BULGARIA:

ANARCHISM IN BULGARIA-AN INTERVIEW:

The following is from a website that I have recently discovered, Autonomy Land. To say the least I am unfamiliar with the orientation of this site, but they have presented an interview about an important anarchist movement in eastern Europe. Bulgaria has always had an active anarchist movement, and this is still true today.This anarchist movement has had a exemplary history of "class stuggle". The following interview should be viewed in the light of the USA "anarcho-nut" organization , Crime Think, attempting to extend its imperial influence across the world(US imperialism in its purest form). Unfortunately many anarchists in various countries meet anarchism via such perversions of the the idea. It should be known that there is a "class struggle" anarchist organization in Bulgaria, and that many of the younger anarchists will eventually gravitate towards such wheh they realize the futility of immitating American subcultures. Here's the interview.

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Anarchy in Bulgaria: An Interview

A Bulgarian organizer and ‘zine publisher describes current anarchist projects in his country, discussing how Really Really Free Markets work in an eastern European context and addressing the local relevance of CrimethInc. texts from the United States. Contacts are included for those hoping to connect with anarchists between Sofia and the Black Sea.

Q: Describe your group: how many people are involved, how long have you been active, how do you make decisions together? What projects have you been involved in?

A: :I am part of 2 groups. The one is called “Anarchosaprotiva” (AnarchoResistance). It is based in Sofia and now we are something like 6-10 people. The group has been active since 2001. I joined this in 2004. We have a meeting every week. We don’t have any particular scheme to talk and make decisions.

It’s more like a friendly conversation and when we have ideas to do some action all of us should agree and get consensus about the thing, but everyone is free to do whatever he/she wants outside of the group. The group used to publish a monthly leaflet called “Anarchosaprotiva” as part of the Bulgarian anarchist newspaper “Svobodna Misal” (Free Thought). Now there are a lot of changes in the newspaper which is published by FAB (federation of the anarchists in Bulgaria) and this supplement is stopped being publish in the newspaper. The group has done a lot small protests actions against the militarization and the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. We and our Greek friends from Anti-Authoritarian Movement Thessaloníki organized a No Border Camp in Bulgaria and No Border Actions in Greece to support the freedom of movement and the illegal immigrants jailed in a illegal detention center in Venna (Greece). Some of us also have been part of the Food Not Bombs group here in Sofia which lasted for 6 months but now is dead. We have also done some creative anti-elections actions and took part in a lot of ecological protests. We put out some anarchist leaflets and distribute them during protests, concerts and at some video screenings that we organize.This year we also organized 2 times a Free Festival (Really Really Free Market).

I am also part of another group based in Razgrad. It’s not an official group. We are just a bunch of friends that do some small local actions. We are 5-6 people. The best thing is that we have started organizing this Free Festival since last year. Now a lot of people are enthusiastic by this idea of free sharing. We are very happy that we opened an Infocenter in Razgrad. It is open once a week for a couple of hours. We are a little dependent on the owners of the building. It is some school center project but the people running this place are very nice and gave us 1 big room to put literature and movies and we organize video screenings, presentation and music concerts there. My other side project is this Katarzis zine. I started doing it 2 years ago inspired by CrimethInc. I translated some texts and then got the idea to put them together, so this is how everything started. Now some people have started to help me. we write news about actions in Bulgaria, interview anarchist bands and write some our texts.

Q: Which anarchist communities outside Bulgaria do you have the most interactions with and influence from? Greece, the US, Turkey, other places?

A:

Maybe the most interactions we had with Anti-Authoritarian Movement from Thessaloníki (Greece), but we also have connections with a lot of anarchist groups around Europe. Now we get in touch with People’s Global Action network and will try to organize local Balkan network amongst the activist communities to share information, ideas, to support each other and to do some international action together. We have been influenced by the anarchist communities all around the world, but for most of us the biggest influenced is the CrimethInc. Collective.

Q:

How many of the projects you carry out in Bulgaria are based on formats (such as the Really Really Free Market) that you have imported from other contexts, and how have you adjusted them to fit the context in Bulgaria?

A:

We have started with 2 projects based on such “formats” and one is now dead. Some of us were part of a Food Not Bombs group in Sofia. The idea fitted for the context in Sofia, because it is big and developed city following the western pattern. Bulgaria is also part of NATO and spent a lot of money on military actions and support the war in Iraq and Afghanistan so it was good idea to do such kind of actions. There are also a lot of homeless people in Sofia and we decided to help them in someway and to distribute antimilitaristic and vegetarian propaganda at the same time. We were collecting food from 2 big markets and from a couple of restaurants and bakeries. We managed to build good infrastructure and we did actions every Sunday for near six months, but then the summer came and most of the people hit the road and when the autumn came we were very few left, organized 3 more actions and then everything died. The other project based on such a “format” is this Free Festival we have started doing since last autumn. We have heard about this initiative in the USA and thought this was great idea and could be started here in Bulgaria. I think this is a universal model and could be put into action everywhere all around the world. In some countries there is this consuming way of life and the people could share the things they don’t need instead of throwing them; in other countries which are undeveloped there isn’t an excess of such kinds of goods, but the people could share other things like food, skills, songs, any kind of art, etc.… I think this is one of the best examples of what anarchy in practice is

Q: .In what ways is it different to hold a Really Really Free Market in Razgrad or Sofia than it is to hold one in the USA?

I think there isn’t a big difference. Maybe the only difference is the living standard of the people. So while you could find a stereo system or a computer at a USA Really Really Free Market, this is almost impossible at a Bulgarian Really Really Free Market. The people here share mostly old clothes, shoes, books, music CDs, and toys. We try not to limit the event to be only a free market for products, but as a free zone where everyone is stimulated to take part, to play, to dance, to live a free life. And the good of this event is that everyone contributes to it. We only give the idea and set the date about it and the people come and do it.

Q: Do you feel the public response to Really Really Free Markets is different in countries that used to have a “communist” government than it is in countries that have always been openly capitalist? Or is the relation to property the same?

A: I don’t think that there is big difference in the public response. Bulgaria was under “communist” government 40 years and the last 17 years of “democracy” have opened the door to unrestrained capitalism. So most of the people in Bulgaria have started to behave like the others in the Western world.

