SUBVRT: Recent Episodes

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An interview with JoJo MehtaShould killing nature be a crime? With JoJo Mehta (Episode 8)0:00/57:541×There are growing calls for the crime of "ecocide", meaning mass damage and destruction of ecosystems, to be recognised in international criminal law. This would ensure that individuals, company directors, CEOs, can be prosecuted for the ecological damage caused by the organisations they head up, like oil spills, deforestation, or soil pollution, wherever these organisations may be.

Could this be the missing piece in the broader battle against climate change? Is it workable? And what are the steps to get there? In this interview, done live for DiEM TV in May 2023, I interview Jojo Mehta, executive director and co-founder of Stop Ecocide International, to find out.

Mentioned in the podcast* Stop Ecocide International * Young Climate Activists Lead Blockade at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner * Eradicating Ecocide by Polly Higgins * The World We Made by Jonathon Porritt * #futuregen, Lessons from a Small Country by Jane Davidson

Subvrt is a podcast for thinking radicals, hosted by Mehran Khalili. It features interviews with people who confront power, and tips and tactics on how to make change happen. Subscribe on iTunes, Google, Spotify or RSS. And sign up to get the weekly Subvrt newsletter, so you don't miss a thing.

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An interview with Miguel DuarteHope in the dark, with Miguel Duarte (Episode 7)0:00/34:011×About this episodeMiguel Duarte is young migrants rights activist who helped save 14,000 people and faced 20 years in prison for it.

Back in 2016, the EU migration crisis was at its peak. Tens of thousands of migrants from Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, and other countries were getting stranded in the Mediterranean Sea, trying to reach Europe on small vessels, unfit for purpose.

Using a converted fishing boat, Miguel and his team saved thousands of desperate people. But his mission came to a halt when the Italian government charged him and his crew with aiding illegal immigration.

In this interview, done live for DiEM TV in April 2022, Miguel shares his fascinating story with me. We talk about how he got involved with sea rescue, the tension between changing the system and providing services, and the establishment's dirty tricks campaign against him and his colleagues. And we also explore why the attacks on Miguel ultimately failed, and how as long as the migration crisis persists, activists will be stepping up to address it.

There are some fascinating, timeless insights here that are worth hearing for activists citizens everywhere.

Mentioned in the podcast* Seebrücke * HuBB (Humans Before Borders) * Open Arms * "Hope In The Dark" by Rebecca Solnit

Subvrt is a podcast for activist citizens, hosted by Mehran Khalili. It features interviews with people who confront power, and tips and tactics on how to make change happen. Subscribe on iTunes, Google, Spotify or RSS. And sign up to get the weekly Subvrt newsletter, so you don't miss a thing.

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An interview with Miriam MeyerDisruptive protest, with Miriam Meyer (Episode 6)0:00/39:481×About this episodeWe're entering a difficult winter here in Europe, with a cost of living crisis and an escalating war in Ukraine. Analysts are predicting a season of activism and civil unrest.

So now is a good time to look at the kinds of protest tactics that force you to pick a side.

My guest is Miriam Meyer, a young German activist with the environmental group Last Generation. She's been getting arrested full time for blocking busy German motorways.

In this interview, done live for DiEM TV in June 2022, we discuss how the group has organised for impact just a few months. And we debate those controversial tactics: does stopping people from getting to work really help your cause?

Miriam gave some thoughtful answers in this interview that we can all learn from. I hope you'll get value out of it for your own activist projects.

Subvrt is a podcast for activist citizens, hosted by Mehran Khalili. It features interviews with people who confront power, and tips and tactics on how to make change happen. Subscribe on iTunes, Google, Spotify or RSS. And sign up to get the weekly Subvrt newsletter, so you don't miss a thing.

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An interview with Chris SmallsTaking the power back, with Chris Smalls (Episode 5)0:00/32:591×About this episodeChris Smalls is known today as the man who took on Amazon and won. He's the leader of the first successful union drive in Amazon's history.

He's inspired workers the world over. He's campaigned with Bernie Sanders. Time Magazine asks: "Is Chris Smalls the future of labor?"

But back when I spoke to him for this interview in May 2020, in a live show for the political movement DiEM25, Chris was the ex-Amazon employee who exposed the corporations unsafe practices on COVID. He was just starting to organize against the company.

This interview is especially interesting given Chris's meteoric rise since it was recorded. It offers a look inside the mind of a real David to a corporate Goliath, someone who took on a problem and flipped it into an opportunity.

I hope you'll enjoy it.

Subvrt is a podcast for activist citizens, hosted by Mehran Khalili. It features interviews with people who confront power, and tips and tactics on how to make change happen. Subscribe on iTunes, Google, Spotify or RSS. And sign up to get the weekly Subvrt newsletter, so you don't miss a thing.

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Vicky van der Togt is a central figure in the grassroots response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s the founder of the Zero COVID Alliance, and a sufferer of Long COVID herself.

In this episode we hear about how grassroots groups are successfully filling the gaps where governments are failing on COVID. We talk about the Zero COVID strategy, COVID myth-busting, and Vicky’s own experience of the disease. And we examine how anyone can join the fight to work on this problem that’s affecting us all.

About this show

Questions or comments? The email address is hello@thetaproject.co. And the show notes are available at www.thetaproject.co

Chapters

00:00:00: Intro
00:02:15: Vicky's COVID activism and how it all began
00:05:36: The Zero Covid Strategy, and the challenges involved
00:10:00: Grassroots wins against COVID (that I bet you hadn’t heard about)
00:11:58: COVID myths busted
00:13:32: How anyone can join the fight against the disease
00:16:02: Why Vicky chooses activism over Netflix
00:17:34: Book/documentary recommendations
00:18:46: Outro

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From its grassroots beginnings as a group built around the idea of reclaiming public space, Don’t Let Belgrade Drown has become a prominent force against the increasingly authoritarian, and as many say corrupt, regime of Serbian President Alexander Vucic.

