INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-BELFAST:

MAY DAY IN BELFAST:

May day, the real Labour Day, is fast approaching, and anarchists across the world are preparing to celebrate. I've already mentioned what will be happening in London, Ontario. From the other side of the pond here's what will be going on in Belfast, Northern Ireland. From the A-Infos site...

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Ireland, Anarchism & Mayday in Belfast:

Mayday is a time of reflecting and renewing the proud tradition of working-class resistance and commitment to social revolution. The spirit of class struggle continues to burn in all of us from the Visteon workplace occupations to the school occupations in Glasgow and beyond. As we continue to bear the brunt of job cuts, house evictions and police brutality, the powerful message of direct action and solidarity against the bosses and the state is as relevant and necessary as ever before.

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“They are the crisis, we are the solution”

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The WSM Belfast branch are calling on people to join us for the annual Mayday march on Saturday, 2nd May, organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Assemble at 12pm at York Street/Art College. Look out for the red and black banners.

Branch secretary Michael McGovern said: “Over a century after that first May Day demonstration in Chicago, where are we? We need independent working class politics. No collaboration with government and bosses. Real solidarity with fellow workers in struggle, not a blinkered sectional outlook. The Visteon workers are leading example and it is about time we do the same.”

As part of this year’s activities the Anarchist Communist Discussion Group formed by the WSM, will be hosting a talk on ‘The roots of Mayday and its relevance today.” The talk will take place on Tuesday 5th May at 7pm in the Belfast Unemployment Centre, 45/47 Donegall Street in the city centre.

The ACDG aims to create monthly informal public discussions, to debate and analyse all areas of labour and revolutionary history.

To encourage debate within the wider anarchist/libertarian movement on present areas of struggle. Action without theory is blind and often futile, but theory without action is ultimately sterile and no use to anyone.

To spread and articulate the vision of revolutionary anarchist communism.

We are open to speakers from other political and social organisations. If you have any ideas or suggestions for future meetings, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

Contact details:

belfastwsm@yahoo.com

07928479308

ANARCHIST MOVEMENT:

AN ANARCHIST MAYDAY IN HAMILTON:

As Molly has said to the point of tedium here on this blog anarchism continues to grow worldwide, and it also continues to develop maturity, abandoning the masturbatory fantasies of primitivism (which is basically an American toxic export, unknown in most of the countries where anarchism has a living presence amongst the people) and "insurrectionism" (play acting at kindergarten terrorism). Here in Canada the anarchists are increasingly visible, and nowhere more so than on Mayday demonstrations. Here's a report from the Ontario platformist site Linchpin on events this last Mayday in Hamilton Ontario.

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Common Cause Hamilton's Mayday activities

Mayday was celebrated in Hamilton this year with the second annual "Mayday 2008: A Festival of Liberation" held from April 26 to May 3. The festival was organized by the Sky Dragon Community Development Coop (Hamilton's major hub for all things left) and co-ordinated with the Hamilton District Labour Council, the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre, and Hamilton Artists Inc.

Common Cause Hamilton participated by organizing several events. As part of the week long series of discussion groups and film screenings, we organized a showing of the documentary, Grass Through Concrete, which chronicles the hard-fought but ultimately unsuccessful struggle to stop the building of a major highway through Hamilton's urban forest, the Red Hill Valley.

We also organized an anarchist discussion group called "Love, Rage, & Revolution; Exploring Anarchism in the City." Turnout was small for both events though we did connect with several people who we hadn't met before. The main event was the Street Festival held on May 3.

Despite the rain, lots of people turned out for the live music, workshops, vendors and food provided by the Bread and Roses Cafe. Hamilton Common Cause had its own table and we displayed our new distro for the first time which includes a small set of pamphlets from Anarkismo.net and from the Workers Solidarity Movement in Ireland. We handed out copies of all Linchpin issues, the anarchist book fair poster and sold a small number of pamphlets.

