Donald Rooum.

         Some of you may already know this, others may not, so for that reason I believe it is worth posting, in tribute to one of us. A life dedicated to justice and peace. 

This from Anarchist News: 

 

      I HAVE just learned with sadness that Donald Rooum, above, whose work appeared periodically in print editions of the Freethinker over many decades, died in London on August 31.
       I was alerted to the fact that Rooum had died by another longtime Freethinker contributor, Professor John Radford, author of  Don’t You Believe It!: Sixty things everybody knows that actually AIN’T SO!, a book that Rooum illustrated.
Rooum’s career and colourful life was affectionately documented in a blog called Spitalsfield Life in 2012. The author wrote:

      In spite of the fearsome reputation acquired by Anarchists, Donald possesses a quiet nature, almost unassuming, and he has not been on a demonstration since 1963 when he was framed by the police for having a brick in his pocket. A brick which the police inadvertently – and famously – forgot to plant. It amounted to a national scandal at the time. Since then, Donald prefers to stay at home and seek his political influence indirectly by working on his long-running cartoon series, leaving it to younger Anarchists to take to the street.

      Rooum, who in 1963 was working as a cartoonist for Peace News, was arrested by a violent and racist London policeman, detective sergeant Harold Challoner. On July 11 of that year, Rooum was demonstrating outside Claridge’s Hotel against a visit to the UK of Queen Frederika of Greece. Challoner told Rooum:

You’re fucking nicked, my beauty. Boo the Queen, would you?.

       After hitting Rooum on the head, the copper went through Rooum’s possessions, claimed to find a half-brick and said:

   There you are, me old darling. Carrying an offensive weapon. You can get two years for that.

       Rooum, a member of the National Council for Civil Liberties who had read about forensic science, handed his clothes to his solicitor for testing. No brick dust or appropriate wear and tear were found and Rooum was acquitted, although other people Challenor arrested at the demonstration were still convicted on his evidence.
        By the time Challenor appeared at the Old Bailey in 1964, charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, he was deemed to be unfit to plead and was sent to Netherne mental hospital with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. Three other detectives involved in the arrest of protesters – David Oakley, Frank Battes and Keith Goldsmith – were sentenced to three years in prison.
Rooum told Spitalsfield Life:

        When I was sixteen, I thought a free society would be easy to get. Now I don’t think things are going to be easy, but the civil rights movement has been good. There have been improvements. There’s no longer any law against homosexuality and no longer any corporal punishment in schools. There was an awful attitude that people who weren’t white were inferior. When I first came to London in 1944, I phoned up a boarding house and they asked me to come round in person, because there was a no coloureds policy.

       To me, Anarchism is an ethical stance, a point of view which regards coercion of any kind as wrong.

      Rooum edited the London-based anarchist paper, Freedom, for many years. He became lecturer in typography at the London College of Printing, took an Open University Degree in Life Sciences and was elected a member of the Institute of Biology at eighty.
Spitalsfield Life said:

      His endeavours have spanned the political, the literary, the artistic and the scientific, yet it is in the levity of cartoons that he has found his ideal medium.

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      Anarchists should never be "know-alls" but should always be prepared to listen, seek information to reinforce any truths they hold, always be open to new information that may come forward, and assess it, never hold to dictate, ideology or accept things because that's the way they have always been. However, who am I to give advice, instead let's listen to a voice from the grave. A letter from Élisée Reclus seems a better source of advice than anything I could ever pour out.

     This from VOID:

A letter to the young Anarchists- by Élisée Reclus

To the editors of la Huelga General in Barcelona.
Brussels, Dec. 4, 1901.
Corresp. III:238-240.

Dear comrades,
        We have an ingrained habit of exaggerating both our strengths and our weakness. During revolutionary periods, it seems that our most minor actions have incalculably great consequences. On the other hand, during times of stagnation, though we may be totally dedicated to our work, our entire lives seem barren and useless, and we may even feel swept away by the winds of reaction.
       What then should we do to maintain our intellectual vigor, our moral energy, and our faith in the good fight?
        You come to me hoping to draw on my long experience of people and things. So, as an elderly person I give you the following advice:
        Do not quarrel or deal in personalities. Listen to other people’s arguments before you present your own. Learn how to remain silent and reflect. Don’t try to get the better in an argument at the expense of your own sincerity.
      Study with discretion and perseverance. Great enthusiasm and dedication to the point of risking one’s life are not the only ways of serving a cause. It is easier to sacrifice one’s life than to make one’s whole life an education for others. The conscious revolutionary is not only a person only of feeling, but also one of reason, for whom every effort to promote justice and solidarity rests on precise knowledge and on a comprehensive understanding of history, sociology, and biology. Such a person can incorporate his personal ideas into the larger context of the human sciences, and is sustained in the struggle by the immense power he gains through his broad knowledge.
       Avoid overspecialization. Side neither with nations nor with parties [ni aux patries ni aux partis]. Be neither Russians, Poles nor Slavs. Rather, be men of truth, free from any thoughts of particular interests, and from speculative ideas concerning the nature of peoples, whether Chinese, Africans, or Europeans. The patriot always ends up hating the foreigner, and loses the sense of justice that once kindled his enthusiasm.
       Away with all bosses, leaders, and those who treat language as if it were Sacred Scripture. Reject such idolatry and value the words even of your closest friend or the wisest professor only for the truth that you find in them. If, having listened, you still have some doubts, turn inward toward your own mind and reexamine the matter before making a final judgment.
      So you should reject every authority, but also commit yourself to a deep respect for all sincere convictions. Live your own life, but also allow others the complete freedom to live theirs.
      If you throw yourself into the conflict to sacrifice yourself on behalf of the humiliated and the downtrodden, that is a very good thing, my companions. Face death nobly. If you prefer to take on slow and patient work on behalf of a better future, that is an even better thing. Make it the goal of every instant of a generous life. But if you choose to remain poor among the poor, in complete solidarity with those who suffer, may your life shine forth as a beneficent light, a perfect example, a fruitful lesson for all!

