#Worldwide #Information #Blogger #LucSchrijvers: #Update: #anarchist #news and #information from all over the #world - 5.03.2020

Today's Topics:

   
1.  France, Union Communiste Libertaire AL #302 - Culture,
      Isabelle Attard: "I still believe in the strength of the
      collective" (fr, it, pt)[machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
2.  Britain, solfed: WORKING CLASS WOMEN BEAR THE BRUNT OF
      AUSTERITY AND ARE PAYING THE PRICE WITH POOR HEALTH 
      AND EARLY DEATHS (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
3.  Czech, AFED: We are the limits of their power! [machine
      translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
4.  Holand, vrije bond: Anarcha-Feminist block Women's Day March
      Amsterdam (nl) (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
5.  Britain, Class war interviews 'OLD MOTHER SHIPTON' at her
      flooded out cave in Knaresborough. (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
6.  Czech, AFED: Solidarity with Russian anarchists [machine
      translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)


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Message: 1





Reading How I became an anarchist made us want to extend the reflections that Isabelle Attard offers through an interview. This is an
opportunity for us to ask him to clarify his point on several questions and to link it to a rich news in terms of mobilizations and
emancipatory struggles. ---- Alternative Libertaire : In How I became an anarchist, you explain the reasons why you became an anarchist.
There is one that you evoke very fleetingly, the question of the collapse of our industrial civilization. Can you clarify that because
facing this perspective the political options are very disparate ? ---- Isabelle Attard: Indeed, I realize that I may not have been precise
enough because this book had as its main theme anarchy and not collapse. And yet, I am convinced that we are already in an ecological,
social and democratic collapse. This observation, many of us do. The answers differ, however, from one "current" to another. Among those who
have emerged in recent years, there is some food and drink, from collapsologists to survivalists to apocalyptic sects. And I'm not talking
about transhumanists or those who think it is better to colonize Mars already.

I find it quite logical to want to create a multitude of autonomous places in food and energy in this context. But if there is also not a
political questioning of capitalism, extractivism and relations of domination, a collapse will not change the problem. We can even say that
this will benefit the rich even more compared to the poor.

In addition, like Jérémie Cravatte in his study on the collapse [1], I think that: "The examples, prospective, anticipations and - above all
- possible answers provided by collapsed narratives only concern the imaginary linked to the urban framework of the white middle classes of
the northern hemisphere" .

Read also the chronicle of the book How I became an anarchist
What worries me most is this nagging little music from pseudo philosophers or scientists who tell us that the problem comes from the human
himself. According to them, we would be unable to understand the urgency in which we find ourselves. In their eyes, therefore, the solution
remains to establish coercive power or even a green dictatorship.

On the other hand, we find the more "democratic" version of the Green New Deal, which is an ecological version of the quote from the author
of the Cheetah : "if we want everything to stay as it is, it is necessary that everything changes" . Indeed, this battle which is engaged
between the multinationals repainted in green betting on renewable energies and those still hooked on fossil fuels, does not concern us. It
is the seizure of power from a new world over the old, always from a capitalist perspective.

If we must take note of the ecological situation, we must nevertheless do so in a political and non-wait-and-see manner. It seems to me that
this is what Murray Bookchin offers through social ecology.

Many social and environmental movements define themselves as citizens. They increasingly criticize either the harmful action of states
(liberalization, deregulation), or their lack of action (laissez-faire) which comes to the same thing, especially on climate issues. Yet
they situate their action within the framework of a system which they always assimilate to a democracy and which it would be a question of
saving in spite of everything. You yourself defended such an action strategy. What led you to question it and choose to break up ?