Common Cause Hamilton also attended the separate May 1 rally organized by the United Steelworkers locals 1005 and 7135. The theme of the march was "Protest the Massive Loss of Manufacturing Jobs" and "Fight for the Dignity of Labour." About 500 people attended, mainly union members. The march snaked through Hamilton's shrinking industrial core and ended with a BBQ. A couple of Common Cause Hamilton members joined the march and distributed the latest issue of Linchpin.
All in all, a very active first Mayday from Common Cause Hamilton.

MONTREAL:

STATEMENT ON THE MAYDAY "POLICE RIOT":

The following is a translation of a public statement by the Liaison Committee of the Autonomous and Revolutionary Mayday Demonstration. It concerns the events on May 1, when the police attacked demonstrators in downtown Montréal. The French original is on the Montréal platformist site La Commune.

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Communique of the liaison committee of the independent and revolutionary demonstration of May 1

Here is a press release of the liaison committee of the independent and revolutionary demonstration of 1 May. (Montreal, May 2 2008) In an intervention as brutal as it was unjustified, police in Montreal last night attacked the anticapitalist demonstration of May 1, International Workers Day. Organised at the initiative of twenty social , community and political groups (see list below), the event brought together about 800 people in the district of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve - one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Canada, where exploitation is experienced at its worst.

Throughout the day, Place Valois at the corner Ontario and Valois, was animated by activists of the committee BAILS, who denounced the gentrification of the neighborhood, rent increases and increasingly difficult conditions facing the people of neighbourhood. Towards 17h(5:00 pm-Molly), the Plaza has been prepared for a community meal, activity and a few speeches. The atmosphere was a celebratory mood, with the presence of many people in the neighborhood, workers of all ages, whole families with their children. The contrast was striking between the atmosphere and the already very aggressive presence of the Police Service of the city of Montreal (SPVM), which seemed to be already looking for a pretext to ban the event, at least two senior officers of the SPVM were already present with their megaphone, ready to declare it was an "illegal assembly", while nothing illegal was happening and the participants wanted only to exercise the right to demonstrate, officially recognized by Canadian law.

Around 18:30(6:30pm-Molly), the demonstration began to march on Ontario Street heading West. The demonstration was animated, the crowd shouted slogans and many onlookers were approached to join and learn about the rationale behind the event.

Suddenly, two people notoriously known in the district as neo-Nazi activists held, disguised with all their gear, occurred at an intersection detour to taunt the demonstrators, in what appeared to be a real provocation. Rapidly, vigilant demonstrators approached them to make them understand that their presence was at least inappropriate and it was probably better for them to move away quickly. A dozen bicycle patrol SPVM were present alongside the two provocateurs when they were pointed out and they did nothing to separate the demonstrators.

After this incident, it took only a few minutes for hordes of the police anti-riot squad to come from all directions and start abruptly and without warning beating demonstrators with batons and using pepper spray. Recall that the crowd included many families, children and the elderly, which the SPVM officers attending the gathering had themselves seen. The demonstrators then tried to regroup to defend the gathering. A number managed to continue the event on surrounding streets and to go to the Papineau metro station, where the demonstration ended.

The liaison committee of the anticapitalist May 1 event vigorously denounces this new blunder of the SPVM and the attack on democratic freedoms . We wish to particularly refute the pretense of the SPVM who claim they intervened because "fights broke out between demonstrators." The truth is that there never was any "fight" inside the event. On the contrary, the atmosphere was especially festive and in solidarity in the spirit of May 1st. As we reported, the incident that occurred was the result of two provocateurs totally unrelated to the event. That the police have preferred to use this incident to attack and disperse a legitimate demonstration rather than simply neutralize these provocateurs says a lot about the fact that their plan was made in advance: for them, anticapitalist demonstrations have no right to exist in the city and it is their right to decide whether the political orientation of a particular event is to be what they are willing to hear. Obviously, the proponents of the state police who run the SPVM are more concerned to "neutralize" the anti capitalists than to deal with neo-Nazis who sow trouble in our neighbourhoods.

We also denounce the fact that the police have conducted at least three arrests, one of those arrested will appear this afternoon (Friday) to respond to accusations whose content we have not yet known. We demand his complete and immediate release .