Greetings, comrades.
Elisee Reclus.

source: Anarchy Archives

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Do you Wish An Anesthetic? That'll Be Extra.

         I, like many others have been screaming for years about the devious underhand plans to privatise our National Health Service. No matter what is said in those Westminster Houses of Hypocrisy and Corruption, the plans slither on, piece by piece our NHS is being sold off to the corporate world. I am sure there are many, like myself, who owe their lives to the dedicated staff of the NHS and are horrified at the thought of a privatised health service, where what you can afford will govern your treatment, with private insurance companies rubbing the grubby hands with glee at the health problems that can hit any and all of us. Already large swaths of our NHS are in the hands of corporate exploiters like Branson, etc.. On the secret and insidious agenda of the privileged parasites is the total sell off of our NHS to their corporate buddies. We act determinedly and in solidarity now, or we wake up to find ourselves living with the horrors of a private health service with profit its main purpose.
         This is an appeal from John Pilger in an attempt to make us all more aware of the looming and very real danger we face as the corporate world are gifted slice by slice, the entire body of our National Health Service.

  The Dirty War on the NHS
      The NHS is in crisis. Support John Pilger's latest film that unearths the hidden agenda.

By John Pilger
      September 06, 2019 "Information Clearing House" - My last film, The Coming War on China was only completed because of the generosity and solidarity of the hundreds of people whose names appear in the end-credits. For me, watching those names roll is one of the proudest moments of the film.
       Initially, I was reluctant to crowd-fund and said so in the preamble on the crowd-funding site; I believed most people needed the money in their pockets and it was up to me and my colleagues at Dartmouth Films to convince likely institutions or rich donors with a conscience (yes, they exist) to impart their loose change.
       But when one of the major funders of the film suddenly pulled out, it looked like the film and its editing would grind to a halt.
       The crowd-funders came to our rescue: people who gave a fiver or what they could afford (and often couldn’t afford). What struck me was the entirely gracious way people offered to help. They weren’t giving charity, they said; they were delighted, even honoured, to be partners in the making and success of a film they considered important.
        Today, I am again making an appeal for support - this time for a film whose urgency touches all our lives, literally.
        It’s about the NHS, the last bastion of a truly people’s institution without which so many of us would stumble and fall and perhaps not survive.
       The film is certainly a tribute to the NHS; but, above all, it’s a warning.
      Under our noses, often secretly and deceptively, our National Health Service is being undermined and sold off: piece by precious piece to the likes of Richard Branson and the giant American health insurance companies that are at the root of the misery that is American healthcare.
       The privatisation of the NHS has been mostly insidious – by “stealth”, as one of Mrs. Thatcher’s cohorts once advised. But since 2010, the “reforms” have speeded up. It’s got to the point that if we don’t act now, we’ll wake up one day to an unrecognizable health service that is no longer ours.
      As with my previous films, this film will be in cinemas and on network TV, bringing a vital public message, and warning, to a mass audience
        With this urgency in mind, please support this work – again, with whatever you can afford. Your name will appear with special honour as the credits roll. Thank you.
John Pilger

       It's not just about the money!
       If you can't contribute, you can help us enormously by:
      TELLING your friends, family, colleagues, neighbours and contacts about this film and share this page: http://bit.ly/pilgerhealthdoc

SHARE via Facebook
TWEET using #DirtyWarOnNHS, @johnpilger
SIGN UP to our mailing list for updates on the campaign and the film as it progresses.

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I Fear.

        I have always stated that we should be vigilant in defending what freedoms we have, as they can be eroded by slow stealth, and that fascism will not arrive with jackboots on the street, but will be subtly put in place by men in suits, sitting in offices behind closed doors. When I look at the way things are going today, I think this poem by Michael Rosen is well worth reading and pondering on, and perhaps being more aware of what is happening all around us. 

Fascism: I sometimes fear...

I sometimes fear that
people think that fascism arrives in fancy dress
worn by grotesques and monsters
as played out in endless re-runs of the Nazis.

