#Worldwide #Information #Blogger #LucSchrijvers: - #PAST1 -#Update: #anarchist #information from all over the #world - SATURDAY 23.05.2020

Today's Topics:

   
1.  Greece, Solidarity with the revolted prisoners of Thebes and
      in the struggles of prisoners for protection against covid-19
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
2.  France, Union Communiste Libertaire UCL AL #305 - Brief,
      Amazon France: oh the beautiful slap (fr, it, pt)[machine
      translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
3.  Greece, liberta salonica: Call for support of the
      pan-educational demonstration: Tuesday 19/5, 13:00 at the Statue
      of Venizelos. [machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
4.  anarkismo.net: Serious Concern at Escalating State
      Xenophobia in South Africa by Mqapheli Bonono - Abahlali base
      Mjondolo (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
5.  anarkismo.net: ESE, Let's not go back to normalcy by
      International Confederation of Labour (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
6.  ait russia: France: The Return of the Yellow Vests [machine
      translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
7.  Britain, anarchist cmmunist group ACG: ACG Statement on the
      anti-lockdown so called "freedom picnics" (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
8.  Britain, anarchist communist group acg: A libertarian
      critique of Mao's "Combat Liberalism" (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)


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Message: 1



Next to the invisible of this world ---- The only visible enemy is the state and capitalism ---- Solidarity meeting with prisoners,
fugitives and persecuted militants ---- WITH THE INVISIBLE OF THIS WORLD ---- It has been only a few months since the outbreak of the
pandemic and the world we knew seems to be changing from top to bottom, with the lower side experiencing the greatest and most violent
devaluation, in order for the upper to emerge - and from this crisis - as much as it becomes more intact. It is clear that the repression of
the capitalist crisis will be paid for again by the oppressed and the exploited. The escalation of the pandemic highlighted the structural
contradictions of the capitalist world and its constitutional disregard for human life.
He highlighted the systematic devaluation of public health as an unnecessary expense for the state but also as an important area of
​​investment for private capital and the consequent displacement of the classically weak from one of the most important social needs. Thus,
health, among many more, is becoming more and more a class privilege of the powerful, who can be treated in decent medical conditions. Let
the rest be left to chance.

The biggest lie of this period is that we are all equal against this pandemic. No poor person has the same access to health services and
medicines, the same opportunities for good nutrition and a strong immune system, the same opportunities for non-synchronization and minimal
risk exposure with the rich. He is, after all, the poor man who, if not a prisoner or a detained immigrant, will be among those who were
forced to work in medieval galleys or joined the armies of the unemployed who already existed. It is these low social strata that have been
hit hardest by the corona pandemic worldwide, as shown by the thousands of dead in the industrial north of Italy, the mass graves of the
poor in the United States and the spread of the virus to ghettoized African-Americans, their Latin Americans dead in cardboard boxes or
burning the bodies of their relatives on the street.

The management of the pandemic proved in practice and in larger social parts that the defending the value of human life is a myth about the
State and its costing varies depending on one's position in the socio-class pyramid.

Prisons, detention centers, detention centers for migrants and refugees have always been state-of-the-art warehouses and informal ghettos
without substantial rights. With the outbreak of the pandemic, prisoners and migrants were the most exposed to the killer virus, as in
conditions of overpopulation they were unable to self-protect their health and be transported directly to a hospital in case of illness. In
any case, in the most difficult position of the social pyramid, accepting the harshest forms of exploitation and repression, with minimal to
no reactionary possibilities and with limited voices of support and solidarity. At a time when the far-right management of the refugee by
the government of N.D. is creating a climate of cannibalism.

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Message: 2



The earth trembled under the feet of Jeff Bezos on April 14 ! Amazon, its power, its arrogance ... and its armada of lawyers lost in summary
proceedings against SUD-Commerce. ---- Indeed, the court of Nanterre ordered the six French sites - under penalty of a fine of 1 million
euros per day - to cease all activity apart from essential products (health, hygiene, food, that is to say 10% of the products according to
SOUTH).
Confirmation on appeal on April 24: each illicit delivery will be punished with a fine of 100,000 euros ! It is a great victory ( read in
Alternative Libertaire of April 2020 ). Frustrated, Amazon France preferred to temporarily close its six sites. Compliance with health
measures must be monitored by the unions.
Jérôme (UCL Douai)
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Amazon-France-oh-la-belle-claque

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Message: 3



The new anti-education bill that the ND government is working on is another blow, with a clear class and reactionary sign, at all levels of
education. This new reactionary regulation of the government aims to intensify the mechanistic and examination nature of the education
system, tightening its already suffocating framework, persistently insisting on discipline and punishment of students, but also on the
intensification of the pace of studies. In addition, it deliberately exacerbates the class barriers that run through all levels of
education, excluding sections of the poor from the structures of public education, thus undermining their future, work prospects and
survival. ---- This bill is part of the overall strategy of the state to discredit public education through underfunding, but also to turn
the educational system towards authoritarianism and private initiative. These are, after all, the requirements of the global market economy,
these are the rules of capitalist competition and the commercialization of every human need and activity.

Under the weight of this new anti-popular attack, which is being carried out in a coordinated manner by the capital and the state, the
forces of the social base are called upon to reorganize, to unite the community of their class interests and to organize their own
counterattack. Only with an organized and unassuming class movement can we defend the material interests of the working class, whether it is
economically active or unemployed or educated. In this direction we call on everyone and everyone at the base of the social and productive
pyramid to thicken the lines of class grassroots organizations, unions, student and student groups and associations, the economic
associations of retirees and the unemployed, the workers' unions. base initiatives.

On the streets of the struggle we will prevent the passage of the new anti-education bill.