Despite the illegal, unjustified and brutal intervention of the SPVM, the anticapitalist May 1 demonstration 1 May will be a great success. The enthusiasm of some 800 participants has made it one of the largest gatherings of anticapitalists in last five years in Montreal. Contrary to the will of the SPVM, there will be other anticapitalist events in the weeks and months ahead. For the anticapitalist activists will join them all those who defend the right to demonstrate, democratic freedoms and who refuse to live in a state where the cops make their own law.

Meanwhile, we appeal to your solidarity. Please send all information pertaining to the SPVM intervention , arrests, people with injuries (including photos and videos): 1erMai2008@gmail.com.

ANARCHIST MOVEMENT:

ANARCHIST MAYDAY ACROSS THE WORLD- A PHOTO COLLECTION:

This last Mayday anarchists across the world demonstrated as never before as an identifiable current. Over at the Anarchist Black Cat site there is a collection of photos of these anarchist events from here, there and everywhere. Just drop into the ABC, go to the News Kiosk and look for the Mayday Roundup. The photo on the left is from the CNT demonstration in Madrid.

MONTREAL:

MAYDAY MARCH MARRED BY POLICE VIOLENCE:

The following is a translation of an article published yesterday night on the Québec City platformist blog Voix de Faits. The original in French is at that site.

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The event held this evening in Montreal as part of the Mayday/the Workers' Festival was violently repressed by the cops. About 500 people had gathered in the Quartier Hochelaga Maisonneuve and were heading towards the city centre. Apart from a confrontation with three neo-Nazi insulting the demonstrators, nothing had occurred when anti-riot savagely attacked. Between 100 and 200 cops trapped the demonstrators on the corner of Ontario and Parthenais, charging from the front and the rear. They were beaten and peppered at random. Among the demonstrators were children in strollers, who were fortunately evacuated. After ten minutes of encirclement and violence, the demonstrators managed to flee through street Parthenais Street, chased by cops. Several people were arrested, including some people who did not participate in the event. We saw an itinerant getting beaten, an independent cameraman was snatched and his camera was destroyed by kicks.Also other police dirty tricks. More details and a photo report coming soon. NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE!

ANARCHIST MOVEMENT:

MAYDAY IN WARSAW:

Here, there and everywhere throughout the world anarchists celebrated and protested on Mayday. Here's one example, reported on the Anarkismo site, of Mayday actions in Warsaw Poland. The Centrum Informacji Anarchistcznej is a daily online Polish anarchist news service that is quite valuable for keeping up with events in Poland. They also have a small section in English translation. Their web address is also at the end of this item.

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Warsaw May Day

by Laure Akai - ,

On May 1 an anarchist demonstration took place in Warsaw. A couple of hundred people came from all the different anarchist groups. The demo went to the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, to the State Labour Inspectorate, a temp agency and a pro-business lobby's headquarters.

Many topics were raised, including the amendment of the Labour Code, discrimination in the workplace, the topic of casual work, firing of unionists and capitalist brainwashing.

A happening about discrimination in the workplace was organized by anarchafeminists from A-Fe. Other groups that took part in the demo included the Anarchist Federation, Left Alternative, Workers' Initiative, Union of Syndicalists, Freedom, Equality and Solidarity and Green Collective.

A pathetic counter demonstration was organized by fascists. The night before, a talk organized by Freedom, Equality and Solidarity was attacked by fascists who through some incendiary devices into the meeting place. Nobody was hurt.

Some pictures from May Day can be found here:

http://cia.bzzz.net/zdjecia_z_manifestacji_pierwszomajowej

http://cia.bzzz.net/zdjecie_z_1_maja
http://www.cia.bzzz.net

ANARCHIST MOVEMENT:

MAYDAY 2008: AN ANARCHIST COMMUNIST STATEMENT:

The following is a joint statement on the part of three platformist organizations, the Italian Federazione dei Comunisti Anarchici, the Irish Workers' Solidarity Movement, and the South African Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front on the occasion of Mayday 2008.

