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Interviews and analysis on uprisings and resistance with Jon Elmer & Nora Barrows-Friedman.

Jon Elmer, Nora Barrows-Friedman, Pierre Loiselle


    • Mar 5, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 55m AVG DURATION
    • 45 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Brief Podcast

    043 Gaza siege: A history

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2024 79:00


    The siege on Gaza and the role of the Palestinian Authority are critical context for the Israel's assault on Gaza. On this episode we take a look at the history of the blockade and how Israel has ghettoized the Palestinian population.

    042 Ceasefire proposals

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2024 45:46


    We take a look at the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange proposal that Hamas and the Qassam Brigades responded with after a proposal put forth by Mossad, Shabak, CIA, and Egypt intelligence chiefs in Paris. You can watch this episode on the Anti-Empire Project's Sit Rep series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyG87r_48a4   

    041 October 7th

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2024 52:57


    On this episode, the October 7th military raid by the Qassam Brigades that collapsed the Israeli military's Gaza Division. We take a look at the events of October 7th on the heels of an Israeli media report that detailed the raid in a minute-by-minute timeline from Israeli military and intelligence sources who participated in the battle.   Episode: 041 October 7th Date: 20 January 2024 | Length: 52:57   This is a podcast version of an episode of the Anti-Empire Project's Gaza War Sit Rep series.

    040 Remembering the Second Intifada

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2024 94:40


    We are joined from the West Bank by Abdaljawad Omar to discuss the formations of Palestinian resistance during the intifadas of the 1980s and 2000s and how that trajectory led us to 7 October and the current war on Gaza.

    039 War on Gaza IV

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2023 67:19


    Nora and Jon are joined by Justin Podur to discuss the war on Gaza, now 72 days on. You can follow Jon and Nora's twice-a-week Gaza livestreams at: https://www.youtube.com/@TheElectronicIntifada/streams

    gaza justin podur
    038 War on Gaza III

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2023 73:26


    Nora, Jon and Justin are joined by Matteo Capasso to discuss the defence of Gaza and the implications of the battle for Israel and the Empire.   This episode is a joint operations room production with The East is a Podcast, The Anti-Empire Project and The Brief Podcast.

    israel east empire gaza anti empire project
    War on Gaza II

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2023 67:39


    Nora and Jon are joined by friend of the show Justin Podur to discuss the war on Gaza, now three weeks on.

    gaza justin podur
    036 War on Gaza

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2023 21:50


    Nora and Jon are joined by longtime Gaza ER doctor Tarek Loubani to discuss the war on Gaza. You can follow Jon and Nora's daily coverage of the war at https://www.youtube.com/@TheElectronicIntifada/streams

    035 Montreal's first Haitian street gang

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2023 39:58


    Les Bélangers, Montreal's first Haitian street gang, wasn't the criminal enterprise it was painted as by Quebec police and a willing media in Canada in the 1980s. At first, it wasn't even a gang; it was a group of friends who fought back against the racist violence that their community was routinely subjected to in city parks and schools, on the metro and in downtown bars. We are joined by the leader of Les Bélangers, Maxime Aurélien, and by Ted Rutland, professor at Concordia University in Montreal; they are together the authors of Out to Defend Ourselves: A History of Montreal's First Haitian Street Gang. Visit The Brief Podcast online: http://thebriefpodcast.com/

    034 Mohawk Warrior Society

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2023 70:23


    The Mohawk Warrior Society is one of the most successful militant organizations in North America. Their predecessors were key to the defeat of the French in Quebec and the United States in the War of 1812. Today, the Warriors are best known for their role in the 1990 Oka standoff against the Canadian army. In the new book, The Mohawk Warrior Society: A Handbook on Sovereignty and Survival, the movement for the first time tells its own history. We are joined by the editors of this unique anthology of resistance, Philippe Blouin, Matt Peterson, Malek Rasamny and Kahentinetha Rotiskarewake and also by Kwetiio and Karennatha who, along with Kahentinetha, are members of the group Kanien'kehà:ka Kanistansera, the Mohawk Mothers.

