Today's Topics:
1. US, Secret Police on the Streets of PDX - Interview with a
Member of Black Rose Portland by Members of Black Rose Anarchist
Federation (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
2. Workers Solidarity Movement (Ireland) - WE WILL DEFEND THE
SOCIAL REVOLUTION IN ROJAVA WITH ALL OUR POWER.
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
3. Turkey, anarsist faaliyet: Suruç's Fight is Justice Fight
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
4. Multiple Cities (Indonesia): Day of International Solidarity
for Rojava, By PALANGH ITAM (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
5. Solidarity for Indonesian Anarchist Prisoners By PALANGHITAM
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
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Message: 1
Fifty days into the popular uprising sparked by the police murder of George Floyd and demonstrations in Portland, Oregon show little sign of
abating. ---- In fact, Portland has now become a proving ground for the Trump administration to demonstrate its ‘law and order' bona fides
in the run up to the 2020 election. ---- Federal police, with little information available as to which agencies they specifically work for,
have become more active in the repression of demonstrations in the city. A number of recent videos have captured this secret police force,
members of which wear military fatigues, grabbing demonstrators off the street and shuttling them away in unmarked vehicles. ---- We caught
up with a member of our Portland local to find out more about what's been happening on the ground.
Black Rose / Rosa Negra (BRRN): Can you briefly describe the last few months of the uprising in Portland?
Black Rose Portland Local (PDX): Demonstrations have been happening daily in Portland, with activity including daytime gatherings that
extend into night marches, oftentimes with multiple events happening on any given day. In the first few weeks, attendance numbers ranged in
the thousands and in recent weeks numbers have dipped slightly, but remained consistently in the hundreds.
The demonstrations and marches have been organized by a variety of autonomous groups, including (but not limited to) new and existent BIPOC
led groups, nameless affinity groups, the families of victims of Portland Police violence and murder, youth-led organizations and local
striking sex workers. There have been 423 total people arrested since the uprising began, the vast majority of whom have been bailed out.
Some victories include: protestors set the Justice Center[building which includes courts and police precinct]on fire the first night. Nearly
50 days later, on the night of 7/18, the Portland Police Association (police "union" pig pen) was also set aflame. $15M has been cut from
the city Police budget (the ask was $50k/year until total defunding); SRO's pulled from Portland Public School District; Transit cops pulled
from public transportation (though immediately replaced by Sheriffs). Strong abolitionist rhetoric has become popular among protestors, in
local literature/resources being circulated, and in graffiti and posters going up around the city. A local nonprofit won a temporary legal
ban against PPB using tear gas, though with the caveat that they can use it if officers "fear for their lives" or a demonstration is
declared a riot.
Some defeats and struggles we've experienced include: Protestors choosing to kneel with cops early on, early liberal cooptation of certain
aspects of the movement and the successful division of peaceful protestors and anarchists (though this has been pretty much turned around).
BRRN: In what ways has the pandemic altered how people are organizing and turning out?
PDX: Mutual aid seems to be a key aspect of resistance and protest; mutual aid projects that were initially started at the beginning of the
pandemic were strengthened and revitalized by the uprisings in the response to the murder of George Floyd. There seems to be an increase in
the number of street medics, supply vehicles, and the distribution of PPE and sanitizing equipment/supplies at protests.
Initially it had a major impact in re-configuring relationships in organizations and in people newly radicalized. People within existing
organizations have had to reexamine what their role is in relating to their work while being overworked in jobs deemed essential, had to
reevaluate workload while able to solely work from home, organizations and people have had to learn from disabled comrades as to how to make
spaces more accessible, and new masses of people have plugged into existing structures that have varying degrees of capacity to accept the
new influx of people.
The first protests began before Oregon began its reopening process, and Portland, OR is several steps behind the rest of the State on that
reopening process. Large amounts of people being jobless and angry at pandemic conditions, plus protests being the only social space people
can feel right about showing up in are likely contributing factors as to why there is still daily and nightly energy and presence.
