Today's Topics:
1. Philippines, bandilang itim: Notes on Autonomy & Anarchism
By Andrea Castro, originally published at their blog. [machine
translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
2. France, Union Communiste Libertaire AL #305 - International,
Black Rose Anarchist Federation (USA): "Conscience and action are
on the rise" (fr, it, pt)[machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
3. Philippines, bandilang itim: Every Organization Has a Place
in Our World By Black Band [machine translation]
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
4. Britain, Class War Daily 26 MAY - PEOPLES INDIGNATION HAS
TURNED TO RAGE (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
5. A-Radio Berlin, Chile: Dirti Lepra - Trap, Anarchism &
Revolution (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
6. France, Union Communiste Libertaire AL #305 - History, 1832:
The cholera epidemic, the "blue fear" of the bourgeoisie (fr, it,
pt)[machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
7. Britain, Surrey Anarchist Communists:Anarchism and Violence.
New pamphlet. (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
8. cnt.es: Patriotic selfishness by Inigo Gonzalez (ca, pt)
[machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
9. [Spain] From the "Cayetanos" to the neighborhood of workers
| In defense of mutual support in times of pandemic By ANA (pt)
[machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
This is a republished article written by anarchists in the archipelago known as the Philippines or its diaspora. We at Bandilang Itim wish
to highlight and disseminate these works to better propagate the ideas of anarchism and libertarian socialism in the archipelago. ---- I
identify as an autonomist leftist largely based on personal experience. Autonomist can be used somewhat synonymously with anarchist - I use
the term because peoples' conception of anarchy usually = total chaos, which more often than not derails any further conversation about it.
---- I was first introduced to Philippine nationalism when I was younger, but I've moved away from primarily nationalist political spaces
because of constant authenticity checks, essentialism, and erasure of indigenous peoples under state-enforced identity. I also was looking
for ways to speak - and resist - in more intersectional terms.
I'm a brown queer femme. I'm anti-imperialist, anti-state, anti-patriarchy, prison abolitionist. I'm for third world liberation and joint
struggle. I'm 1.5 generation - all of these things mean that I am constantly building my home in the margins.
I understand anarchism as a collective means of living/a form of relationship that strives to be explicitly non-hierarchical and
anti-authoritarian in its decision-making processes.
Principles that I stick to are non-hierarchical collectivism - which basically means that anyone can and should be able to plug in based on
their abilities and capacity. I'm about accessibility in organizing - especially around disability and chronic illness. I'm not down with
strict leadership models that sacrifice those at the very bottom in order to "advance" the revolution.
For me, anarchism involves a commitment to combat and challenge all forms of oppression, an integration of communal care practices and
mutual aid + mutual investment, and creating spaces for people to be their full selves (in a way that isn't violent towards others) without
fear, shame, or threat to their existence.
My understanding is based a lot less on dead white guy theory and very heavily on what type of organizing can include the parts of who I am.
The single biggest reason I began identifying as an autonomist is because it made the most sense for me in terms of how I organize and build
with people. Anarchism + abolition are really about dismantling all fucked up hierarchies and systems of oppression, which means I can talk
about all the parts of myself (sick brown queer femme) without having to stick to what "the party" dictates.
I try not to make "real organizers are/do[x thing]" statements because I don't necessarily see a division between Organizers (with a capital
O) and everyone else. It feels like the same hierarchical distinction made between Leaders and followers, and it also feels low-key ableist
to imply that some people stand at the forefront while everyone else just takes orders.
I'm also really over the idea of leftist martyrdom "for the masses" - as if we aren't also part of the people trying to get free, trying to
have livable lives. None of us are exceptional or superhuman. We have no obligation to run ourselves into the ground and self-sacrifice for
the sake of a movement that isn't mutually invested in our own survival.
Differences Between Anarchism and Authoritarian Leftism (Marxist-Leninist-Maoism)
A significant difference between anarchism and Marxist-Leninist-Maoism is hierarchy. MLMs depend on cadres (leadership) to make the ultimate
decisions, which is why they often stick to a central message handed down from the top. Anarchism is horizontal, which means having a lot of
intentional discussions around consensus and each person's needs. MLM organizing tends to be more oriented towards building critical mass
and numbers because they believe that the solution is to displace the current state with a "people's state" - a point that anarchists
fundamentally disagree with because we believe that states in any form simply replicate the existing hierarchies of violence and systems of
oppression.
The tensions between anarchist and authoritarian leftist organizing also often come down to questions of capacity, scale, structure, and
urgency.
It's often the case that authoritarian leftist organizing (in its many variations) is willing to sidestep conversations on internal conflict
and will readily engage in disposability politics for the sake of scaling up rapidly, at an unsustainable pace. Which is something I'm not
down with - because I am definitely one of the people (among many who make up my community) who gets left behind over and over again due to
chronic illness, precariousness, limited access to resources, etc. But it's tougher to build a large group with anarchism because of
decentralization - with the intent that the focus is on meaningful relationships and not burn out or exclusion.
What is a "movement" between billions of people who don't know or have any deep investment in each other? Another frustrating part of
focusing on mass movements is that the more that people push for critical mass, the less considerate they are of pace - and the less
attention they pay to who they leave behind in the process of growing, growing, growing.
I believe that small and committed groups of people can do big things if they want to. I don't think we need to change everyone's mind. I
think that change happens all the time, on the ground, in relationship, at a scale that people don't/won't take notice of because they are
too busy looking elsewhere.
At the same time, we are still working on how to organize autonomously in ways that are resilient and lasting. It seems like anarchist
organizing, while more forgiving and flexible, is also far more susceptible to disintegration when hard-line demand for consistency isn't
made. And yet autonomous spaces are the ones where I have felt the most whole, and where my needs and limitations have been taken seriously.
