#Worldwide Information Blogger #LucSchrijvers: Update: #anarchist information froml all over the #world - SATURDAY 18 JULY 2020

Today's Topics:

  
 1.  Class Struggle and Anarchism Extracted from Cnt newspaper
      nº 423 - Dossier «Class struggle» - José Luis Velasco
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
  
 2.  A-Radio Berlin: Kolektiva - a new anarchist videohosting
      alternative (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
  
 3.  US, black rose fed: Statement: Choose Food Over Rent
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
4.  anarkismo.net: Grave diggers, the grim tale of states,
      capitalism and COVID-19 by Shawn Hattingh - ZACF
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
  
 5.  [Spain] July 19: We remember 1936 and defend Rojava By ANA
      (py, ca) [machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
  
 6.  Britain, Class War Weekly: THURSDAY 16 JULY 2020
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)


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Message: 1



According to the UN (2019) data, it can be estimated that there are currently about 7.7 billion people in the world. And in this world is
where anarchism works, this is our reality. Theory and Practice of anarchism, Ideas and Action. Ideas first, anarchist ideology. Without
Ideas, without Ideology that configure a vision of people, of societies, of nature and of the Universe as a whole, one cannot act in this
society, much less try to transform towards any destination. ---- It is precisely this vision of things that we are going to configure as
the vision of the world that determines what we know as Ideologies. These Ideologies are what have given rise to political, religious,
economic, social, union, military, cultural and ethical formations; and to the different forms of organization in their corresponding
fields. And of course, each one with its different ways of analyzing, interpreting, explaining and solving the problems of humanity as a whole.

Anarchism is above all an Idea. And it becomes an organized social movement with an Ideology of things and of human beings

Anarchists, we will analyze the current situation with science and reason, with the prism placed on the idea of freedom and real equality of
human beings and society. With Science, ethics (anarchist morality) and anarchy: science and reason as a method of knowledge; ethics as a
means of behavior, mutual aid and a positive factor of evolution; and, anarchy, as an economic and social organization (libertarian
communism and anarchist economy).

Anarchism is above all an Idea. An Idea that arises individually against a state of affairs that conflicts with individual and social
aspirations and needs. Later, individual Ideas become collective and social, take strength and organize, feel the need for social
transformation. Anarchism becomes an organized social movement with an Ideology of things and of human beings: the desire and the will for
social transformation make anarchism an Ideology in all its breadth. With their own ideas about all areas of individual and collective life,
about nature and the universe. Anarchism, in addition to an Idea, becomes an organized individual and social Action. We already have the
Theory and Practice of anarchism.

For anarchism, the origin of all social problems and injustices lies in power, in authority, in violence, in religion, in the government of
human beings. Social classes, economic exploitation, private ownership of the means of production, social and economic injustices, ignorance
and ignorance are the product of power and authority. Power, authority, and violence precede capitalism and ownership of the means of
production.

The great aspiration of anarchism is freedom and real equality of the individual and of society, in all its aspects. With these two
principles Anarchism builds its organizational social project and the way to achieve it.

For anarchism, the origin of all social problems and injustices lies in power, in authority, in violence, in religion, in the government of
human beings. Power, authority, and violence precede capitalism and ownership of the means of production.

This is the simple analysis of anarchism: real freedom and equality for all and in all areas of individual and collective life. That carries
with it economic and social justice, the disappearance of private ownership of the means of production, the elimination of social classes.
And, the implementation of real freedom, as the human being's decision-making capacity in all the orders of his life; the realization of
individual sovereignty, as the person's ability to think, decide and act for himself; and economic independence, as the possibility of
satisfying material needs without acting contrary to our ethics.

The political, economic, social, cultural and ethical project of anarchism is Libertarian Communism, very well defined by the CNT in its
Fourth Congress of Zaragoza on May 1, 1936, based on the work of Isaac Puente "The Libertarian Communism" of 1935, and which served as the
basis for the great constructive work of the social revolution of the libertarian communities in Spain: a social organization without a
state, without power, without authority, without government, without an army, without capitalism, without private ownership of the media of
production, without social classes, without religion, without churches, without bureaucracies, with a self-managed organization in all walks
of life, and real economic and social freedom and equality based on equity: the anarchist economy.

The political, economic and social project of anarchism is as follows: It is about organizing, not governing: Federalism and society against
the state. It is about managing, not exploiting: Economy against capitalism. It is about knowing, not deceiving: Science and reason against
religion and other dogmas.

