Greece: direct action against repressive governor

A group of people self described as "Solidarians" attacked on Saturday the luxury resort of the Governor of Epirus in retaliation for the eviction of squats, damaging elements of the property and the cars of his posh guests. 

In their own words:

Yesterday night, 30/8, we visited uninvited the private resort that the family of Epirus regional governor, Alekos Kachrimanis, maintains at the city of Ioannina. There occurred a feast for the celebration of his name day. We couldn’t have missed the chance to be there to wish happy name day to him warmly! The specific guy, along with other local rulers and the administrator of the Chatzikosta general hospital, Fotis Vavvas, had participated last April at a conference on the topic of finding a definite solution for putting an end to the months-long occupation of premises at the former Chatzikosta hospital. We hold the aforementioned gentleman co-responsible for the eviction of Antiviosi squat, and we remind him that buildings like this one are spaces that have already been reclaimed, and constitute cores of social resistance and struggle. Really, that’s the reason why they are being targeted by the repression of state power and all of its sidekicks.

For all these reasons, we got ourselves at the yard of the resort yesterday, where the banquet was underway, with a purpose to cause disruption and put an end to it, and as an act of solidarity with Antiviosi squat. We painted “Antiviosi squat will stay” at the wall of the yard, while we shouted slogans such as: “10, 100, 1000 squats against a world of organized sepsis”, and “Antiviosi squat will stay; the flame we lit cannot be put out by anyone.” Also, we smashed the windows and mirrors of two super luxury cars that belonged to guests of the regional governor.

IDEAS CAN NEITHER BE EVICTED, NOR SILENCED SOLIDARITY WITH THE SQUATS
 
solidarians

Source: Contra Info.

Palestine struggle this week

As per Ilan Against the Wall:

Palestine-Israel, The History wheels turn faster and scream as the blood is not oiling enough the axes*

The turmoil in our region express the melting of the world history as we knew it. It accelerate before it reach its end as the axes of the old order can not hold it any more. The Zionist settler colonialist bridge head of the developed imperial countries in the cradle of human culture at the east of the Mediterranean sea is eroded by the resistance of the indigenous inhabitants which recruit supporters all over the world. The cracks in the neoliberal global capitalism which seemed to reach the ultimate victory just few years ago when the end of history was declared... point to the real end of the history of the egoistic and alienated class society. In the day to day struggle here, it is still hard to discern the cracks in the structure of the system, but you can already smell it in the clouds of tear gas of weekly demos and feel the ground tremor under your feet.

Weekly Non-Violent Protests in #Palestine, August 23, 2013
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.580131042033718.1073741871.251098394936986

"Bil'in, West Bank, Palestine

In the wake of the recent massive wave of arrests of Palestinian activists, it is vital that we continue to resist against the Israeli occupation. Last 17th February had marked the eighth anniversary of the weekly non-violent protests against the construction of the Apartheid Wall in the West Bank village of Bil’in.

Bil’in has become a symbol of the power of non-violent grassroots movements in building local and international resistance to Occupation [started 10 years ago in the joint camp of Mas'ha**]. After six years of continuous resistance, Bil’in succeeded in regaining a part of its seized land. But the struggle is not over as long as Palestinians have not recovered all their legitimate rights.
The Popular Struggle Coordination Committee and the Bil'in Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements will hold the 8th International Conference for Popular Struggle from Wednesday 2nd to Friday 4th October 2013.

We kindly invite you to participate in our conference on grassroots popular resistance.

The aims of the conference are:

To show internationals real life examples of the struggles and suffering of Palestinians;

To extend the popular non-violent struggle;

To strengthen the relationship with the international solidarity movements and to find new ways to support and empower the popular struggle

More details and program will be communicated soon.

Follow us: https://www.facebook.com/PopularStruggle"

Friday

Four injured and a field of olive trees burnt by Israeli Forces’ munitions
Three Palestinians and a foreign journalist were wounded alongside with dozens suffering of severe suffocation after the Israeli forces attacked the weekly march against settlement and the apartheid wall in Bil’in.

The march began after Friday prayers from the center of the village towards the Apartheid wall. We were about dozen Israelis with the anarchists against the wall, about two dozen internationals, and dozens of Bil'iners. Participants raised Palestinian flags and chanted slogans calling for national unity against the occupation and the release of all Palestinian prisoners.