Q: You mentioned taking some influence from CrimethInc. In the United States, some people criticize CrimethInc. by saying that the ideas associated with it are only relevant to middle class people in wealthy countries, that poor people outside the USA can have no use for them. Looking at this question from Bulgaria, what is your perspective on this critique? What have the responses been to the texts you’ve translated? What have people found useful and what has not been useful? How have you changed things to make them more useful, or decided which things to focus on when picking things to translate?

A: Maybe it’s true that most of the CrimethInc. tactics are not relevant for poor countries(or for anything anywhere-Molly). For example, dropping out in a way of quitting your job and make a living by dumpster diving is extremely hard and almost impossible in Bulgaria. I agree with the idea of not supporting the capitalist system at all but sometimes and especially if you are alone it’s almost impossible to be out of this system and you need to work in order to survive. But I still think that if you live collectively with close-minded friends you could arrange your life in an alternative way. Most of the Roman (Gypsy) people in Bulgaria are kind of drop outs and they are still alive and exist somehow. This critique on such kind of CrimethInc. tactics exists here, too. Even some anarchists from FAB (Federation of the Anarchists in Bulgaria) blame us that we are fake and pseudo anarchists following the “modern” Western anarchism, that we are some kind of hippies and distract the attention from the main enemy which is “the state and the capital.” So we are also being criticized and have some conflicts even in the anarchist circles. But on the other hand I see that a lot of young people are interested in the projects we do. Most of the people like the zine we do and I think that the most inspiring thing is this romantic anarchism. In the beginning the zine was only consisted of translations from Days of War, Nights of Love and Recipes for Disaster. Some of them were not useful for the situation in Bulgaria, but it’s always nice to get some new ideas. We try to put these ideas into action and to change them to suit for the situation in Bulgaria.

Food Not Bombs was one of these projects. It’s possible to do it in Sofia because it’s a big city, but sometimes we were not able to collect enough food so we had to buy some stuff. We wanted to organize a Food Not Bombs group in Razgrad too, but it didn’t happen. It’s kind of impossible. We were looking for leftover food at the market but it’s almost nothing for us. So we decided to try this Really, Really Free Market and it has suited perfectly for this small town. First—the idea is great and the people are likely to share, second—nothing interesting happens in Ragzrad and event of this kind attracts a lot of attention, even the local media was interested and supported us. We were also looking for a place to squat and do an infoshop, but there are very few abandoned houses, which in most of the cases are almost destroyed. So we got in touch we some institutional organization (a school center) and asked for a place. They liked the idea for an alternative infocenter and gave us a hand. So we have this infocenter now, we are a little dependent on the building owners and could not do whatever we want in there but for now this is the best project we have done.

Q: What are the best ways anarchists in North America can support the projects of anarchists in the Balkans?

A: Sometimes even an encouraging word is enough to make you feel better and continue the fight. When we are desperate the only thing that help us to not give up is to know that we are not alone, that there are other people like us around the world fighting for a better life. I am not sure what are the best ways anarchists in North America could support the anarchist projects in the Balkans. Maybe first we have to get in touch and get to know each other, to exchange information and ideas about the projects we do, to share books and other propaganda materials.

Q: Please give a list of projects and groups in Bulgaria that could be useful to anarchists in the rest of the world, with contact information for each one.

A: Infocenter “Ecotopia” – this is an alternative information center based in Razgrad. It has a reading space and library with various anarchistic, environmental, anarchafeminist, animal rights, subcultural etc. materials. The place is open for video screenings, discussions, concerts, exhibitions, etc.… so anyone who is passing nearby get in touch: infocenter.ecotopia@gmail.com

*Autonomous anti-authoritarian group “AnarhoSaprotiva” – this is an anarchist group based in Sofia. http://www.aresistance.net/ ; aresistance@riseup.net

*Katarzis zine – this is a zine with news from the local anarchist scene, some texts about everyday anarchism, environmentalism, animal rights, anarchafeminism, practical tips and interviews with music bands:

katarzis@riseup.net

http://www.music.a-bg.net/

– this is an online zine focused on the DIY scene with a lot of information about actions, music, animal rights, practical tips, etc. . .

sfti.diy@gmail.com

http://www.a-bg.net/

– this is an anarchist portal of FAB (Federation of the Anarchists in Bulgaria):

fab@a-bg.org

Thanks so much!

CANADIAN LABOUR:

GM HEADQUARTERS BLOCKADE ENTERS ITS FIFTH DAY:

As Molly writes this the blockade of the GM headquarters in Oshawa Ontario has entered its fifth day. The blockade has so far been supported by a "drive-by" protest that shut down production at the Oshawa truck plant yesterday, even though the union leadership has been quite reluctant to call for any more militant actions. Here's a story from the Chicago Tribune and the Associated Press about the latest protests about this event.

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GM workers continue protest over Ontario truck plant plans
Associated Press
OSHAWA, Ontario

- General Motors Corp. workers took their protest on the road Saturday over plans to close an Ontario pickup truck factory, and the automaker's production was disrupted for part of the day.

A Canadian Auto Workers union blockade of GM's Oshawa offices that began Wednesday remained in effect. A vehicle convoy Saturday involving about 100 people circling the Oshawa truck and car plants prevented deliveries.

Trucks delivering parts could not get in, and union spokesman Keith Osborne says that forced a temporary shutdown at both the car and truck plants. The truck plant set to be closed employs 2,600 hourly and 300 salaried workers.

"General Motors experienced a little bit of heartburn today," said CAW Local 222 president Chris Buckley. "That's nothing compared to what 2,600 of my members feel every day right now. It's a lot more than heartburn."

Buckley said the union would only take legal protest measures for now.

GM spokesman Stew Low said the automaker lost a little bit of production Saturday at the plants, but not a substantial amount. He said Saturday afternoon that production was back up and running.

CAW President Buzz Hargrove met Friday with GM CEO Rick Wagoner in Detroit. Hargrove has said the automaker committed to keeping the Oshawa truck plant open in a contract agreement May 15. Hargrove said the agreement also included a promise that the Oshawa plant would build a new hybrid truck, keeping it running until at least 2011.

But GM announced Tuesday it would close the plant in 2009. GM says it's closing Oshawa and three other pickup and sport utility vehicle factories as $4 per gallon gas has caused sales to tumble.

