Today's Topics:
1. Britain, Organising with Brighton SolFed -- Brighton
SolFed's statement on solidarity in the struggle
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
2. France, Alternative Libertaire AL - Solidarity with
Rouvikonas, the anarchist movement and the Greek
social movement
! (fr, it, pt)[machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
3. Britain, anarchist communist ACG: Neither Labour nor Tory
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
4. ag amsterdam: Benefit for Russian anarchists and anti
fascists (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
5. France, Alternative Libertaire AL #293 - Algeria: for the
popular movement, everything is still possible ! (fr, it,
pt)[machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
6. Britain, brighton solfed: Tenant Successfully Fights £200
Deposit Theft (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
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Message: 1
This information has been put together for groups who may be interested in affiliating to
or organising with us. We regularly work with other groups. However, before formally
working together, we actively check how safely a group organises and their connections to
known-abusers, as a pre-condition. ---- Inclusion ---- SolFed welcomes working class
people of all education backgrounds, genders, sexuality, ethnicity, race, immigration
status and those with all forms of accessibility needs*; (other than people barred by our
constitution). ---- We recognise there are many reasons why people find it difficult to
involve themselves in organising, so we strive to figure out ways to work together. Reach
out to us at brighton@solfed.org.uk. ---- Safety ---- We take member safety seriously. We
have developed an accountability process if any abusive behaviour occurs. When issues are
not resolved, we will exclude members when necessary.
We regularly work with other groups. Before formally working together, we actively check
how safely they organise and their connections to known-abusers, as a pre-condition.
We will not work with abusive groups, known-abusers or their apologists. These groups
include: Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and all their fronts, Movement for Justice (MFJ),
and the Revolutionary Communist Group (RCG). SolFed will not normalise the presence of, or
give platform to, known abusers and their apologists in liberatory struggles.
SolFed is fighting for a better society - a society in which survivors are respected and
any form of abuse is confronted. Only by building a culture of solidarity can we hope to
build a libertarian communist movement that is truly free of oppression. Our ultimate goal
is a stateless, classless society based on the principle of 'from each according to
ability, to each according to need'.
***
If your group would like to formally organise with Brighton SolFed please contact us at
brighton@solfed.org.uk explaining how we can work together. Please also read our
accountability policy and send a delegate to a meeting with us. Acceptance of our
accountability policy, and of this values statement, is a pre-condition of our organising
together. We see organising together as collaboration and active participation - please
contact us in advance of any actions so that our members can be involved throughout.
Brighton Solidarity Federation
March 2019
-----------------------------------
*This list is by no means exhaustive
http://www.brightonsolfed.org.uk/brighton/organising-with-brighton-solfed
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Message: 2
If we live in France a period of violent social tension and persistent for several months
with the Yellow Vests, we must not forget what happens elsewhere where, there too, the
population is struggling hard against capitalism and its world. ---- This is particularly
the case in Greece, where the working classes are resolutely resisting the austerity
policies and the control of capital over collective resources since the 2008 crisis,
despite a social and economic situation that continues to deteriorate by reducing a broad
layer of workers and their families to misery. To fight directly against these deleterious
effects of the policies led by successive governments in favor of the capitalists, several
political collectives and self-managed places have been built, animated for the most part
by anarchist militants, many of them in Greece. One of them, Rouvikonas (Rubicon),
specialized in direct action against the institutions and groups directly responsible for
the catastrophic situation of the population.
For several years, the anarchist filmmaker Yannis Youlountas - his blog here -
disseminates information and organizes solidarity actions - including a solidarity convoy
to Greece - in favor of these places and collectives, which are in great need. Today, it
sounds the alarm about the extent of the repression and the material and financial needs
of the self-managed and collective places with which it is linked.
In the daily struggle against the oppressions of the globalized capitalist system, one of
the weapons of the exploited is international solidarity with all those who struggle.
