Anarchic update news all over the world - 23.02.2019

Today's Topics:

   
1.  France, Alternative Libertaire AL #291 - Migrations: The
      creation of the "problem" (fr, it, pt)[machine translation]
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
2.  Australia, ASF-IWA Geelong and North Melbourne: Geelong
      Section Established (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
3.  France, Alternative Libertaire AL #291 - Point of view, The
      basic income, bread of the revolution ? (fr, it, pt)[machine
      translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
4.  Britain, brighton solfed: Demand letter delivery wins
      dispute with student lettings agency, filed under:
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
5.  US, black rose fed: UPDATE: WEST VIRGINIA WALKOUTS BEATS
      BACK NEOLIBERAL EDUCATION BILL (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)


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Message: 1





A few months away from the European elections of May 2019, which will be dominated by the 
migration issue and the " migrant crisis ", and in a context where overtly racist and 
xenophobic discourses are being liberated, it is necessary to review the evolution of 
ideological battles around this issue in France and analyze the decisive influence of the 
far right. ---- The founding of the National Front (FN) in 1972, driven by the young 
wolves of the tiny New Order group to federate the residues of the extreme right around 
the person of Jean-Marie Le Pen, marks the will to leave the political marginality to 
which she is confined since the Liberation. ---- The creation of the " problem " of 
immigration ---- Iconic FN poster from the 1970s. ---- Under the impetus in 1978 of 
François Duprat, then number two, the FN seized the immigration theme: " 1 million 
unemployed, it is 1 million immigrants too many ! France and the French first ! » . Duprat 
felt that with this slogan, then hammered for more than ten years, " we will win popular 
voices. Popular voices, in the context of the risk that the left will win, the right will 
want them for it. It will have no choice but to validate our theses, that to resume part 
of them, moreover, immigration is officially stopped since 1974. From there, if we hear 
validate part of our theses in public opinion, we will no longer be the horrible fascists, 
we will no longer be the evil elders of the OAS, we will no longer be the Nazis, the 
collaborators, etc., we will be a right, a muscular right, but a right which will have its 
place in the political field and a right for which we will be able to vote. "The idea is 
to divide the working class and to distil the racist poison in a context of massive 
unemployment. The FN will therefore actively participate in the creation of the " problem 
" of immigration, which has hitherto been considered rather as an economic " solution " by 
the ruling class.

At the same time, the ideologues of Greece, around Alain de Benoist, theorize the strategy 
of the " right-wing propaganda " to try to influence the political sphere and to blur the 
markers by attracting intellectuals of right and left in the magazine Elements . In 
particular, they will theorize the transition from racism of biological essence to 
euphemistic " differentialist " racism, but which also implies the inequality of " races " 
and the defense of Indo-European " identity ".

In response to the strikes of immigrant workers in car factories between 1981 and 1984 and 
the March against racism and equal rights of 1983 and 1984, the FN feeds xenophobic and 
security fantasies. His breakthrough in the 1984 European elections marks the beginning of 
his electoral rise. The porosity between right and extreme right is illustrated by the 
arrival of right-wing politicians at the FN. Among them, the enarque Jean-Yves Le Gallou, 
then a member of the UDF from Greece and co-founder of the Club de L'Horloge, which 
publishes in 1985 Albin Michel publishes the book The National Preference: Response to 
Immigration . With Patrick Buisson, then editor-in-chief of Minute, they encourage the 
high official Bruno Mégret to join the Front. It quickly becomes number two and makes the 
national preference the programmatic heart of the FN.

In response to the strikes of immigrant skilled workers in automobile factories between 
1981 and 1984 and the equal rights marches of 1983 and 1984, the FN fueled xenophobic and 
security fantasies.
The battle of ideas
The rest of the program, in particular the economic and social component, becomes 
modifiable at will in view of the conquest of power. Mégret is a strategist who theorizes 
the " battle of the vocabulary " to circumvent anti-racist legislation and break through 
the electoral glass ceiling. This will allow them to win several cities in 1995, the same 
year of racist crimes against Ibrahim Ali and Brahim Bouarram. However, the internal 
crisis of 1998 will mark a temporary halt to the rise of the FN.