Israeli soldiers immediately fired sound bombs, rubber bullets and tear gas at participants when they arrived on the liberated land near the wall. Rubber bullets injured Ashraf al-Khatib (33) in his stomach, Kefah Mansour (32) in his thigh, Mohammed Hamad (22) in his right hand, and a Chinese journalist in his leg. In addition, dozens of peace activists suffocated from inhaling tear gas.
Soldiers opened the gate to chase and assaulted demonstrators in the olive groves. Due to the massive use of tear gas and sound bombs a fire broke out and burnt a large field of olive trees.

The Popular Committee against the Wall and settlements in Bil'in invited all Palestinians and political parties to participate in the march next Friday, the 30th August, in the village in solidarity with prisoners in Israeli jails.

the photo of Rani in the weekly demonstration in Bil'in ...it will tell the whole story of Bil'in struggle 23.08.2013
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=604451819599517

Fires as a result of heavy firing gas in Bil'in weekly demonstration
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=604448632933169


Nabi Saleh

As today's demonstration marched to the spring, Israeli Occupation Forces opened fire with teargas, rubber coated steel bullets and skunk. Several people suffocated from teargas and at least one person has been injured from rubber steel bullet in the arm. IOF have also detained and beaten a Palestinian photojournalist.

Israel Puterman http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWmsrPOZxWg
David Reeb http://youtu.be/UqsS9Oj78o4

Qadum

"Dear friends

Even the mosques aren’t safe from the tear gas bombs

Today it was very strong and hard march nearly 50 soldiers attack kufr Qadum at 11am shooting many tear gas and sound bombs.

Tow were shoot directly by bombs one in his hand caused cut wound and the other in his back.

The most important and dangers case that the soldiers who were on the mountain shot bombs targeted the mosque which we pray before the march causing many suffocated cases between prayers of course you know that a lot of old men and children were in the mosque.

After braying we gathered ourselves again and go for the usual march but the army suppress us and shot nearly 300 hundred tear gas and sound bombs.

The wounded are:

Mashhoor jomaa 42 in his hand

Mohammad shtaiwi 24 in his back"

Report: Israeli army firing tear gas into the mosque during prayer time, before the demonstration
Full report and pictures at"http://palsolidarity.org/2013/08/photo-report-israeli-forces-shoot-teargas-into-mosque-suffocating-hundreds-before-start-of-kafr-qaddum-demonstration
https://www.facebook.com/younes.arar/media_set?set=a.10152147040505760.1073741928.531065759

Yotam https://www.facebook.com/alona.cohen.1238/media_set?set=a.689896394358477.1073741857.100000143680183
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1pBvnjQXQI

---------------------------------------

Don’t say we didn’t know #375

Yet again, the “Judea and Samaria” police have confiscated water tankers belonging to Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills region.

On Wednesday, 14th August, 2013 one lorry was confiscated, and on Friday night another one. In total, ten water tankers have been confiscated in recent weeks. In addition, the Civil Administration, IDF and police have demanded that filling water from reservoirs can only take place between 09:00 and 15:00; they have threatened that tankers will be impounded and the filling points closed down. Until now, water operations have been carried out 24 hours a day, to satisfy the demand. The new orders raise concern that tens of thousands of residents will suffer from thirst. Each confiscation entails payment of thousands of shekels in fines, posting of a deposit before trial, as well as payment for removal and storage of the lorry.

At the entrance of Kiryat Arba industrial zone, a tap is operated by settlers selling water to Palestinian carriers at almost three times the normal price. No restrictions there…

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

On Wednesday, 14th August, 2013, government representatives, escorted by police forces, arrived in Bedouin localities in the Negev to demolish homes. In the township of Kseifeh, three homes and a commercial premises were demolished, in Umm Batin a home was destroyed. The following day they demolished two homes in Abu Qrinat, then they went on to demolish El’Araqib once again.


Questions & queries: amosg@shefayim.org.il

========================================================

* From my blog at: http://ilanisagainstwalls.blogspot.com
See at the blog previous reports about the joint struggles the Anarchists Against the Wall take part in. See also: http://ilan.shalif.com/anarchy/glimpses/glimpses.html http://awalls.org

** The Idea of the joint Israeli Palestinian camp was initiated half year before at a workshop on the struggle in our region in the Leiden 2002 conference of the European People Global Action - in which participated 15 Israeli anarchists and radical activists, with activists of the region and supporters.