EDUCATION IS NOT A COMMERCIAL OR A DISCOUNT

LET'S LIKE THE CLASS THINGS THAT COMPLETE ALL THE EDUCATIONAL DEGREES

NO THOUGHT FOR EXCLUSIONS OF TEACHERS

IMMEDIATE ENTRY OF THE MUNICIPAL EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM WITH PERMANENT CHECKS OF EDUCATIONAL PERSONNEL

SOCIAL STRUGGLES OF STUDENTS, STUDENTS AND TEACHERS AGAINST THE NEW REACTIVE EDUCATIONAL REACTION

WE SUPPORT THE UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT:

TUESDAY 19/5, 13:00, AGALMA VENIZELOU

Thessaloniki Freedom Initiative (member of the Anarchist Federation)

emai: lib_thess@hotmail.com
blog: libertasalonica.wordpress.com

https://libertasalonica.wordpress.com/2020/05/18

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Message: 4



Statement from Abahlali baseMjondolo on state xenophobia during the coronavirus lockdown in South Africa ---- Since its formation in 2005
Abahlali baseMjondolo, which now has more than 70 000 members in good standing in Durban, has opposed xenophobia and sought to build a
politics rooted in democratically run land occupations open to all. During period waves of xenophobic violence, always incited and
sanctioned to some degree by the state, the movement has taken direct action to 'shelter and defend' people under attack. ----
croppedabm.jpg ---- Friday, 8 May 2020 ---- Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement ---- Serious Concern at Escalating State Xenophobia ----
The crisis caused by the coronavirus is being exploited by the government as an excuse to repress those it has always wanted to repress.
There have been illegal and violent evictions in all the major cities, and for weeks our movement was specifically targeted for violent
daily attacks in Durban.

Our members, neighbours, comrades and fellow human beings who were born in other countries are also facing serious discrimination from a
xenophobic state during this crisis.

 From the time that our movement was first formed in 2005 we made no distinction between people based on the country or province in which
they were born. The strength of our movement is in the occupations and the unity between families and neighbours. We have always worked on
the principle that if you live in an occupation you are from that occupation and you have the same rights as every other resident of that
occupation, including the right to participate in all discussions and to accept nomination for elected office. We are proud that people born
in different provinces and countries hold elected positions in our movement. We invite migrant organisations to participate in and address
our assemblies and rallies. When there have been xenophobic attacks we have always committed ourselves to shelter and defend the people
under attack.

The politicians always try to divide us by telling people that they are not getting secure access to land, or services, or houses, because
there are people born in other provinces and countries in their communities. We always resist this. A person is a person where ever they may
find themselves. The strength of the oppressed is in our unity.

When the coronavirus crisis started the first thing that the government did was to build a very expensive wall along the border with
Zimbabwe. Now people who were born in other countries are being denied access to food parcels. Communities that are being told that
‘foreigners' will be deported before their settlements are ‘dedensified'. Senior people in government are saying that when people are
allowed to go back to work jobs must be reserved for South Africans and that businesses with ‘too many foreigners' will not be allowed to
reopen. All this talk from the South African government of ‘putting South Africans first' is no different to the language of Donald Trump.
They are trying to divide the oppressed and to encourage us to blame our own neighbours and comrades rather than the government and the
capitalists for the worsening impoverishment in which we find ourselves.

The government keeps saying that ‘putting South Africans first' is not xenophobic but this is no different to racists wanting to be able to
keep being racists while denying that they are racists. All things must be given their true names. The work to ensure that all things are
given their true names is important political work. Just as racism is racism xenophobia is xenophobia and we wish to say clearly that our
government is deeply and deliberately xenophobic.

After the escape from the notorious Lindela ‘repatriation centre' people from African and Asian countries are being forcibly ‘repatriated'.
People from the UK and the USA are being treated with dignity and voluntarily sent home if they so wish. The racism that drives the
government's xenophobia is clear.

We have been providing food to our members who are not able to access grants. We make not distinctions on the basis of the province or
country in which people were born. In some branches we have also set up communal kitchens, in which men and women are encouraged to share
the work of cooking, to make food available to all our neighbours. Many people who were born in other countries are eating from these
communal kitchens. This is not a case of South Africans helping migrants. It is a case of residents and neighbours working together to build
mutual aid and solidarity. There are people born in other countries who are helping with the cooking and people born in South Africa who are
only eating because they have access to the communal kitchens.

We will never deviate from the principle that a neighbour is a neighbour and a comrade is a comrade no matter where they were born.

We call on our comrades in the trade unions, residents' associations and all other progressive forces to join us and take a clear and strong
position against the xenophobia that is being pushed by the government while popular organisation and mobilisation have been radically
restricted during this crisis.

South Africa belongs to all who live in it.

Umuntu ungumuntu ngabantu.

Unyawo alunampumulo.

Mqapheli Bonono 073 0673 274
S'bu Zikode 083 547 0474
Nomsa Sizani 081 005 3686
Related Link: http://abahlali.org/

https://www.anarkismo.net/article/31882

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Message: 5



Only the people save the people. We will save ourselves. The common and global issues we need to address are many and complex. We all need
to be at the table. Now we are not looking at the other way. This time become a fighter. ---- Announcement of ICL (International
Confederation of Labour | International Labor Confederation) ---- Coronation: Let's not go back to normal ---- It is difficult to write
about COVID 19 from Madrid, one of the cities that received the hardest blow in the world. The death toll in the region alone is higher than
in China as a whole. Officials say there is a slow improvement, but the result is that people continue to die every day. People I know from
my neighborhood have died. Others are seriously ill, including union members. It's hard. We all want it to end.

Feelings of isolation and frustration are common to lockdown. The children have been locked in for more than a month. Their stress and
anxiety are manifested in various ways. At the very least, they don't understand what's going on. The quarantine was imposed severely and we
really did not save it. Many families live in crowded apartments or lack sanitation and experience it even worse. It's really hard and we
all want it to end.

Our jobs and lives are gone. More than 3,000,000 workers in Spain have been temporarily laid off, with 800,000 jobs being lost in March
alone. Critical areas of the economy (tourism, hotels) are collapsing and the outlook is bleak. The picture is similar around the world.
This will become even more difficult and it does not seem to end quickly.