What does all of this mean in the face of urgency?
How do we prepare for intensified state violence and scarcity without pre-emptively committing ourselves to the idea that we have to lose
and sacrifice people along the way? (And who gets to choose who is left behind or sacrificed?)
Urgency, first and foremost, brings up questions of scale, and recruiting rapidly to meet or exceed critical mass. To me this immediately
sounds like a quick way to replicate a lot of toxic situations full of distrust, and people taking out their unprocessed pain on each other.
We carry a lot of trauma and we also bring that into the spaces that we organize in. I really appreciate the phrase "move at the speed of
trust" - which involves growing and tending to each individual relationship I have with friends and comrades. And that can feel
excruciatingly slow in its own way.
I am trying to understand how we build movements and collectives that are prepared for long-term resistance - without just leaving the
weakest and most vulnerable behind to fend for themselves. It can be depleting, though. The feeling of failure, of having to hit the reset
button over and over in spite of different sorts of fragmentation and barriers can be daunting and is one of the bigger causes of my
depression and isolation. But it's the work of collective survival for those of us who still believe in the possibility of life. I've
thought of it for a long time as intentionally, carefully carving out spaces for ourselves in the margins - I inhabit so many in-betweens,
and I've also found so many others here.
What does it take to maintain a uniform political line for so long? Who is erased? Who is made invisible?
What would it look like to slow the pace of organizing so that people aren't left behind because they can't physically, emotionally, or
materially keep up?
We are surrounded by crises but is it still possible to respond with deliberation? To take (or free) more time? To make demands through rest
instead of rushing to produce?
What if we think of urgency as a constant instead of as an emptying hourglass? (Related: what if we didn't see climate change as the end of
our species but as something to still prepare for, as a reason to build tools for future generations to be able to move through?)
Who is liberation for if only the fittest make it to the finish line?
Tags
Andrea Castro
https://bandilangitim.noblogs.org/post/2020/05/12/notes-on-autonomy-anarchism/
------------------------------
Message: 2
The American presidential election scheduled for next November will see Donald Trump face Joe Biden, the only candidate still in the running
for the nomination for the Democratic Party after the abandonment of Bernie Sanders, while the country is suffering the brunt of the Covid
pandemic- 19. We discussed the political and social situation in the United States with Camreon, a comrade who militates in California
within the libertarian organization Black Rose / Rosa Negra. ---- Alternative Libertaire: What is your analysis of the victory of Trump and
the rise of the movement "alt-right"? Are the conditions that led to their victory in 2016 still met? ---- Cameron : There is a lot that can
be said about the growth of what is just the most recent embodiment of the far right in the United States ; that is why what follows will
probably be the longest of the answers to the questions asked.
It must be kept in mind that most of the political and social sphere in the United States is latently reactionary. You could of course say
that of any bourgeois democracy but the history of the United States is a fairly linear trajectory, from the time of the genocide of the
natives and slavery to the present day. Even if that does not explain everything, these episodes continue to infuse and help to shape
society. The potential for an organized far right is, and has always been, embedded in the fabric of the United States: the ground is
fertile for the reactionaries. What may be noted for observers, especially from Europe, is that the so-called "alternative right(Alt-right)
emerged using the symbols, rhetoric and tactics of European far-right formations.
It is much easier for me to talk in detail about these far-right formations than to give you a succinct and relevant summary of the reasons
why Donald Trump and his right-wing populism have had so much momentum. Across the United States, there is a lively debate about how and why
he was able to win in 2016. Even within Black Rose, one could find a wide variety of opinions on this subject. In my opinion, there is the
addition of multiple factors. First, the consequences of more than three decades of neoliberal economic and social policies ended up turning
against these same policies.
Examples include de-industrialization, free trade agreements and budget cuts in social programs. Many of us on the anti-capitalist left knew
this, but until Trump appeared on the political scene, very few mainstream politicians spoke directly or explicitly about the situation. One
of Trump's first campaign promises, for example, was to withdraw the United States from the NAFTA agreements. Clearly, Hillary Clinton could
never have talked about throwing free trade agreements into the fire. The Alena even turns out to be one of the legacies of the mandate of
her husband, Bill Clinton. In addition, in the run-up to the 2016 election, the U.S. economy was still recovering from the global financial
crisis.
Austerity has been imposed more widely than before and, in parallel, many have seen that "elites" (a term often used in the United States to
describe those who hold power culturally, economically or politically but often without dimension of class) who were responsible for them,
escaped, in their great majority, from any prosecution. Add to that the component of racism that Trump has used whenever possible, this has
enabled a very powerful populist right-wing campaign.
Compare that to the campaign led by Hillary Clinton, who for the most part promised to remain in the continuity of the Obama administration.
Many people have become enraged at this almost claimed refusal to recognize and take account of their pain. Trump who wanted to "Make
America Great Again", Clinton actually replied "America is already great". I believe that the political landscape has changed significantly
in the past three years. While it has very little institutional power, there is a growing pole around the social democratic left in this
country, which is to shape the way social and political problems are tackled.
Furthermore, scandals involving the Trump administration, even if most of them are insignificant in terms of corruption, have a corrosive
impact on the stability of the administration. Despite all these scandals, I still see a high probability that Trump will be re-elected,
especially in the face of a democratic candidate champion of triumphant neoliberalism.
Can we speak of a push to the left within the Democratic Party, under the influence in particular of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez?
Camreon : Yes, a pole is starting to crystallize within the Democratic Party around social democratic reforms. These reforms and the general
push to the left were accelerated by the rise of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) organization, which has no formal affiliation
with the Democratic Party.