Marx as "Anarchist"

Or almost. Maybe more like modern Autonomists.

The Commune publishes today a very interesting article by David Adams questioning in depth the notion of Marxism, or more precisely Marx' own thought, as authoritarian and statist, being in fact quite different from the Leninist model (as well as from the Socialdemocratic or Bersteinian one).

A key excerpt on the dictatorship of Proletariat as being nothing but radical grassroots democracy:

A little-known text by Marx, his 1874 “Notes on Bakunin’s Book Statehood and Anarchy,” explains the concept of proletarian dictatorship more clearly than any other. In his book Bakunin ridicules Marx’s concept of the transitional state power of the proletarian dictatorship, and Marx critically responds in his “Notes.”  Bakunin writes, “If there is a state, then there is domination and consequent slavery. A state without slavery, open or camouflaged, is inconceivable-that is why we are enemies of the state. What does it mean, ‘the proletariat raised to a governing class?’”²⁶ Marx responds, “It means that the proletariat, instead of fighting in individual instances against the economically privileged classes, has gained sufficient strength and organisation to use general means of coercion in its struggle against them; but it can only make use of such economic means as abolish its own character as wage labourer and hence as a class; when its victory is complete, its rule too is therefore at an end, since its class character will have disappeared.”²⁷ The claim that through revolution the proletariat will be “raised to a governing class” thus has nothing to do with creating a dictatorship of a political sect, but is rather a claim that the proletariat will use “general means of coercion” to undercut the bourgeoisie’s power (by abolishing the private ownership of the means of production, disbanding the standing army, and so forth). It is the entire proletariat that is to exercise this power.  Bakunin asks, “Will all 40 million [German workers] be members of the government?”²⁸ Marx responds, “Certainly! For the system starts with the self-government of the communities.”²⁹

Can there be a more Anarchist statement? Or rather we may want to describe it as genuine Communism. 

Another excerpt: Leninism as Blanquism:

Blanqui, for example, advocated an educative dictatorship of a small group of revolutionaries. Marx’s use of the word “dictatorship” in the phrase “dictatorship of the proletariat,” however, is original and deliberately distinct from Blanqui’s usage. Engels emphasizes this point in a passage on Blanqui: “From the fact that Blanqui conceives of every revolution as the coup de main of a small revolutionary minority, what follows of itself is the necessity of dictatorship after it’s success-the dictatorship, please note, not of the entire revolutionary class, the proletariat, but of the small number of those who made the coup de main and who themselves are organized beforehand under the dictatorship of one person or a few. One can see that Blanqui is a revolutionary of the previous generation.”³⁷ It is clear that the Leninist model of a particular sect or political party exercising political power is much closer to the Blanquist conception of “dictatorship” than to Marx’s (...)

Much of the divergence between Anarchists and Marx seems merely semantic: the use of the word "state" (polity):

For Marx, this form of power can be a “state” from the perspective of its political, coercive function of uprooting the foundations of the rule of capital. It cannot be a “state” in the sense of a “parasitic excrescence” usurping power from the mass of workers.⁵⁰

Again much closer to Kropotkin or Durruti than to Lenin, never mind Stalin.

Marx saw the mandated and revocable delegates of the Commune as an example of working class state power in action.

Mandated and revocable delegates? Isn't that precisely what Anarchists propose?

So what do Marx and Engels mean by "state" and "class dictatorship"? In the words of Richard N. Hunt:

The full-time army as parasite disappeared, but the part-time National Guard remained as the coercive instrument of the workers’ state. Here in sharpest focus one can perceive Marx and Engels’ double usage: the parasite state is to be smashed immediately; the state as instrument of class coercion is to remain until the need for it fades away.

A people's militia under popular command, it seems.

The criticism of bourgeois "democracy" and state is persistent and merciless, and Engels charged against the USA as archetype of this separation between society and state by means of ritual and pointless elections:

Nowhere do “politicians” form a more separate and powerful section of the nation than precisely in North America. . . . It is precisely in America that we see best how there takes place this process of the state power making itself independent in relation to society, whose mere instrument it was originally intended to be. Here there exists no dynasty, no nobility, no standing army, beyond the few men keeping watch on the Indians, no bureaucracy with permanent posts or the right to pensions. And nevertheless we find here two great gangs of political speculators, who alternately take possession of the state power and exploit it by the most corrupt means and for the most corrupt ends-and the nation is powerless against these two great cartels of politicians, who are ostensibly its servants, but in reality dominate and plunder it.

