All posts tagged: rights

Catholic sisters push Palantir on human rights as faith leaders rally in New York

Catholic sisters push Palantir on human rights as faith leaders rally in New York

Published by Sam Flores

NEW YORK (RNS) — Catholic sisters, investors and immigrant rights activists plan to rally on Wednesday (June 3) outside of Palantir Technologies’ New York office, 30 minutes before the company holds it annual general meeting and considers a shareholders’ proposal calling on Palantir to conduct a human rights review of its work.  “We’re investors, but we’re also Catholics,” said Sister Susan Francois, assistant congregation leader and treasurer of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace and the lead filer of the shareholder proposal, called Proposal 5. “When we see potential risks to the company that are also causing harm to the human community, we feel that it is of a moral and business imperative to raise the question.” Proposal 5 calls on Palantir to conduct and publish a human rights impact assessment of its work, which includes selling artificial intelligence tools to U.S. and foreign militaries and governments. Last year Palantir won a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to develop surveillance systems for immigration enforcement. Proposal 5 raises concerns about Palantir’s work …

‘Blasphemous’ protest is not a crime, humanists tell human rights committee – Humanists UK

‘Blasphemous’ protest is not a crime, humanists tell human rights committee – Humanists UK

Published by Sam Flores

Humanists UK has warned the UK Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights that accusations of ‘blasphemy’ must not be used to suppress peaceful protest. In its response to the Committee’s inquiry into the role of human rights in security, safety and protest, Humanists UK called for blasphemy-specific guidance for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in England and Wales to protect subjectively offensive but lawful expression from being criminalised, while threats, harassment, and incitement to violence are properly investigated and sanctioned. Humanists UK said this concern sits within a broader erosion of protest rights in recent years. Case studies In its evidence, Humanists UK cited a series of recent blasphemy-related incidents that it said demonstrated how public authorities have too often treated alleged religious offence as a crime, while failing to protect those targeted by intimidation, threats and even violence. Examples included the case of Hamit Coskun, who was prosecuted after burning a Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in protest against the Turkish government, and had his conviction overturned on appeal and upheld …

The Arc of the Voting Rights Act

The Arc of the Voting Rights Act

Published by Daniella Wilson

THe morning after Louisiana’s House primaries were scheduled to take place, worshipers at Mount Zion First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge were on their feet, swaying to the gospel music that vibrated through the wooden pews. Just days earlier, the vote had been abruptly postponed as Republicans scrambled to redraw congressional boundaries in a way that would erase one of the state’s two majority-Black congressional districts and dilute the political influence that many in the congregation had fought for. From the pulpit, Reverend Renè Brown said that all of this was on his mind. “The pastor,” he declared after reading a passage from the Book of Numbers about the allotment of land, “wants to talk about biblical redistricting.” Two giant television screens had just displayed the U.S., Confederate, and Christian flags and the words BIBLICAL REDISTRICTING. Churchgoers gasped and glanced at their neighbors; some burst out laughing. “Oh Lordy,” one man said under his breath, his eyebrows arching nearly up to his hairline as he braced for an intense sermon. Some might wonder why the …

AfD, Vox mingle with ex-US Border Patrol chief, white nationalist leader at ‘remigration summit’  – POLITICO

AfD, Vox mingle with ex-US Border Patrol chief, white nationalist leader at ‘remigration summit’  – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Two years later, a confident Sellner made himself available to journalists for interviews at the remigration summit, dwelling on concepts that he says are now going mainstream. “We have a very neurotic relationship to our own ethnicity, our own ethno-cultural identity and I think we need to overcome that,” Sellner told reporters at the summit, calling on Europeans to overcome their “guilt complex” and “self-loathing” stemming from “post-war consensus.” At least three AfD politicians attended the event, including Kay Gottschalk, a member of the Bundestag and one of the party’s cofounders. Gottschalk said he was there “to listen” as “a visitor.” Lena Kotré, an AfD member and representative in the Brandenburg state legislature, spoke on stage with Sven Tritschler, a member of the North Rhine-Westphalia parliament, also in attendance. Vox MPs Rocío de Meer and Carlos Quero featured on the summit’s speakers list. Activist Sammy Woodhouse, a supporter of U.K. right-wing party Restore Britain, was also among the speakers. Tensions emerged when reporters who had been accredited to cover the event were not allowed in …

'It's Shameless To Blame Workers' Rights And Fair Pay For The Youth Unemployment Crisis,' Union Chief Says

'It's Shameless To Blame Workers' Rights And Fair Pay For The Youth Unemployment Crisis,' Union Chief Says

