Coronavirus And Prisons.

        While all of us try to take what precautions we can in protecting ourselves, friends, family and neighbours from this Coronavirus attack, perhaps we should also be thinking of those who can do nothing to protect themselves from this pandemic.
      I am of course talking about those individuals locked up in the state's cages of repression, the prisons. Most prisons are overcrowded, conditions are far from perfect hygiene, due to lack of facilities, ideal conditions for the spread of infections, with the individual having no control over their conditions. Prison guards live in the outside society and make constant contact with the prisoners. They could be carriers of the infection into an environment that has no way of protecting itself.
      What is being done to protect these individuals? Absolutely nothing, and the prisoners and their families are well aware of this lack of assistance for this section of society in our community.
      In certain cases the prisoners themselves are trying to draw attention to their precarious, and yet avoidable situation, and are rebelling against this gross injustice. We owe them our full support and solidarity, they are being treated worse than animals. They are being contained in unacceptable conditions no matter the dangers to their health and well-being. Prisons in normal times are an abomination, in times such as this, they are a callous, vindictive gross injustice and totally inhuman and unacceptable institutions.

This from Anarchists Worldwide:

For the spread of the revolt!
     About the mutinies in Italian prisons against the state’s measures against Coronavirus       For several weeks now the Italian government has been testing increasingly radical measures to restrict freedom in order to manage the Coronavirus pandemic.
       While isolation and control are becoming increasingly harsh on the outside, the situation is becoming unbearable on the inside. For two weeks now, the visits, work and recreational activities have been restricted. In recent days, people who were on day-release are no longer allowed to go out and special permissions are no longer allowed. This also means the deprivation of access to basic necessities and goods (food, clean clothing, money…).
      Following these decisions, the first mutinies broke out on Saturday the 7th of March, spreading to around thirty prisons in the space of two days throughout Italy.
       The methods of revolt are simple and effective. From the north to the south of Italy, fire spread from one prison to another, prisoners climbed to the rooftops shouting “freedom and amnesty!”, prison guards were taken hostage, bars were twisted, official documents were reduced to ashes. There are no more traces of law enforcement officers in some wings of the buildings. In Modena, the entire prison closed down because the revolts made it unusable.
The figures that are beginning to circulate speak of more than a hundred escaped prisoners. We wish them good luck!      As the smoke rises high in the sky, relatives and people in solidarity gather at the bottom of the prisons, either to shout their support or to organize street blockades, thus blocking the arrival of the police, the GOM (prison police) and the military.
     The revolt is intense, the repression is ferocious: water and electricity cuts, helicopters flying over the prison walls, police violence…There are at least 12 dead in several prisons. The bourgeois press and the prison administration speak of overdoses following the looting of infirmaries, however relatives of the prisoners [gathered in solidarity outside the prisons] have heard gunshots. And several prisoners are hospitalized in intensive care.
     At the same time, politicians of all kinds are trying to pacify by offering access to telephones or Skype, while asking families to calm their loved ones…but it hasn’t been enough to break their determination.
We send them all our solidarity!
     We don’t need to make analyses of the current revolts, they speak for themselves of the attack on a system that locks up and controls through fear and threats.
       By relying on an urgency and a generalized fear that they have helped to create, the different states place themselves as saviours in the face of the catastrophe and impose their logic and their measures on us. They compete in inventiveness to deepen control and surveillance and experiment with different tools for population management.
       Moreover, France is talking about setting up a specific system for prisons in the coming days.
       Apart from these situations, the reality of prisons is always disgusting.
Faced with imprisonment, there are always good reasons to revolt!

Coronavirus or not, in Italy or elsewhere, fire to all prisons!

March 11th, 2020.
[Originally published on Nantes Indymedia on 12.03.2020]

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Injustice Of The Justice System.

        We all know that the state's loaded judicial system, and its corporate and state owned coercive prison system, both run by stooges of the state, are there to punish those who dare to oppose their system of population control.  Dare to challenge the state's power and you will feel the full force of its vicious power in the form of callous physical and psychological violence.

       Nothing is too low or too brutal, no sewer too deep to trawl, to use as they pursue their objective of a submissive and and subservient population. Their vicious deeds sanitised by their phony stamp of legitimacy, as they lay claim to the monopoly on violence and brute force.

