Public Meetings: Oppose Britain’s surveillance state!
Cambridge Bradford Liverpool London
Edward Snowden has exposed mass illegal surveillance programmes run by American, British and European governments—the machinery of a police state.
The former security contractor has confirmed that every email, phone call, Skype conversation and credit card purchase is accessible to America’s National Security Agency (NSA) and Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ,). Snowden is a heroic figure, driven by his revulsion at the scale of criminality within the state apparatus. For this he has been treated as a criminal, forced into exile in Moscow. Others suffer the same fate and worse. The Obama administration has secured a 35‐year jail sentence for Chelsea (Bradley) Manning, who leaked classified documents to WikiLeaks exposing warcrimes. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange remains confined to London’s Ecuadorian embassy.
The British government has launched an unprecedented attack on the Guardian newspaper, accusing journalists of “treason” after raiding its offices. David Miranda, the partner of journalist Glenn Greenwald, was detained on trumpedup terrorism charges at Heathrow airport without a shred of evidence.
The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) are seeking to mobilise a mass movement in opposition to these attacks and in defence of fundamental democratic rights on the basis of a socialist struggle against the ruling class and its political defenders. Attend the public meeting in your area.
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UK news
- Britain: Disabled widow commits suicide after benefits withdrawn December 11, 2013
Following an assessment that deemed her fit for work, 53-year-old Jacqueline Harris was stripped of her incapacity benefit of £99.15 per week. - Skyrocketing energy prices increase Britain’s winter death rate December 10, 2013
An estimated 31,100 “excess” deaths occurred in Britain last winter—a rise of almost a third. - Food bank use surges as hunger spreads across Britain December 9, 2013
One in five recipients of Trussell Trust food parcels were referred to its food banks as a direct result of government attacks on welfare benefits. - What is Britain’s newly founded Left Unity party? December 9, 2013
The founding conference of Left Unity had nothing to do with an attempt to build a socialist party. - Osborne’s Autumn statement: Recovery for UK business means poverty for the working class December 7, 2013
Labour made immediate moves to go further than the Tories in pledging its commitment to austerity measures.
Europe news
- Neo-fascist wins regional election in Slovakia December 11, 2013
A neo-fascist has exploited widespread contempt for the political establishment to win the presidency of a central Slovakian region. - Factional struggle intensifies between Ukraine’s oligarchs December 11, 2013
The current political crisis in Ukraine centers around which group of rival oligarchs will come out on top. - Greece’s 2014 budget lays out more social attacks December 11, 2013
On Saturday the Greek parliament passed a budget for 2014 that includes further spending cuts and layoffs. - Skyrocketing energy prices increase Britain’s winter death rate December 10, 2013
An estimated 31,100 “excess” deaths occurred in Britain last winter—a rise of almost a third. - Renewed strikes at Amazon sites in Germany December 7, 2013
The miserable working conditions at Amazon have been ignored by German trade unions for years. Now, the Verdi union is utilising the conflicts at the online retailer to further its own interests.
For more news and analysis visit the World Socialist Web Site.