Different pandemic vulnerability/comfort levels leading to more varied types of actions, in addition to mass actions: car caravans, bike
rallies, small neighborhood protests of less than 10 people happening simultaneously.
Tens of thousands have come out in Portland since the uprising began. Photo by John Furtado.
BRRN: Over the last few years, Portland has become a flashpoint for physical clashes between the street level movement of the far right and
anti-fascists. Have non-state reactionary forces tried to intervene or interfere at all during the George Floyd uprising in PDX?
PDX: Most of the right-wing organized street movements in the Northwest had gone into retreat prior to the pandemic, thanks in whole to
organized anti-fascists. The most prominent of the cast of characters who led right-wing demonstrations in the city are currently embroiled
in lawsuits, doxxing scandals which have resulted in the social consequences of bigoted behavior, and ironically, state repression.
While most of the actual street presence of fash has been limited to a few instances of less than a half dozen local reactionaries and
"boogaloo boys" showing up, there have been a far greater number of unconfirmed sightings of the generic catch-all "Proud Boys", which has
locally become a way to describe any reactionary or fascist regardless of actual affiliation. While "Proud Boys" have become the "Kleenex"
or "Coca-Cola" of fascism locally, the number of organized reactionaries from Patriot Prayer, Proud Boys, Portland Liberation or others has
been severely limited.
The number of unconfirmed sightings speaks to the justified paranoia and fear that years of duking it out on the street with these fascists
has wrought. The sheer size of protests has made the risk of showing up as an out-in-the-open fascist too costly, and they are quickly run out.
However there has been a resurgence in the local doxxing of leftist protestors and arrestees, and high profile media stories on right wing
media. We have some local right wing grifters posing as journalists who are frequently featured on Fox News.
Given this recent history and the fact that Portland has come to represent a clear example of organized resistance, we have drawn the ire of
many high profile right wingers and liberals. This means the consequences of not wearing a mask or getting arrested are greater than ever.
BRRN: DHS secretary Chad Wolf issued a memo justifying the deployment of Federal secret police to Portland in order to put down the
uprising. In total, the memo mentions the phrase "violent anarchists" 47 times. Prior to the uprising, what sort of organizing work were
anarchists in Portland engaged in?
PDX: Anarchists in Portland engage in a wide variety of organizing work, notable local projects include the Portland Youth Liberation Front
and the youth-led groups organization of the climate strike, the Free Lunch Collective's meal distribution program, Budding Roses' free
summer education program, labor union organizing, Critical Resistance's years-long campaign to abolish and defund the police, and various
autonomously organized mutual aid projects like free stores, community fridges, grocery boxes, needle exchanges, and Narcan distribution.
Although some of the organizations listed here may not outwardly identify as anarchist, we recognize them to have values that align with
Black Rose, horizontal power structures and abolitionist politics.
The membership of the Portland local are involved in a number of organizing projects, but most notably as a group we read books and miss
meetings to discuss them, get yelled at by teens, eat hot chip, and cry. Very violent indeed.
Unidentified Federal agents in military fatigues patrolling the streets of Portland. Photo by Nathan Howard.
BRRN: Being outside of Portland, most of us only learned about the presence of the DHS secret police when images and videos emerged on
social media of them disappearing demonstrators into unmarked cars. When did you first realize that they were present?
PDX: Years ago!
A great number of people in our communities have lived in fear of getting snatched by Feds for many years, as ICE has a long history of
pushing against our "sanctuary state" policies which are supposed to prohibit local law enforcement cooperation with Federal immigration
authorities.
However, we know and have confirmed that DHS and local police have cooperated consistently despite the supposed illegality of such activity.
The past few years have seen a lot of organizing around stopping ICE from grabbing people at the local courthouse where they were targeting
people.
DHS has also been deployed to Portland protests multiple times in the past. Including most recently during a "Charlottesville 2" rally where
Feds and local cops gave out-of-town fash a nice guided tour of the city.
They were also present during much of the 2018 occupation of the ICE facility in Southwest Portland, where they pointed an assault rifle at
a member of our local. They have guarded the federal park, Chapman Square, in downtown Portland where fascists and alt-right groups have
been able to get permits to hold demonstrations.
