Today's Topics:
1. Britain, freedomnews, Queer AF Brighton: Say No To
Transphobia Brighton! A report on protest against WPUK
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
2. France, Union Communiste Libertaire AL #297 - Essay: The
fight and the mutual help (fr, it, pt)[machine translation]
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
3. anarkismo.net: VII Libertarian Communist Days by ViaLibre
(ca, it, pt) [machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
4. Communiqué by Embat, Llibertària Organization of
Catalonia, before the strike for the climate of September 27.
(ca, it, pt) [machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
5. Britain, freedomnews, AFED:Organise! magazine #92 Content +
After a period of dormancy, Japan is now awake
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
6. Britain, Class War: BARRY SHEERMAN'S RAGE WAS THE ONLY
possible response. He used to be my politics tutor at Swansea
uni. (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
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Message: 1
On Monday 23rd September 2019 the transphobic hate group WPUK ("Woman's" Place UK)
returned to Brighton to attempt to host another meeting under the cover of being a fringe
event for the Labour Party Conference. ---- WPUK claim to be a "feminist" group for the
furthering of "women's" rights. Their views are essentialist, discriminatory, and hateful.
They travel the UK hosting meetings to attract young women under the guise of feminism and
then propagate violent anti-transgender rhetoric. The group has been opposed by queer
(LGBTIA+), feminist and antifascist groups across the country. They even keep their own
glory wall on their website, documenting the counter actions that have taken place against
them. WPUK then use the media as a tool to wrongly distort these protests as acts of
intimidation or violence against cis women. This is a political strategy that has been
used by fascists and abusive people since the dawn of time, it is the act of distortion,
of projection and of gas lighting. As with the early British feminist movements, who did
not recognise the struggles of women of colour or the needs of women in the lower classes,
these women at WPUK now intend to exclude, or worse still target, transgender women.
Despite what WPUK and its members would have you believe, there is nothing radical nor
feminist about their views nor actions. They are antiquated, ignorant and incite
structural, societal and medical violence upon our trans community. Transgender identity
is protected under hate crime legislation and is defined as hostile behaviours towards the
victim, therefore, there can be no doubt to WPUK's status as a hate group.
Whilst transgender humans may be the main target of WPUK's hateful propaganda they are not
the only people discriminated against by these bigots. Sex workers are also targeted by
WPUK, as happened in Brighton over the Labour Conference weekend. Members of WPUK
distributed thousands of leaflets both inside the conference buildings and to the public
outside of Labour Conference and The World Transformed conference venues. These leaflets
specifically targeted women who participate in sex work. There is nothing feminist about
whorephobia, sex work is work. WPUK have also had multiple complaints lodged against them
for their racist indiscretions during meetings, bringing us back to the fact that these
women need to get some education on the evolution of the feminist movement and stop
consulting transphobic University of Sussex lecturer, Kathleen Stock.
This is not the first time Brighton has had the misfortune of witnessing WPUK's propaganda
tactics. In July 2018, WPUK came to further their political mission opposing the Gender
Recognition Act, in an attempt to stop the legal, administrative and societal recognition
of transgender and gender non-conforming people. Local trans and queer people came
together as a community to protest the group at the Jury's Inn (Waterfront), after WPUK's
first venue, Friends' Meeting House, cancelled the booking as a rejection of WPUK's views:
"We strongly challenge the misrepresentation, misinformation, disrespect and intrinsic
antagonism towards trans people by Women's Place UK and others in pursuing their stated
aims around gender identity legislation (including the Gender Recognition Act), and want
to highlight the hugely negative effect this is having on trans people in Britain,
including trans friends."
The Gender Recognition Act is especially relevant to WPUK's essentialist definition of
"women", and what they wrongfully consider single-sex spaces. It is demeaning and harmful
to all women, not just trans women as it perpetuates misogynistic views of womanhood,
including cis people being targeted for presenting in a non-conforming way in these spaces.
Queer AF Brighton called this year's counter-demonstration against the WPUK meeting, whose
venue was being kept secret from both the local community and ticket holders. WPUK used
the Labour Conference as a cover for their anti-transgender and anti-sex worker
propaganda, encouraging labour members and delegates to attend their meeting under the
false pretenses of bettering "women's rights". Queer AF and local volunteers attempted to
combat WPUK's hateful rhetoric by advertising the protest planned against them, on social
media and by leafleting outside Labour Conference and The World Transformed events.
