Same Old---Rich Get Richer, Poor Get Poorer.

    They Sunday Times has just released its latest UK “rich list”, and it tells an interesting story, though perhaps one that every ordinary person the the UK already knows. Last year the rich got richer and the poor got poorer, so according to the system, everything is working fine.

     The latest figures show that the richest 1,000 British now have a combined wealth of £518,975 billion, up 15.4% from a year ago, and now accounts for one third of the UK's total GDP. Just to get into that 1,000 rich list, you need to have at least £85 million, if you hope to aspire to the top 500, then you will need to flash around £190 million.
     Philip Beresford, compiler of the list, has been doing this wee job since 1989, said: "I've never seen such a phenomenal rise in personal wealth as the growth in the fortunes of Britain's 1,000 richest people over the past year. "The richest people in Britain have had an astonishing year.--”

We have to stay with austerity, the recovery is still fragile.

 

      Of course as we would expect, that old lady that stays in Buckingham Palace, done very well this year by adding around £10 million to her already sizeable little pile of loot, bring her in at No. 285 on the list, with a tidy little £330 million.
      The list is a compilation of the usual CEO, landed gentry, TV grinning faces, and smiling celebrities, etc.. “Ordinary common one of us” Jamie Oliver and his wife, added a nice wee bundle of £90 million to their stash, bring it to a health £240 million.
      I should add that these figures are what is called “identifiable wealth”, you know the sort of stuff, land, property, race horse, yachts, works of art, and so on. It does not take into account their bank accounts, that's personal, and no doubt there will by many, and fat, and in diverse places.
      The list also points out that the number of billionaires living in the UK has topped the 100 for the first time, reaching 104, with their combined wealth shooting over the £300 billion. Britain now has more billionaires per head of the population than any other country, and in that cesspool of the financial Mafia, London, there are 72 sterling billionaires, making it the largest concentration of billionaires in any city in the world. So the rich have had an astonishing year with “austerity” meaning that they all ran to the bank shouting “Yipeeee”.

 

        While at the other end, the you and I end, we saw our incomes shrink by approximately £1,600 since 2010. We have had to cope with bedroom taxes, slave labour workfare schemes, vanishing disability allowances, rocketing energy prices, rising food prices, a greater use of food banks, zero hours contracts, wage increases of less than inflation, if they arrive at all, cuts in benefits and social services. So it is obvious where that massive increase in the “identifiable wealth” among the parasites came from, it came from you and I, they get richer and we get poorer, and we tolerate this!!!

 

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

 

May Day.

This from Stop The war Coalition:

        Trades unionists, human rights campaigners and solidarity groups will march to Trafalgar Square next Thursday, May 1st. The 2014 May Day march and rally will be held in honour of the late Bob Crow, former leader of the RMT union, and the late Tony Benn, former president of the Stop the War Coalition. The peace/anti-war bloc will gather at Clerkenwell Green, London at 12 noon. Look out for Stop the War Coalition and CND banners to find us. If you would like more information or you would like to help on the day by stewarding or distributing  leaflets and banners, please email office@stopwar.org.uk or call 020 7561 4830.

Work for Stop the War
        We are very pleased to announce an exciting opportunity to work at the national office of Stop the War. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about the work of Stop the War and to support our campaigns against new military interventions and wars abroad. Quaker Peace & Social Witness will fund the peaceworker job for one year. If you are successful, and you are selected to work at Stop the War, you would begin work in September 2014. If you would like to discuss this opportunity, please email office@stopwar.org.uk or call the Stop the War office on 020 7561 4830.

2014 Appeal: thank you
         Stop the War would like to thank everyone who has donated to the 2014 Appeal. We are pleased to announce that we have now reached our £15,000 target thanks to the generosity of hundreds of our supporters.
        Over the last few days we have seen Tony Blair banging the war drum yet again, calling for more international action (military intervention) to combat 'Islamism', adding to the witch-hunt of Muslims at home and we continue to witness the disastrous consequences of the eastward expansion of NATO.

       The anti-war movement must continue to put the pressure on. After a packed public meeting on the crisis in Ukraine, Stop the War is now organising a series of meetings across the UK to discuss the crisis and prepare for the Nato summit in September. With your support we can mobilise thousands to say No to Nato when it visits Newport in Wales later in the year. To make sure we can build the best defence against new wars, and because of the success of our appeal, we have decided to raise our appeal target to £20,000.
      If you haven't yet donated, please click through to donate online or telephone 020 7561 4830.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

No Way To Spend Your Nights.