Anarchist economics is the only economic doctrine placed at the service of society as a whole in real economic and social equality, without
capitalist or state property, with social ownership of the means of production, with a fair and equal distribution of wealth and wealth.
work, without social classes, with identity of interests. Consumption drives production. Where everyone contributes according to their
possibilities and receives according to their needs.

Anarchism centers its political, economic, social, cultural and ethical project on the working class, as a social class dominated and
exploited by capitalism, the state and religion. For anarchism, the working class is the one with the political capacity to transform
today's society, as it is the social class that suffers the injustices of capitalism and the state.

The political, economic, social, cultural and ethical project of anarchism is Libertarian Communism, very well defined by the CNT in its
Fourth Congress of Zaragoza on May 1, 1936, based on the work of Isaac Puente "The Libertarian Communism" of 1935.

Anarchism carries out its political, economic, social, cultural and ethical project through the coherence of means and ends. Through an
anti-authoritarian, federalist and self-managed organization, through the union, through anarcho-syndicalism: union of working class
unionism and anarchist ideas. Political capacity lies with the organized working class in the union, and the ideas for transformation lie in
anarchism.

Anarcho-syndicalism represents the fusion of the best social and ethical ideals: the world of work and the world of anarchy. The union must
be useful and practical, improve our living conditions here and now in all aspects: economic, material, social, intellectual, cultural and
ethical. It represents the foreshadowing of the society of the future, it lays the foundations for the economic organization of the
anarchist economy and of libertarian communism. It puts into practice the coherence of the means and the ends deciding in Assembly,
Federally, acting with direct action and practicing solidarity in all its extension. Here and now: the anarchist press. Without an agile,
current and intelligent means of communication for the dissemination of anarchist ideas, with reasons and ideology, the 7.

https://www.cnt.es/noticias/lucha-de-clases-y-anarquismo/

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Message: 2



Dear all, We had the opportunity of talking with comrades from the anarchist video colletives SubMedia (https://sub.media) and Antimidia
(https://antimidia.noblogs.org) directly for the start of their new videohosting project Kolektiva. Hear more about this exciting new
self-managed infrastructure as well as background infos on videomaking in Canada and Brazil and suggestions on creating new video
collectives. ---- You'll find the audio (to listen online or download) here: https://www.aradio-berlin.org/kolektiva-media-en/ Length: 23
min ---- You can find other English audios as well as all issues of the monthly
anarchist show "Bad News" here: https://www.aradio-berlin.org/en/audios-2/.
Among our last audios you can find:
* An interview from The Final Straw Radio with a translator of the
Anarchist Union of Afghanistan and Iran about the political context and
ongoing struggles:
https://www.aradio-berlin.org/perspectives-from-iranian-anarchists/
* An audio from the Channel Zero Network with advice on how to improve
your safety at street actions:
https://www.aradio-berlin.org/extra-channel-zero-network-staying-safe-at-street-actions/
* An interview from The Final Straw Radio with an anarchafeminist about
the political and social situation in El Salvador:
https://www.aradio-berlin.org/extra-el-salvador-an-anarchafeminist-perspective/
* An interview with an organizer of the first feminist Congress in
Wroclaw, Poland: https://www.aradio-berlin.org/feminist-congress-in-poland/

Enjoy! And please feel free to share!

A-Radio Berlin

ps.: We are on Mastodon and Twitter! Please feel welcome to follow us at
@aradio_berlin!
ps2.: Please note: We are always looking for people willing to lend us a
hand with transcriptions and translations from Spanish or German into
English as well as people able to do voice recordings - in order to
amplify our international radio work. You can contact us at
aradio-berlin/at/riseup(dot)net!

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Message: 3



The following is a statement from the Americas Coordination, a joint project between Black Rose / Rosa Negra Anarchist Federation (U.S),
Solidaridad (Chile), and Acción Socialista Libertaria (Argentina). ---- The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated an already difficult situation
for working class tenants everywhere especially affecting women and migrant communities. Over the last decade, neoliberal policies coupled
with gentrification have turned affordable housing into a crisis, leaving many families houseless. Following several months of unemployment
or underemployment, incomes are drying up and landlords are demanding their rent, pushing tenants to organize rent strikes through their
tenants unions or associations. Some cities in response to public pressure have enacted temporary eviction bans. Others have simply
suggested "guidelines" to landlords. The pandemic itself has forced most housing courts to close, whether they wanted to or not.

