Today's Topics:
1. bangladesh asf: In the context of racism and recent events-
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
2. Poland, ozzip: Demonstration: We will not give up our
rights! (20.06.2020)[machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
3. Bulgaria anarchists FAB: Why Twitter? [machine translation]
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
4. anarchist communist ACG: Struggles converge in France
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
5. anarchist communist ACG: Tower Hamlets Labour council
attacks workers (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
6. France, Union Communiste Libertaire AL #306 - Politics, This
way out of the crisis (fr, it, pt)[machine translation]
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
7. Luta fob: INTERNATIONAL | Inside the Black Rebellion in the
USA: interview with the Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement (RAM)
(pt) (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
"All conceptions of race in the modern world are grounded in predatory Stateism & capitalism" ---- The word racism is Apartheid in
Afrikaans. Apartheit ("division" or "isolation"). A system of ethnic division in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1947
to the 1990s. The minority was dominated by white people. ---- The term first originated in 1930, and the South African National Party began
using the term in political slogans from the early 1940s. But the principle that is involved with the term is even earlier than its origin.
This policy was introduced in 1652 with the beginning of the settlement of white people in South Africa.
In 1652, the Dutch East India Company established the Cape Town inSouth Africa. Cape Colony was occupied by the British in 1795. The British
occupied the area mainly for the purpose of rest and slave trade for a long voyage break and encouraged permanent settlement. Buers also
lived in the Cape Colony. The Dutch word buer means farmer. They spoke Afrikaans - Dutch and German were combined to form Afrikaans. They
later withdrew from Cape Colony under British pressure and attempted to establish a Buer republic in northern South Africa. Diamonds were
mined in South Africa in the 1886and gold in the 1867. The search for these valuable resources continues to grow externally. Shortly
afterwards, a three-pronged war broke out between South Africa's black aborigines, the British ruling class, and the Dutch-Buer. The result
was the formation of various political parties (e.g., the "National Party" of whites, the African National Congress of blacks.
In the 1948 elections, the White National Party won. Since then, the white ruling class has been controlling the non white. The resulting
policy is "apartheid". The whole of South Africa was divided into four parts white, black, colored or Indian.
In The modern American police force was first created to control slaves and minorities. One study found that 40 percent of police officers
behaved offensively with animals, including children, women, and dogs. In 33 US states, police officers are allowed to rape women in their
custody without risking any punishment.
Derek Chowin, the assassin of George Floyd, has a disgusting history behind him. There was no justice system for the violence he committed.
He shot and killed two of them and there are 16 such charges against him. If the state had judged, we would not have seen this day. So far,
Chowin has only been charged with third-degree murder. But Mohammed Nour, a black Somali-American police officer, has been sentenced to 12
years in prison for killing a white woman. There was a lot of debate about this.
Because, many people think that this punishment was unfair. Because, there are a number of white police members who are legally free almost
completely unpunished even after killing people. Yes, it is true that all cops are different and their sense of morality may not be the
same, it may be worse. But just as the system they work for is right, so are their behavioral factors. Racism is deeply ingrained in the
system. It is a system that takes the police away from a lot of things and that is why they are not properly accountable. It is the system
that needs to be changed.
Here is some information we know about the riots and looting: Many of these looting were carried out by white supremacists and secret police
to slander the protesters. The protesters first protested peacefully. The protests were also peaceful until they were beaten by police or
wounded by rubber bullets. There were no child attachments to the protest.
The same week in the Michigan capital, we saw gunmen, mostly white people, protesting the opening of a coronavirus-locked lockdown, but they
did not face any violence from the police. But now the protesters of police brutality and murder are being humiliated by the police. Even
President Trump has shown his ignorance. His response to armed white people protesting literally a virus was that they were ‘very good
people', and the protesters, who were mostly black, who protested for truly reasonable reasons, were described by the President as ‘thugs'.
In 1773 the Americans protested against the injustice of the British. At present children in schools are taught about the famous situation
of the Boston Tea Party.2 million worth of property was looted and damaged in the incident with the British. And the protesters had to pay
the tax. That moment in history was the moment of freedom. And it is considered a great work of the people fighting for freedom. But when
the same situation arises today, they are looking differently. The looting and riots are seen as a response not only to the assassination of
George Floyd, but also to the fact that every black person is racially targeted by the government on a daily basis.