Fascism arrives as your friend.
It will restore your honour,
make you feel proud,
protect your house,
give you a job,
clean up the neighbourhood,
remind you of how great you once were,
clear out the venal and the corrupt,
remove anything you feel is unlike you...

It doesn't walk in saying,
"Our programme means militias, mass imprisonments, transportations, war and persecution."

 

Michael Rosen.

 

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Our Resistance Must Be International.

        Perhaps I go on and sound like a broken record that is stuck in a track, but I do believe that what is happening in Exarcheia, Athens, is of the utmost importance to all free thinking minds, though it is not the only struggle against state repression that is going on at the moment. Any attack by any state on the freedom of the individual or group that challenges the authoritarian methods of the state is an attack on all our freedoms. What brutal actions one state gets away with the others will look at and borrow when they feel the need. As well as supporting those who are at the receiving end of this brutal attack, we can also learn from their methods of  resistance, as our turn may come sooner than we expect. The Greek state is not unique, it is doing what they all do, attempting to subdue those who wish to think for themselves and shape their lives around mutual aid, co-operation, respect for all, self help and an end to the destructive force of capitalism. It is all a matter of degree, what the state thinks it can get away with in its drive for total control. They will do it with subtle persuasion, smoke and mirrors of propaganda, or by brute force. To the state, to achieve its aim of total control, "all options are on the table", likewise, our desire for freedom and justice should hold the same rules. Authoritarianism is international, our resistance must be international.
This from It's Going Down:

The Greek Anarchist Movement Responds to Assault on Exarchia

Listen to the podcast HERE:

        In this episode of the It’s Going Down podcast, we speak with a long-time anarchist based in the Greek neighborhood of Exarchia. This discussion takes place at a time when the new government, New Democracy, is in the middle of launching a violent assault against the neighborhood which for decades has been a hotbed of anarchist activity, squats, guerilla gardens, rebel art, and is largely a cop-free zone.
       In our discussion, we speak about the history of Greece from World War II up until today as well as the history of the anarchist movement itself, focusing primarily on the last 11 years, and speaking largely on the massive insurrection that broke out in 2008. We then discuss the coming to power of the far-Left Syriza government and their betrayal of social movements as well as the current refugee crisis, and how anarchists have responded by setting up a large network of squats.
       We also talk about the continuing threat of the far-Rigth in Greece, primarily Golden Dawn, as well as the coming to power of a new far-Right party, New Democracy, who campaigned heavily on clearing the anarchists, refugees, and squatters out of Exarchia. We talk about how the movement is responding to the recent wave of violent evictions, raids, and police attacks, and how this mobilization in solidarity with the neighborhood might signal a new turning point for the anarchist movement.
      While its frightening that a ruling party would come into power off of playing up fears and anger directed against the anarchist movement, squats, and refugees, anarchists are hopeful that the energy that is erupting on the streets of Athens will continue to grow.

  

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Dangerous Storage And Green Pollution Creating Machines!!!

        It is the height of hypocrisy for the government to talk about being green and then enter into plans to expand airports. Those "men in their amazing flying machines", leave the ground in lots of cases with 200,000 pounds, (weight) of high octane aviation fuel, and as the skim seamlessly through the air they burn most of that before landing, spewing it into the atmosphere. How many planes are in the air at any given time? Yet airport developers make statements like we will be carbon free in such and such a year, while planning to double capacity. Apart from the burning and spewing that poison into the atmosphere, there is the highly dangerous process, in every city that has an airport, of transporting and storing unbelievable volumes of this extremely volatile substance, usually in densely populated areas. Of course this will only get worse as the airport expansion brigade push there planet destroying plans, naturally the plans will all be painted "green".   

This from Act For Freedom Now:

