Paper.

          I make no bones about it, I love to see anarchist papers on the street, there can never be enough, and the last couple of years has seen our streets empty of those essential pieces of paper, with their info, ideas, news, history, strategies, tactics and calls for solidarity in our fight for justice and freedom. So a wee bit of publicity for the latest Barricade Bulletin, No.15, a publication from that patch of the planet most people refer to as Ireland.

       Barricade Bulletin No.15 is out now. You can receive it directly from members locally or from the usual local outlets. For those of you who live outside of Derry and the North West you can download the online version which now carries news, articles and other information.

 

 

Barricade-Bulletin-No.-15Download

 

Visit ann arky's home at https://spiritofrevolt.info    

Black flag.

        Lots of people recognise the Black Flag, but not so many are aware of its origins or the thoughts behind the choice. It's a symbol that is unmistakably anarchists, but where did it come from?
        Maurice Dommanget, claims Louise Michel was among the first to announce the black flag as a symbol of the anarchist movement, though there is some evidence of the Black Flag being present at earlier revolts, riots and revolutionary actions. At the twelfth anniversary of the outbreak of the Paris Commune Louise Michel made speech stating;

“No more red flags, wet with the blood of our fighters. I will raise the black flag, in mourning for our dead—and for our illusions."

Newspaper coverage depicting Louise Michel at a rowdy demonstration on March 9, 1883.

       An excellent article on the history of the Black Flag here on Crimethinc: 

       In the first article in this newspaper, entitled “The Premier of the Black Flag: To Anarchists,” the editors spelled out their aspirations:

           Is there a need for a program when we take the title “The Black Flag” for our newspaper; are we not already indicating what our course of action will be? In taking this title, we were inspired by the local history of the city of Lyon, because it is on the heights of Croix-Rousse and Vaisse that the workers, driven by hunger, displayed it for the first time, as a sign of mourning and revenge, and thus made it the emblem of social demands. By taking this title, therefore, it means that we will always be on the side of the workers against the exploiters, on the side of the oppressed against the oppressors.
         It is a commitment that we will not fail, taking inspiration from the campaign that our predecessors started with The Social Duty, The Revolutionary Standard, and The Struggle; we will see The Black Flag fly at the front in the assault that the anarchists carry out against this corrupt old society, which is already trembling on its foundations; an organ of struggle and combat, The Black Flag will wage war on all the abuses, all the prejudices, all the vices, all the hypocrisies, which, under the name of social institutions, are currently joining forces to delay the fall of this rotten old world, which, left to its own devices, would soon collapse under the weight of its infamies.
         Supporters of absolute freedom, we will wage war on all those pseudo-liberals, makers of laws, who only understand freedom when it is well regulated, for we believe that freedom is only real if it is unhindered; we will wage war on laws, codes, judges, police officers, and all institutions, in the end, whose real goal is to restrict this freedom, which we proclaim so loudly, and to promote the exploitation of the masses by a privileged minority.

Tina Modotti, “Woman with Flag”—a photograph of a woman walking “with the black flag of the Anarcho-Syndicalists” in Mexico City in 1928.

Read the full article HERE: 

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

The State.

         In state after state the repression goes on, according to their philosophy of total control, dissent must be quashed. Sometimes it is an individual that they attempt to silence, other times it groups, some go unnoticed others get some publicity. If it is mainstream media publicity, the chances are that the theme will be that they are terrorists, looters or just violent thugs, demonise the dissenters is the name of the game. Our publicity should be to show them for what they are, individuals and groups struggling to bring an end to this regime of exploitation and total control, those necessary tools for the capitalist economic system to function.

        The case below is from Italy, but pick your state, and you'll find the repression, methods vary, but the aim is always the same, a subservient population, eliminate those who would dare to resist state authority. Solidarity is the weapon that can free us from the yoke of capitalism and the shackles of the state.

This from 325:

SOLIDARITY MOBILIZATION 9th-24th NOVEMBER
      This autumn several prosecutions, which involve hundreds of anarchists, will take place in Italy. In these investigations public prosecutors and judges want to put the anarchist ideal under trial. The attempts to reduce different tensions and practices in various legal schemes, i.e. the hateful and pathetic division between “good” and “bad” anarchism, aim to repress those who fight, making them face decades of imprisonment.
       In a period in which the imposed living conditions are increasingly harsh, it is essential to fight: to respond to the violence of the State, to the regime of oppression that tries to impose, attempting to attack anyone who expresses solidarity with those who have already chosen on which side to stand.
      We will stand, close and complicit with our comrades, and not only in the courtrooms: we call for two weeks of mobilization from the 9th to the 24th of November, as an opportunity to create moments of active solidarity in the streets or wherever we choose to express it.