It's true, looting won't bring George Floyd back. But in response to 9/11, the United States used the same force when it decided to bomb the
Middle East and kill hundreds of innocent Muslims. We must remember that in the last few years, America has used the same force in Latin,
African and Asian countries, looting.
Get rid of racism we also need to talk about discrimination in our own community. Let's see where the source? Hence the idea of 'white is
good / black is bad'. Looking back, it can be seen that the Industrial Revolution took place after the European countries came to power.
These countries started using machinery and factories to their advantage. They started colonizing almost every place in Africa and Asia and
also stole our natural resources for their own gain. It was at this time that Charles Darwin proposed his first theory of evolution. The
theory of evolution stated that the weak would die and the strong would survive. We know that it is only natural that only the strong will
survive. White Europeans combined this notion of evolution and color to form a philosophy called social Darwinism. Social Darwinism means
that whites thought that whites were better, more modern, and more civilized than those who were brown or black. The Europeans propagated
and used this theory as a duty in their colonies. They believed that it was best and duty for them to conquer and modernize black and brown
people.
When South Asia was under British control, this hateful concept was widely applied in the lives of the native people. This is where we get
the idea that white is better. Now, the British have been away from our land for decades. But the racist belief they sowed is still deeply
ingrained in our culture.
How often do we not see that our aunts and uncles come and suggest ways to lighten our black skin? How many times have we not heard ‘Who
would want to marry you if you were black?' How many times have we seen ‘Fair and Lovely' advertisements saying that something we can't
think of is changing? How many times have we not heard that no one will marry this man or woman because he is too black? When we teach our
children to grow up with hatred and insecurity in their hearts for themselves and others, how can we expect improvement by removing it from
society? Isn't our thinking enough?
From the moment a child is born, Bengalis will say the first word, ‘Wow, he / she is so white!' As if it is a accomplishment or a
compliment! When the color is black, the hatred towards the child falls in the words of compassion. From the moment we were born, our own
community has already judged us on how appropriate we are based on our skin color.
My dear friends are light skinned Bengalis, because of the color of your skin you are seen as smart, educated, beautiful and advanced. This
is not a compliment. When you see casual racist comments being made in your daily life, you need to stand up and educate people about their
ignorance. As light skin, you need to recognize your own right to self-determination and come forward to protect and unite your people.
My partner's black skinned Bengalis need you to understand that the color of your skin, your melanin is nothing to be ashamed of. There is
nothing wrong with you or your skin, but there is something wrong with our ignorant society that treats you like a second class citizen.
Know, you are beautiful and you should embrace from the mind the way you were made. Be proud of who you are and let us all educate people
about this problem.
Human society is now like the animal society of 'Jor yaar mulluk tara' - that is, the powerful &wealthy class is doing whatever they want.
Consumerist is living a luxurious life. On the other hand, the working class is living on two meals a day. All the resources have been
confiscated by a few people. Whenever the working poor want to protest, in the name of law, in the name of the state, in the name of
discipline, and sometimes in the name of religion, they have always tried to keep the workers away. Not much has happened and this time the
change of relations of production has become inevitable through social revolution.
There is no alternative to the establishment of a new society and an independent socialist society by abolishing the conventional social
system to protect the health of all people including the working class, unemployment, poverty and social instability. We have to put an end
to the plunder of capitalism, the state system, imperialism and build a society where there will be no human color based domination over the
people. People will not exploit people. Will manage themselves. Socialist self-sufficient social system without state, without capitalism.
All the production systems including mills and agricultural farms will be owned by all the people of the society. There will be no existence
of any kind of private ownership. The word job will be extinct forever. People will be completely independent and free. no racism, there are
only one race it is "Human Race".
https://bangladeshasf.org/in-the-context-of-racism-and-recent-events/
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Message: 2
On Saturday, June 20, in trade union Initiative, a trade union trade union Alternative is organizing a demonstration against the
government's "anti-crisis" policy, shifting the cost of crisis to employees and dismantling the Labor Code. The National Commission for
Employee Initiative calls on all union structures to mobilize and support this demonstration. Below we publish the appeal of the organizers
of the Saturday demonstration. ---- Date: Saturday, June 20 ---- Time: 12:00 ---- Place: Ministry of State Assets (ul. Krucza 36 / ul.