While the current crisis caught working people off-guard, the past five years of tenant organizing in cities large and small has proven
invaluable in fighting back against evictions and the demands of landlords. Nevertheless, the pandemic has made the most common organizing
tools - the mass meeting, the protest march, the in-person one-on-one conversation - largely unavailable. Video and phone calls have filled
the gap, and groups are experimenting with car-based caravan rallies as well as hanging rent strike signs from their windows to show
solidarity. But when evictions take place, often technically illegally, we're not afraid to blockade those evictions and move people back
in, if need be.

But the housing court closures and eviction bans won't last. We are now in a relatively brief window of opportunity for us to build the
organizational and social forces necessary to resist what will otherwise be a catastrophic tidal wave of evictions that would accelerate
existing gentrification trends.

In Chile, a Latin American country with a high rate of 75% private debt in housing and with its own housing cataloged by the Chilean chamber
of commerce as unreachable, the payments for rent is a fundamental link in the chain of the payments to capital. Not paying rent is a form
of self-defense in this crisis.

In Argentina, the government has prohibited evictions and the rise of rent. Even though the price of the rent was stable, the capacity of
families in this economic crisis has become unviable, placing them in ever higher debt to be able to afford daily life. At this moment,
while mass evictions are not occurring it is clear that once those restrictions are removed, the struggle around housing will become a major
effect of the coronavirus. Debt, evictions, homelessness, etc, will be a common theme of this social crisis. While always a part of everyday
working peoples struggles, they will inevitably feel these struggles with more intensity.

We need to take advantage of these opportunities to both help renters stay in their homes and encourage them to fight for a world in which
housing is free and available to all.

Rent strike! Huelga de arriendos!
Stop evictions! Basta de desalojos!
Abolish Rent. Social Housing For All.
Abolición de los alquileres! Socialización de la vivienda!

For resources on tenant and rent strike organizing see here.
https://blackrosefed.org/recommended-rent-strike-and-organizing-resources/

https://blackrosefed.org/statement-choose-food-over-rent/

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Message: 4



In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it often seems as if we are stuck in a dystopian movie. In this movie death is stalking us, hospitals
overflow with the sick and dying, and the grave diggers are at work. We know more victims will soon die as the folly of millions of workers
being forced by circumstances to return into cramped mines, banks, factories and warehouses is so evident. Those that are no longer needed
by the billionaires who own the companies are marshalled daily by the police and military dishing out violence and on occasion, humiliation,
to underline their power and the power of their bosses. ---- The trauma of it all has led many people to seek solace in fiction or
conspiracy theories. It can be morbidly comforting to believe in fantasy in times of strife. We, however, fall into such fantasies at our
own peril. When we try and deny reality and escape from it - even if we are traumatised - we are left powerless. We miss that all of this
has to do with the workings and power relations that define our everyday lives - the very workings and power relations of capitalism and
state systems.

Grave diggers: the grim tale of states, capitalism and COVID-19
Shawn Hattingh
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it often seems as if we are stuck in a dystopian movie. In this movie death is stalking us, hospitals
overflow with the sick and dying, and the grave diggers are at work. We know more victims will soon die as the folly of millions of workers
being forced by circumstances to return into cramped mines, banks, factories and warehouses is so evident. Those that are no longer needed
by the billionaires who own the companies are marshalled daily by the police and military dishing out violence and on occasion, humiliation,
to underline their power and the power of their bosses. It all feels so unreal, a ghastly movie playing out before our eyes.

The trauma of it all has led many people to seek solace in fiction or conspiracy theories. It can be morbidly comforting to believe in
fantasy in times of strife. This is why so many people blame some sinister force for "cooking up" the virus in a biotech lab or why 63% of
Americans believe COVID-19 was sent by God to force humanity to repent for its sins. It is soothing to believe something so awful must have
a supernatural origin or, at least, a deeper meaning.

We, however, fall into such fantasies at our own peril. When we try and deny reality and escape from it - even if we are traumatised - we
are left powerless. If we head down the path of fiction to try to explain why the virus has taken hold, and why some people are far more
vulnerable than others, we miss the real causes. If we willingly pretend it is some movie or conspiracy we lose sight of why workers face
death to enrich billionaires, why hospitals cannot cope, and why the police and military are being deployed by states in the face of the
pandemic. We miss that all of this has to do with the workings and power relations that define our everyday lives - the very workings and
power relations of capitalism and state systems.

