"The World's Largest Democracy"???

 

       The Indian elections are in full swing at the moment, and I have heard it described by one mainstream reporter as "the largest democracy in the world". That phrase of course makes me want to take a look at this "democracy", how do the people fare in this "largest democracy in the world"? 

      Well of course we know it is a "democracy" built on the usual capitalist format. It is a land of unimaginable wealth, fantastic economic growth figures,  10% over a considerable numbers of years, its GDP is 1,644 billion US dollars, it is one of the largest economies in the world, all this is built on a vast swamp of abject poverty and deprivation. Corporate bosses and members of the financial Mafia rub their hands in glee at the opportunities India offers to exploit millions of poverty stricken people. To these parasites, India is a land of milk and honey, but a "democracy", never by any stretch of the imagination.

        Approximately two thirds of India's population live in poverty, the figures of India's "democratic" poverty are staggering, 68.8% of the population lives on less than $2 a day, while more than 30% try to get by on less than $1.25 a day, this by international standards classifies them as extremely poor. These figures translate into making India one of the poorest countries in the world. Are you seeing "democracy" yet, nor me. 

      The Indian "democracy" is the usual capitalist "democracy" built on the principle of the rich and powerful having all the rights they require to exploit the many, to subject them to poverty and deprivation to increase the wealth and power of that small bunch of parasites that hold the reins of power. The words "democracy" and "capitalism" are incompatible principles, capitalism is the plunder of the world's population and assets to enhance the wealth and power of the few, democracy, true democracy, is the use of the world's assets to see to the needs of all people in a sustainable manner, and ner the twain shall meet. "Largest Democracy In The World" my arse. 

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Anarchy Is For lovers.

      We at Spirit of Revolt are always busy getting as many documents, serials, pamphlets, leaflets, articles, photos etc. up on our website to make our history easily accessible for all. Though there are lots of fascinating material already available on the website, now and again something comes up for uploading and it seems relevant to draw attention to that particular item. 

       Because anarchism, anarchists, due to the bad-mouthed misinformation from the mainstream media, these two words are probably the most misunderstood in the English language. As a result of this distortion of the truth, anarchists are deemed to be destructive and violent, while anarchism is portrayed as chaos, against organisation and devoid of co-operation. Nothing could be further from the truth, anarchism is based on the love of humanity, the desire for justice and freedom of choice for all, all bound up with responsibility for your actions. Anarchists are against hierarchical power, injustice, exploitation, and will always stand up against these distortions of humanity.

        So we thought we would draw attention to this months “Read of the Month” it is taken from our John Cooper Collection, T SOR 3-52-145, Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Anarchism But Were Afraid To Ask. First published by The Anarchist Media Group. This edition published jointly by Black Sheep, Dark Star & Rebel Press.

      

Being informed is to be nearer the truth, enjoy and learn. 
Courtesy of Spunk Press:  Read on line:

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We Must Stop The Plunder Of Loch Lomond For Profit.

        Like anyone brought up in Glasgow and and further afield, the Loch Lomond area has been a paradise, a world of pleasure and beauty, a place of peace and quiet, an endless world of warm companionship when shared with friends and family. Its natural beauty is difficult to surpass, I have splashed in its cool waters, (sometimes freezing waters), I have walked its hills and glens, I have cycled its roads, I have enjoyed its tranquility. The pleasure and beauty this place delivers is endless, as it is varied. People from across the globe come to sample its rugged beauty, its wild unspoiled panorama, a gem of unparalleled natural beauty free for all to enjoy.

         Now however our lords and masters who are tasked with protecting our natural heritage have decided all that must change. In their profit and economic growth mentality, they have decide what Loch Lomond needs is a theme park, luxury hotels, self catering apartments, luxury homes for the few, restaurants coffee shops, amusement arcades and the mishmash of "fun-things" that make money, and what you will find in any big city. They wish to take the natural beauty of Loch Lomond and cover a large swath of its natural beauty in bricks, tarmac and concrete. To feed their appetite for "economic growth" which is a euphemism for stuffing a few rich sods bank accounts, they are prepared to decimate woodlands, destroy rare wildlife, animal and fauna, take what is free public land and turn it into a private money making asset for a few from the financial Mafia. A place of beauty free for all to roam and enjoy, will become private property where you are excluded, unless you can come up with the money.

