#Worldwide #Information #Blogger #LucSchrijvers: #Update: #anarchist #news and #information from all over the #world - 2.03.2020

Today's Topics:

   
1.  Britain, AF, Coming up in Nottingham (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
2.  US, black rose fed: A New Sense of Solidarity? The Democracy
      Movement in the Dominican Republic (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
3.  icl-cit: International partnerships to end exploitation:
      Second day of the conference in Sri Lanka (ca) 
     (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
4.  Greece, COPPER INVOLVEMENTS IN SCHOOLS AND RULES 
     OF WEAPONS
     WILL NOT TERRORIZE US by feeble horse APO [machine translation]
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)


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Message: 1






Having had a few contacts by email recently asking about what's going on locally, here are some links: ---- Coming up in March-May 2020:
---- Ex-libris booksale events (books and more): http://www.maskedbooksellers.org.uk/booksales.htm ---- XR events at Sumac Centre:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/extinction-rebellion-nottingham-20254996379 ---- Some good local sites to check regularly: ---- The Sparrows'
Nest (anarchist library and archive): http://thesparrowsnest.org.uk/ ---- People's Histreh (radical history group):
https://peopleshistreh.wordpress.com/ ---- Five Leaves (radical bookshop): https://fiveleavesbookshop.co.uk ---- The Sumac Centre (anarchist
social centre): https://sumac.org.uk/
https://nottsblackarrow.wordpress.com/2020/02/25/coming-up-in-nottingham/

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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2020 10:45:22 +0200
From: a-infos-en@ainfos.ca
To: en <a-infos-en@ainfos.ca>
Subject: (en) US, black rose fed: A New Sense of Solidarity? The
        Democracy Movement in the Dominican Republic
Message-ID: <mailman.2019.1583138730.3032.a-infos-en@ainfos.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"; Format="flowed"

A New Sense of Solidarity? The Democracy Movement in the Dominican Republic
Posted on February 27, 2020 - FederationTags: dominican republic, Latin America ---- Today, February 27, the Dominican Republic will
celebrate 176 years of independence and also thousands will gather in a central plaza as part of an ongoing protest movement that has rocked
the Caribbean nation since municipal elections were suddenly halted a week and a half ago. A comrade from Dominican Republic based group
Kiskeya Libertaria offered the following brief report on the recent events. ---- By member of Kiskeya Libertaria ---- Municipal elections
were held in the Dominican Republic on February 16 using electronic ballot machines in all of its most populated municipalities. Just four
hours after voting began, it was halted due to widespread electronic glitches affecting 60% of the country. In many of the machines only one
candidate appeared, which quickly unleashed accusations of fraud and sabotage towards the governing party by their political opposition. At
first, the blame was pointed at the Central Electoral Board (JCE) who is responsible for holding the elections, but the government and JCE
quickly came to an agreement to call new elections a month later on March 15. Since then, no one has taken responsibility for what happened
and this has cost the country millions of dollars while the president of the JCE has refused to step down.

Crowds gathering outside of the JCE in the Plaza de la Bandera
The following day, February 17th, a group of young people that had organized over social media gathered outside the JCE offices in Santo
Domingo calling for answers around what really happened and demanding the resignation of the JCE president. While the crowds were small
initially, numbers continued to grow in the days following - especially after protesters with tear gassed by police without provocation. The
response was popular outrage and rallies began to be held in all major municipalities around the country. The opposition political parties
of course have attempted to capitalize on the protests but there also has been resistance on part of young people involved, including asking
that the parties not gather in the same spaces.

A New Sense of Solidarity
Dominican Republic is a country not accustomed to mass protests in recent times. The political narrative is controlled almost exclusively by
the major parties and there are no significant leftist parties let alone popular organizations or a strong union presence. What is new about
these protests is that they have been organized autonomously through social media mostly by young people, including many that are too young
to vote and at the margins of the traditional political parties. A quick read of signs present at demonstrations reflects a deep distrust of
the political system as well as a show of solidarity and collective consciousness. This has been reflected within the protests where food
and first aid are collectively organized and distributed. The importance of the protests is a newly found distrust of the political
establishment, parties and the system they represent together with a new sense of solidarity among those struggling. The result being that
amidst this crisis a stronger social fabric can pave the way for new ways of political engagement.