On Monday at 5pm, the Old Steine was used as a meeting point for the Say No To Transphobia
Brighton protest. Over 200 protesters gathered which included trans and queer activists,
Labour Party members, trade union members, feminist groups and antifascists. Whilst the
protesters waited for the official announcement of the venue site, they made speeches,
handed out leaflets and enjoyed music together. At 6pm the notice went out that the BMECP
(Black & Minority Ethnic Community Partnership), would be the venue hosting the WPUK
meeting. The protesters marched through town, waving flags, singing and chanting. Some
protesters who did not march, also went to the BMECP to counter flyer attendees waiting in
line. When the march arrived at the venue, protesters gathered near the entrance which was
already guarded by private security and police officers. An archway was made with a
transgender banner which read "transgender rights are human rights" above the entrance
steps, this meant whilst attendees were still able to enter the building they were also
unable to remain ignorant to this fact.
The protesters successfully split into two groups for the noise demo, covering the front
entrance and at the back of the building outside the room where WPUK held their meeting.
For the next three hours of the protest, activists made impassioned and informative
speeches about the rise of transgender hate crime, the violence against trans children,
and the need for solidarity with non-binary people. Our trans siblings in attendance gave
personal accounts of the transphobia against them, but also of their own powerful
community building and togetherness to hold each other in these turbulent times. It's
important to remember that hate crimes against members of our trans community have risen
by 81% in the past year. WPUK's hate speech against transgender people incites the public
to further attacks online and beyond, this in turn contributes to the loss of transgender
lives.
There were sung performances such as "I am what I am, and what I am is trans", "singing in
the rain" (when buckets were poured on protesters) and "under my gender
umbrella-ella-ella". Chants included:
WPUK, are a hate group!
You stop the hate group, we'll stop the protest!
You're not real feminists, we are! We are! (Yankee doodle tune)
Hey, hey, ho, ho, Transphobia has got to go!
Sex work is work, decrim now!
Who protects the transphobes? POLICE protect the transphobes!
Trans women are women, trans men are men, non-binary is valid!
Keep the L with the T, transphobes do not speak for me!
Please know your history, black trans women fought for me!
Eventually, the WPUK meeting concluded and members left sad and frustrated that their
meeting had been disrupted, leaving as aggressively as they entered. This aggression has
continued since the meeting, by way of false and malicious media allegations against
activists, community protesters, and transgender people. They have also promoted the
erasure of the initiation and escalation of violence inflicted by police and private
security at their event, towards queer women, young people, people of colour and other
marginalised people.
Queer AF has made a request to the TWT to get Jeremy Corbyn to stand by the Labour Party's
explicit approach to transphobia and denounce WPUK. The Labour party's shadow equalities
minister Dawn Butler has already taken a hardline stance. Queer AF is now circulating an
Open Letter being signed by activist groups across the country. To show your solidarity
please sign the letter here.
The erasure of and violence against the trans community will not be tolerated. Trans
rights are human rights, the real feminists and activists will continue to fight for them.
Queer AF Brighton
https://freedomnews.org.uk/say-no-to-transphobia-brighton-a-report-on-protest-against-wpuk/
------------------------------
Message: 2
In this essay, Nicolas Delalande looks back on a century of solidarity during which
workers and workers wove a network of struggle across different international
organizations ---- "Let us group and tomorrow the international will be the human race"
could summarize the leitmotiv of the International Workers Association (AIT) created in
1864 in London, then the capital of capitalism and anti-capitalism. Born from the will of
activists · come from diverse backgrounds is a structure at the service of workers
solidarity that describes Nicolas Delalande in his book The Struggle and mutual assistance
and subtitled "The Age of Solidarity workers"published by Editions du Seuil.
In order to propose a different approach to the militant historiography of the 1960s-1970s
that put more emphasis on the ideological oppositions between Marx and Proudhon then
Bakunin, between centralization and federalism for short, the author considers other
entries that have the merit of being equally relevant. Indeed, in a first part entitled
"Time for experiments", Nicolas Delalande describes how solidarity will concretely operate
within the organization.