      This land is ours, it is there for all to enjoy, free, they don't have the right to steal it for their money making machine. We would be a land of craven idiots if we let them get away with this plunder of public land for profit. Our voices must be loud and our actions in defence of our free to roam beautiful land, must be determined and forceful, we can't let this happen.

This extract from The Herald:

        ON Loch Lomond’s bonnie banks this week only the clouds lurking sullenly over the hills that garland them hinted at a storm. This is one of those places that looks as magnificent in wind and rain as in sunshine and this week has seen it at its moody finest. Yet it has become the focal point of a planning and environmental row which swamps anything the elements can throw at it.
       Last month updated plans for a £30m leisure development at the southern gateway to Loch Lomond at Balloch were re-presented to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority. The development is being backed by Scottish Enterprise but alarms are being raised at the process by which the land was bought and the bewildering nexus of business and political ‘relationships’ that have paved the way for it to happen. In 2016 Scottish Enterprise announced that the preferred bidder to develop the site was Flamingo Land, an outfit which runs a theme park and zoo in North Yorkshire. Both Flamingo Land and its partners at Scottish Enterprise insist that their plans are sensitive to the fragile beauty and eco-structure of Loch Lomond, perhaps the most globally-recognised representation of Scotland’s natural beauty.

Read the full article HERE:

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Israeli Zionists Poison Human Dignity.

       What has to happen in Gaza for the world to take the perpetrators of this genocide to task? How much deeper in despair, misery and deprivation do the people of Gaza have to sink before the world deal firmly and justly with the engineers of this human tragedy? We all know the gang responsible for this crime against humanity, it is blindingly obvious, it is that festering cancer, the Israeli Zionist apartheid regime with its blind irrational and brutal policies based on the belief that an invisible man in the sky gave them this land around 2,000 years ago, and the world accepts this. The answer to these questions is of course, the world will not address this brutal savagery based on idiotic blind faith and greed for profit. As long as capitalism can extract profit from this swamp of misery built on religious bigotry, the Palestinian blood will flow. The only real long term and permanent answer is to demolish the capitalist system that works hand in glove with the rancid poison that is being inflicted on the Palestinian people. That of course does not mean we ignore the present, we must shout louder, act more forcibly, and continue to highlight this avoidable gushing bleeding wound, that is a deliberate and avoidable travesty of human dignity.

The following from the Independent:

        The UN estimates that an extra $20m is needed to plug an otherwise imminent health crisis.
         “The worst-case scenario is we would not able to continue to feed half the population of Gaza,” Elizabeth Campbell, director of UNRWA’s Washington DC office told The Independent.
        “We will have to close schools, people would have no access to our health care systems. We will have to cut jobs.”
          After the Palestinian Authority, UNRWA is the largest employer of people in Gaza.
          Ms Campbell warned that a destabilised Gaza would also pose a direct threat to Israel.
       “You will have a major humanitarian catastrophe which would easily spread across territories,” she said.
        “We are deeply concerned about the security implications.”
     Her warnings were echoed by Jamie McGoldrick, the UN humanitarian coordinator for occupied Palestinian territory, who said on Wednesday that without immediate funding as many as 1,700 people in Gaza could lose their limbs over the next two years.
       Some 29,000 people in the enclave have been wounded by Israeli fire at protests and clashes near to the border fences over the past year.
        At least 7,000 have suffered gunshot wounds, mostly to their lower limbs. Hundreds of those are in need of urgent limb-saving treatment provided by the UN.

Read the full article HERE: 

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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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A System Where Despots Sit At The Banquet.

Extract from Independent:

      According to the United Nations, the humanitarian situation is so dire Gaza may become completely uninhabitable by next year.
      More than 70 per cent of the youth are unemployed, the highest jobless rate in the world.
       Ninety-seven per cent of the water is undrinkable and more than half the population lives under the poverty line. Until relatively recently families were existing on less than six hours of electricity a day, which also means key infrastructure like sewage plants have not been operating properly.

       The population of Gaza is approximately 1.6 million, with over 50% under 18. Here are some other details the people of Gaza have to endure while living under the yoke of the Israeli Zionist regime, situations created by the direct and deliberate policies of that genocidal regime.