      It has been a lousy, cold, wet and windy winter so far, and though we are one of the richest countries in the world, we still have people sleeping rough in our towns and cities. There are two methods local authorities assess the number of rough sleepers in their area. One is by a count, the other is to estimate, most local authorities estimate, rather than count, so it is obvious that the figures can't be 100% accurate.

 

Photo from Google.

      What we can be sure of is that there are far to many people having to face the winter on the streets of our country. The 2012 autumn figures for England, gathered by these methods was 2,309, an increase of 6% on the previous year, which was a massive increase 23% on 2010 figures. London, that city where the streets are "paved in gold", has the highest number of rough sleepers in the country, and there, like the rest of the country the figure is climbing. The figure for London Autumn 2012 was 24% of the total rough sleepers in England, 557.

      Scotland is no different, according to figures from the report, Operation of The Homeless Persons legislation in Scotland, we have 1,737 people sleeping rough. The Glasgow Winter Night Shelter has been running through the winter months since 2010, It was the severe winter of 2010 that prompted some of the leading charities and voluntary organisations to set up the shelter. During that vicious winter it provided accommodation on approximately 2,000 occasion.

Edinburgh is the Scottish city with most rough sleepers, last year's figure was 363, while Dundee had 97.

       In a country, that as a norm, suffers dreadful winters, with long dark nights, and weather from bitterly cold to extremely wet and cold, sleeping rough just shouldn't happen, no matter the circumstances that brought the individual to that position. Sufficient facilities should be in place and well publicised to make sure nobody faces the winter trying to find shelter. Just another aspect of a system that has bankers and accounts shaping our society.

How to get help on the streets 

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Student Protest Is Back!!

      Student protest is back, claims an article in popularrestance. Well I hope it is, but that is not enough, protests have to be across the spectrum of society. Those who are hurting must organise and fight back, the low paid, the unemployed, the disabled, pensioners, single parents, they are all being attacked by the "austerity" measures, they are all hurting, they are all being wounded by the attacks of this millionaire corporate cabal we refer to as the government. As the IWW would say, an injure to one is an injury to all. Each group has to join with the other groups, and support each other, solidarity is a winning weapon. To borrow one of their slogans, "we're all in this together", but it against them, drivers of the corporate greed machine.

Students at University of London march through the streets of Bloomsbury as they continue their Cops Off Campus campaign. 

From popularresistance.org

       In 1967, the London School of Economics suspended two students for taking part in demonstrations. The harsh treatment of the duo inspired their peers to hold a sit-in protest and a boycott of lectures. Within weeks, the suspensions were lifted. This began a decade-long student movement that took on social injustice at every turn. Protesting racism, US foreign policy and a whole host of other issues went hand-in-hand with studying in the UK.

     Fast-forward 46 years. The University of Sussex suspends five students for their involvement an occupy-style campaign. University management refuse to release evidence of the disruption they have caused and the student body is moved to action. More protests are arranged, a petition is started, messages of support flood in from MPs and academics. Within less than two weeks, senior management buckles to the pressure and the students are reinstated – with a renewed confidence that they can stand up to authority and force through change.

Student protest is back.

Read the full article HERE:

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Homeless In The Midst Of Wealth.

       Recent figures reveal that the UK has approximately 380,000 people who have no home and live in B&B's or sleep on friends floors and sofas. It is estimated that if this figure was added to those found living on the streets, the figure would reach the criminal figure of over 1 million homeless across the UK. The homeless figure has jumped by 15% since 2007, obviously government policies are pushing these figures up. Of course no matter how horrifying these figures may be, they are not the full picture. Experts agree that it is impossible to accurately assess the true number of homeless in this country as many of them live of the official radar. In London alone it has been assessed that last year 4,672 people slept on its streets, up from 4,077 in the previous year. It is easy to see how the figure would rapidly rise as we take in cities, towns and villages across the land. 

