They came in the morning - Virgin Media Shorts

They came in the morning - Virgin Media Shorts

Will things get worse before they get better for Libya?

Graffiti covers the walls of Libya's cities; caricatures of Gaddafi and bold paintings of the Libya accompany slogans of "Game Over" in Arabic and English. Whilst the game might well be up for Gaddafi and the previous regime which held the country captive for so many years, the sound of gunfire is a telling sign that the fight is far from over.

Since the revolution distrust has infected the population as they desperately search for a true alternative which promises more than just the old ideals, newly packaged. They search for an alternative which would bring a new beginning to the people of Libya. But Libya is divided along many lines. Many fear loyalists to Gaddafi are still in positions of power and are waiting to seize control once more. The reaction of many has been to form private militias which are concerned with the interests of a few. These armies are often based on regional divides and thus many of the conflicts between them originate from territorial disagreements. With the election looming many also centre on the struggle to gain political power in the newly emerging state for which they fought.

Welders, shop-keepers and teachers. The revolution turned these men into fighters and, many would argue, heroes. Yet their role in the rebuilding of Libya is tarnished by corruption, violence and disorder. It is not enough that many lost their lives in the fighting, but the death toll continues to rise as groups turn on each other. Lead by untrained commanders, the militias say they are fighting for democracy. They do not trust the government and the national army is seen as a threat to the Libya they want.

But in this time of wide-spread instability, people are resorting to desperate measures in order to gain some sort of control. Without a single enemy, the different groups seek out "the next most dangerous difference" in the form of minorities. The detention centres, run by ex-civilians with no training, house thousands of black migrants who are told there is no place for them in the new Libya despite having lived and worked there for most of their lives. Those suspected of supporting Gaddafi are tortured and often killed in an attempt to purge the country of a regime which worked through similar systems of terror. Despite the highly publicised activity of women in the revolution, support for the women running for election is dubious and their posters are graffitied with mocking or sexist rhetoric.

Human rights monitors are stretched to capacity attempting to flag up abuses. There is no legal system in place to enforce laws or bring offenders to trial let alone to give a fair trial to those wrongly accused who are suffering in the appalling conditions of Libya's make-shift prisons.

Where are we now?

Addressing the Muslim world from Cairo in June 2009, President Obama stated, that "The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements". "This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop." This firm declaration of intolerance for foul play resonated across the Middle East and, many believe, prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to announce his support for a "Demilitarised Palestinian State" for the first time. Despite this being a step in the right direction as he had previously refused to even consider negotiations with Hamas, the conditions under which such a state would be recognised were restrictive and controversial:

• Jerusalem should remain the capital of Israel
• Palestine would have no army
• Palestinians refugees would surrender in their fight for "right of return"
• Jewish settlements in the West Bank would be allowed "natural growth" until further negotiation on their status was complete

It is therefore, not surprising that these terms were rejected by Hamas and other Palestinians. Determined to take advantage of this however, the US administration encouraged talks and negotiated a 10 month construction freeze in the West Bank in the hope that it would encourage further progress. When it became apparent that this was not the case, direct negotiations were facilitated by Washington in 2010. By the time Palestine entered negotiations, the 10-month freeze on construction was coming to an end. The refusal of Israel to renew this, so-called gesture of "good-will", was resulted in the Palestinian leaders leaving negotiations (Israel later offered to renew the partial moratorium on settlement construction but only in return for Palestine's acknowledgement of Israel as the national home-land of the Jews).

At the 66th Session of the United nations, the PA led a diplomatic campaign to be recognised as the State of Palestine as defined by 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital as well as stating that Palestinians would not recognise the State of Israel. The request to become the 194th member state of the UN was submitted to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has not yet been voted on.

Dishonesty, Desperation and Destruction

The Road Map for Peace
"In exchange for statehood, the road map requires the Palestinian Authority to make democratic reforms and abandon the use of violence. Israel, for its part, must support and accept the emergence of a reformed Palestinian government and end settlement activity of the Gaza Strip and West Bank as the Palestinian terrorist threat is removed"

In November 2004, Leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation Fatah Party and chairman of the Palestinian Authority,Yasser Arafat, died. Suspicions about the dishonest use of foreign aid money for personal expenses amongst Arafat and other PA officials began to gain prominence and caused many Palestinians to transfer support to Hamas. Although more violent and openly encouraging acts of terrorism against the Israeli people, Hamas were perceived as more direct, honest and purposeful (the group initiated many public services and institutions). They do not recognise Israel's right to exist and object to any peace negotiations. Despite being threatened with economic sanctions (an economic boycott was suggested by the US and EU countries) Hamas refuse to denounce their views and are committed to the destruction of the Israeli community which is views as illegal. At the same time, Israel refuse to attempt negotiations with, what it sees as, a terrorist organisation.