           The average wage declined by over 20% in the past six years. 54% of Gazans are food insecure and over 75% are aid recipients. 35% of Gaza’s farmland and 85% of its fishing waters are totally or partially inaccessible due to Israeli military measures. 50-80 million litres of partially treated sewage are dumped in the sea each day. Over 90% of the water from the Gaza aquifer is undrinkable. 85% of schools in Gaza run on double shifts. About one-third of the items in the essential drug list are out of stock.

        The world powers know what is happening in Gaza and the West bank. The world powers know that the Israeli apartheid Zionist government continues to steal Palestinian land at an ever increasing rate. The world powers know that the conditions in Gaza are sub-human, as a direct and deliberate policy of that Israeli Zionist regime. The world powers know that clean water, sewage disposal and electric power are very sporadic luxuries in Gaza, again due to the direct and deliberate policies of that Zionist Israeli regime. The world powers know that what is happening in Gaza is genocide, again as a result of the direct and deliberate policies of the same Israeli Zionist Apartheid regime.

      Yet those same world powers turn a blind eye, welcome that poisonous regime to their corridors of power, invite them to their banquets, and pompous ceremonies. That makes them equally guilty of these crimes they are complicit. Palestinian suffering is on the hands of all the Western governments, the stench of Palestinian blood seeps through their stinking marble halls of power.
       This situation will not be changed by voting in a new Messiah in this country or that country, the whole rotten system of capitalism that sustains this brutal travesty will always welcome brutal regimes, despots and authoritarian rulers, if there is profit in the deal. Humanity is not in its calculations. To stop this and other brutal inhumanities that ravage our world we have to bring down the root cause, capitalism and its drive for profit at all costs from the insanity of perpetual growth.

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Glasgow's May Picnic On The Green, 2019.

 

        Glasgow, Sunday May 5th. saw our annual May Picnic on The Green. This is the 4th. year that the Glasgow May Day Organising Group have held these picnics plus a host of other events round May Day. Each year the events grow and the picnic is no exception. This year despite the cold wind it was as usual well attended and had a stalls, variety of performers, poets, a piper, singers, individual and  groups, plus a young dance group. Something we try to encourage is to bring food to share, this year there was an abundance of food, fresh fruit, vegan food and a mix of other delicacies. A big thank you to all those who contributed, no matter in which fashion it was done. A special thanks to the performers, without who it would not happen, but let's not forget all those who turned up and sat through the cold and enjoyed the event. We hope you will return next year with more friends and family, no matter how well we felt we all done, with your help we can do much better, and turn this into a "must go" Glasgow May event for as wide a public as possible. 

     The Green belongs to us, May Day belongs to us, let's continue to bring the two together in a family fun celebration of solidarity between the ordinary people of our city. 

      A few photos and some videos of the event, enjoy, and regret if you weren't there.

Humour A Tool In Our Armoury.

        Facts and figures and verified evidence should always be in our armoury for advancing our view of the future world. Sometime though, the deadly barbs of humour can go along way to exposing the lies and falsehoods of the establishment figures and so should also be part of our armoury. Thanks Loam for the link.

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America's Histroy In Latin America.

       There are still some people who believe that the US of A, that land of freedom and justice, is still trying, from the sidelines, to assist the people of Venezuela to reach the promised land by getting rid of that evil dictator Maduro. They spout that all the ills of that country stem from his dictatorial rule and enforcing that evil system of socialism on the people. Well I'm no lover of the Maduro government, or any government for that matter, but the American and Western puppets narrative doesn't hold up the test of history. America's actions in that part of the world are well documented as invader and regime changer by US assisted coups, support of vicious dictators and military juntas, as long as it suits American big business.

      What does that American history on Latin America look like? Well here is the list, not going as far back as the American invasion of the Philippines, 1899-1902, probably America's first imperialist war, but keeping more to the modern era.

 American Invasions-coups in Latin America: 

Guatemala, 1954. Cuba 1959. Bolivia, 1963. Brazil, 1964. Dominican Republic, 1965. Chile, 1973. Uruguay, 1973. Argentina, 1976. El Salvador, 1980s. Nicaragua, 1980s. Grenada, 1983. Panama, 1989. Haiti, 1991. Venezuela, 2002 Haiti, 2004. Honduras, 2009. and on going Venezuela, 2019. With that track record in that art of the world alone, the badge of defender of freedom and justice, should burst into flames and roast that rotten and corrupt heart of America, big business.

