Anarchic update news all over the world - 21.05.2019

Today's Topics:

   
1.  Palestinian Anarchists in Conversation: Recalibrating
      Anarchism in a Colonized Country (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
2.  France, Alternative Libertaire AL #294 - antifascism,
      Strategies: Overcoming the antifa (fr, it, pt)[machine
      translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
3.  France, Alternative Libertaire AL #294 - unionism, Live CGT
      Congress: Philippe Martinez does not want to offend anyone (fr,
      it, pt)[machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
4.  [France] Info-Debate in Montpellier: Towards the union of
      libertarians By ANA (fr, pt) [machine translation]
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
5.  Britain, AFED, organise magazine: Review: Anarchist
      Education and the Modern School (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
6.  Britain, Class War on Homophobia (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
7.  levante cnt-ait: District of Marina Alta, conflict Gasorba
      SL (ca) [machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
  
 8.  [Finland] May Day in Helsinki: Against authority, fascism
      and capitalism! By ANA (pt) [machine translation]
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)


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Message: 1






"I'm honestly still trying to kick the nationalist habit," jokes activist Ahmad Nimer, as 
we talk outside a Ramallah cafe. Our topic of conversation seems an unlikely one: living 
as an anarchist in Palestine. "In a colonized country, it's quite difficult to convince 
people of non-authoritarian, non-state solutions. You encounter, pretty much, a strictly 
anticolonial - often narrowly nationalist - mentality," laments Nimer. Indeed, anarchists 
in Palestine currently have a visibility problem. Despite high-profile international and 
Israeli anarchist activity, there doesn't seem to be a matching awareness of anarchism 
among many Palestinians themselves. ---- "Contemporary discussion of anarchist themes 
shifts emphasis towards more of an approach to power: rejecting power over, in favor of 
power with. "When you talk about anarchism as a political concept, it is defined as 
rejecting the state," explains Saed Abu-Hijleh, a human geography lecturer at An-Najah 
University in Nablus. "It talks about freedom and society organizing itself without the 
interference of the state." But, how do a stateless people engage with anarchism, a term 
that implies opposition to some form of state as a condition of its existence?

In Palestine, elements of popular struggle have historically often been self-organized. 
Even if not explicitly identified as "anarchism" as such, "People have already done 
horizontal, or non-hierarchical, organizing all their lives," says Beesan Ramadan, another 
local anarchist, who describes anarchism as a "tactic" yet questions the need to attach a 
label. She continues, "It is already there in my culture and in the way Palestinian 
activism has worked. During the First Intifada, for instance, when someone's home was 
demolished, people would organize to rebuild it, almost spontaneously. As a Palestinian 
anarchist I look forward to going back to the roots of the First Intifada. It did not come 
from a political decision. It came against the will of the PLO." Yasser Arafat declared 
independence in November 1988, after the First Intifada began in December 1987, Ramadan 
says "...to hijack the efforts of the First Intifada."

The Palestinian case has been further complicated in recent decades. The landscape of 
largely horizontal self-organization in the First Intifada, was displaced in 1993 with the 
signing of the Oslo Accords and the top-down Palestinian Authority (PA) they created. "Now 
here in Palestine," Ramadan observes, "we don't have the meaning of authority that other 
people defy...We have the PA and the occupation, and our priorities are always mixed up. 
The PA and the Israelis[are on]the same level because the PA is a tool for the Israelis to 
oppress the Palestinians." Nimer also shares this view, arguing it has now spread much 
more widely and that many now see the PA as a "proxy-occupation".

"Being an anarchist doesn't mean having the black and red flag or going black bloc," 
Ramadan points out, referring to the established anarchist protest tactic of wearing 
all-black clothing and covering faces. "I don't want to imitate any western group in the 
way that they ‘do' anarchism...it is not going to work here, because you need to create a 
whole consciousness of the people. People don't understand this concept." Yet Ramadan 
believes the low visibility of Palestinian anarchists, and lack of awareness about 
anarchism among Palestinians more broadly, does not necessarily mean that few exist. "I 
think there are a good number of anarchists in Palestine," she notes, although later 
conceding, "...mostly, for now, it is an individual belief[although]we are all active in 
our own way."