ALONGSIDE ALL THE ANARCHISTS ON TRIAL!
AGAINST PRISONS AND FOR THE FREEDOM OF ALL PRISONERS!
FREEDOM FOR ALL!

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

Picnic On The Green, May 2018.

      Well our May Day week celebrations came to a very pleasant end with our annual Picnic on the Green. The sun came out, the temperature soared and the people had a great time. May Day celebrations as they should be, family, friends, chat, music, poetry, fun, dance, food to share, face painting for the kids, and thoughts of past struggles and hopes for the future. Even although some of the performers couldn't make it at the last moment, it was a wonderful mixed afternoon of fun. A special thanks to our to young dancers, they were a star turn.

    Our week started with the Donald Dewar statue gathering on May 1st. music, poetry and leafleting. Wednesday May 2nd was our history walk through the city centre, about 25 interested individuals gathered to follow, listen, question and learn, as they twisted their way through the city. A great success with lots of literature handed out on some of our working class struggles.

     The culmination of our week's celebrations was the Picnic on the Green, Sunday May 6th. This was our third year, and each year it has got larger, so here's hoping that the next one will be bigger still.

     None of this would have been possible if it wasn't for that wee band of dedicated volunteers, who took the idea and pushed it into a reality, nor would it have worked without all those wonderful people who gave up their valuable time to come and take a shot at centre stage, without them it would be nothing. A big thank you to those who came with their stalls and set up, adding colour and interest to the event. Of course there is the most important group of all, the general public that turned up and supported the idea of May Day celebrations on the Green. A big thank you to all and each of you.
     Some photos and video from the afternoon Picnic on the Green:

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

A Brick Has Fallen From Our Wall.

        It is always sad when an old warrior for the people passes away. It is as if a strong brick has fallen out of our wall of resistance and we hope we can find one just as strong to fill the gap. Such a brick fell from our wall last Monday evening, 25th January, when Les Foster died in the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, aged 96. He lead a life of struggle for the ordinary people of Glasgow and further afield. Needless to say, he will be sadly missed. 

Received this from Les's friend James Kelman:

Maybe Euan mentioned it. Just letting you know that old Leslie Forster died Monday evening, at the age of 96.  He's an important figure although perhaps little known. He was a close friend of Hugh Savage and Harry McShane, personally acquainted with Guy Aldred, knew Helen Crawfurd, Matt McGinn and so many others during a lifetime’s commitment. He led the Merrylee Housing struggle in 1951 [Guy Aldred printed 30,000 leaflets for them and when the committee went skint Guy said Ach well it's a good cause, and wrote it off.]  and was involved in various other stuff, helped produce works on the 1911 Clydebank Singer Strike, a history of the NUR. He wrote the Introduction for the reprinted 3 Days that Shook Edinburgh!  Harry McShane's pamphlet]. He wrote [with Hugh Savage] a life of Willie Nairn from Brechin [All for the Cause] who was an influence on John Maclean. His own autobiography was Rocking the Boat. He was one of the wee group who caused ructions in the early 1950s when they resigned the CP and went ahead in their own way. He was talking football, books, art, politics, music, gossip, memories and whatever else, right up until the last.  He was 96 years old, into his 97th. A Maryhill Juniors regular when fit, you saw him there with me!
His funeral is this Monday coming [ist Feb]  10.30am at  Maryhill Crematorium. I'd appreciate it if you could share this information.

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

Glasgow Document Film Festival And Spirit Of Revolt.

      Glasgow's unbeatable Document Film Festival is back with its annual  feast of films, information, entertainment and education. As usual it is centred in the CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3JD  and runs from the October 9th. until the 12th. October. Well worth some repeat visits.

     Glasgow's own Spirit of Revolt will be there with a short film, chat and mini-exhibition about the Spirit of Revolt, on Saturday, 11th. October, 12 until  2pm. This event will be held in the Electron Club in the CCA. 

      The Spirit of Revolt was founded in 2012 as an archive of dissent which chronicles the story of Anarchists and Libertarian-Socialists in Glasgow, Clydeside and the wider area, past and present. This record of everyday struggle for a fairer life has industrial and cultural activism at its heart- a colourful and empowering history. Come and find out what SOR does, and how you could turn Glasgow’s radical history into useful tools for future action, a must for those interested in OUR history.

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

 

The Kilt And The Black Flag.