Published by Sam Flores

Paul Nowak, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Let’s be crystal clear from the outset: workers’ rights and the minimum wage are not to blame for the NEETs crisis. Youth unemployment didn’t appear overnight. It’s the result of more than a decade of austerity under the previous government, a failed apprenticeship system, weak economic growth, and deep regional inequality. But if you followed this week’s headlines, you could be forgiven for thinking the crisis was brand new. Ahead of Alan Milburn’s landmark review into young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs), right-wing politicians and business leaders tripped over themselves to blame workers’ rights and minimum wage rises. Rishi Sunak called for the Low Pay Commission to be scrapped. Tony Blair attacked the government’s Employment Rights Act. The boss of Next, a Tory peer, complained about wage increases. One after another they shamelessly tried to blame a long-running crisis on policies that are barely even in force yet. But Milburn himself was clear: the causes are “much more long-term and deep-seated than …

Right-wing mogul ignites culture war in French cinema – POLITICO

Right-wing mogul ignites culture war in French cinema – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“After literature, the censor Bolloré now wants to control filmmaking. It is unacceptable to allow a billionaire to threaten artists in this way,” said hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, threatening to dismantle Bolloré’s empire. Socialist leader Olivier Faure slammed the move by Canal+ as a sign that “the far right has never liked freedom, creativity, or public service.” More diplomatically, Culture Minister Catherine Pégard regretted Canal+’s “disproportionate, to say the least” reaction to “the very real concerns that were raised.” The conservative mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard, slammed the artists as masochists for “biting the hand that feeds them.” Canal+ declined POLITICO’s request for comment, but Bolloré’s son, Cyrille, president of the Bolloré group, brushed off fears on Wednesday that Canal+ would choose projects based on political orientation. “No, there is no political project,” he said. France’s Citizen Kane The uproar has illustrated how deeply connected French cinema is to Canal+, which financed seven of the nine movies that won awards at Cannes this year, including the prestigious Palme d’Or. Source link

Attal highlights break with Macron in first rally in French presidential bid – POLITICO

Attal highlights break with Macron in first rally in French presidential bid – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

His campaign mirrors the very successful campaign of centrist liberal Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten in October 2025, which focused on optimism about the future and prioritizing the young generations, while exalting a sense of national pride. “My first promise is that we will once again become Europe’s leading power within six years. That is our rank, our place, our destiny,” he said, also vowing to make France the leading European country in artificial intelligence. Attal is following incumbent French President Emmanuel Macron as the presidential candidate of the centrist liberal Renaissance party, which he heads. After almost 10 years of Macron governments and dwindling popularity, Attal is seeking to distance himself from Macron to frame his candidacy as one of change and reform. The 37-year-old politician served as prime minister under Macron from January-September 2024. He was the youngest prime minister in French history and the first openly gay. The latest polls put Attal in fourth place at 13 percent of popular vote, preceded by far-right French Rally candidate Jordan Bardella, center-right Édouard Philippe, …

EU’s big 6 pitch a rival to Wall Street – POLITICO

EU’s big 6 pitch a rival to Wall Street – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Back-to-back crises have limited the power of the public purse, so policymakers are hoping professional financiers and savers can do the heavy lifting by putting their money to work in the right places. EU citizens alone have €11 trillion of cash savings sitting in their bank accounts. But vying interests from within the industry and national governments, such as Ireland and Luxembourg, threaten to derail negotiations. That’s convinced the E6 group to agree on the fundamentals among themselves to speed the process along, triggering fears of a two-speed Europe in which some countries are left behind. “I don’t think a separate structure is feasible, because it would conflict with the prevailing perception in all member states today that fragmentation must stop,” Cyprus’ Finance Minister Makis Keravnos, who currently chairs Ecofin meetings, told POLITICO. Devil in the detail The broad strokes of the deal paper over internal divisions within the E6. While all six governments agree on upgrading the EU’s securities regulator into a supercop for the bloc, they disagree on how fast the process should …

Leftist Party Wants Voting Rights For All Foreigners Who’ve Lived In Germany For 5 Years

Leftist Party Wants Voting Rights For All Foreigners Who’ve Lived In Germany For 5 Years

Published by Jenni Sidey

Via Remix News, Germany’s Left Party is pushing for a major overhaul of the German electoral system by proposing that foreign residents without a German passport be granted voting rights after five years of legal residency. To achieve this, the Left faction in the Bundestag has submitted a formal application demanding that anyone residing legally in the country for at least five years be permitted to vote in federal elections, irrespective of their nationality. The move would serve as a major electoral boost for left-wing parties, with foreigners overwhelmingly voting for these parties when given the opportunity. Data from the Federal Statistical Office cited in the motion reveals that over 14 million people living in Germany in 2025 lacked German citizenship, a figure that includes roughly 5 million EU citizens. This foreign population has resided in the country for an average of 15 years. In other words, this pool of potential voters for the left is massive. The initiative also urges the federal government to collaborate with individual states to implement identical changes for state …