  Let's not forget "Operation Condor"

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Pantomime With Poorly Written Script.

       The UK of course is not the only state that runs pantomimes called "The Judicial System". Most states run such theaters, often with the actors dressed up in funny clothes and fancy wigs, with the leading comedian seated on the highest chair on stage. All this pomp and ceremony is meant to both impress and and instill submission, on the poor members of the public who are forced to take part, usually to their detriment.

      This particular pathetic pantomime takes place in Italy as part of the state's "Operation Panico". The usual bumbling actors doing a poor job of trying to appear learned and dignified, with a script that is a very poor half written farce.  Pathetic but not funny at all, these pantomimes usually end up with the suffering of a member or group of members of the public, in a clear attempt to repress, silence and/or intimidate.

This from Act For Freedom Now:  

 

Italy : Operation Panico: report on the 18th April hearing and new schedule

May 2, 2019 by actforfreedom

        Today started with the first tricky one: the experts’ transcripts of the monitoring, not even complete, (some of those requested by the PM were missing, because they’d got it wrong when they photocopied them) submitted last week, in particular the transcript that the prosecutors consider more ‘incriminating’ for Paska. Instead of ‘I put a big bomb in casapound’s mouth’, the expert heard and wrote: ‘he came to put a big bomb, etc.’ The prosecution must have resented this because they insisted that the expert listen to the audio again and use a recording studio to ‘clean’ the sound. After this pressure the expert finally rewrote the interception with the prosecution’s interpretation but only submitted it yesterday at 5pm so the defence didn’t get a copy until this morning.
       The defence therefore demanded a postponement because it was impossible to carry out a counter-examination on the expert’s report. There and then the judge said something like ‘there isn’t time’, without formally dealing with the defence’s request, and had the hearing begin.
       Monti, the expert, gave his statement; on the judge’s request the famous audio was played. You couldn’t hear much, juxtaposed indistinguishable voices, in both the original audio and even more so the ‘clean’ one. It was played several times. At this point Monti described the passages he had presented earlier, and as he came to his conclusion, namely what was supposed to be corrected because he actually heard ‘I put a big bomb’, sarcastic applause and voices arose from the public, at which point the judge evacuated the comrades from the court; the comrades were then stopped by Digos in the smoking area while antiriot cops were allowed in court and waited nearby.
        In his lawyer’s absence Paska decided to defend himself, he spoke to declare that he recognized the recorded voice as his own, but the words attributed to him had never been pronounced.
       Then new experts were appointed for the interceptions, but they expressed doubts about being able to finish the job during the Easter festivities.
        The hearing went on with a discussion about Paska’s mother’s car, which Digos officers claim they saw parked outside Panico on 2nd and 3rd January, while his telephone was elsewhere. The defence demanded that the discussion be postponed to a date when Paska’s lawyers would be present; the judge refused and continued the hearing. Paska also had to defend himself in this case, and declared that he had been celebrating elsewhere since 31st, with his telephone on him, and that he had the car with him, so the Digos must have been mistaken.
         Another Digos officer gave a statement about a control carried out on Ghespe in the street on 30/12; this was to counterattack the defence aspect in Ghespe’s medical record and the X-rays of his fractured foot at the end of December 2017. The Digos cop obviously said that Ghespe was standing during the control, he wasn’t wearing a plastercast and he [the Digos cop] didn’t notice any abnormality in Ghespe’s gait.
        However, all this aside, the most annoying news is that, considering the experts’ troubles with the interceptions (and the prosecutors’ repeated interference in their work, it seems), the schedule of the hearing was cancelled, no way ‘the trial will definitely end on 9th May’. Everything was postponed to JULY, and this is the new schedule:
25/6 – deadline for the submission of environmental interceptions
15/7 – hearing on the interceptions
16/7 – prosecutors’ final speeches plus civil parties
17 and 18/7 – defence’s last speeches
22/7 – sentencing.
       Given the schedule, Paska asked the judge to inform the prison administration that he would request a transfer so as to be near the court, considering the frequency of the hearings. He looked in great shape today too!
       The public was allowed in again after photographs were taken of their documents, then Paska got warm greetings as he was taken away at the end of the hearing.

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Glasgow May Day Rally, 2019.

