‘The Left’s Problem with Palestine’ Part 1, Trans Women’s Experiences of Incarceration, Fighting Energy Poverty in Australia, Fundraiser for Sisters Inside, Sudan and Palestine

Thursday Breakfast

Acknowledgement of Country// Headlines// We listened to part one of a talk given by Palestinian scholar and theorist Abdaljawad Omar during the early October 2024 teach-in 'The Left's Problem with Palestine', co-convened by CUNY for Palestine and Grad Center for Palestine. In this talk, held in the lead up to the first anniversary of the Al Aqsa Flood operation of October 7th 2023, Omar critically analyses the Western left's reflexive condemnation of Palestinian resistance both on that date and more broadly, and the implications of this hasty disavowal for a genuine engagement with anticolonial struggle. We'll play part two next week, but you can watch the full talk and subsequent extended discussion between Omar and Jodi Dean here.// Content warning: this conversation touches on themes of transphobia, sexual assault (r*pe), and suicide. If you require support, you can call QLife( (national) - 1800 184 527 (3PM - midnight), Rainbow Door(Victoria) - 1800 729 367 (10AM-5PM), Lifeline (national, 24/7) 13 11 14, and the Suicide Callback Service (national, 24/7) 1300 659 467. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners can also call 13YARN on 13 92 76 or Yarning SafeNStrong on 1800 959 563. As part of our '16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence' we revisit a piece from 3CR's Trans Day of Audibility 2024 special programming, where Priya caught up with Katie and Stacey, two trans women with lived experience of incarceration in the Victorian Prison system. Katie and Stacey speak about their experiences of transphobic violence while being incarcerated in men's prisons, their fight to access gender-affirming care, self-advocacy, and how the state tries to quash rehabilitation and second chances in the community. Listen back to the full set of conversations for our Trans Day of Audibility 2024 broadcast here.// Antipoverty Centre spokesperson Kristin O'Connell joined us to talk about the catastrophic impacts of energy poverty on low-income folks in so-called Australia. On Monday this week, Antipoverty Centre, Parents for Climate and Sweltering Cities launched their Stop The Bill Shock Campaign by delivering a $173 million energy bill to Origin Energy headquarters, with the figure representing the estimated cost to the company to wipe the slate of energy debt owed by the 98,000 Origin customers currently on a hardship program. The campaign is demanding an end to price gouging by Australian energy retailers and immediate debt forgiveness for consumers experiencing financial hardship in the face of over a decade of increasing energy poverty in the country. As Kristin mentioned during our chat, Antipoverty Centre are encouraging people to share their stories about energy poverty and difficulties with energy retailers here.//Ibi spoke with us about a fundraiser event running this Friday the 6th of December at Catalyst Social Centre raising money for Sisters Inside and mutual aid initiatives for people in Sudan and Palestine. Head to Catalyst at 144/146 Sydney Road, Coburg, tomorrow from 6:30PM to enter an art raffle, enjoy food and drinks by We Eatin' Good, listen to music and poetry by incredible BIPOC artists, and grab some second-hand clothes for a good cause. Organisers are sharing updates on the fundraiser via Black Peoples Union’s Instagram, and you can also donate directly to Sisters Inside here, Bakri’s (@bakri2) fundraiser for Sudan here, and Ibrahim’s (@ibrahim_palestine20) fundraiser for Gaza here.//