Hundreds of protesters have broken into a Chevron site after the US oil giant resumed its search for shale gas in northeast Romania. RT’s Lucy Kafanov reports from the scene, where clashes ensued as riot police started streaming in. Some 250 people gathered on Saturday in the village of Pungesti. RT’s Lucy Kafanov reports that the demonstration kicked off quite peacefully with the protesters chanting “Chevron go home.”

“The situation then escalated. Some people had run across the road towards the Chevron property, there was a bit of a commotion, and we saw the protesters run into the property; the surrounding perimeter fences were taken down," Kafanov reports. Local media said people were able to tear down fences to 20 acres of land owned by the company.

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The demonstrators also demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Victor Ponta, according to AFP. Ponta became a strong supporter of the energy source, despite apparent opposition prior to his election.

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The camp has been the scene of demonstrations for over a month and a half in total, with thousands rallying across the country in recent months. Pungesti clashes took place between police officers and protesters only the previous week. Outraged participants were as old as 67, according to Kafanov. "There is this very tense climate, and people have a lot of anger…for what’s going on here," said Kafanov.

Open Letter to the Three White Students Who Filed a Discrimination Complaint Against Their Black Teacher



Hi guys. Before you ask, I'm white too. Someone wise said social activism tastes better when the waiter is white, and while this is unfortunate, you clearly aren't listening to your professor, Shannon Gibney, so I thought I'd take a moment to clear some things up, mano-a-mano. You know, Caucasian-a-Caucasian.

Let me make something clear right up front: you have no real idea what it's like to be discriminated against on the basis of race. Neither do I. You know why? Because we're white. We're white people in America, and that means almost every aspect of the country we live in is geared toward us: 99 percent of books, television, film, magazines, and even porn, is made for us and represents us. Maybe you read (though for some reason I deeply doubt it) my article on the absurdity of #WhiteGirlsRock. It's absurd because white people don't need an extra reminder of their value... because it's reaffirmed for them (for us) every single day by the people we see in the media, by the people that run this country, and yes, even by the people that act as our educators. American education has long been under fire by people who use their brains over the continued teaching that Christopher Columbus was a great dude and a hero and someone we should all celebrate year after year. But you probably still think that, don't you?

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Is this where things started to get uncomfortable for you? I imagine the first lecture on America's legacy of brutality and oppression left you in shock. Maybe you thought that particular professor was just a wayward nut job. But then another class discussed institutional racism, and another. And you began to squirm in your seat because whoa this wasn't just one time where your whiteness -- the thing that you might have squeaked by on for the entirety of your short life; the thing you've unconsciously relied upon to get you out of trouble with the campus police, out of detention and on the honor roll in high school; the thing that might have gotten you your consecutive summer jobs -- that thing, that whiteness, is being criticized, not just once by one random professor who your privilege enables you to ignore, but more than once. You see petitions and articles on the Internet talking about racism and bias and...gasp...white privilege. And you're sick of it, right? Because who wants to sit in a room full of people, people who don't all look and sound like you, and talk about the ways that you are flawed? That's uncomfortable. That's awkward. That doesn't feel good. It feels like being singled out; it feels like being held accountable for things you don't feel responsible for; it feels like being defined by the color of your skin; it feels like being blamed; it feels like being...discriminated against.

But it's not discrimination, boys. And here's why. Because this is one classroom in your entire life. One speck of discomfort in an ocean that is your life of privilege. Because white supremacy dictates that your skin -- and let's not forget your maleness -- will make things fundamentally easier for you than for a person (and especially a woman) of color. That feeling of being on the spot? Of being defined by the color of your skin? Of being blamed for things that other people of your color do, even if you have not done them yourself? That's not a classroom for people of color. That's life. There's no walking out of class. There's no transferring to a different professor. There is only more of the same, with the hope that dialogue, education, and activism will pull the collective ostrich head from the ground, bit by bit, until that structural racism that you don't like talking about is eradicated.

Monsanto – one of the most influential corporations among members of Congress – has hired former U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln's lobbying firm, the Lincoln Policy Group, to do its bidding in Washington, D.C.

Cashing in on her public service by helping massive corporations like Monsanto gut food safety, public health and transparency laws is just wrong. That's why I started my own campaign on CREDOMobilize.com, which allows activists to start their own petitions. My petition, which is to former Senator Blanche Lincoln, says the following:

Cashing in on public service by lobbying for unethical corporations is offensive to the American people. Senator Lincoln: Stop lobbying for Monsanto.

Tell former Senator Blanche Lincoln: Stop doing Monsanto's bidding in Washington, D.C.

Earlier this month, Monsanto helped defeat an initiative that would have required genetically modified foods sold in my home state of Washington to be labeled. The company dumped millions of dollars into misleading TV ads to confuse Washington state residents and keep us in the dark about what we're eating.

Lincoln’s lobbying firm has also hired her former staffer Robert Holifield -- who served as her staff director on the Senate Agriculture Committee when she was the committee chair -- as a partner at her lobbying firm. This shows that Lincoln is going beyond using her own connections she developed as a senator to cash in – she’s actively recruiting former congressional staff to boost her efforts to influence leaders on Capitol Hill.

Monsanto is clearly already far too influential in the halls of Congress, as evidenced by the “Monsanto Protection Act.” This legislation, which was anonymously added to a must-pass budget bill in March, allowed Monsanto to ignore food safety laws and disregard court opinions.

Lincoln has also done lobbying work for telecommunications company Nokia and major credit reporting bureau Experian -- and she's continuing to seek new clients as she grows her firm. By shining a public spotlight on Lincoln's lobbying for Monsanto we can damage her firm's reputation with other potential clients and send a strong message to elected officials that cashing in on public service by lobbying for unethical corporations is unacceptable.

Will you join me and add your name to my petition to former Senator Blanche Lincoln to demand that she stops lobbying on behalf on Monsanto?

Thank you for your support.

Bill Moyer