Isabelle Attard: The answer is a bit in the question. As you say so well, these movements that we qualify as "citizens", in which we
nevertheless find some "professionals Of politics, remain in a demand for action from the state, or rather should I say from the government.
If the challenge is commendable, it is nonetheless ineffective because this government, like the previous ones, and most certainly like the
next ones, does not care about citizens' requests, even if they are legitimate. But I cannot blame them, having myself believed long enough
that it was possible to change things from the inside. However, we must now note that it does not work. Whenever a breakthrough has been
proposed, the government has been quick to divert or undo it. It's an endless circle ! It must be said that it has always been in our head
that "democracy Worked in this way, and only in this way.

As I explain in my book, the foundations of our "democracy" were laid on September 7, 1789 by Father Sieyès, then deputy of the Third
Estate: "The citizens who call themselves representatives renounce and must renounce doing them - even the law; they have no particular will
to impose. If they dictated wills, France would no longer be this representative state; it would be a democratic state. The people, I
repeat, in a country which is not a democracy (and France cannot be), cannot speak, can only act through its representatives. "

We still live on this basic principle, I lived it daily during my mandate. On the one hand, elected officials who consider that they are not
accountable, and on the other, voters who expect a miracle cure or the action of a supreme savior. It is for this reason that I consider
that it is no longer possible, today, to defend this kind of strategy which sends us straight into the wall.

The yellow vests movement has helped to bring the issue of social transformation back to the center of the political debate. Part of this
movement is very focused on the citizens' initiative referendum (RIC) presented as a lever for direct democracy and a citizen revolution.
What do you think ?

Isabelle Attard: We are still in the same problem. The referendum may be citizen or popular initiative, the final decision will always be up
to the government. And those who promote RIC know this very well. What better illustration than that of the 2005 referendum (Editor's note:
on the European constitution) which saw the "no" win by a fairly large majority (54.68%). However, in 2008, Sarkozy passed its equivalent
through parliamentary channels. The same goes for the Netherlands. In Ireland, it was less authoritarian but no less subtle. A second
referendum is being organized to correct the result of the first.

In short, whatever you do, you will always be wrong because you do not have power. We also had proof of this very recently, with the
Citizens' Climate Convention, during which we found that the government had kept its hand throughout the process and which obviously will
not lead to anything concrete. In conclusion, it can be said that there is no point in negotiating with the government.

If the strikes of December and January put the issue of municipal elections in the background, we have seen in recent months several
currents talk about municipalism, sometimes evoking the contribution of the American eco-anarchist Murray Bookchin of which you speak in
your book. How do you stand in relation to this question ?

Isabelle Attard: As on the subject of collapse, I am quite uncomfortable with the recovery that is made. I discovered Murray Bookchin's
theses in 2016 and I can say that it was quite a slap ! I wondered how it had not been possible to hear about it earlier, especially in an
environment, political ecology, in which I had always been immersed. When Floréal Romero asked us, my companion and myself, to re-read his
book "Acting here and now - Thinking the social ecology of Murray Bookchin" , we immediately accepted ... with slight pressure all the
same... the specialist is him.

With this rereading, everything seemed even clearer to us. It is no longer a question of playing a game in which we will always be losers,
the rules having already been written by those who hold power and who have no other ambition than to stay there. It is about creating a
deviation, or a derivation, from the system. It no longer consists in wanting to change it from the inside but in letting a new one hatch.
In botany, we would speak of ramification. But what is proposed to us with these "municipalist" lists is quite different. First, we quickly
abandoned the idea of adding the word "libertarian " ", Including at Commercy. The approach is different from that theorized by Murray
Bookchin and is much more like that of Ada Colau and Barcelona en Comù. That is to say, a municipalism that is akin to participatory
democracy, based on a concept of "Smart City" ( Smart City ) giving pride of place to technology. It is not for nothing that "French Tech"
has established itself in Barcelona (more than 200 companies) which sees in the Catalan capital a laboratory for its startups. This is
frankly not my conception of things ... especially if we place ourselves in this context of ecological collapse to which I referred before.