To understand the reason why capitalism and states - including the workings and the power relations they embody - are at the root of this
dire situation we need to examine how such a pandemic came about and how it is being handled or mishandled by those that have power. We have
to look at why and how the novel coronavirus took hold, why capitalists and states were so badly prepared, why workers are being forced to
return to work in the shadow of it and why states are disproportionately serving the rich to best weather it.

The capitalist trade in wild meat
At the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic is capitalism's abuse and exploitation of nature, including using various wild animals, as
commodities. The destruction of natural barriers between humans and host species of viruses - directly linked to corporate logging, mining,
industrial agriculture and property speculation - have dramatically increased the likelihood, and indeed occurrences, of viral pandemics. As
a result, some scientists are already warning that COVID-19 could be the first of a number of new viral pandemics arising out of ecological
destruction.

In the case of COVID-19, it was the commercialisation of the wild meat trade that allowed the virus to jump from bats to pangolins to
humans. The wild meat trade globally is big business and it is controlled by powerful cartels using capitalist management techniques that
aim to maximise profit. In China alone, the industry was worth US$57 billion in 2017.

What makes the wild meat trade, including the pangolin trade, so profitable are the exploitation of nature, the minimal investment that is
needed to carry out this exploitation, the low wages paid to impoverished poachers/hunters/farmers and the high prices that the elite who
consume these products are willing to pay the cartels and retailers. Indeed, the pangolin market is thoroughly capitalist with the buyers of
pangolin scales being 200 pharmaceutical companies and the buyers of the meat being the Chinese ruling class (eating pangolin meat is a
status symbol and forms no part of the diet of the Chinese working class). Without this industry there may never have been COVID-19 -
capitalist logic, including the drive to maximise profit, gave rise to the massive pangolin meat trade through which humans likely
contracted the novel coronavirus.

They were warned
The ruling classes that hold power and control the resources under the capitalist and state systems had received ample warning of the
possible danger of one of the coronavirus family causing a pandemic. From 2003 onwards, in the wake of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(SARS), scientists and the World Health Organization repeatedly warned of this probability. The powerful ruling classes (capitalists,
politicians and top state officials) chose to ignore these warnings. Consequently, very little was done by pharmaceutical companies to
conduct the research on the coronavirus family that was needed. The key reason for ignoring these warnings was it would not immediately
bring profits. In other words, it was not lucrative for corporations to undertake research on the coronavirus family when a pandemic had not
yet occurred. In fact, it is only profitable for pharmaceutical companies to undertake research on viruses once a pandemic has already
arisen. Prevention or mitigation against possible pandemics simply does not pay under capitalism.

Likewise, the elite that directly control states also elected to largely ignore the forewarnings. Despite knowing the real dangers of new
pandemics - given at least three dozen new viruses having developed among the human species since the 1970s - states spend very little on
research to prevent and control diseases. In 2019 the US' federal government's budget was US$4.4 trillion, yet the entire budget allocated
to disease control and prevention - including funds directed to global disease control and prevention - was only US$12.1 billion. For the
three years prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus, the US had cut staff working on research in China on viruses that could be transferred
from bats to humans, including coronaviruses, from 50 to 14. The powerful in the US had other priorities like spending US$686 billion on the
military. Lest anyone think that this has been a unique problem to the US, the South African state spent more money in 2017 (R2.19 billion)
on VIP protection for politicians than it did on health related research (R1.45 billion).

Capitalism has made the pandemic worse for the poorest
Over the past 45 years, states have actively intervened to assist the wealthiest capitalists in society. Trillions of dollars have been
showered upon the rich in the form of tax breaks since the late 1970s as well as corporate bailouts that followed the 2008 crisis. In
contrast, the right to housing and healthcare won by the working class through hundreds of years of struggle has been gutted. This has made
the working class in many countries - especially the Black section of the working class in the US, Brazil and South Africa - highly
vulnerable to the virus. In some of the poorest communities in the US, the death rates from COVID-19 are up to 9 times higher than in
wealthy areas. Indeed, under capitalism, essentials for the working class, such as housing and healthcare, are generally under-produced, and
under-invested in, as these are not profitable sectors. This is precisely why the poor are vulnerable, as in overcrowded housing the virus
can spread quickly, social distancing is difficult and when people need medical care the only options are under-resourced healthcare
facilities or even no facilities at all. The workings of capitalism, and the manner in which states prop up the wealthy while attacking the
poor, have made some people far more vulnerable than others to the pandemic.

