Transcripts For WHUT Democracy Now 20130214

We will speak with Michael Brune and actress daryl hannah, both arrested on wednesday. Then to rain, were a teenager has been shot dead by Security Forces as protesters mark the second anniversary of their pro democracy uprising. Finally, 1 billion rising. I just want you to imagine today that when you dance, when you put your bodies on the ground, your feet you move your body and soul, that we are literally dancing up the will of the world to end violence against women and girls. We will go to congo to speak with eve ensler, founder of 1 billion rising and v day. All of that and more coming up. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. In rain, a teenage boy has been killed by Security Forces during protests marking the second anniversary of the countrys prodemocracy uprising. Opposition activists said the boy died from shotgun wounds. At least 87 people have died at the hands of Security Forces in the gulf nation since 2011. Despite the crackdown opposition protesters are flocking to the streets across the country. Bahrain is home to the u. S. Navys fifth fleet and a close u. S. Ally in the region. Well have more on the protests later in the broadcast. In the United States, nearly 50 people were arrested wednesday in front of the white house calling on president obama to reject the keystone xl pipeline. The pipeline would deliver Tar Sands Oil from canada to refineries in texas. But critics whove joined a mounting campaign of civil disobedience say it will bring climate disaster. On tuesday, a group of protesters including leading scientists, activists and celebrities sat down and refused to move. Some ziptied themselves to a fence. Those arrested included environmentalist bill mckibben, actress daryl hannah, and nasa climate scientist james hansen and former chair of the naacp julian bond. The protest was a landmark for the Sierra Club Environmental group after its board endorsed an act of civil disobedience for the first time in its 120year history. Director Michael Brune was among those arrested. So we know we cannot win on Climate Change if we continue to talk about it but not do anything. So the sierra club is engaging in civil disobedience for the first time because with a moral catastrophe on our hands and need to do what we can to compel stronger, bolder action. We will be joined by Michael Brune and actress daryl hannah after the headlines. President obama as pick for treasury secretary faced questions over his wall street past at a Senate Confirmation hearing wednesday. Jack lew defended the bonus of nearly 1 million he received while working at citigroup just a few months after the bank added taxpayer bailout worth billions. He was also a question of his investment of tens of thousands of dollars in a citigroup fund listed at a building in the Cayman Islands that obama himself has referred to as the largest tax scam in the world. Wallace citigroup, jack lew oversaw a unit that reportedly profited off the housing crisis by investing at a hedge fund that bet in favor of the collapse. Among those to question jack lew is republican senator orrin hatch of utah. You have stated to support the volcker rule, yet your the chief operating officer for two units engaged in the sort of activities that the rule is meant to prevent. Therefore, if youre really were confirmed, it could be awkward in which your role as chair of the fsoc youd be saying, do is i say, not as i did. I was not in the business of making investment decisions. I was certainly aware of things going on and working in a financial institution, learning a great deal about the financial products. But i was not designing them and i was not planning on the maker of jack lew served as obamas chief of staff before being nominated for the post of treasury secretary. The Senate Intelligence committee has announced it is selling a vote on whether to confirm john brennan as cia director as it waits for more information on the Drone Program he has orchestrated. On wednesday, a committee chaired i am feinstein reiterated a demand to see all nine classified justice or memos on the supposed legal basis for targeted killings of u. S. Citizens. Two memos were released in the Committee Last week. Lawmakers have also floated the idea of creating a special court to review strikes on u. S. Citizens. South african Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond tutu weighed in on the plan in a letter to the New York Times writing meanwhile in new york, nine people were arrested wednesday after blocking the gate of a base where drones are operated remotely. The protesters held signs condemning the killings of children and other civilians as they stood in front of the entrance to Hancock Field Air National Guard base near syracuse in upstate new york. The European Union and u. S. Have confirmed plans to begin negotiating what could be the biggest ever freetrade deal of its kind. President obama noted the potential agreement in his state of the union speech on tuesday. Lori wallach of the Group Public Citizen criticized the plan, writing at least 11 undocumented immigrants and their allies were arrested wednesday after interrupting a Senate Hearing on