GM said it can shut down factories if market conditions warrant and that the Oshawa truck was picked for idling because it makes the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra -- high-end pickups with costlier options, a segment of the market affected severely by the sales decline.

Hargrove said market conditions haven't changed in the 2 weeks since GM agreed to the new three-year deal with the CAW. Low said that at the time of negotiations, GM still believed that the slumping pickup market could recover. Since then, the trend away from trucks to cars has accelerated, he said.

GERMANY:

ACTION DAYS IN BERLIN:

The following is a report from the A-Infos board about recent actions around squatting in Berlin, Germany.

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Germany, Berlin: Action Days Report Back

A personal report from last week's action days for autonomous spaces in Berlin. This report reflects the thoughts and opinions of the authors, not of any campaign, although these opinions may be shared by others.

---- Berlin - in Chaos! ----

Report back from Action Days for Autonomous Space May 27 to June 1

"We do not wish to find ourselves in a world where no one really lives, where no one really knows anyone else, where everyone has become a mere cog in a machine meshing with other cogs but remaining truly alone, then we must have the strength to attack alienation in every way we can." ---- "We believe for a space to be truly autonomous it must first be liberated. Liberated in our sense doesn't just mean taking something out of the hands of capitalists (the mere re- appropriation of a building) but rather taking space and finding ways to use it as a weapon against the State and Capital."

Last week, anarchists set their own dates for a confrontation with the State and Capital. Not prepared to be crushed by increasing repression against the spaces in which we live, plot and fight from, the Action Days for Autonomous Spaces put Berlin in chaos.

Following the three-day 'Interspace' meeting in Kesselberg (a previously squatted land project outside Berlin) from May 24-27,many people headed into Berlin to put theory into practise and to join forces on the streets with those already preparing for the Action Days. An info-point was set up at the Kopi, radical left projects provided ie (people's kitchen) for the week as well as hosting theoretical and practical workshops.But, most importantly, hundreds of people from Berlin and from elsewhere went on the offensive and instigated 6 charged days of diverse and often militant action. In a city which has one of the harshest anti-squatting policies in Europe - the Berlin Line -where squats can be evicted immediately and brutally, people showed they were undaunted and defiant.

The focus of these action days in many ways remains the defence of certain threatened physical structures. However, as the diversity of actions that took place demonstrates, what was being fought for is not confined to or by the walls of such buildings. By expanding the definition of what we understand by 'free space' we are able to broaden our attack beyond these physical spaces to an attack against social control as a cornerstone of capitalist logic ie from autonomous space to liberated space.

Highlights of the week taken from the info-ticker:

*(4 cars burnt and disabled (bent-nail devices used to puncture tires) left on the surrounding streets to deter cops and the fire brigade from getting there in order to put the fires out.

*Construction crane burnt

.A truck and four more cars burn.

*Squatting of building on Michael-Kirch Platz.

8 cars burnt as a response to eviction of Michael-Kirch Platz and in solidarity with those arrested.

*Anti-Gentrification Rally at Bethanien.

*Parts of Rigaer 84 squatted and opened to public.

*Luxury apartment attacked with paint bombs and stones.

*Bike Tour of Media Spree buildings, the company responsible formuch redevelopment in Berlin

*.A Mercedes, a rental car and 2 cars from atelecommunications/security company burnt out.

*Windows of bank Sparkasse smashed.

*8 luxury cars, 2 bins and billboards burnt or destroyed.

*Offices of estate agent Oliver Rohr who works for Rigaer94/Liebig14 landlord Beulker attacked with graffiti, paint bombs and glue in the locks.

*O2 advertising screen at Warschauer Strasse attacked with paintbombs

*.McDonalds in Kreutzberg- trashed.

*2 unfinished lofthouses have their windows smashed- one attack takes place in broad daylight.

*Cop car windows smashed by Mauer Park.

*18 windows of SAP, a software company connected to arms trade,smashed.

*Windows of Verdi Hotel by Kopi smashed.

*Cops attacked with stones and bottles outside Kopi.Banner drop in support of Rigaer94 from the roof of the cathedral Berliner Dom.

*Barricades built in Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg and Wedding.

There was also a pirate radio (originally set up for the April Daysof Action in Defence of Free Spaces) and a web-based real time info-ticker which provided up-to-the-minute information on everything from demos, actions, arrests, police locations and detailed descriptions of undercover cops and their vehicles.

The constant prowling of undercover cop cars and a rumoured 250 civil police (as well the politically motivated crime unit) deployed in Kreuzberg did not deter people from taking action, and nor did brutal attacks on crowds of demonstrators or the imposition of Platzverweiseâ or banning orders from particular areas anyone who looked 'autonomous' – the use of these was ruled illegal by a judge later in the week. Despite beatings and arrests,the cops were finally unable to contain, control and crush the spirit, energy and daring of the week-long revolt.

After years of simply responding to dates set by institutions,governments and trade fairs etc, those acting to resist the repression of free space which extends to the totality of what we conceive as freedom we are left with a revived feeling of strength and energy. Discussions and analyses have been sparked; creative,autonomous participation has been inspired and face to face affinities built on. Above all, what has emerged from and what underpins these elements is the offensive action that people have taken which has let loose the reins of our imaginations and our resistance.

We hope it does not stop here, and that the quality and diversity of attacks, as well as a deepening understanding of what it means to liberate space in lives held hard in the velvet claw of capitalism, continues everywhere.

Put Berlin in Chaos

Put Everywhere in Chaos! ..

One note of sadness and anger from last week is the state-murder of an 18 year old boy in custody on May 29. Not known to be connected to the autonomous scene, he was arrested with two friends after attacking traffic lights and a car and was found hanged in his cell at 1.20am, only 3 hours after the time of his arrest. It is unlikely that it was suicide as the cops have stated - because of the design of the cells in Temple of nick and the short amount of time that would have been available to him while being driven to the police station and processed.

For more information on the free spaces campaign in Berlin, go to

http://wba.blogsport.de

BLOGGING:

HERE AT MOLLY'S BLOG:

Every once in awhile it is necessary to pause and say what this blog is all about. Molly's Blog is basically an anarchist blog, but it can also expand at times to cover issues that are far removed from politics, anarchist or otherwise. The blog itself is named after a cat that I once owned, "Molly"-her of the "paw of doom". As to my own "anarchism" it can be summed up in the following:

1)I believe in an anarchism that is "gradualist" with all that implies, and I am not an advocate of "revolution" for many different reasons.