Aviation Fuel Tankers Attacked in Bristol,UK
        In the heart of Easton, next to a school, in a busy residential area
between a well used railway line and a motorway, is enough aviation fuel to cause a major explosion. Aviation fuel contains over 2,000 chemicals. Once ignited it has a much higher BTU (British Thermal Unit) than gasoline and can burn much longer. In Easton, there are 6 white tankers, each 60 foot long.
      We are often labelled “terrorists” but if we were then… boom! bye, bye! Instead, we decided to attack these containers with dark blue paint. In executing this small act of defiance we hope to highlight their existance, and the danger they pose. This prank was also done to add to the current discourse and campaigns around the expansion of Bristol Airport.
      The huge quantity of aviation fuel is kept in case there is ever a
shortage at the airport. The reality is that the existance of these
tankers puts people’s lives at risk everyday, just so that corporations can continue “business as usual” at all costs. If anything was to happen at Bristol Airport, then this fuel would be taken to Filton Airfield. Filton Airfield is currently used by the National Police Air Service to fly the police helicopter (residents of Bristol will be all too familiar with it’s oppressive presence). Filton is also home to a large Airbus Factory, which was occupied in 2018. Airbus supply the Turkish regime with missiles, fighter jet components and other technology.
      The Bristol Cable have previously investigated these connections.
     The ports and docks of Bristol have a long history of profitting from slavery, the military, and, most recently, the distribution of fuel. Q8 Aviation recently celebrated the fact that over 10 million tonnes of aviation fuel had passed through Bristol dock. There is a huge network of pipelines that start in Bristol and were used in so-called ‘World War 2’ to disseminate fuel. The comedian Mark Thomas has commented on the voltality and precarity of this. The pipelines form a network all over this island. Thomas highlighted the use of signs on farm land in the South West to warn against digging (due to the pipelines). These signs are still visible near Avonmouth and the Severn Estuary, and the
pipelines are an accident waiting to happen.
        Bristol Airport has put forward plans for expansion, and wants to double it’s capacity (to 12 million). It has used green wash to legitimise this, publishing a ‘Carbon Roadmap’ which claims it will become “carbon neutral” by 2025.
     The amazon is on fire and we are sleep walking into an unprecedented ecological disater. Claims by any corporation to be “carbon neutral” are a sick joke at the expense of the planet. This is no time for offsetting.
      We are not XR. We ask for nothing, and make no demands. We are accountable only to ourselves. We don’t think that our action will change much, but we hope that it will make people think.
      Solidarity with the Indigenous Mura people in Canutama, Brazil who are fighting the destruction of the Amazon. Also, belated solidarity with Anarchist Prisoners (following the week of action 23rd-30th August), especially Der Drei Von Der Park Bank. 

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Upper Crust's Arrogance And Disdain For The Plebs.

 

        I'm always rather reluctant to discuss the pantomime that goes on in our Westminster Houses of Hypocrisy and Corruption, as I tend to see them all as the bacteria that floats on the top of a cesspool. However, watching the recent pompous arrogance of dangerous bumbling Boris, and Joseph Rees Mogg's total upper crust disdain for what was going on, displayed by his full length sleeping posture during the debate, it reminded me of a previous piece I wrote away back in 2010. It was just another public display of arrogance and disgust at the plebs by one of the upper crust privileged parasite class, a certain Sir Nicholas Winterton, as you see, nothing has really changed. How long will we tolerate this dangerous pantomime controlling our lives?

 Mixing With The Plebs, February 2010: 

         Recently the media has been blabbing on about a certain member of the parasite class, a Sir Nicholas Winterton, conservative MP for Macclesfield who stated that it was infuriating that he had to pay to travel with his class of person. This “gent” also said, passengers with cheap train tickets are, “a totally different type of people.” Another of his comments that no doubt came from his heart, was, Those in standing areas had, “a different outlook on life” compared with first class passengers. This old windbag and parasite also stated, “They may read a book, but I doubt whether they’re undertaking serious work or study, reading reports or amending reports that MPs do when they travel.”
       Why there should be such surprise or shock at such remarks is what shocks me. This is the real values these people have. They DO believe they are a better class of person, they do feel they have the right to all the privileges and perks that are going. They just don’t say it out loud in the wrong company and that was the mistake of this particular parasite. They smile and spout drivel pretending to engage with the peasants and show a little courtesy now and then as the last thing they want is for peasants with pitch forks arriving at their door. Which would be no bad thing under the present circumstances.

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Spirit of Revolt's Workers City.

       Spirit of Revolt's latest Show and Tell FREE event is, from the feed back, looking like a very popular event. The line up of speakers is a roll-call of some of Glasgow's well known names, most of whom were involved in that wonderful event from the 1990's, Workers City, which was a counter organisation to Glasgow's European City of Culture. It highlighted that other culture, that of the ordinary people of the city and further afield.

     A lot has changed in our city since 1990, so this is a not-to-be-missed, event to remember the past, but also to see and assess where we are in today's culture of the ordinary people of our city.

     Approximately two weeks to go, so mark your diaries, tie a knot in your fingers, so as not to forget, keep that slot free, so that you can learn about the enthusiastic and radical thoughts and actions of that time, enjoy the open discussion, add your piece and take part as you please. See you there. 

Details:

FREE event,

12noon-2:00pm.

Monday, 16th. September, 2019,

Blythswood Room,

5th. floor,

Mitchell Library, G3 7DN.

 

 

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No Pasaran.

       We should not take the resistance that is happening in Exarcheia, Athens, as some little thing that is happening in a small area somewhere else. It is of international importance, and we should give it all the support and publicity that we can muster. It is an area where migrants are welcomed and where possible provided for, an area where people try to live their lives in a sense of mutual aid, self determination and respect for the individual and individual freedom. A place that flies in the face of control by the strangling hand of the authoritarian state. You can rest assured other states are watching and taking notes, as their aim is the same as the Greek state, total control of the population, a desire to have an army of submissive citizens. If the Greek state wins and destroys the ethos of Exarcheia, locks the migrants up in appalling over crowded concentration camps, imprisons those who supported the migrants through humanity, the flower of freedom has further withered for all of us. Authority and control will have tightened its grip, and that affects us all, no matter where we live. The resistance in Exarcheia demands our full support and solidarity, their struggle is our struggle.