Wspólna 6, Warsaw) ---- Event on Facebook ---- The coronavirus epidemic has exposed the anti-worker face of power. The government uses the
crisis to question basic labor rights, to destroy the Labor Code, to weaken trade unions, and to deprive employment stability. Instead of
helping workers and ensuring their safety, the authorities declared war on working people. The parliamentary majority smuggles more
anti-employee solutions that facilitate dismissals and pay cuts, take away the right to leave planning, and challenge collective agreements
and company agreements.
In state-owned companies, a brutal attack is underway against trade union officials disobedient to power. Instead of dialogue, we have
dismissals, lawsuits and harassments. Instead of caring for decent work and stable employment, we have promoted junk contracts and savings
on security procedures. Instead of employing high-class professionals in managerial positions, we have nepotism and cronyism. At LOT Polish
Airlines, the management board proposes gigantic pay cuts, wants to deprive employees of their basic rights, and supports non-standard forms
of employment. Therefore, the Association of On-Board and Aviation Personnel entered into a collective dispute with the employer. Also at
Poczta Polska, which until recently was a strategic company for the government for the functioning of the state, the management planto
reduce salaries, and earlier he dismissed disciplinary dismissal of the leader of the Free Trade Union of Postal Workers, Piotr Moniuszko.
The situation is becoming increasingly tense at Polish airports, at the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency, at railway and energy
companies. Further strategic enterprises are introducing cuts and savings, and meanwhile board members are still earning tens of thousands
of zlotys a month. It is not fair sharing the costs of the crisis. meanwhile, board members still earn tens of thousands of zlotys a month.
It is not fair sharing the costs of the crisis. meanwhile, board members still earn tens of thousands of zlotys a month. It is not fair
sharing the costs of the crisis.
We demand an anti-crisis shield for employees, for people without work, for the poor, for people with disabilities, for the homeless, for
pensioners and pensioners. We demand the elimination of junk contracts, ranging from treasury companies, making aid to companies dependent
on maintaining pay and employment levels, care and health and safety at work, much higher and more common benefits, increasing public
spending on health and social care, and greater support for people with the lowest income. We demand a shield that would protect against
unemployment, poverty and social exclusion!
We go out into the streets because we have enough! We have enough poverty, exploitation, social inequalities, and instability in the labor
market. We are fed up with the arbitrariness of power and treating working people as inferior citizens. Come with us! Let's protest together
against the government's anti-employee policy! We will not give up our rights!
See you on Saturday, June 20 at 12.00 in front of the Ministry of State Assets (ul. Krucza 36 / ul. Wspólna 6)
https://ozzip.pl/informacje/mazowieckie/item/2672-demonstracja-nie-oddamy-naszych-praw
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Message: 3
More and more new social networks are appearing and gaining popularity. One of them is Twitter. You may not know it or you may not have
thought of creating an account there as well, because in Bulgaria Facebook is a much more dominant social network and overshadows Twitter,
but we will try to convince you that it is worth attending there as well. , and, therefore, follow us. ---- First we want to give you a
description of Twitter and especially how it differs from Facebook. The most important difference between the two is that Twitter is much
more like a "microblog," as Wikipedia describes it. This means that Twitter does not have the concept of friendship as Facebook does. On
Twitter, anyone can view each profile as Facebook pages work. (There are also "private" accounts that work a little differently on
visibility. Their posts are only visible to those that the account owner has allowed, practically playing the role of personal Facebook
accounts, but these accounts are rare). There are no friendships on Twitter, but, as on Facebook, there is the concept of "followers." On
Twitter, if you want to receive new tweets or general information about someone's activity, you have to follow it, and if you want, you can
click on the bell of an account, and so you will receive notifications for each subsequent tweet. Many other features overlap with Facebook
such as profile picture, profile cover photo, brief profile information, likes, sharing and commenting under posts (tweets), as well as
personal messages.
Why Twitter? What are the advantages of having an account there as well? Initially, of course, there will be at least some benefit for FAB
to spread to another social network. Account maintenance is nothing revolutionary and does not take much time. On Twitter, we can reach many
more people who would not have heard of FAB otherwise. There are many Bulgarians who have switched to using only Twitter instead of other
social media - especially those living outside Bulgaria, which would welcome a new audience. This is just a personal observation, but people
on Twitter seem a degree more progressive than the average Facebook visitor.
