Today's Topics:
1. anarkismo.net: War crimes by Melbourne Anarchist
Communist
Group (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
Group (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
2. Australia, Sydney Anarcho-Communists Bulletin #3 -
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY + Index
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY + Index
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
3. France, Union Communiste Libertaire AL #311 - International,
Die Plattform (Germany): "hundreds of thousands of
Die Plattform (Germany): "hundreds of thousands of
people are
looking for alternatives" (ca, de, it, fr, pt)[machine
translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
looking for alternatives" (ca, de, it, fr, pt)[machine
translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
4. Belarus: New year statement from anarchist collective Pramen
from Belarus[machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
from Belarus[machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
5. Czech, AFED: Demonstration in support of the occupation of
the Dannenrod Forest[machine translation]
the Dannenrod Forest[machine translation]
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
6. Anarchist Federation of Santiago: Public Statement January
2021 (ca, it, pt)[machine translation]
2021 (ca, it, pt)[machine translation]
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
In these circumstances, the military effort in Afghanistan quickly became an
occupation. All Afghan civilians were the enemy, unless they were known tools of
the occupiers. And so the fighting age males were deemed fair game. Imperialist
war cannot be waged justly, so the political decisions of John Howard, Kevin
Rudd, Julia Gillard and other Prime Ministers made the crimes of the soldiers on
the ground inevitable. The soldiers named in the secret version of the report
deserve to be in the dock, but so do their political masters. ---- Australian
troops in Afghanistan. Credit: LS Paul Berry via The Guardian ---- ar crimes ----
The Brereton report about allegations of war crimes against Afghan civilians by
Australian troops, mainly the Special Air Service Regiment, was met in November
with gasps of shock by the capitalist media and the appointment of a special
prosecutor to bring criminal charges. The prosecutor's appointment, however, was
also the signal for the issue to drop out of the media and normal service to
resume in the area of propaganda glorifying the military. When trials eventually
occur, it will be years after the report, when the military have fabricated a
story to exonerate the institution, whatever the fate of the individuals mentioned.
Australia's imperialist military and the governments that sent it to Afghanistan
shouldn't get away with it so easily. The 39 murders named in the report are only
the ones for which whistleblowers could be found. There are rumours of many more.
This is inherently plausible because of the nature of the practices the report
itself describes:
* Execution of prisoners was done as "blooding" new team members with their first
kill.
* Units carried "throwdown" weapons to plant on civilians they killed.
* All fighting age males found in combat zones, whether armed or not, were
considered Taliban.
These features indicate that the murders discussed in the report are just the tip
of the iceberg. The last point, indeed, is actual official US policy in waging
the "War on Terror", so the rotten apple defence rings particularly hollow.
Having admitted that many war crimes had been committed, the Brereton report goes
on to pin as much blame on sergeants and corporals as possible. Commissioned
officers were found to be "bewildered" by evidence of crimes, while exhibiting
"abandoned curiosity". These officers were not just incompetent or lazy. At best,
they were wilfully ignorant. More likely, they were complicit through verbal
arrangements about what they needed to know and what they didn't. There were
credible accusations of war crimes already, dating at least to 2009, so the
entire SAS command structure would have known whether their supervision was
sufficient to detect such events if they occurred.
Beneath all this, however, is the guilt of Australia's military high command and
the governments, both Coalition and Labor, that decided to send Australian troops
to Afghanistan and keep them there. Australia's Afghan War was never about
Afghanistan, but about the US alliance. It was about supporting a US-dominated
world order in which Australia has the South Pacific franchise. This requires
supporting US military action in Asia and contributing enough military forces to
be seen as a valuable ally deserving its own sphere of influence.
In these circumstances, the military effort in Afghanistan quickly became an
occupation. All Afghan civilians were the enemy, unless they were known tools of
the occupiers. And so the fighting age males were deemed fair game. Imperialist
war cannot be waged justly, so the political decisions of John Howard, Kevin
Rudd, Julia Gillard and other Prime Ministers made the crimes of the soldiers on
the ground inevitable. The soldiers named in the secret version of the report
deserve to be in the dock, but so do their political masters.
The Brereton report revealed what could no longer be concealed. But the cover-up,
both of further crimes and the guilty parties all the way from Lieutenants to
Prime Ministers, has begun. Our best response is to demand that Australia get out
of Afghanistan.
END AUSTRALIAN IMPERIALISM
*Article in the latest issue of "The Anvil", newsletter of Melbourne Anarchist
Communist Group (MACG).