This from Anarchist News:

No Pasaran: Thousands take to the streets against the Greek State's attack at Exarcheia.

        (Athens, Greece) Saturday, 31 August 2019: Two to three thousand people (according to different estimates) marched down the neighbourhood of Exarcheia in central Athens, following a massive police raid against 4 squats (mainly housing refugees) on Monday 26 August and the consequent arrest of 143 migrants and 3 others. Following the police raid, the neighbourhood of Exarchia has been turned into a “militarized” zone with constant riot police attacks against people in the area and social centers.
       But what the government didn't expect was that people in the area, instead of “cowering” in fear, they chose to defy the greek riot police and the government's ideological terrorism, also expressed through its controlled mass media. Thus, thousands of anarchists and other activists sent through the protest a message of resistance to the State's repressive campaign, as well as, signals of solidarity to the squats and social centers evicted and those under the imminent threat of new attacks by the greek State.
        To get an idea of the situation in Exarcheia during the last few days, on Thursday 29 of August 2019, during a live gig organized by bookshops and book publishing companies, scores of riot policemen suddenly attacked more than a thousand attendees with asphyxiating gas, flash bang grenades, and baton attacks, whilst in the chaos that followed, they attacked “Vox” social center (located on Exarchia Square), smashing its window screen and throwing an asphyxiating gas canister inside its closed spaces, an action that could have had resulted to death. Many people inside and outside were also treated with serious head wounds. Then, on Saturday 31 August, following the afternoon demo seen in the video, riot cops attacked again the concert on its 3d day, led by a riot policeman that had drawn his gun aiming at people while charging, according to witnesses of the events. But that was not the last of it. On Sunday 1 September the Vox social center was attacked by the greek riot police for a third time in just four days.
        Another big protest against the greek State's terror at the Exarcheia neighbourhood of Athens has been announced for the 14th of September.

More on Exarcheia:

    First they take Exarcheia
Recent evictions of several squats, some housing refugees and migrants, mark the beginning of a new chapter of repression and dissent in Greece.

 https://roarmag.org/essays/first-they-take-exarcheia/

    Exarchia: The struggle continues
From Yannis Youlountas, from Exarchia (31/08/2019) …

 http://autonomies.org/2019/08/exarchia-the-struggle-continues/

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The Mockery of Democracy, And The Illusion of Freedom.

        We are told we live in a free society, we are a democracy, but are surrounded by CCTV cameras, every city has its prisons, and today, in the UK a man voted in on the say so of around  160,000 members of a club, can be the dictator of the country. He may be called the "Prime Minister" but he can act as a dictator and be cheered on by mass sections of the media and the public. Our mainstream media spews out a narrative according to the powers that be. dissent is labelled extremism and will be persecuted, free society, democracy, my arse.

          A free society is open to dissent, radical change, is free from persecution for seeking and telling the truth, its institutions and workings are open to scrutiny at all levels and all times, no decisions taken behind closed doors, do you see our society in that description, just think Julian Assange.

      The following article by Caitlin Johnstone:

      A Society Is Only As Free As Its Most Troublesome Political Dissident.

       You wouldn’t know it from any western mass media reporting as of this writing, but musician Roger Waters is about to perform the iconic Pink Floyd song “Wish You Were Here” in front of the office of British Home Secretary Priti Patel in order to draw attention to the persecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
         Earlier this year, billionaire Richard Branson staged a “Live Aid”-stye concert in Colombia near the Venezuela border with the purported goal of helping the Venezuelan people. In reality the stunt was nothing other than a ploy to advance the entirely false narratives that President Maduro was blockading bridges and turning away all foreign aid, and the funds raised ended up being embezzled by the Trump-backed regime change opposition group led by US puppet Juan Guaido. The British mass media, however, went absolutely bananas over the story. Each word in this sentence is hyperlinked to a different story about the concert from mass media outlets in the UK alone. And that was a concert on the other side of the planet, while the Assange event is happening right in London, in front of the office of a prominent British official, featuring one of the greatest British rock musicians of all time.
          This discrepancy tells you everything you need to know about the so-called “free press” in western society, and indeed about western society itself.
         A society is only as free as its most troublesome political dissident, which today means that you are only as free as Julian Assange. As long as you live in a society which can give rise to a coordinated multi-governmental campaign to lock up a journalist for the rest of his life based on bogus charges because he exposed US war crimes, you are not free, and you should not agree to pretend that you are.