2)I believe that the "pathway towards anarchy" is being created every day by the struggles for freedom and justice on the part of ordinary people, and much of what I report here is concerned with such struggles. I believe that such struggles are anarchism in the modern world, and that ideological plans are secondary.

3)All that being said, I believe that "anarchism" is a philosophy that holds a set of moral criteria upon which various struggles should be judged. Does a given struggle advance justice and freedom or does it carry "unforeseen consequences" that would reduce the achievement of these goals if the struggle is successful ? The law of "unforeseen consequences" is pretty well universal in human history, but one has to judge any given event in terms of probabilities that are basically unpredictable in various degrees. Sometimes this is obvious. Political power for Maoists in say Nepal will lead inevitably to a worsening of living conditions for the Nepalese people unless "the Maoists can be corrupted". Sometimes it is less obvious. Is a social democratic/leftist government in Latin America and its actions opening a space for real popular power? In such situations I prefer to "err on the side of history" and my own anarchist comrades in such countries by criticizing the ruling class of such states.

4)Molly's anarchism is rather "catholic" in that it reports on and encourages all sorts of things that I am not necessarily in total agreement with. I do, however, draw a line. I do not encourage childish playacting at terrorism, from its most silly expression of minor vandalism to its grossest expression of "sympathy" with terrorists with goals that are totally opposed to the anarchist ideal. I, therefore, refuse to report items that are simply silly and childish(a lot of which come out of the USA), and I refuse to list links in this blog where such items are given equal priority with the real struggles of ordinary people. Thus, if you are looking for items about "green anarchy","insurrectionism", "post anarchism", "post leftism", "primitivism" or any other psychological cult I suggest you look elsewhere.

5)While my own anarchism may "seem" to be congruent with what has become referred to as "class struggle anarchism" there are differences. My own view of class structure in the modern world is considerably more complex than that held by most modern anarchists. Hence my reluctance to "sign up" with the best of modern class struggle anarchism. If I want to state it in its crudest form I believe that we no longer live under "capitalism". We presently live under managerial societies that have "some" capitalist" aspects. This opinion informs my own politics in many ways, not the least of which is my utter immunity to "third worldism" where a new ruling class struggles to attain power. This view of the world also informs some of my own attitudes to social questions here in the "developed world". Hence my opposition to that part of the working class whose product is "social control"- the social workers are the prime example. An anarchism that retains such enterprises is not worthy of the name "anarchist". Some of this may seem rather extreme. Most(almost all) people would be quite comfortable with a world without social workers. But few can imagine a world without the caste labelled as "teachers". The "anarchist project" also envisions a world where children are not jailed for 7 to 8 hours a day to facilitate work for the ruling class.

6)The languages of Molly's Blog are basically English and French. I do often translate items from Spanish, another language that I am quite familiar with. I believe that there there should be an "anarchist news aggregator" for Canada that would be totally(ie every post) bilingual in English and French. That is something for the future, and it is not the function of a site such as Molly's Blog. For myself I will continue with the format that I have devised. Items from Québec will be given in French first and then in English. Spanish items will be translated, and a reference to the Spanish original will be given. Regular readers of this board may realize that I have been long amiss over the "Enlaces en Espanol" section of my links. Please have patience as it will appear soon.

7)Before I close I would like to point out that Molly's Blog has the most extensive and complete links section of any site on the "anarcho-net" in terms of contacts. This is despite the efforts of some sites, where money is being made, to replicate a similar presentation .Yes, I'll make this claim here and now. I don't make a penny from what I do. What I have provided is much more complete than anything else on the internet, though I still have to put the Spanish language section on line. It very much focuses on Canada, but it is still much more complete than any American site in terms of their own country.

AMERICAN LABOUR:

SEND CONDOLENCES TO MARIA'S FAMILY:

The following notice is from the United Farm Workers of the USA, as they commemorate the life and death of Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez, murdered by the bosses who refused to obey heat regulations in the fields of California.

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Why is the company silent ?

Last week we told you about the tragic death of 17-year-old Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez. Maria died due to heat stroke while laboring in a Stockton area vineyard.

Maria Isabel, who was two months pregnant, was working for Merced Farm Labor in a vineyard owned by West Coast Grape Farming. Her body temperature was 108.4 degrees when she was finally taken to a hospital nearly two hours after she collapsed. (Click to read Maria's story.)

To date no one from the companies involved has had the decency to express condolences to Maria's family--not the farm labor contractor, not the company who owns the field where Maria labored, nor the wine distributor. There have been no letters, no one showed up at the funeral--nothing.

Please help us show Maria's family--including her grieving mother--the support from the community at large. Help us show her the impact Maria’s life and death had on strangers she never knew, people whose paths never crossed hers.

Please write a condolence note to Maria’s mother and family--a line or two will do--although you are welcome to write more. Help us show Maria’s mother that thousands of people recognize the value of Maria's life.

We will be printing out these letters and giving them to Maria’s grieving mother. Please tell her you care.

http://www.ufwaction.org/campaign/maria

Tell-A-Friend: Forward this message to at least 10 friends or family and ask them to send a letter too.

Associated Press reported that Jimenez' employer, Merced Farm Labor, had been issued “three citations in 2006 for exposing workers to heat stroke, failing to train workers on heat stress prevention...” They said the $2,250 it owes in fines has not been paid.

06/02/2008 News10.net: Hundreds Begin Four-Day March in Lodi in Memory of Fallen Farm Worker (Video)

05/31/2008 Sacramento Bee: Editorial - A tragedy in the farm fields is all too familiar

Photos of Pilgrimage for Fallen Farm Workers, Day 1/Fotos de Peregrinacion por Campesinos Caidos, Dia uno

Video: Maria's fiance Florentino Bautista talks about what happened on May 14./Video: El comprometido de Maria, Florentino Bautista, habla sobre lo que paso el 14 de mayo

More media clips, news releases, video, photos and updates at: www.ufw.org/heatregs

AMERICAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT:

SPEAKING TOUR ON "ORGANIZATION":

The North Eastern Federation of Anarchist Communists (NEFAC) is the most well established and active segment of the "organized anarchist" community in North America. This summer they are sponsoring a speaking tour by Kim Keyser from Norway. The subject will be anarchist organization. here's the announcement. Too bad there are no Canadian stops.

