Today's Topics:
1. Bangladesh Anarcho Syndicalist Federation: Sexual violence a
tool to force ethnic minorities to migrate: Experts - Wahida
Zaman Shithi and Priyanka Kundu, UNB (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
2. India, AF: Uniting the Black and the Red? - Anarchism, and
Marxism. (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
3. Indonesia, palanghitam: Update on the Anarchist Prisoners
from Yogyakarta (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
4. Holand, vrije bond: Anarchist Bookfair Amsterdam -
Plantation Dock - Plantage Doklaan 10 - 12 (nl)
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
5. US, Metropolitan Anarchist Coordinating Council - MACC:
General Assembly - National Prison Strike! (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
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Message: 1
Sexual violence against ethnic minority women is used as one of the main tools to force
the people living in hills to migrate elsewhere leaving their ancestral lands, say experts
and human right activists. ---- Pallab Chakma, Executive Director of Kapaeeng Foundation
(KF), a human rights organisation working for promoting and protecting rights of the
ethnic minorities in Bangladesh, told UNB that 'indigenous' people are being evicted from
their ancestral lands which is being grabbed by other communities in the hill tracts,
creating insecurity among them. ---- Continuous threats from influential quarters and
local political leaders also lead to insecurity among the communities, he said. ----
Describing rape as one of the main reasons behind the migration of the ethnic minorities,
Pallab said, "When threats don't work, they resort to rape and sexual harassment to create
fear among the indigenous people."
As per Kapaeeng Foundation's information gathered based on media reporters, a total of 32
ethnic minority women and girls fell victim to sexual violence in the last seven months
this year.
Of them, 11 were raped, four killed after rape, two fell victim to gang-rape, rape
attempts were made on nine and six sexually harassed, according to the organisation.
The report of another study, "State of Indigenous Women and Girls in Bangladesh: Issues
and Concerns at a Glance", published in October 2016 by Kapaeeng Foundation, Bangladesh
Indigenous Women's Network (BIWN) and International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs
(IWGIA) stated that there were at least 466 reported incidents of violence against
'indigenous' women and girls in Bangladesh from January 2007 to September 2016.
Impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators plays a crucial role in the alarming trend of
violence experienced by 'indigenous' women and girls, the study said.
A study report commissioned by the CHT Commission reveals that not a single conviction had
taken place out of 215 cases occurred in the CHT documented by them, claimed the report.
Prof Robaet Ferdous of Mass Communication and Journalism department at Dhaka University
thinks this kind of violence is a tool against the 'indigenous' communities to force them
to migrate elsewhere after creating insecurity among them.
He told UNB that insecurity among the 'indigenous' people is created in four ways-
attacking their houses, attacking their income sources, attacking their worship places and
harassing the women sexually.
Sexual violence and harassment create fear among the people of the hill communities and at
one point they feel forced to migrate elsewhere for the sake of their security and
dignity, Prof Robaet added. "Indigenous women are now insecure in their own country,"
Chakma Queen Yan Yan, also an advisor of Chakma Circle, told UNB.
She claimed that lack of justice eventually legitimates sexual violence against these
'indigenous' women. "When victims don't get justice, the harassment turns into a regular
practice and gradually becomes a norm in the society," she said.
Meanwhile, focusing on the root causes of migration, trans-border movement and
displacement, United Nations this year declared "Indigenous peoples' migration and
movement" as the theme of International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, observed on
August 9.
According to Kapaeeng Foundation's Human Rights Report on Indigenous People on Bangladesh
2017, a total of 48 cases of violence against ethnic minority women were recorded in the
year. Of them, 20 were reported from the plain land while 28 from the CHT.
About 56 ethnic minority women were assaulted sexually or physically. Of them, at least 12
were raped, rape attempts were made on nine and nine either killed or murdered after rape,
said the report.
Among other incidents recorded, four were gang-raped, eight kidnapped and two women
sexually harassed.
Of the 75 alleged offenders, 65 were from the Bengali community while four from ethnic
minority communities, according to the report.