    033 Flashpoint Jerusalem

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2023 36:28


    Israel attacks the al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem and rocket-fire from Lebanon, Syria and Gaza points to the potential for a multi-front regional response to future Israeli violence.   Nora Barrows-Friedman and Jon Elmer discuss the latest events in Palestine.

    032 West Bank escalation

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2023 45:09


    Israel steps up its military attacks targeting a new generation of Palestinian fighters in the West Bank. Nora Barrows-Friedman and Jon Elmer are joined by Justin Podur to discuss the implications of the internal crisis in Israel and the ramping up of violence against Palestinians.

    israel palestinians west bank escalation nora barrows friedman justin podur
    031 Anti-Racist Action

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2023 58:44


    Anti-Racist Action was unified behind a basic principle: "We go where they go. Whenever fascists are organizing or active in public, we're there." What began as street fighting in the punk scene soon developed into a militant direct action network with chapters across the US and Canada. Authors, KRISTIN SCHWARTZ and MICHAEL STAUDENMAIER, join us to talk about the newly released movement history, We Go Where They Go: The Story of Anti-Racist Action.

    030 Origins of the US Constitution

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2022 57:11


    The US Constitution (1787) was written in the face of three significant insurrections: Indigenous resistance to colonization; revolts of the enslaved; and an armed uprising of farmers. It was drafted to protect property against the threat of political and economic justice. In part three of our trilogy on rebellions of the enslaved and the origins of the United States we are joined by ROBERT OVETZ to discuss his new book, We the Elites: How the US Constitution Serves the Few (Pluto 2022).

    029 Slave rebellions

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2022 50:59


    Resistance by enslaved Africans before and after the Declaration of Independence  played a critical role in the origins of the US. Historian Gerald Horne joins us to discuss the fierce and persistent fight for abolition in the mainland slave colonies of the US.  We will look at three of Professor Horne's books on the topic. The Apocalypse of Settler-Colonialism: The roots of slavery, white supremacy, and capitalism in 17th-century North America and the Caribbean; The Counter-Revolution of 1776:  Slave resistance and the origins of the United States of America; and Negro Comrades of the Crown: African Americans and the British Empire fight the US before emancipation. This episode builds on our previous show 028 with Marcus Rediker on the slave ship and the story of resistance across the Middle Passage.

    028 Slave ship revolts

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2022 56:55


    The trans-Atlantic slave ship was part factory, part prison, part war machine and it was a critical component in the establishment of race, class and capitalism in the Americas. MARCUS REDIKER is back on the show to discuss his book, The Slave Ship: A Human History, the first dedicated account of the vessel and the remarkable story of resistance that marked every aspect of its journey.

    027 Colombia's left turn

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2022 36:54


    Colombia has voted Leftist ex-rebel Gustavo Petro to the presidency in an historic election. We are joined by Colombian doctor and political activist, MANUEL ROZENTAL. Justin Podur is with us for the hour as well, for this roundtable on the impact of the elections in Colombia. This is a joint operation with The Anti-Empire Project and The Brief Podcast. There is a video recording of the show and bonus content about FARC and Plan Colombia on our Patreon.com/Colombia page.

    026 Destroying Yemen

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2022 58:06


    On this episode we discuss the war in Yemen and the role of the West in arming and supporting the US-Saudi-Gulf coalition, with Isa Blumi, author of Destroying Yemen: What chaos in Arabia tells us about the world.

    025 Resistance in Jenin

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2022 50:38


    Veteran al Jazeera journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, was shot and killed by the Israeli army during an IDF raid in Jenin earlier this month. Asa Winstanley and Nora Barrows-Friedman are joined by Jon Elmer to discuss Shireen's murder and the armed struggle in Jenin. This episode is a joint effort with the Electronic Intifada podcast.

