For those who didn't manage to Glasgow May Day march on Sunday May 1st. a wee bunch of photos to make you feel you were there. Thanks Anne.
Saturday, 7 May 2016
Friday, 6 May 2016
Pulling Up The Drawbridge In Fortress Europe.
The latest from SubMedia TV. As usual, tells it like it is. Statements like refugee camps, migrants stuck at the border, The Balkans Corridor, don't portray the appalling conditions, the abject misery, and state brutality being heaped on desperate individuals and families as the flee the nightmare of a landscape devastated by Western imperialist war ventures, and its violent aftermath. Of course the language used by that babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media, has changed, these hundreds of thousands fleeing desperate people are no longer asylum seekers, or refugees, they are now simply "migrants", the first two labels might evoke some sympathy, so they have to be dropped.
Thursday, 5 May 2016
Tropical Scotland.
What a beautiful day, Thursday, 5th. of April, 13 degrees, by Scottish standards that is practically tropical. Another run round familiar territory, the Campsie area. The one draw back was the 17/18 MPH wind, great as it got behind you, as you whizz along thinking that your really good on the bike, but hell when you come down to earth and find yourself grinding uphill with the full blast in your face. Never the less, a great afternoon out, feeling good, it has been a wee while since I have managed to grind the pedals along the road. Let's hope this is the start of something good.
Outside Her Majesty's Lowmoss repression centre
Wednesday, 4 May 2016
"Officially" Stolen Children.
Wars never really end on the dates marked in the history books, the suffering, misery, deaths and torture, survives many years after the "official" end of any war. The Spanish civil war was no different, 1939 did not see peace and tranquillity reign across Spain, Franco and his obedient ranks of vermin seen to that. After 1939, children of republicans increasingly became victims of the fascist regime, with the blessing of the Catholic Church.
Wikipedia:The lost children of Francoism were the children abducted from Republican parents, who were either in jail or had been assassinated by Francoist troops, during the Spanish Civil War and Francoist Spain.[1] The number of abducted children is estimated to be up to 300,000.[2][3] The kidnapped children were sometimes also victims of child trafficking and illegal adoption.[4]This short film helps to convey the misery which continues to this day, that this practice heaped on children and whole families. Published April 29, 2016.
La Infancia Aniquilada
Instantáneas fugaces de cuando los franquistas y los poderosos a los que servían robaron entre 1936 y 1978 a los niños republicanos españoles su tesoro más preciado, la Infancia, y por siempre y para siempre sembraron sus vidas de miedo. Y de terror...
Rough translation:
The Annihilated
Childhood.
Fleeting Snapshots
of when the Franco supporters and the powerful ones which they were
serving stole between 1936 and 1978 republican Spanish children of
their most valued treasure, their childhood, and forever and forever
sowed their lives with fear. And of terror…
Tuesday, 3 May 2016
Squats Are The Seeds Of The World We Desire.
K*Vox occupied social centre Exarcheia, Athens.
As far as we are concerned, squatting is a point of reference, since
it’s where we lay our offensive goals and organize our resistance
against every form of authority. Attacks against squats are an
intertemporal practice for both the state and various fascists groups.
Lately these kinds of attacks have been rather frequent and under
various forms. Key role in this holds the state and its institutions
which under the pretense of utilizing public property is constantly
making threats of evacuations just like it happened in the case of
“Squat 111” or “Squat Orphanage” or even making true of the
aforementioned threats as in the case of “Centaur Squat” which was
literally demolished. We should also keep in mind the cases of “Acta et
Verba” in Giannena, as well as “Dougrou” in Larisa (in the first ever
squatting attempt) which where both evacuated. However, lately the
attacks that have taken place against squats come mostly from fascist
groups operating under cover of the state. The planting of an explosive
device in “Kouvelou Squat”, the invasion in “Elaia”, the incendiary
attacks in “Agros”, the double incendiary attacks in “Vancouver Squat”,
in “Zaimi Squat”, in “Terra Incognita Squat”, the attack in “Analipsi
Squat” and in “Strouga Squat” and even the attacks against the occupied
social center “K*VOX”. Those attacks may have been complete and utter
failure, proving once more the stupidity of such fascist scum, but this
failure is not meant to reassure us, but instead to provide us with a
chance to attack those that have been attacking us. With the latest
examples being the state oppression against squat and self managing
solidarity infrastructures alike.