immigration reform. The protesters from around the country were calling for immediate action to end the Obama Administrations unprecedented deportations. They rose to their feet and interrupted remarks by Homeland Security secretary janet napolitano. You are destroying our committee. Stop the deportations. Stop the deportations. A quick stop the deportations. Stop the deportations. Authorities in california are denying they intentionally set a fire that consumed the cabin where fugitive former Police Officer Christopher Dorner was believed to be hiding. Dorner is suspected of killing three people in a campaign of terror against the Los Angeles Police department, which he accused of racism and corruption. A share step it was also killed in a shootout at the cabin. Remains recovered from the bird outside have yet to be officially identified. And questions remain over how the fire got started. An audio recording from a Police Scanner appears to show officials from the san bernadine no shares Department Planning to deploy burners. Listen carefully. Go forwarding to with the plan of the burners. Like we talked about. The burners are deployed and we have a fireproof burners deployed and we have a fireproof sen. The no sheriff said the term burners refers to tear gas canisters. I can tell you it was not on purpose. We did not intentionally burn down that cabin to get mr. Dorner out. The tear gas canisters that we use, first off, we used a cold teargas and then we used the tear gas that was pyrotechnic. It generates a lot of heat. We introduced those creditors into the residence and a fire erupted. Authorities said Christopher Dorners wallet and drivers license were found at the scene. In minnesota, a man has been charged with murder after shooting spree that killed a young boy. Nhan lap tran allegedly opened fire on passing cars monday night, apparently at random. A nineyear old boy died after whe was shot in the head while riding in his mothers min. An his mother and a woman in another car were both injured. In maryland, two people are dead after university of maryland student shot his roommate and then took his own life. The gunman had been arguing with his roommates when he brandished a gun and opened fire. The third roommate survived and is expected to recover from his injuries. People around the world are rising up today and taking to the streets to dance on this valentines day. Their actions are part of a Global Movement to end rape and Sexual Violence called 1 billion rising, launched by playwright eve ensler, creator of the vagina monologues. Actions have already been held in afghanistan, indonesia, nepal, india, australia, new zealand, sudan and more. Here are the voices of some of those who danced in the philippines. In an action that can free women and bring us together. When you think of women being raped or beaten [indiscernible] the form of dance is breaking free from that oppression openly. More than 1 billion women are expressing the views and we cannot just let it pass. That is why we want this day to mark an end to violence against women. Among those to voice solidarity with 1 billion rising is Anoushka Shankar, the daughter of the legendary sitar player ravi shankar. She told her own story. As a child a separate sexual and the most all of these for several years at the hand of a man by parents trusted implicitly. Growing up, i suffered various forms of groping, touching, verbal abuse and those were things i did not know how to deal with, did not know i could change. As a woman, i find i am frequently living in fear, afraid to walk alone at night, afraid to answer a man who asks for the time, afraid im going to be judged were treated in ways based on the way i might choose to dress or the make up i might choose to wear. Enough is enough. World renowned sitar player Anoushka Shankar. Todays global their activism against violence dawned with the news Paralympic Champion Oscar Pistorius has been charged with murdering his girlfriend. Model Reeva Steenkamp was shot and killed at the athletes home early this morning. A Police Spokeswoman said neighbors heard shouting and police had previously been called a home for domestic issues. Pistorius become a global phenomenon as the first double amputee to run in the olympics. Every day, around the world, three women are murdered by their intimate partners. We will be speaking with eve ensler, founder of v day and 1 billion rising, later in the broadcast. The indian activist Sankaralingam Jagannathan has died at the age of 100. He was a lifelong advocate for social justice and the landless poor. In 2008 he won the right livelihood award along with his wife, known as the alternative nobel. His wife he died on tuesday in southern india. Those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. Welcome to all our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. 