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May Day 2008
Towards a new international movement of the exploited,

Against neo-liberalism, against war, against hunger and poverty,

For peace, food and housing for all, for safe and secure jobs,

Towards the libertarian alternative!

A harsh reaction has been unleashed by States around the world against the cycle of social, labour and political struggles which have been carried on by the movements of opposition to neo-liberalism since the late 20th century, with a consequent general worsening of living conditions for millions of proletarians who are increasingly enslaved by capitalist exploitation.

In every country, the primacy of finance as the motor of the economy, with its lethal rules based on interest rate increases, credit clampdowns and social dumping, is provoking a grave crisis. Its results can be seen in millions of families falling further into debt and impoverishment and losing their homes and their economic security. The workforce is being concentrated into more intensive and highly flexibilized units of exploitation in order to strengthen supply and competition in macro-economic areas (EU enlargement, the re-launch of Mercosur and ASEAN, the WTO crisis, etc.). The concentration of production into monopolies on an international basis (motor industry, energy, telecommunications, agro-chemical/pharmaceuticals, etc.) is destroying social wealth and jobs and producing a food crisis without precedent. Economic development is tending to create a neuron-like network of privileged sites and related corridors of capital and raw materials around which public and private investment can coagulate, thereby impoverishing the large areas in between. And the background to all this is the state of endemic war generated by the USA for control over the system of imperialist dependencies, the increasing use of militarism and nationalism (and all its religious and ethnic varieties) in order to control/de-stabilize an area which goes from the Middle East throughout Asia and Africa and to destroy the autonomy of the exploited classes by forcing them to side with a particular State, religion or elite to whom they entrust their present and future destiny of exploitation.

In this difficult situation, the social, labour and political struggles of the proletariat in every country are seeking to resist the various forms of capitalist exploitation and the harsh repression that the States have unleashed, making it increasingly evident that today we need to:
*ensure the total independence of all mass struggles and movements from all political and economic institutions (no State, government or market has any interest in fighting neo-liberalism);
*demand peace, so that it can the cradle for the re-emergence of civil society and allow the development of struggles for the emancipation of today's downtrodden classes;
*work to rebuild the autonomy and the role of the exploited classes, the defence and reconstruction of their free and independent organizations, as a condition and indispensable factor in the struggles against neo-liberalism and war in every country of the world.

Anarchist Communist and Libertarian Communist organizations support, promote and assist every initiative aimed at rebuilding a large international movement
*against neo-liberalism, denouncing the crimes of exploitation and bringing solidarity to proletarian organizations and local movements fighting against local or foreign bourgeois aggression;
*against war, demanding ceasefires, demilitarization and disarming by every State and ethnic or religious elite, who are united in their contempt for the lives of proletarians;

a great international movement whose heart and whose base lie in the grassroots social, labour, cultural, political and anti-militarist organizations, and also in their ability to federalize the struggles that develop, on a national and international level.
To that end, we support:
*the horizontal creation of networks, coalitions and forums inspired by the practice of self-organization, self-management and direct action, which represent the collective capacity for acting against the contradictions and violence of neo-liberalism and develop the greatest possible international solidarity;
*all efforts to contribute to the development of the international class-struggle anarchist movement, by supporting its political networks and its capacity for social insertion in the struggles and struggle fronts in support of popular power, so that we can spread the anarchist communist project and put the libertarian alternative into practice.
Federazione dei Comunisti Anarchici (Italy)

Workers Solidarity Movement (Ireland)

Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front (South Africa)

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR:

MAYDAY EVENTS REAL AND VIRTUAL:

Tomorrow is Mayday, the premiere event in the labour calender. Molly has blogged quite a bit about this day, both this year and last (see our archives for April and May 2007). This year make sure to check in with the Labour Start website to see what unions across the world are doing this time around. But also- for something totally different- unions in several countries are using this MayDay to launch the 'Union island' is the virtual world of Second Life. Yes, that's right. After the success last year of the "virtual strike" (protest actually) against IBM , using the Second Life platform various union activists are hoping to develop this tool of working class struggle. See the site http://www.slunionisland.org for more details. now Molly has her doubts about this sort of thing, but maybe she is just old-fashioned. In any case, here is the press release about this project.