Meanwhile, the issues of our society that we faced before the current crisis are still here. Inequality, poverty and exploitation exist
uncontrollably in the universe, the regime of power and populist xenophobia are not gone. Also, global warming and its consequences continue
to accelerate.

When this is over, when COVID 19 finally leaves, we need to get back to the task of repairing this shattered world. The years we have spent
and the collective experience is a wake-up call. It is now clear that ignoring or denying these global issues is dangerous for us. We can
try so hard to keep them out of our minds, to keep going as if nothing is happening, but they will come back to knock on our door.

There is no going back to normalcy. We should not return to normalcy. We do not believe that the state and politicians (any state and
politicians) will give us security, because it is obvious that they will not do it. Throughout the liberal economic bourgeoisie of eternal
development, we do not sting, because there is nothing like it. We do not exchange our lives for meaningless work for endless hours. We do
not hand over our collective decisions, enabling bureaucrats to be elected to the polls.

The fear is strong and the pandemic is frightening. There is a chance that many will be ready to surrender their rights and freedoms, hopes
and aspirations to promises of security and health. But the only way to cure fear is through trust. Confidence in ourselves, in our
collective strength, mutual aid and solidarity with each other. To make mutual aid and solidarity effective, to feel this warmth in our
lives, to bond to tackle global issues, we must build strong organizations that will bring us together. These can be grassroots unions,
rental associations, anti-austerity groups, a revolutionary environmental campaign, feminist collectives, or anything else. All this and
much more is needed to equip the opportunities in the revolutionary base we need. Only the people save the people.

Well, we're not going back to normal. Become a fighter this season!

Miguel Perez, ICL's secretary

1. Social control and authoritarian regimes

In recent decades there has been a growing number of authoritarian regimes, more or less mixing political freedoms with the capitalist
market. Examples of this assessment are China, but there are others, such as Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, etc. At the same time, populism
is on the rise everywhere. Not only in developed countries where the etiology of immigration is often used as a general shift in the
political spectrum of the right, but also in places like India.

Meanwhile, the state and companies are monitoring the citizens, while consumers have accepted this normality all over the world.

The crisis of COVID 19 has other implications for these developments. It is clearly obvious that the ability to reduce the spread of the
disease is very different across countries. Probably no one has succeeded as much as South Korea, perhaps even China, given their data and
official management. Unlike Italy, Spain and the USA. which are the opposite and expect a higher number of deaths than anywhere else in the
world.

There are many reasons for this and each case is unique. An in-depth discussion is beyond the scope of this text. However, what can be said
with certainty is that many will point to the surveillance and control that many Asian states impose on citizens. Also the fact that an
authoritarian government like that of China can quickly introduce and impose tougher measures at the beginning of the escalation.

A possible result of the health crisis in general is a widespread acceptance of the most authoritarian regime and, of course, more state
surveillance. There are already voices pointing in that direction. The use by the South Korean government of face recognition, monitoring
applications, mobile phone registrations, etc. to find infected people, they can make these developments more digestible to many in the
future. When life is in danger, discussions become inactive and fear becomes a powerful motivator.

But these surveillance tools are some of the backbone of the modern system of government. The others are time-tested, such as the physical
repression of opponents. Combined with the rapidly growing nationalist policy of xenophobic populism, miserable maintenance,
pseudo-communist dictatorships and theocratic governments, the barrel of gunpowder is about to explode from time to time.

It seems that we need to get information from the Hong Kong insurgents about how we need to protect our movements against mass surveillance
and state repression.

2. Discovering the old ways

There is no question that the health crisis is going to impose a global economy. What has already begun, we will see it expand in the coming
months. The predictions are horrible. You don't have to be a Nobel Prize-winning economist to understand that millions of workers lose their
jobs and companies that go bankrupt around the world can quickly lead to the collapse of banks, stock exchanges and the financial world in
general.

This perspective scares governments, following in the footsteps of the 2008 recession. So many were ready to gamble their lives for the sake
of preserving the economy. Think of the United States, the United Kingdom, etc. This failed and everyone ran to get the check checks of the
trillions of packages. The money that could not be found in the period of the last years of cuts and authoritarian measures was suddenly
found and is ready to be generously distributed. Our comrades from USI in Italy have already pointed out the effects of the cuts in the
health system in their country and the effects of the current crisis. The same can be said for other countries.

We have experienced this again. After the 2008 financial crash in the midst of a solemn call for capitalist reform, millions were used to
rescue banks and other businesses. Discussions quickly faded from memory, the owners of large companies raised money, thanked and let the
workers lift the weight of their own rescue through cuts and authoritarianism. Nothing happened beyond the worst working and living
conditions for workers.

Most likely all of these billions of rescue packages will be used to save on oil wells, air travel, shipping, coal-fired power plants,
cattle farming in tropical forests, cheap plastic factories, holidaymakers, celebrations hitec production companies, "providing" more and
more advanced products. as before.

Indeed, that is the plan. Let's go back to normal as soon as possible, pretending that COVID 19 did not exist and ignoring the global
problems that existed. However, this pandemic has shown that closing our eyes to the fact that our societies are good does not really work.
Going out into everyday life and work, hoping that experts and politicians will keep us safe is not a viable strategy. It never was, but now
no one can deny it. The health crisis is a wake-up call to realize that we are in deep shit!

3. Funding the next crisis

Some have pointed out the benefits of the environmental crisis. Infection levels are low, animals and plants use natural spaces deserted by
humans during quarantine. Certainly, if everyone tends to consider these developments good news, in a humanitarian crisis it is rather
short-sighted. The end result may be worse than that.

These changes are only temporary. States and governments already have plans to relax environmental protection, that is, to reject
sustainability plans, for the sake of economic recovery. That means new coal-fired power plants will quickly boost cheap energy for
factories or more oil rigs and subsidized fuel for air travel and shipping, to name but a few. Furthermore, calculating the reduced demand
due to the economic downturn, the health crisis could be very detrimental to the environment.