        One of the richest nations on the planet and more than 1 million homeless, what does that tell you about the social structures of this society? Where are our lords and masters priorities? They are intent on subsidising the corporate world to the tune of billions of pounds of tax payers money in the form of a high-speed rail link between London and a couple of cities in the north of England but can't get their head around affordable housing for all. They are throwing billions of pounds of our money at a multination corporate body to build a nuclear power station, but haven't noticed the need to rid our country of the curse of homelessness. The corporate greed machine must take priority, we the people are not on their list. That's capitalism.

      Homelessness, again the word doesn't really convey its true meaning, the word doesn't reveal the misery of the reality of homelessness. Homelessness, is more than no roof. Think of what a home is, to you, to your family and friends, to your social life, to your mental health and ability to support yourself, to the self respect of you and your kids. 

This from Crisis.org:

        Homelessness is about more than rooflessness. A home is not just a physical space, it also has a legal and social dimension. A home provides roots, identity, a sense of belonging and a place of emotional wellbeing. Homelessness is about the loss of all of these. It is an isolating and destructive experience and homeless people are some of the most vulnerable and socially excluded in our society.

     After years of declining trends, 2010 marked the turning point when all forms of homelessness began to rise. However, it is likely that homelessness will increase yet further, as the delayed effects of the economic downturn, cuts to housing benefit and other reforms all start to bite.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

International Anti-War Conference, London.

 

Speakers

      Diane Abbott MP, Tariq Ali author, Tony Benn president Stop the War, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Lindsey German convenor Stop the War, Edward Horgan Peace and Neutrality Alliance, Ireland, Kate Hudson General Secretary CND, Joan Humphreys Military Families Against the War, Owen Jones author, Mother Agnes Mariam nun based in Syria, Seumas Milne journalist, Manik Mukherjee All India Anti-imperialist Forum, Andrew Murray Unite the Union, Explo Nani-Kofi Kilombo, Ghana, Chris Nineham vice-chair Stop the War, Mitra Qayoom Afghans for Peace, Sami Ramadani Iraqi writer, John Rees author and activist, Rachel Shabi author and journalist, Jeremy Scahill filmmaker, Dirty Wars, Jonathan Steele author and journalist

Sessions

       Imperialism, war and resistance, A very short history of British imperialism, Merchants of death: drones and the arms trade, The new scramble for Africa, Taking liberties: surveillance, the state and Islamophobia, The Syrian war in context, Nato: expansion and war, Building the international movement

Background

       In a historic setback for the organisers of the War on Terror, protest and public opinion helped stop a new war on Syria. But the West continues its interventions, creating failed states in an arc from Central Asia to West Africa.

     The US is still focused on the middle east, but Obama is sending more military to encircle China and the West is ramping up its interventions in the African continent, creating ever more anger and instability.

       Next year the NATO conference is coming to Britain and the conference will launch protests in response. It will also discuss the planned withdrawal from Afghanistan which is likely to cause another crisis for the western powers.

      We need more effective anti war resistance internationally. This conference is a chance to analyse, build links and lay plans.

Time and date, venue and cost

• 10am-5pm (registration from 9am) Saturday 30 November
• Emmanuel Centre Marsham Street, London SW1P 3DW
• Nearest stations Westminster and Victoria
• Full price ticket £15 concessions £10 (unemployed/student/retired/low income)

Register

• Buy tickets online
• By telephone 020 7561 4830
• By post - cheques made payable to 'Stop the War Coalition' -
  Stop the War, 86 Durham Road, London N7 7DT

Share the event

• Invite your Facebook contacts
• Full details on the Stop the War web site
  
  
  
  Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk
  
  
  

Their Power Is Illusionary.

       A week away indulging myself, coffee, reading, walking, looking and talking, but as they say, a week is a long time in politics. In that week there were riots in Hamburg, in Rio de Janeiro the cops dragged an eighteen year old youth up a dark alleyway and beat him to death, in Barcelona there was a weekend of demonstrations against austerity. Also in Barcelona, October 20 saw an animal rights demonstration in the city centre, and on October 22, in Rome there were protests against evictions. Here in the UK, Chinatown in London shut down in protest at UK Border Agency raids. If you work your way through the various news avenues, you'll find these sort of events occurring across the globe. City after city sees the population in discontent, disgust and anger, at a system the produces an abundance of wealth, but leaves the people who produce that wealth, in various levels of poverty and deprivation, a system that requires violence and repression to keep it in place.