The attacks of 11 September 2001 mark a paradigm shift at the international level. France, 
with the exception laws on the pretext of the fight against terrorism, falls into the 
security spiral. We are witnessing the rise of the logics of scapegoat in the 
political-media discourses that amalgamate immigration, insecurity and " Islamic threat " 
. And which translate into a security arsenal that has been growing ever since. The riots 
in 2005 were an opportunity for the government to reactivate the state of emergency that 
dated back to the Algerian war, a state of emergency since reopened following the attacks 
of November 2015. Successive governments of the left and right have forged in this period 
a safe consensus while the extreme right throws regular oil on the fire.

On these plots plowed for decades by the extreme right, the FN harvest: it is the 
electroshock of the presidential elections of 2002. But it is not enough and, under the 
direction of Marine Le Pen from 2011, the FN engages in a pseudo-social turn and a 
strategy of dediabolization-banalisation. By subtracting anti-Semitism from " useful 
idiots " Soral and Dieudonné, Islamophobia from Zemmour and Riposte Laïque and political 
violence from neo-fascist groups, the FN can finally seem respectable and glean a voice. 
But the threat is not only French and emerges everywhere in Europe.

Surfing on the conspiracy discourses conveyed on the Internet by the media of " 
reinformation " and confusionnists as well as by the social networks, the theses of " 
migratory submersion " and " great replacement " of the writer Renaud Camus feed the 
racist fantasies on the threats weighing on an illusory " national identity ".

Uninhibited racism
Taking action, the identity groups create the media buzz in the summer of 2017 with their 
operation Defend Europ and with their operation antimigrant-es at the Col de l'Echelle in 
April 2018 and during the attack on the premises of the Aquarius in October 2018. On 16 
December 2018, at the call of several Flemish organizations, mainly extreme right-wing, 
thousands of protesters marched in Brussels against the pact of Marrakech (see AL of 
January 2019).

Steve Bannon, a former adviser to Donald Trump said as a guest star of the XVI th FN 
congress in March 2018: " Let them call you racist, xenophobic, Islamophobic ... Wear it 
like a badge of honor because each as we pass, we become stronger, and they weaken. " The 
FN, renamed in June 2018 National Rally, hopes to use to turn in May 2019 came to power in 
Austria and Italy of its allies (respectively FPÖ and Northern former League) and more 
broadly the election push right-wing political parties in the world.

In the face of government policies and the fascist threat, the anti-racist and 
anti-fascist mobilization must be reinforced and amplified !

Gabriel L. (AL Paris North East)

http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Migrations-La-creation-du-probleme

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Message: 2





On Sunday 10th February the ASF formally established a section in Geelong. Comrades met at 
the Geelong hotel with ASF Melbourne North members to make the relevant applications, 
elect a secretary and treasurer and discuss future plans for activity in the Geelong region.

http://asf-iwa.org.au/asf-geelong-section-established/

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Message: 3





Money is the nerve of war but also the bread of the revolution ! The idea of a basic 
income associated with an extension of the field of free education allows to create the 
conditions for a more united society, freed from the weight of the bosses. This text was 
presented at the International Forum on Free Education organized in Lyon on January 5, 
2019 by the International Observatory of Free. ---- So often hunger leads peoples to the 
revolution, the fear of it also immobilizes us. By guaranteeing everyone the means to live 
with dignity, the basic income can give confidence and help initiate a paradigm shift 
towards a libertarian society. ---- A basic income, as defended by Baptise Mylondo, which 
makes it possible to live outside employment, is a tool, not only for fighting against 
poverty but also for emancipation of peoples.

This would allow us to make real life choices, but also to better participate in social, 
political, cultural and any collective action working for the development of the commons. 
To lower the capitalist financial pressure on individuals is to give time !

Both financial concerns and hunger negatively impact our judgment. The suppression of 
these parasitic thoughts frees the time of reflection necessary for the social and 
political debate, thus making it possible to question the society in which we live and to 
imagine a new one.

Also, freed from the obligation to sell our workforce how many of us will still accept 
alienating and harmful jobs ? Will not we prefer to invest in activities that are more 
socially useful but have little or no return: family support, social, cultural and 
environmental activities, etc.? ? William Morris told us, rightly, that any work that can 
not be done in good conditions and is not satisfactory to the worker does not deserve to 
be done.

Towards a more socially inclusive society
In addition, the basic income (associated with a maximum authorized income, proposed by 
Baptiste Mylondo), by redistributing wealth, also redistributes power. Thus the employees 
find a negotiating force, the strike becomes easier with a guaranteed income. Giving 
everyone unconditional income is also a proof of trust that allows everyone to take their 
place in society.