      Move from state to state and you will always find these cases of human degradation and callous savagery by state institutions. Here in the UK we have Julian Assange find more on Julian Assange HERE among others, being dehumanised for telling some dark secrets of the state's duplicity.

       The following case is from America, though look elsewhere and you will find more.

From Anarchists Worldwide:

 Joseph Dibee was arrested in August 2018 after more than a decade on the run. 

        He is accused of being part of a group that organized arson attacks against earth destroying and animal murdering enterprises. He is accused, for example, of taking part in the arson against the Wild Horse Meat Slaughterhouse in Oregon that was completely destroyed by fire and never reopened.
          He has been locked up since his capture even though he has not had a trial yet. In January, Joseph was attacked by a “white-power” piece of shit. His jaw was shattered to bits and he suffered multiple skull fractures. His mouth is wired shut. He is stable, but needless to say he went through a very scary and terrible experience.
       This comes as no surprise since the FBI has insisted on plastering the media with his full name (Joseph Mahmoud Dibee) alongside the word “Terrorist”. They have paved the way for Joseph to be continuously attacked in prison because of this. They are utilizing any tool (in this case, the spread of anti-Muslim and neo-nazi philosophy) to make Joseph suffer as much as possible.
        His lawyer has insisted to the judge over and over that Joseph is not a risk to society and that he has changed his life around, helping build solar and thermal systems in Syria and working as a teacher whilst on the run. The judge did not care and decided to keep Joseph locked up waiting for trial. We will say it again, he has not even been found guilty and he is supposed to pay the price.
       Joseph could do with letters of support and love. Nobody should be writing anything related to direct action or to his case, but sending letters explaining how the day has been might be a good start to make him feel better.

Here is the address to send letters:
Joseph Dibee #101799,
Inverness Jail, 11540 N.E.
Inverness Drive,
Portland, OR 97220

Remember that “Support the ALF” isn’t just a fucking t-shirt!

PRISONS ARE FOR BURNING

UA.

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The Flickering Flame Grows.

      Although the protests in France have been going on for more than a year, and covering all major cities and towns, it is still difficult to know exactly what is going on. The reason of course  is our media stay silent on such affairs especially if they are near to home, for fear of contagion. They know the population are angry, and here that anger is still simmering beneath the surface, the last thing they want is to give fuel for that anger causing it to burst onto the streets.

       If you are interested in what has been happening and is still happening in France, then the list of some of those actions over the year are listed by Anarchists Worldwide. It makes for interesting reading, showing the mosaic of direct actions and how they morphed in this highly technical society. It would appear that direct action of resistance is keeping pace with rapid changing technology that shapes and controls our lives.

The Anarchist Worldwide list in PDF form can be downloaded HERE: 

That was the year that was---

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Radical Resilience.

      A common feature among those activists who dedicate their life to trying to change the world, to attempt to create that better world for all, who stand against injustice, fight the economic system that is destroying the planet, who struggle for a system of mutual aid, sustainability and respect for all life, is the problem of "burnout". The problems seem to get bigger, the system's resistance gets more vicious, the struggle at times seems overwhelming, but the struggle can only be abandoned at our peril. The difficult dilemma, burnout and the struggle must continue.

 

     This article from Anarchists Worldwide, by means of a film trail, attempts to point to a way through this seemingly insurmountable dilemma. It would be good if the film can be brought to other cities, perhaps we could all gain something from the showing and discussion.

Radical Resilience:
      The premiere of Radical Resilience will be on Sunday the 1st March at the Alte VHS, Kasernenstraße, Bonn. Doors open at 15:30 and the film will begin at 16:00. It runs about 1 hour and afterwards there will be time for questions with the filmmakers and discussion. The film is multilingual and the subtitles will be in German. If necessary it would be no problem to do a whispering translation as a big part of the film is in English. There is no fixed price for entry as we’d like it to be accessible for all, but donations are very welcome to cover costs and hopefully help us continue our work.
     The screening will take place on the ground floor which is accessible by ramp. Unfortunately the toilet is not barrier free. There is a play room for children in the building. If you have any other needs, wishes or questions then please contact us.
      Through interviews, this film reflects on the effects of burnout within our movements, looks at reasons why it is such a common problem, and offers some tools and strategies how we can be more sustainable and inclusive in our activism.
      If you are interested in organising a screening in your area, get in contact. To stay informed about upcoming screenings, join our mailing list, or follow us on Mastodon or Twitter. Share the trailer widely if you like it! Please choose subtitles in settings on the player as the trailer is in several languages.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Resistance An Obligation.