But why should you personally follow us on Twitter? There are a few small advantages, such that if your computer or phone is slower, Twitter
as a platform is much faster than Facebook. and crashes less, or that communication becomes a little easier there. But there are bigger
advantages. One of them is the quick receipt of the new FAB publications. The algorithms of the two platforms have some differences, which
makes Twitter a better choice - it would not take a whole day for a new post to reach every follower. On Twitter, you can even choose to
receive notifications with each new post for added convenience, and Facebook has a limit on the number of pages or people you can put on See
first. This would be very helpful if the FAB urgently needs your help and needs to be contacted immediately. Having an account on other
social networks would help drastically if something happens on the Facebook page and the FAB website. In this case, an additional channel of
communication on the Internet would potentially keep in touch with people.
In conclusion, the presence of a Twitter account of FAB brings with it several positive features, but most importantly - no disadvantages.
We urge you to follow us there and click the bell to receive the FAB publications as soon as they are published at
https://twitter.com/anarchy_bg
The FAB Twitter team
https://www.anarchy.bg/%d0%bd%d0%be%d0%b2%d0%b8%d0%bd%d0%b8/%d0%b7%d0%b0%d1%89%d0%be-%d0%b8-twitter/
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Message: 4
In Britain it's been an 8pm round of applause for health workers. In France it was also at 8pm. But now French health workers are showing
that clapping doesn't pay the bills. ---- Thousands of people demonstrated on Tuesday June 16th in many cities and towns throughout France
with heath workers carrying placards saying: "Thank you is not enough, we want action" and, "We don't want medals, we want cash for workers
and hospitals." Some of those who have joined the rounds of applause in the past are coming out to join the demonstrations. In Marseille
health workers threw their gowns to the ground to show their anger at their treatment, the long hours, the low pay and the attacks on the
health service.
The health workers were joined by members of Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests) and railworkers, firefighters, postal workers, teachers, energy
workers and chemical workers, as well as patients' organisations, have bolstered the demonstrations.
There was a clear message that austerity has aggravated the results of the pandemic. There was also a demand that workers get a raise of 300
euros a month.
In the run up to these demonstrations there have been weeks of rallies outside hospitals.
The cops responded to the demonstrations by firing tear gas. The same health workers who were being praised a week or so before were now
being attacked by a massive deployment of riot cops. Health workers were arrested and beaten.
On Saturday, June 13th, tens of thousands came out on a demonstration in Paris called by the Committee for Adama Traore, suffocated by the
police in 2016. There were similar demonstrations on the same day in Lyon, Rouen and Marseille. The movement that began in the USA has
re-ignited mobilisations against police murders and brutality in France. The police responded in their usual thuggish way with, yes, you
guessed it, tear gas. This demonstration was preceded by the well -attended Dignity march on May 30th and June 2nd march called by the Adama
Traore committee.
The demonstrations have exhibited an increased understanding that the problems of police violence and austerity are closely linked. One
banner in Rennes on June 16th read "+Hospital beds, - Police crimes."
As a result of these mobilisations the question of police violence in France is now very much out in the open and the subject of public
debate. As one anarchist commentator remarked about the Saturday demo: "There was an almost insurrectionary atmosphere".
https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/2020/06/18/struggles-converge-in-france/
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Message: 5
Tower Hamlets Council in London is run by Labour with Mayor John Biggs at its head. It has taken a consistently hostile attitude towards
council workers. ---- It attempted to impose the Tower Rewards programme on 4,000 workers. This would involve them sacking staff on July 6th
and re-employing them under the programme. The programme would cut redundancy pay and severance pay and is being resisted by workers. ----
Originally Biggs and Co. were planning to make these changes on April 13th but called them off because of the coronavirus pandemic, delaying
the implementation of the programme until July 6th. ---- During lockdown, council workers were praised by the council. Now that lockdown is
being wound down, the council is returning to its aggressive attitude towards workers. They sent out a letter which many workers found
threatening. This is in attempt to intimidate workers to sign the new agreement so that the "voluntary" acceptance rate can be upped.
As a result workers have voted to strike on 3rd, 6th, 7th, 14th, 15th and 16th July.