Feds have been performing door-knocks in the since the beginning of the protests and even before. They have been closely monitoring BIPOC
comrades from the start of the protests in particular and have had a visible presence guarding the federal building (across the street from
the Justice Center). Their presence since early on in the protests has mostly been in the background guarding federal property, but in the
last week they have shifted to a much more active and aggressive crowd control role with a much more visible presence and more Federal
police being sent in. This is when the snatch squads started and when it got national media attention.
BRRN: On the topic of these disappearances: is there any indication as to what has happened to those who have been snatched off the street?
PDX: It appears that they are grabbed and stuffed into unmarked cars. At least one person had their beanie forcibly pulled down over their
eyes for the ride. People say they were driven around and eventually taken to a cell in the Federal detention building or the Multnomah
County Detention Facility (one of two county jails in Portland), both of which are right in the center of the protest action and probably
very close to where they were initially grabbed. People report having been questioned by unmarked officers who refused to identify
themselves, and then released after a few hours. That we know, everyone who has been kidnapped has so far been released.
BRRN: Can you describe what the presence of the Federal police has looked like? Does it appear that they're fulfilling a different function
than local police?
PDX: The Federal police have been seen dressed in full military uniform, although unmarked by any insignia which could indicate which
agencies they belong to. Similarly they are not wearing any identification names or badge numbers. They have also been witnessed using CS
gas dispersal methods that are more powerful than those utilized by Portland police, and unfamiliar to most protestors in the crowd.
Hitting the Feds where it hurts.[Chad Wolf is acting DHS Secretary]. Photo by @markwgraves on Twitter.
BRRN: How have demonstrators reacted to this hyper visible manifestation of state power?
PDX: Demonstrations feel re-invigorated by the hyper-visible federal presence, this past Saturday night (7/18) was one of the bigger nights
of protest recently. New "respectable" groups are coming out and getting gassed, which is also adding fuel to the fire: last night a line of
moms wearing Anne Taylor were very visibly tear gassed and flash banged and now there is a mom contingent coming back tonight. If the line
hadn't been crossed for some people (esp. older liberals) it's been crossed now.
BRRN: Oregon's politicians, both at the city and state level, have issued recent statements condemning the presence of Federal police. Do
you believe they're sincere?
PDX: Not at all. They are trying to save face because liberals see how inexcusable this sort of repression is. Blaming the Feds is a
convenient way to shift blame away from local repression from the police. The mayor has tweeted that federal officers and Portland police
have shared the same command center during protests. They are working side by side. These overtures are hollow and come from wanting to
distance themselves from lawsuits and political ramifications.
https://blackrosefed.org/secret-police-pdx/
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Message: 2
THE BLOODTHIRSTY IMPERIALIST INTERVENTIONS CAN BE SUSPENDED ONLY BY THE COORDINATED INTERNATIONALIST ACTIONS OF THE OPPRESSED CLASSES ----
Since July 2012, a living revolutionary process has been unfolding in Rojava, in the area of Northern and Eastern Syria/West Kurdistan. This
revolutionary process unfolds by standing tall against capitalism, imperialism, fascism and patriarchy. The liberating social endeavor of
democratic confederalism consists of the peaceful fellowship of various peoples in terms of direct democracy. At the same time, it focuses
on social ecology, radical feminism, and questioning the role of the state as a tool for domination. This liberating social endeavor also
proves in a tangible manner that the capitalists don't really lack strength and that their authority sooner or later is going to be
overthrown by the revolutionary workers and farmers. That is the historical duty of the subjugated classes.
The prosperity and the material fulfillment of the social and class emancipation -- the self-management of the production and of the social
life by the oppressed - affects the foundations and the interests of the ruling capitalist class. The social revolution in Rojava is a
process that has come to give hope for the social liberation of all the oppressed classes and at the same time an experience that refutes in
practice the claims of the bourgeoisie politicians and capitalist economists - that capitalism is an unwavering and immovable system.