- In 19/4 early in the morning police invaded the solidarity with immigrants infrastructure in Chios “Soli – Café” arresting immigrants and those expressing their solidarity alike. Moreover 3 days later they set the place on fire as well.Read the full article HERE:
- In 20/4 in “No border camp” in Mytilini an evacuation of the camp took place. 384 immigrants were arrested and led to the Moria detainment facility while 19 individuals who were expressing their solidarity were detained in the local police station for a couple of hours before finally being released.
- In 21/4 cops invaded and evacuated squat “Persiadou 8”. Three arrests were made for minor offenses concerning damage, disturbance of domestic peace and illegally reinstating electrical power.
- In 22/4 in the morning hours, police forces evacuated squat “Turtle Corner” in Thessaloniki.
Stimulation Without Gratification, Creates Insanity.
Our advertising world portray our society is a sexual society, but a perverse sexual society,
everything comes advertised with sexual overtones, from alcohol to
coffee, from clothes to cars, all come with a hint of sexual
stimulation, but never any form of sexual gratification. To our
advertising world, women are sexual tools to sell products, and men
are made to look “sexy”, but it is all a hands off sexual world,
always stimulation, never gratification. That gratification has to
take place in the shadows, where the phoney stimulation's promise can
never quite materialise, and often manifests itself in sexual abuse.
From a very early age, that babbling brook of bullshit, the
mainstream media, encourages young girls to look “pretty”, be
attractive to men is the desired aim. Women, more than not, are
portrayed as an attractive appendage to some successful male, the
road to success for women is then seen as to be “attractive” and
find a successful male. Any wonder that women are used and abused,
the whole value structure is wrong. Nowhere in this phone world of
empty sexual stimulation is there any hint of a real world of people
as equals, with desires outside “looking attractive” and falling into the capitalist definition of "being successful". In this
capitalist society, the world of advertising creates a world of
manufactured desires, a world of frustration and insanity.
Guess what we are advertising??
Naked, Drunk, or isolated, We Are Not Prey.
Read the full article HERE:The hammers that this time aimed for windows – like they can aim for heads – arm our rage towards all those who reinforce this rape culture. This action is more of a stride in the never-ending path of our freedom from all oppressions. We clearly never repeat it enough; sexual assaults are not the isolated act of a dangerous individual who watches from an alley-way corner – but actually – if not a weapon, its often the threats and the correctional punishment, for all women who have taken part in rebellion in their life, or simply searching to exit the cage that is patriarchy. And its always the reflection of a world that envisages women as objects to submit.The media instrumentalises us to distil fear, in creating a need for security which should be urgently met, with ever more control over our lives, cameras, DNA profiling. They don’t seek to protect us, this discourse is to lure us in, to increase their domination.We don’t want to delegate our protection, but try to organise to defend ourselves, and attacking is one way to do that.
Monday, 2 May 2016
Welcome To The Hotel Plaza, Athens.