       With Scottish independence on the agenda it is good to hear the various points of view being put forward. I for one have never quite got my head round "what is a nation". Having been born in "Scotland" and lived there for most of my life I have often wrestled with the question, "what is Scottish", after all the border between Scotland and England has moved several times in history. It is a geographical location where at least three languages have struggled for survival, and with languages comes as many cultures. As a citizen of Glasgow, a post industrial city, I feel I have more in common with the people of Liverpool than I have with the people of the highlands and islands. I am also loathed to get involved in a debate between the various party political clans as how best to carve up a capitalist entity, so that, that capitalist entity can best serve a particular section of the population. I would rather debate how do we get rid of that capitalist entity and best serve the interest of the people. To me, nationalism and capitalism belong in the same bed, and it is a bed soaked in the blood of the ordinary people. Would it not be better if the debate was about what is happening in Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Cyprus, Ireland, Turkey, Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Syria, Iran, and find the connection to what is happening here?

       To add to the debate here is an extract from an interesting article in The Commune:

 

  "--------In Britain today, the mainstream socialist left, in defiance of history,  still regards internationalism as abstract propaganda and is campaigning for a yes vote for Scottish nationalism and independence for Scotland, which is not an oppressed nation.  In a globally integrated world economy, dominated by transnational corporations and world financial organisations, such as the International Monetary Fund, the entire question of national independence becomes hollowed out as in Greece.  And how can the creation of another capitalist state, based on cutting business rates and corporation tax,  and other measures to attract capitalist investment,  benefit the working class ?  Loyalty to a new Capitalist State would renew nationalism and class collaboration and blunt any class struggle for a post Capitalist alternative.
       Independence lite, the programme of the SNP, sharing the Bank of England, the army, the Monarchy  and a currency will not represent the break up of the British State.   But the left in Scotland is putting its hopes on steering the state left .  The Radical Independence Campaign is  ”a coalition that does not even pretend to be based on the goal of Socialism.  Indeed, this emerging coalition is very much in the tradition of welfare provision in Scotland and England for a century ”  (18)  Nationalism given a Social Democratic gloss to attract the working class.  ”The only way in which the grip of a capitalist world system on individual countries, can be broken, is that if the system itself is destroyed. And no national struggle can achieve this, only the international working class” (19) Working class self emancipation from below  cannot be built on a nation, utilize the nation-state, or be confined to the nation-state.

Read the full article HERE:

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PATRIOTISM.

No, I shall not die for the fluttering flag,

if truth be known, ‘tis nothing but a multi-coloured rag

held aloft by some foolish hand

inciting worker and peasant to kill

on some green and wooded hill,

peasant and worker from some other land.

Nor shall I shed blood for the fluttering rag

that brings out fools to stand and brag

of brutal deeds painted grand,

deeds where rustic and craftsman lie so still

killed by my brothers' misguided hand.

No allegiance have I for the Nation

this man made autocratic creation

that divides my brothers in a world so small,

binds us to a country's cause, right or wrong,

bids us follow its drum, sing its song,

then sheds our blood in some border brawl.

No, I'll be no slave to flag or nation,

have no ear for power oration,

though its iron heel is on my breast,

my back feels its leather thong,

at patriotism's barracoon, I'll be no guest.

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A CORPORATE WORLD OR A PEOPLE'S WORLD.

         I never forget the our class enemies are organised globally, they know no borders, they dish out their repression on a world wide scale. They see borders as a means of controlling us, the ordinary people, in their plans and actions, borders don't exist. Our struggle will fail unless we also organise globally, unless we stop recognising borders, unless we act in solidarity world wide. The corporate beast and their minders, the various states, will always encourage us to see divisions in our class, differences between us, as groups and individuals. Most of these divisions and differences are manufactured, or illusionary, there is more that links us than divides us. 

       It is now blatantly obvious to most people, or should be, that national party politics is a charade, a game of musical chairs, where we get an opportunity to put a new suit in some symbolic building, "Downing Street", "The White House" etc. while the corporate fascists carry on as before. From this smoke and mirrors pantomime, we get a new smiling face that spouts empty phrases, they get to continue to rape and pillage the earth and repress all its people, in the quest for personal profit with power and wealth for the few.

     We have to think and act globally, we have to stop playing by the rules they hand us, we must set the agenda, the pace, the direction of our actions. Just as you would call for solidarity in a dispute with a local employer, now we have to call for solidarity with a global employer, the corporate fascist beast, that is running rampant across our world. It is a corporate world, or it is a people's world, the choice is ours.

