FinPol Digest

  On a tense Sunday afternoon in Amsterdam’s Dam Square, police detained over 100 pro-Palestine demonstrators who had gathered in defiance of a newly enacted protest ban. The ban was upheld by an Amsterdam court earlier that day in response to escalating tensions involving Israeli football fans and counter-protesters. While the demonstrators maintained a peaceful stance, chanting slogans like “Free Palestine,” they were swiftly met by police in riot gear. For a city like Amsterdam, known for embracing public demonstrations, the ban was an unexpected development. Just three days prior, violent confrontations broke out between Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and local residents. The scenes on Dam Square seemed surreal to many, as police engaged with demonstrators, leaving tourists and onlookers shocked. Al Jazeera’s Step Vaessen reported seeing tourists from India wearing the keffiyeh, who were questioned by police despite their lack of involvement in the rally, underscoring the tense atmosphe...

  The situation in Balochistan remains volatile. On July 28, authorities and military forces opened fire on a peaceful public gathering led by Dr. Mahrang Baloch of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). From Mastung to Turbat and Khuzdar to Quetta, every city is under heavy security control. Gwadar, however, is completely sealed off, with little information available about the situation there. Videos have surfaced showing security forces opening fire and apparently arresting human rights activists Sammi Deen Baloch, Sibagatullah Shah, Sabeha Baloch, and numerous protesters. Reports indicate that the bodies of protesters who were killed have not been returned to their families, as security forces have seized them. Despite a curfew-like situation, Mahrang Baloch bravely addressed the people gathered in Gwadar on July 28. Her and the BYC leadership's decision to hold a jalsa on that day was a courageous act. “Gwadar belongs to the Baloch. No one has the right to stop us from entering t...

  In recent days, a wave of protests has swept through Canada as hundreds of Indian students face the threat of deportation. These students, who had arrived in the country with hopes of pursuing their education and building a better future, find themselves in a state of uncertainty and distress due to what they perceive as an overnight change in immigration policy. This article aims to shed light on the situation, explore the reasons behind the protests, and highlight the challenges faced by these students. The uproar began when the Canadian government implemented a sudden policy change affecting Indian students studying in certain educational institutions. Under the new rules, these students are required to meet stricter criteria to maintain their study permits and continue their education in Canada. Among the requirements are higher language proficiency scores and a more limited ability to work while studying. The students affected by this policy shift argue that it was implement...

Demonstrators in Morocco have branded their government as traitorous over Rabat's ongoing normalization with Israel and its refusal to condemn the Israeli military over its act of aggression against the besieged Gaza Strip on Friday, which lead to the death of 44 Palestinians including 15 children. Carrying banners, Palestinian flags, and wearing keffiyehs, protesters chanted "Oh, traitor rulers" yesterday in Casablanca's Sraghna Square. One activist was quoted by the New Arab as saying: "As we condemn the Zionist entity's war crimes in Gaza, we also call on the Moroccan state to cancel the normalization accord that emboldens the occupation to continue its crimes." "[Morocco's] foreign ministry statement does not honor Moroccans or Morocco as it supports the Israeli narrative," the protestor added. Following Israel's widely condemned offensive, Morocco's foreign ministry issued an official statement stating: "[Rabat] follows wi...

 Mahsa Amini's death sparked nationwide protests in Iran last year. Numerous clashes and intimidation and intimidation followed the protest between the youth, the police, the government, even students, and journalists. And even not long after that, there was no internet in the city. The government of Iran tries there level best to suppress the protest, they start arresting protesters, punishing them, they also cut down their freedom of speech. They cut down the freedom of speech online. The Irish government used online devices to track the protesters. People and protesters and their supporters start posting and spreading all their struggles and injustices that were being done by the Irish government on social media platforms. And the government knows that protesters need to communicate to rise the protest more powerfully. So, they peacefully cut down the internet in the region. This time, the internet and social platforms are the best and easiest way to communicate. Article 19 wh...

 That day when Soorena* was arrested on a main road in the center of the capital of Iran- Valiasar Square, Tehran the whole city looked like a battleground. Many of the victims explained their fear of that September’s eve, they said that a water cannon truck was black and was hosing people who were protesting and the protesters were trying to revert and save themselves by throwing wheels, etc. The smell of tear gas was in the air, and between these, Soorena got arrested. Soorena is just 17 years old and said by remembering the day of arrests by the police, she could find herself amongst the people who attacked the truck.  She was blindfolded and put in the police van. This arrest of Soorena happened after Mahsa Amini ’s death in police custody. That Kurdish-Iranian 22 old woman who died on September 16 in the police custody But Soorena was lucky because she was a minor, and she was transferred to a youth detention center and filed as an under-18. Because she was a minor She wa...

 The world’s second-richest man, Elon Musk, has urged Brazilians to solve matters amicably as supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the country's Supreme Court, Congress, and the presidential palace. Musk reportedly wrote on Twitter, "I hope that the people of Brazil are able to resolve matters peacefully." Protests erupted in Brazil against current Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. They said that the current president took over the helm of Brazil after narrowly defeating his predecessor during the elections. The protesters flooded into the seat of power in Brasilia, asking Lula to stop taking power since he narrowly defeated Bolsonaro in the October 2022 runoff election. The protesters invaded the floor of Congress and trashed the Supreme Court headquarters, demanding Bolsonaro take over the country. Lula condemned the incident as a "fascist" attack. Lula also signed a decree to restore law and order in Brasilia, the capi...

 The Iranian judiciary has closed a jewelry store and restaurant belonging to football legend Ali Daei after he supported protesters' calls for strikes this week, local media reported yesterday. The ISNA news agency, quoting the judiciary media center, said Daei's shop and restaurant in Tehran's fashionable north end had been ordered to close. ISNA added that "after cooperating with anti-revolutionary groups in cyberspace to obstruct peace and business of the market, a court order was issued to close the Noor Jewelry Showroom." It added that an order had been issued to close a restaurant linked to Daei, without providing further details. Daei said last week that he had been targeted with threats after supporting the protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old died on 16 September while in the custody of the morality police, for violating the strict dress code imposed on women in the Islamic Republic. Protests have been ongoing since her death. Da...

 Hundreds of women marched in Omdurman, a city in Sudan, and Khartoum State on Thursday. The women gathered there to protest against sexual violence in response to allegations that 13 women were raped during anti-military rule protests, that were held earlier in the week. The protests hit other Sudanese cities as well.  Women's groups organized the protest on Thursday. It was supported by neighborhood resistance committees and political parties. Activist Walaa Abdelaziz said that they (military) use rape to scare them and prevent them from protesting. She further added, “ We will not stop, we will not be afraid.” Another activist named Amira Gomaa also protested against the military. She said, “This protest proves that we will not be broken no matter what.” Reportedly, some of the protesters beat drums, while other protestors chanted, "The military belongs in the barracks, and the streets are full of women." United Nations received reports from Sudan The UN (United Nation...

 Anti-government protests in Iraq have seen a never-ending curve and now have grown to the extent of police resorting to extreme measures. These protests have been going on for over a year and a few days ago the protests marked their one-year anniversary and on the second day of the show, the police clashed with dozens of protesters and fired tear gas in Baghdad. The police took this step when some of the protesters started burning tires and hurling rocks on the strategic Al-Jumhuriyah bridge across the Tigris River, an area that leads to the famous green zone. According to the photographs released by AFP, the police can also be seen using stun grenades. As per reports, the green zone is only separated by a concrete wall from where the protests are being held in Tahrir square. Iraqi reports cannot enter the green zone where the parliament, government offices, and the United States embassy is situated. Iraq has seen the largest protest ever since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. ...