BRITAIN: Students Riot Over Tuition Plan

At this writing, hundreds of British riot police are marching through Westminster with shields and horses as tens of thousands of students protest plans to triple tuition at universities. Students in Parliament Square have been tossing smoke bombs and fireworks in an attempt to break through the line of horses. Parliament is expected to raise annual tuition fees to about $18,000.

Worst Governor Ever: Sarah Palin Confronts Woman With Banner

An unscripted scene from Sarah Palin's Alaska, her unreal reality show, probably won't make it onto the air after Palin confronted a woman wielding a "Worst Governor Ever" banner. The clip at the bottom of this post was taken with a cell phone.

Kathleen Gustafson is a teacher married to a local commercial fisherman. She felt like Sarah Palin had let the state down by becoming a dollar-chasing celebrity and ignoring the oath of office she'd sworn on a Bible. Kathleen was motivated by the fact Palin was using the very place where her family makes a living to fortify the Palin personality cult -- pretending to do the very thing they worked so hard to sustain. Initially, Kathleen just wanted to waste a little of the camera crew's time, since Palin wasted so much of her time purporting to represent Alaska's interests. She didn't imagine Palin would be so easy to draw out. Saturday morning, Billy Sullivan helped Kathleen tape the banner up on his place of business at the top of the boat ramp. Then here she came. Sarah. She couldn't just walk by. Only a few fishermen and tourists would have seen the banner, but Sarah had to stop and protest. I spoke with Kathleen. She said she wanted Palin to know how she felt, but never dreamed she'd get the chance to say to her face, "You're not a leader, you're a climber!" Early in the conversation, Sarah actually winked at Kathleen in what seemed to be a case of eyelid Tourette's Syndrome. At one point, a Palin daughter chanted, "You're just jealous".

Watch Palin's eyeroll when she learns the protester is a teacher. Reportedly Palin's crew ripped down the banner shortly after this clip ends.

Lt. Dan Choi & Capt. James Pietrangelo's DADT Hunger Strike Now In Fifth Day

This video was recorded yesterday. Choi is noticeably weaker.

Hundreds Protest BP In New York City

Gothamist reports that about 200 protesters crowded a downtown Manhattan BP station last night to pour fake oil over themselves and denounce the company for the Gulf disaster. Lot of photos here.

Lt. Dan Choi & Capt. James Pietrangelo To Start DADT Hunger Strike

According to a press release issued overnight, Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. James Pietrangelo will begin a hunger strike to protest the compromise DADT repeal proposal.

FASTNG FOR EQUALITY & DIGNITY STATEMENT BY DAN CHOI

Immediately following congressional mark-ups on the National Defense Authorization Act 2011, Captain James Pietrangelo and I will commence a fast in pursuit of Equality and Dignity. We have three demands of President Barack Obama.

DEMAND #1: End the Comprehensive Working Group "Study," which insults the dignity of all Americans.

DEMAND #2: End "Don't Ask Don't Tell" discharges forever.

DEMAND #3: Replace all discriminatory regulations in the military with a comprehensive non-discrimination policy.

This action is not organized in the name of any organization.

Choi's Twitter feed also warns of more protests.

TORONTO: Anti-Israel Protesters Jam Pride Group's Press Conference

Yesterday protesters jammed a Pride Toronto press conference held to address the swirling controversy over their decision to ban Queers Against Israeli Apartheid from their events.

About 80 QuAIA members and supporters turned out to protest the move, chanting "Whose Pride? Our Pride!" and "Resign! Resign! Resign!" Though Pride Toronto insists the action isn't "directed at any one group," the decision affects the group Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA). Pride Toronto executive director Tracey Sandilands and board co-chairs Genevieve D'lorio and Margaret Ngai told the jeering crowd that the term "Israel apartheid" has led to "complaints of discriminatory and exclusionary messaging." The issue "has escalated to the point where Pride Toronto's festival is in a state of operational crisis," D'Iorio told the crowd. With the City of Toronto and corporate sponsors threatening to pull funding, she insists, the board has rescued the Pride festival from cancellation.

On June 14th the Toronto city council will meet to decide on cutting funding to Pride Toronto, a threat that may be moot now that the anti-Israel group has been banned.

[Photo credits: Matt Mills, David Walberg]

VIDEO: Gays Protest At St. Patrick's

JMG reader Lauren sends us this clip she made of the Easter Sunday protest at NYC's St. Patrick's Cathedral. Lauren writes: "I shot and edited this piece on Sunday - as if it were for the 'news'. This is how the mainstream press should be telling our stories."

New York City: Gays Protest Pope

Andy Humm of Gay City News reports on yesterday's protest at NYC's St. Patrick's Cathedral.

About eight gay male demonstrators showed up to picket St. Patrick's over the Pope's continued refusal to accept his responsibility for the abuse crisis and the tendency of his defenders to blame the news media and gay people for the scandal. This week, Fifth Avenue was filled with Easter Paraders, many taking pictures of the demonstrators. When Archbishop Dolan's procession got to the front of the cathedral before entering for services, the demonstrators shouted "Shame!" repeatedly. After the doors of the church closed and the shouts died down, the Easter Paraders gave a sustained ovation to the demonstrators.

RELATED: A larger silent protest took place on Good Friday, apparently without gay involvement. The below YouTuber found their message "offensive." From the clip description:

On April 2, 2010, for at least three hours on Holy Friday, some familiar protestors came out with the clear intention of offending all who passed-by St. Patrick's Cathedral. Easter. Good Friday...For them nothing is sacred. Certainly not Good Friday since those who came to worship were handed florescent orange flyers with the heading, "Clergy Sexual Abuse". Wonder if this same crowd will come out to save our most vulnerable from abortion. Will they demand an end to the murder of their fellow Christians in Nigeria? Highly unlikely. Since they were protesting in-front of the Cathedral on Palm Sunday, one can safely assume they will return on Easter. Sadly, the police presence was noticeably non-chalant. This group claims to be faithful...to what, one should ask....