          The old saying “actions speak louder than words” resonates with people because words can lie while actions cannot. And while the millionaire pundits of the billionaire media continually assure us with their words that we live in a free society, the actions of the people who wield official and unofficial power over us tell us that we actually live in a society which tortures and imprisons dissident journalists for telling inconvenient truths.
          The persecution of Julian Assange tells us so much more about our society than the authorized narratives we’re sold:
          The persecution of Julian Assange tells us about the real function of the mass media. The discrepancy between the news media coverage of the Assange benefit event and Richard Branson’s regime change propaganda party are just one of many, many examples we could discuss about the way those outlets reliably slant their coverage in favor of agendas which just so happen to align with the interests of the CIA and the US State Department. Every time Assange’s plight makes headlines, social media lights up with ambitious blue-checkmarked media aspirants posting snarky quips about him in an attempt to show the operators of the billionaire media just how far they’ll go to defend the status quo. We are told with words that the mass media are here to tell us the truth about what’s going on in the world, but we are told with actions the exact opposite.
           The persecution of Julian Assange tells us about the mechanics of empire. Assange was pried out of the embassy and imprisoned by an extremely obvious collaboration between the US, UK, Sweden, Ecuador, and Australia, yet they each pretended that they were acting as separate, sovereign nations completely independently of one another. Sweden pretended it was deeply concerned about rape allegations, the UK pretended it was deeply concerned about a bail violation, Ecuador pretended it was deeply concerned about skateboarding and embassy cat hygiene, the US pretended it was deeply concerned about the particulars of the way Assange helped Chelsea Manning cover her tracks, Australia pretended it was too deeply concerned about honoring the sovereign affairs of these other countries to intervene on behalf of its citizen, and it all converged in a way that just so happens to look exactly the same as imprisoning a journalist for publishing facts. You see this same dynamic constantly, whether it’s with military interventions, trade deals, or narrative-shaping campaigns against non-aligned governments.
           The persecution of Julian Assange tells us about the kind of society we actually live in. We are inundated from early childhood with feel-good slogans about freedom and democracy, which we are told must be spread to everyone on earth as forcefully as necessary even if we have to kill every last one of them. In reality we live in a society made of lies and led by liars, who violently persecute anyone who exposes the truth. These people are your oppressors. These people are your prison wardens. Their sneering faces tell you that you are free from behind prison bars, and that they’ll end you if you disagree.

This is going to have to change.

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

Modern Democracy At Work.

       The storm-troopers of the Greek state are continuing and intensifying their savage attacks in Exarcheia, in central Athens. This sustained brutal attack is an attempt by the state to crush those who would dare to live outside the authoritarian dictates of the right-wing state. An attack on those who wish to live their lives in mutual aid, co-operation, self help and assistance to those in need, without the interference and the shackles of the state.

     The latest savagery was an attack on the social centre K-Vox, which I have visited several times, and was inspired. It was an old cinema, but is now an autonomous social space with a cafe, meeting rooms and a free to all, health centre in the basement. This is the type of structure that the state can't countenance, as it is outside their strangling control, control is everything to the state. 

      We should be alive to what is happening in Exarcheia, it is just another example of how any so called democracy can move in with crushing violence on those who wish to live their own lives in their own manner. Accept its dictates or suffer the consequences, is their mantra.

      This from Enough Is Enough:

        Written by Riot Turtle.

Modern democracy at work.

         On Monday riot cops evicted four squats in the Exarcheia district in Athens. But the cops did not retreat from the area after the evictions. The district is still occupied by state forces. Last night they attacked the K*Vox social center. One person suffered head injuries and was transferred to a hospital in the Greek capital.

Before that, riot cops were attacked in the area. The Anarchist migrants Facebook page published the following text: “A group of 50 anarchists attacked MAT at tositsa/trikoupi streets around 00:30(tonight) Riot had continued from tositsa/trikoupi to trikoupi and exarchia square with more participaters(a after a few minutes from start)because exarchia square was full of people. When the cops entered next to exarchia square, started to smash the windows of K*VOX and throwing tear gases inside the place. Rioters comrades left the area safe without arrestion. 10 minutes after the riot, MAT from their point in PASOUK, started to come more inside exarchia and terrorize the area by their presence.”

More videos HERE:

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A World Run By Low-Life Scum.

        The following article reads like one of those cheap Hollywood movies on psychopathic behaviour, but it is real life. It depicts the savage, brutal psychopathic regime that exists in the US prison system, though other national prison only differ in degree. It is difficult to get your head round why a supposed human being would treat another human being in such a manner, what stories do these low-life people tell their families, what bedtime stories do they tell their kids? What sort of deranged sub-human brain is situated between their ears? Their brutal callous psychopathic behaviour moves them outside the human species. Not until the last prison lies as rubble, will this type of sub-human behaviour disappear. The prison system breeds these power crazy, savage scumbags, a civilised society has no place for prisons nor this type of sub-human species that manage them. Anyone caught up in these state repression machines demands our support and solidarity.

