America’s biggest series of protests over race in a generation, highlighting once again the deep divide between black and white. With violent scenes and police forces seemingly out of control. The protests have gone global. Panorama: George Floyd: A Killing that Shook the World, BBC 2020
Could George Floyd’s death finally force America to confront the scourge of racism within? ibid.
Derek Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder. Three other officers have been charged with aiding and abetting murder. ibid.
The latest in an endless line of lives taken by violent cops. It is part of the black experience: an American tragedy. ibid.
One sweltering evening on the streets of Minneapolis yet another black man falls victim to police brutality. The killing of George Floyd has sparked outrage not only across America but also across the entire world. It is the latest chapter in the history of race injustice that is as old as the country itself. 8 Minutes & 46 Seconds, Sky Witness 2020
Derek Chauvin – In that time over a dozen complaints have been lodged against him. ibid.
But in 24 hours the death of another black man in police custody unleashes a fury that has existed for generations. ibid.
On Monday July 13th [2015: at 8:58 a.m. jailers went to cell 95 and observed Miss Bland hanging from the privacy partition in her cell. Say Her Name: The Life & Death of Sandra Bland ***** HBO/Sky Documentaries 2020
Sandra Bland Rest In Power. Arrested for Traffic Violation: Killed in Police Custody. ibid. protest banner
‘You just slammed me head into the ground. Don’t you even care about that?’ ibid. Bland arrest filmed after rozzers’ assault
Cell 95: ‘Where she was didn’t have cameras … You have a thirty-gallon trash can in the inmates’ cell that gives her access to a plastic bag. If she was in as much pain as she said she was in, I just don’t see how she could have tied that perfect – very perfect – noose.’ ibid. family
‘Step out or I will remove you … I’m gonna yank you outta here … You are under arrest … I’m gonna drag you outta there.’ ibid.
‘That man [arresting rozzer] slapped her. You can hear it.’ ibid. lawyer
‘You are about to break my wrist! Can you stop?’ ibid. on arrest
‘The destruction of evidence on this family when they [rozzers know they [family] were about to bury her. You don’t release a body if there’s more tests that you need on that body.’ ibid. lawyer
‘I don’t think there’s ever been an issue like this.’ ibid. mother
‘There are uneducated people who are hell-bent on self-extermination. I am not one of them. I am into building up my kings and queens. So for me, Black Lives Matter. ibid. Sandra’s activism
‘I am here to change history.’ ibid.
‘Say Her Name!’ ibid.
‘She had scrapes on her upper right side of her back.’ ibid. autopsy
‘Here is a guy who should clearly have been charged with assault. Battery … ’ ibid.
Trooper Encinia is fired. The Grand Jury begins to investigate the Walter Country Jail. ibid. caption
‘Evidence of deep bruising … someone has put their knee into her back.’ ibid. autopsy
‘We know that someone’s spirit can be broken.’ ibid. autopsy
‘Everyone was acquitted of wrong doing.’ ibid. television news
‘The jail were filled out in a way that should not have been filled out. They were turned in with false information.’ ibid. rozzer’s apologist’s admission
‘She was hung from a trash-bag. Well, the problem with that trash-bag is is that it didn’t have her fingerprints on it … In fact it didn’t have her DNA on it.’ ibid. lawyer
The family settles for $1.9 million and a prison or jail reform and police de-escalation training. ibid. caption
Police officers around the country you need to hear my voice – Tell the Fricking’ Truth. ibid. Charles Witherspoon, ex-rozzer
‘No, we didn’t go back there and tie a bag around her neck, but it is our responsibility to take care of her. ibid. R G Smith, sheriff