      May Day across the world saw marches, rallies and protests, their is no doubt that a vast amount of people across the globe are angry enough to take to the streets on May Day to show that solidarity and vent dissatisfaction which bubbles inside them for most of the year. 

      In Europe cites across the continent from Moscow to Turin, from Gothenburg, to Instanbul from St Petersburg to Paris, and many more cities saw massive rallies and protests, and on occasions the police came down hard and there were many arrests.

This from The Independent, Athens:

      In the Greek capital of Athens, three separate May Day rallies took place, organised by rival groups. A series of strikes by trade unions across the country to mark international workers’ day has left the capital without bus and metro services, and the whole country without national rail and island ferry services – leaving some municipalities isolated from the rest of the country. 

  St Petersburg May Day Rally (photo Independent)

       Here in Glasgow it was a much more family, fun celebration and what it lacked in numbers it made up for in enthusiasm and passion. Despite the usual Glasgow lousy weather there were stalls, musicians, singers, poets and speakers, and a receptive and pleasantly surprised passing public. All thanks to that small and  dedicated bunch of Glaswegians, The May Day Organising Group, well done. Rather ironic, our feisty little celebration took place just next to an army recruiting stall!! Its white van and blue tent can be seen in the last photo.

Some Glasgow May 1st. 2019 photos and videos:

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The Judiciary Doesn't Know The Meaning Of Justice.

        The judiciary is the machine that fastens the chains fashioned by the state for its own protection. Its purpose is set in stone, nothing to do with compassion, humanity, or human dignity, it is ruthless in its pursuit of defending the state and its powerful and wealthy masters. It is devoid of justice and is relentless in its drive to protect the establishment and all the unearned privileges that are heaped on its masters. The judiciary is the state's most powerful weapon against freedom and justice.

Following Extract from Roar Magazine.

       After spending five years behind bars as a political prisoner, Greek anarchist communist Tasos Theofilou reflects on life in prison and prison’s role in society.