Naturally, although many have forgotten, the term Communism itself derives from commune (municipality or local government in French and other languages) and very specifically from the 1871 Paris Commune.

In this pioneering communist "state", not just the army became part of the people in full but the whole state did by suppressing the bureaucracy and getting managers to be paid common workers' salaries and be under the command of the People directly. Totally different to what happened in the Soviet Union.

Marx did not live to see the Russian Revolution but he witnessed the beginnings of the rise of what is now the Socialdemocracy, especially in France and Germany. It was then when he famously declared "I am not a Marxist myself". He was very critical of Lassalle and his socialdemocratic or proto-Keynesian ideas of building socialism from above by means of state loans and other nonsense. 

One of the key issues is democratic centralism, centralization or central planning. In this certainly Marx and Bakunin were very much at odds:

While Bakunin was a sworn enemy of all political and economic centralization, Marx had a very different perspective, but one that was in no way more “authoritarian”: “National centralization of the means of production will become the natural basis of a society composed of associations of free and equal producers, carrying on the social business on a common and rational plan.”⁷⁰ Marx thought that both centralism (a common plan) and democratic control from below were necessary for building socialism.

Read the original article, "Karl Marx and the State", at The Commune.

Italy: raids against NO TAV activists

The movement against the High Speed Rail (NO TAV) in NW Italy has been subject to police harassment, intimidation and criminalization in the last weeks, as reported by Struggles in Italy:

[en] Police operation against No TAV: charges of terrorism and subversion

Posted on 2013/08/01 by Struggles in Italy

 

In the Susa Valley and Turin, tens of homes and even restaurants owned by No TAV activists from the group Comitato di Lotta Popolare have been searched in an extraordinary anti-terrorism and subversion police operation. Police were looking for “explosives, blunt objects, items suitable for cutting fences and audio-visual and digital devices that could lead to the identification of possible accomplices.”

Searches and arrests have taken place under article 280 of the Italian Criminal Code rather than the more usually employed articles 270 and 270bis. This represents a significant reframing of the No TAV struggle by the judiciary, with consequences to be found in the actions of the police. Charges associated with article 280 (“subversion of democracy”) are easier to bring than those associated with article 270 (“criminal organisation”). For article 280 charges (which can attract custodial sentences of up to 30 years), a judge only requires a couple of injured police officers. Article 270 charges, on the other hand, are difficult to bring against anarchists (who are often involved in demonstrations) as they tend not to be involved in a formal organisation. In addition, the use of petrol bombs (Molotov cocktails) is treated most seriously by Italian law.

These searches and arrests are related to the protests that took place on July 10, when stones and firecrackers were thrown at the heavily fortified building site and many demonstrators were arrested. After the arrests, many demonstrations took place in solidarity with those arrested. A few days later, all were released.

On July 19, another demonstration, a march through the woods to the perimeter fence of the building site, turned very ugly with 63 injured, two detained and seven arrested. Among them was Marta, an activist who has reported harassment and humiliation by the police. She was left for four hours with a split lip (despite a police doctor having ordered immediate admission to hospital) while police officers spat at her and insulted her.

Tension is growing in the Susa Valley. Police jeeps carrying officers have been seen close to the No TAV camp in Venaus and other police vehicles are guarding different parts of the valley. No TAV activists believe that the new wave of searches and charges indicate the judiciary’s desire to increase the level of repression. There have been no more arrests but there is now the threat of most serious charges being brought, charges which could lead, without evidence, to long pre-trial detention orders.

As a footnote – reporting of the No TAV struggle, in all its variety, by the mainstream media is extremely biased. By presenting a partial story to the general population, the media (such as La Stampa, a newspaper based in Turin) encourages people to take a particular view, with no alternatives countenanced.

Nation and Revolution: a Kurdish breakthrough analysis: Democratic Confederalism

Must read: Abdullah Ocalan, Democratic Confederalism (PDF).

The "nation-state" as enemy of nations and peoples in general and possible formulas to overcome the limitations of bourgeois political organization. 