In a sane society everyone would have access to basic needs, but not under capitalism and the state systems. When COVID-19 -linked lockdowns
began in different countries, it was low-paid workers and the unemployed that were the worst hit. Without being able to sell their labour
power, it was hard for this class to survive. Hundreds of millions of people experienced hunger under lockdown conditions worldwide. Yet,
ironically, there was a global surplus of food produced at the very same time - some corporations dumped food to ensure prices remained
high. Likewise, under the logic of capitalism thousands of nurses in the US have been retrenched during the pandemic because the private
healthcare sector was trying to ensure profits via cost-cutting during COVID-19. This example illustrates how even highly socially useful
labor was shed for profits rather than using it to address the pandemic.

It has become evident to all during the pandemic that it is the working class that produce all goods and services under capitalism.
Likewise, without the working class no profits could be made in the productive sectors of the economy. This is why corporations across the
world have been clamoring for production to restart in every sector as soon as possible, even though it is still unsafe to do so. They need
labor to extract surplus value and they are willing to endanger the lives of workers to do so. This is why millions of workers have been
forced back to work, even in non-essential sectors, before the peak of the pandemic has been reached. To make matters worse many companies
have skimped on protective measures and clothing for workers to increase profits. Workplaces, therefore, are one of the main nodes through
which the virus has been spreading. To maintain profits, capitalism is literally creating killing fields. This was not god given, it has
been a choice made by the wealthy and powerful in their own class interests.

Even when states have attempted to do some social good during the pandemic - albeit limited - it has often turned out to be a disaster
because of the inefficiency of centralised and hierarchical systems. In South Africa, for example, the state further centralised its limited
feeding programs, targeted at children in the poorest schools, under the auspices of the so-called Command Centre (comprised of the
president, a handful of cabinet ministers and selected state officials) during COVID-19. The goal was to expand and roll out food parcels
not only to poor children, but also their parents who were temporarily or permanently unemployed. This turned out to be a disaster and the
amount of food being distributed under the Command Centre to the poor declined compared to levels prior to COVID-19. Worse still, some
politicians used their power to steal and sell food parcels that should have been distributed to the hungry.

In this context it is important to realise that states are not democratic structures. Even in a parliamentary system, the vast majority of
top state officials, including generals, are not voted for. Representative democracy means people hand their power to politicians to govern
and have, at best, a minor say every four or five years during elections. The fact that states are hierarchical and undemocratic means that
in times of crisis their first reaction is to police people. Instead of involving communities to address COVID-19, including ensuring social
distance, most states deployed the police and military to enforce commands from above to impose social distancing and curfews during
COVID-19 - even in informal settlements where social distancing cannot happen. In the US, this has seen a spike in police killings - almost
exclusively of working class people. Likewise, in South Africa the police and military arrested 230,000 people during the lockdown. Worse,
at least 11 people were killed. States arose historically to carry out and defend elite minority rule, often through brutal violence, and
when social crises occur - as with COVID-19 - it is these authoritarian impulses that come to the surface.

The rich are glowing in the light of bailouts
When it was evident that the novel coronavirus could not be contained, most states reacted either with secrecy or denial. The Chinese state
initially tried to cover up the danger of the coronavirus, including sanctioning eight doctors in Wuhan who alerted contacts on social media
in December 2019 about the new virus. The Chinese state did this for two reasons: to avoid any social unrest that may turn into a threat to
it given the protests around its authoritarianism in Hong Kong, and to avoid the stock markets plunging. Likewise, the Trump regime's
immediate reaction to COVID-19 cases surfacing in the US was to deny any possible danger. The motive for doing so was again to protect the
powerful who are heavily invested in the stock markets.

When denial was no longer possible, to try and prevent healthcare systems being swamped by COVID-19 - and having the possible politically
devastating spectacle of people having to place their dead in the streets because morgues could not cope - states began embarking on
lockdowns. The problem was the lockdowns severely dented capitalist economies around the globe. The first reaction of states under these
conditions was to protect the wealthy and the powerful.

Within a matter of days of the start of lockdowns most states passed emergency measures expressly aimed at protecting capitalists. The
foremost beneficiaries of these measures were financial corporations and banks. In one week in March - with the threat of credit markets
seizing due to lockdowns - the US state approved a US$2.3 trillion stimulus package, most of which were bailouts primarily for financial
corporations. Accompanying this, the Federal Reserve ramped up Quantitative Easing (QE) starting in March 2020 - in other words
electronically printing money and pumping it into the finance sector - to the tune of US$50 billion a day. By some estimates the assistance
received by financial corporations during COVID-19 from the US state alone has surpassed US$6 trillion. This dwarfs the relatively tiny
amounts spent to assist the working class and provide some semblance of decent healthcare under COVID-19.