Greece has been at the receiving end of the mass exodus of people fleeing the war torn, shattered countries of the Middle East, hundreds of thousands of desperate people have entered Greece in the hope settling in Europe and creating a better life for themselves and their families. They have not met with much of an official welcome, herded, corralled, detained, ill-treated, has been the response from officialdom. However, people outside the official state apparatus have taken a much more humane approach. Volunteers have turned out and done what they can to help this legion of desperate people. The latest sign of this in Athens, was at The Plaza Hotel, abandoned 7 years ago,(Not the luxury one in Syntagma Square, pity though!) has now been occupied by 400 refugees, it has had a massive clean up and is now a relatively comfortable, temporary home for tired and desperate people. The empty hotel was there, the state had the power to utilise it, but didn't move in that direction, to them, much better they sleep rough or a detention camp, forget the human side and try to keep control by fear, uncertainty, and intimidation. Thanks to all those people of Athens who helped create this much need refuge for desperate people. Another example that, left to their own devises, the people can sort out their problems, without the interferences of the oppressive state apparatus. Though, not doubt the state will yet try to step in and sabotage this humane response.
Read the full article HERE:
Welcome to “Hotel Plaza” in Athens!
Abandoned hotel squatted for 400 refugees
Abandoned hotel in the northern center of Athens. The “Hotel Plaza” is supposed to host up to 400 refugees, and hopefully in the upcoming week, they will be able to receive further room requests. Since the occupants have entered the building, the weekend has been a busy one: The rooms have been aired and cleaned, the kitchen cleaned and prepared for cooking, weeds and trash removed from the front entrance, the first meals cooked, assemblies held and plans made.
Safe place
We could already see how refugees staying at the hotel have started to relax and recover from the past weeks of stress and precarity. A clean room for oneself, a friendly atmosphere, a quiet and safe common space, and the dedication of everyone to treat each other with respect and in solidarity: You could feel the relief of those who have lacked these crucial needs of life for a long time.
Sunday, 1 May 2016
Glasgow's May Day With A Wee Difference.
May Day celebrations took place across the world, and so they should, it is our day, the day when we come together to celebrate our working class heroes and our victories. It is a time for solidarity with all those involved in the struggle for equality and freedom, a time to renew old friendships, a time to make new friends. In this, Glasgow is no different, it has its May Day celebration, though this year there was a wee difference. There was the usual sanctioned, sedate, march through the city centre, ending up at The Fruit Market in Candleriggs for the usual speeches by the usual political ballerinas. It was a fair turnout, considering the weather forecast was for heavy rain, but the weather was kind, and though cold it was dry. My own guesstimate was around the 1,500 mark. All the usual banners were there lead, off by a pipe band.
Then there was that wee difference. A group of locals decide to try to organise a May Day picnic on Glasgow Green, after the march, where we feel that Glasgow May Day used to be celebrated, and should be celebrated. Again despite the horrible weather forecast, about 30 or so turned up, and the place was soon festoon by banners and flags. We had poets, guitar player/singer and face-painting for the kids, even the rather mature kids. Food appeared from generous volunteers and great time was had by all. Everybody agreed that it was a great success and hope to repeat it next year, with greater numbers. A heart felt glow of gratitude to all those who turned up and made it possible. See you next year, on The Green.
An Eye For An Eye!!!!
Not a lot in that babbling brook of bullshit, our mainstream media, about what is happening in France. The protests continue, the police's violent repression continues, and the bullshit bunch look for some royal happening or anti-Semitism in the Labour party, to spew across your TV screens or to fill their sheets of toilet paper. However what is happening in France is real anger on the streets, by real people, and the violence against them is real and brutal, spearheaded by a so called socialist President. Despite the state repression, Nuit Debout is still alive and thriving. Can it grow, can it spread?
Rennes, France: A demonstrator loses an eye
On Thursday [April 28th] a student of our university lost an eye, simply for having demonstrated. Whilst retreating with all the demonstrators following a CRS charge [riot cops], he was taken freely as a target and hit in the face by a flashball shot. Given that this government has nothing but police violence to bring to the youth as a response, will it take a death for it to cease?It could of been any one of us. So no, we won’t forget, we won’t forgive, and most of all we won’t give in.
Neither fear nor violence will stop us and Sunday we’ll return to the streets.We’re all thinking of you Jean-François! Strength.
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