    024 Sankara's revolution

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2022 73:37


    Thomas Sankara's assassination in October 1987 abruptly ended the life of a revolutionary Pan-Africanist who transformed Burkina Faso in four years of remarkable revolution.  We are joined by AMBER MURREY and AZIZ FALL to discuss Thomas Sankara, his political project in Burkina Faso and his anti-imperialism abroad.

    023 Indigenous resistance

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2022 55:01


    Gord Hill joins us to discuss colonization and resistance in the Americas on the occasion of the release of his revised and expanded The 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance Comic Book.

    022 Fall of Kabul

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2021 53:30


    Kabul's US-backed government collapses as its soldiers surrender en masse to the Taliban. We are joined by Max Blumenthal, author of The Management of Savagery, to discuss the end of the US occupation of Afghanistan.

    021 Prison break in Palestine

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2021 43:09


    Historic prison escape by Palestinian militants from Jenin. Fighters from Islamic Jihad and al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades tunneled out of Israel's maximum security Gilboa prison and spirited into the night. Tarek Loubani joins Jon Elmer and Nora Barrows-Friedman to discuss the great escape and their experiences of life in Jenin during the intifada.

    020 Without police

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2021 48:30


    Geo Maher joins us to reflect on the summer of rebellion that followed the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and how we build toward 'A World Without Police.' On the Bookend, it's Peter Collins' posthumous collection of artwork 'Free Inside:  The Life and Work of Peter Collins'. We hear an archival interview of ours with Peter from prison in 2004.

    Settler Canada (special broadcast)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2021 59:58


    A Canada Day reckoning as Indian Residential School properties become crime scenes with the (re)-discovery of unmarked graves of Indigenous children. We are joined by Tyler Shipley to discuss Canada's first foreign policy – its genocide of the Indigenous nations in the path of capitalist settlement. This broadcast is a co-production of The Brief Podcast and The Anti-Empire Project.

    019 Great Railroad Strike of 1877

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2021 61:58


    We discuss early US labour militancy and the birth of modern policing with Robert Ovetz, author of When Workers Shot Back.

    Ceasefire in Gaza (special broadcast)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2021 51:14


    Palestine roundtable reconvenes to reflect on the Gaza attack and take stock of the ceasefire. Nora Barrows-Friedman is an editor at the Electronic Intifada, Jon Elmer is a journalist who lived for years in Gaza, Justin Podur is the author of Siegebreakers, and Tarek Loubani is an emergency room doctor, often at Shifa, Gaza's main hospital. This broadcast is a co-production of The Brief Podcast and The Anti-Empire Project. Production by Pierre Loiselle and music by Greg Wilson.

    War in Palestine (special broadcast)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2021 60:18


    Recorded on Day 7 of the war in Palestine, this roundtable brings together decades of experience working in Palestine. Nora Barrows-Friedman is an editor at the Electronic Intifada, Jon Elmer is a journalist who lived for years in Gaza, Justin Podur is the author of Siegebreakers, and Tarek Loubani is an emergency room doctor, often at Shifa, Gaza's main hospital. This broadcast is a co-production of The Brief Podcast and The Anti-Empire Project. Production by Pierre Loiselle and music by Greg Wilson.

    production gaza palestine special broadcast shifa greg wilson electronic intifada nora barrows friedman justin podur anti empire project
    018 Attica prison uprising

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2021 69:44


    Heather Ann Thompson joins us to discuss her Pulitzer Prize winning book about the uprising and massacre at New York's Attica Prison in September 1971. And we feature an archival interview with a central-figure in the uprising, the late Splitting the Sky.

    new york pulitzer prize uprising splitting attica prison heather ann thompson
    017 Revenge capitalism & the drug war

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2021 62:49


    Max Haiven, the author of Revenge Capitalism, talks the opioid crisis and its roots in neoliberal empire and Garth Mullins, host of Crackdown podcast, describes drug user-led resistance to the drug war.