The point is that global warming and the collapse of the environment continue unabated. They didn't stop with the quarantine, because no one
cares. The ice continues to melt slowly, the sea level rises and the forests burn. Some study the link between increased pandemics and human
encroachment on natural areas and their degradation.

But the immediate environmental consequence is not just desertification. Economic inequality, poverty and exploitation continue to be a
scourge for all communities around the world. The effects of the health crisis can be devastating for them. Not just in terms of access to
medical care, although this is definitely a factor. For example, COVID 19 has already become widespread and is deadly in the slumped
communities, mostly blacks, in the United States. the world. From North America to South America, from Europe to Asia, there is a working
class that will feel (already feel) the effects of the economic collapse.

If the 2008 crisis is over, jobs and livelihoods will be lost, wages will fall, evictions and homelessness will increase and working
conditions will get worse. Poorer communities in developing countries face the prospect of starvation, while social exclusion can spread to
all parts of the world. Meanwhile, bosses and business owners will receive generous subsidies from governments and taxpayers' money and will
certainly find ways to pocket them. Undoubtedly, inequality rises after every economic crisis.

4. Only the people save the people

Our comrades from FORA Argentina said it clearly ( https://www.icl-cit.org/argentina-about-coronavirus-and-the-working-class/). Don't give
exorbitant amounts to support packages to our bosses. Give employees the money and we will take care of ourselves and our communities!

Faced with the prospect of economic and ecological disaster, communities can use the money to set up alternative ways to manage resources,
not according to the interests of shareholders, but according to those who respect the environment and fight inequality and social
exclusion. At this time no one disagrees with the fact that people need a better health system, adequate housing and hygiene for all,
guaranteed access to education, sustainable forms of energy, decent living conditions.

None of this will be achieved by rescuing competing companies, which benefit from environmental pollution, exploiting workers and
distributing bonuses and dividends. Nor by giving money to consumers so that they can go out and spend. The "go and do something nice on
your own" approach, which follows Trump's management in the face of a deadly crisis system, is the best example of a market mentality that
downplays social problems in individual consumer choices. It's like exorcising the virus by buying new clothes or cars.

No. Social and structural issues require social and structural solutions. None of this will happen if governments manage uncontrollably and
throw three trillion to save a weak economy directly or through the encouragement of consumers to spend. Dramatic and lasting changes must
be made. So drastic that they could be revolutionary. A revolutionary transformation without a state, governments, company owners or
politicians, who are reluctant or unable to implement.

In the coming months and years, it is up to us workers around the world to come up with a way out. Considering the many issues we need to
address, this seems daunting. Collaborating by building integrated decentralized movements, based on solidarity and mutual aid, developing
strong organizations, international links and networks, is something that the collective intelligence of millions of people can accomplish.
We are a strong force. With tools at our disposal for interconnection, communication and sharing, nothing stops us. In the current situation
we feel scared and depressed about the future, it is natural, if we only see the solution in politicians or businessmen. We workers, the
unemployed, the retired, the students, the immigrants are collectively able to chart a path forward.

However, solidarity and mutual assistance need appropriate organizations to go beyond individual charitable action and become a social force
in itself, with unlimited potential for transformation. Environmental protection cannot be based on consumer choices, such as "green"
laundry companies and governments want to make us believe. Radical ecological groups are needed to take action. Women's equality is not just
about passing laws. A proper culture is required of women and men in the fight against sexism in everyday life. Xenophobia, racism and
aggressive nationalism will not go away until we chase them out of our streets.

Finally, the deadly viruses of inequality, poverty and exploitation will continue to dominate the international order as long as we allow
ourselves to be dominated by the forces of capitalist globalization. With respect, anarcho-syndicalist and revolutionary unions, which are
the tools at our disposal, we must counteract and defend workers' rights. This will be crucial in the coming months of the economic
slowdown, but workers are not ready to bear the burden of the crisis once again. Not only that. They are also a key part of any movement for
social and economic transformation. Parts of the revolutionary trade unions in the workplace from the ground up, from these workers who can
reshape production, make it serve their real needs.

Only the people save the people. We will save ourselves. The common and global issues we need to address are many and complex. We all need
to be at the table. Now we are not looking at the other way. This time become a fighter.

International Confederation of Labour

International Confederation of Labor

* International Confederation of Labour is an international anarcho-syndicalist organization in which the ESE also participates.

** Related link: http://eseioanninon.squat.gr/

https://www.anarkismo.net/article/31891

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Message: 6



After the weakening of quarantine, in dozens of cities in France on May 16, hundreds of activists of the "yellow vests" movement again took
to the streets and squares, despite government bans on the pretext of an epidemic. They challenged the massive presence of the police, which
reacted to protests by dispersal, fines and warnings. ---- The French Minister of the Interior has warned that more than 10 people are
prohibited from gathering in the country. But this did not bother the protesters. ---- In Toulouse and Nantes, the "yellow vests" held small
scattered meetings in the city center at the beginning of the afternoon. They were surrounded by large police forces, which immediately
demanded that those gathered leave the place.
About a hundred Toulouse activists took part in protests in the city center until they were dispersed by the police. People gathered, as
before, at 14.00 at the Jean Zhores station. Almost none of them put on a vest - a symbol of movement. They were opposed by 3-4 times more
police officers. People scattered in small groups - in area and on the sidewalks. The police demanded that the crowd disperse. One of the
women with a banner refused to identify herself and was immediately captured. On July 14, protesters began to boo and scold the police, who
threatened to use force if the crowd remained in place. They moved to Capitol Square. On the way, those walking more and more often were
stopped and checked, about 50 fines were imposed. In the area of Saint-Georges Square, there was a skirmish with a counter-demonstration of
merchants who defamed protesters for "irresponsibility." In response, the "yellow vests" chanted: "Merchants exploit workers!" Demonstrators
broke through Pomm Street, chanting: "We are here! Even if Macron does not want us, we are here! " The police immediately drove them to the
applause of the merchants under the watchful eye of the mayor who was present there. In the end, the protesters quietly dispersed.