This is why Alternative Libertaire joins this call, participates and encourages each one
to associate according to his means and his capacities to the solidarity towards
Rouvikonas, the farmers and the inhabitants in fight against the Kastelli airport, the
Greek self-managed places, the anarchist movement and the Greek social movement as a whole.
Alternative Libertaire reaffirms its support for all those who fight against capitalism
and anti-social policies, against the violence of state, police and prison repression.
Solidarity is our weapon !
No justice, no peace !
Freedom for Rouvikonas and for all the Greek revolutionary activists who were prosecuted
and incarcerated !
Libertarian Alternative
http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Solidarite-avec-Rouvikonas-le-mouvement-anarchiste-et-le-mouvement-social-grecs
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Message: 3
For a lot of people local elections are happening soon and the possibility of a general
election is looking increasingly on the cards. We are told that we live in a free society,
and that this freedom is the result of us casting a vote. In our society it is treated as
a truism that because we choose our masters we are free. ---- But we don't live in a free
society, and we don't make a free choice whilst in the polling booth. The system of
education, the media, and the corrupting power of money mean that governments end up
serving the interests of the ruling elite. But even if these problems could be resolved,
elections cannot solve the problems our society faces. The state cannot be democratised
and the electoral process is the process of excluding people and ideas.
We call on the working class to reject faith in political parties and elections. The state
cannot be reformed. The ongoing failure of elections and politicians to change our lives
is not the result of the personal flaws of politicians, or a flaw in our constitution, or
just bad luck. Our political system is not failing to live up to its potential, it is
doing exactly what it is meant to do, serve the interests of the powerful. The state is a
medieval relic and has all the violent institutions and sites of unaccountable power that
you would expect of that age.
The Anarchist Communist Group understands that many people currently vote in the hope that
their vote will mitigate some of the worst excesses of capitalism and help the most
vulnerable. This impulse is born from the principle of solidarity and as such is welcomed.
However we would remind workers that the economic and social security of their class is a
product of their willingness to organise and fight, not the exact makeup of the council
chamber or parliament.
We are in all probability heading towards a general election, a period of time where we
are told we have to vote or we are failing a citizens. Anarchist Communists have a
different view. We want to end the tyranny of capitalism and the oppression of government.
In such a revolutionary situation it's vital that people don't re-establish a new
government, whether it's legitimatised through the ballot box or through a revolutionary
party.
That's why the Anarchist Communist Group is using the coming election period as a platform
to call for all of the working class to abandon faith in elections, political parties and
all the paraphernalia of the state. Instead go out into your communities and organise to
resist capitalism and the state. Also get in touch with us at:
www.anarchistcommunism.org/contact/
https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/2019/03/31/neither-labour-nor-tory/
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Message: 4
more info https://rupression.com ---- Sunday 7 th of April EARLY START at 24:00 closed!
---- 5 euro donation 17:00 by open ---- 17:30 Info talk ---- from Russian comrades about
the repression of anarchist and anti-fascist movement in Russia today. ---- 18:00 Doc "the
Network" (2019 / English subtitles) ---- about the Russian state frame up of anarchists
and anti fascists. ---- 19:00 Vegan Dinner (5 euros) ---- 20:00 Start Bands ---- Coproach
---- Violence Party - UK ---- https://coproach.bandcamp.com/ ---- Suicidade ---- Crust
Punk - Amsterdam ---- https://suicidade.bandcamp.com/ ---- Culmine ---- International
Crust / Violence - ---- amsterdam / Paris ---- https://culmine.bandcamp.com/---- Info
table by the AGA with pamphlets, zines, Tshirts, writing letters to prisoners. ---- At the
Vrankrijk - Spuistraat 216 - Amsterdam ---- This event is organized by: ---- Dirty
Immigrant Collective Amsterdam ---- https://www.facebook.com/dirtyimmigrantamsterdam/
https://www.agamsterdam.org/
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Message: 5
From Algiers to Bejaia, the protest does not fall. The question of the fifth term of
Bouteflika is clearly outdated. The slogan " system clears " opens the way to the social
question. The idea of a constituent assembly is more tricky ... ---- The current popular
movement opens a new chapter in Algerian history not only because of its size but also
because it has already pushed back a government whose anti-democratic arrogance is matched
only by anti-social rigor. ---- If commentators doubted, a few days ago, the opportunity
to qualify as a revolution the historical sequence that takes place in Algeria, this
reserve is now over. Not only because the population has massively expressed its desire to
break with the regime, but also because of the fractures that appear in the open on the
side of the ruling bloc. In the situation opened by the popular surge of 22 February,
everything remains possible despite the apprehensions inherited from the recent history of
the country and the fragmentation of revolutionary forces that seek to overcome many
obstacles.