There is a very good article by Elias Boisjean, which appeared in the journal Ballast last December [2]. And I really like the conclusion he
gives: "integrating a municipal council, even directing a city, is of no help if it is not part of a global transformation without"
compromising with this social order ". So from the end of the capitalist reign to the profit of a "libertarian communist society"."

The organizational crisis (political organizations, unions, associations with a mass vocation) is real, however, some still play an
essential role in mass movements (cf. role of combative unions in current strikes). It brings some of those who want to commit to choosing
the forms of organization deemed more flexible (affinity groups, assemblies, collectives, networks). The latter have the wind in their sails
even if they can sometimes reproduce the shortcomings of traditional organizations. How has your relationship with the collective evolved?

Isabelle Attard: I almost want to answer you that it hasn't changed that much. In fact, as I said after my unhappy experiences in political
parties, I will no longer have a party ... and I think I can never say again. These organizations have no other objective than to bring a
man or a woman (most often a man) to the top of power in order to unfold the MEDEF program or industrial lobbies. Everything else is only
incidental to them. On the other hand, I still believe in the strength of the collective, more than ever elsewhere.

You talk about combative unions and I myself have a deep respect for the work of some of them. Sud-Solidaires or the CNT have always known
how to maintain consistency in their battles. With regard to the other union organizations, I make a clear difference between those who run
them and those who are in the field. As we can see today, it is often union members who are in the field who set the tempo for the
management bodies, and that's good ! Since December 5, my companion and I have supported the strikers as much as possible, by participating
in the demonstrations or by contributing to the strike funds. I support the strike 100%.

My model remaining L'Ane 01 by Gébé, I can only call to stop everything to think, to take this step aside to see things differently. On the
other hand, I ask myself a lot of questions about the effectiveness of the demonstrations, whether they are Saturday or weekdays. Since
November 2018, there have been every Saturday and I have not seen the government falter. Maybe the first days because he didn't understand
what was going on with the Yellow Vests movement. But since then, it has only strengthened its authority by giving almost carte blanche to
the police. I will never criticize the strategy of direct confrontation because I fully understand this anger which has only grown for years
but I still wonder about its effectiveness.

I prefer to devote myself to bringing out local assemblies, without electoral aim, and especially to give impetus to a popular political
education movement that has been badly battered for several decades. I do not forget that the Spanish Social Revolution started almost 70
years after Mikhaïl Bakounine entrusted Giuseppe Fanelli with the mission of going to Spain to form the first groups of the International.
Despite the urgency in which we find ourselves, whether ecological, democratic or social, it takes time to re-mobilize, re-politicize and
support everyone on the path to emancipation.

Since the release of your book, you have participated in several public meetings aimed at presenting it. How is it received and what do
these meetings with the public bring you ?

Isabelle Attard: It is very well received. We are already at the third reprint. I am also the first surprise since I was told that the title
of the book was perhaps a little too frontal. But I didn't want to procrastinate with this. If I have nothing against the word
"libertarian", I wanted to give back all its letters of nobility to that of "anarchy". And we all owe a lot to the documentary "Neither god
nor master: a history of anarchy" by Tancrède Ramonet who was able to overcome the preconceived ideas that some historians had wanted to put
on the back of anarchists. As Howard Zinn said: " As long as the rabbits have no historians, the story will be told by the hunters. "

I really enjoy the discussions with the readers at the end of the various meetings. Many explain to me that they had the same journey within
the parties, the same questions, the same emotions in front of the documentary by Tancrède and were relieved to be able to finally name what
they felt since always.

Your work is a cry which aims to give an echo to all the revolts at work against the various oppressions and to all the achievements
contributing to the emancipation of the oppressed. How do you plan to extend your action ?

Isabelle Attard: Very modestly. Contrary to what some people may have said about my account at the start (and even now for a few... often
men for that matter), I did not become an anarchist out of opportunism. It must be said that if the reaction of people is rather positive
(and that's good !), It was rather a "handicap" to find work. Fortunately, I had the chance to meet very open and caring people in the
association for which I work today. I became again director of museum but of a small rural museum in Brittany with a rather horizontal
functioning.