Once again Labour councils have shown themselves to be no friends to the working class, whether it be over austerity and cuts,
gentrification, or attacks on the conditions of workers.
https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/2020/06/18/tower-hamlets-labour-council-attacks-workers/
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Message: 6
At the end of May, 20 associations (including Attac, Greenpeace and Droit au logement) and union organizations (CGT, FSU and Solidaires)
published a "plan to end the crisis", the result of several weeks of discussion and discussion. In 24 pages are presented 34 health, social,
fiscal and ecological measures. A first step towards the next world ? ---- >From the beginning of 2020, meetings between organizations of the
trade union and associative movement had made it possible to compare points of view on social and ecological problems. These exchanges did
not cease with the confinement and even intensified to reflect on the challenges of the health crisis and to outline in broad outline a
"world after".
An unprecedented union and association gathering
At the end of March, the "Never again " petition was launchedaround 18 associative and union organizations which called for "rebuilding
together an ecological, feminist and social future, breaking with the policies pursued until then". Voluntarily set aside to avoid any
confusion, the "left" political organizations did not succeed in overcoming the challenge of unity as the tensions linked to the coming
presidential election made any balance precarious. Initiatives have been taken, but none have made it possible to create a rally that meets
the challenges.
Two months later, on May 26, it was therefore again in complete autonomy that the unions and associations began to publicize their ambitious
"plan to end the crisis". Even if 2022 is in everyone's mind, the choice has been made, by these union and association organizations, to
place themselves on the front line, to assume a real political stance and to refuse to encourage ego quarrels in the starting - electoral
blocks.
"Crisis exit plan" to download
By producing a common line, apart from the parties seeking power, the social movement asserts itself as an autonomous political actor. An
approach to welcome, therefore.
An ambitious plan to be implemented on the ground
Around 9 objectives, this rich and detailed plan seeks to respond to health, democratic, social, economic and ecological challenges by
proposing emergency measures: recruitment of 100,000 healthcare personnel, lifting of the state of emergency, regularization of those
without -papers, increase of 200 euros in wages, right of veto on redundancies, moratorium on rents ... but also medium-term measures for
the relocation of food production, for the reduction of unemployment by the reduction of working time at 32 hours, or to curb financial
speculation.
On paper, it is therefore very encouraging but the hardest part remains to be done. Indeed, none of these measures will be able to see the
light of day if we do not give ourselves the means to genuinely influence the balance of power, by forming local collectives and multiplying
initiatives on the ground. Faced with the social crisis with its procession of layoffs and rental evictions, it will be necessary to be able
to challenge Macron's plan step by step to restore the world before and be able to oppose a plan of social transformation aimed at build the
world out of it.
Benjamin (UCL Paris northeast)
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Par-ici-la-sortie-de-crise
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Message: 7
Interview by email from our New York RAM comrades to the FOB Media and Propaganda Commission. The Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement (RAM)
participates directly in several cities of the historic black and anti-racist insurgency that is shaking structures of racist America, white
supremacy and capital, an uprising that infects the world with the anti-racist struggle at the center of imperialism. ---- To learn more
about RAM, we recommend its website revolutionaryabolition.org, the Facebook page Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement and the instagram of
the anarchist political center The Base, in Brooklyn, New York, at @the_basebk.
FOB: Brothers and sisters of RAM, first of all we would like you to present the Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement and your activities as a
revolutionary, anti-colonial and internationalist movement against white supremacy and capitalism in the racist Amerika, the heart of
imperialism.
RAM: We are very happy to talk with you about what is happening here especially because our groups have similar aims and objectives in each
of our locations.
We are revolutionary anarchists. Our objective is to work alongside all of those who are oppressed by the United States, to help support
rebellion, and to build revolutionary counter-power so that we can destroy this state and people can live with dignity both here and abroad.
We have chapters in several cities and organize along decentralized lines, so that we can build hubs in different locales that can be
organized according to the specific conditions in each place. The similarity between the groups is that we believe the US was built on a
foundation of white supremacy and that ethos is embedded so deeply in the country, that it must be destroyed for people to achieve
liberation. In fact, it is through the process of destroying that we can develop ourselves and find our power again.
During the calm moments, we organize primarily with people who are incarcerated. Black and brown people do incredible amounts of jail time,
often facing torture and execution, for very small infractions of the law. We have a project where we send political literature to people
who are locked up, which has led to longterm relationships and political alignment. We support jail resistance, like the recent prison
strikes. And we intend to build these relationships further so we can organize together with people inside so we can eradicate the prison
system altogether. We also do community projects, like a community bail fund, food giveaways, and political education like film screenings
and study groups. The idea is that we want to build relationships with everyone who feels similarly and who bares the burnt of the wrath of
the state.