This lack of a unified anarchist movement in Palestine could come as a result of the fact 
Western anarchists never really focused on colonialism. "[Western writers]didn't have to," 
argues Budour Hassan, an activist and law student. "Their struggle was different." Nimer 
also adds: "For an anarchist in the US, decolonization might be a part of 
anti-authoritarian struggle; for me, it's simply what needs to happen."

Importantly, Hassan extends her own understanding of anarchism beyond positions merely 
against state or colonial authoritarianism. She refers to Palestinian novelist and Arab 
nationalist Ghassan Kanafani, noting that although he challenged the occupation, "...he 
also challenged patriarchal relations and the bourgeois classes... This is why I think we 
Arabs - anarchists from Palestine, from Egypt, from Syria, from Bahrain - need to begin 
reformulating anarchism in a way that reflects our experiences of colonialism, our 
experiences as women in a patriarchal society, and so on."

"Just being part of political opposition won't save you," warns Ramadan, who adds that for 
many women, "When you stand against the occupation, you also have to stand against the 
family." In fact, the over-emphasized portrayal of women at protests, she maintains, masks 
the fact that in reality many women have to fight just to be there. Even attending evening 
meetings requires young women to overcome social boundaries not faced by their male 
counterparts.

"As Palestinians, we need to establish the connection with Arab anarchists," Ramadan says 
influenced by her reading of material from anarchists in Egypt and Syria. "We have so much 
in common and, because of the isolation, we end up meeting international anarchists who 
sometimes, as good as their politics are, remain stuck within their misconceptions and 
Islamophobia."

In a short piece published on Jadaliyya entitled "Anarchist, Liberal, and Authoritarian 
Enlightenments: Notes from the Arab Spring" Mohammed Bamyeh argued that the recent Arab 
uprisings reflected "...a rare combination of an anarchist method and a liberal 
intention," noting that "...the revolutionary style is anarchist, in the sense that it 
requires little organization, leadership, or even coordination[and]tends to be suspicious 
of parties and hierarchies even after revolutionary success."

For Ramadan, nationalism also represents a significant problem. "People need nationalism 
in times of struggle," she concedes, "[But]it sometimes becomes an obstacle... You know 
what the negative sense of nationalism means? It means you only think as Palestinians, 
that Palestinians are the only ones who are suffering in the world." Nimer also adds, 
"You're talking about sixty years of occupation and ethnic cleansing, and sixty years of 
resisting that through nationalism. That's too long, it's unhealthy. People can go from 
nationalist to fascist, quite quickly."

December's crowds in Cairo's Tahrir square may yet offer hope to Palestinian anarchists. 
As President Mohamed Morsi consolidated executive, legislative and judicial powers under 
his office, anarchist groups joined the demonstrations. These Egyptians actually call 
themselves anarchists and embrace anarchism as a political tradition. Back in Ramallah, 
Nimer reflects: "I'm often pessimistic, but you can't discount Palestinians. We could 
break out at any moment. The First Intifada began with a car accident."

https://budourhassan.wordpress.com/2015/12/07/palestinian-anarchists-in-conversation-recalibrating-anarchism-in-a-colonized-country

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Message: 2






While far-right ideas tend to gain influence in society and are increasingly taken up by 
almost all the institutional parties, a critical analysis of the strategy of the " antifa 
groups " seems necessary today. . ---- With the digital recession and the loss of 
influence of the traditional organizations of the labor movement during the last decades, 
we can note for several years a strategic vagueness around the anti-fascist fight, 
exercised by fewer and fewer people and tending to reproduce actions and events. more out 
of habit than by imagining a relevant construction of antifascism among the masses. ---- 
If it is not a question here of going against what is happening with the specific antifas 
groups (concerts, militant bars, watch and information blogs), we can estimate that there 
exists a tendency to the inter-group: some groups prioritize the organization of cultural 
events around concerts and stereotypical " antifa " looks, focused on the process of " 
resuscitating " the tradition of a former community group (antifascist skinheads) to 
strengthen the the affinity and minorizing side of the milieu, by not allowing those who 
are far from this culture to have their place there.

For unitary campaigns of the social movement
On the other hand, there is an important tendency to delegate antifascism on the ground to 
the specific antifascist groups, reserving a few people the day before on the extreme 
right, the actions punches against the fascists and the information given to them. 
population. The latter is sometimes very little achieved and we find ourselves in 
situations where anti-fascist actions are very disconnected from the concerns of the 
population, which unfortunately remains dubious about these actions.

The fact that a significant number of antifa activists are not part of other struggles 
structures (unions, ecology, antipatriarcat ...) is not to fix this situation.

If the diversity of the social movement (wrestling unions, associations and collectives of 
struggle) took much more in charge the fight against fascism, it would be possible to 
envisage a renewal of this one: in a context of reactionary push all over Europe, it It is 
urgent that resistance to it be anchored in the masses and especially be understood by 
them. A popular anti-fascism of the XXI th century should it not go through such practical 
solidarity among réfugié.es well as large-scale construction struggles to bring down the 
racist government measures ? Finally, it is necessary to massively popularize our 
arguments of deconstruction of hate speech against scapegoats, and this may involve 
unitary campaigns of the anti-liberal social and political movement, in order to anchor 
the idea that resistance to policies liberal and antifascism go hand in hand. Thus we will 
be able to counter the general idea, very media but anchored in a good part of the 
population, that fascists and " antifas " would be worth.

Ayla (AL Toulouse)

http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Strategies-Depasser-l-entre-soi-antifa

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Message: 3






First day of the 52 th Confederal Congress CGT. The Secretary General reaffirms a 
combative orientation without avoiding the difficulties accumulated over the past three 
years, but offers few solutions to go down the slope. A report on the spot, day by day, by 
the blog Libertarian libertarians of the CGT . ---- For this first day of the confederal 
congress, in addition to the election of the various commissions, which always gives rise 
to a few annoyances and tensions of no real importance, most of the day was summarized in 
the long introductory speech (1 hour 40 minutes) of Philippe Martinez. ---- Curious speech 
besides: no real report of activity, nor report of orientation, but where no difficulty is 
passed over silence. On several occasions, the Secretary General evokes them unabridged: 
structuring individual trade unionists, confederal communication, trade union training ...

Already, during his speech at the 51 st congress, in Marseille in 2016, he had defused the 
criticism of the confederal wait-and-see by distancing himself from the "syndicalism 
gathered" - a formula already twenty years old and which, in fact , means head-to-head 
with the CFDT [1]. This time again, Martinez delivered a speech that poses all the 
questions, without prohibiting any answer, but without really proposing either, trying 
cleverly to satisfy the multiple sensibilities that cross the CGT apparatus.

Read also: "CGT: Travel between the lines of the 52 nd Confederal Congress" , Libertarian 
Alternative of March 2019.
The pro-FSM bothered by an Iranian trade unionist
Thus, international issues: calling in turn unions affiliated to the International Trade 
Union Confederation (ITUC, social-liberal) and other affiliates of the World Federation of 
Trade Unions (FSM, para-Stalinist) [2], he succeeded in to make them all applaud, to 
conclude that internationalism mocks poses and affiliations, but focuses on real work. He 
scored a point by noting that 107 delegates traveled from 60 countries - a record, he says.

On Sunday, during the international day before the opening of the Congress, the pro-FSM 
were in their shoes before an independent Iranian trade unionist, just out of prison, who 
faces the official union of the Iranian regime, member of the WFTU ...

Martinez, on the other hand, was a little less convincing about the election to the ITUC 
General Secretariat in December, when Susana Camusso (Italian CGIL), presented as the " 
left" candidate , was on the verge of winning. with 48% of the votes and the support of 
the CGT. If this score is a warning shot for the direction of the ITUC, it is going a bit 
fast than to see there the sign of a return of the class struggle in this reformist 
mastodonde !

cc Pascal Van
Yellow vests on Saturday, strikers on weekdays
Offensive against Castaner and police operation organized the 1 stMay in Paris against the 
CGT, Martinez also managed a balancing act about yellow jackets highlighting, which is not 
wrong, if the demonstrations Saturday are useful weeklong strikes are too.

Unambiguously claiming a union of power - "I never convinced a boss with arguments" - he 
confirms a class struggle orientation to which the media, supported by the interview of 
Thierry Le Paon in Le Figaro , attribute the decline of the forces of the CGT.

On the other hand, it remains relatively evasive on the class content of an 
anti-capitalist project. Thus, in claiming the founding declaration of the International 
Labor Organization (ILO) - "work is not a commodity" - he echoes a vow of reformist 
syndicalism. Because precisely in capitalism, work is a commodity like the others, a 
finding that leads to the dual task dear to the Charter of Amiens: combine daily struggle 
and struggle for the abolition of this system ...

Reassure the future of local unions
After a long advocacy in defense of the local unions, obviously intended to reassure the 
establishment of regional committees with strengthened powers, Martinez was also careful 
to recall that, by statute, federalism leaves any autonomy to the CGT structures, but that 
they must always seek indispensable co-operation. Again words to not offend anyone ...

In the end a speech punctuated by applause without excessive enthusiasm, but without 
whistles either. Tuesday, with the floor to the delegates, we will know how far mine 
clearance has worked !

May 13, 2019

This article is taken from the blog Libertarian libertarians of the CGT , which publishes 
a ticket every day on the confederal congress

[1] Read Jean-Yves Lesage, Guillaume Goutte, "The syndicalism gathered divides the CGT " , 
The Utopics, February 2017.

[2] Read "International trade unionism: A panorama to see clearly" , Alternative 
Libertaire, September 2018.

http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?En-direct-du-congres-CGT-Philippe-Martinez-ne-veut-froisser-personne

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Message: 4





Faced with countless struggles and gigantic challenges, activists from Alternative 
Libertaire (AL) and the Coordination of Anarchist Groups (CGA) have decided to unite to 
give more visibility to the communist libertarian current. In June, the founding congress 
of a new communist libertarian organization will be held. An organization open to all 
those who want to build another society, who are tired of capitalism, social inequality, 
racism and sexism, and who think that we should break with the current political 
institutions. Come and talk to us! ---- > First meeting on Thursday, May 16, at 8 pm, at 
the Barricade. ---- > Second meeting on Saturday, May 18, at 7 pm at La Mauvaise 
Réputation, 20 Rue Terral ---- cga.org ---- alternativelibertaire.org ---- anarchist-ana 
news agency

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Message: 5





In the concluding chapter of Anarchist Education and the Modern School, Robert Haworth 
reminds the reader that Francisco Ferrer, his Modern School and his ideas about education 
are these days often mentioned in passing and are perhaps not given the due they deserve. 
There is a resurgence in radical education in some pockets and corners of Anarchism but 
most of the focus and headlines tend to be focused on black blocs, protests and the like. 
Not to say these tactics don't have their place; they certainly do. However, what one 
could argue is one of the defining aspects of anarchism seems to be severely falling 
behind. Education has long been a weapon of the state as well put by Tolstoy when he wrote 
"The strength of the government rests on the ignorance of the people, and it knows this, 
and therefore will always fight against education." With the political climate of 2019 
being what it is, Mark Bray and Robert Haworth working with the translation work done by 
Joseph McCabe have given us a new, cleaned up and expanded collection of one of 
anarchism's most influential radical educators just in time to help navigate what is 
possible in the face of public school's being under funded and left to rot only to make 
way for private schools run by those who have a vested interest in maintaining the 
ignorance of the people.

Included here is the entirety of Ferrer's The Modern School: Posthumous Explanation and 
Scope of Rationalist Education along with background information about Ferrer himself, 
excerpts from the Modern School's bulletin, Ferrer's writings on the General Strike, 
critiques of Ferrer and his Modern School, reactions and musings about his death and more. 
Most of this volume has been translated into English for the first time here (by Bray) and 
while some are surely familiar with Ferrer and have read his writings before, here they 
are presented with the full history behind them. We are shown Ferrer's political evolution 
from a Republican (not in the USA GOP sense) to an Anarchist who worked behind the scenes 
as well as in public view. His writings on the General Strike are quite aggressive and 
give us a glimpse of the two Ferrers. He published them under a pen-name so as not to 
bring unwanted attention to his school which was operating at the time and one can easily 
see why. In Spain, where the Church held more power than the government in most cases, 
statements such as "The complete emancipation of the workers will come neither from the 
Church nor the state, but rather from the general strike that will destroy them both" was 
sure to land someone in some hot water.

The critiques are also a welcome addition as when reading Ferrer's work, one could 
themselves have some issues with certain aspects of how he put his ideas into practice. On 
more than one issue Ferrer would say one thing but in reality do quite the opposite. For 
example, in all matters of the Modern School, Ferrer held final say which seems to go 
directly against the very nature of open and rational education. Also, in the first year 
of the School, Ferrer would publish remarks about the students, good or ill, in the 
schools Bulletin for all to see which seems to go against his writings on having "neither 
praise nor punishment." It is important to see that over the course of the school, ideas 
changed and to remember that Ferrer was operating in uncharted territory in a very 
hostile, very Catholic Spain.

Ferrer was by no means a perfect. And that's the point, none of us are. He believed so 
deeply in rational and radical education that he forged his path and brought into the 
world a school and philosophy about education that still has practical applications. Like 
all theorists and activists, Ferrer was a product of his time and place and wasn't the 
first or last to hold ideas about education in a radical sense. In discussing his death at 
the close of this collection, the most powerful thing to come away with was the spread of 
the Modern School and how no two schools were the same. Most took pieces of Ferrer's model 
to some extent but they adapted and changed these ideas and put them in to practice. The 
point of reading theory isn't to try and replicate it perfectly but to take it, apply it 
to our lives and to make it our own. Ferrer surely would be glad to see his ideas still 
being circulated (even if he wouldn't enjoy the cult like status placed on him at the time 
of his death). It would be a wonderful thing if we could take lessons from him, apply them 
to our communities and truly start giving education the attention it so rightfully 
deserves as a radical tool.

Kevin A. lives in New York and enjoys coffee. Sometimes too much.

Anarchist Education and the Modern School. Published by PM Press, 2018. Edited by Mark 
Bray and Robert Haworth. Translated by Mark Bray and Joseph McCabe

http://organisemagazine.org.uk/2019/05/13/review-anarchist-education-and-the-modern-school/

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Message: 6






Homophobia is rife in Broadstairs JD Sports! Earlier today Class War's London Mayoral 
Candidate Adam Clifford was in the scummy store with his boyfriend Marilyn. Marilyn gives 
our Adam an affectionate hug and kiss on the neck, and lo and behold Madam Homophobe the 
Manager comes thundering over and tells the lads to refrain from their minimalist shows of 
affection as it is inappropriate and making customers uncomfortable! Marilyn says "what, 
showing affecton to my boyfriend is inappropriate? I wasn't giving him a blow job!". Adam 
asks her if she'd be giving them a bollocking if they'd been a straight couple but she had 
a sudden loss of the power to speak. Goods were subsequently dropped at Madam's feet who 
thundered off again to her pre 1967 mindset. Fuck JD Sports.
Our New London Mayor's Stickers Look outstanding on any Lamp post!!

Class War - Adam Clifford for Mayor of London 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Gt_oOQUDs

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Message: 7





GASORBA SL EXPLOITS, HUMILIATES, REPRESSES AND DISAPPOINTS ITS WORKERS AND WORKERS. ---- 
Last November 2018, the trade union section of the SLTCMA of CNT-AIT was set up in Gasorba 
SL, a fact that was communicated to the company, which, although implicitly acknowledging 
the section, did not do the same with its corresponding delegate, arguing that the The 
company has fewer than 25 workers in the workforce. ---- Gasorba SL, a merchant that has 
branches scattered throughout the Marina Alta region, practices the systematic breach of 
the collective agreement with a series of pick-ups, always signed by a "representative", 
handpicked by the company. Therefore, with the constitution of the union section of 
CNT-AIT the company was "forced" to prepare union elections, whose participation was null 
and which was presented a "wild card" by the UGT. Thereafter, the situation worsened: 
another clause of dismissal, non-payment of amounts, modification of working conditions, 
dismissal of the delegate of the section for alleged economic objective causes that are 
not supported by a clear case of union repression ... and Finally,
Therefore, we are obliged to report that, Article 173 of the Criminal Code regulates 
crimes against moral integrity, in which "the typical action of this criminal behavior is 
to inflict degrading treatment on another person seriously undermining their Integrity or 
moral dignity ... Anyone who, taking advantage of their superior hierarchical 
relationship, repeatedly commits hostile or humiliating acts against others, which, 
without constituting degrading treatment, constitutes serious harassment against them, 
will also be punished in the context of any labor or civil service relationship. the 
victim "...
To a good listener, few words are enough ...