      This from Contra Info:

      Our comrades are still imprisoned across the world. Many of our self-organized spaces are being raided or evicted, our infrastructure is under siege, and our counter-information media are censored or hindered. Whenever we express our ideas in public, uniformed robocops are lurking everywhere. Surveillance machinery follows every single move we make, while the State counts on the support of an armed fascist mob… But our existential fight is more than defence of solid spaces.

Read the full article HERE:

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VIOLENCE ON A MASSIVE SCALE.

       November 14 Pan-European day of action brought people onto the streets across the continent. Some cities saw massive demonstrations against the enforced poverty being heaped on them by the financial Mafia. Of course in some cases the police brutality, as usual, came to the fore. What is never stated as violence by that babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media, is this real and far worse violence being handed out by the supposed people's representatives, the government, the violence of the forced killing of opportunity, killing of a future, the brutal destruction of the very fabric of society. The increase in homelessness, poverty and the accompanying of health problems that flow from these conditions. This is violence on a massive scale against generations of ordinary people. Yesterday was what I hope, a start to that real Pan-European co-operation and solidarity, the final step to the destruction of the most brutal and exploitive system on the planet today. It is not a law of nature, it is just a man made system, we can bring it to an end and create a new man made system of co-operation, mutual aid and sustainability, a system that sees to the needs of all our people.

ann arky's home.

PRIVILEGE.

     After our millionaire Prime Minister Cameron, spouted his ridiculous statement about "spreading privilege" I thought this article would be a good read.

This from The Anarchist federation:

A Class Struggle Anarchist Analysis of Privilege Theory – from the Women's Caucus.

Aims and definitions

      The purpose of this paper is to outline a class struggle anarchist analysis of Privilege Theory. Many of us feel “privilege” is a useful term for discussing oppressions that go beyond economic class. It can help us to understand how these oppressions affect our social relations and the intersections of our struggles within the economic working class. It is written by members of the women’s caucus of the Anarchist Federation. It does not represent all our views and is part of an ongoing discussion within the federation.
       What do we mean – and what do we not mean – by privilege? Privilege implies that wherever there is a system of oppression (such as capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy, heteronormativity) there is an oppressed group and also a privileged group, who benefit from the oppressions that this system puts in place1. The privileged group do not have to be active supporters of the system of oppression, or even aware of it, in order to benefit from it. They benefit from being viewed as the norm, and providing for their needs being seen as what is naturally done, while the oppressed group is considered the “other”, and their needs are “special considerations”. Sometimes the privileged group benefits from the system in obvious, material ways, such as when women are expected to do most or all of the housework, and male partners benefit from their unpaid labour. At other times the benefits are more subtle and invisible, and involve certain pressures being taken off a privileged group and focused on others, for example black and Asian youths being 28% more likely to be stopped and searched by the police than white youths2.

      The point here is not that police harassment doesn’t happen to white youths, or that being working class or a white European immigrant doesn’t also mean you’re more likely to face harassment; the point is that a disproportionate number of black and Asian people are targeted in comparison to white people, and the result of this is that, if you are carrying drugs, and you are white, then all other things being equal you are much more likely to get away with it than if you were black. In the UK, white people are also less likely to be arrested or jailed, or to be the victim of a personal crime3. Black people currently face even greater unemployment in the UK than they do in the USA4. 

      The point of quoting this is not to suggest we want a society in which people of all races and ethnicities face equal disadvantage – we want to create a society in which nobody faces these disadvantages. But part of getting there is acknowledging how systems of oppression work, which means recognising that, if black and ethnic minority groups are more likely to face these disadvantages, then by simple maths white people are less likely to face them, and that means they have an advantage, a privilege, including the privilege of not needing to be aware of the extent of the problem.

Read the full article HERE:

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WORKERS KNOW YOUR HISTORY - THE LONG WAR.

          Across the globe battles erupt between the state/corporate world and the people, to those who don't know their history it always seems like a new war, a blip in the system, something that will soon be sorted out and then we can all get back to "normality". However to those who do know their history, the battles are the "normality" it is just another battle in the same long war for the freedom to control our own life. A struggle that will continue until there is no state/corporate system exploiting the ordinary people. The battles come in many a guise, it can be strikes as the corporate world tries to extort extra profit from the workers. It can be protests against government policy as it tries to placate its corporate masters. It can be wars as the various power blocks seek to defend their segment or try to expand. No matter what, it is the ordinary people who are at the receiving end of the pain.