Several dozen demonstrators marched in Bordeaux.

In Paris, a group of protesters marched on Republic Square, in front of the police; 10 people were fined, 2 detained.

In Montpellier, several hundred "yellow vests" came to the central square of Comedy, where they were quickly surrounded by police. The
guards of the capitalist order began to beat the assembled with batons. One of the women was injured in the head, and firefighters rescued
her. The rally - "popular and social street access" - was organized by the Montpellier in Resistance initiative in protest against the
"incompetence of the government" in preparing for the epidemic and "using the situation to multiply measures that kill freedom,
authoritarian and based on cyber-tracking". "Against big capital and its state, for a living world of struggle without quarantine -
everything is on the streets!" - read the call. Participants were encouraged to exit with precautionary measures, including masks and
physical distance. "I am outraged. Repression is still here, but so are we. We need to count on us in the coming weeks, "says 32-year-old
Jean-Jacques, an activist of the movement, as they say, from the first hour. In the early evening in Montpellier, 7 people were seized: 5
for blocking the movement of trams, 1 for participating in a meeting with an unacceptable number of participants, and another 1 for
"violence" against a policeman.

Hundreds of people gathered for a share in Lyon. Many were masked, but the physical distance was difficult to maintain. Demonstrators,
including young people dressed in black, tried unsuccessfully to walk along the embankments in the direction of Bellecour Square, but they
were blocked by police and gendarmes.

In Marseilles, protesters gathered around 2 p.m. at the Old Port, most of them without vests. One could read the slogans on the banners:
"The worst of viruses is capitalism. We will destroy him! "; "I cough on my elbow, but resist on the street"; "The medals of the Macron
government: lies, incompetence, cynicism, a threat to the lives of other people ...". The procession began moving along La Cannebière, but
was immediately stopped by the police. Under tear gas, the demonstrators had to retreat. Protests erupted, capitalist order guards flew
objects and insults, and the police began to grab the participants to identify themselves.

On the pavement of the Old Port, people shared their bitterness. "The quarantined requirements were never met, and for two months the crisis
management taught us that we have a government on a different planet," says 66-year-old pensioner Sylvia, a former education worker. - Why
not take advantage of the situation to restore the tax on large fortunes? Or confiscate dividends? An urgent need to restore public services
and launch a plan to upgrade hospitals. " Annie, 69, a former teacher, criticizes the incompetence of the authorities: "If you manage, it
means to anticipate, then there is no management!" She bitterly sneers. - The reasons that give rise to all injustices are still here. We
are not going to give up. We are being pushed into an unbearable world. I'm afraid that it will be too late for our children and
grandchildren. " Several small active groups scattered along the streets of the city center. Others gathered at La Timon to pour out all
their bitterness. As a result, the Marseille police sentenced 56 people to a fine of 135 euros for non-compliance with restrictions on the
size of the meeting, and 1 person was arrested for obstructing police actions.

In Saint-Nazaire, more than 130 "yellow vests" and "ultra-left" from Nantes gathered at the beginning of the afternoon, and almost half of
them fined for violating the ban on demonstrations.

In Po, dozens of protesters gathered at the Zenit parking lot and moved to the hospital, to the sound of car horns. About a quarter of the
participants wore yellow vests. Demonstrators accused the authorities of adopting new repressive laws under the guise of an epidemic, for
example, the "Avia Law," which aims to control comments on social networks. As the 60-year-old former nurse Karin noted, speaking out is
getting harder and harder, and "the conditions are becoming more dictatorial." At the hospital, the protesters broke up into small groups
and took the roundabout at the entrance. They kept a physical distance; half of the participants were masked.

"This is the preparation of the second wave of Yellow Vests," said Fanny, with a smile, at the roundabout south of Grenoble, where she stood
with a dozen other protesters.

Shares were also held in Rouen, Angers, Strasbourg, Besancon, Carcassonne, Valenciennes and other cities.

http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/paris-montpellier-nantes-lyon-toulouse-quelques-centaines-de-gilets-jaunes-ont-brave-l-interdiction-de-manifester-16-05-
2020-8318415.php;
https://www.ladepeche.fr/2020/05/16/face-a-face-tendu-entre-gilets-jaunes-et-commercants-exasperes-a-toulouse,8890491.php;
https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/toulouse-nantes-montpellier-les-gilets-jaunes-veulent-deconfiner-la-colere_2126165.html;
https://www.sudouest.fr/2020/05/16/pau-quarante-gilets-jaunes-pour-le-samedi-de-reprise-7489439-4344.php%
https://www.laprovence.com/article/faits-divers-justice/5990898/les-gilets-jaunes-remettent-le-couvert-mais-pas-le-gilet.html

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Message: 7



A group calling itself the UK Freedom Movement has organised a bunch of so called "freedom picnics" across the UK to protest against the
lockdown and the "authoritarian laws curtailing good old British freedoms". There has been some confusion as to who is actually organising
these events with various right-wing groups falling over themselves to now distance themselves from the picnics. What is clear is that these
picnics are inspired by the right-wing demonstrations that took place in the US and that a lot of the sharing has been done on right wing
sites. They (the picnics) also seem to have support of various ‘conspiracy theorists' as well as a purported "group of anarchists". It is
unknown who these people are but we can say that they are not associated with the ACG or any other anarchist group we are aware of.