This from 325:

       For folks who are unaware Eric is an anarchist and anti-fascist prisoner who was sentenced to 10 years for an attempted arson, an action in solidarity with the Ferguson uprising in Kansas city. Throwing two Molotov cocktails into a state representatives office at night time. He has since remained outspoken against the prison system. Exposing abuses and standing tall in the face of constant attacks and oppression.
         In august of last year Eric was dragged into a broom closet and attacked by Lt Wilcox at FCI Florence. Attacked because he is an anarchist and anti-fascist. It was timed to line up with the surgery for his wifes cancer. He was subsequently tortured and abused and never checked out medically despite being kicked in the head for 5 plus minutes. And tied to a 4 point restraint for 8 hours, having to urinate himself resulting in nerve damage to his wrists.
        Since the indictment was filed (in may but conveniently they wait for the painful anniversary to serve indictment) he has been attacked twice at the orchestration of the BOP. Once being blatantly led into a fenced in area where a fash was waiting to attack while the guards watched and by putting someone who was known to have attacked the last cellmates in his cell. Not even talking about all of the other attempts.
        Since the attack he was unable to see or talk to his family for a year, kept in segregation, not allowed even the most basic needs as the right to read a book, have a photo. Denied medical care as he begged for help August 1st, the day before his birthday. His words coming out in slurs because the whole left side of his body… paralyzed. Cognitive and confusion. 29 days without a scan, 29 days… every day further from the potential ability to minimize potentially life changing damage. Being held under the custody of the bop while fighting a bop case. Being held in a prison in which an adult man threatened their daughter 2 years before, a man who had access. A prison where this man still works. A prison where guards currently fuck with him by asking where his daughters go to school over and over. Despite the fact the BOP has attempted to attack and intimidate, orchestrating these attack by use of white supremacists.
       Eric was indicted yesterday for his own assault. He faces up to 20 years in prison for being attacked and beaten. By a guard who feels safe dragging prisoners off camera and attacking. A guard who is known by the PD office for doing this and then destroying lives. Being brought up in the federal court system, a court system that is built to crush as a much more effective machine than any other in our country. Where only 2% go to trial because the feds dont take a case they cant win. Fewer than 1% going on to win their case. Things are looking grim.
       We need folks help… We need folks to write Eric letters, print articles, short stories… hell print books.

Eric King #27090045
FCI Englewood
9595 West Quincy Avenue
Littleton, CO 80123

       [white envelopes, white paper, only black ink, no cards, card-stock, labels, marker, photos or postcards]

       We need folks to donate, hold fundraisers, we need to be prepared

       We need folks to show up at court appearances. We need to show the state we wont let them bury our friend. File court dates same day to try to ensure folks cant be there. We let them do this to Eric once already. We let the state convict him of attempted arson and give him 10 years in federal prison. Where they are trying to make sure he never walks out those doors. Is buried at the ADX.

We need help, Eric needs help.
With love and rage
EK support crew
       We Need To Keep That Spirit Alive: anarchist prisoner Eric King and partner speak
       This week on The Final Straw, we feature two main guests, anarchist prisoner Eric King and a member of his defense committee who is also Erics partner. This podcast is being released on the 3rd day of the International Week of Solidarity with Anarchist Prisoners from August 23-30th. While the majority of the show will be filled by anarchist political prisoner, Eric King, well be wrapping it in words from his partner, who also sits on his support committee. For the hour of our broadcast, Eric talks about his health, his political stance, dealing with nazis on the inside, his views on the anti-fascist struggle on the outside, the loss of Tom Manning and supporting political prisoners, counter-recruiting nazis and other topics. You can find his writings, art, and updates on his situation at SupportEricKing.org.
Eric on the final straw podcast

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

The Heavy Boot Of Authority Marches On.

      What is happening in Exarchia should not be seen as something in isolation that is happening in a small district in Athens. It must be seen in the context of the continuous move to ever increasing authoritarianism that is gripping Europe and elsewhere in today's world. Far right groups and governments are gaining traction from the complete disillusionment of the people for the existing system. The people are looking for change and the mainstream media is channeling that desire in the direction that suits the power mongers and the corporate world. Exarchia is just one savage attack on the right of people to chose to live their lives in mutual aid, co-operation, self help, and a helping hand to all those in need, away from the shackles of the authoritarian state. The struggle is universal, it is our struggle, and we will in time feel the same savagery as Exarchia if we stray far enough away from the dictates of the system. To govern you need power and control, and they will do what is necessary to achieve these weapons.

The New War on Immigrants and Anarchists in Greece
An Interview with an Anarchist in Exarchia 

This from Crimethinc:

 

 