In line with this, in 2006, Hamas orchestrated an attack on Israeli forces when a group managed to cross the border from Gaza (from where the group were also firing rockets at Israeli communities) sparking conflict in the region. As the violence raged on, it also began to turn in on itself; Fatah-Hamas conflict in Gaza dominated 2007 and resulted in the death of many Fatah leaders (with other fleeing to Egypt and the West Bank). Nevertheless, Fatah remained in control of the Gaza strip and formed a coalition under President Abbas - although this was criticised for ignoring the fact that public support was predominantly for Hamas. November 2007 saw the first formal support of the two-state solution by both parties after the Annapolis Conference.

A truce was implemented, but eventually ended in 2009 with both sides claiming the other violated the terms of the truce (through acts of terrorism by Palestinians, and through the failure to lift the blockade on Gaza and halt development of settlements by Israelis). Both sides attacked each other fiercely and subsequently the Israeli ground invasion began, killing over 1000 Palestinian combatants and civilians.

The Second Intifada

The unrest continues until this day. A second uprising, more bloody and violent than the last, has left thousands of combatants and civilians dead, wounded or fearful. The Palestinians see this uprising as a legitimate struggle to liberate themselves from the occupation of their country. However, the nature of the Palestinian struggle has led many Israelis to condemn the infatida as a terrorist campaign; attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians have resulted in the Palestinian Authority loosing credibility as a peace partner. Such attacks have been used to justify regular raids and arrests by Israeli forces as well as the assassination of key actors within Hamas. Consequently, negotiations were halted until the intervention of the Arab League in 2002. It was at the Beirut summit that the Arab-league proposed an alternative political plan in which surrounding countries would bring Israeli-Arab conflict in the region to and end in exchange for Israeli withdrawal from West Bank, Golden Heights and the Gaza Strip and recognition of Palestine as an independent state with a "just solution" for the Palestinian refugees. However, the wording of the initiative was rejected by the Israeli authorities.

Despite a notable restraint from Israeli forces, a suicide bombing which killed 30 Jewish civilians triggered a large-scale military operation called Operative Defensive Shield in which Israeli troops invaded Palestinian territory, imposed curfews for civilians and restricted movement in and out of the region (this included international personnel such as journalist, those monitoring human rights abuses, those delivering aid and medical workers). Furthermore, the construction of the West Bank Fence along the Green Line Border (which marks Israeli territories agreed upon after the 6-day war); this became a major issue on contention between the two sides, but did result in a significant decrease in Palestinian terrorist attacks.

Despite this, the new Israeli government (although battling extreme economic issues) endorsed the "Road map for peace" set forth by the Quartet of the Middle East - which included representative from the EU, US, UN and Russia as well as Mahmoud Abbas who was appointed prime minister of Palestine by Yasser Arafat. However, in order to uphold the Palestinian side of the agreement, Abbas had to "crack down" on the rising level of terrorist activity amongst his people. This was made difficult by Arafats refusal to relinquish power over the security forces. Eventually, Abbas resigned.

With intra-party conflict on both sides (Sharon, the Israeli leader, also caused controversy amongst right-wing Israelis as a result of implementing the Road Map to Peace), the unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip (which aimed to resettle Israelis from the region) was unlikely to bring stability let alone contentment.

RESPECT for life

At the Exeter RESPECT festival on the 2nd and 3rd of June, the Oxfam and Amnesty societies joined forces (stay tuned for more arms-trade puns) to raise awareness about the devastating impact of the international arms trade. Having already staged a "die-in" on campus - where one student fell down "dead" every minute to symbolise the rate people are killed by the arms trade - the group of students collaborated with the local city groups to bring their message to the community.

