November 2015

On the evening of November 19th the Queers and Allies' Trans and Non-Binary Collective at American University held the Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil and Speakout. After speakers at the indoor portion spoke of the severe discrimination, poverty, and widespread murder and police violence faced by transgender people, everyone went outside for a vigil to remember those who have been killed. Flags of remembrance for the fallen were planted in the quad while the whole group held candles in the dark.

On the 17th of November,protesters against the TPP trade deal marched to the embassies of many countries affected by the treaty.At the Embassy of the Phillipines, protesters burned a symbolic "TPP text" much smaller than the 6,000 page stack in solidarity with protesters in the Phillipines who burned ASEAN logos. At the Embassy of Japan, one protester locked himself by the neck to the doors. It took about an hour for police to remove and arrest him.

Video-burning the TPP

Video-civil disobedience at the Japanese Embassy

On the 16th of November, opponents of the Trans-Pacific Partnershio (TPP) marched on the offices of the United States Trade Representative(USTR), blocked entrances for a while, and festooned the area with anti-TPP toilet paper. This sort of thing just had to happen sooner or later-TP'ing the TPP. As a "night action" it would have been a potent enough symbol, but this was done in the open while activists controlled both the sidewalk and that half of the street.

Video of fair trade activists TP'ing USTR

The government of Saudi Arabia has sentenced Ali-Mohammed al-Nimr to death by beheading followed by crucifixion of his body for participationg in anti-regime protests in 2012 at the age of 17. Six other young men face similar sentences. All of al-Nimr's appeals have been exhausted. Around the world, protesters mobilized at Saudi embassies. One of these protests began at the Saudi Embassy here in DC and marched to the White House. Activists called out Saudi Arabia not only for the planned executions but also as the driving force behind ISIS/Daesh and for genocide against the people of Yemen

Video of the march and a Code Pink speaker