An investigation by the group Hope Not Hate has ascertained that "While the protests are not explicitly far-right, there are distinctly
far-right elements to many conspiracy theories and any movements that have conspiracy theories at their heart will inevitably attract a
far-right crowd. Moreover, even the less conspiracy-minded wing of the far right may choose to ally themselves with this movement on the
basis of shared antipathy to the establishment". They go on to say that antisemitic elements have been involved in the attacks on the
lockdown and that the "strength of opposition to the lockdown has been highest among a particular demographic of the far right: anti-Muslim
activists. Jayda Fransen, Paul Joseph Watson, Katie Hopkins and Gerard Batten have all come out strongly against the lockdown and share
their islamophobic focus commonly present in their activism".

We do not in any way support these so-called freedom picnics and as an organisation the ACG is committed, though not uncritically, to
following the science and as such, the advice of scientists and health professionals in this area.

"Does it follow that I reject all authority? Far from me such a thought. In the matter of boots, I refer to the authority of the bootmaker;
concerning houses, canals, or railroads, I consult that of the architect or engineer. For such or such special knowledge I apply to such or
such a savant. But I allow neither the bootmaker nor the architect nor the savant to impose his authority upon me. I listen to them freely
and with all the respect merited by their intelligence, their character, their knowledge, reserving always my incontestable right of
criticism and censure. I do not content myself with consulting authority in any special branch; I consult several; I compare their opinions,
and choose that which seems to me the soundest. But I recognize no infallible authority, even in special questions; consequently, whatever
respect I may have for the honesty and the sincerity of such or such an individual, I have no absolute faith in any person. Such a faith
would be fatal to my reason, to my liberty, and even to the success of my undertakings; it would immediately transform me into a stupid
slave, an instrument of the will and interests of others."

Mikhail Bakunin, God and the State (1871)

https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/2020/05/15/acg-statement-on-the-anti-lockdown-so-called-freedom-picnics/

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Message: 8



The ACG is sharing a number of articles articles from Bandilang Itim, based in the Philippines. They are also presenting ACG texts on their
own website. ---- A libertarian critique of Mao's "Combat Liberalism" ---- Written by APS of Bandilang Itim ---- One of the biggest
criticisms of Anarchism, or specifically, Anarchist Communism, is how it is "ineffective," lacks coherence and discipline, and use that to
justify support for more authoritarian forms of organizing in leftist circles. ---- Being in the archipelago known as the Philippines, one
of works most cited by socialists in building discipline among their ranks is Mao's "Combat Liberalism." The contributions of the National
Democratic movement spearheaded by the Maoist CPP-NPA-NDF cannot be understated when it comes to issues of worker's rights and land reform,
especially in the countryside. But, like all hierarchical organizations, we see that they have their own shortcomings. However, that doesn't
mean we can't learn anything from them. We just need to pick out the truly liberatory ideas or those that strengthen our resolve in pursuing
them and apply them in ways that mirror the better and fairer society we want to build.

A Review
Mao opens the discussion by describing what "Liberalism" is in general:

... liberalism rejects ideological struggle and stands for unprincipled peace, thus giving rise to a decadent, Philistine attitude and
bringing about political degeneration in certain units and individuals in the Party and the revolutionary organizations.

Right off the bat we can see that Mao's use of the word "Liberalism" here is completely different from how people with academic backgrounds
use them, and this is important: "Liberalism" in here refers to the attitude that comes from the values upon which Classical Liberalism is
built on- best summarized as "Vulgar Individualism." That same term, "Vulgar Individualism," I reckon, is a better term to use than
"Liberalism" in this context for reasons which we'll be discussing later, and we'll be using that term as opposed to "Liberalism" throughout
the rest of this work.

Mao continues by then describing eleven types of Vulgar Individualism, the first being:

To let things slide for the sake of peace and friendship when a person has clearly gone wrong, and refrain from principled argument because
he is an old acquaintance, a fellow townsman, a schoolmate, a close friend, a loved one, an old colleague or old subordinate. Or to touch on
the matter lightly instead of going into it thoroughly, so as to keep on good terms. The result is that both the organization and the
individual are harmed.

In more contemporary terms, we would call this "enabling" someone's wrongdoing. That by allowing someone to continue doing the damage they
are doing to themselves or others, they are jeopardizing not only the functioning of the organization, in Mao's case, the Party, but also of
the entire revolutionary project. As Anarchists, we are for prefigurative politics, a politics in which we emulate the kind of society we
want to bring about. Certainly, we don't want the kinds of prejudices and crimes our own comrades commit continue within our own struggles
as we don't want that to live on in a post-revolutionary society.

However, being too harsh in the methods of holding others, society at large as well as our own comrades both, can lead to what's called
"Cancel Culture" here in the 21st century. It leads to the kinds of performative displays of purity which many, myself included, mistake for
praxis from time to time to the expense of actually going out and organizing resistance and struggle. We'll have to come back to this as we
go on.

To indulge in irresponsible criticism in private instead of actively putting forward one's suggestions to the organization. To say nothing
to people to their faces but to gossip behind their backs, or to say nothing at a meeting but to gossip afterwards. To show no regard at all
for the principles of collective life but to follow one's own inclination. This is a second type.

This is something that is concerning as in the context of a Libertarian organization. "To indulge in irresponsible criticism in private
instead of actively putting forward one's suggestions" sounds like enforced participation. It is also curious what is meant by
"irresponsible criticism" as well.

That being said, forced participation would alienate those comrades who have anxieties involving social interactions as well as those who
don't have confidence in their own words, or both. We must take great care in facilitating meetings that are able to encourage free exchange
of ideas and build the confidence of our newer companions in the struggle while ensuring that the ideas and experiences of more experienced
comrades are shared and developed in a collective manner. Your experiences only have value when shared with others, after all.

The choice of the term "Vulgar Individualism" becomes clearer as we see how the neglect or apathy towards the collective aspects of class
struggle is detrimental to the cause.

To let things drift if they do not affect one personally; to say as little as possible while knowing perfectly well what is wrong, to be
worldly wise and play safe and seek only to avoid blame. This is a third type.