As a festival which celebrates different cultures and values each in their own right whilst encouraging cultural integration, RESPECT was the perfect venue for our campaign. . Whilst the festival seeks to bring different people together along lines of music, food, dance, art and shared interests, the international nature of the trade binds people across the world in a web of corruption, oppression and violence. In an ever-shrinking world, it is no longer enough to view those effected by the arms trade as a separate, militarised fraction of the global society; they are humans and they are dying at the hands of the powerful.

Here is a short film showing our weekend of campaigning!

To sign the petition for a Bullet-proof Arms Trade Treaty, visit http://www.controlarms.org/home

To find out more about the Exeter RESPECT festival, visit the website - http://www.exeter-respect.org/

Adversity in the face of peace

Whilst having moved from Palestine, to Jordan and then to Lebanon, the PLO continued to attack Israel and focused its new tactics on terrorist attacks and aeroplane abduction. Frustrated and desperate to raise the profile of the Palestinian struggle the PLO began launching attacks on civilian targets such as airports, schools and apartment blocks in the 1970's. Perhaps the most famous example is the Munich Massacre where 11 Olympic athletes from Israel were taken hostage and, as a result of a blotched German rescue, killed. The next two decades were marred with violence and conflict. The intifada (Palestinian uprisings) were renowned for stone-throwing groups of youth against armed Israeli soldiers. Hamas was also founded during this time; this group is more concerned with "armed resistance" and carry out acts of terrorism against civilians. The PLO (and their leader Arafat) were recognised as supporting Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait during the Gulf War 1990-1991. The opposition of US intervention by the PLO resulted in many Arab countries (such as Egypt and many other oil-rich countries) severing ties with Palestine and thousands of Palestinians being expelled from Kuwait. In addition any funding for the PLO was removed as they were no longer seen as a partner of peace.
In 1993 Arafat sent a letter to the Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin recognising Israels right to exist and renouncing terrorism. This marked the beginning of the Oslo Peace Process during which negotiations were made towards a two-state solution. In exchange for its own police force, control over certain areas (in West Bank and the Gaza strip), autonomy over legislation etc the Palestinian authorities had to promote acceptance of Israelis and recognise their right to exist. However, the terrorist attacks continued and it was even suspected that these were encouraged by the Palestinian Authority. These allegations were denied by the PA who said that the Israelis had not conceded enough territory to ensure contentment amongst the Palestinians. Once again, violence mounted and suicide bombings along with other terrorist attacks became common.

As a result of these negotiations, which were not seen as desirable by all, intra-faction conflict also occured.Yitzhak Rabin was assinated by a Jewish right-wing radical in 1995. Despite efforts by Shimon Peres to continue negotiations in Rabin's place, the Israeli people voted for Benjamin Netanyahu in the following election due to his commitment to more direct negotiations with the PLO. He disagreed with the notion of granting concessions to the Palestinian people without anything tangible in return in order to build "goodwill".

Meanwhile, a wave of suicide bombings, orchestrated by Hamas, swept through Israel in response to the assination of the Hamas chief bomb-maker. However, this was objected to by the PLO who began attempts to oppress the violence agenda of Hamas. Having failed to do this effectively, Israel sent two secret agents to assassinate the head of Hamas, Khaled Mashal. Complication arose during the attempt and a compromise was established; the return of the captured agents for the antidote to the poison (thus saving Mashal's life) and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

As the violence continued (despite Israels withdrawal from occupied Lebanon) with little hope for diplomacy, in July 2000 the Camp David 2000 Summit was held which was aimed at reaching a "final status" agreement. The summit collapsed after Yasser Arafat would not accept a proposal drafted by American and Israeli negotiators. Barak (the newly elected Israeli leader) was prepared to offer the entire Gaza Strip, a Palestinian capital in a part of East Jerusalem, 73% of the West Bank (excluding eastern Jerusalem) raising to 90-94% after 10–25 years, and financial reparations for Palestinian refugees for peace. Arafat turned down the offer without making a counter-offer.

A Century of Conflict

I recently attended a talk by a volunteer who had spent three months in Israel, working in solidarity with the Palestinian people whos land is being taken from them by Israeli authorities. Although much of the discussion relates to the more current occurences in the region, it helped me to gain an insight into the tension which exists. The volunteer had worked with ordinary people, seen how the conflict influences children on their way to school, husbands denied the papers they need to see their wives, men refused entry to the city to find work and subsequently being forced to live in poverty. The empathy I encountered was definitely angled towards Palestinian citizens. I couldn't help but wonder if I was getting the full story. Beyond the lines of Israeli troops, surely, there are Israeli children, Israeli husbands and Israeli citizens who are just trying to get by.