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Press release: Virtual May Day
1 May 2008 sees the launch of Union Island, an innovative new trade union project to build a home for unions and activists in the virtual world Second Life™.

Union Island will open with a virtual May Day, a day of training, networking and celebration, to bring activists from the global union movement together in a way never before possible.

Events planned for the day include:

*Celebrating May Day with a dance party, hosted by a live DJ from Second Life’s club Fracture.
*Training for activists in how to get more out of Second Life through networking with others and designing their own 3D creations, and how to run better websites for their unions.
*A photo and video exhibition for the DGB’s Mindestlohn campaign for a national minimum wage in Germany. May Day sees the culmination of a exhibition tour of Germany, and German unionists will be on hand at a Second Life replica of the real life touring set, to discuss the tour and campaign online with supporters from around Germany.
*Themed surgeries for union organisers in Union Island’s virtual bar, swapping practical tips from around the world over a pint of virtual beer from the UK Workers’ Beer Company.
*Guided gallery tours of “5 Photographers”, a virtual art exhibition of 20th century New York photography, presented by American arts group Labour Arts Inc.

Union Island plans to use Second Life to create a community for unionists, which will let activists from around the world meet and work together on shared issues in the global economy. The project also aims to use the virtual world to present union campaigns to a new audience, and enable a new generation of online activists to have more input into union activities.

TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: ”Trade unions are all about people working together to improve things for themselves and others, and internet networks offer a powerful and cost-effective way for us to forge new links. As more businesses embrace virtual worlds such as Second Life to foster international networking and collaboration, it will be natural to find unions there too.”

UNI Global Union General Secretary Philip Jennings said: “UNI Global Union’s member unions around the world are constantly innovating, to show their relevance to today’s members and tomorrow’s potential members.”
NOTES TO EDITORS:
*Second Life is an interactive 3D environment used by millions of people around the world (as well as thousands of companies and organisations) to chat, network, create, conduct business or play games. www.secondlife.com
*Union Island is a joint project of the TUC, UNI Global Union and the New Unionism Network, supported by unions from the UK, Germany and Italy.
*You can find a full programme of events for virtual May Day, as well as more information on the project and a direct link to Union Island at www.slunionisland.org
*Contact for further information: instant message to Unionisland Republic (Union Island spokesperson in Second Life)

COSTA RICA:

AN ANARCHIST MAYDAY IN COSTA RICA:

As Molly has opined many times before on this blog anarchism today may have the widest geographical extent, if not the depth and maturity, of any time in its history. An example follows below- a call out for a separate (from the dreary legions of the left) anarchist MayDay event in the country of Costa Rica. The following has been translated from a Spanish original published at the Anarckismo site. One only hopes that both the size and self-confidence of anarchist movements elsewhere will lead them to specifically identify themselves as anarchists on future Maydays. We, after all, have little in common with the statist left, and we shouldn't see our role as ineffective critics of same.

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Event - Thursday, May 1 2008 Costa Rica: Call for all men and women, tired of so much lying and authoritarianism

by Germinal, La Libertad, San Jose People's Assembly

The fighters must gather on the south side of Parque La Merced, at 10 am. tomorrow.

We , various groups and individuals anti-electoral and anti-authoritarian, are self organizing a large protest reclaiming the true meaning of the first of May, under the slogan

That we will go for it all !

But what will we say to Mr and Mrs candidate , saying that his party is going to prescribe a tlc, with fewer deaths. * (La Nazione, Sunday April 20, 2008, in oblivion but covered in memory)

We must make our voices and our actions heard "That there will be at least a broken glass for honor! We need a stone of decency, to save self-esteem, which gives birth to courage."

On 1 May the dictatorship of the Arias brothers must hear us. The gentlemen of the employers' chambers must hear us. The imperialists who seek to use this territory for their wars must hear us. The fighters and fighters must gather on the south side of Parque La Merced, at 10 am.