Also, if we do not need to run after the least euro to live, we would probably be more 
generous, thus agreeing to give rather than sell certain products and services, thus 
contributing to the development of a gift economy. and sharing on a larger scale, a sign 
of the advent of a more inclusive society.

In order to move more quickly towards a society of giving and abundance, the basic income 
can take the form (at least partly) of an extension of free access: access to housing, 
energy, water , transport, care, education, culture, etc. as suggested by the activists of 
the unconditional endowment of autonomy (DIA) and Paul Ariès in his latest book.

The guarantee of unconditional income, whatever its form: extension of free or financial 
allocation, is a solidarity-based tool for the redistribution of wealth in the fight 
against poverty and for the emancipation of all.

First possible step towards a libertarian communist society !

Lydie (AL Lyon)

http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Le-revenu-de-base-pain-de-la-revolution

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Message: 4





In late October 2018, we organised with a student tenant who was being messed around with 
a disrepair issue by a well-known student lettings agency. We'd beaten this agency before 
via a direct-action campaign - this time all it took was the delivery of a demand letter 
to get this tenant compensation. Below, the tenants tells the story of the dispute. ---- 
One of our toilets was out of action for the best part of six months. If used, faeces 
would back up and overflow out of the toilet. This plumbing damage was caused by a fire 
that wasn't disclosed to us. Although we had use of another toilet, the toilet that was 
overflowing was directly next door to the kitchen that meant alongside being 
inconvenienced, it was quite a disgusting and hazardous living situation prior to calling 
the plumbers to fix it.

We had tried to negotiate an amount we thought reasonable. Given that our toilet was out 
of action for over five months and it was one of the five communal rooms, we requested 
that we be given a fifth of five-month's rent each, which equalled one month's rent each. 
The agency and our landlord rejected this offer because they said dealt with the issue as 
quickly as they could, and stopped contacting us after I asked for written confirmation as 
to why. Following this, I went in to the agency in person to request this yet again, and a 
month later and no response.

SolFed firstly helped me draft a letter to request the initial amount. For this, I had to 
gather evidence of their neglect and our continual attempt to contact them regarding the 
toilet, and it was satisfying to use this information to counteract their claims 
suggesting we were at fault for the difficulties we experienced with this loo. After 
little success and no response from the agency, we handed in a demand letter stating how 
our contract had been breached. The demand was for one month's rent in compensation for 
each tenant.

Five days after handing in the letter, the agency offered £2200 - just under the total 
amount of compensation we had demanded - which we accepted. I'm very happy, and it was 
very reassuring to see that they offered us a considerable amount more than when we tried 
negotiating without mentioning our contact with SolFed. Clearly, self-organised tenants 
put fear into the heart of letting agents!

Having trouble with your landlord or letting agency? You can get in touch with us at:

Email: housing@brightonsolfed.org.uk

http://www.brightonsolfed.org.uk/brighton/demand-letter-delivery-wins-dispute-with-student-lettings-agency

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Message: 5






A #55Strong Update on the Omnibus Bill Walkouts From a West Virginia Teacher
By Michael Mochaidean ---- On Monday, February 17th, Presidents of the three major 
education unions in West Virginia announced a statewide walkout by union members in 
opposition to the Senate's Omnibus Education bill - SB451. As mentioned previously, 
SB451's key sponsor, Patricia Rucker, is an ALEC member and far-right Tea Party 
Republican. Rucker is a homeschool parent and former Catholic school teacher who has 
claimed that she and her family fled to West Virginia from "socialist Montgomery 
County[Maryland]." SB451's most onerous provisions included a union-busting "payroll 
protection" clause, the introduction of unlimited charter schools, and Educational Savings 
Accounts (ESA's) with a broad applicability for students with IEPs.

The House had taken over a week to consider SB451 in both the Education and Finance 
committees before the bill was amended yet again on the House floor. The amended House 
version reduced the number of charter schools to two per year, with a provision that, 
according to AFT-WV leadership, made them "a non-starter." A majority of staff, parents, 
and board of education members would have to vote in favor of setting up a charter school. 
The provision eliminated ESA's, as well, reducing fears that more funding would be 
diverted for private usage that could then never be recouped. The House version, however, 
included an additional amendment that would have been devastating to the safety of West 
Virginia's children. This amendment relates specifically to the inclusion of a school 
resource officer in every public school throughout the state, irrespective of size or 
diversity. Coming off the heels of the one-year anniversary of the Parkland Massacre, this 
amendment utilized the deep-seated desire for protection to divert attention away from 
mental and psychological aid and towards retributive, punitive justice.