CC by James Gordon

Greece: Kostas Sakkas allowed freedom on bail

It is still illegal and immoral. The bourgeois court ordered that in order for the Anarchist prisoner in hunger strike to be freed € 30,000 must be paid as bail. 

He's also banned from traveling abroad, leaving the prefecture of Attica, residing in the home he has declared as such residence, presenting himself at police station every Monday and prohibition of communicating with other people accused of membership in the Conspiracy of Cells of Fire case. 

Fundraising is being organized.

Heraklion city hall was occupied by Anarchists yesterday in solidarity with Sakkas:

Sources: Contra Info, From the Greek Streets (also here).
 

Palestine: resistance, repression and genocide - weekly report

As every week, Ilan Against the Wall makes a synthesis of the struggles and repression in Palestine (excerpts):

Rass Karkar
Sunday, joint struggle with PSCC. Protesting on the roads of Palestine this morning.

At first we protested by a flying checkpoint the soldiers placed on the way from Deir Kadis to Ramallah. The soldiers shot several tear gas canisters directly at us, hitting in the chest a protester, who was evicted to the hospital, his condition unknown.
Then we went to protest by Nilin checkpoint, where the soldiers eventually dispersed us with stun grenades.

...

Bil'in
Weekly demo 05.07.2013. About 15 with the anarchists against the wall initiative joined few dozens of international activists and Bil'iners. We marched along the wall between the barbed wire fences up to the gate in the wall. There, people removed one wing of the gate of the barbed wire fence, confiscated it, and drag it with a car to the village. The state forces were nearly passive with few tear gas grenade thrown just to keep the pretense of power. After a long while demonstrators got bored and returned to the village.

...

Sunday 07.07.2013 pre down:

Israeli army - about 80 strong unit, entered the village of Bil'in - probably in revenge for the confiscation of the wing of the gate the previous day, and arrested twin brothers Asim Yasin and Mohammed Yasin and took them to unknown area.

...

Nabi Saleh
Israeli Occupation Forces have invaded Nabi Saleh and attacked the regular Friday demonstration against the occupation. IOF are firing teargas, rubber bullets, stun grenades and spraying skunk.  

...

Kufr Qaddoum

...

Friday, Murad Shtaiwi: Dear friends: Nothing new today in kufr qudoom march this Friday, tear gas, sound bombs smoke bombs.

What are new there are very bad comments about Prophet MOHAMMAD and Arabs below the video of today written in English and Hebrew.

...

Um al-Kheir
Two Palestinian women sustained bruises today and three were detained during a peaceful rally against colonial expansion east of Yatta in south Hebron hills. The Israeli terrorist colonists attacked nonviolent protesters kicking them and beating them with rifle butts in Um al-Kheir neighborhood east of Yatta
"I just came back from an arrest in the South Hebron Hills with two Palestinians from Umm al-Kheir and three Israeli Ta'ayush activists. The military decided to arbitrarily arrest a young Palestinian shepherd. It was completely unprovoked, brutal, and under false charges. He was blindfolded and zip-tied with a single zip-tie (against regulations). The military then issued a Closed Military Zone for a different area and arrested the rest of us when we were clearly outside of it. The shepherd's brother was beaten and is now limping on his left leg. In the picture you can see the brave people of Umm al-Kheir coming to protest and resist the military's assault. I was dragged off by four soldiers while sitting next to the woman in black. At the end of the day, we were released and our Palestinian comrades had to submit an outrageous deposit of 1500 NIS (collected entirely by the people of the village). Robbed by law. We all received restraining orders from the area for 15 days. The forbidden area includes a well and a water cistern which is of vital importance for Shepherding. The people of Umm al-Kheir, due to the close vicinity of the settlement Carmel, are considered illegal trespassers on their own land and suffer demolitions, arbitrary arrests, and assaults on a daily basis"

...

The villagers of 'Awarta owned 22,000 dunums of land (one dunum = 1000 sq.m). Israel expropriated some 12,000 dunums, for the benefit of the settlement Itamar (established in 1984).
In early June 2013, 22 farmers from 'Awarta received confiscation orders for some 360 dunums of their land, near Itamar. On 23rd June, 2013 they received more orders, stating that 63.4 dunums were now confiscated.
For years, the farmers have been denied entry to their land near the settlement. They are allowed to enter only two days a year, in order to harvest their olives.

...