Until the 2016 elections, DSA was an extremely marginal group. However, after Bernie Sanders entered the fray, and particularly after Donald
Trump's victory, DSA saw its membership grow exponentially. Likewise, other political organizations from the left or from the world of work
have experienced real growth. This was notably the case of the Industrial Workers of The World (IWW), the anarcho-syndicalist union.
Black Rose / Rosa Negra is an anarchist-communist federation founded in 2013. It has allowed the fusion of several anarchist class struggle
organizations scattered over the territory and currently has establishments in 17 cities and agglomerations. It follows the strategy of
specifism (especifismo), developed by anarchists in South America in the last century, and strives to build popular power through active
participation in social movements of the working class and the organizations which are theirs. linked.
But DSA was the only left-wing organization to be proactive and able to take advantage of increased radicalism among those who were shocked
to capitalize on this search for more political radicalism expressed by a significant part of those and those who were shocked by Trump's
victory. Before that, DSA had fewer than 7,000 members. Today, its membership is around 57,000, making it the largest socialist organization
in the United States since the 1930s.
Despite our enormous and numerous ideological divergences with the DSA program, their growth is a good indicator of the renewed appetite for
a leftist alternative to institutional parties. However, our enthusiasm for the growth of the left does not ignore the dangers of an
organization like DSA, insofar as it could clearly re-channel popular anger towards the Democratic Party. In fact, not being a party, many
candidates pushed by DSA end up campaigning as Democratic candidates. Justified criticisms are made to DSA on the fact that it only seeks to
occupy the space of a possible "left wing" From the Democratic Party. DSA put all its strength into Bernie Sanders' campaign for the
primaries. This has generated fractures in their organization, because there are elements which are very critical vis-à-vis electoralism.
Time will tell if these fractures will widen. Consciousness and action are on the rise, including on the side of workers' organizations,
even if this dimension is less obvious numerically. For example, several major cities in the United States are facing housing crises. Los
Angeles in particular suffers from a deficit of affordable housing, which has led to very many people on the street. In these cities, unions
of militant and horizontal tenants are being built and developed. The Los Angeles Tenants Union has established local groups in all major
areas of the city and successfully launched strikes on rents, occupations and actions, which were successful against the owners. Black Rose
members are active in this organization, and in other tenant unions across the country 1.
Can we speak of a resurgence of the class struggle in historic sectors such as the automobile or more unprecedented in fast food? What is
the implication of the revolutionary comrades, and in particular the anarchists, in these movements?
Cameron : You're right to say that. Indeed, there have been a historic number of strikes in the United States in the past three years.
Between 2017 and 2018, the number of workers involved in strike strikes at the national level increased from 25,000... to 500,000. These
strikes affected many sectors and industries. Perhaps the most impressive was the wave of strikes by public teachers across the country,
which started in states that had violently anti-union legislation introduced shortly before.
The teachers' self-organized activity, despite their hostile political environment, produced partial victories that seemed unthinkable. The
active role played by revolutionary union activists from the IWW, Black Rose and other organizations to launch the strike movement is of
particular interest to us. In some cases, union bureaucracy had to be bypassed to allow the mass participation of basic union members in the
decision-making process.
When it worked, the result was convincing: longer and more effective actions. We should also highlight the proactive work of the IWWs in the
United States to start organizing workers in fast food chains. No union in the history of the United States had managed to organize this
sector until last year. In 2016, workers at Burgerville (a small chain of burger restaurants located in Portland, Oregon) started setting up
a committee in one of the restaurants. In 2017, this committee came out into the open and joined the IWW. Many of his workers were and still
are Black Rose activists. In 2018, a victorious vote was held to have the union recognized by the government. From that moment,
As anarchists, these events should remind us that the place of production remains a crucial place to organize collectively to exercise our
power. After a long period of vegetating, it seems that certain fringes of the American anarchist milieu are beginning to understand it and
to direct their energy in this direction.
Interview by Gio (UCL Le Mans)
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Black-Rose-Anarchist-Federation-USA-La-conscience-et-l-action-vont-cresendo
------------------------------
Message: 3
Written by Bas Umali and published in Anarki: Mine is My Life 2.0 in December 2017. Published by Non-Collective (NC) and Onsite Infoshop.
---- We published it in the Black Flag for its importance to anarchists in the archipelago. ---- Anarchy is a living experience. Contrary to
other ideologies and political views, anarchy was not invented. It is born of actual human practice. If anyone invented anarchy, it was
nothing more than the term anarchy. But the essence of the word has evolved as a result of human need to work together to continue life and
secure the next generation. ---- What factors and conditions are needed to ensure safety and maintain life? Pure air, water, food,
convenience, culture and culture. All of these are combinations, contradictions and correlations of oraganisms and elements in our natural
environment. It is made up of various, various and various life and processes that directly and indirectly relate to the continuous
functioning of living or non-living systems.
Science also notes that the abundance of life that exists in a system is a sign of a healthy ecosystem. Therefore, more and more
diversification is preferable.
Imagine how dangerous the MONOPOLY mentality is. This is the LOOK or FOLLOW-UP THINKING WITH ANOTHER TRUTH.
It is only natural to be convinced of the "beauty" or "beauty" of what you do. It's natural that you CAN'T LOVE music, food, beliefs or
CULTURE as a whole. NOT NATURAL is when you consider your culture to be superior. This is often the source of discrimination that leads to
contempt and contempt. These considerations are MORE IMPORTANT. This view provides the justification for betraying, avoiding, harassing,
harming or suppressing other people's lives or destroying the culture.
The extreme or ultimate destination of monopolistic behavior is to destroy others who do not conform to their vision and taste. Its symptoms
are so great that there is a need to consider and study for possible alternatives.
A great example of this symptom is the idea of ANTHROPOCENTRISM.