The supposed "only-way"that capitalism presents is being shattered with every step that the people are taking towards the social revolution.
What the imperialists around the globe can't digest is that the people of the Middle East are not only fighting against the capitalist
barbarism, but they are also taking back their lives in their hands by creating a libertarian alternative way to the capitalist impasse. The
imperialists are lusting to get their hands on the rich lands of Middle East. They have been fighting with each other for years, while using
puppet governments in order to exploit the natural and energy resources of the area and to further undervalue the Middle Eastern
proletariat. They aim to promote their interests by any means, not hesitating to shed the blood of the innocent natives of the area, even
financing jihadist groups that they say they fight.
The capitalists have their hands stained with the blood of the people. Whenever their current power play and their particular interests
dictate them to do so, they either fight or form alliances with each other. In any case, they have been mercilessly hammering down the
struggling people, the oppressed and the exploited, their class opponents. For the last two years the Turkish state has exercised an
non-stop operation for the occupation of the liberated Rojava. The attacks of the Turkish state have been continue to this day with the aid,
the tolerance and the consent of the international imperialist powers and the Islamic gangs, that act as mercenaries and armed vanguard to
the Turkish military interventions in Kurdistan.
On the 15 th of June 2020 the Turkish state openly attacked the liberated regions of Rojava, the self-managed immigrant camp at Maxmur and
the democratic region of the Yazidi at Sengal. All these regions are part of the liberated areas. Again a few days later, the Turkish army
started an operation to invade Basur (Southern Kurdistan) which has since been bombed constantly. On the 23 rd and 25 th of June 2020,
several deadly attacks by drones by the Turkish army have been recorded in Rojava and Suleymaniya. Many people were forced to flee and
abandon their now burned down houses with their agricultural lands and crops were completely destroyed while many civilians lost their lives
from the attack of the Turkish army. The Kurdish guerrillas are responding to the deadly attacks by the Turkish state, defending the people
and the revolutionary experience of the democratic confederation. The war in the Kurdish mountains rages non-stop, as is the Turkish
occupation of the Kurdistan territory. Meanwhile, the Turkish state has violated every international convention, as well the truce declared
as response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The perpetrators of this crime that has been committed for years by the Turkish state - the
capitalists and the governments they control - are once again silencing the Kurdish people after having given the green light the
imperialist plans of the Turkish state.
The Kurdish liberation movement organizations call for solidarity actions in the rebellious Rojava last 18 th and 19 th of July. On the
19/7/2012, a brilliant dawn of social revolution broke upon the people of Middle East. It was at this moment that the social revolution
began in Rojava. On the 19 th of July, 1936 the organized working class and farmers of Spain stood against the fascist military coupled by
the dictator Francisco Franco. For three years they were engaged in a fierce revolutionary fight for the construction of a libertarian
communist society. The legacy of the battles that the workers, the farmers, the anarcho-syndicalists and anarcho-communists of the Iberian
Peninsula is being passed today to the revolutionary people of Kurdistan. Their fight is our own; it is the struggle of the international
proletariat. That is why we are called upon to defend on a coordinated and international scale the social revolution in Rojava. As
anarchists we have to do everything in our ability to strengthen the international anti-capitalist, anti-statist, anti-imperialist
revolutionary movement.
On the other hand, the totalitarian regime of Iran, which in its media propaganda tries to present itself as an anti-imperialist government,
is in fact a ruthless Islamic mafia that can be classified as a terrorist group such as ISIS. In addition to the military presence of the
Iranian regime, which has massacred tens of thousands of people, including children, in defense of the Syrian dictator, the Iranian regime
attacks Kurdish positions in northern Iraq on a daily basis in parallel with the Turkish regime. In addition to various Kurdish groups that
are constantly attacked by Iranian regime soldiers and artillery, PJAK is a branch of the PKK that is one of the Iranian regime's main
targets for attacks in northern Iraq. The Rojava revolution has become one of the nightmares of the Iranian regime, because the Iranian
regime is afraid that the Kurds of other regions, including Rojhelat (western Iran) will build another Rojava following the example of the
Rojava revolution, for these reasons, the Iranian regime has carried out bloody repressions, including imprisonment, torture, and
executions, for years, more than any other region against the Kurds in Iran.