The moral question of money
This implies that the question of money is at the heart of the first developments of the
book. From the outset, it seemed quite clear to the members of the International that
charity and taxation could not be accepted as factors of solidarity. The first because of
its religiosity and the obvious link of subordination that it implies ; the second because
of its statism, the legal obligation it implies and the inequalities that can result (the
famous "the tax bleeds the unfortunate" The International ).
Nicolas Delalande insists on a fundamental question which is that of the currency and the
moral question that underlies this tool. The motto of the AIT was "No duties without
rights, no rights without duties", so the receipt of money implied that the recipient was
(morally) required to show solidarity when it would the possibility. This monetary aid
then took various forms. During major strikes, it was not uncommon for a subscription to
be put in place, that is to say a call for donations ; at other times free loans were made
by other organizations, and the money was then withdrawn from their own funds.
Then it was necessary to pass the funds. However, because of obvious moral assumptions, it
was inconceivable to use the banking tools put in place by capitalism. Who can be
entrusted with the money to cross borders ? How can people who give can be sure of the
proper use of the sums granted ? Before the AIT, few transnational links existed between
the workers and the workers. Thus, the learning of trust was necessary. From this results
the debate on freedom and free credit. This project was carried by Proudhon who, despite
the failure of his people's bank, has constantly defended his ideas of
institutionalization of the credit workers.
The author concludes his first part in the years 1871-1872 by attempting to describe the
way in which solidarity with the Communards in exile was organized, showing how it was a
factor in the dislocation of the organization. This is obviously not the only cause of the
death of the first International because it is above all the conduct of the Congress of
The Hague that marks the end of this experience. It was on this occasion that Marx and
Engels decided to move the headquarters of the AIT to New York. At the same congress,
Bakunin and James Guillaume are excluded. Consequently, in September of the same year, is
born the Jurassian Federation, also called International anti-authoritarian, which gathers
the anarchists and libertarians excluded at the congress of 1872.
The second part of the book titled The Time of Consolidation begins with the description
of the transition years from the end of the AIT to the birth of the Second International
(1872 and 1889). Meanwhile, there is no particular structure. That being the case, the
practices experienced in its framework persist.
The time of mass strikes
After this brief interlude without apparent structure, 1889 marks the birth of the second
International. It is on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition in Paris that the
mandates meet to create this new organization which, this time, will be the union of
national political parties, unique and independent. One of the major evolutions is due to
the second industrial revolution which caused the emergence of the big productive centers.
The days when engravers, cigars and other professionals in the world of crafts represented
the majority of the organization's workforce are over ; henceforth it is the workers and
workers of the big industries who are represented. Then comes the time for mass strikes
and the emergence of genuine class solidarity.
This is one of the reasons why the debate about the goals and means of the strike is
becoming more and more important. Because, even if it has always existed in the
international, it takes another turn after the first Russian revolution of 1905. From then
on the concept of general strike occupies a major place in the discussions. This maturing
time of international solidarity practices does not, however, prevent the First World War.
The internationalism described by the author after 1914 seems to take another face. If
several international coexist, they have less concrete virtues and it is, among other
things, through anticolonialism and anti-imperialism (US-American) that international
solidarity will be exerted. In his conclusion, the author highlights the fact that today
the criticism of capitalist globalization is essentially the work of organizations
fighting against financial transactions or climate disruption, associations that do not
affect the working classes.
Ultimately, this essay shows us that at a time when the flow of information and
communications was much less globalized than today, women and men of will have created a
structure and links across borders. despite difficulties. Without saying that our two
periods are similar, Nicolas Delalande invites us to question the possibility of creating
tools to propose another globalization in the service of the popular class.
Jeremy Kermorvant
Nicolas Delalande, Wrestling and mutual aid. The age of workers' solidarity, Seuil,
February 2019, 368 pages, 24 euros.
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Essai-La-lutte-et-l-entraide
------------------------------
Message: 3
The VII Libertarian Communist Days on feminism and anarchism are coming, to be held next
Friday, October 27 and Saturday, October 28 at the La Perseverancia Community Library (Cra
4a No 31-41, half a block from the Market Square in the neighborhood) ---- Friday,
September 27. 6:00 pm ---- Panel on sexist violence within popular organizations ----
Saturday, September 28. 2:00 pm ---- Launch of the booklet: Anarchism and social movements
of 1968 ---- Projection of short films struggle of the peoples in Kurdistan and Palestine
---- Panel libertarian feminist experiences in Colombia ---- Cultural event ---- Free
admission, we are waiting for you ---- Vía Libre Libertarian Group ---- Related Link:
https://grupovialibre.org/2019/09/24/vii-jornadas-comunistas-libertarias-27-y-28-de-septiembre-2019/
https://www.anarkismo.net/article/31564
------------------------------
Message: 4
Climate change is a fact that everyone is aware of. No matter how much you want to deny,
its effects have become evident and scientific studies are no longer needed to prove it.