48 environmental activists were arrested wednesday in front of the white house as part of an ongoing protest calling on the Obama Administration to reject the keystone xl pipeline. The proposed 1,700 mile pipeline would deliver Tar Sands Oil from canada to refineries in taxes. The action came before a rally planned for sunday on Washingtons National mall, which organizers have dubbed the largest climate rally in history. Among those arrested on wednesday were two top leaders from the sierra club the executive director Michael Brune and president allison chin. The protest marked the first time the sierra club has engaged in civil disobedience in its 120year history. Others arrested included julian bond, bill mckibben, james hansen, robert f. Kennedy jr. , and daryl hannah. There were charged with failure to disperse and obey lawful orders, and released on 100 bond each. This is robert f. Kennedy jr. And julian bond. I think president obama is going to kill the pipeline. Why do you think . Because it is the right thing to do and i think he knows that. He has a strong moral core and i think john kerry does, too. It ultimately, i think he would not do something that is this catastrophic and irresponsible and reckless. This is a decision that affects all americans and we want to make sure he does the right thing, which is to say no to the pipeline. It is a great deal for canada and mexico but does not do much for the u. S. That was julian bond, the former chair of the naacp. The protest outside the white house came one day after president obama addressed Climate Change during his state of the union if congress will not act soon to protect future generations, i will. I will direct [applause] i will direct my cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take now and in the future to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of Climate Change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy. We go now to washington, d. C. , where were joined by two other protesters who were arrested yesterday outside the white house. Michael brune is executive director of this year club. His most recent book is called, coming clean breaking americas addiction to oil and coal. And were joined by daryl hannah, the actress and activist who previously was arrested in texas in october for protesting the keystone xl pipeline. We welcome you both to democracy now Michael Brune, this is historic for your organization. In his 120year history, you are the first leader of the organization to get arrested in civil disobedience. Why . First, thank you for having me on the show. It may be surprising that an organization like the sierra club that has been around for so long and a part of so many important fights that we have civil disobedience. But we look at the tar sands pipeline project and it is a boondoggle, such a climate disaster that we realized we have to use every single tool of democracy in order to fight this thing. We will fight it in the courts, in statehouses and here in the beltway and the streets, but we realized we have to do every single thing we can to make sure that instead of putting 7 billion into a dirty oil pipeline, that we are investing in clean energy instead. And the importance of this particular decision the government must make on the xl pipeline in terms of the continuing crisis of Climate Change in the country and around the world . That is the challenge. Last year we had record droughts and record wildfires and temperatures a full degree above. The first big test of the president for his commitment to Climate Change is whether or not were going to build the pipeline that would take almost 1 Million Barrels of oil every day, the dirtiest oil on the planet, ship it through the u. S. And have most of it be exported. What were trying to do is to convince president obama he needs to put his full muscle and full ambition to match the scale of this challenge. Not just about the pipeline, but making sure were turning away from fossil fuels, the most extreme sources of dirty energy everywhere, drilling in the arctic, blowing the tops of our mountains, building this tar sands pipeline all of those would deepen and extend our dependence on fossil fuels when clean energy is growing by leaps and bounds. It is coming on line in record proportion. We want to push obama as aggressively as we can to a clean energy future. Michael brune, huddie had a chance to speak with president obama had he had a chance to speak with president obama . He made a very strong statement at the state of the union address. I have not spoken to him since his inaugural address. We are talking to white house officials. The clear message we want to deliver is the president has an enormous amount of executive authority, and we won his ambition to match the scale of this challenge. I agree with what Bobby Kennedy said yesterday, we believe the president has a solid moral core and we believe he is committed sincerely to fighting Climate Change. In that context, we cannot build a pipeline from the tar sands. You should not draw for oil in the arctic or build a liquefied natural gas export terminals that will make fracking happen everywhere across the country with even more intensity. So the challenge right now is to show the president that we have his back. Every time he stands up to big polluters, we will defend his policies. At the same time, we will push the president as far as he needs to go. He did allude in his address to his ability to use his executive powers to be able to implement policies to help the country reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions. Is this the first big test as far as youre concerned of how serious he is about his threatened to use of executive power . Yes. Look at the last two speeches he gave. In his inaugural address and then in a state of the union, he made the best argument for why we have to tackle Climate Change. He said we need to do it because with a moral, a response ability to future generations and to our own generation. He also talked about the Economic Opportunity in the clean energy transition. What we need to do now is to say, when you stand up to these large oil companies, massive coal and gas companies, we miln the was already being powered by clean energy, and hundreds of millions of people in the u. S. And around the world that will fight for a clean energy future. We have a Grassroots Movement in this country. Many will show up on the National Mall on sunday, february 17, the largest climate rally in u. S. History. But the challenge now is to show this movement is bigger than big oil, bigger than big goal and the gas industry. And we are just as creative and relentless as any opposition the president might based. In 2011, i asked the National Petroleum what youre pushing so hard for this pipeline. She denied having any financial interest saying theyre looking out for the countrys Energy Security. This is an excerpt of what she said. Api does not have a financial interest. Were looking out for the Energy Security National Security and we also see supply flexibility and reliability benefits to being able to bring the Third Largest Resource Base from canada, and our number one trading partner, down to our largest Refining Center in the gulf. That was thatschild of the American Petroleum institute. Your response . Look, this is a decision between what is right and whats is easy. We have been building pipelines for more than a century, building coalfired power plants and oil refiners for more than a century. We know how to do that. We know how to build that infrastructure. The whole point of fighting Climate Change is we cannot do that anymore and expect to have a stable climate. Last year the International Energy agency said if we want to keep warming below two degrees celsius, an increase in temperatures between 3. 5 degrees fahrenheit, at least twothirds of the oil and coal and gas that we know about all around the world has to stay in the ground. Twothirds of our fossil fuel reserves has to stay in the ground if we want to have a shot at keeping warming to 3. 5 degrees fahrenheit, which is a reckless goal considering weve only had an increase by decree so far. In that context, why would we exploit new sources of oil that are even dirtier than conventional welding . Why would we drill in the arctic . Why would we blow off the tops of mountains just to get a little coal . If were going to win on Climate Change, we have to start taking bolder action now. The good news is, solar is cheaper than ever before. Wind is cheaper than ever before. Nine states get at least 10 of their power from wind. California, iowa. All around the country, millions of people are getting their power from clean energy. Millions more are working in the in the working in the clean energy. We have a shot at arresting Climate Change, but we cannot kid ourselves and keep investing in fossil fuel of the same time. Michael brune, executive director of the sierra club, thank you for being with us. It is the first time in the organizations 120year history that a head of the organization has been arrested. When we come back from the break, we will be joined actress and activist daryl hannah who was arrested in texas protesting the xl Keystone Pipeline and she went to jail yesterday in washington, d. C. For protesting the same pipeline. Stay with us. [music break] back in 2009, musicians and celebrities from around the world released this reworked version ahead of the u. N. Climate talks in copenhagen. For those listing on the radio, go to democracynow. Org to check out the music video. Daryl hannah is an actress and activist, was arrested last year in texas for protesting the keystone xl pipeline. Yesterday she joined 47 others, including julian bond, the former chair of the naacp, leading civilrights activist Robert Kennedy jr. , attorney, Michael Brune who is the head of the sierra club, in getting arrested once again, this time in front of the white house. Daryl hannah welcome back to democracy now why did you get arrested again over this issue . Unfortunately, this lethal beast does not seem to go away. Also, the southern leg of the Keystone Pipeline is already being put in the ground as we speak, so as i would like to believe what Robert Kennedy, jr. Said and Michael Brune said about the president s intentions to not pass the rest of the keystone xl pipeline, but unfortunately, i dont know that his actions will match his words in terms of the Keystone Pipeline. So far, he has fasttrack the southern leg. The Keystone Pipeline is basically a conduit to the expansion of the tar sands project up in canada, which are incredibly destructive to our life support systems. Daryl hannah, your rap sheet is developing within these various protests you have been involved