According to Wikipedia it is:
From Greek Ancient "human being"; and Ancient Greek: "center" the belief that considers human beings to be the most significant entity of
the universe and interprets or regards the world in terms of human values and experiences. The term can be used interchangeably with
humanocentrism, and some refer to the concept as human supremacy or human exceptionalism. Anthropocentrism is considered to be profoundly
embedded in many modern human cultures and conscious acts. It is a major concept in the field of environmental ethics and environmental
philosophy, where it is often considered to be the root cause of problems created by human action within the ecosphere.
Obviously this refers to being a human center. It is the belief that man holds the truth and the measure of events in the universe. It is
one of the basis for humans to decide to control or eliminate the animals, plants, minerals and other things that are important to the human
body.
The widespread damage to the environment in which we are experiencing the negative effects is due to the lack of human respect for Mother
Nature where our organic bodies and our well-being are closely linked .
This example does not attempt to provide absolute understanding, rather, it is an attempt to contribute to the elaboration and comprehension
of alternatives that reinforce the view that the person is not a CENTURY OF THE WORLD or of SANSINUKOB. THIS HAS BEEN BELIEVED THAT THEY ARE
ONLY PART OF THE COMPLETE ECONOMIC ECONOMICS. THE PERSON SHOULD NOT RECOMMEND THE SOFTWARE PARTS ONLY OF THE EXPRESS SYSTEMS.
It utilized the systematic logic of the study of science to refine the view, idea and experience that human and human evolution of the world
and the universe are closely linked to the multiplicity of organisms to ten such fundamental things. of water, sunlight, various kinds of
energy, air and minerals.
What the world is, therefore, is a variety of systems that are directly and indirectly related to which man is part and parcel of systems
that constantly rotate as a result of many and subtle processes.
As mentioned earlier, WITHOUT ANY WORDS, ITS WORDS ARE UNLIMITED . It is the relationship of people, individuals, communities, families and
other organisms that is RESPONSIBLE FOR RESPECT AND EFFECT. Respect and mutual respect are not abstract. It is a concrete relationship of
people who revolve around knowing that there is "something else." In addition to your "SELF," there are "OTHER" people, animals, plants and
things in which the role is essential to the continued existence of a "self."
Self-consciouness is what philosophers call the idea of gaining self-awareness. You confirm and make sure you are on your own because you
know that there are others. You face, you talk, you have inter-actions you can be like him, he uses words but you know he makes a big
difference. In a nutshell, you wouldn't be you, without him or them. Therefore, being who you are, or knowing yourself is linked to knowing
that you are with another person. There are other individuals who are not part of your body. Has his own body, essence including his
behavior, likes and dislikes.
There is nothing wrong with starting your own. What are your interests? What do you need? What are your strengths and what are your weaknesses?
Nobody's perfect. This is a fact that is difficult to disprove. At this point, an individual has a need to interact with others. Let's not
go further, the individual born from the womb does not come from anywhere. He is the result of the love of two individuals. Even at birth,
the baby needs the care of its parents. This baby goes through a process that will awaken him or her into habits, behaviors, skills,
knowledge, emotions, tastes, insights and beliefs from his or her parents, siblings, relatives, community and society. S ocialization
process is what sociologists call it.
In this sense, the individual or a person does not reflect absolute unity. Man even in his / her individuality represents social or social
relations with another person, society and nature. In this view the individual is not isolated or independent but he is part and parcel of
whatever society, culture and ecosystem he belongs to. I do not deny that human beings can and do have the capacity to survive alone. It is
advisable to leave this deed to their own determination.She will be away from the group of people and will live on her own. It was his
decision, but he could never fully establish his relationship with society. Because its very appearance in society is the result of social
activity. His biological needs are also linked to his natural environment.
The eloquent words of Russian anarchist geographer Peter Kropotkin are beautiful in his book " Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution ."
According to him, the kinds of animals that live alone or the lifestyle they live alone are less likely to survive their species. According
to his study, the species that live together through cooperation have a greater chance of surviving their species and their offspring. He
noted that so many animals and organisms have shown their ability to work together so perhaps many organisms have survived and existed to
this day.
One of these animals is our species. What ever human "development" reaches; EXCEPT ONLY THE CULTURE, TECHNOLOGY AND AGHAM ARE NOT THE
PRODUCT OF ANY PEOPLE OR CULTURE. THIS IS THE TRUTH OF TRUTH AND EXPERIENCE FROM THE COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE OF THE MAN.
https://bandilangitim.noblogs.org/post/2020/05/18/ang-bawat-organismo-ay-may-puwang-sa-daigdig-natin/#more-530
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Message: 4
And it surely has - I doubt if he'll be doing his nonchalant tennis jumper over the shoulder look for a few days or he'll be found upside
down hanging from a petrol pump, the fragrant Mary Wakefield alongside. ---- Rage is a great step forward from indignation - everybody in
BRITAIN is indignant all of the time - bin collections, potholes, fly tipping. Rage is rare and may reduce to a simmer within weeks. ---- It
is our task as revolutionaries to move on from rage to physical action on the streets. Take The Poll Tax and the Don't Pay Campaign
originating in Scotland raging to the great riot in London which effectively put an end to it and Thatcher. ---- Politically we need to
identify Cummings with Johnson like they're joined at the hip so Boris can't crawl out from the Cummings car crash. When Cummings gets it
then so does Johnson.
We need a massive demo in
London with about six weeks'
build up - which fits with
Class War's ‘The Friday After
Lockdown Lifted' existing
plans for a mass action.
Secondly we need a non-stop
harassment of Cummings and
Johnson.
No let up.
We'll be bringing our banners
down, but the real daily
incessant action and noise
against him will come from the
chance encounter in the street
- see picture - till he chucks it
in and fucks off to join Steve
Hilton in the States.