For a longtime we have felt that there is a significant part of the population who would rise up and fight if they felt that the fight could
be won. The recent uprisings have shown that to be true and opened up a new path of resistance.
FOB: What is your understanding and your participation in this new black and anti-racist insurgency against police brutality in the USA,
since the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis? How does the insurgency spread to other parts of the country, heading to be the greatest
black uprising since the Los Angeles riots in 1992?
RAM: This new black uprising is one of the most important developments in any of our lifetimes in the United States. The murder of George
Floyd, we should remember, is not even an odd occurrence in this country. The murder of black people by the police, white racists, and
deputized citizens is so common place that often it hardly becomes a big news story. Recently though, there has been back to back stories of
white supremacist violence - with the murder of Ahmaud Arbery and the Amy Cooper Central Park incident (where a white woman called police
pretending to be in distress).
These incidents along with the viciousness of George Floyd's murder made the perfect storm. What started out as protest against the police
immediately turned into one of the biggest uprisings the country has ever seen. The first day in Minneapolis clashes with the police began.
The second day the movement began burning down capitalist businesses, clashing with police, and expropriating goods from stores. By this
time most of us realized the intensity of the struggle and knew we needed to act. Three days after George Floyd was killed the third
precinct in Minneapolis was burned to the ground, the police fled for their lives, and the rebellion, essentially took control of the streets.
This was a sign to everyone in the country, and in actuality, to people around the world that the struggle in the United States was now
truly active. In New York City, the movement in the streets was more militant than anything we have ever seen. The wealthy districts were
totally looted. The capitalist press and the pigs argued that this opportunistic, but people knew these neighborhoods were part of the cause
of their misery, and they were targeted in the class struggle. The NYPD has over 35,000 police officers, making it the largest force in the
country by far. The police also have a well known reign of terror in the streets and in their facilities. This uprising is one of the first
times we have seen people lose all their fear of these fascists, confront them, beat them, and push them out of neighborhoods. Soho, for
instance, was looted because the pigs took a defensive position and were too scared to actively fight back.This resistance will leave a mark
on the country indefinitely.
One other important fact is that places that have never had huge uprisings, or protest movements in general, were at the forefront of the
movement.Towns in Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia, and South Dakota, all had pretty big actions, and some were rather militant.
There are a few things we would like to make clear. The main momentum from these uprisings were not from the movements, but from the black
youth. The black youth demonstrated a dynamism and fearlessness that has been long missing from the movements in the US. We can also tell
that this energy will not go away for long! In our text, Burn Down the American Plantation, we wrote "the black struggle has the potential
to unleash the all-encompassing violence that is black life back onto the entire country." This is why the government, liberals, police, the
entertainment industry, non-profits, and all the managers in society are doing their best to push for reform. But it won't work.
FOB: How do you see the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA, that together with Brazil is leading the major part of the infections across the
world? Furthermore, can you speak about the repressive offensive led by Donald Trump against the revolutionary and anti-fascist
organizations, that resulted in dead people at the protests?
RAM: It is an affront to humanity that presidents Tump and Bolsonaro have intentionally dismissed the seriousness of the COVID-19 crisis,
leading to so many unnecessary deaths. Here there was no preparations whatsoever, even though there was advance notice. The US didn't take
the disease seriously so at the outbreak of the crisis, the Center for Disease Control was advising people not to wear masks. Additionally
in New York City, where our chapter is based, the city was shut down very quickly and without preparation, so many people were fired from
their jobs, and there was no financial assistance of any significance, no halt on rent and utility payments, and no help with food. Because
the city was completely unprepared, so many people died. This means that so many people lost loved ones, got sick, and were dealing with
hunger and alienation. The psychological weight of the crisis was also very heavy. So many people were dying that they had to be put in
refrigerated trucks outside hospitals. Workers attested to carrying the bodies of their neighbors and friends, identified by only a number,
into and out of the trucks. People who worked in hospitals didn't have protective gear and there was a massive shortage of ventilators and
hospital supplies. This horrific result was clearly a result of the state's ignorance. In fact, the New York City mayor and governor excused
themselves from the crisis by pleading ignorance of the effects of COVID-19.