in. But you have also been outspoken in terms of the influence of lobbyists and some of the key Democratic Leaders both the president and obama president obama and Hillary Clinton as well. It is important to recognize that we no longer have or can have faith that corporations are not going to stop themselves from making record profits, obviously, so theyre not going to stop themselves and i dont think we can have faith the government has the mechanism to stop these things either, since Citizens United and corporations can put money in the pockets of our politicians. I think it is incumbent upon us, upon citizens, to show up and stand up and take action such as the brave move the sierra club has stepped up to and this demonstration that will happen on the 17th and speakout and let their voices be heard. The polls show the majority of people in this country are very, very concerned about the climate crisis. And they want action. And so the only way that is going to happen is if we insist upon it. President obama again and again says, pushback me. We need to push him and let ourselves be heard. Last night there was very little attention paid to this protest. The day after the state of the union address. Most of the people, i assume youve got arrested of all of you, almost 50, supporters of president obama. For example, as i watched through the night, on msnbc, i saw no mention of the protest. Instead, it was on the debate between republicans and democrats, the republicans who they kept on saying, do not believe in Climate Change, and the democrats were trying to push ford on Climate Change. What about that issue of the pressure on president obama not from the republicans, but from traditionally his supporters who are willing to get arrested, forcing him to take a stand against the keystone xl . The coverage issue is interesting. I think that my dusted been a bad timing choice to do this demonstration after the state of the union because a lot of the news organizations that were interested in booking some of the people who were participating in the civil disobedience already had commitments to congressman, etc. , to have them on their shows. But nevertheless, i think this is the time for even his supporters to stand up. President obama is not up for reelection, so this is a time to make him take action and be aware that his legacy is at risk here, that we need him to be a president that shows real leadership, that performs actions that are brave and not just talked about. And use his executive power. Daryl hannah, will you be in washington on sunday for this major rally western i hope so, i am supposed to work on friday. Thank you very much for joining us, daryl hannah, actress and activist, previously arrested in texas october for protesting the keystone xl pipeline and a rested yesterday in washington, d. C. , among almost 50 others protesting, calling for the Obama Administration not to approve the keystone xl. They put off the decision twice, president obama put off the decision soon after 1200 people were arrested in front of the white house, saying he would do it after the election. Once again, theyre saying the announcement will be made in the spring. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. We turn now to rain were Security Forces shot dead a teenager earlier today as pro democracy protesters mark the second anniversary of their uprising against bahrains king. Protests are taking place in numerous cities across the country to mark what has been described as the longestrunning uprising of the arab spring. Daily demonstrations for the past two weeks have called on u. S. Bought monarchy to address widespread human rights abuses. At least 87 people have died at the hands of Security Forces since 2011, and thousands more have been injured. Pressure is growing for the Obama Administration to consider relocating the u. S. Navys fifth fleet from rain in order to push for more accountability on promised reforms. This week the government held reconciliation talks with opposition parties in the first time in more than a year. A for more were joined by bahrain activist maryam al khawaja. Her father is Abdulhadi Al Khawaja and has been jailed since the governments crackdown. She served as the acting president of the brain center for human rights ever since the groups head nabeel rajat was a arrested and jailed. The group has just published a new report titled two years of debts and detentions. Maryam alkhawaja also serves as the codirector of the gulf center of human rights. Her sister has also been imprisoned. The second anniversary with yet another killing of a protester, this a teenager. The repetition of the willingness of the bahraini regime to use Excessive Force against people coming out to protest, are calling for dialogue. The government takes this as an opportunity for people to take to the streets to a express their opinions. It is the second anniversary of the uprising. They did what they always do, which is used Excessive Force against protesters taking to the streets. Since very early morning, protesters have been coming out. It started with people walking to the mosques for morning prayers and were shot at and chased by riot police. Since then, we