Let's play loud music outside
all day, let's remember the
Beanfield at mid summer
with an "Our Demons Out"
Festival in Islington to 18
Ockendon Road. No sleep till
Hammersmith .
We were made for this
comrades, this is who we
are, what were made of. We
recognise there's rage out there
- good, lets get out with our
bellows and nurture the fame
to conflagration. We must go
too far, beyond the point of
no return - comrades we must
cross the Rubicon.
https://classwar.world/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/CW-Daily-35-200526.pdf
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Message: 5
Dear all, ---- The struggle is not only in the streets but in how we represent and inspire each other. The Anarchist Radio Berlin was with
Dirti Lepra, a trap artist with whom we talked about why make music for dancing with social critique and revolutionary lyrics, his life
experience through music, anarchism and the popular uprising. ---- You'll find the audio (to listen online or download) here:
https://www.aradio-berlin.org/chile-dirti-lepra-trap-anarchism-and-revolution/ ---- Length: 31 min ---- You can find other English audios as
well as all issues of the monthly anarchist show "Bad News" here: https://www.aradio-berlin.org/en/audios-2/. ---- Among our last audios you
can find: ---- * An interview from The Final Straw Radio with an anarchafeminist about the political and social situation in El Salvador:
https://www.aradio-berlin.org/extra-el-salvador-an-anarchafeminist-perspective/
* An interview with an organizer of the first feminist Congress in
Wroclaw, Poland: https://www.aradio-berlin.org/feminist-congress-in-poland/
* The second part of a long conversation about Brazil and exile with two
Brazilian activists living in Portugal:
https://www.aradio-berlin.org/brazil-2020-1-em-fevereiro-tem-carnaval-a-conversation-about-brazil-and-exile-part-2/
* The first part of a long conversation about Brazil and exile with two
Brazilian activists living in Portugal:
https://www.aradio-berlin.org/a-radio-in-english-brazil-2020-1-em-fevereiro-tem-carnaval-a-conversation-about-brazil-and-exile-part-1/
* A call for a Week of Solidarity with the Political Prisoners of the
revolt in Chile: 13.-19.1.2020:
http://aradio.blogsport.de/2020/01/11/chile-13-19-1-2020-woche-der-solidaritaet-mit-den-politischen-gefangenen-semana-de-solidaridad-con-lxs-presxs-politicxs/
* A feature about the first anniversary of the Yellow Vest Movement in
France, from the perspective of Toulouse:
http://aradio.blogsport.de/2020/01/02/a-radio-in-english-one-year-yellow-vest-movement-in-france-a-feature-from-toulouse/
* A series of audios from the social revolt in Chile:
http://aradio.blogsport.de/2019/10/20/zur-situation-in-chile-deesen/
* An interview about the Brexit from an anarchist perspective and the
situation in Great Britain:
http://aradio.blogsport.de/2019/09/13/a-radio-in-english-brexit-and-anarchism/
Enjoy! And please feel free to share!
A-Radio Berlin
ps.: We are on Mastodon and Twitter! Please feel welcome to follow us at
@aradio_berlin!
ps2.: Please note: We are always looking for people willing to lend us a
hand with transcriptions and translations from Spanish or German into
English as well as people able to do voice recordings - in order to
amplify our international radio work. You can contact us at
aradio-berlin/at/riseup(dot)net!
------------------------------
Message: 6
The arrival of cholera in Paris in 1832 produced a medical, political and social shock which left a lasting mark on his time. Beyond the
trauma of the 18,000 dead in less than six months, it was the very foundations of society that trembled. After the passage of cholera-morbus
in the capital, the bourgeoisie had obvious facts: social reforms were needed, at the risk of seeing revolutionary ideals triumph. ----
Described by Portuguese doctors and Dutch since the middle of the XVI th century, cholera is in 1830, not unknown to Europeans. But, endemic
to the Bay of Bengal, it had hardly left before 1817. Let us give thanks to the colonial armies of the British Empire and Tsarist Russia:
they allowed the deadly potential of the cholera vibrio to be fully expressed. The XIX thcentury was to be struck by six pandemic episodes,
the last of which did not end until 1923. If the first epidemic (1817-1824) spared Europe, the second (1829-1837) was favored by British
incursions in Afghanistan, by the wars of Russia against Persia and the Ottoman Empire, then by the repression of the Polish insurrection.
Between 1826 and 1831, cholera crossed the Caspian Sea and spread to Russia, then throughout Europe.
From 1831, the arrival of cholera seems inevitable. But the power in place in Paris assures him, all the necessary measures have been
taken. The new president of the Council, the merchant banker and regent of the Banque de France Casimir Perier - the same one who
suppresses, in November of the same year, the insurrection of the Lyon canuts - is confident, France will escape the scourge. In fact,
cholera will kill some 18,000 people in Paris alone that year, including Casimir Perier who will succumb on May 16.
The disease found a fertile ground in Paris despite the establishment, at the end of 1831, of a Central Health Commission responsible for
investigating the causes of unsanitary conditions in private houses and furnished houses. Because, in 1832 the Parisian population is in a
situation which, in many aspects, is even worse than in 1789. Lack of water and bread, piling up in infamous and humid residences, in
streets where the light hardly penetrates, the people are in agony: "a populace who dies alone"according to the writer Jules Janin. The
revolution of July 1830, by bringing Louis-Philippe to the throne, reinforced the political weight of the industrial and financial
bourgeoisie, but did little to improve the lot of the population. It is therefore in a post-revolutionary atmosphere, still fairly
explosive, that the disease strikes Paris. On March 29, 1832, the Journal des Debates was alarmed: "Cholera-morbus is within our
walls.[...]Today, nine people have been brought to the Hôtel-Dieu and four have already died. All men affected by this epidemic disease, but
who are not believed to be contagious, belong to the class of the people.[...]They live in the dirty and narrow streets of the City and the
Notre-Dame district". The social character of the epidemic was a major characteristic from the outset. If the doctors of the time could not
explain the course of the disease, the evidence became obvious very quickly: the epidemic seemed to hit only the "miserable" and to spare
the "honest people". The hygienist theses of doctor Villeture on the social character of morbidity and mortality will be verified in an
inevitable way.