    016 Pirates (1650 - 1730)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2020 46:49


    Marcus Rediker on The Golden Age of Piracy the revolutionary Atlantic, and the disruption of early capitalism on the seas.

    015 NBA wildcat strike

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2020 57:26


    DAVE ZIRIN talks about the wildcat strikes in pro sports; and MAC SMIFF on 100 days on the streets in Portland. On The Bookend, it's VICKY OSTERWEIL on her new book, In Defense of Looting: A Riotous History of Uncivil Action.

    014 Riots and abolition

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2020 58:07


    Demonstrations continue across the United States against police violence and increasingly against the institution itself.  We speak with Vicky Osterweil and Zoé Samudzi about riots, looting and abolishing the police.

    013 Israeli annexation

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2020 47:33


    Israel moves with White House-backing to declare sovereignty over their illegal West Bank settlements and annex the Jordan Valley border. We speak with Ali Abunimah about deepening Israeli apartheid in Palestine.

    012 Uprising in America

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2020 55:13


    The United States is rocked by protests against police violence as hundreds of thousands march from coast to coast. We are joined from New York by Margaret Kimberley and from Boston by Benjamin Dixon.

    011 Bolsonaro's Brazil

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2020 70:59


    Brazil's new far-right government plunges the country into fascism. We speak with Brazilian scholar and activist, Diana Aguiar, about the downfall of the Worker's Party and the rise of Jair Bolsonaro.

    010 Canada's Saudi arms deal

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2020 65:29


    Saudi's $14B weapons contract puts Canadian armoured vehicles on the frontlines of the war in Yemen. We are joined by Anthony Fenton to discuss the machinations of Canada's junior-partner imperialism.

    009 India crackdown

    Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2020 53:47


    India jails students, writers, and rights activists as the media works in effective coordination with the government inflaming sectarian divides, suppressing dissent and lionizing Modi. We speak to Shalini Gera and Freny Manecksha  about India's Hindutva crackdown.

    008 Kashmir siege

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2020 63:25


    Kashmir's autonomous status is revoked by India's far-right government and the military occupation is tightened with a total communications blackout. We speak with Ather Zia and Mohamad Junaid about the resistance in Jammu and Kashmir.

    007 Delhi pogrom

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2020 54:44


    India's sectarian citizenship law set off months of protests that were met by government-incited mobs sacking markets, neighbourhoods and mosques as police looked on. We are joined by Kavita Krishnan to discuss the Delhi pogrom and right-wing nationalism in India.

    006 Bernie 2020

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2020 34:14


    Bernie Sanders' presidential bid has run into a wall, as the COVID-19 pandemic puts the Democratic Party primary campaign into suspended animation. We are joined by George Ciccariello-Maher to discuss grassroots mobilization and electoral politics. 

    004 Taliban pact

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2020 50:44


    The Taliban and the White House have signed an agreement that would ultimately see US troops withdraw from Afghanistan. After two decades of war, tens of thousands killed, and trillions spent - the US stands to leave a ruined Afghanistan in defeat.

    003 Blockade standoff

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 29, 2020 65:06


    Police move in on the Mohawks at Tyendinaga, setting off a further wave of blockades, disruptions and direct action from coast to coast. Anna Zalik joins us to discuss the oil and gas industry, and Gord Hill talks indigenous resistance.

    002 Blockades expand

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2020 27:22


    After the RCMP raided and dismantled the Wet'suwet'en roadblocks, rail, port and transportation blockades have spread across Canada in solidarity. And they are growing.

    001 Pipeline blockade

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2020 58:23


    The Wet'suwet'en evict Coastal GasLink, who are trying to build a gas pipeline through their territory. We discuss the context of their struggle against the Canadian state and corporations, and talk with Jeffrey Monaghan about the policing of Indigenous movements.   Thanks to Michael Toledano for the audio of Freda Huson delivering the Wet'suwet'en eviction notice and Praxis Media for the excerpt of Dr. Roland Chrisjohn from Hoping against Hope.

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