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US, Prefigurative Organization: Kim Keyser Northeast Speaking Tour sponsored by Northeastern Federation of Anarchist Communists

Kim Keyser is an activist from the nascent anarchist movement in Norway - the so-called "social democratic paradise" in Northern Europe. This summer he'll be touring the US with an illustrated presentation called "The Prefigurative Organization". The presentation will try to answer the question "How can we reflect the future we want, in our present work?". It will touch upon subjects such as direct democracy, direct action, workers councils, anarchist organizing and involvement in social movements.

---- A complementing pamphlet called "The Prefigurative Organization" - which has been made specifically for the speaking tour - will be available.

---- After the presentation there will be a possibility to ask the speaker specific questions, followed by plenty of time for discussions in small groups.

*Boston, MA - Saturday, June 7 at Lucy Parsons Center, 549 Columbus Avenue

*Portland, ME - Thursday, June 12, 7 PM at Meg Perry Center, 644 Congress Street

*Montpelier, VT - Saturday, June 14, 6 PM at Black Sheep Books Langdon Street Cafe, 4 Langdon Street

*Hartford, CT - Sunday, June 15, 6 PM at Charter Oak Cultural Center, 21 Charter Oak Ave

*New York, NY TBA

*Philadelphia, PA - Thursday, June 19

*Baltimore, MD - Saturday, June 21, 7:30 PM at Red Emmas, 800 St. Paul Street

*Washington, DC - Tuesday, June 24 TBA

*Richmond, VA - Thursday, June 26 TBA

*Syracuse, NY - Tuesday, July 15 TBA

*Buffalo, NY - Thursday, July 17 TBA

*Cleveland, OH - Saturday, July 19 TBA

*Detroit, MI - Tuesday, July 22 TBA

*East Lansing, MI - Thursday, July 24 TBA

*Chicago, IL - Saturday, July 26 TBA

*Pittsburgh, PA - Tuesday, July 29 TBA

Sponsored by the Northeastern Federation of Anarchist Communists

http://nefac.net/en/tour

Molly Note- I see a lot of "TBAs" in the following press release. If you are interested I suggest you check in with the link above as time wears on.

JAPAN:

SOLIDARITY WITH ARRESTED ANTI-G8 ACTIVIST:

The following notice is from the Asian Anarchist Network, an online board for anarchists in or interested in anarchist events in Asia. It concerns the pre-emptive strikes that the Japanese police are making against activists in that country in preparation for the G8 conference coming up this month. Read it and give what solidarity you can. Molly would also like to note in passing about how the ABC in Asia (and eastern Europe for that matter) is true to its presumed original function ie supporting anarchists who have run afoul of the law for political reasons. This is in stark contrast to the situation in North America where the vast majority of the efforts are directed either to Maoist and nationalist criminals or those of these groups who have made a "jail-house conversion" to anarchism (about as much to be trusted as a jail-house conversion to Jesus-there is no greater concentration of "born-again Christians" than in maximum security-can we say "parole board"). The situation in western Europe is mixed, and has been the matter of much debate there where the American concept of "political correctness" is less overwhelming than here. Molly wants to state here and now that anarchist prison solidarity should be restricted to either anarchists who are not guilty of childish attempts at terrorism (leave that field to the Islamists where it belongs) and legitimate ordinary people of whatever political persuasion who are struggling against the ruling class of their country without trying to become a new ruling class ie no commies- who are never "ordinary people" anyways.

But enough of the rant. Here's the notice.

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Anarchist in Kansai area (West Japan) arrested (Rebel-Jill)‏
Tabi Rounin, better known as 'Rebel_Jill' has been detained by police on minor charges in the run-up to the G8 in Japan, as the police attempt to investigate his international connections and disrupt his revolutionary activities. This is a known tactic of the Japanese political police, see here for more information about this tactic and an interview with Tabi:

Interview with Comrade 'M

'http://www.325collective.com/social-control_m.html

Interview with Rebel-Jil

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No Justice, No Peace - Fight the Police

----------(From Osaka ABC)---------

We denounce the arrest of our comrade, Tabi Rounin! Release him now!

On the morning of June 4th, 2008, comrade Tabi Rounin, a squatter liberation activist, was arrested on the charge of "Illegal Address Registration" (in other words, living somewhere he is not registered to live at). His house was searched and more than 14 items were taken including his computer, his phone, resume and fliers. Clearly searching someone's house simply because their address is still registered at their parents' house goes beyond simple police work.

This is pre-emptive repression with one eye towards the economic summit being held on June 14th and 15th. He is currently being held in Koriyama police station in Nara prefecture and in 5 days will be put in front of the judge. There are hundreds of people every year who have their IDs registered to their family's residence. To be arrested on 'Illegal Address Registration' is unheard of beyond political repression.

Tabi Rounin had stopped his activity within Osaka city, where the high class apartment buildings of the rich stretch on for miles, and had been active around the working class cities and suburbs around Osaka and Kawachi, connecting to squatters with no organized political presence or assistance, connecting to foreigners working for low wages in factories around his area. He is a working class revolutionary from the roots who fought an isolated battle. There are many anarchists overseas who have found sympathy with his selfless style of activity.

We fiercely protest this repression against the movement that we have helped build! Police, release Tabi Rounin immediately!

June 6th, Anarchist Black Cross Osaka

We are requesting contributions for Tabi Rounin's early parole.

Please send contributions to the address below.

We also would appreciate support packages.

Osaka city, Kita-ku Nakazakichou 3-3-1-401

Jiyuu Roudousha Rengou Kizuke]

Anarchist Black Cross

GREECE:

CORFU RESIDENTS CLASH WITH RIOT POLICE:

Here's another item from Greece, this time from the island of Corfu, where clashes with riot police over a plan to build an open-air garbage dump near the town of Lefkimi have left one protester dead and another paralyzed. This item is from the LibCom site.

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Barricades against open garbage-dump in south Corfu end in clashes with riot police
On the 29th of May residents of Lefkimi in Corfu erected barricades to stop the construction of an open garbage-dump near their town. Clashes with riot-police have left one dead, one paralysed. The area is under police occupation.