The "Blue Fear" strikes the proletariat first
Geographic segregation being less effective in the shopping districts, one understands quite quickly that the "plague of the populace" would
spare no one, that "this cholera which is in the attics can at any time go down and cross the three floors which separates it of your
bedrooms. " Cholera spreads all over the city, the number of patients explodes and hospitals, where mortality reaches 45%, can no longer
quickly cope with the influx of patients. Many die in them, the corpses are loaded on artillery vans. The "blue fear »Shortens the
parliamentary session and many proletarians, now unemployed, return to their provinces, spreading cholera despite themselves.
At the first sign, a violent scientific controversy began. The "contagionist" doctors - politically rather conservative and favorable to the
isolation of the sick - oppose the "infectionists", more liberal, favorable to the emerging hygienist theses, for which it is the unhealthy
homes which play a preponderant role in the etiology of the disease. Since scientific controversies are not isolated from economic and
social questions, the "contagionistsWill lose the battle of opinion: by isolating the sick they are accused of segregation. Worse still, by
advocating the establishment of a cordon cordon at borders and on the coasts, they are accused of obstructing trade. The hygienist theses,
appearing as coming from modern medicine, are then more favorably received, their compatibility with the continuity of trade also
accommodating a miserable and paternalistic vision of the popular classes.
However, "contagionists" as well as "infectionists" prove to be just as incapable of curbing the advance of the disease. Its violent
character, suddenly - one dies of cholera most often in less than forty-eight hours - and overwhelming the scientific knowledge of the time,
confirms the most eccentric interpretations. Everyone finds something to consolidate their vision of the world. Apocalyptic sermons
attribute the scourge to a divine vengeance punishing a "populace" victim of his vices, his taste for revolution and irreligion: "these
unfortunate people die in impenitence, but the wrath of the God of justice is growing and soon every day will count its thousand victims.
The crime of destroying the archdiocese[during the July Revolution]is far from over. "
Horace Vernet, Choléramorbus aboard La Melpomène (1833).
The Faubourg Saint-Antoine on the verge of revolt
The crowd of working-class neighborhoods, victim of both the disease and the police measures preventing them from earning a living, finds
another explanation for this epidemic. She is convinced that we want to "poison" her . The Faubourg Saint-Antoine is covered with posters:
"Cholera is an invention of the bourgeoisie and the government to starve the people ... To arms!" The health obligations prohibiting indeed
the rag picking up trash, the market is sold to private companies. Some 1,800 buffoons (according to the police) then revolted, ransacked
and burnt down the Salvette company warehouses which deprived them of their meager livelihood.
The discontent is growing under the impulse of "leaders" (still according to the police), and the rioting atmosphere spreads in many
districts. She even won the Sainte-Pélagie prison where, on the night of April 3 to 4, the National Guard took the opportunity to shoot the
mutinous political prisoners. It does not take more for the Republican opposition to see proof of the collusion between power and cholera.
The ineffectiveness of medical treatment forced the authorities to treat the epidemic socially by trying to improve the living conditions of
the poor. The police prefect orders the distribution of food and clothing. The most insanitary slums are destroyed, lanes closed. More than
20,000 dwellings were visited and whitewashed. Twice a day, we pour chlorinated water on the boulevards.
In May, cholera ebbs but the city remains devastated, and the unemployed are legion. A spark is enough to rekindle the flame of revolt. In
early June, two figures from the republican camp are buried: the Welsh mathematician Évariste (member, with Auguste Blanqui, of the Society
of Friends of the People dissolved by Guizot) and General Lamarque, who died of cholera. On June 5, the funeral procession of the general,
under the impulse of republican leaders, is adorned with red flags (and some black, as at the Croix-Rousse in Lyon the previous year), and
turns into a wild demonstration. Members of the National Guard defected and joined the insurgents. Barricades stand and two days of fierce
confrontation oppose the insurgents to the army (this is the episode of the barricades narrated by Victor Hugo inLes Misérables ).
The evidence becomes obvious very quickly: the epidemic first strikes the miserable and spares the honest people. Philippe-Auguste Jeanron,
Scène de Paris (1833).
Quickly, however, the bourgeois leaders of the republican camp dissociated themselves from the event, some even fleeing from Paris ... The
working classes paid a heavy price for the disease. The medical commission appointed in the midst of an epidemic and composed essentially of
hygienists, quickly established the socially differentiated character of mortality from cholera. The mortality of the destitute jumped by
20%. The Benoiston report from Châteauneuf (1834) confirms the analysis, indicating that all the excess mortality zones "without exception,
are located in the worst neighborhoods, such as those of the City, the City Hall, or in the most bad streets in the best neighborhoods. "
Studies will show that unsanitary conditions have been the structural cause of the very high rates of morbidity (percentage of people
infected) and mortality (percentage of deceased people) among the working classes in urban areas. The hygienists will then launch an intense
campaign in favor of the sanitation of housing, but will not be able to obtain coercive measures against the owners of these slums enriching
themselves on misery. This would have gone against the "sacrosanct" principle of inviolability of private property.