       Pick your country, Greece, Spain, Italy and any other capitalist swamp and the patterns the same. Capitalism's minders, the state, battle hard and ceaselessly to extinguish any form of self organising among the people. Capitalism needs a subservient population, it can't permit people to look for alternatives, or their system would collapse, though that's on the cards in any case. This is where the state steps in to try and crush any form of dissent or resistance to the economic train crash that we are riding towards climate disaster. The state simply puts a stamp of legitimacy on their own violence against the people in an attempt to prop up this suicidal economic system.  When tyranny is the norm, resistance is an obligation.

From Anarchists Worldwide:

Milan: Branca Still Holds Out. Two Comrades on the Roof

       21.01.2020: The operation to clear the Brancaleone squat at 1 Piazza Alfieri began this morning. Despite the cold and the now 12 hours on the roof thanks to being pissed off and the determination to resist, 2 comrades are still on the roof and intend to stay there as long as possible.
      There are solidaritarians in the square at the front of the building who are stubbornly refusing to leave the comrades on the roof alone. The night will be long and cold, but together we will warm it with the flame of our anger that burns to the sound of good music.
       Herbal teas and good food await us here and all are welcome.
Some angry and cold comrades. 

Milan – A Reflection from Solidarity (Resistance to Eviction Continues)

       22.01.2020: Despite unsuccessful attempts by the so-called law enforcement agencies to end the resistance on the roof, it has now been 24 hours for the two people that are determined not to give in to yet another eviction, right in this city of luxury apartments and profiteers.
         The fake social peace that Beppe Sala [Giuseppe Sala – the Mayor of Milan] would like to establish in his showcase city, a metropolis of fashion design and gentrification (especially in a neighborhood like Bovisa where this same fact is evident) will never be completely possible as long there are people not willing to bend to social compromise.
         Yesterday as today, always above the roofs, always against the monopoly of the exercise of state force, against capitalists and exploiters.
Brancaleone resists!

Milan – And We’re Still Here…Of Course

       22.01.2020: For 30 hours they’ve been standing on the roof of the Brankaleone house. The comrades are well fed and are determined to stay where they are, do you want to hear about the beauty of Piazza Emilio Alfieri from above?!
          Let’s re-launch for tonite a date at 8:30pm in Piazza Alfieri, under Branka house. Updates on the situation, proposals, music, beer and good food.
         In any case, we’ll be here all day, so come by whenever you want.
        (all updates via Round Robin, freely translated into English by Anarchists Worldwide. All photos stolen from various Italian corporate media sources)

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Self Defence Takes Many Shapes.

      There is no doubt that this world has beauty and pleasure in abundance to offer, but it is impossible to be blind to the violence all around us, we live in a very violent world. The inescapable fact that we should all wake up to is that states are by far the worst offenders when it comes to violence. State authorities far outstrip any individual, group, or gangster mob, in the range and depth of violence they daily administer.

        Their violence takes many shapes from the misery, poverty and early deaths from corporate exploitation, aided and abetted by the state. There is the plundering of the public purse to enrich the already wealth bedfellows of the state, which is responsible for millions living mired in deprivation. There is the state "punishment" handed out to those who would resits this deliberate, avoidable violent injustice. Of course we can never ignore the state's greatest savage, brutal violence, it is when it decides to go to war with one of its fellow states. Which of course is always founded on a false narrative, cajoling the population into following its fluttering coloured rag and sacrificing their lives for the survival and enrichment of the keepers of the state. Wars create mountains of bodies and rivers of blood, and millions of lives that remain steeped in misery for the rest of their lives. However the keepers of the state ensure that the state survives intact.

        How people respond to this violence varies, but due to the scale brutality and breadth of state violence it is difficult to fault anybody's struggles against this continuous onslaught, each of us must choose or own path of resistance, but resistance is always justifiable, it is simply a choice of self defence.