Open Letter on the Commencement of the Trial at the Court of Appeal

November 2, 2016
        On November 21, after a nine-month postponement, my trial commences at the Court of Appeal. It’s been two years since the completion of my trial at the Court of First Instance, when I was sentenced to twenty-five years imprisonment for the charges of common complicity to homicide and robbery in connection with the events on Paros Island on August 10, 2012. I was acquitted of participation in the Conspiracy of Cells of Fire as well as of direct perpetration of homicide by a majority opinion.
      It was a political (not judicial) compromise, resulting from a conflict between the manipulation of the case by the police in cooperation with the mainstream media during the first days after my arrest, the lack of any evidence, the solidarity expressed by the community, and the reaction of independent media.
      From this emerged the temporary Solomonic solution of my partial acquittal of the charges, deferring the prospect of a conclusive decision until a trial at the Court of Appeal. There was an appeal initiated by myself, in which I upheld a full acquittal of all charges. There was also an appeal initiated by a gentleman called Δράκος [Dragon] — a public prosecutor whose surname obviously adds further symbolism to the witch-hunt orchestrated by the Anti-Terrorist Unit. Eventually, the division of opinion between the presiding judge, Mr. Hatziathanasiou — who voted for conviction on all charges — and the two other members of the court — who chose the more moderate option that eventually prevailed — made room for further manipulation. Mr. Δράκος, it would seem, felt that twenty-five years of imprisonment based on no evidence is not enough and went on to turn my trial at the Court of Appeal into a repetition of the initial trial. His appeal opened up the possibility of me not being fully acquitted or even facing a sentence harsher than life imprisonment. I believe that the event of my arrest, its manipulation by the mainstream media, my detention and initial conviction high-lighted certain issues that do not have to do with me personally.
    Rather, they bear a wider social and political importance. It is a manifestation of how a ruthless police state attempts to solidify the most extremist doctrines of judicial repression: from the medieval nature of my public castigation and the attempt to squeeze premodern criminal stereotypes into a fabricated pro-file; to the criminalization of friendship, comradeship or social relationships; as well as the use of supernatural or pseudoscientific evidence such as the notorious DNA on a hat, which forms the basis of this otherwise tragic story.
[…]
       My arrest is part of a crusade against the anarchist movement, launched and orchestrated by the law-and-order milieu: journalists, the Anti-Terrorist Unit, prosecution investigators, and wannabe Supreme Court judges. It is a crusade that dates back to 2009, when the dismantling of Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire was put forward as a pretext. A “vacancy” arose from the case of Nea Smyrni back in 2010. 1 A vacancy that the Anti-Terrorist Unit thought I “rightfully deserved,” when in August 2012 a citizen was fatally injured in his attempt to prevent the escape of the robbers of Alpha Bank in Naousa of Paros Island. They based my “informed appointment” on an actual meeting I’d had back then [in 2010] with my friend and comrade Kostas Sakkas at an eatery in the neighborhood of Kallithea, as well as on an imaginary meeting with the then [in 2010] unknown to me but now comrade, friend and co-prisoner, Giorgos Karagiannides. It was a golden opportunity to slander the anarchist movement by profiling it as a mob of ruthless and bloodthirsty individuals.
       It took the mobilization of all the mainstream media outlets broadcasting my arrest exclusively, striving to make the scenario appear plausible for a few days. For an entire week they presented me as a ruthless murderer. Photos of me went viral on the Internet while my commission to the courts on Loukareos and Evelpidon Streets, respectively, were broadcast live on all TV channels. In the name of law and order, judges, the media, and the police violated my rights and disgraced the famed presumption of innocence in every possible way. The media-cannibalism I was subjected to breached the aesthetic limits of the postmodern Dark Age we now find ourselves in.
      Of course, it was not just the authority of the media that pursued my conviction by means of abusing even my written works and my private life, cramming criminal stereotypes into my fabricated profile (especially that of the paranoid murderer); jurisdiction followed suit as well. It’s precisely the enforcement of media authority, after all, that made the lack of any evidence appear insignificant. Even the provocative statement at court: “Who knows, perhaps this man was not at the robbery,” which came from the then-commissioner of the Anti-Terrorist Unit, Mr. Hardalias, was thought of as less of a scandal and more of a statement that shouldn’t be noted in the minutes. It is a scandal because it was not just a statement that came out of his mouth spontaneously. It was a display of the power of a man and the service he represents in the space and time of a public trial.
       It is a scandal because he chose this arrogant way to manifest the absolute power that his service enjoys. He actually implied with cynicism: “I don’t care if he was or wasn’t at the robbery. I don’t care about minor issues like evidence. I have my reasons to want him in prison. And he shall be in prison.” This development came as no surprise given that the suppression of the anarchist movement had been assigned to the Anti-Terrorist Unit as its sole and exclusive responsibility.
    The Anti-Terrorist Unit is a police service that enjoys provocatively preferential treatment by the media, to the degree that crime news informs case files and is considered valid evidence of guilt. Of course, we shouldn’t have expected much more from the presiding judge, Mr. Hatziathanasiou, whose argument for my conviction on all charges went as far as to include the fact that I tend to use an electric razor — not a blade — during the freezing winter in Korydallos prison (meaning that, since one perpetrator appears to have no facial hair on the pictures taken by CCTV cameras and since he’s disguised, then it must certainly be me!). He also felt the need to include that I haven’t served in the Army and that I haven’t read Genet’s books.
     Needless to say he concurred with the draftsman of my criminal indictment, that my collection of fiction stories, Παρανουαρικό [Paranoir], as well as the crime reportage found in tabloid press of the poorest quality, such as Proto Thema, should be considered valid documents substantiating my guilt. Likewise, we shouldn’t be taken aback by the prosecutor, Mrs. Oikonomou’s, attitude. She simply thought it was . . . appropriate or even in line with her responsibilities perhaps, to nap during most of the proceedings. It came as no surprise that she ended up reciting the document of my indictment when she was called to declaim her proposal.
      These were, more or less, the conditions of my trial at the Court of First Instance. The political circumstances had placed the anti-terrorism witch-hunt at the top of the previous far-right government’s agenda. The Minister of Justice and former public prosecutor, Mr. Athanasiou, announced his intentions to introduce high-security prisons for terrorists within the first one hundred days of his appointment. The Anti-Terrorist Unit arrested Kostas Sakkas every other day with silly pretenses, forcing him to become a fugitive.
[…]
      I see my legal battle against all charges at the Court of Appeal as part of a wider battle against a ruthless police state, against judicial repression and its extremist doctrines. It is a bizarre existential battle in which adjudicators and prosecutors are parts of a single body — that of jurisdiction.
      As I did at the Court of First Instance, I would like to highlight yet again that I don’t pledge innocence and I will not plead with any judge to believe me. I am not innocent. In the class war, I’ve chosen a side. I stand with the underprivileged and the suppressed, the marginalized and the prosecuted, the transgressors and the accursed. I decided to take political action in the anarchist movement with the admittedly ambitious goal to strike down the social, political, and economic foundations of capitalism and its state. However, I denied, I deny and will deny again all the accusations of the actions they’ve charged me with. I never was a member of the Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire, I didn’t participate in this robbery and, above all, I never killed and wouldn’t have ever been capable of killing an unarmed citizen for any reason or under any circumstances.