---- Years ago we know the terrible consequences that this climate change will have:
changes in rain regimes, which will generate both floods and droughts; desertification of
large parts of the world; rising sea level; Increased incidence of climate phenomena (for
example, hurricanes ...). All this will lead to the impoverishment of hundreds of millions
of people and will lead us to an increase in conflict over basic resources that will
become scarce, such as water and farmland. ---- Now, climate change will not affect us all
equally. The poorest and most vulnerable populations will be the ones who take the worst
part. Instead, high classes have long been preparing for this scenario; There are even
companies that are investing in farmland and water reserves in order to speculate with
them and enrich themselves in the future.
And what is the cause of this climate change? The richest 10% of the world's population
generate 50% of the environmental impact, while the poorest 50% of the population only
generates 10% of the impact. Injustice is evident. But we can not do only an 'individual'
responsibility. It must be made clear: who sustains this social order is a civilizing
system of domination, both of society and of nature. Capitalism and the State secures the
privileges of a minority, while the rest is forced to suffer in silence. Capitalism is an
unsustainable economic system, based on continuous growth and accumulation. The excessive
extraction of resources it causes is reaching a limit and economic crises will become
increasingly common. International summits like Kyoto or Paris have not given necessary
answers,
Many times, from the cinema or the media, there is talk of collapse and imagine
apocalyptic scenes that have come to light. It is clear that we are at a time of system
change, but this change will most likely not be in the form of a sudden collapse or will
be carried out everywhere equally and at the same time. The fall of civilization as we
have known until now will be progressive, in fact it is already occurring; And the ruling
classes will try to get all the benefit possible. In fact, nobody guarantees that the
change is better. New fascisms and authoritarian forms of government will try to impose
themselves by "security" and large masses of people will be condemned to die. The
alternative that is presented at present is based on reforming the system. Only changes
are made in its operation, like the New Green Deal, so that Capitalism becomes
"ecologist". However, the only thing they achieve is to open new market niches and new
ways to profit from the poverty of the people.
Therefore, given the resignation that is tried by the elite and the reformist measures
that do not solve the problem, we only have the option of fighting and going to the root.
We have to fight to make sure that the system change occurs in favor of disadvantaged
people and communities, both here and the rest of the world, to end once and for all with
the State and Capitalism. It is essential to think and generate new society models that
are socially and environmentally based, based on horizontality and local scale, where
human action is neither anthropocentric nor where the relationship with the environment is
built from extractivism. We must completely change the western civilization model, learn
from societies that still know how to relate to the environment. We must find the way to
transfer production and distribution to a different model. But to do this, they must also
change all the structures of government, principles and values.
So, in order to cope with this context, we must be prepared. We have to organize ourselves
already to resist and in order to build the strength and the infrastructures that allow us
to cope with the system. We can not keep our arms together, seeing how the system is
getting stronger.
We must manage to generate enough self-management so we do not need Capitalism to meet our
needs.
We must get knit community networks and generate a strong people, which allows us to
organize ourselves without depending on the State.
Only in this way can we be free, only so we can live well. Let us not choose between
welfare and freedom.
https://embat.info/defensem-la-terra-acabem-amb-el-capitalsime
------------------------------
Message: 5
This text is from the latest issue of the beautifully edited and well-worth your time
Anarchist Federation's Organise! magazine. Along the following piece, the new Organise!