Linking democratic and social issues
In a society yet broken with the celebration of the independence struggle, the evocation
of March 19, 1962 (Evian agreements) was diminished by the power of the social movement.
This does not mean that the symbols of the anticolonial revolution are not mobilized in
the Algerian streets. Far from there. However, it would seem that it is more important to
live the revolution of today than to commemorate that of yesterday ... Even if all the
lessons were not drawn and that many illusions weigh on the consciousness of people
seeking to join the old national movement.
On March 19, 2019, downtown Algiers sounded rather happy and determined songs of thousands
of students who represent one of the driving forces of the current dynamic.
Demonstration in support of the Algerian revolt, Place de la République in Paris.
For those who have known, in previous years, the cantonment of student protest in the
precincts of the university - when it was not, purely and simply, repression - the
contrast is striking. In front of such a spectacle which means that, for the time being, a
page seems well turned, the Algiers and Algiers older are sympathetic towards the
youngest. In their march, they chant slogans like " angry students refuse the system ",
" free and democratic Algeria ", " free the university, free Algeria " or " March 19,
no agreement to Evian ".
In addition to the democratic issue, namely the refusal of a fifth term of President
Abdelaziz Bouteflika - at the origin of the challenge - the social issue remains as
sensitive despite the neoliberal will to camouflage. Thus, Moussa, a student interviewed
by the daily El Watan (March 20, 2019), says: " The Algeria of pistonnes must disappear.
I refuse to exile myself in search of a job. I want to stay among mine here. " This
aspiration is similar to that of a biology student, Meriem who says: " The jobs in this
sector are rare. My colleagues change jobs or go into exile to find them. I want to ensure
my future here. " And it is the way in which the democratic and social questions will be
articulated that will determine the evolution of the revolutionary process.
The trap of national dialogue and framed transition
But the day of 19 March 2019 has seen other demonstrations, like that of the health sector
personnel who marched through the streets of Algiers - and in many other cities in the
country - by resuming the now popular slogans: " You sold the country, thieves ", " A
republic, not a monarchy ", " System clears " but also, as reported in the newspaper Le
Temps (March 20, 2019), " FLN released ! RND releases ! That is, the acronyms of the two
main parties in the administration: the National Liberation Front and the National
Democratic Rally. It must be emphasized, however, that the rejection of the FLN and RND is
accompanied, more broadly, by mistrust of all other parties, including those of the
opposition.
Indeed, according to Le Soir d'Algérie (March 20, 2019) the thousands of participants in
the Bejaia march required the departure of the current president and the FLN, but they
also chanted " FFS dégage ". This means that the Front des forces socialistes, often
presented as the oldest opposition party, no longer appears as a credible alternative to
the protesters of Kabylie, where this organization was traditionally established. The
rejection of parties does not mean that there is no illusions about representative
democracy, since many protesters are still demanding at this stage a " good president "
or " transparent elections ".
Demonstration of support in Ohio (USA), March 17th.