On Thursday, 27th June, 2013, government representatives arrived, again, accompanied by police, at the Bedouin village 'Atir (near Yatir forest) and demolished three homes and four tents that had been built following the last demolitions.

Greece: prisoner solidarity demo attacked by DELTA police near Acropolis, 11 arrested

From From the Greek Streets:

Solidarity demo to Kostas Sakkas attacked by squads of the DELTA motorcycle police at the Acropolis

UPDATE, 13.50 People from the original solidarity demonstration are now calling people to gather at Monastiraki square.

At approximately 13:00 GMT+2, a 150-strong solidarity demo to Kostas Sakkas that was marching near the Acropolis (at Dionisiou Areopagitou Str, by the Acropolis museum) when it was attacked by the DELTA squads that had been following it to that point. It appears that 11 people have been detained. 

An emergency assembly has been called for the Polytechnic at 15:00.

More information as it comes.

The Sakkas appeal is meant to be judged tomorrow. 

A video of the police attack against the peaceful demo is available HERE.

Greece: anarchist actions in solidarity with Kostas Sakkas

Kostas Sakkas is in an advanced stage of a hunger strike to death for his human rights, as he should have been released from preventive prison many months ago but the bourgeois regime is keeping him in jail well after the law demands he should be released. Anarchists in Greece (and elsewhere) have been making protests in demand of his immediate release, as the hunger strike is already pushing Kostas' body to the point of no return.

In Thessalonikí (Macedonia) the Theater School was occupied:

In Heraklion (Crete) the local office of the Department of Tourism, as well as Greek Tourism Organization, were occupied as well.

They issued the following communication:

At Tuesday, 4/6/2013, imprisoned anarchist K. Sakkas is on hunger strike demanding his immediate release. 4/6 is the date that, according to the current legal system, the maximum limit of his remand expires.
From the first moment we were in solidarity with the struggle of his, and his decision to risk his own life for his freedom.

As anarchists of Heraklion we are in  solidarity with the hunger striker and we decided to occupy the offices of Greek tourism organization and the local department of tourism ministry in Heraklion.

In these times that minimum freedoms are sacrificed on the altar of profit for the survival of a cruel system collapsing, in these times when every effort of resistance get suppressed and defamed, the plans of all those who dominate us now seems clear. The majority of people are on the brink of destitution and there’s no prospect of the State to give a solution to the people. So it uses hope as a mean. A hope that is not based on any element of reality. Hope for recovery and growth of the economy, hope to return to the good old times when others where ….. for our own prosperity.

In Crete, in particular, but also in other regions of Greece, the hope of recovery is based on the tourism development. On one hand, funds continue to be given continuously in the heads of the tourism industry, while the tourist season employees are forced to work for little and under squalid working circumstances . On the same time, large hotel complexes on the island violate the natural environment and occupy vast areas of land that remind us landlords of other eras. This whole package is promoted in society as the recipe of the exit from the crisis and as the reason to tolerate suppresses in order to avoid affecting tourism. How many protests slandered and suppressed the last three years alone on the pretext that disturbed tourism? From the evacuation of Syntagma Square from protesters in 2011 to the most recent announcement of Chania traders association that the demonstrations must stop during the touristic period.

But we do not hope to no growth and no return to the golden years of the previous decade. The only thing that the state shows us is that it cares only for the syrvival of the local economy. For this reason we believe that at least in the touristic areas of the country we should be able to disturb the myth of Greece as a touristic. For this reason we chose to occupy the specific building in solidarity with anarchist hunger striker K. Sakka, so our voice and by extension his voice to be heard. On the same time we send a message that we are determined to stand by our comrade until he’s set free.

DON’T BELIEVE IN MYTHS

LIVE THE REALITY OF STATE CRUELTY IN GREECE

Anarchists Heraklion Crete

Source: From the Greek Streets (link 1, link 2). Also a video on Sakkas' case is available HERE. 

Egypt: an Anarchist vision of the 2013 revolutionary movement

Waging Nonviolence published recently an interview with Egyptian Anarchist Mohammed Hassan Aazab in the context of the massive revolutionary uprising of these last days. I reproduce here some excerpts:

(...)

Who called for the general strike? Are there particular unions involved?

No. The unions are totally ineffective.

So how is the strike organized?

Tamarod [the Rebel Movement] called for the general strike. Actually, it has not been organized in advance; it has been a spontaneous development. It will work by people believing in and supporting it.