 

 

      It is obvious that this system is not what the people want, it is forced on them by the power of the state and their masters, the financial/corporate Mafia. It can be destroyed, and a system created that sees to the needs of all our people, those who produce and transport everything on this Earth. The planet is being raped and plundered, and we are being shafted, by a small well organised bunch of parasites, but their power is illusionary, they have power if you believe they have power, however, without our obedience, they are nothing.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Workers Know Your History, Syndicalist Congress, 1913.

     As usual, I'm a day late with this anniversary, September 27.

From Wikipedia:

       The First International Syndicalist Congress was a meeting of European and Latin American syndicalist organizations at Holborn Town Hall in London from September 27 to October 2, 1913. Upon a proposal by the Dutch National Labor Secretariat (NAS) and the British Industrial Syndicalist Education League (ISEL), most European syndicalist groups, both trade unions and advocacy groups, agreed to congregate at a meeting in London. The only exception was the biggest syndicalist organization worldwide, the French General Confederation of Labor (CGT). Nevertheless, the congress was held with organizations from twelve countries participating. It was marked by heated debate and constant disagreements over both tactics and principles. Yet, it succeeded in creating the International Syndicalist Information Bureau as a vehicle of exchange and solidarity between the various organizations and the Bulletin international du mouvement syndicaliste as a means of communication. It would be viewed as a success by almost all who participated.

For some of Glasgow's working class history visit Strugglepedia.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

A World In Revolt.

     It is the universal pattern of this insane economic system called capitalism. Each government can spend billions on all sorts of grand plans, and at the same time cut down on those essentials, like health care, education, social services, pensions, and so forth. The London Olympics cost billions, the war in Afghanistan has cost us billions each of its disastrous 11 years, but we are seeing a rapid deterioration in the living standards of the ordinary people because we can't afford to run a civilised society. The recent events in Turkey were sparked off by the governments plans to build another shopping mall on a green space in a city. 

 

      Yesterday hundreds of thousands, (Reuters put it at 200,000) took to the streets of Brazil in protest at government corruption, with such comments as "They have spent billions of dollars on building stadiums, but nothing on health and education."  More than half a dozen cities saw there centres grind to a standstill, among them Brasilla, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Belo Horizone. The world is in revolt against a system of injustice and insanity.

       So it doesn't matter which bunch of politicians you vote for the outcome is the same, big business gets the contracts, be it arms manufacturers or designers of grandiose edifices to the corporate God of greed, and the people get austerity. The world is awash with wealth, and more and more of that wealth is falling into the hands of fewer and fewer people. It's the way the system is designed to work and it's doing just fine. As long as we continue to accept this insane system we will continue to see the poor grow in number and get poorer and that little bunch of bloated parasites get richer and richer.

       Is it beyond our imagination to devise a system where the wealth of the world is distributed around the planet according to the needs of the people. Is it reckless and terrorist orientated to attempt to bring about a system that sees those who create all that wealth, the ordinary people, control how it should be distributed? The present economic system is not set in tablets of stone, it is not given to us by the booming voice of some other-worldly being on high. It is a man made system that works for the benefit of the few at the expense of the many.

         Our tomorrow will begin when we think co-operation, think community, think mutual aid, think no-borders, think sustainability, think of the heritage we want to leave to our children and our grandchildren. This world is our world, we built the cities and the factories, we grow the food, we therefore have the right to shape it to our needs. we have no need for the blood sucking parasites that bleed us dry to feed their own geed and arrogance.

ann arky's home.

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in Brazil tonight protesting corruption, police violence, and a government that funds massive stadiums and ignores public services.
Gosh, conditions in Brazil sound quite a lot like here in the US, don’t they? Maybe it’s time we took to the streets too.
- See more at: http://polizeros.com/#sthash.N9StDfIv.dpuf

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in Brazil tonight protesting corruption, police violence, and a government that funds massive stadiums and ignores public services.
Gosh, conditions in Brazil sound quite a lot like here in the US, don’t they? Maybe it’s time we took to the streets too.
- See more at: http://polizeros.com/#sthash.N9StDfIv.dpuf

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in Brazil tonight protesting corruption, police violence, and a government that funds massive stadiums and ignores public services.
Gosh, conditions in Brazil sound quite a lot like here in the US, don’t they? Maybe it’s time we took to the streets too.
- See more at: http://polizeros.com/#sthash.N9StDfIv.dpuf

Hands Off Syria.