The release of the book was no problem for them and I can continue my political action without having to hide. It is quite pleasant and
soothing. With my companion, we decided to settle permanently in Kreiz Breizh (Center Bretagne) to create a place of welcome and resources
... necessarily anarchist. Besides, we were very touched by the support that the Bretons brought to Vincenzo Vecchi... Brittany is a land of
welcome, refuge and resistance and we intend to continue this tradition.

At our level, as I said earlier, we will continue to do popular political education (I would point out even if for me it is almost a
pleonasm). We are both even thinking of writing a second book. There is nothing established yet. As I concluded in my book, I think we have
to invent the anarchism of the XXI th century, while drawing inspiration from what has already been done by our predecessors. I really dream
that we find the spirit of Saint-Imier [3]and that we transcend it.

Interview conducted on January 30, 2020 by Laurent Esquerre

[1] https://www.barricade.be/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/2019_etude_l-effondrement-parlons-en_1.pdf

[2] https://www.revue-ballast.fr/le-moment-communaliste/

[3] The Saint-Imier congress was held on September 15 and 16, 1872, a few days after the exclusion of Michel Bakounine and James Guillaume
from the International Workers' Association by supporters of Marx. This congress resulted in the creation of the anti-authoritarian
international.

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Isabelle-Attard-je-crois-toujours-en-la-force-du-collectif

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Message: 2





A new report into health inequality by the UCL Institute of Health Equality clearly shows that the health gap between the rich and poor is
growing. The report highlights the fact that life expectancy has stalled for the first time in a hundred years, with life expectancy
actually falling among the poorest 10% of women. The report also found that those living in the most deprived areas of Britain can now
expect to spend more of their lives in poor health. ---- The report put the blame for growing health inequality on austerity. One of the
report's authors, Michael Marmot, noted "Austerity has taken its toll over the last 10 years ... from rising child poverty and the closure
of children's centres to declines in education funding, an increase in precarious work and zero-hours contracts, to a housing affordability
crisis and a rise in homelessness, to people with insufficient money to lead a healthy life and resorting to food banks in large numbers, to
ignored communities with poor conditions and little reason for hope"

That women's health is suffering under austerity is hardly surprising. It is estimated that 80% of the cuts under 10 years of austerity have
fallen disproportionally on women. Cuts to tax credits, increasing single-parent poverty, the benefits cap, benefits cuts under the third
child policy and cuts to child benefits have been largely borne by women who still carry a large part of the responsibility for raising
children in society.

Cuts to benefits have also seen women been forced to seek work in poorly-paid, part-time jobs, bogus self-employment jobs or working in the
black economy in jobs such as cleaning. This constant struggle to juggle family and find enough hours of work to make ends meet is bound to
take its toll. This has now been reflected in growing ill health and increased early deaths among women.

It is time not just to get angry but to get even - the Solidarity Federation runs workplace training courses specifically aimed at women who
want to get organised in their workplaces. No experience is necessary, so if you are interested in getting organised with your co-workers to
get what you deserve, get in touch.

The next women's workplace training session will be in Liverpool in April

http://www.solfed.org.uk/manchester/working-class-women-bear-the-brunt-of-austerity-and-are-paying-the-price-with-poor-health

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Message: 3





Speech by a representative of the Limits Initiative, we are on a demonstration in support of anarchists imprisoned in Russia on 27 February
in Prague. ---- On January 5, 2020, the Kremlin issued an official document recognizing global warming as a real problem. In the rest of the
document, however, it describes what positive effects global warming will have on the Russian economy, such as the decline in energy
consumption in the northern regions. It is an absolute paradox. Russia joined the Paris Agreement last September as the last country to
subsequently criticize the United States for withdrawing from the Paris Agreement. Yet, on numerous occasions, Vladimir Putin denies the
world's scientific consensus on the anthropogenicity of climate change. Last time in December 2019, he claimed that "some space forces" were
responsible for climate change. Again an incredible paradox. Let us recall,

