Latest news with #AmazonLaborUnion
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
The Take: From Amazon to the Gaza flotilla – the journey of an activist
Labour activist Chris Smalls is back in the US after imprisonment and abuse by Israeli forces for joining the Handala Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. He tells us about his time in detention, the silence from the US, and what the flotilla movement means for worldwide solidarity with Palestinians facing genocide. In this episode: Chris Smalls (@Shut_downAmazon), founder of The Amazon Labor Union Episode credits: This episode was produced by Chloe K Li, Sonia Bhagat and Julia Muldavin, with Sarí el-Khalili, Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Melanie Marich, Kisaa Zehra, Marya Khan and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Kylene Kiang. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take's executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
CBS News
7 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
New York activist returns home after reportedly being detained by Israeli forces on aid ship to Gaza
A New York labor advocate and American citizen is home after a harrowing journey. Chris Smalls was one of 21 activists the Freedom Flotilla Coalition says were detained by Israeli forces in international waters while on board an aid ship bound for Gaza on July 27. The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel says Smalls was held for five days in an Israeli prison. The Freedom Flotilla organization accused Israeli forces of discriminatory treatment of Smalls while in their custody, saying he was "physically assaulted by seven uniformed individuals. They choked him and kicked him in the legs, leaving visible signs of violence on his neck and back." Smalls told CBS News New York only that he was exhausted and had been on a hunger strike, but did not discuss his treatment while in Israeli custody. The Israel Defense Forces referred us to the Israeli foreign ministry for comment. So far, we have not heard back. Smalls was greeted by his family and hundreds of supporters at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Friday. "Free Gaza. Free the people of Palestine. That's all it's about," Smalls said. "We're happy that it's over. He's safe, so that's all that matters," Smalls' mom said. Smalls first received notoriety in 2020 for his efforts to unionize Amazon workers on Staten Island and later co-founded the Amazon Labor Union. "He's a working class hero in the tradition of Nat Turner. He took a stand for Palestinian freedom, not knowing whether he would be able to come back or not. We salute him," supporter Stephen Millies said. "As a person who is a part of a union, it's just very inspiring that he crossed the seas to support," another supporter said. "We're gonna send another flotilla. Another one after that. And we're never gonna quit and give up," Smalls said.
UAE Moments
29-07-2025
- Politics
- UAE Moments
Freedom Flotilla: US Activist Chris Smalls Assaulted in Israeli Custody
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) has reported that prominent US labor activist Chris Smalls was physically assaulted while in Israeli custody after being detained during a humanitarian mission to Gaza. Smalls, the former president of the Amazon Labor Union, was among 21 international activists and journalists aboard the ship Handala when it was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters. According to a statement released by the FFC, Smalls was violently attacked by seven uniformed individuals while in detention. 'They choked him and kicked him in the legs, leaving visible signs of violence on his neck and back,' the coalition said in a social media post. The incident reportedly occurred before his lawyer was granted access to meet with him. During that meeting, Smalls was surrounded by six members of Israel's special police unit, a show of force that the FFC claims was not used against other detained activists. The organization strongly condemned what it called the ' discriminatory treatment ' of Smalls, demanding transparency and accountability for the assault. Smalls' presence on the Handala was part of the Freedom Flotilla, a campaign involving civil society members from around the world who aim to break the blockade on Gaza by delivering humanitarian aid and drawing global attention to the crisis in the Palestinian territory. Handala followed the Madleen mission, which also ended in the deportation and arrest deportation of the volunteers, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. The FFC emphasized that all participants on board were engaged in a peaceful mission and had committed to nonviolent principles. The group's claims raise serious concerns about the treatment of detainees by Israeli authorities, particularly in cases involving high-profile international figures. As international pressure mounts, human rights organizations are now calling for a thorough investigation into the reported assault and broader scrutiny of Israel's handling of peaceful protest actions related to Gaza. The incident has drawn widespread outrage, with supporters of Smalls and the Freedom Flotilla demanding his immediate release and a public inquiry into the use of force against nonviolent activists. This article was previously published on qatarmoments. To see the original article, click here
Middle East Eye
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