The residents of Lefkimi in the south of Corfu are opposed to the construction of an Open Garbage-Dump (XYTA) near their town. The residents claimed that their marginalised, underdeveloped area known for its left-wing tradition and defiance was being used as a refuse for the tourist-industry produced garbage of the north. Underlining the class aspect of the government's decision on the location of the site within 1.5 km of the residential area, the residents denounced it as a "colonial policy".

On the morning of the 29th of May the residents decided to man a blockade using old cars, tree branches and even rowing boats, so as to inhibit the construction of the site. Barricades were erected and oil was spilled on the road leading to inhibit construction machines. The government's response was the deployment of 8-10 squads of the infamous riot-police forces (MAT), a move which infuriated the residents. In the battle that ensued when the MAT tried to break the blockade, the residents set fire on the barricades, and attacked the riot-police with sticks, projectiles and molotov cocktails.

The response of the riot-police was ruthless: 13 people were arrested including the elected representatives of the residents, while scores of protesters were seriously injured. On the 1st of June, one of them, 43 year old Maria mother of 2 children, died of her injuries. Maria was hit by a 16 year old boy who lost control of his motorbike when he was hit on the head while driving by a riot-police officer. The 16 year old boy has been left paralysed due to spinal fractures. The Greek government has refused to acknowledge the responsibility of the police in the death of Maria pressing charges against the 16 year old driver instead. In response the residents of Lefkimi have occupied the local city hall and have called for demonstrations of solidarity across the country. The town of Lefkimi is still under occupation by provocative police forces.

GREECE:

POLICE REPRESSION ENDS POWER PLANT OCCUPATION IN GREECE:

The following is reprinted from the Anarkismo site, and it describes a workplace occupation in northern Greece that ended on June 2 with a police eviction of the protesters. The plant in question, by the way, has the dubious distinction of producing the most carbon dioxide emissions of any power plant in Europe.

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23 day long occupation

by Dimitri

The struggle continues
23 day long occupation of major power-plant in northern Greece ends in police repression.

After 23 days of blockading the input and output conveyor belts of one of the major power-plants of Greece(apparently the largest one-Molly) by the Union against Unemployment, demanding re-employment, environmental reform(see comment above-Molly) and withdrawal of charges against rebel workers, riot police evicted the Agios Dimitrios Power-Plant occupation. Serious clashes have ensued in efforts to release the arrested Union members.

In the morning of the 10th of May 2008, the residents of Agios Dimitris,a town near the north-Greek city of Kozani, where the National Electric Company (DEH) holds its majors units, employing the vast majority of the working population, having formed a local Union against Unemployment occupied the north gate of the Agios Dimitrios Power-Plant, interrupting the function of the feed-belts carrying lignite, as well as the ash-belts from the factory to the disposal area. The blockade was manned in shifts by all the residents of the township, including children, in solidarity with the industrial action.The Union demanded the reemployment of sacked workers at DEH units in the region, measures for the protection of the environment, and an immediate withdrawal of charges pressed against 70 residents of the area for similar mobilisations last year.

In response, on the 18th day of the occupation, the National Electric Company pressed charges against the Union arguing its action is causing it enormous loses, for which it claimed one million euros compensation per day (the minimum salary in Greece is 650E per month). Aiming to put public pressure on the squatters, DEH claimed the occupation was threatening to put on hold all four units of the Agios Dimitrios Plant, one of the biggest in the country, thus putting the electric supply of the entire country in danger. In reality the industrial action was decreasing overall electric production capacity only by 500 megawatts. Nevertheless, in the following days the DEH monopoly waged a media campaign warning of the necessity of black outs in response of the crisis.

Some days later, the squatters refused to hold talks with the local authorities and the minister of development when they demanded the unblocking of the conveyor belts as a guarantee of the negotiations.

On Monday the 2nd of June 2008, 5 am, riot-police forces violently ended the 23 day long blockade of the Electric Power-Plant at Agios Dimitris. The police warned the squatters to clear the DEH premises, and when the latter refused, the riot-police attacked arresting 6 men: the president and four members of the Union. During the consequent protest march in the industrial city of Kozani three more people were arrested during major clashes with the police, with one protester seriously wounded. After the economic secretary of the Union warned the police to release the 6 arrested or "face a general uprising; we shall torch the power-plant with crude oil and explosives, and get rid of this nightmare for ever", the authorities agreed to release the arrested members of the Union who will stand trial next September.

The Union and the totality of Agios Dimitris residents pledge to continue their struggle.

CANADIAN LABOUR:

HOW MUCH HAVE THE AUTO COMPANIES SUCKED FROM THE PUBLIC PURSE ?:

The recent announcement by General Motors that they intend to close their Oshawa Ontario truck plant has brought at least one issue into the public view. Exactly how much have the various auto manufacturers sucked from the public purse over the years ? And for what results ? There is little doubt that the present government of Ontario, despite the fact that it has the power to act against contract breakers-unlike the CAW union- will never act against General Motors for recovery of past handouts that were given with the understanding that a certain number of jobs were to be maintained in Ontario. THAT is a rock solid guarantee.As a matter of fact contract breaking on the part of corporations who have received government subsidies is a rather common occurrence, and to Molly's knowledge no government anywhere in North America has EVER acted to recover the money so wasted. I await disproof on the part of my readers. Does the phrase "punishment-free scam" come to mind ? I wish I could break contract law so freely. Welcome to the site of Molly the multi-millionaire.

But how much exactly have various governments shovelled into the maw of the auto manufacturers in past years ? Molly has been trying to search this down in the last few days, and I have to say it is difficult. Still, here is one number from a consumer website, 'The Truth About Cars', one that is hardly a raving leftist source. The total for various auto companies from the government of Ontario alone seems to be an astounding seven billion dollars. All this is very relevant as the federal Conservative government seems poised to throw yet another few hundreds of millions of dollars at GM. As a reward for its past behavior ???

Here's the article.