    An anonymous song from Italy depicting someone's choice of resistance, lifted from Anarchists Worldwide:

The Individualist Hymn
Before dying in the mud on the streets
we would imitate Bresci and Ravachol;
anyone who extends a hand to you, bourgeoisie,
is a person unworthy of looking at the sun.
Grinding machines tear the beggars to pieces
and their wives are forever pale and weeping,
The fields remain fallow, the miners buried
and the workers crushed forever by murder.
And to those who don’t give in, open the tombs,
prepare the bombs, sharpen the knife,
action is the ideal!
France, on the watch with the guillotine,
chops off the head of anyone who wants to punish her.
Cowardly Spain strangles with a garrote and murderous
Italy guns down those who aren’t accustomed to trembling.
Hanged in America, throats cut in Africa,
forever tortured at Montjuich in Spain,
but the individualist still knows how to strike
the sorry breed of gentleman thugs.
And to those who don’t give in, open the tombs,
prepare the bombs, sharpen the knife,
action is the ideal!
As long as we are a herd it’s appropriate that there’s
a social gang passing laws;
as long as the sun of anarchy doesn’t shine,
we will always see the slaughtering of the populace.
Be very afraid, coppers, when you hear
the dynamite exploding against the oppressors.
We are enemies of all cops and scoundrels,
And one against all, we will scatter them.
And to those who don’t give in, open the tombs,
prepare the bombs, sharpen the knife,
action is the ideal!
******
No Copyright. 100% DIY. Feel free to reproduce.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

The Folly Of Joining A Political Party.

       What are political parties, what is their real purpose? I see them as shock absorbers of the system of authority. While the state and its authoritarian agenda pushes against individual freedom and seeks total control over the population, there is resistance, that resistance would build up and eventually find a outlet in overthrowing the authoritarian shackles of the state. So it is important for the survival of that authoritarian state system to find ways and means of channeling that resistance into some dead end process, political parties serve that purpose. First they must become part of the system to participate, and will then defend the system, demanding that you put your anger into their ballot boxes and they will take you to the promised land. History tells us they never have, and logic tells us they never will. They are an embedded part and parcel of the state system of population control, nothing more and nothing less. Freedom lives outside the party political system, and dies when it enters the party political system.

This from Anarchists Worldwide: 

 

 

Exist / Resist  
       Two years have passed since the gendarmerie entered a piece of land, far away, where a Mapuche community still lives today, and started shooting. They entered shooting because this piece of land had an owner, an owner who had a huge amount of properties, and it bothered him that there were people who occupied one of them. That was the justification for the State to enter with its bullets, for torture and persecution, for imprisonment, for death.
      It seems frivolous to take to the streets on this date, as if a couple of numbers on a calendar makes more sense than any other couple of numbers when it comes to gathering, but at no time during these past years have we forgotten Lechu. We try in some way, to continue “the struggle”, fancy words that we sometimes use to mean solidarity and direct action.
      Because that is what was happening in Cushamen, solidarity and direct action. That’s why Lechuga was there, sharing and supporting a struggle that is no stranger to us, the struggle for life and dignity, against the State and private property.
      During this time, the State continued to fulfill its role, with more prisoners, even though the prisons are collapsing, with more vigilance and control, with more police on the streets willing to kill to defend the property of others. In two years the State accumulated several more deaths, killed in the barrios, prisons and police stations.
        The other arm of the State, the political parties, continued to do their job as well, pacifying and channeling the anger towards their ballot boxes.
      From the first moment they acted like police pointing at people while shouting “infiltrators” or protecting the church and the police from attack and today they continue to play the game of the good citizen.
         Left-wing parties and the progressive sectors call on people to participate in this voluntary civic service that is the electoral circus because know that when they stop channeling the anger that it explodes and forges bonds of solidarity that can go against their interests. They call on “the youth”, who are modern and think that violence is a thing of the past, to register and vote for them, protest must be a party. A party of democracy.
       Recently, someone who knows what it means to lose someone at the hands of the State said that “there are times when we have to destroy the world to build it again”, but today it seems that all we have to do is bow our heads and accept. They killed Lechu, in the same way that Rafael, La China, Maxi, Dario, Mariano, Luciano and so many others were murdered…and they want to make us believe that what we have to do is to demand justice from those who killed them. What we have to do is go out and destroy the world. We do not ask or demand anything!
Some Anarchists

(via Contra Info)

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk