Anarchic update news all over the world - 15.05.2019

Today's Topics: 

   
1.  US, black rose fed: SOLIDARITY WITH DETAINED CUBAN ANARCHIST
      AND LGBT ACTIVISTS (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
2.  Britain, AFED: Organised #91: Statement On the "Yellow
      Vests" From The Federation Anarchiste (09/12/18)
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
3.  Britain, freedom news: Anarchist Festival 2019
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
4.  af london: Gender and Sexuality Working Group Meeting No.3 -
      16 May (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
5.  France, Alternative Libertaire AL #294 - CGT Congress:
      Beyond postural debates (fr, it, pt)[machine translation]
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
6.  France, cnt-ait - INDONESIA: FINANCIAL SOLIDARITY WITH
      ANARCHISTS DETAINED AFTER THE FIRST OF MAY (ca, fr)
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
  
 7.  Melbourne Anarchist Communist Group: Anvil 8/3 - DON'T
      MENTION THE EMERGENCY by ablokeimet (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
8.  [Argentina] Chronicle of May 1: An iron will to want to
      change everything By ANA (pt) [machine translation]
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
9.  Britain, brighton solfed: Eastbourne tenant wins back £100
      by challenging deposit deductions (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)


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Message: 1





Havana, Cuba - Following tensions around the cancellation of the state sponsored LGBT 
march and the effort by activists to call for an independently organized one, two 
anarchist and LGBT activists, Isbel Diaz Torres and partner Jimmy Roque Martinez, are 
believed to have been detained by Cuban authorities. The detentions are seen as an attempt 
by the Cuban state to suppress and intimidate outspoken activists whom they see as leaders 
and vocal activists in the LGBT community in Cuba. ---- The following transcribed 
statement was provided to us by Black Rose/Rosa Negra members currently in Cuba attending 
the Jornada Primavera Libertaria conference hosted by Cuban anarchists affiliated with the 
Taller Libertario Alfredo Lopez and Centro Social y Biblioteca Libertaria ABRA (or ABRA 
Social Center and Library) in Havana, Cuba. See below for further context and details.

My name is Mario. I'm making a statement to inform of the possible detention by the Havana 
police of Isbel Torres and Jimmy Roque, activists from the Taller Libertario Alfredo 
Lopez, El Guardabosques, and LGBT issues. Everything indicates that they were detained in 
the morning on their way to Vedado[neighborhood]for the last activity of the Jornada 
Primavera Libertaria. They called at 8am saying they were ready to head out and it's now 
close to 1pm and they haven't appeared and their phone is blocked. It's probable that they 
arrested them for their connections to the march against homophobia that's happening 
today, which was prohibited by the Cuban state, and which various people have promoted, 
including Isbel and Jimmy. In their desire to deny reality they have evidently arrested 
Isbel and Jimmy. We want to denounce this and call attention to this, particularly the 
police apparatus that continues intact here, and we want people to know about this act so 
that our comrades are not isolated.

-Translated audio statement from a member of Taller Libertario Alfredo Lopez

Context and Background
Earlier this week the state run National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX) which sponsors 
the Conga Against Homophobia and Transphobia announced that the 12th annual march was 
called off due to "new tensions in the international and regional context," and would be 
canceled "in compliance with the policy of the Party, the State and the Revolution."

CENESEX, which is headed by Mariela Castro, the daughter of Cuban Communist Party leader 
Raul Castro, has spearheaded a number of progressive policies around gay rights which has 
been a positive turn from the countries past when gay and lesbians were persecuted and 
faced imprisonment or being sent to work camps. But in last years debate around reforms of 
the constitution, proposals to include gay marriage were shelved to be decided by later 
referendum after active pressure from evangelical religious groups.

Media coverage on the cancellation of the LGBT march quoting Isbel Diaz Torres. He is 
pictured (right) together with his partner Jimmy Roque Martinez at the ABRA Social Center 
and Library. Yahoo! News, May 7, 2019.
On Friday, May 3 Torres received an interview summons by the National Revolutionary Police 
where authorities attempted to pressure him to not participate or publicly support for 
calls being made to hold an non-state sanctioned march. He was also accused of being 
"counter-revolutionary."

National Revolutionary Police summons for Isbel Diaz Torres.
The day prior to detention a pro-government website published a hit piece attacking the 
efforts calling for a non-state sanctioned LGT rally and smearing them as orchestrated and 
manipulated by US backed forces. The piece named Torres, calling him a 
"counter-revolutionary," and falsely framed him as receiving funding by the U.S. State 
Department.

Nonetheless, the called for non-sanctioned LGBT rally appeared earlier today in Havana at 
4pm but ended with several arrests. Further details are forthcoming.

We demand the immediate release of our comrades, Isbel and Jimmy!

Images from the Taller Libertario Alfredo Lopez Facebook Page.

To support the work of Taller Libertario Alfredo Lopez members of Black Rose/Rosa Negra in 
Miami are hosting a fundraiser towards the Jornada Primavera Libertaria conference.

For further information on anarchist perspectives on Cuba we recommend "To my compañerxs 
on the Left - A Reaction to the Death of Fidel" and "Cuba and the Demonization of 
Anarchists: A Lesson for Our Times."

http://blackrosefed.org/solidarity-with-detained-cuban-anarchist-and-lbgt-activists/

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Message: 2






Several weeks ago, a movement of anger as we have not seen in a longtime appeared in 
France, totally disorienting the state power. It is understandable and legitimate in 
regard to the suffered social violence; the diversity of its participants is an indication 
of how much people are fed up with the successive, more or less hidden, austerity 
politics. Even if impressive, this revolt is only adding to the recent social movements 
taking place throughout France in the hospitals, the rail company, universities, 
high-schools etc. ---- The main characteristic of this movement is the rejection of 
representation by politicians and of self-proclaimed leaders. On the occupied roundabouts, 
new modes of social interaction are being invented. Anarchists approve of this attitude 
which has always been theirs. However, the revolt will be in vain if it is not followed by 
proposals. They exist, for example in Saint-Nazaire or Commercy, and even if they don't 
fully satisfy the anarchists, they deserve to be supported as long as they are moving 
toward emancipation.

We are condemning and denouncing the many cases of violent State repression (arbitrary 
arrests, flash trials, mutilations from police ‘non-lethal' rounds and other offensive 
police weapons) as the only answer to the protests.

The victory of this movement will not be the dissolution of the Assemblée nationale 
(editor's note: French Parliament) in order to fill it with demagogues/populists and/or 
nationalists who themselves would not tolerate such demonstrations, but in its disruption 
through the establishment of self-organising and anarchist federalism.

Fédération Anarchiste

federation-anarchiste.org
ifa@federation-anarchiste.org
Categories: Announcements, Edition 91

http://organisemagazine.org.uk/2019/03/18/statement-on-the-yellow-vests-from-the-federation-anarchiste-09-12-18/

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Message: 3





Following the success of last year's weekend of decentralised anarchist happenings, the 
Anarchist Festival is back this year, this time aiming to host events scheduled across the 
country. ---- The Anarchist Festival is based on the simple idea: groups put on their own 
programme of anarchist events, concentrating on the dates of the long weekend of 31st May 
to the 2nd June 2019, and the programme is collated by the festival on their website and 
social media. ---- Below are some of the events confirmed so far. Please note that some 
ask for RSVP. Full lists are up on the event website and Facebook events page. ---- And, 
once you are planning your next weeks' radical workshops and events schedule, you may also 
want to note that between 15th and 22nd June London will see the return of Antiuniversity: 
a ‘collaborative experiment to reimagine the 1968 Antiuniversity of London in an programme 
of of free and inclusive self-organised radical learning and mutual education events'.

Anarchist Festival 2019 events:
The Anarchist Imagination: Anarchism Encounters the Humanities
Thursday, 30th May 2019 from 19:00-20:00 at Housmans Radical Booksellers, 5 Caledonian 
Road, London N1 9DX

A panel discussion on the continuous role of the anarchist imagination as muse, 
provocateur, goading adversary, and catalyst in the stimulation of research and creative 
activity in the humanities and social sciences, including anthropology, art, feminism, 
geography, international relations, political science, postcolonialism, and sociology.

Anarcho Agony Aunts LIVE with hosts Rowan and Marijam
Friday, 31st May 18:00-21:30 at London Action Resource Centre

Anarcho Agony Aunts is a sex and dating advice show, covered from a feminist, antifascist, 
anarchist perspective. Hosts Rowan and Marijam are reclaiming space from the alt-right in 
giving people (mostly men) a space to ask tricky questions in a judgment-free zone. The 
session will include a live taping of the Anarcho Agony Aunts, with people being able to 
submit their burning questions before the show.

Radical Pedagogy Reading Group
Friday, 31st May 19:00-21:00 at London Action Resource Centre

Topics TBC

Cooperation Jackson: The Struggle for Self-Determination
Friday, 31st May 19:00-20:00 at Housmans Radical Booksellers, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX

On a rare visit to London from Mississippi, a co-founder and co-director of Cooperation 
Jackson, Kali Akuno, will discuss the inspiring work they have been undertaking to create 
sustainable community development, economic democracy, and community ownership, within the 
confines of a historically structurally racist state.

Such A Discomfort!
Saturday, 1st June 12:00-13:00 at London Action Resource Centre

To take seriously the desire for destroying the prison society, we need to find new ways 
of holding ourselves and others accountable for our actions and inactions. This panel 
discussion will be followed by a workshop in search of practical steps we can take.

FairCoop: From Local to Global to Local
Saturday, 1st June 12:00-13:00 at London Action Resource Centre

FairCoop is an international cooperative movement that has adopted FairCoin as a radical 
ecological and social currency outside of the capitalist banking system. FairCoop is a 
visionary project founded on anarchist principles and operates at both local and global 
levels. In this session, we will hear from different participants in the FairCoop 
ecosystem across Europe who use FairCoin, and discuss the goal of building a cooperative 
ecosystem as an alternative to capitalist fiat currency and the state.

Radical Foundations: Educating, Agitating and Organising around Housing
Saturday, 1st June 13:00-15:00, October Books, 189 Portswood Road, Southampton SO17 2FN

Bad landlords, poor housing conditions, crappy student lets, bedroom tax, sky-high rents, 
discrimination. The list of problems in the rental sector is endless, but what's to be 
done? Come and chat about your experiences and opportunities for fighting back!

Featuring:
Housing Action: What Works? A talk on radical resistance by Brighton Solfed

Open discussion on housing experiences in Southampton with representative from Hamwic 
Housing Co-op

The Myth of Community: The Challenges of Organising Locally
Saturday, 1st June 13:00-15:00 at Mayday Rooms, 88 Fleet Street London EC4 1DH

Save the community', ‘Support from the community', ‘The community thinks', ‘Community Land 
Trust' are just a few of the references to ‘community' that we us when are involved in a 
range of struggles such as housing, saving a library or getting access to land. However, 
to what extent does this ‘community' exist? In this meeting, drawing on many practical 
examples of organising, we will discuss problems such as the impact of capitalism and 
divisions within localities. We will then hope to discuss how we can create genuine 
communities based on working class struggle. This event is organised by London Anarchist 
Communist Group.

Indonesia solidarity, talk & film screenings
Saturday, 1st June 14:00-17:00 at London Action Resource Centre

Talks and film screenings focused on the current situation of Indonesian DIY collectives, 
and their actions in Indonesia, mainly on Java and Bali.

Anarchist Federation Introduction to Anarchism
Saturday, 1st June 14:00-15:00 at Freedom Bookshop, 84b Whitechapel High Street ,London E1 7QX

Members of the London Anarchist Federation will discuss anarchism as a political 
philosophy, its history, key thinkers and modern currents as well as an anarchist FAQ. 
This talk is aimed at those interested in learning more about anarchism and will also 
include an overview of the many anarchist groups you can get involved with.

DIY Investigating Companies Workshop with Corporate Watch
Saturday, 1st June 14:00- 16:00 at Freedom Bookshop

Want to investigate a company but don't know where to start? Come along to this practical 
workshop led by Corporate Watch

World's End book launch and discussion
Saturday, 1st June 15:00- 17:00 at Freedom Bookshop

A launch of the Mycellium Collective's Words End, a comic aiming to help people understand 
climate change and capitalism, and tackling the huge, complex challenges they pose. The 
event will feature a discussion on the radical politics in eivoronmental activism in the 
context of the recent explosion of Extinction Rebellion and Climate Strike.

F**k it, mask on. A Netpol workshop on wearing masks at demos
Saturday, 1st June 16:00-17:00 at Freedom Bookshop

This workshop will talk about the law on covering your face, discuss creative ways of 
hiding your identity that moves beyond the traditional black bloc aesthetic, and 
interrogate popular assumptions around the act of wearing a mask.

Working Class Anarchism versus Middle Class Identity Politics
Saturday, 1st June 17:00-19:00 at London Action Resource Centre

Working Class Anarchism versus Middle Class Identity Politics: a
discussion with Lisa McKenzie & Martin Lux.

Subvertisers for London - Anarchist Festival screening
Saturday, 1st June 17:00-18:00 at Freedom Bookshop

Screening of Subvertisers for London - a film about subvertising in London by Dog Section 
Press (21mins).

Featuring: Jonathan Barnbrook, Darren Cullen, Dr.d - Subvertiser, Hogre, Double Why, Lydia 
Dagostino, Protest Stencil, Sila Yucel and Special Patrol Group.
Music: Algiers, DJ Beige Thickness, Jonny Drop
Titles and animation: Matt Bonner
Additional images: Brandalism, Jordan Seiler, Nekane Requejo De Ozami.
Additional footage: Brandalism, Hamlett Films, Thomas Dekeyser
Thanks to: Illustre Feccia, Ceffon, Bill Posters, DIY Space for London

Antiuniversity Political Keywords: what do we mean when we say....
Saturday 1st June 17:00-19:00 at Decentre, 84b Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX

Join the Antiuniversity Now co-organisers crew for a collective exercise in making sense 
of radical language, where we will identify contested terms and work together to examine, 
clarify, reference and demonstrate what we mean when we use them. At the end of the 
session we will have the beginning of a glossary of movement terminology, to be continued 
and expanded on. Bring a word you want to define or pick one up from our list.

LARC Film Club film screening & sober social
Saturday, 1st June 19:00-23:00 at London Action Resource Centre

Screening: Salvador (Puig Antich) (2006)

A profile of anarchist and bank-robber Salvador Puig Antich, the last person to be 
executed by garrot in Spain, in 1974 under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

The LARC Film Club is a sober, smoke-free space.
Please respect that and only attend if you are willing to follow this condition.

Write Here, Write Now - An Anarchist Media Gathering
Sunday, 2nd June 11:00-18:00 at Mayday Rooms

Write for your local anarchist rag?
Time to start a blog talking about your local politics?
Need to skill up to make a better stream?

Join speakers from Libcom, Freedom Press, SchNEWS and the Anarchist Federation to develop 
your skills and make links with anarchist media outlets. Alongside training sessions 
covering writing, the law, video production and much more will be talks from special 
guests including Ian Bone and leading anarchist YouTuber Emerican Johnson (NonCompete).

As publishers and anarchists we aim to develop our collective skillset to better share our 
politics and provide commentary on the fast-moving events happening around us.

This event is inclusive of all gender expressions, sexual identities, creeds and a general 
safer space policy will be upheld.

Please note:- The building MayDay rooms is housed in was built in 1902 and, due to the 
physical constraints of the building, has limited access. It is compliant with ‘ambulant 
disabled' and provision for broader access is currently under review.

The Kurdish Freedom Movement & Rojava Revolution
Sunday, 2nd June 12:00:14:00 at London Action Resource Centre

The Next Revolution Reading Group (NRRG), which started at last years Anarchist Festival, 
is co-hosting this event with the Education working group of the Kurdistan Solidarity 
Network (KSN). The event will feature an introduction to the Kurdish Freedom Movement and 
the inspirational feminist and ecological revolution in Rojava, as well as screening of a 
short video (23 mins) on what is happening on the ground with the radical democracy in 
action in Rojava, followed by discussion and info session on NRRG and the collective's 
reading/discussion process.

Boycott Workfare: Challenging Universal Credit & Conditionality
Saturday, 2nd June 14:00-16:00 at London Action Resource Centre

This training workshop covers the following key areas: * UC in the context of the broader 
social security structure * Similarities & differences in claimant conditionality between 
UC & the system it replaces * Types of conditionality under UC & how different groups - 
such as single parents, disabled people, carers, migrants & low paid workers - are 
affected * Relevance of the UC ‘claimant commitment' * Practical resistance to UC 
conditionality & compliance * Sanctions under UC & how to effectively challenge these * 
Strategies for dealing with common tactics used by the DWP to enforce the UC system. It 
also gives participants the chance to discuss/ask questions and empower themselves 
practically against UC and its inherent injustices.

Moving Forward (Film Screening)
Saturday, 2nd June 14:00-18:00 at London Action Resource Centre

A viewing and discussion of Zeitgeist: Moving Forward: a documentary on the issue of 
sustainability of our market-driven society and proposals for moving forward.

Green Anti-Capitalist Perspectives - A Panel & Discussion
Sunday, 2nd June 16:00-18:00 at London Action Resource Centre

This event, organised by Green Anti-Capitalist Front (GAF), will bring together speakers 
from Anarchist Federation, All African Women's Group (AAWG), the Kurdish Freedom Movement, 
and also speakers talking security culture & the police (& getting arrested), and speakers 
talking about fossil fuel extraction and the resistance against it (including 
anti-fracking), all in relation to green anti-capitalist resistance.

Class War Women's Death Brigade and Sister Not Sister UK discuss class politics, feminism 
and the TERF war
Sunday, 2nd June 18:30- 20:30 at Freedom Bookshop

CWWDB and SnC will be chatting about how trans liberation and the Gender Recognition Act 
connect so strongly with the class struggle and how the both groups are natural allies in 
fighting the TERF war.

https://freedomnews.org.uk/anarchist-festival-2019/

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Message: 4






In the run up to pride season our gender and sexuality working group are holding their 
third open meeting to discuss these issues, their intersection with anarchism, and plan 
actions.

Thursday, 16 May 2019 from 19:00-21:00 at Freedom bookshop, 84b Whitechapel High Street, 
London E1 7QX

https://aflondon.wordpress.com/2019/05/11/gender-and-sexuality-working-group-meeting-no-3-16-may/

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Message: 5






The era of Soviet congresses is a long way off. Exciting exchanges are shaking CGT 
congresses, led by delegates from the far left or neo-Stalinist groups. But in Dijon, for 
the 52 th Confederal Congress is a clash between different sensitivities that PCF will 
play out. ---- In Alternative Libertaire of March, we analyzed the conference documents 
and the issues by emphasizing that the texts submitted to the vote, often confused and 
contradictory, reflected well the state of the CGT where the strategic debates on the 
nature of unionism do not oppose not a radicalized base to a wait-and-see direction but 
divide the apparatus from top to bottom. ---- The network Our CGT, launched by Info 'com 
and unions or UL Nord-Pas-de-Calais, does not seem to have exceeded the scope of his usual 
contacts, largely structured around the personality of Mickaël Wamen (ex-Goodyear) . More 
worrying for the confederal leadership is the call to demonstrate on April 27 launched by 
the federations of Chemistry and Commerce, with the support of several DUs including three 
large: Val-de-Marne, North and Bouches-du-Rhone  [1]. Against Macron and for a "  popular 
front  ", rallied by the stalino-patriots of the PRCF and insubordinate France, this event 
on the eve of the congress is set to count, and weigh ! At the time of writing, it is 
difficult to predict what the result will be.

The first debate will focus on the balance of the combativity of the Confederal 
leadership, and its responsibility in the inability of the social movement to expand from 
the El Khomri law to yellow vests. Difficult to hear a balanced criticism between, on the 
one hand, the self-justification of the confederal leadership and, on the other hand, the 
ranting of some. An example on Paris: the calls to demonstrate with the yellow vests on 
Saturday, left Communaux, taken by the UD 75 then 94, have never, alas, gathered more than 
two handles of Cégétistes.

The stalls are excited about the WSF
The international question will also be the occasion of clashes. Admittedly, the 
confederal position is understandable - "  We remain in the European Trade Union 
Confederation (ETUC) and in the International Trade Union Confederation, but we bring the 
debate and we are looking for links with the trade union forces interesting outside  " - 
but there is enough to remain cautious, because to fight politically in the CES is a 
promise hardly kept since the adhesion of the CGT, in 1999 ...

Stall groups, in turn, make joining the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) an 
identity issue. Some federations and UD have already taken the plunge  [2]. On the other 
hand, a text ("  For an internationalism in action  ") recalls that unions as combative as 
the KCTU of South Korea are members of the ITUC, while some "  unions  " of the WFTU are 
only state appendices ( Syria, Sudan, North Korea ...).

It is therefore possible that the pro-FSM focus on a withdrawal of the CGT out of the CES, 
especially as the election of the leader of the CFDT, Laurent Berger, at the head of the 
CES, if it will not change anything to its general orientation, will be an easy symbol to 
shake in the heat of a congress.

Jean-Yves (AL 93 center)

http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Congres-CGT-Au-dela-des-debats-de-postures

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Message: 6






A wave of repression of unheard-of violence fell on our anarchosyndicalist and anarchist 
companions in Indonesia. ---- In Bandung alone, the police arrested 619 people, who were 
penned, undressed, head-shaved, piled up and taken away in pick-up , shorn and marked with 
red paint. (see for more info and photos: ---- 
http://blog.cnt-ait.info/public/INTERNATIONAL/INDONESIE/INDONESIE_2019-05-01_en.pdf ---- 
The anarchist movement has been growing steadily in recent years in Indonesia, attracting 
more and more young people who reject traditional parties or unions, as well as ancestral 
and religious customs and traditions. ---- Last year, our companions from PPAS staged a 
UBER driver strike, which strongly angered KSPSI, Indonesia's largest union. Regularly 
KSPSI attacks the gatherings of our companions.

On the pretext of minor incidents on May 1 in various cities (and largely provoked by the 
police and its savage repression), the union and the police found the pretext they were 
searching for to get rid of our companions, by designating them as the organizers of a 
vast plot hatched from abroad, some newspapers incriminating even the IWA (international 
anarchosyndicalist organization). An "anarchosyndicalist witch-hunt" has been launched by 
the Indonesian Police Chief, relayed by leading local newspapers.

Today several people have been arrested including one of our companions. They risk heavy 
penalties.

Our companions need our solidarity, especially financial.

Those who wish to contribute can:

- spread this information as much as possible,

- for those in the SEPA Zone (28 UE member states, Switzerland, Norway and island), they 
can make a bank transfer in Euro to support PPAS (in SEPA Zone, bank transfer are free 
while internet plateform you have to pay 2,9% + 0,3° $ on each transaction). If you want 
to proceed this way, please contact us by email: contact@cnt-ait.info

- for those not in Euro Zone or that prefer to use anonymous electronic plateform, they 
can either use the plateform in Euro we launched:

https://www.gofundme.com/solidarite-indonesie-solidarity-indonesia

or the one in Dollar launched by our Australian friends:

https://www.gofundme.com/support-persaudaraan-pekerja-anarko-sindikalis.

Thanks for our fellow mates!

CNT-AIT Paris

http://blog.cnt-ait.info

FB: @cnt.ait.paris.banlieue

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Message: 7





On 18 May, enrolled voters in Australia will decide which members of the capitalist class 
will represent us in Parliament and crush us in government for the next three years. This 
election occurs at a time when the world has been informed that it has, at most, until 
2030 to take effective action to stop and begin reversing climate change, or risk crossing 
tipping points into runaway temperature rises that would kill billions and endanger 
industrial civilisation. So you'd think the major players would be presenting plans to fix 
it. But no, this is Australian capitalist democracy and we get something different. ---- 
The incumbent government is a coalition of the Liberal Party, the open representatives of 
Big Business, and the National Party, which pretends to represent farmers but actually 
represents mining companies. The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, two years ago infamously 
thought it would be a jolly jape to bring a lump of coal into Parliament and taunt his 
political opponents with it. He is only PM because climate change deniers in his own party 
nobbled some ineffective attempts to do something about the issue and eventually brought 
down Malcolm Turnbull, the Liberal Prime Minister they detested for being too liberal.

What are they offering? Firstly, they have promised a vast number of mostly small 
infrastructure and spending projects in seats they need to hold and a handful they hope to 
take. It is a grab bag with no coherent vision. Second, they promise a substantial tax cut 
in five years for people on upper middle incomes. Apart from that, they offer nothing. 
Nothing but a relentless scare campaign against the Labor Party and its leader, Bill Shorten.

And what of the Labor Party? This party fundamentally represents the desire of the union 
bureaucracy to reach a compromise with capital about permissible reforms that might better 
the lot of working people while preserving existing capitalist relations. Its leader, Bill 
Shorten, comes from the Australian Workers Union, which has a deserved reputation of 
decades of undemocratic sellouts of its members. Naturally, the capitalists don't 
criticise him for that, since it's the one thing they are in favour of union officials doing.

Surprisingly, Labor is presenting its strongest contrast with the Liberals for a 
generation. This is because Shorten and other senior Labor figures have seen the death 
spiral into which most European social democratic parties have entered and declined to 
join them. They're not departing from neo-liberalism, but they're having a serious go at a 
range of costly tax loopholes used by the richest 10%. They're also promising to do 
something effective about climate change, though their concrete proposals are only about 
half of what is needed.

Who else is running? Firstly, we'll take the Right. There's One Nation, as nasty a bunch 
of racists and bigots as you're ever likely to find, and then there's a collection of 
Right wing nut jobs (mostly running only for the Senate) who for reasons known only to 
themselves aren't in One Nation. Clive Palmer, a mining magnate, is trying to buy his way 
into Parliament with a Trump-esque slogan and a policy free zone onto which people can 
project their wishes. And a dishonourable mention has to go to Fraser Anning's 
Conservative National Party, who are actual capital-F Fascists, but have an accidental 
Senator to give them publicity.

On the Left, we have the Greens. As a capitalist party, they shame Labor by campaigning to 
their Left, proposing a range of supportable reforms and some climate change policies that 
start to approach what is necessary. They are fundamentally handicapped, though, by their 
delusion that a just and sustainable capitalism is possible. Whatever the virtues of their 
individual policies, the working class would end up bearing the cost.

The final party worth mentioning are the Victorian Socialists, who are running in three 
lower house seats in Victoria. The MACG oppose running for elections because, although 
it's possible to enter a capitalist Parliament on a principled basis, we think it's a 
waste of time and effort to do so. The energy required for the election campaign can be 
far more usefully directed towards building grassroots struggles. Nevertheless, the 
question arises of how to respond if a State Socialist group decides to waste its 
resources that way.

Because the Victorian Socialists have no chance of being elected, they only have to pass 
two very simple tests. They have to be standing clearly for Socialism and against 
capitalism. Secondly, the party mustn't have disgraced itself in front of the whole 
working class like the British SWP has with its rape apologism (put "Comrade Delta" into 
your favourite search engine). They pass both these. We make no detailed demands of their 
policy, because we understand that no Parliamentary program, however "correct", can get us 
to Socialism. And the Victorian Socialists' program is indeed quite weak. For more 
details, you can consult your friendly local Spartacist, who will be only too happy to 
brief you on their shortcomings.

On this basis, we believe it is possible for Anarchists to lodge a principled vote for the 
Victorian Socialists. We must emphasise, though, the very limited meaning of such a vote. 
It is simply to say "I'm against capitalism and for Socialism" and it is only because the 
Vic Socialists have no chance of winning. If they stood a chance, no matter how remote, we 
would have to judge them on a much stricter test. A crucial element would be whether a 
Victorian Socialists MP would explain to the working class that Socialism is only possible 
through the revolutionary actions of the workers themselves and not through Parliament. 
This is a test they would not pass.

Finally, it is necessary to point out that the Victorian Socialists have already 
demonstrated our thesis that Leftists should put their energies into grassroots struggles 
rather than election campaigns. On 4 May, the Fascist party Yellow Vests Australia held a 
small demonstration in Melbourne. Normally, the Campaign Against Racism and Fascism would 
have mobilised in opposition. Most of its members, however, are in Socialist Alternative, 
the main force behind the Victorian Socialists, and the SAlties were out busy doorknocking 
for the Vic Socialists instead. Other groups, being smaller, didn't want to risk 
mobilising on their own. So the Fascists went unopposed. Fail.

BUILD MOVEMENTS NOT ELECTIONS

https://melbacg.wordpress.com/2019/05/12/dont-mention-the-emergency/

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Message: 8






"A strong will for wanting to change everything." "The revolutionary fervor to transform 
society." "Solidarity and mutual support make us invincible." Often all these words are 
written or read, but rarely have any real meaning. Yesterday was one of those moments. 
---- The act[in Buenos Aires]began a little later than usual due to the delays that we had 
many times to get to Place Eleven. But we arrived. The team mates redoubled the bet and we 
did not let them steal us on May 1st. ---- A fair claim, but operated by the UTA union 
bureaucracy, could not stop our attempt to remember the martyrs of Chicago and claim the 
"martyrs" of today. We saw each other's faces again to hug and raise our fists together. 
We do not come together to shout empty or unrealistic slogans, nor to try to unify claims 
with authoritarian sectors. We come together to scream at the imperative need we have as 
workers to end this system of exploitation and oppression. We reflect on the concrete and 
everyday problems of our class, how to be the same, about the murders of workers, the long 
hours of work; and the traps of democracy and all its parties, hoping to govern and 
squeeze us. We reflect on the role of the State in all its aspects as a player and 
guarantor of capitalism. We denounce the patriarchal structure that maintains injustices 
so old that we often do not see them, and expose them aloud against the macho prejudices 
we also have. But as one fellow said well, "the class struggle must be gender-conscious, 
and the gender struggle must be class-conscious." Nowadays there can not be one without 
the other and it is our task to promote this ideal.

On this day we realize that there are many more things that unite us than those that 
separate us and that our enemy is before us. But we also emphasize the small, horizontal, 
federalist organization in the workplace. We encourage participation and revolutionary 
militancy in the world of the union, not reproducing a banal quantitative logic, but 
because we really need to be much more to confront the state and capitalism. We need to be 
much more to tilt the balance to the working-class side. We need to be much more organized 
based on our anarchist principles of equality, solidarity and direct action.

We reflect and shout. We merge into our greatest desires and dreams. Some, addicted to 
clientelism, populism and verticalism, will underestimate the nearly 200 comrades who made 
this day intense. However, for us, the participation of all these people is invaluable, 
and we often do not see each other in the day-to-day, already demonstrates the love of 
freedom and passion for wanting to change the world. Activists and militants of different 
generations, with different languages, different processes and very diverse experiences, 
we unite in this day of resistance and struggle.

It was a day to nurture passion and increase conviction. It was a day to remember that we 
are not alone. It was a day to take another step in the battle for social emancipation.

Each May 1st makes us more invincible and we must continue on this path. It costs us a lot 
to agree, but we go together, following and growing.

Patience is as fundamental as impetus.

So many companions and companions did not fight in vain. We continue to remember and today 
it is our turn to keep the flame burning so the fire does not go out.

By anarchic communism

Live the outside

Health and emancipation

outside.home.blog

Translation> Liberto

Related Content:

https://noticiasanarquistas.noblogs.org/post/2019/04/29/argentina-fora-1-de-maio-dia-de-protesto-universal/

anarchist-ana news agency

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Message: 9






A tenant in Eastbourne has won back £100 by challenging deductions to his deposit. The 
tenant's landlord was attempting to make various deductions for replacement items that had 
been subject to fair wear and tear. ---- The tenant contacted Brighton SolFed for advice 
on what he could do in this situation, given that he had already moved out and was unable 
to gather his own evidence. After some brief discussion about the different ways that 
deposit theft can be challenged - such as by checking whether your landlord has correctly 
protected the deposit, and challenging your landlord to produce invoices for items that 
they allege needed replacing - the tenant opened correspondence with the landlord about 
the deductions. The landlord immediately agreed to return £100, which the tenant was happy 
to accept.

Deposit theft is a common practice in the private rental sector. Sometimes all it takes to 
get your money back is the confidence that you have the support of others who understand 
the situation you're in.

Having trouble getting your deposit back? You can find information about your rights at: 
http://www.brightonsolfed.org.uk/housing-union?qt-new_housing_union_tabs

We also have a template letter for challenging deductions to your deposit: 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw5UAacBVuedWnJ1VUlfOS1CYXM/view?usp=sharing

http://www.brightonsolfed.org.uk/brighton/eastbourne-tenant-wins-back-ps100-by-challenging-deposit-deductions

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