Antifa, the border, and confronting fascism on the streets

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER / JULY 2018 July 2018 — Breaking News with Agency! Anarchists and Antifa have been in the news a lot recently - from the dismissal of the remaining J20 inauguration cases, to the proposed "Unmasking Antifa Act 2018" bill, ICE blockade organizing around the country, and much more. Keep updated on the Agency Newswire, and check out some of the highlights below. Anarchists and anti-racists are organizing to oppose the “Unite the Right 2” rally in DC which seeks to celebrate the rally last year where anti-racist activist Heather Heyer was murdered on August 12, 2017, when neo-Nazis, KKK and militia members, and Alt-Right trolls from across the US converged on and terrorized the town of Charlottesville, Virginia. We support the counter protest, and the effort to shut down this hate rally and will be working to help promote anti racist and anti fascist voices in the media as this event draws near. See below for a link to learn more.  There's a lot to catch up on in this month's newsletter! After you check it out, we would love to ask for a couple of extra minutes of your time to give us some feedback. We’ve put together a few questions that will help us to continue building Agency as a useful resource! VOICES FROM THE AGENCY NEWSWIRE Remaining J20 Cases Dismissed: Takeaways for Anarchists and Our Social Movements (Kris Hermes, Agency) More than seventeen months after DC police “kettled” and arrested 234 protesters, journalists, medics, legal observers, and bystanders, subsequently charging them with several riot-related felonies, the Trump administration has finally dismissed the remaining Inauguration Day (J20) cases. Read more... “A new bill aims to send masked Antifa activists to jail for 15 years” (CNN) Agency spokesperson scott crow spoke to CNN about the new bill - “Unmasking Antifa Act of 2018” - introduced by Republican Rep. Dan Donovan. "This is another draconian measure to actually criminalize dissent in the United States," said Scott Crow, a former Antifa organizer and author. Read more... Renée Feltz: For Some Migrant Families, a Second Separation Awaits (The Nation) Longtime Rio Grande Valley immigration lawyer Carlos Garcia now ends many of his days at the office by driving to the Port Isabel detention center. He’s there to offer pro bono advice to parents desperate to reunite with children who were taken from them at the US-Mexico border. Read more... “Fighting Fascism at the UK’s Feminist Antifa Martial Arts Gym”(Broadly) As a women-led boxing and martial arts gym run along anti-fascist community principles, Solstar is among the first of its kind in the UK. When it opened in February 2016, both Gilbert and Lamont were determined to build a space where women could learn practical fighting skills without the machismo. Read more... Launch Agency Newswire AGENCY LOVES CHANNEL ZERO! So much do we love our comrade's work over at the world's best anarchist podcast network that we want to encourage you to check out our top Channel Zero recommendations from the past month. Each month we will share our favorite listens, and we highly recommend you check out Channel Zero and check out all of the regularly updated podcasts and video stories STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW One of the longest running and most downloaded Podcast series’ in the world recently discussed the question "Can Anarchism Work?" Listen to "Stuff You Should Know" 5 TIPS FOR DEALING WITH MEDIA ON THE STREET AT AN ANTIFA ACTION There are many questions to consider when deciding whether to talk to mainstream news reporters while on the street at an antifa action. What media outlet wants to conduct the interview? How are they likely to construe your message? How are you likely to be viewed by the media outlet’s audience? Are you the best person positioned to make public statements on the issue? Could your comments be used to incriminate you or your comrades? Here are some pointers on conducting an effective interview with mainstream media: Choose your political goal(s) for the interview, pick 2-3 main points you want to make and practice making your points (you may even want to develop talking points and catchy sound bytes).   Emphasize that you are speaking for yourself (as an anarchist?) but not representing any political constituency nor speaking as a leader or spokesperson for the antifa movement.   Try not to have open-ended conversations with reporters and try not to stray too far from your main points. Reporters will typically only quote one or two sentences if they quote you at all, so make it count and stay on point.   Prepare to redirect leading questions. You don’t have to necessarily answer the questions you’re asked and you may want to redirect the discussion to the 2-3 points you want to make.   The issue of violence is likely to be raised at an antifa action and you should be thoughtful about how you respond. It can be helpful to redirect discussion of violence between people at a rally to the daily violence perpetrated by the state (the greatest purveyor of violence) or to white supremacists who seek, more generally, to subjugate and harm (or even eliminate) certain peoples. Contact Agency if you are working on an anarchist project and are looking for media support. We would love to hear from you and discuss how we can help!   Check out www.shutitdowndc.org for more information    #DefendDC #NoNewKKK Sustaining Agency Agency consists of a collective of volunteers who are passionate about furthering the understanding of anarchist ideas amongst the general public. By becoming a Sustainer you will be supporting the longevity and sustainability of this important project. If you can throw down $5 a month (or more!) to help anarchism become a widely accepted alternative to business-as-usual, please consider joining us and becoming an Agency Sustainer. Thank you! Copyright © 2018 Agency, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed at anarchistagency.com. Our mailing address is: Agency 2911 Georgia Ave NW Ste 100 Washington, DC 20001-3805