Squats.

       Squatting is just one gateway to a free society, hence the state's aggressive action against them in an attempt to close them down. Some are open others more secluded, but all serve a different function and for different reasons, helping migrants, local community centres, social/medical centres, etc.

      The following is posted by one particular squat, which has shaped itself around the needs of the group involved, others may grow around the needs of the community where they exist. Squats are organic and should grow and morph around the needs and desires of those involved. The rules change as they grow, but should be founded on co-operation, respect for others, equality among members, and where possible, self sufficiency.

From the Bubble:

What the Bubble is and what it is not
       The Bubble (Bublina in Czech) is a squat, located on the planet Earth, somewhere on the road between the cities of Aš and Břeclav. These buildings with a yard have been unused by the owner and inhabited by many different people with many various motivations over the years. Some of them left, others have been expelled by the police. Since August 2019, the squat has been occupied by first member of a newly emerging group of residents and supporters, and has been re-named to “Bublina” (The Bubble).

       This first resident has been dealing with housing crisis and lack of space to thrive for quite some time. After a few months, two more people joined who has been on streets since their employer deprived them of financial resources. They moved right before outbreak of Covid- 19 pandemic, which allowed them to self- isolate in quarantine here and survive without health risks. Both of them are elderly, so their health could have been compromised otherwise. These elderly men and middle-aged anarchist soon became accustomed to living together. It is not ideology nor generational struggle which made them cooperate, but their willingness to solve their material conditions and fulfill their other needs by squatting.
      Their situation is quite different to those, often coming from middle-class, who squat for idealistic reasons and squatting is just another adventure for them. Residents of the Bubble simple do not have resources to buy or rent flats and squatting is the only way out. A solution beyond the legal and mainstream norms, nevertheless legitimate and effective. If it weren´t for activities of these residents, there would only be wreck of a building on the spot now, with owner who would not take care of it. Squatters take good care of this house and yard. It is their home now, after all.

       The Bubble is also open for short- term stays of non- permanent residents. At the time of pandemic, a person with mental health issues found a calm spot to heal here. He lived through great personal crisis and gained energy for upcoming important life steps. The Bubble also hosts travellers who cannot afford to pay for accommodation, or simply want to spend their money in more meaningful ways.
      The Bubble operates on non- commercial basis. Food, water and other resources are free of charge here. Everyone can take what they need, and contribute what they can. We hope that Bubble could host social events in the future. If you would like to throw one, contact us.
       If you are aware of location of the Bubble, keep this information confidential. The residents wish to stay anonymous. Although you may know or suspect who are they, keep this information confidential too.

 SOURCE

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Phony Justice.

 

     In this world of pampered privilege for the wealthy few and bare knuckle treatment for the poor, justice is a word of many interpretations. Innocent until proven guilty sounds fine, but that doesn't mean that you are free until proven guilty. The following case is not unique where individuals are held in high security sections of prisons for over a year, while waiting for that verdict, guilty or not guilty. All this on the whim of one or group of those wealthy pampered privileged few. Those tasked with administering this loaded justice, wear fancy clothes, sit in high chairs and dispense their brand of justice written by the wealthy pampered privileged few, to protect their wealth and power. This is not justice, this is bare faced protectionism by a powerful, wealthy clique.

The following is from Act For Freedom Now:

 

 

        A preliminary hearing for the ”Prometeo” investigation was held on 29th July at the court in Genoa. Videoconferencing was imposed on Beppe and Nat, and given the charges against them (article 280, with aggravated and continued circumstances) this is likely to continue throughout the trial.
         During the hearing lawyers raised a technical issue which has been going on for months, i.e. that no one has been able to access environmental and telephone bugging yet, considered “evidence” on which a good part of the accusatory structure is based. Moreover, with the change of public prosecutor, a good part of the material had not even reached pm Federico Manotti, now in charge of the investigation. The investigating judge therefore postponed the preliminary discussion and the choice of trial procedures by setting two hearings: the first on 11th and the second on 18th [August] for any reruns.
         After over a year in prison, the investigating judge ordered an extension of the custodial measure for Beppe and Nat on the eve of the detention period expiry term, justifying it with the usual “risk of escape” due to the accuseds’ lifestyles: owning a camper van that can be used for travel and for undertaking seasonal work abroad has become the pretext for justifying the escape risk and handing out more days of prison as though they were sweets.
      An appeal hearing concerning Natascia’s remand will be held on 14th August.
      Meantime, while these gentlemen are taking their time, Natascia remains locked up in the AS3 unit in the prison of Piacenza, and Beppe in the secure unit in Pavia: in spite of Beppe’s two hunger strikes and repeated requests from lawyers, the Director of Prison Administration persists in holding him in there.
As always, and even more so in anticipation of the trial, we are renewing the call for solidarity with the accused comrades.
FREEDOM FOR ALL!
To write to the comrades still locked up in jail:
NATASCIA SAVIO
C.C. SAN LAZZARO
STRADA DELLE NOVATE 65
29122 PIACENZA
ITALY
—————-
GIUSEPPE BRUNA
C.C. DI PAVIA
VIA VIGENTINA 85
27100 PAVIA
ITALY
To contribute to support them:
– Postepay evolution
Account name Vanessa Ferrara
Number 5333 1710 9103 5440
IBAN: IT89U3608105138251086351095
– Postepay evolution
Account name Ilaria Benedetta Pasini
Number 5333 1710 8931 9699
IBAN: IT43K3608105138213368613377