features: ---- 1 - Anarchist Black Cross ---- 4 - Anarchist Federation Backs Earth Strike
---- 6 - Interview with an Earth Strike organiser ---- 12 - Productivity Is Not Your
Friend - Pavlo Shopin ---- 14 - Fashy Social Media Site Now Comes In Pink ---- 16 - A
Brief History Of Violence - Peter Ó Máille ---- INTERNATIONAL ---- 23 - International
Bulletin ---- 24 - After A Period Of Dormancy, Japan Is Now Awake - Noma Yasumichi
(C.R.A.C.) ---- 28 - Feminists Rise Up In Mexico ---- 29 - Stateless And Oppressed ---- 34
- Hongkongers Ain't Nothing To Fuck With ---- 39 - Fascist Foot In The Door Of Squats ----
40 - Update About Our Current Situation - Spirou Trikoupi ---- 41 - Refugees Welcome
Stencil ---- 42 - Bookfair 2020
BURN AFTER READING
44 - Review: Desert, A Warning - John Warwick
47 - Books Beyond Bars
48 - An Anarchist Manifesto - Max Nettlau
54 - Putting The A Back Into Admin
RED AND BLACK GAMING
58 - Review: A Bewitching Revolution
59 - Review: Comrades
60 - The Board Game Is Political - Anteo (no Board Games Collective)
Print and Play Version of RIOT: Caste The First Stone
COMICS
62 - The Super Happy Anarcho Fun Pages - Margaret Killjoy
63 - Assigned Male Comics - Sophie Labelle
64 - Bogswallop
65 - Red And Black Salamander
MEMORIA
64 - Rest In Power Tekoser Piling / Lorenzo Orsetti
65 - Rest In Power Ewan Brown
BACK PAGES
66 - Anarchist Federation / IFA
Grab yourself a copy from your favourite disreputable anarchist literature distributor, or
subscribe either via Patreon,or DM to sort a paypal/bank transfer. The magazine is also
available as free pdf online, and it is free for prisoners.
The embryo of Japanese modern far-right
Japan's significant anti-fascist / anti-racist movement came along very late. It started
just six years ago, when far-right Abe government came back to power.
In autumn this year, it is said that the Abe government will mark the longest period of
ruling since the Meiji Revolution. It is also the most fascist and racist government since
the Second World War. Japan now looks as if it's the Third Reich in the early 30s, full of
hatred spreading towards ethnic minorities like such as the Koreans and Chinese living here.
Japan's modern far-right movement has reared up in the late 90's. First, it began as a
protest to revise the history textbooks for high schools for the purpose of denying
Japan's wartime crimes such as the Nanjing Massacre and war-time sex slaves (comfort
women). After more than two decades, the revisionism achieved a successful outcome and
Japan's war-time history is now completely revised. It was first spread through manga,
then internet BBS (Bulletin Board Systems) and movie broadcasting services. Revisionism
and racism in Japan has been a part of subculture and covered society from the bottom up.
Unlike the UK and other European countries, Japan's far-right was not particularly active
on the streets. They didn't march or protest in cities before the mid 00's, but in the
late 00's the situation changed. They began to do demonstrations in city centres naming
themselves "Conservatives in Action". It was the beginning of Japan's current hate speech
problem.
They frequently marched raising many Rising Sun flags just like National Front marching
through London in the 70's. Japan's far-right now caught up with the world's far-right
after forty years and at the same moment, Japan's Antifa movement started.
Racist groups like Zaitokukai (now turned Japan First Party) soon became violent. They
targeted ethnic minorities, mainly Koreans, sometimes Chinese and others. The name of the
group means Association of Citizens against the Special Privileges of the Zainichi
Koreans. This name claimed that Korean permanent residents (similar to UK Asians or
Caribbeans from former colonies) had special privileges and Japanese people had been under
‘reverse discrimination' for a long time. It was very similar the White Pride movement
often seen in the UK, Europe and America.
Zaitokukai attacked the Korean Junior High School in Kyoto at the end of 2009, when the
first Anti-Racist movement had rose up in Kyoto to organize counter-demonstration waving
No Pasaran flags. In the same year, Japan experienced a rare regime change to the
Democratic Party government which was relatively more liberal than LDP (but still
conservative with the same neo-liberalist policies as LDP had). So right-wingers and
conservatives became much more active to defeat the DP government and far-right Zaitokukai
turned more hostile and violent to try and overwhelm the counter-demonstrators.
In 2011, a huge earthquake hit Northeast Japan and it lead to the Fukushima nuclear
disaster. That ruined the stability of DP government and soon LDP took over the regime
with PM Abe by the end of 2012. It was a backlash government from the beginning.
