As promised -- the second edition of [ [link removed] ]Ekō News. We're going to send you
the first few editions just like we send other emails -- but if you want
to keep receiving them, [ [link removed] ]sign up for our new (and free) Substack, here!
(For more information see our original introduction email below.) If
you're also already receiving it via Substack, we apologize for the
short-term inconvenience.
In the meantime, enjoy the second edition -- and since we're just
developing it, please send along any feedback about what you'd like to see
more or less of (just reply to this email)!
Away we go...
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Hello and welcome to the [ [link removed] ]Ekō newsletter. Today we’re covering the Gaza
flotilla, Labour surveillance, Elon Musk polluting the skies, and an EU
rule change that could help corporations.
At home, watching the flotilla
[ [link removed] ]Nadia Milleron’s two sons, Torleif and Adnaan Stumo, are members of the
Global Sumud Flotilla.
Nadia Milleron’s two sons, Torleif and Adnaan Stumo, are members of the
Global Sumud Flotilla.
On Wednesday, as they approached the Gazan coast, both brothers were
abducted by the Israeli military. Because of the Yom Kippur holiday,
they’re not expected to be released until later next week.
The detained flotilla activists are on hunger strike.
The Stumo family is no stranger to political action. Milleron’s daughter,
Samya Rose Stumo, died in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash.
That experience led the family to lobby the US government for safety
regulations on Boeing planes, an effort helped along by Milleron’s uncle,
Ralph Nader.
Ekō caught up with a very busy and worried Milleron for a brief
conversation Thursday.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
So where are things at right now?
We know that Tor is in detention. We’re pretty sure that Adnaan is in
detention. They were abducted many hours apart from each other.
The Israelis seem to have targeted larger boats to approach first. And
that seemed to be a very peaceful—if you can say kidnapping is peaceful,
but at least orderly and non-aggressive.
Adnaan might have gotten the closest to Gaza when the boat was
intercepted.
Which boat was that?
The Mikeno.
[ [link removed] ]I heard that one was close.
Israel came alongside the boat, said, you guys have to turn off your
engine. They didn’t turn off the engine. So Israel bombarded them for four
hours or more with water cannons and some kind of stinky stuff. They got
very, very cold.
People were all lying in a passive position or sitting in a passive
position on the deck in the cockpit. They had trained to not respond, not
do anything aggressive at all in response to anything that Israel would do
or say.
They had trained quite a bit on that and they were following their
procedure and were headed toward Gaza and they just got pummeled. And I
hope that they’re okay as a result of that.
What action items would you like people in our audience, whether they’re
in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, wherever, to take, what, what is the
most helpful thing for people to do at this moment?
The most important is to [petition] your own government, however that is
structured.
We can not allow aggressive, illegal behavior of kidnapping, confiscating
people’s boats and the aid that they have and all the possessions on the
boats. And most importantly, the continued illegal blockage of
humanitarian aid for the people in Gaza, that is a war crime. What they’re
doing is collective punishment.
If we, as a world community, are going to allow this kind of behavior to
continue and just look the other way on it, what are we going to get?
We’re going to get more and more escalation.
[ [link removed] ]Sign a petition today: World Leaders: Protect the Sumud Flotilla Now
In other news
Labour’s scheme to increase the use and application of live facial
recognition cameras is facing backlash. The Equality and Human Rights
Commission has raised concerns and groups like Big Brother Watch are
calling for use of the technology to be curbed, even as corporations that
stand to benefit push for expansion.
“There has to be limits.”—Jake Hurfurt, Big Brother Watch
[ [link removed] ](The Guardian) ([ [link removed] ]EHRC) ([ [link removed] ]the New York Times)
Elon Musk’s satellites are clogging up the skies and could be hurting the
ozone layer, according to new research. His corporation SpaceX’s
megaconstellation deployments could lead to decaying satellites spewing
360 tons of aluminum oxides into the upper atmosphere annually.
([ [link removed] ]Science Focus)
Comedians at a festival in Saudi Arabia are taking heat for performing in
the country. They remain undaunted, however, with the reported payments
for their participation likely making up for any reputational damage.
[ [link removed] ](the New York Times) ([ [link removed] ]Variety)
Here’s your campaign of the day.
[ [link removed] ][IMG]
EU legislators are considering deregulatory actions aimed at rules on
deforestation, fossil fuels, and greenwashing. If the “omnibus proposal”
passes, expect more corporate abuses as the bill would cut staff in charge
of holding them in check.
Already, MEPs are having trouble agreeing on how to move forward; on
Tuesday rules that would have loosened due diligence requirements for
corporations failed to move forward.
Your voice matters.
[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition today
Thanks for reading!
Eoin Higgins and the team at Ekō
PS: In case you missed it earlier, here's the original email about this
new project:
John,
Ekō is starting something new.
For more than a decade, we’ve kept you informed about ways we can use our
collective power to push back against corporate abuse and corruption. And
we’ve had a massive impact, filing shareholder resolutions, changing
policies, buying and protecting forests, and more.
Now, we’re offering a different way to keep up to date on Ekō’s campaigns
and mission. It’s called [ [link removed] ]Ekō News, and it’s a new project on the
newsletter platform Substack.
[ [link removed] ]Sign Up Now! (It's free)
To launch it, we’re working with Eoin Higgins, a US-based journalist whose
work has focused on corporate corruption and power. His book, [ [link removed] ]Owned:
How Tech Billionaires on the Right Bought the Loudest Voices on the Left,
delves into how Silicon Valley’s conservative lean has led to a takeover
of alternative media—and offers a history of characters like Elon Musk,
Peter Thiel, and others.
[ [link removed] ]Ekō News will publish twice a week, giving a digest of stories we’re
following about corporate (mis)behaviour, and taking a deeper dive into
one story or character from the news. We’ll also interview people making
change and show you the impact of our work together.
Please [ [link removed] ]sign up today—we hope to see you there. (It’s free, but we’d
love support for the new initiative and there will be an option for a paid
subscription, too.)
Ekō is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.
Please help keep Ekō strong by chipping in $3. [link removed]