Next Steps in the Movement
A mass protest is being organized on February 27 in Santo Domingo's Plaza de la Bandera in front of the JCE building. The plaza can hold one
million people, or 10% of the country's population, but beyond the called for protest it is difficult to imagine what will happen next. A
variety of players involved that vary from the radical left, opposition political parties, and even the ultra-right: all are vying to take
advantage of the moment. If the protests manage to continue beyond this day it has the potential to radicalize and demand real change beyond
simply new elections.

Kiskeya Libertaria is an anarchist organization based in the cities of Santiago de los Caballeros and Santo Domingo in the Dominican
Republic. The group is a founding affiliate of the Federacion Anarquista de Centro America y el Caribe (FACC).

This article was translated by members of Miami Black Rose/Rosa Negra and has been edited for clarity.

https://blackrosefed.org/new-sense-of-solidarity-democracy-movement-dominican-republic/

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Message: 3






After the first day of the International Conference of Labour Unions in the Garment Industry, where the trade unions introduced their
membership, forms of organization and activities, it was time to join forces and establish a common course of action. To set the context, a
map was drawn of all the parties involved in the textile industry: from the fabric suppliers to the factories and the traders. Through the
discussions, it became clear how capitalism gives rise to many intermediaries at a global level, so it is often difficult to decide who to
address union demands to. This is the case in the textile industry, where many brands use subcontractors which, in turn, subcontract to
other companies and use other factories.
The rights of textile workers are often violated through subcontracting. They are often passed on as just another resource from company to
company. The Federation of Garment Workers Union (FGWU) in Myanmar was the first to talk about how to organize workers in this situation.
When there is a problem, they act in solidarity throughout the different companies or workplaces, blocking activity until those responsible
listen and are willing to negotiate about labor rights. Beside the government repression, the FGWU described another problem workers in
Myanmar face: A common manoeuvre employed by factories is that they get rid of the union problem by closing the company and opening another
one in record time. This manoeuvre is protected by laws that continuously attack working class unions in the country.

The conference also examined the organizational forms and their membership. In general terms, the involvement of women workers stands out
(80 and 90% of the members in many of the unions present) and the inability to pay union dues in many cases. This is the situation for many
of the 1,500 members of the Dabindu Collective in Sri Lanka, which was previously an association and last year became a trade union. The
Ceylon Mercantile Union (CMU) member explained that its financial support depends exclusively on its members and that even its headquarters
in Colombo (where the international conference was held) was built on land donated by union members. Besides noting that most of those
affected by poor working conditions in Bangladesh are women, the Garment Workers' Trade Union Centre (GWTUC) representative explained the
great importance of the textile industry within the country, which has more than 4 million people dedicated to it. It is therefore not
surprising that there is a system of repression that has led to trade unionists being imprisoned, as was the case in 2018 for a
representative of the GWTUC.

Women are undoubtedly one of the pillars of the struggle in Southeast Asia and in this sector. In this sense, the Dabindu Collective member
highlighted that the difficulties faced by women workers go far beyond wages or precariousness, and also include sexual harassment and
violence. Trade unions must always be on their guard for aggression that occurs both inside and outside the workplace. The Dabindu
Collective member described a very common situation in the textile factories: Women are paid by the piece, so when a machine breaks down,
they are the first ones to want it fixed as soon as possible. Therefore, they are forced to be nice to the technicians and often have "a
relationship with them". Something that is reproached by their husbands when they get home, putting them between a rock and a hard place:
Either they do not earn any money on a day or they are attacked at home.

