This Week: History Highlights March History: Uncovered

On March 10th, the article highlights historical events spanning several decades, emphasizing themes of state violence, imperial conflict, and racial persecution. In 2000, the New York City police fatally shot Patrick Dorismond, an unarmed Haitian immigrant, further fueling accusations of racial profiling and police brutality against minority communities in the city. The incident ignited protests and underscored the tense relationship between law enforcement and residents of color. Turning to the Vietnam War in 1975, the Viet Cong's capture of Ban Me Thuot marked a pivotal moment in their offensive against the South Vietnamese government. This strategic victory significantly weakened Saigon's position and paved the way for the eventual collapse of the South. In 1953, Israel enacted the "Law for Acquisition of Land," which facilitated the expropriation of land belonging to Palestinian refugees. This law, part of a broader effort to consolidate Israeli control over territory, effectively prevented many Palestinians from returning to their homes and properties after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The article concludes with the assassination of Hugo Bettauer, an Austrian Jewish writer and journalist, in 1925 by a Nazi sympathizer. Bettauer, known for his progressive views and critiques of societal norms, became a target of rising antisemitism and right-wing extremism in the interwar period, foreshadowing the horrors of the Holocaust. find the original article here: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/03/10/hxqn-m10.html