No to social injustice!

A LITTLE MOLLY NOTE:

Molly has added a long delayed draft on 'The Prehistory of Mayday Part One' to her blog. Because of the magic of Blogger this appears on May 2nd even though I finally posted it today. It concerns traditional May Day customs in the Celtic lands, both Gaelic and otherwise. Other traditions about the first day of summer will follow in due time as will the history of how May Day became the real Labour Day across the world.

More later,

Molly

THE PREHISTORY OF MAYDAY: PART ONE:

Before there was Mayday there was May Day. Celebrations in and around the first of May predate Christianity in Europe. In the Gaelic countries of Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man this was known as Beltane. In modern Irish the month of May is known as "Mi na Bealtaine" and May Day itself is "La Bealtaine". On the eve of Beltane ("Oidhche Bealtaine") fires were lit on hills of ritual and political significance. This custom has survived to today only in parts of County Limerick and places in the diaspora. Hearth fires were to be re-lit from this central fire. May Day was also celebrated by the hanging of May Boughs from the doors and windows of houses and the erection of May Bushes in yards, decorated with ribbons, flowers, garlands and coloured egg shells. This May Bush has survived to today in parts of Newfoundland and the American east coast. The actual date of the traditional Celtic celebration of May Day is uncertain. The Celtic year revolved around both a lunar and a solar calender so it may have been celebrated on the nearest full Moon to the midpoint between the vernal equinox and the summer solstice.

Because of its "midpoint" status Beltane, like it's autumn counterpart Samhain-now known as Halloween, was a time when the Celts believed that the otherworld was particularly close. The festival celebrated the beginning of summer when cattle were led to summer pasture. The fires of Beltane were often twin, and cattle were driven between the two fires to purify them and bring them luck. People would also pass between the two, and there is a Scots Gaelic expression "Eadar do theine Bhealltainn" which means "between the two fires of Beltaine". The festival is spelt 'Bealtaine' in modern Irish; 'Bealltainn' is the equivalent in Scots Gaelic and in Manx it is either 'Boaltinn' or 'Boaldyn'.

Beltaine is, of course, a purely Gaelic festival but other nationalities celebrated the first day of summer with very similar festivities. In Wales the day is known as Calan Mai or Calan Haf. The festivities began the night before as this was considered one of the "spirit nights" just as it was in Gaelic lands. As in Ireland bonfires were lit on the proceeding night. Round cakes of oatmeal and brown meal were baked, split in four and placed in a bag. People would draw, and everyone who drew a brown meal cake had to leap through the flames three times or run 3 times between the two fires that resembled the Irish ceremony. Welsh villagers would also go gathering hawthorn and flowers on May Eve which they would use to decorate their houses on May Day. Traditional Welsh customs also frequently involved mock battles between a man who represented winter and one who represented summer. Summer always won. The maypole was a traditional symbol in at least south Wales. in the north groups of young men would go "May dancing" , all of them dressed in white decorated with ribbons except for two who were called the Fool and the Cadi (an effeminate figure dressed in a man's coat and a woman's petticoat). The Cadi was a symbol of the change of the seasons as he "looked both ways", towards the winter and the summer. The dancing troupe would go to door singing and dancing and asking for a gift of money just as in Halloween in our day. May Day in Wales was also the time that the twmpath chwarae, a sort of "village green" was officially opened where villagers would gather on evenings to dance and play sports. Singers rather than dancers would also frequently go door to door on May Day morning to sing and ask for gifts in the custom known as "carolau haf" or "canu dan y pared", "summer carols" or "singing under the walls".

May Day in Cornwall also featured people decorating their houses with tree branches. A unique custom here, however, was the construction of 'May horns' from tin cans and 'May whistles' from small sycamore branches. These and other instruments would be used at the stroke of midnight to announce the beginning of summer, just like the noise-makers on New Year's Eve. People would also go around the village and countryside in Cornwall to gather drinks and other gifts.