For anarchy, for communism,

Tasos Theofilou

Read the full article HERE:

Glasgow's May Day Week Events.

          To encourage all you lovely Glaswegians to come and join in this years May Day celebrations, the May Day Organising Group, had a stall in Argyle Street outside the Argyle railway station entrance. Lots of leaflets giving info on the May week events were handed out and well received.
         So just to refresh your memories here are the details once again. Hope to see you all at one or all of these vents, let's make May Day a people's day, as it should be, and not a politicians platform as it seem to have become.

Details:

Wednesday May 1st.
         Celebrate Global May Day. Festive parade from George Square 11.45 to Buchanan Steps for 12.15 Rally - Music, poetry, stalls, brief speeches, and open mic.

Thursday May 2nd.
        Britain on film, activism and protest across the country. Mary Barbour Suite in the Pearce Institute, Govan, 1:30-4pm. Near Govan tube station. Organised Plantation Productions.

Thursday May 2nd.
        The Seniors Film Club Plantation Productions, Mary Barbour Suite in the Pearce Institute, Govan, 1:30-4pm. Near Govan tube station. Organised Plantation Productions

Thursday May 2nd.
         History Walk 5.45 to 7:00pm app. start George Square going to Glasgow Green to end at 7pm via 4 other stops relevant to working class history and libertarian socialism.

Thursday May 2nd.
         Ludlow: Greek Americans in the Colorado Coal War Film Screening. The story of the Ludlow Massacre and the Ten Day War in 1914 Colorado with a special focus on the Greek strikers and their leader Louis Tikas. 7:30-10:00pm
Glasgow Autonomous SpaceUnit 11, 53 Kilbirnie Street, G5 8JD Glasgow.

Friday May 3rd.
        Talk workshop. What have we to learn from Los Angeles, with activist, author and educator, Andrea Gibbons. A former tenant organiser in LA. Speaking about her work in LA, as well as her activities in the UK. 7:30-9:00pm. Kinning Park Complex, 43 Cornwall St, Kinning G41 1BA

Saturday May 4th.
          Showing of “Salt of the Earth” (1954), about women's militancy in support of the miners strike of 1951 in Zinctown, New Mexico-- one of the first pictures to advance the feminist social and political point of view; screening, 2:00pm. organised by Glasgow May Days https://www.facebook.com/groups/416201145855377/f. The Quaker Meeting House 38 Elmbank Cres, Glasgow G2 4PS

       Then there is the culmination of these events, our now well known and well attended, Picnic on The Green, where there will be singers, musicians, poets, stalls, etc. and what ever you fancy bringing. There will be food to share, so bring what you expect to find, bring the kids, bring your family, bring your street. We are still wanting more performers, so if you or someone you know fancy doing a wee turn, song, instrument, juggler, poet, or what ever, please do get in touch so that we can slot you in. We want this to be bigger and better than last year, a great fun day for all the family. You can get in touch with us at annarky@radicalglasgow.me.uk or turn up and make yourself know to one of the organisers, you'll be made welcome.

Details:

Sunday May 5th.
        Sunday 5th May at 2.30 pm a traditional family and friends food-sharing picnic on the Glasgow Green next to Wheel North bicycle park, east of Peoples Palace; music, poets, stalls, and open micFree Wheel North, Glasgow Green, At Templeton St, Glasgow G40 1ATMay PicnicStalls Shared food. Music. Dance. Bike rides Mask Making and Cardboard club. Tardis Project. Technology http://mayday.link/2019/04/04/may-day-picnic-2019/Free Wheel North From 2:30 Music, A variety of performers through out the day.
        So there you are, a wonderful selection of May Day Week events to fill your week. Talks, walks, films and picnic, so come on dive in and enjoy, your day, Worker's Day, our day of celebration, May Day.