In the context of Especifismo and its principles of self-management, letting things go as long as they do not affect oneself is encouraged.
You after all, only get a vote when you are either directly participating in an action or is affected by the potential consequences of an
action.

In context however, this third type relates closely to the first, of enabling another person's crimes, but on an organizational scale. We
could see this kind of "looking out for number one" in corporate and state bureaucracies the world over. Should we allow that type of
attitude remain in our formations? No, of course not. The better question is how to prevent it from happening and to work through it if it does.

Not to obey orders but to give pride of place to one's own opinions. To demand special consideration from the organization but to reject its
discipline.

For the sake of coherence and effectiveness and general human decency, it's of course best to not break the picket line or to snitch on your
comrades when performing sensitive actions. Plus, it's just being a prick and no one wants to work with an asshole.

Here we can see the "Vulgar" in "Vulgar Individualism." Let me be clear in saying that the "Individual vs. Collective" dichotomy is a false
one. As anarchists, we engage in class struggle in order to protect our individual freedoms. However, we also recognize that those very same
freedoms are linked with each other's freedoms. So many revolutionary movements crushed because they lacked the help of a large part of the
oppressed classes. But more than that, also because it's simply wrong to allow any form of injustice to remain within the societies we are
giving our lives to bring about, right?

The only thing to question, then, is "to obey orders." Who gives out these orders? How are these decisions made? Perhaps this is not a
question of comrades going their own way, but rather their voices not being heard. There is a reason that the CPP-NPA-NDF keeps spawning
offshoots, problems with dissension, that ultimately lead to the purges that lead them murdering hundreds of their own partisans and cadres
back in the 80's. It's also worth noting that the Party has only ever had two Congresses in its entire history, with no delegates younger
than 33 years old.

When you teach someone to struggle against oppression and the lack of agency created by Capital, why would you be surprised when they
struggle against you when you take away their agency and make their decisions for them?

To indulge in personal attacks, pick quarrels, vent personal spite or seek revenge instead of entering into an argument and struggling
against incorrect views for the sake of unity or progress or getting the work done properly.

This loops back with what was mentioned in the previous form of "Vulgar Individualism." Toxic people who value their own vendettas over the
collective goals of the revolutionary organization are detrimental to the cause. However, let's give the disruptive person the benefit of
the doubt. Because, who seriously wants to be that person everyone is disappointed to see show up at the meeting?

Going to the root of the issue, more often than not, we find some unheard grievances left to fester. But of course, the fact those concerns
weren't heard speaks volumes about how the organization is structured. People who are naturally divisive and disruptive, based on reports
from people in their immediate social circle are different from those previously quiet comrades who suddenly began making a scene. The
latter represents a collective failure of the organization in being a safe space as well as an open environment for the development of
ideas. These things must be kept in mind for the sake of the cause.

To hear incorrect views without rebutting them and even to hear counter-revolutionary remarks without reporting them, but instead to take
them calmly as if nothing had happened.

The question of authority again comes up in reference to the use of "incorrect" as an adjective here. Whether it's determined by a small
group of people, an ideologue or the majority of the members of the organization, it still implies some sort of coercive system of enforcing
what is "correct." We'll have to admit that if someone starts using slurs in a meeting to describe people or argue that capitalism has a
place in anarchist society, we're gonna need to have a really intense conversation. But apart from the fundamentals, what else is there to
be "correct" about? Does a "Party Line" have a place in an anarchist organization?

That discussion deserves it's own article, but here we're just gonna have to say that when working within an Anarchist framework of direct
action and self-management, you would only have a vote if you participate in a certain action, or if its result will affect you in some way.
And if you have a vote on a certain action, it is in your interest to come up to a conclusion that satisfies the concerns of everyone
involved before a certain action is ratified and executed. If you go out there, your comrades will depend on you to do your part as it was
discussed, or have their backs when things go bad. As mentioned earlier, "Vulgar Individualism" is when self-serving individuals disregard
the needs of their organization, and by extension, their other comrades. In other words, being a prick.

My Egoist comrades would be quick to point out that such "Vulgar Individualists" would be sabotaging their own long-term rational self
interests in doing the shit they do. Mentioned above, one's true individual freedoms are dependent on the well-being and support of the
collective, and vice-versa. True Individualists, in the Egoist formulation, understand how positive group dynamics can aid in fulfilling
individual goals, most especially if you are all doing it with shared and individual goals in mind.

To be among the masses and fail to conduct propaganda and agitation or speak at meetings or conduct investigations and inquiries among them,
and instead to be indifferent to them and show no concern for their well-being, forgetting that one is a Communist and behaving as if one
were an ordinary non-Communist. This is a seventh type.

To see someone harming the interests of the masses and yet not feel indignant, or dissuade or stop him or reason with him, but to allow him
to continue.

"Be indifferent to them and show no concern for their well-being," is something that Libertarian Communists must avoid at all costs. We all
have different ways of doing this and different ways of agitating the people into action, or at the very least, spread awareness. However,
there are those comrades that feel the need to hold others by stringent and strict tests of purity by either ideological or practical
standards. This has been the case because of known infiltration of Law Enforcement as well as other reactionary elements in some circles,
and have become more vigilant as a result. This same attitude, however, leads to others getting discouraged in the movement as they may be
asked, implicitly or otherwise, to engage in shows of how radical they are. Not everyone wants to wear their ideology on a sleeve. There are
also times when it will place themselves or others in distress and worse, material harm.

Better to show people that you are for a world free of masters by your actions towards that world, and not by making a spectacle of oneself.
Unless your collective action includes making a spectacle, in which case by all means, release the giant, papier-mache float of Duterte's
hideous mug.

To work half-heartedly without a definite plan or direction; to work perfunctorily and muddle along

This emphasizes the need for organization. Revolutionary spontaneity only becomes effective when it is organized. That is, people gathered
around common goals and committed to common tactics. And not having numbers and a plan not only makes you and your comrades look crude, but
also place each other at risk when things go south.