have seen protests allaround bahrain and as ever single village. A young boy only 16 years old, was shot at very close range with a pellet shotgun, which is usually used for hunting birds. He died before they could get into the hospital. Maryam alkhawaja, you recently returned to bahrain after selfimposed exile. Youre able to visit your father and your uncle in jail. Could you talk about how conditions have changed since the beginning of the uprising to currently . Of course. When i left bahrain, people were still gathered at what was known as pearl square. It is a completely different scenario i returned to. I left the country that was full of people ecstatic with this demand for freedom and dignity and rights, and you had tens and hundreds of thousands of people on the streets. I came back to a country where people even in numbers of 15 to 20 people could not come out of their houses to protest without being attacked by riot police within five minutes. I saw this with my own eyes. Bahrain looked like it had completely turned into a police state. There are armored vehicles, riot police ever were you go. You can be stopped at a checkpoint at any time. If youre from certain groups from a surge of backgrounds, you could be completely humiliated, verbally abused during these checkpoints. Also at risk of getting arrested. Even the feeling of being in the country has completely changed. There is this feeling of insecurity and being unsafe, but when you go in the different villages and meet with the people, you see the spirit has not changed. People still have this believe that no government can outlast its people and if they decide to continue going, they will continue protesting that it is only a matter of time before change comes. M, the time to buy or sister who was imprisoned can your being imprisoned . Shia several cases against her. One of the examples of what the government when the government does not know how to deal with people, like people using peaceful methods to defy the status quo, a lot of people have been trying to do the same thing she does on the streets. The thing is, one of the things i noticed about bahrain, if you have International Attention [indiscernible] to some degree what my sister was able to do on the streets, many others could not. Or they may scream at my sister, she has been arrested before, but what happens to other people who take the same stand, it would be far worse. I was talking to a former member of torture who had no lawyer during interrogation. I said, why would you answer any question without demanding your lawyer be there . Another victim of torture who is sitting with the started laughing and said, do you think everyone is your sister . If we demand to see a lawyer, the interrogator says, locked the door, i now have a mckibben to my questions. Can you talk about the u. S. Role in this with the fifth fleet and then talk about saudi arabia as well . One of the main issues of bahrain of why the human rights situation deteriorates is because of the lack of accountability. Both locally and internationally. When were talking locally, we see people in positions like the National Security apparatus to are responsible, even according to the governments own report of the inquiry, they are responsible for many of the violations that took place in sometimes even gettingtaking ags in these mass uprisings, we have not seen the steps taken toward bahrain. If anything, the opposite has happened. We have been seen the selling of arms to bahrain by the u. S. And u. K. And others. Ongoing business as usual when it comes to economic deals. In the name of security and the situation in the region, they are willing to turn a blind eye to those violations of their allies because they say for security reasons. Unfortunately, that is the same excuse russia uses to continue supporting syria. The situations and regimes are very different, but the blind these governments are using to continue supporting the regime that commits humanrights abuses are the same lines. I think it is unfortunate because the u. S. In the short term and may seem like it strategic, but in the long term it is not sustainable. If anything, theyre raising antito listen to it in a very fast way. Losing a big credibility. On the security issue, the saudi monarchy as well as others are arguing against pressure against thebi government, alleging much of the popular unrest is being filled by iran seeking to stir up the shia population bahrain. Your response to these allegations of iranian or iran being behind the uprising there . First of all, it is not very difficult to understand the situation in bahrain. The governments report brought about by the king accepted by the king, the commission of inquiry found no bahraini influence. But beyond that, the Civil Rights Movement started in the 1920s, long before the Security Issues of iran. At a time when the shah was best friends with the royal family in bahrain. These uprisings in bahrain have been happening almost every 10 years since then. This is nothing new. Even in a plain and simple way, why would a government that does not allow freedom and liberties and rights to their own people tell an entire population of another country