In the meantime, COVID-19 became an excuse for the state to further crack down on oppressed people. There were many highly publicized
beatings of black youth for not wearing masks and many more of these atrocities that were never publicized. Police became even more
aggressive in the housing projects and poor communities. So not only were people suffering from sickness and death because of the city and
federal governments, but they were also being brutalized in their neighborhoods.
This, and the continued racist police killings around the US (more than 1 per day), led to the incredible insurrections we saw erupt after
the killing of George Floyd.
In the aftermath of the uprisings Donald Trump wanted to put the blame on anarchists and antifa. This is a typical counter-insurgency tactic
used in the US: identify the extremists and try to separate them from ‘the people' and blame them for instability and uprisings. People who
were arrested during uprisings report that they were questioned about antifa by Federal agents. Trump has had it out for antifa ever since
the movement organized resistance to his campaign events, his inauguration, and some of his more egregious policy moves (like establishing
the network of concentration camps around the country.)
In reality anarchists and antifascists were not responsible for this uprising. We are responsible for having solidarity with the black
liberation struggle. We are also responsible for popularizing some phrases and the idea of police and prison abolition. But we are only
responsible for any of this in that anybody with staunch anti-racist politics is responsible. The people responsible for this are the
police, the prison operators, the capitalists and the political class who have ensured black life is meaningless in America. The white civil
society that criminalizes black life is who is responsible. We simply stand with the resistance.
In actuality, the FBI recently released a report stating that anarchists were not responsible, but in their normal ridiculousness the blamed
"gangs." Trump was ready for all out war with the rebellion as well. The National Guard was called in and after the incredible fighters in
Minneapolis fought back. Trump announced that the military would be used. At this point, military officials defied him and this was an
interesting moment to see the cracks in the state. We will remember this for the future.
However a far more effective and pernicious form of repression has come from the left-wing political establishment. There was a concerted
attempt by corporate media, democratic politicians, and non-profits. They organized demonstrations that appealed to liberal sentiments:
reform not revolution, convinced police departments country-wide to do a public campaign of ‘taking a knee' like the famous stance of Colin
Kaepernick, spun a media narrative that looters were hurting people and attacking small businesses, taking advantage of true political dissent.
The idea was to funnel the energy of liberal protestors into something that served the Democrat's agenda and created a base of power for
them in their ongoing negotiations with the right wing Republicans. These attempts were far more effective in calming down the street
movements. Where once you had peace police being sidelined in the demonstrations, now the peace police made up the bulk of the crowd.
However, this is a false peace. We can see from our experience in the streets that something has really changed. People have fought back
against the oppressors, and have found incredible power in the streets. Now things are quieter, but this is a temporary situation because
there is no reform that will fix the foundations of the state. People will rise again.
FOB: Finally, we ask you to leave a message from RAM to every revolutionary and anti-colonialist fighters in Brazil, a message to every
combative and antifascist struggle emerging here against the genocidal and far right government of Jair Bolsonaro, allied with the neonazi
government of Donald Trump.
RAM: Revolutionary greets comrades! Here in the United States we are facing one of the most technologically advanced, repressive, and
violent states in human history. We are also living amongst a population with enormous fascist sympathies. Even against these odds we have
managed to push this country to the brink! Donald Trump was cowering in a bunker in his basement like a coward. Every step backwards we have
taken we have no taken huge steps forward.
We have followed the situation in Brazil closely and we have nothing but love and respect for you. We believe we understand your struggle
well. We both have these vicious leaders in power, but if we keep fighting we will win. People are recognizing that we are right. Once these
governments fall and these fascists are chased into their holes we can build a new dignified world. Solidarity comrades!
* From the original, deputized people, the act of a police officer or other military forces granting weapons to ordinary citizens to assist
in the capture or murder of "suspects", or with the justification of maintaining order. The granting of arms has historically been
associated with the figure of "sheriffs", and is also known as possession comitatus.
LUTAFOB
JUNE 18, 2020
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FOB booklets: "Principles of Revolutionary Unionism" and "What are the differences of Revolutionary Unionism in relation to other models of
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SIGA-DF | Anti-fascist protest at the entrance to Gama
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https://lutafob.wordpress.com/2020/06/18/entrevista-ram/
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