After the First World War the Levant region was divided between British and French rule after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. During the war a promise had been made to the Jewish people to develop a Jewish homeland in Palestine. However, the Zionist and Arab movements were unwilling to co-operate and so when the British  passed the adminstration of the Eastern area of the region to the Arab dynasty (Hashemite) it was recognised as an autonomous Arab state and Jewish hopes of a Zionist state were eliminated.

With the rise of the Nazi party, the number of Jewish immigrants soared. Many were absorbed into legal settlements but the Arabs percieved the influx as a threat to their national identity. Between 1920 and 1950, tension rose and conflict increased dramatically. Arab leaders incited religious riots against the Jews and many were killed. The British responded with numerous inquests and reports; one of which was The Peel Commission of 1937 which proposed a two-state solution in which the region would be divided into two states.  Jewish immigration and land-purchasing rights were restricted. At the same time Arab leaders made deals with the Nazi party who promised to eliminate any Jews from the region once Germany had gained victory. However, after Germany's defeat and news of the holocaust spread, support for the Zionist cause increased.

In Chapter VI of the UN report of 1947, the majority of the Committee proposed recommendations for consideration by the General Assembly that Palestine within its present borders, following a transitional period of two years from 1 September 1947, shall be constituted into an independent Arab State, an independent Jewish State, and the City of Jerusalem.

There was a mixed recpetion to such a plan and the approval sparked attacks carried out by Arab irregulars against the Jewish population in Palestine. The Arab-Israeli war then ensued. The war resulted in an Israeli victory, with Israel gaining territory beyond the partition borders for a proposed Jewish state. The Gaza strip and West Bank were occupied by Egyptian and Transjordan armies respectively. Many Jews had fled the surrounding countries during the conflict and reached Israel for seeking security. However, the Arab who fled the region itself were not welcomed by neighbouring countries; they became known as the Palestinian refugees.

"In 1949, Israel offered to allow some members of families that had been separated during the war to return, to release refugee accounts frozen in Israeli banks, and to repatriate 100,000 refugees. The Arab states rejected this compromise, at least in part because they were unwilling to take any action that might be construed as recognition of Israel. As of today, most of them still live in refugee camps and the question of how their situation should be resolved remains one of the main issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

After years of conflict, the Palestinian Liberation Organization was established (1964) and sought to  purge the Zionist presence from Palestine and called for the right to return for Palestinian refugees. Eygpt, which was still occupying the Gaza strip, began to train Palestinian fighters who carried out raids on Israel. This prompted an attack on Eygpt by Israelis called the six-day war. Israel had captured, among other territories, the Gaza Strip from Egypt and the West Bank from Jordan (including East Jerusalem). Shortly after Israel seized control over Jerusalem, Israel asserted sovereignty over the entire city of Jerusalem and the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem were given a permanent resident status in Israel. Because Palestine was never award the status of "state" Israel was not technically guilty of occupying it illegally under the Geneva Conventions or international law.

Robin Hood Week of Action!

This week charities, celebrities and professionals alike have joined forces to push the Robin Hood tax back under the noses of politicians! This weekend the G8 summit, held in America, will look closely at the effectiveness of past aid commitments and consider how best to alleviate poverty for the 50 million people still struggling to survive. Shortly after this, European Finance Ministers and European Heads of State will meet to decide the fate of the Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) in Europe. This is a vital time for the campaign as countries will have to decide whether they are in, or out.

Despite over 1000 economists supporting the tax and advocating it as something which is not only morally right but also something which is technically feasible. The task now is to spread the word so that, when election time comes, it is politically advantageous for candidates to demonstrate their support for FTT. This small tax could generate billions for good causes both internationally and at home and could ease the burden of this double-dip recession.

With campaigners mobilised in over 14 countries mobilised, activists are tweeting, blogging, flyering and conducting eye-catching stunts to get the message out! This tax isn't complicated and it doesn't have a catch!

The Exeter University Oxfam Society made use of the new Forum Project on campus (a multi-million pound hub of student activity) and let people know exactly what is being proposed. Taking advantage of the many students revising in the cafes and study spaces they encouraged their captive audience to take action online or to fill out petition cards then and there!

