The South African Township Protests in the Images

Protests are spreading in townships throughout South Africa as part of a massive uprising against failed social service delivery. South Africa's black townships have remained in both chronic poverty and unemployment with very little social protection from their local governments. The latest unrest is sure to rock the country to its core until changes are made. There are pictures coming in from around the net. Here are a few images taken Monday at a march directly from the ABAHLALI BASEMJONDOLO movement of the Western Cape where some of the strongest actions have been taking place, as photographed by Sydelle Willow Smith. You can also see more striking images of the protests in the French newspaper Le Monde.

The Mainstream Media Excuses Reactionary Violence in Moldova

Most people have never heard of the country of Moldova, but today the southern European nation made international news headlines. In response to significant victories won by the Communist Party in Moldova, conservative opposition groups have reacted with widespread vandalism and barbarity. Protesters destroyed and burned government offices and attacked police officers trying to restore order. The opposition has claimed the elections were "fraudulent" although, election observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said in preliminary findings that the vote was largely free and democratic.

As usual, the New York Times and other dominant media outlets portray the violent anti-democratic actions of right-wing groups as laudable. In the final analysis, these news outlets will continue to oppose any leftist government or social movement that challenges the international status-quo, even if they choose to do so democratically. The video below shows live footage of vandals destroying government property.



It is not unusual for reactionaries to use violent means after they fail to win elections. The democratically elected leftist-government of Evo Morales in Bolivia too has been a frequent victim of reactionary violence by right-wing opposition parties. The media largely ignored these attacks, although a recent United Nations Human Rights report blasted right-wing violence in Bolivia.