It said the age of the victims ranged from 3 to 55 years. Another report by the foundation
claimed that over 500 'indigenous' families from remote rural localities of Alikadam,
Thanchi, Naikkhonchhari and Lama upazilas of Bandarban migrated to Arakan (Rakhine State)
of Myanmar in the last 4-5 years giving in to pressure from influential sections, for lack
of security, deprivation of potential services, shrinking of arable land.
It is also learnt that a few Tripura families found their path along with the migrants,
claimed the report.
Although around 20 years have elapsed since the signing of the CHT Peace Accord with an
aim to resolve the crisis in the hills, its core issues are yet to be implemented, the
report said.
To ensure the security and human rights of the ethnic minority communities, a neutral
country has to be built to ensure equal rights of its every citizen regardless of their
class, race, language, social status and religion, believe the human right activists,
suggested the report.
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Message: 2
Otto von Bismarck remarked, upon hearing of the split at the Hauge congress of the First
International and formation of the anti-authoritarian international at St. Imier, "Crowned
heads, wealth and privilege may well tremble should ever again the Black and Red unite!"
---- Tons of ink and kilobytes of memory has been devoted to very important analysis and
criticism of authoritarian "socialism", most notably of Marx and his disciples by
anarchists and left communists. Can Marxists and anarchists find some common ground -
theoretical and practical - to unite? Is it desirable? ---- The answer to the latter
question I believe is affirmative and for simple reasons that I won't comment on. I would
make a short and simple case for how a unification is possible.
1. The Primacy of Libertarian Marx and Anti-Authoritarianism.
Many Marxist scholars, most notably Bertell Ollman, has pointed out the distinction Marx
made between analysis and presentation. The works where Marx analyzed capitalism, state
and religion are in his unpublished works where he developed the concept of alienation,
commodity fetishism and also his dialectics. These take a secondary place in his Capital
and are at time missing for reasons both of presentation and personal.
If we ignore the incidentals of his personality and focus on his analysis of domination -
especially by and under capitalistic relations - that is rooted in a universal struggle
against all form of domination and restriction on creative, collective activity of humans,
anarchists can find an ally and Marxism can become more humanistic.
Marx's views on the transformational role of the State also changed after the Paris
Commune as noted in his Address of 1872. He no longer believed holding state power was
necessary for moving to a communistic stage of society - and that a federalist and
democratic alternative was possible. A view consistent with early humanistic Marx. He
might or might not have given up his determinism of social stages but at least he no
longer saw the state apparatus necessary for this transformation.
If we again, ignore the personality and the fact that he was at the same time lying and
planning very hard to kick Bakunin and federalists out of the International and; the
Marxist realize the correctness and utility of this position we can find a common platform.
2. Revolutionary Practice.
When a monopoly of technical expertise accumulates in a class and they are in power to
influence and direct the masses, they themselves kill the collective, creative urge of the
individual over her life that was the point of departure for the socialist project and
alienate the workers and forms a new form of oppression with new institutions and new
myths to numb the misery.
The second point that Marxists need to consider is that when the State is not a means of
transformation, the power again falls back in hands of the workers and the masses. Only
they alone through autonomous organizations make the revolution and wage the struggles.
These organizations will become the seeds of the future society. Autonomous workers and
community groups of some and of various sorts, not any Party must be the focus for
transformational and revolutionary practice.
If the Marxists can completely detach away from their authoritarianism in analysis and in
practice and; embrace the Black, only then can a meaningful synthesis, that looks forward
to and participates in a true revolution take place.
This appeal (or maybe just a mere suggestion) is not aimed towards the people who have
given up any hope of revolution or see their place in the status quo - as the vanguard of
the oppressed - no longer even the vanguard of some "revolution." They may very well find
plenty of useful stuff in Marx's authoritarianism and a place among the liberal
intelligentsia and political elites. They are not revolutionaries. Revolutionary Marxists
should no longer waste energies on them.