 

   

    The West is hell bent in turning the entire Middle East into a stone age area awash with sectarian violence, Iraq, Libya, now Syria with Iran still in their sights. All this misery heaped on the people of the area, to open up its rich resources to the dollar driven corporate greed machine. This is not about compassion for the ordinary people, it's not about democracy. The Western corporate juggernaut doesn't give a shit about the people of any area, but it does care about oil and gas and the control of these resources. When the corporate world speaks the political puppets obey, this is not Western politicians concerned about the well being of people in the Middle East, it is simply a plunder of another countries natural resources, control and profit, plain and simple.

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Stop the War bulletin | June 2013 | stopwar.org.uk

Tomorrow: demonstrate against US sending arms to Syria

Stop Western Intervention in Syria

US Embassy Grosvenor Square London W1A 2LQ
Saturday 15 June 2013 1pm

     Earlier today the US approved sending arms to Syrian rebel groups, a policy that has been pushed by Britain and France for months and one that threatens to escalate violence in Syria.

      The possibility of a no fly zone - the prelude to the horrific bombing campaign carried about by Britain and France in Libya - now looks more likely as the West seeks to intensify an already difficult conflict with devastating humanitarian consequences.

Join us tomorrow to Stop Western Intervention in Syria: US Embassy, 1pm Saturday June 15.

Please make sure you attend and spread the word.

Take action

• Join our protest at the US Embassy on 15th June at 1pm.
• Share the event with your Facebook contacts.
  

Read more on Syria:

• Shamus Cooke: The real reason Obama is going to war with Syria has nothing to do with chemical weapons

ann arky's home.

FAQ by Iain McKay.

‘Everything you ever wanted to know about Anarchism, but were afraid to ask’ with Iain McKay.

Wednesday 20^th March, 7pm
_________________________________________

    Iain McKay is the author of the encyclopaedic two-volume set ‘ An Anarchist FAQ’ which sets out to cover all aspects of the Anarchist tradition, in terms of theory, history and practice. He has also written an extensive introduction to the 2011 AK Press published ‘Property Is Theft!: A Pierre-Joseph Proudhon Reader’, and is currently completing work on a new translation of the writings of Bakunin.

    Housmans are very happy to welcome Iain, who will be starting off the evening by flying through a brief history of Anarchism and highlighting the major traditions within it, before opening it up to the floor for questions and discussion. Whatever your current understanding  of Anarchism, this is a chance to ask questions, share knowledge, and raise your and others awareness in a friendly setting.

Event informationHousmans Bookshop
5 Caledonian Road
King's Cross
London N1 9DX
Tel: 020 7837 4473www.housmans.com

Entry £3, redeemable against purchase.
Nearest tube: King's Cross

ann arky's home.

LEFT CAREERISTS!!

     Recently I posted an article advertising a conference to be held in London on December 1st, called "Up-the-Anti". Looking at the sponsors, it looked like it might be a  great springboard for greater things. I didn't manage to the conference but this report on the conference from The Commune dispelled my illusions. It would be interesting to hear other reports from other sources.

‘up the anti’ –

when will the left learn?

2 12 2012

     The Anti-Capitalist Initiative’s (ACI) gathering of elements of the British Left on the 1^st December 2012 in London was yet more proof of their inability to adapt to today’s world, says duvinrouge.

     Despite a promising start will an inspirational speech from Joana Ramiro, followed by Preeti Paul from IOPS setting out a vision of what we are fighting for, the day then descended into tedious waffle from pseudo-intellectuals lacking any ability to inspire. This wasn’t entirely the fault of the speakers; it was the old, out of date approach of having a top table of ‘experts’ preaching to an audience in that typical hierarchical fashion socialist organisations are so well known for. These high-priests of theory are often employed by universities, write books, & mainly come from middle-class families. Participation is limited to an handful of ‘questions’ which sound more like mini-speeches from windbags who aspire to be on the top table next time around.

     When will these people learn that this format will never appeal to the working class?

Read the full report HERE:  

ann arky's home.