Take for example an expropriation action where a cell of 6-7 comrades quietly slip into the a big-box supermarket in order to secure food
and other materials for the cause. If for example they decide to do this before they've done any sort of prep work, or if they have no
experience in doing something similar and thus have contingencies and backup plans, it is likely they get tracked down and caught. If they
lose trust in each other for one reason or another, that would also open them up to unnecessary risks.

To regard oneself as having rendered great service to the revolution, to pride oneself on being a veteran, to disdain minor assignments
while being quite unequal to major tasks, to be slipshod in work and slack in study.

A given, obviously. This, along with the last one:

To be aware of one's own mistakes and yet make no attempt to correct them, taking a liberal attitude towards oneself.

Are just patently horrible attitudes for any radical, but most especially for Libertarian Communists in that we are against all authority
and centralized power. What's described here sounds like clout-chasing posturing from future politicians who would sooner see themselves
rise above others than see the revolution succeed.

More than that we can see how the above tendencies are toxic to revolutionary organizations, as Mao has so described in "Combat Liberalism":
"It is a corrosive which eats away unity, undermines cohesion, causes apathy and creates dissension."

Synthesis
If you've read up to this point, I hope you've begun to see a common thread running throughout this work:

Mao's concerns about "Vulgar Individualism" are valid, but at the same time,
The framing of his condemnation here, as well as a severe lack of practical advice on how to avoid this on an organizational level, leads to
an individualized performance of radical politics. Not unlike how wider social issues are reduced to individual failings by both the Church
and mainstream society.
"Individual vs. Collective" is a false dichotomy.
The previous two leads to a weaker and less internally-cohesive revolutionary organization, but for different reasons than the kind created
by "vulgar individualism."
Parson Young, writing for the Trotskyite organization International Marxist Tendency in his essay "Does Mao's ‘Combat Liberalism' actually
combat liberalism?," writes:

In the final analysis, Mao's ‘Combat Liberalism' falls into mere moralising-the desire to discipline individual behaviors based on whether
they are ‘right' or ‘wrong' in the abstract.

While I won't go so far as to call it "mere moralizing," I do agree that there is a level of essentialism being done here. Essentialism,
being the assignment of an ahistorical "essence" to something rooted in historical circumstances. Mao presents "Liberalism" here as a great
"Other." Which is quite ironic since Mao himself mentions that Liberalism "look upon the principles of Marxism as abstract dogma." Mao
failed to take into consideration how member-group dynamics shape the entire revolutionary organization and instead left us with what is
basically a Code of Conduct. But then again, this was written as a response to what he perceives as failures in how his political rivals
organize their sections of the Party.

Like what was mentioned at the beginning, we're trying to see which ideas are applicable to a libertarian socialist organization. Some of
these things definitely belong in any radical space, some of these not so much. At least, not if their goal is a truly free society.

So what would an anarchist version of this look like?

Living Radical Democracy
We stand for active principled struggle because it is the tool with which to build the revolutionary movement in the interests of all those
participating in the struggle and their own. Every Anarchist should take this tool up and learn to use it well.

Radical Democracy requires of us consistent principled struggle and stands for freedom, thus giving rise to a refined Cosmopolitan attitude
bringing about growth in all units and individuals in the collective.

Radical Democracy manifests itself in various ways:

To be consistent in our criticism of injustice and inequity. Most importantly in our loved ones, colleagues and fellow townspeople, for they
are the foundation of the free and just society that we want to build. Discussing things in depth, even if it means temporarily creating
disagreements. This results in the collective and the individual growing.

To actively put forward one's suggestions and criticisms to the organization for the rest of the collective's reflection. To be honest and
open with one's thoughts and opinion of people, especially their comrades. To seek to better one's ability to express and open up their
ideas to the rest of their peers.

To clearly and firmly speak up once one knows that something is wrong, and take responsibility for resolution, regardless of the result.

To fully commit to decisions made collectively, those born out of discussions taking in the voices of all concerned. To render as much to
the collective as one is given to the best of their ability.

To engage in levelheaded discussion of current events and views for the sake of unity and progress.

To engage with incorrect views, or in serious cases, to report them to the rest of the collective.

To engage with diverse groupings of people, those at the margins, one's own family and friends and bring them into awareness of how the
profound lack of Democracy in our politics and workplace is harming us collectively. To show them, when the opportunity presents itself, how
the Spectacle of modern life makes us passive to our own lives and reduces us into images that help perpetuate oppression.

To be mindful of our own mistakes and take great lengths to correct them.

There are many more types, but these are the principal types.

They are all manifestations of Radical Democracy.

Radical Democracy is extremely useful in a revolutionary collective, it creates cohesion and unity, development in one's own understanding,
consciousness and expressiveness. Within the revolutionary ranks, it creates compact and disciplined organization, a discipline borne out of
understanding and care as opposed to a discipline carried by fear.

Radical Democracy, informed by a historical reading of society's material conditions, sees the individual's interests and well-being in the
freedom and development of society at large. Towards this, we seek to constantly instill in our communities a sense of openness that would
allow for a harmonious, but passionate, discussion of difficult topics without threat of the kind of nearly-religious purity-testing found
in more hierarchical and regimented groupings. Committed Libertarians must always show a great amount of patience and openness to criticism,
but as well as know when they are stretched thin and need to take care of themselves. They must always strengthen their ties to their
communities both locally and in the revolutionary collective. Their concern for themselves must be reflected in their actions towards
bettering their community. They must avoid sabotaging their own self-interest by placing their own short-term wants over their long-term
needs which are tied up with their collective well-being.

All loyal, active and dedicated Libertarians must unite to live these tendencies of Radical Democracy in their daily lives and become
examples for others to do the same and set them on the right path. This is among the most important tasks in our continued struggle, but it
can only be done together.

Original text on Bandilang Itim website

https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/2020/05/17/a-libertarian-critique-of-maos-combat-liberalism/

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