Legislate to calm the people
It was only in 1848, the day after these June days when the Parisian proletariat rose up again against the established order, and while a
new pandemic struck England, that the question of healthiness would resume its place in the political calendar. Fearing further violence
with the return of cholera, the Cavaignac government will multiply commissions and measures aimed at reassuring public opinion. As in 1832,
the most popular neighborhoods will be the first and most affected.
If the epidemic of 1849 did not cause popular riots, the entire political class would be unanimous: unhealthiness was the cause of disorder
- not only social and health but also and above all moral - and it is urgent to legislate on this question, at the risk that it would lead
to a political and social crisis. As soon as installed, the new assembly will examine a bill to this effect, and the rapporteur of the text,
will not hide the moral interest:"If the worker finds in his dwelling, not the pleasure, but the cleanliness, but the healthiness, he will
enjoy himself there, he will stay there. On the contrary, suppose, which is unfortunately too frequent, a mephitic air, nauseating
emanations, he will hasten to flee it to seek outside distractions too often dangerous ... The links are relaxed, the vices are encouraged
and the disorder multiplies ..." The law will be voted unanimously, and although limited in its effects, it will make date as one of the
first social laws and the first bearing the seal of the hygienist renovators. More than an advance towards more social progress, it will be
the sign of a moment of feverishness of the bourgeoisie, ready to concede crumbs for fear of losing most of the cake.
The popular revolts make the powers tremble, from one pandemic to another, let's remember the lesson ...
David (UCL Grand-Paris sud)
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?1832-L-epidemie-de-cholera-peur-bleue-de-la-bourgeoisie
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Message: 7
"Anarchism and Violence" published May 2020 is a pamphlet published by the Surrey group of the Anarchist Communist Group. ---- The pamphlet
contains pages from Malatesta's "Life and Ideas". ---- The issues covered are as relevant today as they were when it was first published 25
years ago by the London Anarchist Communist Federation. ---- In the booklet, Malatesta discusses the question of violence and why adequate
means are required to resist force. ---- Price: £1.50 including postage for this 16-page pamphlet. ---- at May 28, 2020
Email This ---- BlogThis! ---- Share to Twitter ---- Share to Facebook ---- Share to Pinterest
https://surreyanarchistcommunistgroup.blogspot.com/2020/05/anarchism-and-violence-new-pamphlet.html
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Message: 8
It could be summed up in these two words what is happening these days with the casseroles of people whose main characteristic is to display
the monarchical flag. ---- The question is, what do they ask for? Why are they protesting? From the looks of it, they ask for freedom and
for El Corte Inglés to be opened. Let's focus on freedom, El Corte Inglés is more complicated, maybe another day. The concept of freedom is
striking in some people, they generally refer to YOUR freedom, the freedom of others passing through the arc of triumph, even resorting to
the exploitation (the new form of slavery) of their peers to achieve YOUR freedom. ---- Yes, it seems incredible, but on this planet there
are people who consider themselves more entitled than others for multiple reasons: their last names, their possessions, their studies, their
noble titles, their place of birth, their skin color, their flag, its genre and a lot of stupidities more, which more crazy, illogical,
fictitious, absurd.
We have been playing this for a long time. Generally, these types of arguments have been used by the privileged sectors to exercise control
over the dispossessed so as not to lose those privileges. They have always known how to play their cards well, we will not deny it, and they
have known how to convince people who do not belong to their circle with the vain hope of entering it. You know, the poor will not be
dangerous as long as we harbor the hope of being rich.
Others are clear that freedom is either for everyone or is not for anyone. I cannot be free if my freedom depends on the submission of
others because then, I have to take care of keeping those people subject. We think that, to be free, we must all be free, without exception.
But for that EDUCATION is needed and, in these times, education is conspicuous by its absence.
There are all kinds of theories about this pandemic, the governments of the different states are facing it in different ways. Generally
conservative ideological governments, under the premise of freedom (the freedom to continue making money) are prioritizing economic activity
over the health of the population with terrible consequences.
In this era of disinformation, everything must be questioned. I would not know if the measures being taken in the Spanish state are
adequate, I am not an epidemiologist or anything like that, but I do have one thing clear; If they tell me that not abiding by certain rules
can kill someone, I can believe it or not, but I am not so stupid or so unsupportive as to risk checking it out at the cost of the lives of
my fellow men. There will be time after taking the necessary measures if we have been manipulated for some other purpose (as many conspiracy
theories defend). Now is the time to observe, analyze, verify, in a word, learn. And maybe unlearn. Laying the foundations that allow us to
live in harmony without domination, without government, in peace.
It is difficult to ask this of groups that are characterized by their lack of solidarity, who only think about their well-being, who think
that they belong to a privileged group, accustomed to claiming their rights and not complying with their obligations, to the funnel law.
Yes, I also get angry sometimes, the desire to face them and shout that they do not deserve the air they breathe and pollute with their
shameful demonstrations by car. I know that they are the same people who throw their masks and gloves on the floor (more than once I have
had to hear that this is how they give work to the barrenderxs, this is the level) I know that they are the same ones who make scandals when
they take care of them in the ambulatory or in the hospital, the very ones who protest because they are put on the waiting list for an
operation, the same ones who vote for parties that destroy public health.
I know who they are, I know how they think, I live with them. I know that it is useless to explain things to them, that they do not evolve,
that the only thing that matters to them is to maintain (sadly in some cases, achieve) their status. Don't talk to them about climate
change, it would mean going for bread instead of by car, don't tell them about people who are hungry or homeless, they already give their
donation in the church brush, don't tell them about precarious work They are entrepreneurs (most of the time with the support of the capital
accumulated by their parents and grandparents) and we, simple workers, cannot imagine the difficulties that an entrepreneur has, do not talk
about animal abuse, the animals are for serve us (some people think the same), do not talk about mutual support, they value the person who
makes himself, although they generally have all kinds of people at their service. We could continue with a long etcetera, but we already
know it.