PAN-EUROPEAN DAY OF PROTEST.

       In keeping with other cities across the country, there will be a rally at George Square Glasgow at 6:00pm on Wednesday November 14 called by Glasgow Coalition of Resistance

SOLIDARITY.

 

European day of action

Wednesday 14 November

On November 14th there will be general strikes in Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Cyprus and Malta. The ETUC [European Trade Union Confederation] is calling for solidarity action throughout Europe.

Support is growing across the country. Click here to see a list of events and actions.

London Event

Protest:
Assemble: 5pm - 5:30pm
European Commission
32 Smith Square
Westminster, SW1P 3EU
for march past Parliament to rally
Tubes: St. James's Park / Westminster
Click here to see map

Rally:
Starts: 6:30pm
Upper Hall, Emmanuel Centre
9-23 Marsham Street  Greater London SW1P 3DW
Click here for map
With speakers including Tony Benn, the Trade Union's in Britain and live-streamed from Greece, Spain and Portugal.
Plus footage from the strikes and protests across Europe on that day.

Invite your friends and share on Facebook
Organised by Coalition of Resistance
Supported by Unite the Union, Greece Solidarity Campaign, P.I.I.G.S Assembly in London

ann arky's home.

THE COUNTRY, LIKE THE STREETS, BELONGS TO US.

 

      Saturday 20th October the STUC, has called for a massive march and rally in Glasgow, to protest against the coalition government's policy of cuts. There will be on in London on the same day. Let's be clear on this, this is not a trade union protest. It is a national protest of trade unionists, unemployed, pensioners, disabled, students, teenagers, unpaid carers and housewives. This is not a battle of trade unionists against the government, it is a people's protest against the cabal of millionaires who are shoving their ideology down the throats of the ordinary people. Nothing in this ideology was ever in their manifesto, they don't have a mandate to impoverish the people of this country for the benefit of the banksters. They don't have a mandate to build corporate fascism in this country at the behest of the financial Mafia, nor do they have a mandate to sell off the people's assets to their millionaire friends in the corporate world. No where in their manifesto did it say we will privatise the National Health Service, we will decimate your education system, we will close libraries and nurseries. The election and their much publicised manifestos were,  no more than a sham, a con-trick, what they say before the election and what they do after, have no relation to each other.

 

 

 

      So let's make this people's protest against this dictatorial elite of pampered millionaire parasites, this cabal of privileged leeches, the biggest and noisiest this country has seen in many a year. We will not accept poverty imposed on us by millionaires who know nothing of our problems, who are products of plundered wealth, tax dodges and privileged upbring.

      While they stand in expensive suits, and preach to the general public that sacrifices have to be made, tough decisions have to be made, knowing full well that such tough decisions and sacrifices, will in no way impinge on their lavish, unearned lifestyle. They can never see the decimation they are deliberately heaping on the ordinary people, as they always have one eye on their shareholdings and another on their bank accounts.

     This protest must shout loud and clear, we the people are the country, we will decide how this country will be run, and it will be run for the benefit of all our people, we will see to the needs of all our people, we will not starve our children nor sacrifice their future to fatten banksters and bond market gurus.

     October 20th. Take to the streets, fill Glasgow to overflow, with noise, and determination. Don't wait for the STUC to contact you or inform you, form your own group, contact other local groups, Clydeside IWW, Glasgow Anarchist Federation, but turn up, be part of this. Let this be the start of complete solidarity between employed, unemployed, pensioners, students, disabled, teenagers, unpaid carers and housewives. It is your world or it is their world, they are not prepared to compromise, under no circumstances should we, we have the the lives of our pensioners and the vulnerable of society and the future of our children and grandchildren, in our hands.

 

ann arky's home.

 

 

 

 

LONDON LEAVES A BAD TASTE AFTER ST. IMIER.

This from AFed UK:

Anarchists Detained by Counter-Terrorist Police on Return from Swiss Conference [plus French, Spanish translations]

For the past week, thousands of anarchists from across Europe have been converging in St.Imier, Switzerland to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the founding of the Anarchist international. The gathering took the form of a festival and educational, with music, films and entertainment as well as workshops and discussions.