to go and take to the streets to protest for rights and representation and freedom . Even the very basics of the situation would not make any sense for iran to be involved. This is about oppression, the fact the government of bahrain has been oppressing the people for so long that people said enough is enough. They were inspired by what happened in tunisia and egypt and took to the streets and demanded dignity and human rights. Thank you for being with us, maryam alkhawaja, acting president of the Bahrain Center for human rights. Her father, Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, also head of the organization, has been jailed since the governments crackdown, and she is replacing nabeel rajat, who was also head of that organization, who is also in prison right now she is in the United States on the second anniversary of the bahrain uprising, after returning to bahrain for two weeks, for the First Time Since she is living in selfimposed exile in copenhagen for two years. When we come back, we go to congo to speak with eve ensler, founder of v day and 1 billion rising. [music break] on this valentines day, this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. People around the world are rising up today taking to the streets to dance, their actions are part of a Global Movement to end rape and Sexual Violence called 1 billion rising. It was launched by playwright eve ensler, creator of the vagina monologues. Actions have already been held around the world. The Campaign Highlights the startling statistic that 1 in every three women on the planet will be raped or beaten in our lifetime. Thats over 1 billion women. Activists and celebrities have contributed to the campaign by sharing their own stories in a series of videos, like this message from Anoushka Shankar, the daughter of the world renowned sitar player ravi shankar. I am Anoushka Shankar from india, living in london but when i was in high school in the u. S. , and helped run a Feminism Club along with friends. The adults used to laugh and find it quite cute. A few years later in my early 20s, i look back and 19 itself thinking the look back at my team itself thinking i knehad bn quite me. I think it was the girl in my twenties that was naive. Theres nothing to buy what is going on in the world. What is now leave is wanting to change it. As a child, i suffered sexual and Emotional Abuse for several years at the hands of a man my parents trusted implicitly. Growing up, like most women i know, i suffered various forms of groping, touching, verbal abuse and other things i did not know how to deal with, did not know i could change. As a woman, i find im frequently living in fear. Afraid to walk alone at night, afraid to answer a man who asks for the time, afraid im going to be judged or treated in ways based on the way i might choose to dress or the make that i might choose to wear. Enough is enough. I am rising. I am rising for jodi and women like her. I am rising with the amazing woman of my country who are together calling and saying enough is enough. I am rising for the child in me who i dont think will ever fully recover from what happened to her. So join me. Lets rise. Lets dance. Dance with the power to heal, to transform. Lets transform ourselves and this world. Lets rise together. That was a star player Anoushka Shankar, daughter of the late musician ravi shankar and sister of norah jones. She will join people more than two other countries to date to dance in an effort to end the violence for women and girls. In a moment we will be joined bye from the congo. Go to the video she just made. Hi, everyone. I am here in the democratic republic of condo on the verge of the rising, 1 billion rising. I think it will be the biggest Global Action history of humankind on the planet for women to end the violence and to bring about a time when women are cherished, save, free, and equal. I just want you to imagine today that when you dance, when you put your bodies on the ground, when you put your feet on the mother, when you move your hips, when you move your soul, that we are literally dancing up the will of the world to end violence against women and girls. I could never have dreamed up the averse to the of this movement. Where queen of the carnival in rio de janeiro. We have prime ministers of croatia and australia, nuns, zumba dancers, an extraordinary dancer in pakistan who will be dancing in karachi where it is dangerous. We have women who have never danced before and women who are literally risking their lives to dance. We have movie stars and domestic workers, my coworkers, union leaders, nurses, doctors, we have every type of person on the planet. I really believe this day will literally change the mindset, the power dime and the energy of the planet. And when we wake up on the 15th, we will not be finished with our efforts. We will begin the next stage of our effort where violence against women and girls will never be marginalized again and we will have called up the intention and the energy to make sure we live in a world where women are safe and free. One of the greatest things about this movement is how connected we are across borders, crustaceans, across tribes. And we are in this