        Filled with squatted social centers and characterized by a combative anti-authoritarian spirit, the neighborhood of Exarchia in Athens, Greece has long been an important reference point for autonomous movements around the world. The new right-wing government that has come to power in Greece has pledged to crush this experiment in inclusivity and self-determination. On August 26, massive police raids evicted four occupations, including some hosting refugee families, many of whom have been sent to concentration camps; at this moment, riot police surround Exarchia, preparing their next attacks. In response, demonstrations have been called for August 31 and September 14. We interviewed a resident of Exarchia about the context of this new chapter of struggle and the prospects ahead for those who seek a world without capitalism or state oppression.
        In January 2015, as the global wave of right-wing electoral victories was picking up momentum, the new left party Syriza won the Greek elections. At the time, this inspired a lot of enthusiasm from leftists and socialists in Greece and elsewhere around the world; yet we argued that Syriza would draw movements out of the streets, re-legitimize the institutions of the state without changing their essentially repressive character, and ultimately fail to address the consequences of capitalism, polarizing Greek voters to the right. As we anticipated, Syriza did not follow through on their promises to defend Greece from the austerity measures demanded by the European Union. Instead, they imposed austerity measures themselves, further polarizing Greece and confirming that there is no viable electoral solution to the crises imposed by capitalism.
          Consequently, in July 2019, the longstanding right-wing party New Democracy won the national elections by a clear majority. Some corporate media journalists celebrated the victory of New Democracy as a return to business as usual, a rejection of the supposed “extremism” of both Syriza and the fascist Golden Dawn party. But the victory of New Democracy is also a victory for the far right, who have seen their racist, nationalist agenda become mainstream. They took office with the intention of scapegoating immigrants and anarchists for the failures of neoliberal capitalism and the betrayals of left politicians. Taking advantage of the summer holidays to strike, they have already begun violently evicting anarchist social centers and self-organized refugee housing in Athens, openly declaring war on all who stand in the way of their oppressive vision of order.

          We conducted the following interview with an anonymous black flag anarchist resident of Exarchia three blocks from Exarchia Square following a small riot in the early hours of August 28.
      New Democracy began by declaring war on anarchists, specifically on the neighborhood of Exarchia in Athens. We have seen a series of poorly-written articles from the yellow press spreading fear about “anarchist violence” and promising major government crackdowns. Why have they prioritized focusing on anarchists and specifically Exarchia as the chief enemy of the state? How much of the population do you think agrees with this characterization of anarchists?
          New Democracy has shown a sort of delusional obsession with Exarchia. They refer to it as if it were the basis of the crisis here, as if it were the foundation of all of Greece’s problems. As a resident of Exarchia and an active anarchist, I can confirm that the language they use to describe my neighborhood is ridiculously overstated.
        Sure, there are some issues with drug dealing and predatory mafia practices in Exarchia. The mafia recruits refugees, taking advantage of their desperate need for employment, hoping that anarchists who oppose opportunistic attempts to establish a drug market in the police-free zone of Exarchia will hesitate before hitting a refugee. This situation is the result of the poverty refugees face as they wait to receive asylum or struggle to make their home in Athens, trying to avoid harassment from police or fascists.
          This is tragic, but it is nothing compared to a typical ghetto in the United States; it’s the inevitable result of the combination of the economic crisis and the so-called refugee crisis. The image of a refugee dealing drugs in Exarchia is an easy scapegoat for the right, and New Democracy has used this over and over in a cowardly manner to rally reactionary support.
           Most people outside of Greece don’t understand that Exarchia is a very large neighborhood. It is only a five-minute walk from the most expensive part of the city center, Colonaki, a middle-to-upper-class neighborhood comparable to Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The anarchist movement emerged in the early 1970s out of student resistance to the Junta, which was concentrated at the nearby Polytechnio, the architectural university of Athens. Until then, Exarchia was a sort of extension of Colonaki. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has become a gathering place for anarchists and squatters, but also for the theater community, leftists, intellectuals, artists, and the clients of an array of alternative bars. It is known locally as a nightlife destination on the weekends for students and partygoers as much as it is known for riots and squats.
         While all of these elements coexist in a sort of chaotic equilibrium, the old inhabitants of Exarchia still complain. Unless you are one of the lucky few who have found an apartment here owned by an old person unaware of its Airbnb potential and the erupting real estate market in central Athens, or you are living in a squat or in a home owned by family, it is unlikely that a typical working-class Greek person could afford to live here. The wealthy residents of Exarchia complain to the municipal authorities. They have been doing so for years. New Democracy is responding in a way that may go beyond their whining.
        For example, there is famous hill called Streffi where youth and anarchist-friendly folks go to chill with their friends and comrades. It is also a beautiful park that used to house parties and gatherings to celebrate and benefit the punk and hip-hop counter-cultures and anarchist and anti-fascist movements. Because it has a view of the Acropolis and some of the most expensive houses in Exarchia, a brutal initiative began in the summer 2018 to crush the cop-free-zone culture of Streffi. Riot police surrounded the hill before any announced event, and completely demolished the only squat in the area shortly after it declared solidarity with those trying to reclaim Streffi.
          In short, Exarchia is not a beautiful utopia in which anarchists live in harmony together and with other locals. There are snitches and “good citizens” here who applaud the police.
         New Democracy has been in power before; they are not something new. But after five years in exile under Syriza, they are declaring revenge on the left. Unlike Syriza, which has a realistic understanding of Exarchia, New Democracy members have a childish image of it. They mystify it as the enemy of all Greek civility and as the epicenter of all things left or anarchist. - - - - -

 Continue reading the full article HERE

Further Reading
        For perspectives in English from other anarchists organizing in Athens right now, you could begin with these starting places:

No Pasaran! poster

Exarchia: Solidarity to Squats and All Spaces of Struggle—Assembly Announcement

Statement of the Anarchist Political Organization against the Repressive Campaign of the State

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