The Walkout Begins
When the Senate took up the House-amended version on Monday, it quickly became apparent 
that the ALEC-sponsored legislators had no desire to reduce charter schools or provide 
fiscal updates on the costs of their newly-crafted amendments to the amendments. 
Legislators had less than thirty minutes to read the 130-page bill, without being provided 
fiscal notes as well, before voting 18-16 in favor of a new version of SB451. This newest 
version on Monday removed unlimited charters in favor of a cap on seven charters and a 
reduction in ESA eligibility to 1,000 recipients. It was then that Dale Lee, Fred Albert, 
and John White, respective leaders of WVEA, AFT, and WVSSPA, made the announcement that a 
statewide walkout would take place. The goal for the walkout was to effectively force the 
House to table the bill indefinitely, thus killing it before it could reach conference 
committee.

Wednesday will show whether the #55United movement has won a total victory in protecting 
public education from neo-liberal privatizers and austerity-minded groups, or if it is 
only the beginning of a larger struggle that has yet to be decided.
Later Monday evening, the infamous red map of West Virginia counties began to close one by 
one. Only one county - Putnam - remained open. Rumors began to swirl as to whether the 
superintendent, John Hudson, had received money or assistance from Senate President Mitch 
Carmichael to remain open, thus defeating the unifying thread of remaining #55United. 
Nevertheless, whatever Hudson's motives, teachers and service personnel from neighboring 
counties left their homes early the next morning to picket at the bus garages in Putnam 
County. By 5:45am, a long line of dozens of education workers blockaded the bus exits. By 
6:30am, it was confirmed that no buses were running their routes that day. Schools 
suffered the occasional scab, but almost no service personnel or teacher crossed a picket 
line throughout the county. Parents were videotaped turning around upon seeing picket 
lines, as happened many times in the recent UTLA strike as well.

By noon on Tuesday, the House had voted to table SB451 indefinitely. Politically, this 
means that the bill was never voted on in the House, so it would not be possible for the 
bill to be resurrected and brought to a conference committee at last minute. One possible 
point of contention, however, was that the bill could theoretically be brought back in its 
Senate-amended form within twenty-four hours. Governor Jim Justice, who had told teachers 
and school service personnel a few hours later that he wanted "them in schools tomorrow, 
doing their jobs," noted to reporters that he would veto the bill as it stood in an 
attempt to calm rising tensions. In West Virginia, however, a governor's veto can be 
overridden by a simple majority in both houses, effectively negating the power and weight 
of a veto.

Lessons from the 2018 Wildcat
It appears that union leadership has learned a lesson from last year's wildcat strike. 
When asked to return to work last year or face the possibility of an injunction, teachers 
refused the compromise with Governor Justice and their union presidents and continued to 
stay on strike for the next four days. Although AFT leadership had initially been in favor 
of much of the House-amended version of SB451, even they joined in the chorus in 
condemning the Senate's tactics and chose to endorse a continuing walkout into a second 
day (Wednesday). This would ensure that any nefarious tactics that the Senate or House had 
to resurrect the bill, or one similar to it, would be nullified by maintaining picket 
lines for an additional day.

At this moment, Putnam County is the sole county open for school on Wednesday. Already, 
though, teachers and service personnel have begun preparing to visit Putnam County picket 
lines in preparation for a more physical confrontation. Some counties, such as Kanawha and 
Ohio, may see injunctions should the walkouts continue past Wednesday, however. A 
contentious board of education meeting in Ohio County had jolted the nerves of many there. 
Last year, Ohio County had prepared documentation to file for an injunction as the strike 
was ending. Kanawha's superintendent, likewise, stated that in the event of a walkout, 
schools would remain open. Given that Kanawha County is the capital county of the state 
and has the most schools of any county, a strike-busting move of that magnitude could have 
reverberations across the state.

Wednesday will show whether the #55United movement has won a total victory in protecting 
public education from neo-liberal privatizers and austerity-minded groups, or if it is 
only the beginning of a larger struggle that has yet to be decided.

Michael Mochaidean is an organizer and member the West Virginia IWW and WVEA unions and 
public high school teacher. He is currently co-authoring a book detailing the 2018 
education walkouts, their triumphs and limitations one year later.

http://blackrosefed.org/west-virginia-walkouts-defeat-education-bill/

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