These facts point out that the current Russian state machine is an absolutely absurd network of power relations, in which only a few
powerful and rich determine the truth and direction of the state. Fighting in such conditions for anything, whether for anarchy, for climate
justice, or for both, is often literally a struggle for life and death. We would like to express our deep admiration for those who do so in
Russia in their daily lives, and to express our deep solidarity to those who are being punished by draconian punishments for this. The idea
that any person should spend 16 years behind bars is utterly daunting. Let us not forget today this enormous injustice that stems from the
cruelty and inhumanity of the state power structure in Russia.

But let's not be put to sleep by arguing about how we should be happy that we are here well after all. This is a short-sighted and bad
analysis. Our efforts and those of all people in Russia and elsewhere on the planet are interconnected. It is also our carbon dioxide
emitted by Siberian permafrost, our money paid for Russian gas for which the Russian state can build another prison, and our power
structures that legitimize the Russian status quo from the outside. On the other hand, our activity is also connected with the activity of
Russian activists. Our privileged position places great responsibility on us. We must be courageous, ambitious and resilient in our
resistance, in our transgressions and in our protests. It is precisely because we are under the lower (but still noticeable) pressure of
state repression, that is why we must push the boundaries of the conceivable we.

It is up to us to show guards, cops and presidents around the world that we are the limits of their power!

https://www.afed.cz/text/7128/limity-jejich-moci-jsme-my

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Message: 4






International Women's Day is on Sunday 8th March 2020. The Vrije Bond Amsterdam takes to the streets: The Anarcha-Feminist Block will light
up the streets! We are Purple and Black! ---- We invite you to join our Anarcha-Feminist Block on the yearly Women's day march in Amsterdam.
Come in action against the normalisation of violence against women across the world. We will be walking in support of people fighting
against the oppression of women happening in all parts of our lives. Against sexual violence, inequality and maltreatment at work, at home
and on the streets. We will also walk against all types of violence and oppression of our trans*sisters. ---- This global day of action grew
to enormous numbers in 2017 in response to US president Trumps misogynist agenda. Thousands of people took to the streets in Amsterdam on
the 8th of March 2017. However, we are not walking this block to merely ask the state to change their policies. We are not merely asking for
so called equality enforced by the state.

The right to vote, or equal civil rights, may be good demands, but true emancipation begins neither at the polls nor in courts. It begins in
woman's soul.

Emma Goldman - The Tragedy of Woman's Emancipation (1911)
Yes, that's right. States keep women in prison, enable a gender-bias in healthcare, social-welfare and education. Women suffer more from
state militaries bombing conflict zones and their police harass (non-cis) women on the street. Our struggle against patriarchy must remember
the victims of such state violence whilst drawing inspiration from models of anti-patriarchal living around the world.

This is why we walk. We are Black and Purple.We are not blue police-lovers: come in action against the suppression of gender dissent by the
police.

But we ARE pink: trans* women are women.

and we ARE black: the state is not our friend.

and we ARE purple: women are the revolution.

Where and when?
March 8, 12.30

Dam Square - Amsterdam meet in front of Mme Tussauds, watch out for the bakfiets with anarcho flag.

https://www.vrijebond.org/anarcha-feministisch-blok-vrouwendagmars/

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Message: 5






A delegation from CW's DEPT. OF AUGURIES and OMENS made its way to the great woman who had been tellingly visited by NO OTHER MEDIA though
correctly forecasting tory rule would lead to PLAGUE PESTILENCE and FLOODS within weeks.
WE greeted her with ' good morrow sprightly mother shipton' which improved her mood but only fleetingly.... screamed...NOAH NOAH NO NO NOAH
'BABY NOAH IS COMING' ---- by HS20 we asked foollshly ' we thought we had an exclusive'..
NONO NOAH she whispered Yorkshire is flooded so NOAH will build great arc of infrastructure linking GOOLE with BOOTLE....even senior civil
servants wont get on.............NOAH WILL BE FIRST BORN and abandon millions to die....unless unless...her voice to a whisper she beckoned
me nearer ....unless
facebook.com/ClassWarOfficial/posts/2485447101672902