US activist Chris Smalls ‘choked, kicked' while detained by Israeli forces
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) has said that Israeli forces violently assaulted US labour organiser Chris Smalls while he was in custody. In a statement posted online, the group said: 'Seven uniformed individuals … choked him and kicked him in the legs, leaving visible signs of violence on his neck and back.' The FFC added that when Smalls' lawyer visited him, he was surrounded by six members of Israel's special police unit. 'This level of force was not used against other abducted activists,' the coalition said, describing the incident as 'discriminatory treatment' and demanding accountability. Smalls, the former head of the Amazon Labor Union, was among 21 international journalists and campaigners aboard the Handala when Israeli forces intercepted the aid vessel in international waters near Gaza as they were attempting to deliver humanitarian supplies to the besieged enclave.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Shut It Down': Why Adam McKay Is Endorsing a Mass Strike for Workers Across Industries
On Thursday Don't Look Up filmmaker Adam McKay appeared at the virtual town hall of a grassroots group attempting to help organize a general strike, encouraging participants to 'shut down this broken, befouled economy.' McKay joined a town hall for the 'General Strike 4 Resignations' group alongside Chris Smalls, the co-founder and former president of the Amazon Labor Union and one of the subjects of the 2024 documentary Union, which McKay executive produced. More from The Hollywood Reporter Writers Guild West Staffers Launch Their Own Unionization Drive (Exclusive) My Mother, the Hollywood Scab Writers Guild West Bars Members From Working on Martin Scorsese-Produced Film Due to Randall Emmett's Role The idea of a general strike — however realistic or unrealistic — has gained momentum in select activist and labor circles in the last few years as a means of changing the status quo in the U.S. The general idea is that if enough working people, unionized or not, withhold their labor across the country, they can establish enough leverage to change policy. While still far from mainstream, two leaders of major stateside unions — Association of Flight Attendants international president Sara Nelson and United Automobile Workers president Shawn Fain — have endorsed the notion, with Fain calling on fellow unions to time their labor contracts to expire on May Day 2028 to make a mass work stoppage possible for organized workers. McKay is a believer, as he demonstrated on Friday. 'I am here because I am terrified,' he told the modest group of attendees, which hovered a little above 30 over the course of the town hall. 'I have two daughters and a wife that I love, and I became friends with a bunch of climate scientists. Then at that point, I started to petition our government to do something about this calamity [climate change] that is happening right in front of our faces. And look, I'm a Hollywood guy, so we have money, we talk to people. You can be like, 'Screw you.' But I am here to tell you, the people in Washington D.C., the people in London and the Western countries do not give a shit about what's going on.' McKay added that he has tried to push the Democratic left 'for years' to no avail. 'Eventually I started to figure out, 'Oh, they don't want to offend their money.' So the two parties at this point are useless. So what do we do? And what we do is we shut down this broken, befouled economy.' Over the course of the conversation with Smalls and the General Strike 4 Resignations organizers, which occasionally meandered to the topics of the Blue Origin all-female space trip, AI, Palestine and socialism, the filmmaker promised that he would pledge $250,000 to a strike fund to help cover the living costs of people in the southwestern U.S. if a general strike came about. 'If you're a wealthy person and you're hearing this, you are delusional if you're not giving money to the same fund,' McKay said. The filmmaker also emphasized the importance of spreading the idea of a general strike through word of mouth, saying that his work in the media industry has shown him that the business is always trying to recreate those kind of exchanges. He underscored the urgency of climate change and its effects, like rising global temperatures. 'I kind of feel like the whole reason we're here is that every one of you needs to say, 'Fuck social media, fuck the press.' Talk to the people to your left and right and say 'shut it down,'' he said. 'It is a monster death machine. And I am telling you, I have met with so many scientists and so many economists. Shut it down. We can do it. We really can.' McKay has been active in climate causes in recent years, donating $4 million in 2022 to the Climate Emergency Fund and joining the board of directors. In 2023 he launched the nonprofit Yellow Dot Studios, which seeks to activate people around climate change with entertaining short-form videos 'that challenge the decades of disinformation pushed by oil companies and amplified by large swaths of elected leaders and the media,' according to the organization's website. As Donald Trump amassed electoral votes during the 2024 presidential election, which he eventually won, McKay — who has in the past identified as a Democratic Socialist — posted on X that 'it is time to abandon the Dem Party. I'm registering Green Party or Working Families. But am open to ideas.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
