Stories about Western Europe from May, 2011
Africa, France: Who is Nafissatou Diallo? Victim or Conspirator?
In the debate over the alleged sexual assault by French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn of a Guinean hotel chambermaid in New York, attentions from France to Africa have now shifted to the identity of the alleged victim, Nafisatou Diallo.
Russia: OBEY Giant Poster Wonders ‘Who Set Up Strauss-Kahn?’
LJ-user groupper posts [ru] pictures of an illegal poster with OBEY Giant and a question in French and Russian: “Who set up Strauss-Kahn?” The poster hanging in front of the French diplomatic mission building in Saint-Petersburg, raises a conspiracy theory question, wherever the #DSK scandal was a deliberate removal of...
France: #frenchrevolution in photos and videos
The Bundlr site presents a compilation [dead link] of photos, videos, links and tweets about the raising of the Place de la Bastille in Paris, to echo the protests in Spain and Greece.
Germany, Ukraine: Implications of the Demjanjuk Ruling
Alexander J. Motyl writes at Ukraine's Orange Blues/World Affairs about the implications of the May 12 sentencing of John Demjanjuk “for being an accessory to the murder of 28,060 Jews in the Nazi concentration camp in Sobibor, in occupied Poland.”
Angola: Real Madrid ”Galacticos” in Africa!
afrik.com blog, believes that :”The news will without doubt, delight football fans in Africa. Real Madrid stars, will play their last game for this season, on May 25 in Luanda.”
France : The “Civilized” Internet According to President Sarkozy
As a prelude to the G8 summit in Deauville, chaired by France, the e-G8 forum of the Internet was held in Paris on 23 and 24 May 2011. To the dismay of supporters of civil society, the interventions on the forum were limited to government agencies and large companies.
Spain: From Spanish Revolution to World Revolution
Mobilizations in Spain have ignited what has been called a “World Revolution”, with more than 600 demonstrations and camp outs taking place in solidarity with Spanish protesters. Websites, Twitter hashtags, and Facebook accounts are being used to spread and share information, thoughts, and opinions.
World Economy: Women Weigh in on Poverty, Work and Debt
The International Museum of Women's online exhibit on women and the economy, features slideshows, podcasts, videos and essays on women from countries such as Sudan, Denmark, Philippines, USA, Costa Rica, Mexico, Argentina and how they view issues such as poverty, business, family, rights, money and much more.
Azerbaijan: Jon Snow and Amnesty International in Twitter Action
Ahead of tonight's Amnesty International Media Awards 2011, the organisation has launched a Twitter photo campaign to call for the release of an imprisoned journalist and newspaper editor in Azerbaijan. With major British media names such as Jon Snow on board, pro-government supporters in Azerbaijan reacted negatively.
Greece: Is it time for the #GreekRevolution?
The peaceful mass popular protests in cities across Spain, calling for democracy and protesting bipartisanship on the eve of elections, caught Greeks by surprise after a year of fruitless protests in Greece against IMF/ECB imposed austerity measures. Many Greek netizens reacted in solidarity to the sight and sounds of the “Spanish Revolution” and considered their own predicament.
Greece: A Lukewarm Reaction to Attacks on Immigrants
Greek blogger To Vytio (The Jerrycan) writes an elegiac post [el] on his return to Athens from a weekend trip, finding the city gripped in violence, fear, apathy and scary rhetoric. “Our mortal leap was the reaction to what happened in Athens against the immigrants. Lukewarm, blasé. With [right-wing extremists],...
Russia: EU’s Roma to Move to Russia?
Window on Eurasia wrote in early May that “rising tensions between the Roma and the titular nationalities of the European Union have sparked reports in Moscow that some of this often-despised community are about to be moved to the Russian Federation, either on their own or from a deal between...
Greece: A Proposal to Reform the Police
Greek blogger Leonidas Irakliotis proposes several measures [el] to reform the police and restore public trust, in light of recent police violence and failure to deal with a wave of anti-immigrant attacks in Athens. “As long as we tolerate this incompetence, we will suffer from an under-performing police force; resulting...
Greece: No Peace without Justice
“I cannot remember, in living memory, any instance where I felt a distinct similarity between the events happening in Greece to the Nazi Germany pogroms against Jews and communists of the 1930s.” Technology blogger Cosmix breaks with his usual subjects to dissect the causes of recent rampant violence against immigrants in Athens,...
Spain: Website #tomalaplaza
Protesters in Puerta del Sol, Madrid, have posted their manifesto, communiques, and other information on their daily activities at the website Madrid #tomalaplaza [es].
France: DSK Scandal Fires a Protest Against Sexism
French feminist network Osez le féminisme (Dare to be a feminist) [fr] is organizing a protest [fr] in Paris on Sunday May 22, 2011, in front of the Pompidou museum against “the sexism of the French ‘elites’ revealed by the DSK scandal”. In a matter of hours, their online petition...
France: French Women Bloggers on the DSK Scandal
French feminists bloggers and women bloggers writing on women's issues, have gained a larger audience and a new respect in France in the aftermath of the Domininique Strauss-Kahn scandal. Meet a few French feminist bloggers laboring online against prejudices and the French perception of sexual harassment and crimes.
France, World: Discontent Against G8 Meeting About the Internet
Blog Club de l'Europe is outraged [fr] by the “Internet sharks’ feast” to be held on May 24 and 25, 2011, at the Musée du Louvre, in Paris. The meeting aims to prepare the G8 forum, which will be focused (according to its French presidency) on the Internet, but only economic and...
Portugal: Uncovering Transparency in Parliament
With the backdrop of prolonged economic crisis, which contaminates social and political life, portuguese citizens demand for public governance transparency. Today an important step was taken in this direction, with the launching of Demo.Cratica, a website that lets you learn about portuguese MPs and all their discussions in the parliament.
Spain: “Yes We Camp,” Mobilizing on the Streets and the Internet
Since May 15, people in Spain have taken the streets to demand democracy in advance to the upcoming elections, with thousands camping out in cities across the country. Protesters and supporters are organizing in decentralized and horizontal networks, and employing social media tools to share and spread information, tell their stories, and collaborate on ideas, proposals and initiatives.
Armenia: Royal visit to Ireland as an example for the Caucasus
Writing on his official blog, Charles Lonsdale comments on this week's historic visit by the Queen to the Republic of Ireland. The Ambassador to Armenia for the United Kingdom says that even if the conflicts in the South Caucasus are different, the visit shows that “even long-running and seemingly intractable...
