The Free

March for Peace: 10k Protest against Arming Ukraine and Munich ‘Security’ Conference

from thefreeonline on 2/20/2023 by russiart

A rally against the 59th Munich Security Conference was held in the capital of Bavaria. The participants in the mass action also expressed their dissatisfaction with NATO policy and opposed the supply of weapons to Ukraine.

According to recent opinion polls, more than half of the inhabitants of Germany do not support the transfer of tanks and combat aircraft to Kyiv, although these issues have become one of the central topics on the agenda of the current Munich conference.

On Saturday, February 18, several thousand protesters gathered in the capital of Bavaria for a rally against the Munich Security Conference taking place in the city these days.

According to preliminary police data, about 10,000 people took to the streets.

The demonstrators gathered in the city center, from where they moved to the square in front of the Munich Glyptothek (a museum of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture).

NATO doubles down: Highlights from the Munich War Conference

The protesters carried banners and posters calling for a halt in the supply of weapons to Ukraine and condemning militarism.

‘Ireland For All’: Tens of Thousands March in Dublin to Support Refugees

from thefreeonline on 19th Feb 2023 by Julia Conley at Common Dreams.

“There are enough resources in this country for everyone to have a decent home, job, and services and welcome refugees,”

Demanding an “Ireland for All,” tens of thousands of Irish people on Saturday marched through Dublin to make clear their opposition to recent violent attacks on migrants and rallies claiming the country “is full” and can’t accept refugees.

Carrying signs reading, “Protect Lives, Not Borders” and “Everyone Is Welcome,” the demonstrators on Saturday called on the federal and city government to ensure there is enough housing for everyone and to address the cost-of-living crisis—which advocates said the far-right is exploiting to drum up anti-immigration sentiment.

Demonstrators display signs with messages welcoming refugees at a protest in Dublin on February 18, 2023. (Photo: @TooManyEmmas/Twitter

A rise in racism across Ireland “has been deliberately been stoked up by organizers of the far-right,” Bríd Smith of the ecosocialist group People Before Profit told The Independent. “We had [cost-of-living] crises long before refugees came, long before the Ukrainian war.”

Guess how many regions of Europe want Independence, like Donbass.. 2? 10? 100?

from thefreeonline on 18th February 2023 by By Georgiy Berezovsky, at censored Home World News

Kosovo, Donbass and Catalonia are famous examples, but do you realize how many countries have problems with separatism?

More than 100 governments recognized Kosovo’s self-proclaimed independence 15 years ago, but most of them have their own issues of this kind

FILE PHOTO. Hundreds of supporters of Kosovo Albanian “Self Determination” movement march during a protest in central Pristina. © Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP

In February of 2008, Kosovo’s parliament – dominated by Albanian separatists – declared the province’s independence from Serbia. Belgrade objected to the move, but it the new “state” was recognized the very next day by the United States, Britain, France, Türkiye, and Albania. More than 50 countries followed by the end of that year.

As of now, almost 100 UN member states have recognized Kosovo’s sovereignty. However, this figure is in constant flux, as some countries have withdrawn their support due to Belgrade’s diplomatic efforts. Nevertheless, Pristina continues to claim that 117 countries support its “independence.”

In fact, more than half of the countries belonging to the UN do not recognize Kosovo’s independence. Among these are China, India, most of the post-Soviet countries, as well as several EU members, namely Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Romania, and Slovakia.

Russia is one of the main opponents of Kosovo’s declaration of independence and has been consistent about the consequences for the world order. Upon closer examination, it turns out that the vast majority of global states are dealing with some form of separatist issues, ranging from significant to very minor.

A Balkan Patchwork Quilt

The disputed status of Kosovo is only the latest instance of separatism resulting in the emergence of a new state-like entity in the Balkans. The disintegration of the region has been dubbed ‘Balkanization’, and deservedly so.

At the end of the last century, most of the Balkans were incorporated into a united country called Yugoslavia. Today, there are seven independent countries in its place, but this is by no means where it might end.