And they’ve done all this using with a variety of creative, peaceful protest tactics, that I think we can all learn from.

In this edited version of a live interview for DiEM25 TV, Mika discusses how to build a movement, protesting in COVID times, making the jump from being a grassroots group to a political party competing in elections, and of course those creative tactics that Don’t Let Belgrade Drown has become known for.

I found it fascinating talking to Mika. He’s warm, he's funny, and he’s very open about all the failures and lessons learned on his journey to becoming a significant political actor in his country.

About Radomir and Don’t Let Belgrade DrownDon’t Let Belgrade D(r)own (Ne da(vi)mo Beograd) is a Serbian political movement that is gathering large numbers of people interested in improving the living and working conditions of all our citizens; improving, conserving, and lawfully using common and natural resources, building democratic institutions, sustainable urban development, urban and cultural policies and incorporating citizens into the development of their environment.

About this showIf you want to get in touch, the email address is hello@thetaproject.co, and the show notes are available at www.thetaproject.co

Chapters00:00:00: Intro
00:02:46: The challenge: the Belgrade Waterfront mega-project
00:06:18: The value of satire
00:08:03: The Establishment attacks
00:10:50: From grassroots movement to political party: challenges and mechanics
00:17:18: Creative protest tactics
00:20:50: How to build a movement
00:24:32: Protest in the COVID era
00:27:53: Book recommendations
00:28:36: Outro

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Antonis Bougias is a key person in the project Golden Dawn Watch, which has a single goal: to cover the ongoing trial of Greece’s neo-nazi party Golden Dawn.

In this episode I talk to Antonis about the rise and fall of Golden Dawn, the project and the media failures that made it necessary, how to measure impact, and the challenge of trying to remain impartial in the face of neo-nazi ideology.

Antonis gives us some great insight into an unconventional but effective digital activism project. The far-right is gaining power across the world, so the story of how he and his colleagues are tackling them in Greece, is increasingly relevant for all of us.

About Antonis

Antonis Bougias is a digital marketing expert, grassroots journalist, and activist. Based in Athens, he tweets under the handle @ypopto_mousi.

Show links* Golden Dawn Watch * Antonis Bougias on Twitter * Relevant articles: + After murder, defections and poll defeat: the sun sets on Greece’s Golden Dawn (The Guardian, September 21, 2019) + "Golden Dawn: the rise and fall of Greece’s neo-Nazis” (The Guardian, March 3, 2020) + Greece: Far-right activists in violent clashes to 'defend Europe' against migrants (Info Migrants, March 9, 2020) * Examples of groups that are successfully tackling the far-right: + NSU Watch + Hope Not Hate + Unicorn Riot * Books that Antonis recommended: + Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman + Twitter and Tear Gas by Zeynep Tufecki

Chapters00:00:00: Intro
00:02:26: The rise of the Golden Dawn party
00:04:46: The fall of Golden Dawn, and the failure of the media
00:09:36: How Golden Dawn Watch was born, and how it works
00:14:27: Measuring the project's impact
00:16:50: The challenges of staying impartial
00:19:51: Far-right ideology, and violence, in Greece today
00:21:02: An activist guide to tackling the far-right
00:24:45: What drives Antonis' activism
00:26:14: Book recommendations
00:27:15: Outro

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In this episode I speak to Asteris Masouras, a global news curator and journalist, about what online activism is getting right -- and how it could improve.

We kicked off our conversation with a deep dive into what global news curation actually is, before moving to Twitter’s value as a platform for activism, when to call a fascist a fascist, and deplatforming and censorship as political weapons, among other topics.

I learned a lot from my chat with Asteris, and I hope you will too.

About Asteris

Asteris has been curating global breaking news on Twitter since 2007, where he follows stories ranging from the protests of social justice movements worldwide, to mainstream politics and conflicts around the globe.

He was included in the Independent’s 2011 list of “The most influential non-celebrity users of Twitter”, and was an editor at Reportedly, a real-time news experiment sponsored by Pierre Omidyar’s First Look Media.

Asteris is also an editor for Global Voices Online, and a co-founder and editor of Global Voices in Greek.

Show links* Asteris Masouras on Twitter * Open Source Intelligence * 2011 Indignants movement (Greece) * Steve Bannon and the New Yorker Festival * Steve Bannon’s “The Movement” * The Trial of Greece’s Golden Dawn Party * Two Greek towns protest migrant transfers (November 2019) * George Lakoff’s Truth Sandwich * Daniel Dale on Twitter (CNN reporter, fact-checking the president and other politicians) * Books that Asteris recommended: + Open Sources 2.0 + We The Media by Dan Gillmor

Chapters00:00:00: Intro
00:01:38: A primer on global news curation
00:02:08: Verifying sources
00:04:08: Twitter's value as an activism platform
00:09:06: Is online grassroots activism making a difference?
00:10:02: Challenges for climate change activism
00:11:46: Deplatforming and censorship
00:16:16: When to call a fascist a fascist, and other labels
00:25:26: Two sides watching different movies
00:28:05: Lakoff’s “Truth Sandwich” approach to fact-checking
00:30:54: Grassroots protest as a model for change
00:33:59: Book recommendations
00:35:19: Outro

More infoFor more information on Theta Project, visit www.thetaproject.co

Music: “Aerosol” by Mehran Khalili