Zaitokukai and other ultraright groups were still strong on the street after the Abe
government had come to power. In early 2013, they marched through Korean communities in
Tokyo and Osaka every week shouting threats to Koreans that were so painful to hear and
attacked Korean shops. Counter-Racist Action Collective was founded to physically stop
this vandalism.
Counter-activities against far-right burst out
Until 2012, counter-protesters were very few in number compared to ultra-right hate
mongers. There were only several antifascists confronting hundreds of bigots acting up, so
sometimes counter-protesters were injured by their violence. It was mainly because leftist
protesters were often intellectuals and too moderate to fight them back. Yes, they were
good people but truly vulnerable.
But in 2013, things drastically changed. The emerging antifascist protesters were dressed
in hoodies and stood up against the far-right marching in the streets. They verbally
attacked bigots with F-words and sometimes got involved in fights with them. This was the
beginning of the Battle of Shin-Okubo which lasted for half a year in Tokyo's largest
Korean enclave.
Opposition rapidly increased in numbers by the summer. In June 2013, about 2000 people
confronted the hate march on the main street of Shin-Okubo, which regularly mobilized 300
- 400 right-wingers. It was exactly like the early NF march surrounded by antifascists in
Lewisham, and at that very moment, Japanese people visibly showed an anti-racist attitude
for the first time in their history.
Those people who took part in counter-protests were not mobilized by any existing leftist
organizations or unions but were individuals who got together through social networks,
mainly Twitter. Among them were large amounts of musicians, DJs, ravers, rappers, punks,
K-pop lovers, artists. For example, you can find DJ Shufflemaster yelling at a fascist
march passing by, or ENDON members got upset with hate speech echoing around.
It was the first experience for bigots as well. Modern Japanese hate groups like
Zaitokukai also consisted of individual light-minded activists who got involved in hate
speech activities through the internet. They were called Netouyo or Netto-Uyoku, which
means Online Right Winger. As you see American Alt-Right activists dressed in odd costumes
holding video cameras tightly to record something, it's been exactly the same in Japan
since the mid-00s. They felt almighty with their videos spreading through the internet, so
they got a shock and looked clearly embarrassed when confronted with a bunch of ‘real'
enemies standing just in front of them.
From spring to summer 2013, a variety of anti-racist groups and individuals emerged
through the Battle of Shin-Okubo. There were several anarchists or black bloc like people
among them, but most of the participators were not far-left or anti-capitalist. In fact,
Japan's existing far-left sectors totally ignored this movement. Instead, there were even
people calling themselves ‘right-wingers', who were from skinhead subcultures which had
been popular in Japan for more than three decades. It was very similar to SHARP (Skinheads
Against Racial Prejudice) which rose up in 80s Europe.
The Battle of Shin-Okubo suddenly ended in September, when a huge sit-in protest happened
in the centre of Tokyo. Since then there have been no hate-speech marches in the
Shin-Okubo community, but thanks to the fascist Abe government, things got worse all
around Japan. Now Japanese TVs included news programs repeatedly fomenting hatred against
Koreans every day and night. You can find every kind of ‘hate' books and magazines in book
stores all through the country, which show unlimited hostility toward Koreans and Chinese.
Japan now is truly xenophobic and totally sick in a literal sense.
Japan needs to revise its culture, not history
Counter-Racist Action Collective (C.R.A.C.) is an organization dedicated to protesting
against every kind of bigoted activity. It's also a platform for anti-fascist artists,
photographers, musicians, DJs, authors, researchers or anyone. That is, we are not merely
a civil group that organize political protests but a collective that resist racism and
fascism on a cultural basis. Thus we have organized music events called CLUB CRAC or art
exhibitions at various times, and sold antifascist merchandises, for example, t-shirts,
caps, CDs and vinyls at our CRACSTORE.com. C.R.A.C. is based in Tokyo but there are local
ones in each district of Japan such as C.R.A.C. North in the Hokkaido region, C.R.A.C.
West covers Osaka and Kyoto and so on. Each C.R.A.C. is not a branch but independent and
autonomous.