The most combative elements of this very largely interclassist dynamic are undoubtedly
found in the words of Abdenour, a Boumerdes nurse who told Le Temps : " Public health
personnel are gathered around their autonomous unions who have demonstrated their
integrity by refusing the invitation of Bédoui[current Prime Minister]for discussions to
create a transitional government rejected en bloc by the people. " These words echo the
slogan worn by health care workers gathered in Oran: " No negotiations, no militancy,
until the fall of the regime. "
But the rejection of the government's requests for the " dialogue " expressed by the
youth and the mobilized workers already responds to the " roadmaps " proposed by the
activists from the opposition who are thinking of managing the -Bouteflika. Indeed, the
Collective of the Algerian civil society for a peaceful way out - which brings together
associations close to the FFS and the autonomous unions - published, on March 18, a
declaration proposing the establishment of a transitional government « composed of
consensual and credible personalities to manage the transition period " , the
organization of Assises of the national consensus before «to make a historical compromise
around the inalienable fundamental principles " and the election of a Constituent
Assembly to finally return to" constitutional legality ".
Break with authoritarian schemas
One of the major issues of the current period is precisely to stand out from these
technical initiatives by relaying the slogan of general strike as well as the calls for
the self-organization of all and exploited.es through the setting on foot of popular
committees. These perspectives coexist, especially on the side of Workers' Party (PT) -
associated with the French POI (Lambertist Trotskyist) - or the Socialist Workers Party
(PST) - linked to the New Anti-Capitalist Party - with the desire to elect a Constituent
Assembly. Except that according to the PT, " the businessmen broken by the oligarchy will
have their place " in this device, while for the PST, this assembly would be "
representative of the democratic and social aspirations of the workers and the masses " .
This is a big nuance. However, the libertarians will find themselves more in the arguments
formulated by the Italian anarchist Errico Malatesta who, in The Anarchist Communist
Revival of November 8, 1924, invited to " discuss " the Constituent to better distance
himself from this modality in order to " to claim for us and those who will agree with us
the freedom to organize as they see fit and the means to do so " . Malatesta added that "
for the necessary coordination of the work of the groups, the communes, the regions, the
nation, we will have to oppose to the Constituent Assembly or to any other legislative
body, congresses, local, regional, national conventions, open to all the world to inform,
advise, take initiatives - without pretending to make the law and forcing their
deliberations by force " .
This " road map " will no doubt appear inconceivable for leaders or militants from the
opposition of the Algerian left influenced by authoritarian schemes, when they do not
have, within their own organizations, reproduced anti-democratic practices of a diet they
claim to fight. That is why, without underestimating the capacity of nuisance bureaucratic
apparatus often atrophied, it is necessary to look at the spontaneity of the youth and the
workers, who, despite contradictions that can not be concealed (unanimism, patriotism,
statism), seek a way to satisfy their aspirations to dignity, equality and freedom.
In this situation, all issues must be debated without self-censorship, and all oppressions
fought with the utmost determination to participate in the necessary clarification of the
issues.
Nedjib Sidi Moussa, Algiers, March 21, 2019
http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Algerie-pour-le-mouvement-populaire-tout-est-encore-possible
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Message: 6
Brighton Solidarity Federation recently assisted a tenant whose letting agent, Ashton
Burkinshaw, were attempting to make unreasonable deductions from their deposit. We were
contacted by the tenant after their letting agent tried to deduct nearly £200 for
unnecessary (maybe never done) work. We advised the tenant what their rights were and
helped them use one of our template letters to send to their agent. The agent could not
provide an invoice for the work and had to back down. ---- Every person who has rented a
home has experienced their letting agent trying to steal part or all of their deposit.
There are many ways to fight back and sometimes the most effective one is also the
simplest. ---- We have a guide to fighting deposit theft at
http://www.brightonsolfed.org.uk/housing-union?qt-new_housing_union_tabs..., including
template letters to challenge it. If you need any help, contact us at brighton@solfed.org.uk
http://www.brightonsolfed.org.uk/brighton/tenant-successfully-fights-ps200-deposit-theft
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