Even smaller states, such as South Africa, have been following the lead of the US. The South African state passed its own limited "stimulus"
package during lockdown. Although in reality small, at R500 billion (not all of which represented an increase in spending but involved
reshuffling the 2020/21 national budget) the largest item was a R300 billion guarantee for banks on the loans they had provided for
businesses. In addition, in March 2020 the South African state embarked on its own version of QE. The priority of the South African state,
like the US state, was to assist capitalists - who in reality are less than 1% of the population.

Various states have attempted to sell QE and the bailouts for the financial sector during COVID-19 on the basis that the trillions of
dollars made available to massive corporations will trickle down to everyone. This, as in 2008/09, has turned out to be bullshit.
Corporations, as they did with the bailouts after 2008, have used them to speculate on stock markets and undertake a spree of
share-buybacks. This can be seen in the movements of the stock markets in 2020. For example, in early 2020 the Dow Jones hit a record high,
before slumping 30% in the first days of lockdown and then climbing dramatically again after the expansion of QE and the bailouts. This in a
global economy that has experienced a contraction and accompanying unemployment levels last seen during the Great Depression. This helps to
explain how the wealth of the US' tiny group of billionaires could leap by US$500 billion during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Another path is still possible
The organising by the working class through protests and strikes that have taken place during COVID-19 does, however, offer hope in the face
of the fiasco states and corporations have made of dealing with the pandemic. In reality, the best projects that have been established to
handle social and health issues arising out of COVID-19 were those set up and undertaken by communities themselves. From the US to South
Africa, these have been at the forefront of addressing hunger and providing mutual aid. This offers hope and the first steps towards a
possible path to a better world.

At times in history - from the Paris Commune, to the Korean People's Association in Manchuria, to the Spanish Revolution, to Rojava - there
have been glimpses on a larger scale of a system that could have dealt better with the crisis of COVID-19. In such societies it was mutual
aid, direct democracy, anti-racism, anti-sexism and production for need and not profit that were valued. The task in the face of states and
capitalism failing to effectively deal with the pandemic, is to build on the organising that has taken place under COVID-19 to plant the
seeds of a saner, more compassionate and democratic society, drawing inspiration in the process from larger attempts to create a better
world such as those above. Without that, a grim future awaits humanity post COVID-19. Karl Marx once wrote capitalism would be its own grave
digger. He never could have known that 150 odd years after he said those words, capitalism and the states that prop it up are still alive
(not well, but alive) and are leading hundreds of thousands of people to premature deaths. Grave diggers they certainly are.

https://zabalaza.net/2020/07/14/grave-diggers-the-grim-tale-of-states-capitalism-and-covid-19/#more-6361

https://www.anarkismo.net/article/31985

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Message: 5



The 19th of July will be the 84th anniversary of the social revolution in the Iberian Peninsula, which we admire and know so much. But this
date is not only important here. It will also be the 8th anniversary of the Rojava revolution, a revolution that began on that date in the
symbolic Kurdish city of Kobane. ---- Although there is a difference of a century between these two events, the parallels between the
achievements and challenges of these two revolutionary societies are many. ---- The advances for the destruction of patriarchy in a
conservative society, for the disarmament of state power and capitalism, for the collectivization of land, for the self-management of
society by the people - all this made the revolutionary society of 1936 one of the greatest threats to the forces fascists of the national army.

We can say exactly the same thing about Rojava and the Turkish fascist state. The latter always responded with terror and violence to the
libertarian aspirations of the Kurdish people. Attacks by the Turkish army have increased in recent weeks: continued abductions and tortures
in Afrin, and bombings in the Makmur refugee camp in Kobane and in the Qandil and Sinjar mountains. In addition, the recent and indisputable
arrival of Turkish special forces in northern Iraq, where there are large bases for revolutionaries, shows that Turkey does not fear any
repercussions from world governments.

Both the United Kingdom and France, which later declared themselves allies against the fascist advance in the 20th century, looked to the
side when the Spanish, German and Italian nationalist armies advanced within Spain. Likewise, so-called allies in the fight against the
Islamic State - like Russia and the United States - are ignoring the massacre of the peoples of northeastern Syria and Iraq, those who shed
more blood in the war against the barbaric Islamic army.

Many aspects of the social revolution of the last century are happening right now, in 2020, in Rojava, in Makmur, in the Qandil mountains.
But they are under threat of destruction by NATO's second largest army and allied Islamic groups.

