What we’re protesting today

GlobalPost
The World

Another Monday, another spate of protests.

Today's roundup of global protests includes Americans demonstrating against George Zimmerman's acquittal, Bangladeshis demanding a harsher sentence for the mastermind of war crimes and Greek civil servants resisting new austerity measures.

And much more. Those thirsty for justice aren't taking the summer months off.

1) Zimmerman verdict

Rallies sprung up across the United States in reaction to a verdict declaring George Zimmerman not guilty of killing Trayvon Martin.

Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder after shooting Martin in Florida last year, but on Saturday night his self-defense plea was accepted by the jury.

The verdict has not silenced the debate, however. Protesters who believe that Zimmerman racially profiled Martin before shooting him have been newly incensed by Zimmerman's acquittal. 

This footage, courtesy of NewsPoint, shows the reaction of the crowd outside Sanford courthouse in Florida, where the Zimmerman trial took place, as the "not guilty" verdict was delivered on Saturday night:

(Stranahan/NewsPoint)

Most of the protests have been peaceful, though some in Los Angeles grew tense when protesters threw objects toward police forces. Here's another NewsPoint video showing the LAPD allegedly firing rubber bullets to disperse protesters:

(MightyD100/NewsPoint)

An LAPD spokesman told CNN that at least nine people were arrested during the night from Sunday to Monday.

2) Bangladeshis seek justice

A special Bangladesh court sentenced Ghulam Azam, 90, the wartime head of the largest Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami, and now its spiritual leader, to 90 years in prison for masterminding atrocities during the 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.

Here, a Bangladeshi social activist shouts slogans against Ghulam Azam, whom she and other protesters wanted sentenced to death, outside a court in Dhaka on July 15, 2013.

(Munir uz Zaman/AFP/Getty Images)

3) Cameron meets Thein Sein

Protesters in London's Parliament Square opposed a visit to the UK by Myanmar's President Thein Sein on Monday. Thein Sein is due to talk trade, aid and democracy with British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Activists are urging Cameron to discuss human rights with the president, as well as fears of ethnic cleansing following months of violence between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar. At least 237 people have been killed in religious violence over the past year and about 150,000 people have been displaced.

In this photo, protesters dressed as Thein Sein (left) and Cameron meet outside Parliament on July 15, 2013, in London.

(Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

4) Barcelona calls for PM to quit

Hundreds took to the streets of Barcelona on Sunday to protest corruption at the highest level of government.

The protest was sparked by the publication of friendly text messages Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy purportedly sent to the disgraced treasurer at the heart of a funding scandal.

According to reports, Luis Barcenas, the former ruling party treasurer, is suspected of running a party slush fund financed by corporate donors who were then rewarded with state contracts.

(Carlos Sánchez Almeida/NewsPoint)

5) Bedouins out of the desert and into the street

Thousands of Bedouin marched to protest a government plan to settle tens of thousands of their desert-dwelling people in permanent townships in Israel.

There are around 260,000 Bedouin in Israel, mostly living in and around the Negev desert in the arid south.

In this photo, a Bedouin protester is being detained by Israeli policemen during a demonstration on July 15, 2013, in the southern city of Beersheva.

(David Buimovitch/AFP/Getty Images)

6) Greenpeace occupies nuclear plant in France

At 5 a.m. Monday morning a group of Greenpeace activists entered the Tricastin nuclear power plant in southern France.

They projected messages onto the walls of the plant reading "Tricastin nuclear accident," "President of the disaster?" and "ready to pay the price?"

Fifty police arrived at the site and 21 activists were arrested at about 10 a.m., according to the group.

(Greenpeace France/NewsPoint)

7) Taiwan's labor woes

Dozens protested Monday in front of an Adidas flagship store in Taipei against poor working conditions.

(Mandy Cheng/AFP/Getty Images)

8) India still battles caste

In India, the government classifies some people based on their social status. The Other Backward Classes (OBC) are described as "socially and educationally backward classes," and the government is obligated to ensure their social and educational development.

Accordingly, there is a quota for OBCs in public sector employment and higher education. The government must reserve 27 percent of seats for them. This is a controversial rule that some feel perpetuates class divisions rather than repairing them.

Indian students protested the rule Monday as it pertains to OBC candidates in the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission, in Allahabad on July 15, 2013.

(Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images)

9) Turkey ill at ease

Turks continue to protest Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's rule, though some aren't stopping there.

Nearly a year ago, a Turkish court jailed 330 military officers for as long as 20 years on charges of plotting a coup.

On Monday, protesters marched outside an appeals court in Ankara. Here, a relative of the jailed officers holds a sign that says "This soldier is not what you believe he is."

(Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images)

10) Bahrain protests after violence

Anti-government protests took place across Bahrain on Sunday evening following a second consecutive weekend of violence.

On Saturday a bomb wounded four police officers near the village of Janabiyah, west of Manama. Police said later that security forces arrested "one terrorist" who had been involved in preparing the bomb.

Demonstrations on Sunday took place in Manama, Nuwaidrat and Sitra and Nabi Saleh with protesters taking to the streets, and police repressing the demonstrations with tear gas. In this video, police suppress a protest in Manama:

(Manama SumoodRv/NewsPoint)

11) Greece's new austerity protests

The Greek government submitted to parliament on July 9 a bill containing fresh reforms to be undertaken by Athens in exchange for a new tranche of bailout loans. The bill, which includes details about the redeployment of civil servants, has sparked widespread protests. Municipal police have been protesting for eight straight days.

Here, a policewoman makes the victory sign in front of the Greek Parliament during a demonstration on Monday.

(Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty Images)

12) Trouble in Northern Ireland

Riots flared in Northern Ireland after police tried to enforce a decision banning the Orange Order from marching through a Catholic republican area of Belfast during their annual July 12 march. The march commemorates King William of Orange's victory over Catholic King James II in 1690.

Hundreds of extra police were deployed to Northern Ireland on July 13 following a night of rioting in Belfast that left 32 officers injured and a politician hospitalised.

Here, a young loyalists protester sits down on the ground next to riot police in North Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 13, 2013.

(Peter Muhly/AFP/Getty Images)

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