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Message: 6





Report from Prague demonstration in support of anarchists and anti-fascists imprisoned in Russia ---- We have been intensively interested in
the case of Russian friends who have been prosecuted in the staged "Network" case. As we recently informed ( HERE ), a military court in
Penza condemned seven anti-fascists and anarchists for terrorism, namely membership of the Network, invented by cops. The verdict was based
on confessions, which were enforced by torture and later by the accused, referring to these medieval and cops-still-popular practices.
Nothing to do, the judgments were exemplary to clearly show how they will be treated critically about the current Russian regime: Dmitry
Pchelincev - 18 years, Ilya Sakursky - 16 years, Andrei Chernovov - 14 years, Maxim Ivankin - 13 years, Mikhail Kulkov - 10 years, Vasily
Kuksov - 9 years and Arman Sagynbajev - 6 years in prison.

So the Anarchist Federation immediately joined the international call for solidarity with imprisoned anarchists and called for a
demonstration on Thursday 27 February in Pod Kaštany Square, in front of the Russian Embassy in Prague. At a rally that same afternoon,
however, the place was officially renamed to Boris Nemtsov Square, according to the murdered Russian opposition politician.

At six o'clock we started to meet at this new address. At that time about twenty-five people arrived and slowly began. There were color
stickers referring to the image of repressive power and torture, accompanied by an English inscription on the need to stop imprisonment and
torture of anti-fascists and on the terrorist nature of the Russian FSB (former KGB).

Then a semicircle was formed with a banner of "Free Russian Anarchists" and people holding portraits of the convicts, whose names were also
the amount of punishment they had received from the military court. After the initial welcome (it is necessary to commend the good sounding
of the space) she gave a speech by a representative of the Anarchist Federation. She expressed solidarity with the convicts and listed them
all. She spoke of staged trial, torture and trial without evidence. She called Russia a police state and called for the nonsensical judgment
to be set aside. Her words ended with the choral chant "Alerta, alerta, antifascista".

She then took the floor of a representative of the Limits Initiative and spoke about the Russian regime's approach to the climate crisis,
putting Putin among the deniers of human influence on climate change, and Russia among the countries with the largest share of greenhouse
gas production. It acknowledged the climate leaders in Russia and recalled the global dimension of the fight for climate justice. "It is up
to us to show the guards, cops, and presidents around the world that we are the limits of their power," she said, applauding.

Already there were about 40 participants in the demonstration, who then listened to a speech by Andrei Brabanov, an anarchist who had been
sitting in Russia for three years in the case of Bolotny Square. First in English, and then in Russian, he showed outrage and anger at the
Russian secret service of the FSB dealing with its activists. He also expressed outrage at the media massage through the Meduza website,
which we recently wrote ( HERE ) and which had a considerable impact on the international campaign to support prisoners in the Network case,
as Andrej added.

Then just a final thank you from a representative of the organizers with an invitation to other solidarity events, such as a benefit concert
in Hradec Králové on 6 March. At 7:30 pm the event ended.

The secret were filming everything carefully, police cars were parked discreetly outside the gate of the Russian embassy ... And so
hopefully there will be an exchange of material, when the repressive international works so well. We could have witnessed this, for example,
in the case of cooperation between the Czech Police and the FSB in an effort to imprison our friend Igor Ševcov. We do not worry about
staging cases, as we saw in the case of Phoenix I. Only physical torture is still "missing".

A small demonstration took place on the same day and time before the Russian consulate in Brno.

https://www.afed.cz/text/7129/solidarita-s-ruskymi-anarchisty

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