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Jimmy Josse.

 

      For years I have been haunted by a name, Jimmy Josse. I came across his name frequently when doing a wee bit of research at the Mitchell and was crawling through the Guy Aldred papers. Jimmy's name kept cropping up at meetings of Glasgow anarchists, he would propose this and second that. So I got to wondering who was this guy, Jimmy Josse, but drew a blank in any research that I pursued.

 A young Guy Aldred.

     Some years ago I mentioned it to my mate Joe, who died recently, and to my surprise, he said he knew him. Joe said that he was a self employed painter and decorator, and Joe was his helper for a few years. He said he was an anarchist was involved around the time of Guy Aldred, had a wee van, and was always getting stopped by the police. Joe said that he was quite gallous with the police, when they stopped him, he would throw his arms in the air and come out with some remark or other, such as, "OK you've got me this time, I thought I was getting away with the crown jewels, but you got me." Of course they never found anything except paint brushes, paint, white sheets, rags and ladders. Joe also mentioned that he loved to go for lunch at cafes around Glasgow University so that he could get into arguments with students.

     The only other info I have is that he was married to a woman called Jean, she died and it seems Jimmy was really depressed for quite a while, but later entered another relationship and the lived in West Graham Street. Apparently it didn't work out and he left and went to stay in a flat at St. Georges Cross, and lived there until he died. I believe he had a daughter and one of his mates was a guy called Willie Kenny.

     Why am I writing this. well I believe since he was an anarchist and activist, there is a story in his life and it is one I would love to record with some detail and put it on record in strugglepedia. So if any of you out there, have any snippet of info on this guy, I would be extremely grateful if you could pass it on to me. I have made this appeal before to no avail, but who knows, maybe this time I'll strike it luck and Jimmy's story can be entered into the history of Glasgow Anarchists, where I'm sure it belongs. 

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The Invisible.

         A few words for those millions that suffer poverty and deprivation in this system of inequality and greed. For the migrants fleeing death and destruction with just the clothes on their back. For the homeless, the marginalised, for those invisible to the arrogant, greedy masters of this economic system of injustice, inequality and exploitation. For those cast aside for plunder and profit, a price will be paid for your pain.

 The Invisible.

We live there— yes— there
A little bit above the dead
But quite a bit below the living
Where poverty is a dream
Deprivation a reality
Our daily bread an illusion
We sigh--we weep—
As ruthless poverty
With its cold claws
Tears the heart from our children
We ask—WHY?
Surrounded by opulence
Invisible to arrogant greed
Anger simmers beneath the surface
We seek justice
We will have equality
If blood is the price
So be it.

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Failed System.

      We have never had to look far to see glaring evidence that the capitalist economic system has failed the people of this world. There has been those continuing wars all for resources, wealth and power for the few. Poverty is endemic in large swaths of the planet, abject poverty and deprivation are part and parcel of the lives of millions of families and individuals. Now with this pandemic it is obvious that the capitalist system had in no way prepared for such an event, even although the experts in that field had been warning for years that it was an absolute necessity. I suppose they hadn't worked out how quite to turn into a money making exercise since it had a social service aspect.

      Now the predicted pandemic has truck and the abysmal handling of it by forewarned but unprepared states across the globe is obvious. The result being a flood of avoidable deaths and a steep rise in poverty across the world. On top of the pain and stress of losing loved ones, no country will escape the rise in poverty and deprivation. There is no doubt that the disastrous outcome of this pandemic can be laid at the feet of the economic system that puts the economy and profit for the few ahead of the health and well-being of the people. The only reason for continuing this greed driven exploitative economic system can only be insanity, sanity surely must prevail and bring an end to this cancerous economic system that blights large swaths of humanity.

The following extracts are from AP News:

      -----With the virus and its restrictions, up to 100 million more people globally could fall into the bitter existence of living on just $1.90 a day, according to the World Bank. That’s “well below any reasonable conception of a life with dignity,” the United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty wrote this year. And it comes on top of the 736 million people already there, half of them in just five countries: Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Congo and Bangladesh.------
      ----India is struggling with one of the world’s largest virus caseloads and the effects of a lockdown so abrupt and punishing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the poor to forgive him. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has surpassed India with the most people in extreme poverty — roughly half its citizens. And Congo remains one of the world’s most crisis-ridden countries, with outbreaks of Ebola and measles smoldering.-----

• – The Latest: Confirmed coronavirus cases reach 20 million
• – Schools mull outdoor classes amid virus, ventilation worries
• – Pandemic wrecks global Class of 2020's hopes for first job
  

      Even China, Indonesia and South Africa are expected to have more than 1 million people each fall into extreme poverty, the World Bank says.
     “It’s a huge, huge setback for the entire world,” Gayle Smith, president of the ONE Campaign to end extreme poverty, told The Associated Press. Smith, a former administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development, called the global response to the crisis “stunningly meager.”------

Read the full article HERE: 

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Our Mistakes.

         History is never dead, it tells us how we got where we are, it lets us see where we went wrong, it should teach us how not to make the same mistakes again. Sadly we don't always see those mistakes and also the powers that be will do what they can to conceal, distort or destroy those parts of history that might point to ways and means of getting rid of their power and privileges. The true history of the ordinary people is a history of perpetual struggle for justice and equality, a struggle that still continues today. Let's learn and spread our history so that we don't again repeat those mistakes.

The following is an extract from Orgrad, Organic Radicals:

       The spring of 1649 was a time of unprecedented hope for the people of England. Civil war had turned to revolution, King Charles I had lost his head and a republic had been declared.
      The victorious “roundhead” parliamentary army which had defeated the royalist “cavaliers” was heavily imbued with the radical ideas of the Levellers and at St George’s Hill in Surrey a little group of rural rebels were setting out to reclaim the land as a “common treasury for all”. (1)
        But the hope did not last and the moment turned out to be the high water mark of popular revolt. The agitators of the New Model Army were crushed at Burford by Oliver Cromwell’s cronies, the Diggers were attacked and evicted from their squatted land and “law and order” were restored. Eventually, of course, the monarchy came back as well, albeit in “constitutional” guise.
        Instead of becoming a country of free men and women, growing their own food and deciding their own destinies, England became the birthplace of liberal capitalism.
         The tyranny of privilege maintained by the old Stuart regime had not been ended, simply transferred into new hands.
     Popular anger against feudal hierarchy had been harnessed by the entrepreneurial and banking classes to get rid of all those inconvenient old-fashioned barriers to trade and money-making.
        Once the people had played their revolutionary role, and the old regime was gone, they became the enemy within and had to be quickly be put back in their place before things went too far.
        The essence of this commercial coup d’état is nicely symbolised by the fact that a lavish feast was laid on for Cromwell by the City of London to celebrate his crushing of the radicals at Burford. (2)
        By the first decades of the next century, Merrie England had already been replaced by the kind of society that is all too familiar today.

The Bank of England.

Read the full article HERE:

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Raw Capitalism.

         I'm always surprised when people are shocked when companies take every opportunity to cut wage bills and increase profit margins. After all, that is the basic mechanism of capitalism. Increase market share, reduce costs and increase profit margins, its what they do. We should all have seen the wonderful opportunity that large companies would have through Copvid19 crisis. It would be a case of gloves off and get tore into raw capitalism. Grasping every opportunity to reduce wages and slash working conditions, and say with sad eyes, as if they cared about the staff that they have milked for years, how difficult these decisions are. Basically they don't give a shit about their workers and would gladly dump the lot if they could mechanise all their operations.

The following extract is from a BBC news article:

       British Airways staff who have accepted voluntary redundancy say they had felt "forced" into it. BA wants to cut 12,000 job roles and says 6,000 staff have volunteered.
       Carol - not her real name - said BA had told her if she did not accept the offer of voluntary redundancy she would have to apply for a job and if she did not get it she would only receive a statutory redundancy payout. She says the airline's conduct was "a slap in the face".
      Carol, who had worked for BA for 23 years, told the BBC: "They [BA] said 'If you don't take the offer, you'll go into the fire-and-rehire phase', but if we aren't hired, we'll get only statutory redundancy."
      Those BA cabin crew who did reapply for their jobs on a new contract are expected to find out later on Friday whether or not they lose their jobs. Carol, who worked on the long-haul fleet, said it was a foregone conclusion that the airline would not re-hire older cabin crew members.
      "Even before I had accepted the voluntary redundancy offer, I had a message on my roster from BA: 'Thank you for your service. Good luck'. That is all I got from them after 23 years.
       "It's a slap in the face, but it shows they knew who they were getting rid of," she said. She says she will be forced to sell her home since her redundancy payment won't cover her mortgage. "It's actually age discrimination, we were forced out."