Do you think people will follow through?

Port Said will start the general strike tomorrow. I have no idea to what extent people will follow through on it, beyond that. But it’s clear people are absolutely determined to force Morsi out.

(...)

How are anarchists organizing within this particular moment. I got the sense that some of you were involved with Tamarod, but are you playing a particular role?

No, anarchists didn’t sign onto the Tamarod declaration. Tamarod is not revolutionary at all. It was just obvious that the movement connected with millions of Egyptians, so we joined the protests. The protesters yesterday were against the idea of an Islamic dictator, but at the same time, most of them are okay with a civil or military dictator. Fuck any dictator. We’ll never forget. We’ll never forgive.

And you’ve got an anarchist tent in Tahrir, right now?
Yes. We’ve got four tents, actually.

(...)

How can people here best support you all?

By spreading the word that Obama and U.S. government are actively supporting the formation of religious states in the Middle East. The U.S. ambassador said that Egyptians should learn the meaning of democracy! Who the fuck is she to say that?

Full interview at Waging Nonviolence.

Cuba: Anarchist media arise in spite of censorship

Cuba also has many shadows. Until a few decades for example homosexuality was illegal and persecuted, fortunately this changed radically. But the persecution of communist libertarian (Anarchist) ideas and organizations, while less intense than in the past, is still ongoing. Therefore the shy rise of these media is to be welcomed and announced. 

Among these there is an irregular and so far clandestine newspaper ¡Tierra Nueva! (New Earth!), which invites to collaborate to all interested people except those who somehow live of others' work.

Anarchists fought in Cuba side by side with Castro and Che but, after the success of the Revolution, were persecuted by a regime that leaned too much in favor of the authoritarian Stalinist model. 

I can only hope that Cuba preserves the socialization of the economy while improving the grassroots participation and freedom of speech, as I believe is doing already to some extent. Not yet enough obviously.

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

Greece: 6000 march in Athens in solidarity with anarchist prisoner in hunger strike

At least 6000 people marched in Athens today in solidarity with Kostas Sakkas, a political prisoner who has been in jail for more than two years without trial (the legal maximum is 18 months).

Source: From the Greek Streets (incl. more photos).

Turkish Revolution report (June 14)

Protests and police repression continue in Turkey. 

The differential attitude of police with the more visible city of Istanbul and the capital city of Ankara is apparent in these images from tonight:

From Occupied Taksim.

However that does not mean that Istanbul protesters are free from fear of renewed police attacks. On the contrary, they are getting ready for the worst, raising barricades and defensively equipped with gas masks and helmets. 

Still the government issued a new offer of negotiation, which is perceived with distrust by the protesters. An improvised committee of artists went to the meeting, however for many protesters Erdogan is anything but trustworthy and the committee represents nobody. One said:

Erdogan must resign because he is giving away our resources.

So far the government has made only one concession, dropping a bill that would allow forests to be developed by constructors. 

(Source: Webguerrillero[es]).

The radicalization of the protests is quite apparent for example in an article published today at Occupied Taksim, titled In Praise of the 'Marginal Groups'. Excerpts:

It must be known that those dubbed as “marginal groups” by the government are all legal organisations. Most of them are left-wing, revolutionary organisations. In spite of their legal status, they have constantly been the target of state attacks, have constantly been obstructed, beaten, arrested and gassed. Naturally, they are well acquainted with state violence and the forms of resistance required in order to counter it. These “marginal groups” have banners and have always upheld their banners. For instance the Patriotic Youth carry flags bearing the image of the Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan and demand his freedom. The anarchists carry black flags and long for a stateless society. The revolutionary groups, for example, actually want to confiscate your property, as they aspire for a world without private property. Although they continue their existence within legal boundaries and are a part of the Taksim Solidarity, they have been confined to a legal “grey area” because of the illegal state violence they have been forced to face over the years. Because they strive to continue their existence in a sphere where the law and lawlessness have become one, they are regarded as “the marginals."

...

The Gezi Park protests symbolise defiance against the deceitful media, the imprisonment of more than 10,000 people for political reasons, and the dirty war in Kurdistan. This has become a war for honour, and if this area of struggle for dignity -cleared with the pioneering of the middle classes- has been filled by the marginalised sectors of society, it cannot be said that this is the product of pragmatic politics. For it is the fulfilment of a new existence. Those who have defended the square, have in fact, defended this very existence and will naturally resist all boundaries imposed on the field where they have flourished.