On the other hand, the anarchists can overcome their anti-organizationalism and other
bourgeois tendencies and focus again on class and other oppression with the serious aim of
transformation and revolution and; not mere symbolic violence or individualistic isolationism.
https://thecominganarchy.wordpress.com/2018/08/20/uniting-the-black-and-the-red-anarchism-and-marxism/
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Message: 3
Documentation of images from the O and M comrades' trials ---- 6 detainees will soon have
finished their trial process, they are waiting to find out the results of the trial and
how long their sentences will be. However there are 4 prisoners who still remain in
Cebongan Prison (including Ucil) and 1 other prisoner who is still being held in Sleman
Police Station, it is still unclear what is happening with their trial process. ---- On
Tuesday, August 14th ,2018, the trial for comrades O and M began, while on Thursday,
August 16th, 2018, the trials began for comrades MI, MEA, AMA, and ZW. ---- As for Brian
Valentina (Ucil) , his trial will be held on Tuesday, August 21st, 2018. ---- Let's
express our solidarity by attending the trial every Tuesday and Thursday at 10AM in the
Sleman District Court or by visiting the comrades in Cebongan Prisonand Sleman Police
Station who do not have clear information yet about their trial process.
More information,
Instagram account: @palang__hitam
Website: palanghitam.noblogs.org
Email: civilrebellion@riseup.net
https://palanghitam.noblogs.org/indonesia-update-on-the-anarchist-prisoners-from-yogyakarta/
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Message: 4
The Anarchist Bookfair continues for a second edition! After a great success last year at
the anniversary of the Anarchist Library Bollox, we will continue spreading books, zines,
clothes, buttons, publishers, distros, workshops, films, talks, vegan food and an evening
program filled with live music. ---- We are doing this to build and anarchist movement
that can resist the violence of capital and the state. In a time of growing right-wing
sentiment it is important to focus on building anarchist infrastructures for an autonomous
and militant movement. Anarchist book fairs are an important part of this. They are the
perfect place to meet new people and discuss new ideas, to exchange new texts, action and
propaganda materials. ---- If you want to contact us, send us an e-mail at
narchistbookfairamsterdam (at)riseup.net
For more information, check out the website! The program has yet to be confirmed, but some
of the stands will be done by AFA Nederland, Anarchische Groep Amsterdam, ASEED, Atalanta,
Autonomen Brabant, Anarchistische Boekwinkel Opstand,Paper Jam Print Collectief,
Spreekuur89, Boek-Café De Barricade and Vrije Bond.
Vrije Bond Secretariaat
https://www.vrijebond.org/7717-2/
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Message: 5
The Metropolitan Anarchist Coordinating Council (MACC) is hosting one of our monthly
general assemblies on August 16th at Verso Books. GAs are a great opportunity to get
plugged in with MACC's projects and working groups. MACC assemblies are open to all
anarchists, antifascists, anti-authoritarians and those interested in anarchist ideas and
organizing so please invite your friends and share widely! ---- We encourage everyone to
come with ideas about what they would like to see for future campaigns or actions and what
direction they'd like MACC to take to build a more powerful, militant anarchist movement.
---- Agenda will include: ---- - New No Borders WG Breakout ---- - Debrief of WG Structure
---- - Support for nationwide prison strike #August21 ---- - Community announcements
An orientation will precede the assembly starting at 6:30 PM for those interested in
familiarizing themselves with MACC, general assemblies, and anarchist ideas.
For more information visit http://macc.nyc/ or contact us at info@macc.nyc
___________________________________________________________________
MACC's safer spaces policy is available here: http://macc.nyc/safer-spaces
Verso Books is an accessible space. Use the entrance on Jay Street. Once inside, there is
an elevator directly on the right. The closest accessible routes are:
Borough Hall:
- Subway: The 2/3 trains are accessible in both directions. The 4/5 trains have northbound
access only, but you can still access from the 2/3 platform. The elevator is in front of
the Supreme Court Building at Court Street and Montague Street
Bus connections: B25, B26, B38, B41, B45, B52, B65, B103. There are a few options, but the
bus route closest to the station is the B25, which you can take to the Front/York Street
stop near Verso Books.
Jay Street Metrotech:
- Subway: The A/C/F/R trains are accessible in both directions. The elevator is on the
Northeast corner of Jay St. and Willoughby St.
- Bus connections: B25, B26, B38, B41, B45, B52, B54, B57, B61, B62, B65, B67, B103. There
are a few options, but the fastest route to Verso Books from this station is to take the
B67 to the Jay St/York St stop.
https://www.facebook.com/events/425298137957613/?active_tab=about
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