We have learned a lot from past anti-racist action through various subcultures from the UK
and the U.S.A. Talking about myself as a former music journalist, I knew about National
Front from 70s punk music, I knew about Brixton and Notting Hill from UK reggae music, I
knew about Bristol things from 90s club cultures, and I knew also about the South Bronx,
East L.A. and Detroit scenes. It was, however an all theory because, throughout the
post-war period, I'd never seen such racial conflicts here in Japan as reported through
the music I listened to. Now a huge amount of racial bigotry and apparent hate speech have
prevailed all over Japan, I just had no choice but to fight them back after I settled into
middle age.
In Japan, art and culture are very weak in their general resistance towards fascism, ditto
with "Cool Japan" things. Its popular culture is somewhat detached from ongoing social
movements like anti-racism, anti-fascism, anti-sexism etc. Japanese culture and subculture
are both so greedy for power and have an apparent tendency to hate movements of
resistance. The Japanese government have promoted the "Cool Japan" strategy for the last
decade, which was named after Tony Blair's "Cool Britania" slogan, however, it is far more
authoritarian and government-led than the British precedent. People here so often say
"Don't bring politics into culture", that means "Do not talk about your problems while I'm
enjoying music or anime or anything!". This is the ordinary Japanese sentiment but it
doesn't mean it's really non-political. It's quite political in another sense, that is,
it's just a refusal to any kind of objection that disturbs their peace of mind. So
Japanese artists and celebs seldom reveal their own political opinions if it's against
governmental policies.
Contrastingly, people seem to easily accept current LDP government ideology based on
nationalism, economic liberalism, racism and historical negativism. It's all the same for
artists, celebs, newspapers and TVs, so Japan now looks like it's dominated with a
something like ‘Spontaneous Totalitarianism' in which people obey the government not in a
forced way but on a voluntary basis. I think it's the largest illness that our country
suffers right now but it's one of the aspects of our nature that has been cultivated
throughout the long history of our country.
After six years of struggle, the number of people opposing hate and racism has pretty much
increased and there are far more citizen groups seeing successes than before. Now every
far-right activity in Tokyo is met with counter-protests of some kind. Also, we now have
an anti-hate speech law for the first time in our history which passed through congress in
2016. However, we are still a minority here compared to any of the western countries. I
think it's because we've been in a long long period of dormancy, where we closed our eyes
to ignore problems lying down in front of us. With poverty, discrimination, xenophobia and
all kinds of social injustice blowing out at once everywhere in the country, we were too
weak to cope with them. All I can say now is that at least we are awake unlike before,
watch carefully what is happening as Japan awakes.
Noma Yasumichi
Noma Yasumichi is a former music journalist. He founded C.R.A.C. in 2013 and dedicates his
time to opposing hate and racism in Japan.
Photo: the Battle of Shin-Okubo, 2013. Author: Mishima Takayuki
https://freedomnews.org.uk/after-a-period-of-dormancy-japan-is-now-awake/
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Message: 6
So CLASS WAR is forming the SHEERMAN BRIGADE to take the fight onto the streets
oh the bleeding hearts on newsnght last night - please be nice to us . get a fucking grip
- it's CLASS WAR the old Etonians will dance on jo cox grave - they already are. ---- Any
old Etonian will do - they need to be hurt - to be afraid then their arrogance will be a
noose ---- THE ARROGANCE OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLBOYS AS JOHNSON AND COX SHOW OFF FOR HOURS -
LOOK AT ME NOW NANNY! ---- I fucking told yas!
Class War
The arrogance of the public school boys as they preen before the nation for hour after
hour - rivalling each other in smirking insults to those who cant or wont back.
JOHNSON and COX - LET OFF THE LONG LEASH AT LAST REVEAL THAY ARE NASTY.- wot a shocker.
FOR 40 YEARS CLASS WAR HAS BEEN A LONE VOICE ADVOCATING AND TAKING THE CLASS WAR TO THE
RICH while others proclaimed the end of class.
twice we went to johnson's house AND TO REES -MOGG'S and Cameron's.
it IS FUCKING PERSONAL FOR US - WE HATE THEM PERSONALLY
last night Johnson and cocks gave a declaration of war on our class - we gladly take it up
CLASS WAR ON THE STREETS NOW -MAKE THE PUBLIC SCHOOLBOYS EAT SHIT - ON TELLY.
CLASS WAR UNRELENTING AND PITILESS - THIS IS THE CLASS WAR WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR - IT
AiNT A REHEARSAL.
https://www.facebook.com/ClassWarOfficial/
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