It is only natural for a twelve year old Kurdish child from Tarlabasi to throw rocks at the police. A revolutionary who has been gassed and imprisoned for many years will of course march relentlessly on the police bearing revolutionary banners in hand, and young men and women will quite naturally provoke the police by defying them with their folk dances. It is only normal that those young men and women who, after leaving their manual daytime jobs, find themselves on the barricades will not disperse as if they were cattle. It is essential that certain members of this resistance grasp that for the past 14 days, the Gezi Resistance is no longer an “innocent protest,” it is a popular uprising. 

 

Kasama Project publishes a dramatic manifesto by one of such marginal groups: the Maoist Communist Party of Turkey and North Kurdistan (MKP). Excerpt:

Erdogan, the leader of the AKP government and the “Turkish Republic”, underestimated the rising masses that he flagrantly and arrogantly referred to as “three to five marauders.” Taking his arrogance even further he threatened “As a party I could gather one million.” However, once “these delinquent marauders” have awoken they cannot be broken apart by empty threats, nor will they be frightened by the blood and stench of slaughter of vampire teeth, you cannot stop them! The one with warmongering and aggressive policies in Syria, the two-faced Erdogan that has hypocritically criticized the Assad dictatorship of bringing violence and slaughter to the masses has called those filling the squares “Marauders.” This is nothing more than his fear and panic of the masses’ uprising.

Thousands marched in Paris in memory of Clément Méric

Thousands have marched today in Paris in memory of Clément Méric, the young Anarchist murdered by French Nazis of the JNR. The march was opened by a banner with the legend: Clément forever in our memory, in our hearts".

Demonstrators chanted slogans like "not a fascist in our streets", " we don't forget, we don't forgive" and "no pasarán!"

Speakers from France, Turkey and Spain praised the determination of the antifascist militant, who at his young age (18) was not just active in many movements (CNT, antifascist movement, anti-homophobic movement) but had also overcome a leukemia. 

There have been protests and memorials also in many other cities of France and the rest of Europe.

Source: Madriz Rebelde[es].

France: seven arrested for the murder of Meric: the technical murderer is a Spanish Nazi

Seven people have been arrested for the murder last night of Breton Anarchist Clément Méric. They are all members of the Nationalist Revolutionary Youth (JNR), even if some are as old as 37. 

Among them there is a Spanish Nazi, named as Esteban M., who was the person directly causing the death of Clément, as he punched him with his brass knuckles causing his fall and hitting of some sort of metal object with the back of his head. 

According to the last accounts, Méric and some other antifascists had a heated argument with the Nazis in an apartment where there was a sale of clothes. Both groups exited the apartment separately but it seems that the Nazis ambushed the anti-authoritarians, forcing a short fight that resulted in the death of the young Breton. 

The background of the murder is clearly related to the Nazi and Fundamentalist Christian mobilizations against homosexual rights in France in the recent months. Clément was very active in the campaign for the rights of homosexuals and had therefore confronted the fascists in several occasions. 

Source: Webguerrillero[es].

Belgium: political raids against anti-authoritarians

On May 22nd Belgian police forces raided the library Acrata and three homes inhabited by people of Anarchist and Autonomist ideas. Every single person present in the raids were arrested. 

The initial charges are major: membership in a terrorist organization, conspiracy and arson. However, after (failed) interrogation all them were set free without even going through court.

In the raids police confiscated all kind of documents, personal belongings, computers, mobile phones, etc. 

The political operation is led by Judge Isabelle Panou. 

Source: Contra Info.

Catalonia: five anarchists arrested

Five members of the Anarchist organization Bandera Negra (Black Flag) have been arrested in Sabadell under the accusations of conforming a "terrorist group" and "apology of terrorism".

The operation is being carried under the political tribunal Audiencia Nacional (Inquisition), organized by fascist dictator Franco under the name of Public Order Tribunal for the persecution of political dissidence and the favorable treatment of elements of the political oligarchy (for example Princess Cristina was recently detached from a notorious corruption case by this special tribunal).

Judge Pedraz ordered the search of the Ateneu Llibertari (~ Libertarian Academy) of Sabadell.

No more details are known by the moment other than the arrested being expected to declare on Friday. 

Source: Sare Antifaxista[es].