Trade Union Section of the SLTCMA of the CNT-AIT in Gasorba SL
On May 8, 2019,
NO AGGRESSION WITHOUT ANSWER!!!

https://levantecntait.wordpress.com/2019/05/15/comarca-de-marina-alta-conflicto-gasorba-s-l/

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Message: 8





On May 1, 2019, a memorable demonstration and demonstration of traditional leftist 
organizations and other parties in the country were held in Helsinki. Antifascists, 
anarchists and leftist activists organized a revolutionary anti-fascist and anti-fascist 
bloc and passed through the city. At 9 am a memorial rally was held near the memorial to 
the fallen soldiers of the Finnish Red Guard, workers who died in concentration camps 
organized by nationalists and white guards in 1918-19. Anarchists and anti-fascists raised 
black and red flags and placed flowers as a sign of respect for memory and solidarity with 
revolutionaries of past ages. ---- Between 11 and 12 hours, about 450-500 protesters with 
black and red flags, a "Everything Belongs to You" banner and other banners and posters 
were gathered near the "Hakaniemi" subway station. Among the protesters were 
Russian-speaking Comrades' Network activists, the Finnish anarchist group A-Ryhma and 
Kurdish activists with banners and posters. Participants communicated, exchanged news, 
distributed literature and leaflets.

At the beginning of the demonstration there were problems with the police. They did not 
want to leave the car with the sound system pass, but in the end the case was overcome. 
The car went to the top of the block and the march began, but time was lost and the 
anti-fascist bloc was far from the other part of the protest and it seemed like a separate 
march.

The revolutionary anti-fascist bloc was impressive. It formed a row of several hundred 
meters, revolutionary antifascist, Kurdish, Italian and Spanish songs were played from the 
loudspeakers. The activists carried the banners "general strike", "class war now", "the 
working class does not recognize the borders", "0% - bourgeois, 100% - anarchists", "Nazis 
at sea", " "As well as several posters against the deportation of migrants and refugees, 
bourgeois authorities and others. Dozens of people shouted slogans like "anti-capitalist," 
"antifascist," "solidarity, struggle, autonomy," "break fascism, destroy capitalism," and 
others.

Our column passed through half of the city from Hakaniemi station, past Senate Square and 
the train station area to Kamppi station. There were a lot of cops, including the 
equestrian squad, many police cars and even an armored police car all the way around the 
march. But it did not bother anyone and did not frighten.

The reaction of the people around was positive, many people filmed our column through the 
phones, some took pamphlets, the drivers signaled back. The action ended with the taking 
of collective photos with Kurdish comrades in solidarity with the liberation struggle of 
Rojava and Abdullah Ocalan.

Anarchist group of Russian activists "Comrades Network" Helsinki, Finnish anarchist group 
A-ryhmä, anti-fascist group "Varisverkosto", Anarchist black cross Helsinki, individual people

List of supporters: Mustankaninkolo, Pinkkimusta Helsinki, Oikeus Elää! / Right To Live!, 
Stop Deportations, Vapaa Liikkuvuus -verkosto, Vapaasyndikaatti, Rhythms of Resistance, 
Yhdessä Rojavan Puolesta, Pelastetaan Kaapelinkulmaand NCDK - Kurdien Demokraattinen 
Yhteisökeskus

More photos: 
https://avtonom.org/en/news/may-day-helsinki-against-authority-fascism-and-capitalism

Translation> Remembrance of the Oppressed!

anarchist-ana news agency

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