Perhaps one of the most inspiring aspects of the Spanish Civil War was the demonstration of global solidarity that came through the
thousands of volunteers from the International Brigades who came to fight darkness and defend the anti-fascist struggle.

That is why the Rojava revolution is also our revolution. Now we have to defend Rojava. Now we have to defend the social revolution.

July 19th is a day to remember what was one of the most important achievements of anarchism. But this year is also a day to act, to show
solidarity, to reject fascism, patriarchy, ecocide and capitalism. On this occasion, Woman Defend Rojava, Make Rojava Green Again and Rise 4
Up Rojava, are calling for action journeys on the 18th, 19th and 20th of July.

Rojava resists!

Rise Up 4 Rojava!

CNT with Rojava!

Source:  https://www.cnt.es/noticias/19-de-julio-recordamos-el-36-y-defendemos-rojava/

Translation> Liberto

anarchist news agency-ana

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Message: 6



This week in Class War: ---- Cereal Killer Cafe is no more! ---- Hundreds turn up to support domestic violence charity ---- You have a
choice ---- The people of Chile refuse to be silent ---- How to do it: banner ---- Overthrow the government ---- Letter to the editor ----
Got a text for us? Email classwardaily@gmx.com ---- Class War 16/07/2020 https://classwar.world/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/CW-202007161.pdf
---- Hundreds turn out to support domestic violence charity at centre of premises row with Hackney Council by Hackney Citizen ---- Around
500 protesters descended upon the Town Hall square last Friday in support of local domestic violence charity Sistah Space, which is locked
in a dispute with the council over a return to former premises it says are unsafe.
Sistah Space is the only specialist organisation in London serving survivors of African and Caribbean heritage, and the protest's organisers,
Sisters Uncut, London Renters Union and Black
Lives Matter UK, fear the row is "putting Black
women's live in danger".
Morgan Jones of Sisters Uncut said: "Black
women survivors need Sistah Space's support
and deserve a place of safety to recover and heal
from violence."
The charity is being temporarily housed on
Mare Street while its old home in Lower Clapton
has undergone refurbishments, paid for by the
council at what it says was Sistah Space's request.

The Town Hall says it has given Sistah Space
until 31 July at the earliest to move back,
after the charity voiced concerns at having
to make the switch during the pandemic.
Ngozi Fulani, who runs Sistah Space, has
previously accused the Town Hall of "not
listening" after making clear that, having
conducted a risk assessment, the refurbished
site is still unsuitable for the charity's
specific needs.

The row appears to be at an impasse, with both
sides accusing the other of being unresponsive
to emails and a number of claims in dispute,
including whether or not Sistah Space agreed
to allow its temporary home to be shown to
potential commercial tenants, provided it had
48 hours' notice from the council - an issue the
Town Hall says the charity was aware of and
only raised concerns about last week.
Fulani told the Citizen: "People, strangers,
have been coming in and out of the building,
and we're a domestic violence charity.[The
council]is saying it has invested £35,000 in us
- it invested it in one of their properties that
was semi-derelict. That is not investing in us."
She added: "First it was, ‘We're going to get
you somewhere, but while you're waiting,
we're going to fix up the place'. Now we realise
they want us to go back there so we can stay
there. We've done our risk assessment. It's out
of the way, the exit leads into a derelict area.
They want our current premises back because
of money.

"We're very transparent, and this[row]has
caused major distress. It's meant we've had
to shut the service down to a very minimum.
We're only dealing with the cases we've got
now. We can't take on anything new because
we don't know where we're going to be in five
minutes."
The charity has said that it is not asking to
stay in its current premises "indefinitely", but
instead that it not have to move until March of
next year.
A petition calling on the council to grant such
an extension has, at time of writing, been signed
by more than 7,000 people.
The council says it provided Sistah Space with
the original property in Lower Clapton and has
refurbished it to the charity's specifications,
with the temporary move to Mare Street
arranged on a rent-free basis.
The Town Hall is understood to be unclear as to
why the charity now feels the reworked Lower
Clapton premises, which, according to the
council, was agreed to beforehand, is unsafe.

