With Sickening Regularity, Another Anarchist Beaten By Prison Guards.

 

      States across the world, day in and day out, use their rigged judicial system to heap harsh repression on those who would dare to speak out against their legislated injustices. What they bring to law, no matter how barbaric, unjust or cruel that legislation may be, they will enforce with the full force of their tools of repression, carried out by duped fools who see it as their duty to do so.

      Anarchist who stand on the principles of justice, equality and freedom, are usually the most vocal in their criticism of these injustices built into our society. So it is no surprise that anarchists will continually be the target of the repressive and authoritarian states, that today, cover the globe. We could fill a library with the names of anarchists who have suffered brutal violence, and on many occasions, death at the hands of the various states across the planet.

         The forms of repression may vary from state to state, some more barbaric than others, but the aim is the same, to silence dissent, to create subservience. Conditions totally unacceptable to any freethinking mind, and it is with that band of humanity that anarchist will always stand. Each and every one that makes that stand demands our full support and solidarity.

        The following case is just one, in one country, but we all know this can be repeated, many times over, in varying degrees, in any country on the planet. 

This from Freedom News:

Iranian anarchist prisoner Soheil Arabi severely beaten by prison guards

World, May 8th
       Anarchist political prisoner Soheil Arabi, who is detained in Fashafoyeh (the Greater Tehran Prison), was sent to Firoozabadi Hospital after being injured from beatings by prison guards.
       Soheil Arabi was arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) agents at his home in Tehran in November 2013 and charged with insulting the Prophet Mohammad in his postings on social media about Atena Daemi: a human rights activist and a political prisoner in Iran. In August 2014, Arabi was sentenced to death.
        Soheil had experienced prison torture in the past. Most recently, he was summoned, interrogated and severely beaten for his connection with the letter he wrote from the Greater Tehran Prison about the condition of the prisoners in Fashafoyeh “Greater Tehran” Prison. In result, he has suffered an injury to his testicular area. Following the hospital visit, he was returned to prison without treatment. He was also denied access to a telephone and visitors.
         In November 2018, Soheil Arabi sent a message from prison on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women:

“Humanity deserves the best.

        Speak of fighting violence against women! Of women’s struggle against oppression, discrimination, and violence by society; Of violence in Evin and Qarchak to the Varamin hunger strike; Of the abuse and threats interrogators make against women; Of tears shed at meetings; combating violence against women is, without a doubt, one of the most important demands of the liberation movement and we are all fighting against gender discrimination.
         The discrimination that systems have taught us where women are men’s property and tools to serve them. This was the thought that had me ashamed of silence.
        Silence against violence is betrayal. Rise up and shout: Shout, “my mother does not deserve violence, my sister and I do not deserve misogyny”.
          Stand up and tear down the barriers, you warrior! I bow down to all those who stood up against gender discrimination and violence, particularly violence against women, and paid the price of cold, damp prison cells, at the foot of the gallows and under the lash of whips.
        I bow down to the mothers who raised freedom fighters; those who saw violence and stood against it.
         The word “violence” needs to be erased and efforts to eliminate it require a humane society. Now is the time to stand up against the clenched fists raised at women and liberators. So I stand up too with mighty women liberators shouting to eliminate violence against women, and not to be silent against violence.

Rise up so that our children may learn humanity deserves the best.

Soheil Arabi November, 2018 Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary”
Sources: The Anarchist Union of Afghanistan and Iran, Prameń

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Finn MacKay, Explains Feminism. .

        Finn MacKay explains feminism and the need for it in our society, we obviously have a long way to go to reach that desirable state of gender equality.

        Finn Mackay is an Author, Academic and Feminist activist. She founded The London Feminist Network. Revived the London Reclaim the Night march, And a former organiser of the Feminism in London Conference. She was nominated as a world-changing woman in a 2006 Guardian poll. After working in youth work and education, Finn devised policy on domestic violence prevention before returning to academia and completing her PhD on the British Women's Liberation Movement. She is currently a senior lecturer in sociology at the University of the West of England in Bristol. She speaks and writes regularly on Feminist issues, particularly male violence against women.

 

       This episode of Circled A Radio interviews Finn MacKay on feminism.

Listen HERE:

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

Circled A Radio, Violence In The Left.

       Violence is a many coloured, many faceted beast, it taints many avenues of this society. Subtle under ground, quietly in the back ground and sometimes in your face at home, at work, and various organisations, some that wear the badge of equality, and of course, the top of the tree, the state.

      This week Circled A Radio discusses two cases of violence in "left" organisations, the RTM and SWP.

Listen to the discussion HERE: 

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

Reclaim The Night.

      Violence against women is not uncommon in this society, but then again it is a society that glorifies wars and "great battles", that portrays the idea of "macho-man", and promotes the idea that to be successful, women must be sexy and attractive to men. Hardly the ingredients for an equal society based on respect. It is a sad reflection on a society that claims to be civilised, when women have to campaign against rape and violence, and fight for the right to walk out at night without feeling apprehensive and threatened.  This weekend, women in Nottingham held a "reclaim the night" march, demonstrating against rape and all forms of violence against women. The march proceeded, at night, down Mansfield Street and was well attended. Let's build that society where such marches would a lesson in a history book and long since obsolete. 

Photo by Demotix.

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