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Ontario Premier: “No Regrets” Over $250m GM Handout
By Edward Niedermeyer

May 14, 2008

Canada (like most other developed countries) has a hard time attracting/keeping auto manufacturing jobs due to high labor and tax costs. To counteract these competitive disadvantages, provincial governments often offer car companies tax holidays and other incentives. The problem with these handouts is that they do not guarantee a long-term presence by the bought-off manufacturers. Exhibit A: GM got handouts worth nearly $250m in provincial tax money (and about $200m in federal funds) for its Beacon project aimed at revitalizing its Canadian production facilities. Now, a few short years later, they're cutting some 1400 jobs at their Windsor transmission factory, with another 900 lost due to production cuts at the Oshawa truck plant. Having spent some $7b on various automaker subsidies without receiving a single job guarantee, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is coming under fire. "The more money this government invests in a company, it seems the more jobs are lost," says Progressive Conservative MPP Bob Runciman. But McGuinty says he "doesn't regret" giving the money to GM (at least until the next election). Report on Business tells us that GM is set to ask the Ontario government for another $140m to build transmissions at its St Catherine's plant. Oh, and don't expect GM to offer any job guarantees, either.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR:

WAKE-UP WAL-MART NEEDS YOUR LETTERS:

If there is an international corporation that epitomizes globalization it is Wal-Mart. Today the corporation operates in 14 countries. According to the Wikipedia entry on Wal-Mart it is now the world's largest corporation both by revenues and by number of employees. Even when compared to public institutions it ranks #4 in the world (though items such as the PLA of China and the US military are left out). But speaking of globalization and China the same Wikipedia article notes that over 70% of the merchandise in Wal-Mart stores is manufactured in China. Is Wal-Mart just as much a part of the capitalist/public organization"China Inc" as the PLA ??

Not that Wal-Mart doesn't have its opposition. The two most prominent organizations are Wal-Mart Watch and Wake Up Wal-Mart. Both are basically coalitions of unions and social justice groups concerned with the (abysmal) labour policies of Wal-Mart. The following appeal is from one of these, Wake Up Wal-Mart, and it concerns a recent article in the New York Times basically saying that opposition to Wal-Mart is dying. help to prove the article wrong by joining Wake Up Wal-Mart in writing to the NYT.

..........................................

Your Story Was Not Told‏
From:
The WakeUpWalMart.com Team (info@wakeupwalmart.com)
info@wakeupwalmart.com

Check out The New York Times' website today and prepare to be disappointed. A new article claims the relationship between Andy Stern and Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott signals a general slowdown in the movement to change Wal-Mart.

We couldn't disagree more.

Look at our campaign's track record. This year, you've continued to spread our message, making WakeUpWalMart.com one of the largest grassroots movements in America. 427,000 grassroots activists have joined our campaign, a supporter base larger than the population of Miami.

Your overwhelming support for maltreated Wal-Mart workers like Debbie Shank and Olga Sanchez nearly crashed our web servers. Just this year, you've sent hundreds of thousands of emails to newspapers and politicians. Frankly, you've done more to change Wal-Mart in the past few months than we have space to mention.

The real story wasn't told in today's article, but your voice can still be heard. Write The New York Times today. Tell them you have not stopped working to make Wal-Mart a responsible corporation.

America deserves to know that WakeUpWalMart.com has NO intention of letting Wal-Mart off the hook.

Wal-Mart would be foolish to think greenwashing and spin will satisfy millions of its critics. They are also mistaken if they think one New York Times story will alter our course. If anything, it will only steel our resolve.

Don't wait to take action. Write The New York Times today. Tell them to write the real story. Your story.
Use this page to write The New York Times
Thanks for all that you do,
The Team,WakeUpWalMart.com

ABORIGINAL ISSUES:

VICTORY FOR GRASSY NARROWS:

This one has begun to spread widely across the internet in the last few days, as forestry giant Abitibi Bowater has decided to pull out of logging in the 'Whiskey Jack Forest' northeast of Kenora Ontario because of a 5 year long blockade on the part of local native groups who would be adversely affected by the project. It was hard to decide what to reprint here as there are numerous statements that have been circulating. Rather than quote various rather predatory NGOs who have made money out of this affair Molly decided to reprint this statement found at the Friends of Grassy Narrows website. The FoGN is a local Winnipeg based group that has been organizing support for the people of Grassy Narrows for many years, and while they basically quote the Toronto Star such a quotation is ethically cleaner than some from the NGOs. Not to tar all NGOs with the same brush. Some religious groups have offered as disinterested support as the FoGN have. Some others, however, have offered their support only in the context of raising funds for themselves. The reader is advised to consult the FoGN website for the comments appended to the article reproduced below. The libertarian socialist Autonomy and Solidarity website also hopes to have comments from the residents of Grassy Narrows soon.

..................................

Protest prompts Abitibi pullout

Negotiations with band would take too long, forestry giant says

Jun 05, 2008 04:30 AM

Peter Gorrie ENVIRONMENT REPORTER

THESTAR.COM

One of the world's biggest logging companies has pulled out of a Northern Ontario forest because of opposition from a small local Indian community.

AbitibiBowater Inc. said it will surrender its licence to cut trees in the Whiskey Jack forest, about an hour's drive north of Kenora, because it can't wait for negotiations, recently announced by the province, that the company says will take at least four years.

The million-hectare forest is on land claimed by Grassy Narrows First Nation, which has been backed in a five-year blockade and publicity campaign by environment and human rights groups.

"We were thinking we'd have a quicker resolution," spokesperson Jean-Philippe Côté said in an interview. "We respect the decision, but it doesn't fit with our business interest. We don't want to wait four more years without knowing what's going to happen."

The giant company, formed last fall by the amalgamation of Abitibi Consolidated Inc. and Bowater Inc., is licensed to cut 700,000 cubic metres of wood a year from the forest until 2023.

It will, for now, get replacement wood from other forests. That's possible because the combined company is licensed to cut in other forests and the downturn in the forest industry has made wood supplies available elsewhere, Côté said. "This doesn't affect our operation."

Last month, the company reported a net loss of $248 million, or $4.32 per diluted share, on sales of $1.7 billion for the first quarter of 2008. For the same period last year, Bowater alone reported a net loss of $35 million, or $1.19 per diluted share, on sales of $772 million.

Supporters of Grassy Narrows called the withdrawal a clear message that businesses can't work in the North without local consent.