Fulani has now received backing from local
Liberal Democrats, Greens and the Women's
Equality Party, which have co-signed a letter to
the council expressing their concerns over the
situation.
It reads: "We would like to seek assurances that
arrangements are in place to ensure we avoid
the loss of this essential service for African
and Caribbean women suffering from domestic
abuse across Hackney and London."
The parties go on to ask the council to set out
its current position.
The Town Hall, which has strongly denied
any allegation that it has discriminated against
Sistah Space, referred the Citizen to a previous
statement on the matter from Hackney Mayor
Philip Glanville.
He said last month: "Sistah Space does
incredible work to help communities of African
heritage affected by domestic abuse, which is
why we have consistently supported their work.
"That's also why we've invested £35,000 in
refurbishing and modernising their premises in
Lower Clapton Road at their request - providing
safer, more secure and modernised facilities for
staff and women seeking help. Like all council
voluntary sector tenants, during this crisis, they
have also had their rent waived.
"We've worked closely with them on shaping
this investment. Their current temporary
home in commercial workspace is also clearly
unsuitable for such sensitive and important
work, which is why we were keen for them to
move back to their refurbished premises.
"We fully recognise the clear disproportionate
impact of coronavirus on black, Asian and other
communities with protected characteristics,
and have called on the government to do more
to investigate this. We have also ensured that all
our domestic abuse services have had additional
support.
"Sistah Space had agreed to move back to their
new premises once refurbishment was complete,
and this has never been an eviction process.
However, we understand their concerns about
moving at this time and have offered to extend
their current temporary arrangements until at
least the end of July. We'll continue to monitor
this situation."
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YOU HAVE A CHOICE...

1. ‘Fire up the engines of the economy' with
Mike Gove and send the kids to school.
2. Stay at home and stay alive.
An increasingly desperate government which
for months has been plugging away at STAY
HOME STAY ALIVE now wants the reverse
so have started firing up the engines of the
economy - which will entail risk to you and
your family though workplace/travel. But a
combination of cloying Covid and no money
for Brexit No Deal - see £7 million for
Ashford computer facility - means that if no
more people return to work the government
will have to use stick instead of carrot.
They have come to fear a second wave so
much that they are making masks (which
until now they've opposed) mandatory via
shitty legislations, but they are quite keen to
toss your kids into the incubator of the local
school. Their interests are not in health and
safety, but in the economy. They need to lick
your bosses arse by getting you back to work.
If you don't behave and do as you are told like a
good little prole they will wreck your life with
economic sanctions, leading to destitution.
80% of furloughs will end in September, but
if that still fails to get more people back to
work it'll be benefit cuts and stopping of all
benefits, rent paying etc.
But whereas before people had nothing to fall
back on - now they have mutual aid centres,
food banks and all manner of groups which
will enable them to survive without pay for
much longer. Then the government will have
to force people back to work through harsher
ways - evictions, closing of mutual aid centres
and food banks.
Then the mutual aid centres will need to
become centres for resistance, blocking roads,
requisitioning food from big stores, occupying
empty shops. So don't set the controls for the
heart of the Sun with Dan Dare Gove just yet
- there's a battle for Earth first!

---------------------------------------------

FROM URBAN YOUTH TO THE MAPUCHE... THE PEOPLE OF CHILE REFUSE TO BE SILENT.
Santiago's nights are filled with the thunderous
cacophony of cacerolazos, chanting and angry
voices. For two years now the working class
of Chile have been in a near constant pitched
battle against the state on a number of issues,
seeing the deaths of dozens of protestors. Now
they make their voices heard once more as
the government decide whether people will
be able to withdraw 10% of their pensions to
help see them through the pandemic, amidst
accusations of corruption and every changing
political alliances in the National Congress.
Chile has one of the highest Covid-19 rates and
has suffered from nearly 320,000 cases of the
virus and more than 7,000 deaths. The bill it
was felt would mitigate some of the deep well
of poverty that the people were going through,
and backed by 83% of Chileans according to a
Cadem poll saw Pinera announce cash payments
to middle-class citizens on Tuesday in an attempt
to usurp the vote.
The bill passed with 95-36, with 22
abstentions. It now moves towards the
Senate, the Struggle continues for each and
every lifeline during these difficult times.

Elsewhere in the country the Mapuche peoples
once more came under attack with water
cannons and riot police in Wallmapu territory
(the ancestral lands of the Mapuche people)
as they held a solidarity demonstration with
political prisoners being held in the Temuco,
Angol and Lebu prisons. This comes near
a year after Lemuel Fernández Toledo, was
shot and killed by a landowner in Tranaquepe
in the ongoing struggles against colonial
capitalism which has taken so much from.
Weichafe Lemuel Vive!

https://classwar.world/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/CW-202007161.pdf

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