I said before that yes, sometimes anger takes me, but I am clear that violence begins where intelligence ends, so they always start earlier.
Let's not go down to their level.
The most painful thing of all is to see how people of humble class join their masters, it hurts. It did not surprise me at all to see the
casseroles from the Salamanca neighborhood saucepan in hand, I was amused, they portrayed themselves. The painful thing has been to see
people with few resources follow his example, like dogs grateful to their master, waiting for the crumbs of their eater for the good work
they have done in defense of their interests. I can't understand it, is it fear? Is it ignorance? Is it brainwashing?
The great work of fascism in the civil war was to end all the intelligentsia of our country, it was clear to them, if you want to subdue the
population, there must be no thinkers. Even today we are paying the consequences of this cleaning, people who defend those who exploit,
steal and use them with a single argument, diffuse, indeterminate, void of content, irrational: being Spanish.
So we are not talking to you, who have an income of more than € 100,000, we are talking to you, who arrive with difficulty at the end of the
month. Who do you think will help you when you need it?
https://www.cnt.es/noticias/patriotico-egoismo/
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Message: 9
At the end of the third week of May 2020, a series of protests against the current PSOE and Vamos government began in Nuñez de Balboa
Street, in the Goya district of the Salamanca district (one of the highest-income districts in the capital). Over the days, there have been
attempts to extend these protests to other districts of Madrid and other cities in the state without a clear objective, in addition to
manifesting itself "while confinement lasts". ---- These manifestations, far from his discourse of "apolitical citizens irritated" by
restrictive government policies that try to make us believe, have a deep class background. They take to the streets to defend their
privileges of class and power, encouraged by the political parties that represent their interests. These mobilizations are mostly attended
by entrepreneurs and people who live off the exploitation of private property, which is a parasite that lives off the work and money of
others. You will never see them in any mobilization that has to do with a social or labor claim. Many are part of various economic lobbies,
so the government legislates in their favor, and they benefit from anti-worker policies promoted by political and economic powers.
The government gives them carte blanche to do whatever they want, so that the Government Delegation does not act in accordance with this
type of mobilization. They are unlikely to be stopped, do not ask for cards, do not impose sanctions and do not require that the safety
distance be maintained because of the state of alarm. They know that they have impunity to do what they want, as any kind of economic
sanction will not affect their income at all, and they act accordingly.
In addition, one of the most important things they have is the support of the media, which covers and whitens their mobilizations, always
with praise for their "peaceful and democratic" status. Meanwhile, neighborhood workers have no choice but to remain silent in the face of
their arbitrariness.
The situation is very different in the low-income neighborhoods of the city of Madrid and those most affected by the pandemic of the
COVID-19 virus and the health crisis due to the years of constant privatization and dismantling of the health system. Just look at how
emergency centers and many primary and specialized care centers remained closed, forcing hospitals to become overcrowded.
Even before the pandemic, there were a large number of unemployed people in the poorest neighborhoods in the capital at risk of social
exclusion. The last EPA of 2019 gave a percentage of unemployed 10% of the population, which hides the extremely high rate of precarious
workers, job destruction and people who work mainly in hiding without contributing to Social Security. Now, hundreds of families are
affected by the Temporary Labor Regulation (ERTE) procedures. The State socializes employers' losses and pays only 70% of the salary that
the company was supposed to pay during the first six months and, of course, late and badly, suffocating hundreds of families. How many will
be affected by layoffs, losing their jobs. All of this with a horizon that threatens with new social and labor cuts,
The Social Services of the city of Madrid, far from being able to provide a quality service, already saturated until the arrival of the
pandemic, are unable to cope with the lack of public investment, with the constant externalizations and privatizations they have suffered,
as well as with health and other basic services.
The police action has been totally contrary to that of the Salamanca district. A plethora of situations of abuse of authority have been made
public on social media and alternative media while the official media has been silenced. We had to witness the special racist harassment
against migrant workers. Sanctions in poor neighborhoods have been much higher than in any high-income district in the capital.
The media's attitude, contrary to the treatment given to the "peaceful democrats" of the District of Salamanca, has been of constant
criminalization and demonization against the population of the poor neighborhoods, especially against Vallekas, Carabanchel, Villaverde or
Centro.
In social networks and in the media, we are bombarded with messages for and against the government, strengthening the hegemonic discourse
that favors representative institutions, political powers and, ultimately, an economic power that will benefit from the next cuts in labor
rights and social.
This dominant discourse silences and hides the multiplicity of self-organization and mutual support initiatives being carried out by
neighbors and various independent groups in the districts most criminalized by the media and most punished by the pandemic. These
initiatives seek to support the people most affected by the crisis and to create a social fabric. In addition, they are filling in the gaps
that, in theory, should be addressed by state institutions and the City of Madrid through Social Services. The creation and development of
these networks are what have stood out to achieve improvements for the population in the periods when the crises of the capitalist economic
system led to a greater offensive against workers' rights.
It is clear that we workers can expect absolutely nothing from the institutions or from those who hold political and economic power. The
"revolt" of the "Cayetans¹" is an example of how the class struggle is intensifying and of a new offensive against workers' rights.
Solidarity is intrinsic to the nature of the human being and its implementation is increasingly necessary. The collective and organized
against privatization and individualism. The practice of self-organization and mutual support will make us break with the dominant hegemonic
discourse and with the capitalist economic system that suffocates and suffocates us.
For anarchy!
Grupo Tierra
federacionarquistaiberica.wordpress.com
[1]Cayetanos is an expression used in this context to identify people of high economic status who have demonstrated against social isolation
in Spain.
Translation> Liberto
anarchist news agency-ana
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