together. We know violence against women is a global phenomenon and is not particular to culture or nations are families, but something all of us are impacted by. When you dance, imagine your dancing with everybody on this planet. Imagine youre connected to everyone on this planet and dance or 1 billion rising dance so that we are safe and free and women are equal and cherished and come into our rightful power. That is eve ensler, founder of v day and 1 billion rising campaign, speaking in congo or she is right now in this city of joy. Welcome back to democracy now our first time speaking to you as you listen to yourself explain what is happening, what have you seen so far today . Thank you, amy. It is such an amazing day, beyond our wildest dreams, i have to say. I have been here all day and it has been absolutely gorgeous. Thousands and thousands of people came to this open square , like an open field. Thousands of people came with both joy and anger, outrage, and a real desire to come together. One of the exciting things about 1 billion rising is really having an impact [indiscernible] he spoke so beautifully. The governor was here. One thing that struck me was the general of the police force, publicly in front of thousands of people, he presented a signed contract, and memoranda of agreement for v day that theyre committed and contracted to ending and kennedy of Sexual Violence. It has never happened here. I can see how the wave of 1 billion rising is now pushing people in positions of power to begin to act on things that not acted on in the past. House of to say the act as we spoke to today, the women and men, were so passionate and radical and militant to hear of. Ow women are treated it was amazing. I am hearing the same kind of thing from everywhere in the world. Thousands rising in india, all over india, thousands rising in the philippines, bangladesh and afghanistan. I just got an amazing email from egypt where women are rising every they did their first flash mob in mogadishu. It is incredible what is happening. Eve, you spent some time in december in India Following the horrific gang rape of a 23year old medical student. Could you talk about that incident both in india and the impact around the world for Building Support for the movement of the 1 billion rising . Yes. I think the gang rape and murder of josi was a horrific incident of a huge turning point in india and the world. In my lifetime, i have never seen anything like that, were Sexual Violence broke through continents and on the front page of every paper every day the center of College Students discussions come in a restaurant you went to in. There are fast tracking laws, looking at sexual education, patriarchy and masculinity and how that leads to Sexual Violence. One of the great things happening everywhere i have been is the involvement of men. I seen so many men getting involved or not perpetrators but have also not spoken up or been vocal and visible allies in the cause to end of violence against women. I think it is an incredibly great sign. I think after today, after this huge global outpouring and creativity and energetic rising, it is impossible to marginalize violence against women again. It will be impossible. Thank you very much for being with us. We will in the show was some of the voices of 1 billion rising. We begin with the domestic worker, organizer aijen poo. Sometimes women say the most extreme forms of abuse you can imagine. A sexual assault, Sexual Violence, nonpayment of wages, modernday slavery. We are rising because we dont want to be a part of a world where that is acceptable, and we know that women can lead the way to a different kind of world, where everyone can live free of violence with respect and dignity. I represent a movement that has women from all over the world, all different cultures and histories and languages that we speak, and we all share a love for dancing and singing and music and culture. Dance brings us altogether, just like our passion for justice an. I am Rosario Dawson from new york, an actress, and activist. I get to tell stories for a living. I get to collect stories and share them with people for my humanity and connect to others. I am rising because one and three women will be raped, killed, or beaten in her lifetime read i think it is scary and insane to imagine the womens issues and girls issues are a side issue. As long as the continue to not stand up and rise and make it a thing that is at the forefront, we will see every other issue before us continue to fail. Everything we care about will not move forward as long as women and girls are not safe. It is time for us to stand up for that. I am rising because acid attacks are becoming more prevalent in colombia. Because of child brides in india, because of girls who are getting raped on their way to class. That was Rosario Dawson creek before that, aijen poo and before that, eve ensler, Abdulhadi Alkhawaja and khawa, and before that Anoushka Shankar. Democracy now is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. Email your comments to outreach democracynow. Org or mail them to democracy now p. O. Box 693 new york, new york 10013. 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