Protection from illness is also practically non-existent. This is a problem that has led to a surge in work-related accidents and even
deaths from illness in the workplace, according to the National Union of Migrant Workers of Sri Lanka. The situation for young workers in
not any better. Their pay is often very low and their work very temporary. They can go for days without knowing when they will work next. In
Sri Lanka, there is also the difficulty that there are no specialized labour law courts in the north, making it more difficult to file a
complaint. Companies count on workers not having the resources to bring the conflict to court in the south.

Contribution from Argentina

Members from the FORA were able to take part in the conference via video link. They encouraged the rest of the textile workers to fight. The
reality in Argentina is very similar to that in Southeast Asia in many ways, although there are also some differences. For example, women
workers in Sri Lanka and Myanmar are rural-urban migrants, while in Argentina there are many women from other countries such as Bolivia.
Human trafficking is also often involved. In their contribution, the FORA members urged women textile workers to join forces, to count on
the help of other comrades from related sectors and to be clear about the fact that the working class must fight together.

Along the same lines, the CNT explained that their way of organising is based on the principles of mutual solidarity, federalism and
self-management. Decisions are made from the bottom up and it is the assemblies that make the decisions, while the working groups and the
secretaries do work based on those decisions. The CNT's model is the most revolutionary among Spanish unions, since it represents a
horizontal hierarchy which embodies the free and equitable society that is being strived for. "When you have a strong membership in a
company with a section, you can demand improvements that are above the legal minimum and change the labor reality for many more workers. You
can even take control of the company's decision-making. If the employer doesn't know how to do this or they are losing money, don't worry,
the workers can do it themselves," said the ICL representative and CNT member. "Taking control of production structures is the ultimate goal
of the libertarian communism that inspires our organisations. That's why we are a revolutionary union," he concluded.

At the end of the conference, delegates decided to form a working group in which the different unions could maintain contact and look for
opportunities for cooperation, as well as future joint campaigns such as International Women's Day, Global May Day or other common causes.
And thus, to move forward with the model of revolutionary trade unionism advocated by the ICL.

RelatedPosts
The International Conference of Labor Unions in the Garment Industry began today in Colombo, Sri Lanka
International Conference of Labour Unions in the Garment Industry
Statuta Konfederasi Buruh Internasional

https://www.icl-cit.org/international-partnerships-to-end-exploitation-second-day-of-the-conference-in-sri-lanka/

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Message: 4






On Monday 24/2 in the courtyard of the ASOEE, a cop pulls his gun and marks students in the head shouting "do it back I will use it".
Students had previously reacted to the trampling of a migrant retailer at the school entrance. After the incident with the gun, a squad of
MATs arrived at the ASOEE site, which once again threw flash flares and tear gas. ---- On Tuesday 25/2 for the second day in a row, police
forces storm the ASOEE and reach the inner door while beating students, throwing chemicals and making additions. They then sit around the
building. ---- These recent events are a continuation of the state's repressive moves of the past few months such as lockout in the aceae,
evacuation of self-propelled sticks, the intrusion of cops into the courtyard using chemicals and the subsequent trapping and trauma of
students. These moves are part of a more orchestrated orchestrated effort by rulers to fully abolish asylum and criminalize student
struggles in schools to meet needs, defend their interests and safeguard their acquis.

In the face of the increasingly frequent police intrusions into schools and the creation of a police climate, wood, chemicals and the use of
service weapons by security personnel aimed at student heads, to counter collective, militant and untrained students. Our struggle against
educational restructuring and the multinationals that mortgages our lives, make our conditions of study worse and our future working
conditions worse, is not suppressed and criminalized.

The invasions of the cops to the schools and the barrels of their weapons do not terrify us!

The struggles of the student movement are not criminalized!

On the road to crushing state repression and terrorism!

Defending Asylum in Fighting!

WEDNESDAY TUESDAY 26 FEBRUARY 6 PM FROM THE ANNEX

Liberal Scheme of the University of Patras

https://ipposd.wordpress.com/2020/02/26

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