"All companies operating in the boreal forest should take this as a wake-up call," said David Sone of San Francisco-based Rainforest Action Network. "This is proof that communities can say `no' and enforce their right to control development in their territory."

The province has negotiated several forest agreements backed by industry, First Nations and other communities and will work toward one for Whiskey Jack, Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield said in an interview. "It shouldn't take four years." As for AbitibiBowater's time estimate: "It's their decision, not mine."

The issue of consultation is heating up across Northern Ontario, especially with a mine claim-staking rush underway. The highest-profile fight pits Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation against Platinex Inc., which wants to mine platinum on land KI claims.

Most of the Whiskey Jack logs go to a pulp mill in Fort Frances. Pulp produced there is piped to a paper mill across the Rainy River in International Falls, Minn.

That mill is owned by Boise Inc. Last February – soon after Grassy Narrows declared a moratorium on development without its consent – Boise said it would accept pulp only from operations approved by the community or from other sources.

ANARCHIST MAGAZINES (ONLINE):

ANNOUNCING THE 'WHIRLWINDS' JOURNAL:

Molly recently came across this interesting announcement on the A-Infos board about a new online anarchist magazine. Yes, there is a debate about "online" versus printed publications that is old enough to have whiskers that have turned grey. Maybe I'll rehash this some other time. The project looks quite interesting, and the list of organizations and individuals appended at the end is thought provoking in itself. Quite a collection, and it would seem like a sort of party game to see how many breaths you have to take in order to recite them all. What pleases me the most is that I have never heard hide nor hair of the majority of them. This is a tribute to the ever-widening spread of anarchism today, about how it is gradually becoming a very widespread movement, something that has interesting nooks and crannies that it would take a lifetime to discover. What is also pleasing is that I only recognize three out of the dozens of items as representative of the "anarcho-fools" while many more are sterling examples of practical organizing. But enough pontificating. Here's the announcement.

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Whirlwinds online journal launched

Team Colors Collective and The Journal of Aesthetics and Protest Press are proud to announce the launch of the one-off online publication “In the Middle of a Whirlwind: 2008 Convention Protests, Movement and Movements” - http:// www.inthemiddleofawhirlwind.info .

---- Whirlwinds provides detailed analysis, thoughtful criticism, and substantive writing on current organizing through an inquiry into movement in the United States. Through that process, Whirlwinds assembles a strategic analysis of current political composition as a tool for building political power. (A detailed summary of the project and contributors list follows this note.)

---- We begin and end with the question: Will you join us in the middle of a whirlwind?

• Communicate with the coordinators and contributors

.• Utilize materials contained within Whirlwinds in your own organizing.

• Participate in our discussion forums to critique or dialog around Whirlwinds contributions (forthcoming).

• Host or attend one of the many “Of Friends and Whirlwinds” events.

• Make a contribution toward the effort and sign up on the email list.

• Distribute this announcement and “Will you join us in the middle of a whirlwind?” posters and postcards; available at your local radical infoshop and from Team Colors.

• Create an affinity group to prepare for the upcoming convention protests this summer.

• Inquire into, research, investigate, document, organize around and amplify the winds - refusals, struggles, activities - circulating through your everyday lives and communities.

Whirlwinds is go; additional contributions, articles, and materials will appear in the weeks leading up to convention protests this summer and action reports and analysis will follow.

As our struggles swirl and become collective, the winds flowing through our lives and communities become a whirlwind.

Team Colors Collective

3 June 2008

* * *

Will you join us in the middle of a whirlwind?

In the Middle of a Whirlwind:

2008 Convention Protests, Movement and Movements

A one-off(I hope this doesn't mean what I think it does-Molly) online journal of theory, art, activism and organizing out now!

www.inthemiddleofawhirlwind.info

Coordinated by: Team Colors Collective

www.warmachines.info

Published by: The Journal of Aesthetics & Protest Press

www.thejournalofaestheticsandprotest.org

In the Middle of a Whirlwind (Whirlwinds) inquires into current organizing efforts in the United States, and through that process, assembles a strategic analysis of current political composition as a tool for building political power.

Whirlwinds’ strategic context is this summer’s RNC and DNC protests; through these documents and the discussions that erupt from them we hope to directly impact the anti-Convention organizing. In a larger sense, and in the long-term, Whirlwinds is intended to provide a set of useful documents for contemporary radical organizing. Each essay and interview addresses the issues of movement, working class power and composition, and/or gives strategic insight into organizing, and the strengths and weaknesses of current movement/s in the U.S.

Contributions From:

Jen Angel Bay Area Radical Health Collective Bluestockings Books, Café and Activist Center (written by Malav Kanuga) George Caffentzis Chris Carlsson Maribel Casas-Cortest & Sebastion Cobarrubias (Counter Cartographies Collective) Emma Cosse (Act-up Paris) CrimethInc. Direct Action to Stop the War Domestic Workers United & Right to the City Alliance (written by Harmony Goldberg) Family Farm Defenders Silvia Federici Michael Hardt & El Kimobo in conversation Brian Holmes The Icarus Project IWW Starbucks Workers Union “I Want To Do This All Day: Redefining Learning & Reinventing Education” (Audio Documentary) El Kilombo Intergaláctico Latino Health Outreach Project (written by Jennifer Whitney) Peter Linebaugh Brian Marks Daniel McGowan Stevie Peace (including an interview with Critical Resistance) Philly’s Pissed & Philly Stands Up (written by Timothy Colman, Esteban Kelly & Em Squires) Roadblock Earth First! Gigi Roggero (Edu-Factory) Maggie Schmitt (Precarias a la Dervia) Ben Shepard Basav Sen Smalltown, USA Workers Center smartMeme $pread Magazine Brian Tokar Daniel Tucker (AREA Chicago) Ultra-red US Federation of Workers Cooperatives United States Social Forum (Documentation Committee; written by Marina Karides) Art by: David Azzellini & Lize Mogel, Kristine Virsis of Just Seeds, Brett Bloom of Temporary Services, USSMEAC. Interviews with: Ashanti Alston (interview by Team Colors), Robin D. G. Kelley (interview by Ben Holtzman) and Unconventional Action (National), Recreate ’68 (Denver) & RNC Welcoming Committee (Twin Cities).

Journal: whirlwinds@inthemiddleofawhirlwind.info

Team Colors: teamcolors@warmachines.info