         We should always remember our history it is the voice of those who have struggled before you in the same cause, telling you of the dangers, the pitfalls, the victories. it is a cry for freedom.

 

An extract from On History, Repression and the infinite:

The Mexican Guerrilla and Forgetfulness History tells us that the Nazis cleansed Berlin of Jews in the days leading up to 1936 Summer Olympics. Before everyone arrived from abroad, the Jews had been pushed out of sight, the brutality and pogroms hidden away. The city was brightened, the roads were cleaned, and the shops were open. Three years earlier, Hitler had presided over May Day celebrations, having successfully hijacked the ideas of socialism and revolution from the Marxists, many of whom also happened to be Jews. In 1945, Hitler killed himself and had his body burnt. The war he started before his death consigned the world to its current fate of authoritarian domination. Long after he died, the SS patrolled the streets and Nazi rockets filled the sky.

In 1968, the students of Mexico City (DF) began boarding buses and handing out literature, marching in the streets against the PRI government, and withstanding heavy assaults by the police. They fought to free their imprisoned friends, to keep beauty alive, and to destroy the capitalist terror around them. They were executed in cold rooms after defending the occupied UNAM, the wandered drunkenly down Insurgentes knowing their future was gone, they fucked in dirty bathrooms knowing the world was against them, and they witnessed the tumultuous expansion of the world revolutionary Geist before their intoxicated eyes. Some of them were part of the Anarchist International, although we may never know to what extent.

Ten days prior to the opening of the 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics, the PRI government sent a group of paramilitaries called the Olympic Brigade to liquidate the student movement. The Brigade was created to cleanse the city and erase all unwanted disturbance. In the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, hundreds of students were killed outright, their blood and life and beauty permanently staining the dry ground of the capitol.

Continue READING:

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WORKERS KNOW YOUR HISTORY - FLINT OCCUPATION.

       Working class history is a history of struggle, and along the way there have been some defeats, but there has also been lots of tremenndous victories.  75 years ago in America, workers took on the mighty auto industry and won. Just one of the many battles that should give us inspirtion as we continue the struggle today. It is not a new struggle, it is the same struggle, a struggle for a decent life and the right to shape our society.

        THE FLINT OCCUPATION.

       "On this day, December 30th, in 1936 -- 75 years ago today -- hundreds of workers at the General Motors (GM) factories in Flint, Michigan, took over the facilities and occupied them for 44 days. My uncle was one of them. The workers couldn't take the abuse from the corporation any longer. Their working conditions, the slave wages, no vacation, no health care, no overtime -- it was do as you're told or get tossed onto the curb.

       "So on the day before New Year's Eve, emboldened by the recent re-election of Franklin Roosevelt, they sat down on the job and refused to leave. They began their occupation in the dead of winter. GM cut off the heat and water to the buildings. The police tried to raid the factories several times, to no avail. Even the National Guard was called in. But the workers held their ground, and after 44 days, the corporation gave in and recognized the UAW as the representative of the workers. It was a monumental historical moment as no other major company had ever been brought to its knees by their employees. Workers were given a raise to a dollar an hour -- and successful strikes and occupations spread like wildfire across the country."

Read some of Glasgow's class struggle HERE.

 ann arky's home.

TURKEY TRYING TO CRUSH ALL TRADE UNIONS.

      

      States always try to stifle any working class organisation, whether it be trade unions or community organisations that seek some sort of autonomy. If it doesn't feel too threatened then the attacks are quiet, subtle and covert, but if it feels the threat is rising, then it can become very brutal, overt and bring into use all the bruteforce of all the state apparatus. At the moment Turkey is trying to smash all working class organisation in an attempt to create a subservient workforce suitable for its corporate friends in the EU. We cannot stand by and watch the state try to crush those struggling to improve their conditions. We are all in this struggle together to survive in an exploitive corporate capitalist greed machine which is backed up by the state.

       This following message is from IUF, International Union of Food Workers,   hopefully those reading it will take the action requested.  

    

       "The Turkish government has filed criminal charges against 111 union leaders, members and supporters, which carry prison terms of up to 5 years in connection with a 2010 demonstration in Ankara. The list of those indicted by the Ankara Public Prosecutor include TEKGIDA-IS President Mustafa Turkel along with 4 other national officers and twelve branch presidents, the current and former heads of the national centre DISK, two former leaders of the public sector confederation KESK and other prominent union and social activists."

      Click HERE, to learn more and send an urgent protest message to the Turkish government.
      An injury to one is an injury to all. Are you free if your brothers and sisters are in chains?

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