Read the full article HERE:
       I have every sympathy for those who find themselves moving along on the end of a corporate boot, it's called capitalism.

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Why Vote.

          Anarchists have always made it clear that to vote in this society is to perpetuate the injustices, inequalities and exploitation of capitalist economic system. You may modify slightly a piece of legislation here and a working condition there, but the same basic structure of exploitation, inequality and injustice will remain firmly in place. Voting in a capitalist state system guarantees the status-quo.

          Spirit of Revolt  has a wealth of pamphlets, booklets and leaflets, etc.  explaining this basic principle of anarchism. One of our previous "Read of the Month" posts, helps explain this position, a pamphlet by Glasgow anarchists Bobby Lynn, Vote: What For.

Read on line HERE

         Again explaining in more detail our position of not voting, the following is an extract from Anarchist News

   --------As anarchists we simply think that our policy should be the destruction of the State rather than looking to work with it. We believe this stance is essential if we are to be able to promote anarchism, and if we are going to mark a divide between others and ourselves, and place ourselves firmly outside the activity and the political games of all the other parties. We believe this is essential so as not to be seen as another bunch of leftists after votes, and to avoid being tainted by the inevitable failure of any government to meet our needs. We believe in revolution and have a revolutionary ideology and we want to win people over to anarchism. If people started associating Anarchism with the political parties, then it would be difficult for people to understand what  Anarchism actually is.
        By arguing for our anti-electoral position we can get our ideas across about the nature of the current system, how elected politicians are controlled and shaped by the state, and how the state acts to protect capitalism. In addition, it allows us to present our ideas of direct action and encourage those disillusioned with political parties and the current system to become anarchists by presenting a viable alternative to the sham of party politics. For, after all, a sizeable percentage of not just non-voters but voters too are disillusioned with the current set-up. Many who do not vote do so for essentially political reasons, such as being fed up with the political system, failing to see any major differences between the parties, or recognition that the candidates do not represent their interests. Many who do vote do so simply against the other candidate, seeing them as the least-worst option. This is an opportunity when people are talking a little more about politics to challenge the notion that important decisions can only be made by a few, and put across our anarchist ideas.
        We started with a quote from Vernon Richards, and we will finish with one:
“If the anarchist movement has a role to play in practical politics it is surely that of suggesting to, and persuading, as many people as possible that their freedom from the Hitlers, Francos and the rest, depends not on the right to vote or securing a majority of votes ‘for the candidate of one’s choice,’ but on
evolving new forms of political and social organisation which aim at the direct participation of the people, with the consequent weakening of the power, as well of the social role, of government in the life of the community.”
[“Anarchists and Voting”, pp. 176-87, The Raven, no. 14, pp. 177-8]

       So… Don’t vote, or spoil your vote if you want, and let’s start making a real difference.

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Rioting & Looting.

 

      With conditions for the ordinary people growing more drastic by the day and the powerful movement of Black Lives Matter, it is obvious that we will see more protests on the streets of countries across the globe. Often these protest morph into riots and looting, sometimes the rioting and looting is provoked deliberately by the police. There will always be those moralists who sit in the wings who preach, "why don't you just hold a peaceful protest, sing your chants, wave you banner and placards, then just go home?"

       No matter whether the police provoke the violence or not, there has to be a deep rooted anger and feeling of injustice, underlying these actions of "rioting" and "looting".

       This position is eloquently explained with passion and sincerity by Kimberly Jones. Listen and think about what she is saying. She may be talking about Afro Americans, but the same principles apply to  the ordinary people of this world and the pampered, privileged parasite class, that hold the reins in this economic system of exploitation. Thanks Loam for the link.

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Claps Don't Pay Rent.

 

        Support the nurses demonstration on Glasgow Green today, Saturday 8th August, certainly got the weather. Glorious sunshine and not much wind, though there was a fair turn out, I was a little disappointed at the numbers. Where were all those who stood outside their doors and clapped, and those that put support images up on the windows, just remember, images and claps don't pay the rent. Surely now was your opportunity to come out in numbers and show some real support for the nurses.

     Just looking and having a guess, I would say that a high percentage were nurses, this was a protest with social distancing, carried out by responsible people who know what Covid19 can do, we should all take a page out of their book.

       Here are some photos for those who didn't make the demo.

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