At the same time, information postcards were strategically placed between books in the library to catch the eye of those who might be most interested (see the economics and politics aisles below!)



The Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Getting to the root of the problem...

Today, I signed a petition. Unsurprising perhaps, given the amount of mailing lists I am on regarding human rights, poverty alleviation, climate change and other global issues. Having read the summary I decided it was a worthy cause and so happily added my name to the thousands of others. The petition was against the Israeli government who are apparently uprooting olive trees owned by Palestinian farmers (http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-uprooting-palestinian-trees). This to me seems immediately unfair and unnecessary; farmers in developing countries are often the victim of inconsiderate behaviour by governments or large corporations. Reports of land grabs in Africa and humble farmers being made destitute by intensive industry which hijacks their land are unquestionably tragic and morally wrong. With this in mind, I signed the petition as an act of solidarity with those who also respect peoples right to make a living and right to self determination.

Given that next year I will be studying the Arab world for the first time, I figured this may be a good starting point, a "way in" to the overwhelming topic of war and peace in the Middle East. But, having looked at just two hits from my google search of "understanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict" I am already feeling fuzzy-headed. Unfortunately it is assumed that you already know about the previous century of religious tension and development, let alone the recent developments riddled with political clashes, secular violence and foreign involvement.

So, as I have been some what neglecting this blog recently, I will use it to document my quest to gain a basic understanding of this vital issue. In the late 1800's and early 1900's the Jewish and Arab populations of the Middle East underwent a nationalist movement. The Jews Zionist movement highlighted their support of a Jewish nation-state called the Land of Israel where they would be free from anti-Semitic discrimination and not integrate with other religions (although such a movement has been part of the Jewish religion for millenia, it was only officially established in 1897 as a response to persecution). Meanwhile, Palestinian nationalism is not so easily defined. With different groups aligning themselves with different villages, regions and religions and some aligning themselves against colonialism or rule by other states - known as Pan-Arabism (“Palestine was conquered in times past by ancient Egyptians, Hittites, Philistines, Israel, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Romans, Muslim Arabs, Mamlukes, Ottomans, the British, the Zionists…the population remained constant-and is now still Palestinian.”). Regardless of specific beliefs, there was a distinct emphasis on self-government by Palestinian people. These similar yet conflicting movements collided in the Levant (the region shown below).

At the end of the 1800's, the majority of inhabitants of Palestine were Arab Muslims whilst the majority of Jews lived in Europe or the Mediterranean.  However, as the Jews began to descend on, what they see as their historic homeland, tension mounted. In the late 19th century small acts of violence and retaliation took place in communities between the Jews and the Arabs. For example,

Another incident happened in Petach Tikva, where in early 1886 the Jewish settlers demanded that their tenants vacate the disputed land and started encroaching on it. On March 28, a Jewish settler crossing this land was attacked and robbed of his horse by Yahudiya Arabs, while the settlers confiscated nine mules found grazing in their fields, though it is not clear which incident came first and which was the retaliation. The Jewish settlers refused to return the mules, a decision viewed as a provocation. The following day, when most of the settlement's men folk were away, fifty or sixty Arab villagers attacked Petach Tikva, vandalising houses and fields and carrying off much of the livestock.

At first the objection to immigrants was on cultural, not religious grounds (as most Jews were from Russia and Europe). However, as waves of Jewish settlers flooded the region their Zionist aspirations became apparent. Consequently, the Arab population began protesting against the acquisition of lands by the Jewish population. Thus, in 1892 the Ottoman authorities (under which Palestine was ruled) banned land sales to foreigners. Still, by 1914 the Jewish population in Palestine had risen to over 60,000 and with WW1 on the horizon, things were not about to improve.

The Jolly Pilgrim

Setting out from his London home, Peter Baker seems like a fairly standard guy; he has a job, a home, a family and friends. But he also has an idea. His idea is get on a bicycle and ride to Istanbul and to document his travels through numerous diary entries and, as he calls them, “Global Musings” in which he reflects on the state of planet earth and its inhabitants. What follows is a thoroughly engaging and thought-provoking story of, quite literally, a jolly pilgrim making his jolly way around some of the most fascinating places in the world.