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

To Be Free In Our City Wear A Mask!!

       Once again Glasgow leads the way, we are the champions of surveillance. Our streets, transport network, shopping malls, pubs, etc. are festooned with CCTV. Now our fair city is going one better, "facial recognition" cameras. The new system has been installed but has yet to be activated. It is being sold as a possible aid in finding a lost child, but has many other possibilities. It will profile the face of someone who is "loitering" in parks, lanes or where they should not be loitering?? What is loitering, perhaps some one standing in a park just watching the ducks or swans, sitting on a bench longer than the powers that be consider acceptable. Who gets to decide who is loitering, who is where they shouldn't be, who is looking suspicious? This adds another draconian tool to the already big brother  society. No mater what you do, where you go, who you meet in our city, you are logged. Have pint, draw some cash from your bank account, pick up some grocers and you will have been monitored. Now stand "too long" in the one spot and you will be deemed to be loitering and you will have your facial features logged for further investigation. 

      This goes under the name of democracy in this society, a little band of state employees will probably know more about your movements than friends and family, and they will sift this information for anything they deem "dubious". Is this the type of society we wish to inhabit? 

Following Extract from The Herald:

--------“Standard” uses, it says, would be to detect intrusion in identified areas “such as parks (nights), Glasgow landmarks (fountains), or areas identified by communities causing concerns (lanes, play areas).”

The technology will also be used to set up cameras so they alert officers if someone enters a specified area, and to identify individuals deemed to be loitering. CSG also stresses the use of the system in locating criminals, identifying vulnerable people and tracking and locating missing children. 
       But Ms King is unconvinced. “They may not call it facial recognition but it is certainly capable of recognising faces,” she said. She is also not persuaded by the fact the document stresses any use will be logged, and “at no point will the system be used to track or monitor individual not involved in any crime or ASB”. 
     “What defines anti-social behaviour and who decides?” she said.----- 

 Read the full article HERE:
Read more: Row over proposal by councillors to install CCTV in classrooms

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

The Truth Is Out There, But Will We Grasp It?

     The truth is out there, but don't expect the mainstream media to bring it to you. This particular article refers to the American war machine, but every state has its military and they all stick the label on it that says "For Defence". To a degree this is true, the military is always for the defence of the wealthy and powerful in each of the states. It will be brought into action in protecting/expanding the corporate empire of that particular state, or group of states, that have come together in defence of their plunders. 

      Any act of "defence" by any state's military, results in a civilian population being slaughter in vast numbers and resources changing hands between corporate monsters and their minders, the state. Wars and war machines are never for the protection of people, they are always about resources and power, people are just the cannon fodder to achieve the corporate juggernuat's aims, and these are managed and paid for by the state. The state supplies the financial support and the people supply the blood.

Is This Why We Raise Our Children?
Watch.

Ed Note - This video should only be viewed by a mature audience.

     April 25, 2019 "Information Clearing House" - This video of a U.S. soldier killed in the Republic of Niger, shows his last moments via his attached body webcam, This is something that needs to be viewed by as many folks as possible.  
     We see what this injured soldier sees, as his lungs grasp that last breath, what thoughts and prayers are passing through his mind as his life comes to an end. Ask yourself this question, why should our sons and daughters die in our endless wars for the elite oligarchs and their families, who own and control our corrupt government.
       Is it for freedom and democracy or the expansion of the empire and control of natural resources throughout the world. https://vk.com/video-107187851_456239930

Note from Tom
       Our thanks to John. E. Hagan an ICH community member who forwarded this video and text to us so that we may share it with you. To the families of all who have lost loved ones in this insanity our government calls "War On Terror", we send our sincere condolences. Regardless of whose propaganda led them to their deaths we share in your sorrow, anger and disgust with a government who see our children and those of foreign lands and cultures as nothing more than an opportunity for profit and ego aggrandizement.
         It's the bare ugly truth, someone’s son dying as an invader in a foreign and unfamiliar land where no one knows him except the guys dragging his body to the cover & protection of a vehicle, hoping and praying to get out of the mess they find themselves in via our totally corrupt and dysfunctional government. 

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