On returning from the St Imier gathering, two anarchists, one a member of the UK Anarchist Federation, were detained for nearly two hours at Heathrow by SO15 (counter-terrorist) police. During the detention, the anarchists were told that their normal rights did not apply, and had their names, addresses, email addresses, DNA and fingerprints taken. The detained anarchists were also forced to sign forms – which may or may not be legal – waiving their rights to silence and a solicitor. Police also conducted a thorough search of personal possessions, photocopied literature and passports and took information from phones and cameras.

During the detention, the police constantly accused the anarchists of lying about involvement in criminal activity and alleged that they would be conducting follow-up police action against one of the detained anarchists. In addition to this, SO15 officers asked a number of inflammatory, irrelevant and offensive questions, including ‘what would you do if someone raped your mother?’ evidently in an attempt to cause emotional upset and illicit angry or violent responses. One member (28) who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals from the police, said "We were treated like criminals. I told them I went to the congress as I am an amateur journalist and I write articles about activism. They saw my note book, camera and Dictaphone but they said I was lying. One officer said 'You said you are an anarchist, I've seen anarchists on the news, they are violent, throw molotov cocktails and disrupt people’s lives not write articles'".

Read the full statement HERE:

ann arky's home.

FLOURISHING GLASGOW ANARCHIST MOVEMENT.

        How has it changed and why, what ever happened? Taken from Albert Meltzer The Taste of Defeat:

      In Glasgow the anarchist movement was flourishing more than ever with its own hall and huge open air meetings at factory gates, carrying on a tradition of integration in the working class movement which was lost in England, where the old movement had decayed. Such groups as there were in London, including Spain and the World collapsed. Almost the whole working class support in places like Wales, a minority though it was, disappeared. Cores in London continued virtually as a one-person band, arranging for weekly ‘lectures’ from a wide range of speakers, which was the last flicker of the old London Freedom Group.

From the Kate Sharpley Library, read the full article HERE:

ann arky's home.

PICKET WORKFARE.

 rovingpicket against workfare in london this saturday

     As part of the National Week of Action Against Workfare from July 7th to 14th, some members of The Commune are helping to organise direct action against workfare’s main offenders.

Meet this Saturday July 7, mid day near Goodge St station.

       Workfare isn’t just unpaid labour for the unemployed and a major attack on benefits. It is an attack on all working people – on their jobs, pay & conditions, and their ability to organise. We need to fight workfare together, whether or not we are in work, and whether or not we are on benefits.

     Invite your friends, family, campaigning group, union branch. Also, if you can, bring things to liven it up: banners, placards, musical instruments and noise makers.

      The leaflets we’ll be using are found below (print some and bring them along if you can) 

LEAFLETS:

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THE OLYMPICS, THE MOST EXPENSIVE TV SHOW EVER.

         The media having overdosed on the “jubilee” it is now ramming the “carrying the torch” down our throats, they get the kids out of school to make sure they have a crowd. May I suggest to all those good folk who line the streets to see the big cigarette lighter being paraded through their village/town/city, to take a good look as it will be about all they will see of the Olympics, unless they stay seated in front of a TV. What they probably don't realise is that, that television viewing will one of the most expensive viewings in their lives. They get to see the “torch” and pick up a tab of £24 billion for a television show.

      Our millionaire lords and masters spouted about the Olympics being a mere £2.4 billion which would be mainly private capital, however the price-tag rocket and private capital evaporate, leaving the tax payer to pick up the tab. By 2007 the cost was revised up to £9.3 billion, the public funding had tripled and private capital had dwindled to less than 2%. It doesn't stop there, the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee now put the cost at £11 billion with the tax payer taking the hit. While a SKY Sports investigation, including the transport upgrade put the cost at £24 billion. An awful lot of money for a TV show!! Since that is all most of the people of this country will ever see.

     The other more sinister side of this billion pound fun TV show will be the militarisation of London. The city will have surface-to-air missiles, a naval battleship moored offshore, 13,500 military personnel roaming around, which is about 4,000 more than we have based in Afghanistan. Hovering overhead will be lightweight aerial drones with elite firearms response units and snipers lurking below. All of this is not enough for the US, who will be sending their own security team which will include 500 FBI agents. This security comes at a price, £1 billion and counting. Plus it will set a precedent for drones, sniper and military patrolling our streets. Yes it will leave a lasting legacy, of debt and surveillance.

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