As he cycles across Europe he describes the people he meets in what strikes me as a remarkably honest and highly perceptive way; not judging, but interpreting people is what gives the book its human aspect and prevents is from being just another travel log. Baker experiences dizzying highs and crushing lows (for example when, after rendezvousing with the girl he wants to marry, it transpires it is not meant to be) but relentlessly journeys on across the globe visiting five continents and 24 countries and fully embracing the vibrancy and unique delights of each place. With only a rough plan, the freedom to be spontaneous is enviable and opens up a wealth of unforeseen opportunities such as working in a drag club, dancing salsa in an Ecuadorian prison and climbing landmarks in the dead of night. Whilst not all experiences are positive – cue bag thefts, heartache, financial crises and hospitalisation – they are savoured as a vital part of what it means to be human.

The backdrop for this insight into the human condition is a mirage of vivacious cities, picturesque retreats and exotic paradises. Each place is described vividly and with more than enough information for the reader to understand what makes it so special. Intellectually stimulating yet not purely factual, the descriptions convey a genuine interest for the history, politics and geography of a place. Amongst visiting some amazing sights, pondering the great religions of the world and generally questioning the meaning of life, Baker finds to do some serious partying with the people he befriends. The combination of vodka, sex, drugs and dancing makes for a wild experience of impulse and rapture.

There are two major themes which spoke to me in the book. Firstly, the importance of kinship, from the most raw and intimate connections to the most basic and simplistic act of kindness to a wandering traveller; the foundations of humanity lies in social interaction and are as precious as the air we breathe. The duty people have to explore and understand the world we live in, to question it, to get out there an experience it. The Jolly Pilgrim leads by example, grabs every opportunity with both hands and truly lives each moment.  A truly inspiring book.

               

“Human Safaris” exposed

The human zoos of colonial times are now quite rightly seen as a barbaric and cruel exploitation of indigenous peoples. And yet, every year hundreds if not thousands of tourists illegally pass through protected national parks and nature reserves in order to glimpse tribal communities in their natural land. The latest tribe to be involved in the controversy is the Jarawa tribe of the Andaman Islands in India. With a population of just 200-300 people they are already under threat from poachers who occupy their land and steal their means of survival. This tribe, and many like it, have chosen to resist interaction with the outside world although they have already had a severe decline in population numbers due to outbreaks of Western diseases such as measles.

Recently the British newspaper, The Observer, along with other charities and NGO’s dedicated to protecting the lives of indigenous people uncovered evidence of local authorities being bribed to turn a blind eye to such excursions. Videos have been revealed of policemen ordering Jarawa women to dance in order to entertain the tourists who eagerly snap photos of the tribes’ exotic attire. Furthermore, an audio recording of an under-cover journalist discussing bribes with a tour provider has caused outrage as it exposes not only the corruption of the authorities but also the discrimination against the native tribe as the journalist is told tips and tricks to tempt the people out of their safe environment with biscuits and sweets.

In the vast majority of cases, these trips are the result of an innocent curiosity about the tribes’ way of life shown by many tourists. However, tour operators are exploiting this interest for monetary gains and care little for the welfare of the people themselves. The roads built to accommodate such trips are damaging to the wildlife and environment surrounding the Jarawa and providing their means for subsistence. NGO’s both in India and abroad are working to encourage the Indian government to do more to help as well as raising awareness amongst tourists about the negative effects of the industry.

A world without Wiki?

Can you imagine a world without every student’s favourite reference site, Wikipedia? On the 18^th of January such a world became a reality as the largest online encyclopaedia, which has taken over a decade to build, blacked out its website for a day in protest of legislation proposed by US Congress which might put the future of websites such as Wikipedia, Facebook and Google at serious risk. The bill, if passed, would enable officials to prevent access to websites which contain pirated material. Wikipedia have commented saying that the The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) “will severely inhibit people's access to online information. This is not a problem that will solely affect people in the United States: it will affect everyone around the world”, and therefore they are hoping to encourage users to share their views with through social media and other mediums. Despite many websites being monitored for copyright infringements, it is possible that some of the millions of pages published every day go undetected. However, if this is detected by officials, the entire site will be shut down, not just the specific page. The bill even extends to cover links to pages which are associated with piracy. There are many signs that protests like these are working; last weekend, Senator Cardin, who cosponsored the legislation, announced he will vote against it along with President Obama. The cause has now reached a tipping point, but with Wikipedia leading the protest, the issue has been thrust into the public interest and the reaction has been overwhelming.