The international solidarity of the oppressed and the exploited is the collective power that can give the finishing blow to the capitalist
system. An untiring and unselfish contribution to the revolutionary processes all over the world is the duty of the anarchist movement
today. The international social revolution, in the direction of the libertarian communism, indicates the strategic course of our actions.
This direction for the everyday fight against capitalism: acting locally and thinking internationally. For all this we believe that the best
way of solidarity and support for the Kurdish revolution is the strengthening and deepening of social struggles in our regions and the
consolidation of our anarchist political organizations.
CEASE IMMEDIATELY THE IMPERIALIST INTERVENTIONS AND THE BLOODSHED OF PEOPLE
IMMEDIATE FREEDOM FOR ALL THE POLITICAL PRISONERS
IMMEDIATE WITHDRAWAL OF THE TURKISH ARMY FROM KURDISTAN
WE HAVE TO BUILD BARRICADES OF INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY AGAINST THE TOTALITARIANISM OF THE STATE AND CAPITALISM
VICTORY IN THE ARMS OF THE KURDISH GUERRILLA WAR AGAINST THE IMPERIALISTS
LONG LIVE THE SOCIAL REVOLUTION IN ROJAVA
ARRIBA LOS/AS QUE LUCHAN!!!
- Anarchist Federation (Greece)
Coordenação Anarquista Brasileira - CAB
Federación Anarquista Uruguaya - FAU
Federación Anarquista de Rosario - FAR (Argentina)
Embat - Organització Libertària de Catalunya
Die Plattform - Anarchakommunistische Organisation
(Germany)
Organisation Socialiste Libertaire - OSL (Schwitzerland)
Libertaere Aktion (Schwitzerland)
Anarchist Unión of Afghanistan and Iran - AUAI
Federación Anarquista Santiago - FAS (Chile)
Organización Anarquista de Córdoba - OAC (Argentina)
Anarchist Union of Afghanistan and Iran - AUAI
Grupo Libertario Vía Libre (Colombia)
Alternativa Libertaria/FdCA (Italy)
Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement - AWSM
(Aotearoa / New Zealand)
Devrimci Anarsist Faaliyet - DAF (Turkey)
Workers Solidarity Movement - WSM (Ireland)
Bandilang Itim (Philippines)
facebook.com/WorkersSolidarityMovement/posts/4725015374190905
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Message: 3
5 years ago from this day , on 20 July 2015, 33 anarchist and socialist revolutionists, which were chasing their dreams to bring toys to
children of Kobane, one of the substantial acquisition of Rojava Revolution, have been slaughtered by states' contracted organization
ISIS' suicide bomb. This fight, which our comrades were part of; our fight, continues in the streets we go out for justice on every 20th of
July.
https://anarsistfaaliyet.org/sokak/surucun-kavgasi-sokaklarda-suruyor/
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Message: 4
18-19 July 2020 yesterday was the day of international solidarity for Rojava, Rojava Women Defend, Internationalist Commune, Make Rojava
Green Again, and Riseup4Rojava , have made a call for two days of solidarity action to fight the Turkish invasion of #Basur (South
Kurdistan, Iraq ) and #Rojava ---- Like anarchists and other revolutionary groups throughout the world, we in Indonesia also have
responsibility to support the Rojava revolution and fight Turkish fascism! Several individuals and groups in several regions in Indonesia
have carried out various solidarity actions during July 18-19 yesterday. ---- Malang, East Java ---- Tulungagung, East Java ---- «Call for
International Solidarity Action for Rojava
https://palanghitamanarkis.noblogs.org/post/2020/07/17/panggilan-aksi-solidaritas-internasional-untuk-rojava/
https://palanghitamanarkis.noblogs.org/post/2020/07/20/multiple-cities-indonesia-day-of-international-solidarity-for-rojava/
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