Last night, Melbourne's Plan B collective hosted a panel discussion and forum at the Victorian Trades Hall on the topic of “Health vs. Capitalism”. The panel's four speakers were selected to present a range of academic, professional and activist views on the intersection and impact of capitalism upon modern healthcare and global well-being.
On Monday morning the Stop TTIP coalition, consisting of over 300 civil society groups from across Europe, are filing a lawsuit against the European Commission at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. The lawsuit relates to a decision that was made by the Commission to block a ‘European Citizen’s Initiative’ (ECI) on the controversial EU-USA trade deal known as TTIP and a similar deal with Canada (CETA).
On the 1st day of the 11th round of TPPA negotiations, Occupy Melbourne took non violent direct action at the Melbourne Convention Centre. Three protestors locked on with thumb locks inside the venue and before being arrested for trespass were cut free by police using an angle grinder, an action that was heavy handed and dangerous. The protest aimed to draw attention to the way the secret negotiations for the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement will empower U.S. multi-nationals at the expense of democracy.
Related: Sean Bedlam's footage of lock on -- Will Wallace in Green Left Weekly -- Occupy TPPA campaign website