It can be found on our blog at the following page:
https://melbacg.wordpress.com/the-anvil/
It can also be found directly at the following address:
https://melbacg.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/the-anvil-vol-9-no-6.pdf
https://www.anarkismo.net/article/32131
------------------------------
Message: 2
We acknowledge that the land that we have been meeting on, organising on, and
living on is stolen land. It belongs to the traditional custodians who never
ceded their sovereignty to the colonial forces of Britain who, with brutal force
and malicious cunning, invaded over 200 years ago. First Nations people have been
engaged in a war of resistance ever since, and settlers must acknowledge their
complicity in the structures of hierarchy which have facilitated their
domination, and strive to be genuine allies in this de-colonial resistance.
Colonialism is the product of the illegitimate hegemony of capitalism as
facilitated by the state, whose falsified national borders justify the racism and
oppression which continues to affect Indigenous people, refugees, and ethnic
minorities globally today. This is why de-colonial struggle does not exist in
isolation; it is at the heart of our resistance to capitalism, the state, and
interacts with all illegitimate hierarchies which foster oppression and
exploitation in these names.
We acknowledge the sovereignty of the Dharug, the Kuring-Gai, the Dharawal, the
Comma,
the Cammeraigal, the Borogegal, the Garigal, the Cadigal, the Wangal, the
Wllumattagal, the
Bidjigal, the Boorooberongal, the Cabrogal, and the Gweagal people, and any other
nations
on whose land we reside in the so-called Sydney region. We pay our respects to
elders past,
present, and emerging on each of these lands. We acknowledge that the ally-ship
of settlers in
our spaces will more often than not be inadequate and require a constant state of
re-learning,
however, we hope that we can put into practice the principles of de-colonisation
to the best
of our ability, and remain committed to the enactment of these principles.
INDEX
4
THE MEANS AND ENDS OF REVOLUTION:
ON ANARCHISM AND LENINISM
Toby Violet D'Mango
8
ON THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
Anonymous
17
COPS AND SCREWS OUTTA MARDI GRAS!
Pride in Protest
18
SEX WORK IS WORK! ANALYSING STIGMATISED LABOUR
UNDER CAPITALISM
Anonymous and Honey Christensen
22
NEITHER TRUMP NOR BIDEN, BUT WORKERS POWER
Evan Van Zijl
26
DIRECT ACTION
Anonymous
27
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ROOTED:
AN INTERVIEW WITH ANGRY WORKERS WORLD
Daniel al-Rachid
33
PRIMITIVE AND ONGOING ACCUMULATION
Percy Hill
37
IN CONVERSATION WITH BLACK ROSE/ROSA NEGRA
James Sherriff
39
FURTHER READINGS
41
IS IT ALREADY OVER?
Toby Violet D'Mango
SPECIAL THANKS
Cover Design - Jess D/@fartwitch
This bulletin was written, designed, and produced by the Sydney
Anarcho-Communists from
our weekly reading group. We are a libertarian socialist group formed along a
shared affinity for
the tendencies of anarchism: the organised struggle for a society coordinated on
the basis of
solidarity and without the interference of the state or capitalist bosses, and
communism: that
this society will be organised around each according to their ability and human
need rather
than profit and exploitation. This world will only be possible when working
people take the
reins of society from the state and the capitalists and run it for themselves.
Everyone interested in the ideas of anarcho-communism is warmly welcomed to
attend our
weekly reading group from 6pm-8pm at Monster Mouse Studios, 9 Gerald St Marrickville.
For updates on the reading groups, its readings and topics and general
information, request
to join our Melbourne/Sydney Facebook Group "Ancom Reading Group":
https://www.facebook.com/groups/838449613333624, our Facebook Page "Sydney
Anarcho-Communists":
https://www.facebook.com/Sydney-Anarcho-Communists-106535081162644 and our
Twitter "@sydneyancoms": https://twitter.com/sydneyancoms
May we always carry a new world in our hearts!
https://www.redblacknotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/SydneyAncom_Bulletin_3_Dec2020_DigitalEdition.pdf
------------------------------
Message: 3
Recently a libertarian class struggle organization has been active in Germany. We
spoke with our comrades from Die Plattform about their approach and the prospects
for the class struggle across the Rhine. ---- Libertarian alternative : Can you
present Die Plattform, your action in the social movement and your
establishments? ---- Die Plattform: We are an anarcho-communist organization on a
platformist basis [1]founded in 2019 which currently has five groups with a
presence in the industrial Ruhr area, in Berlin, in the Rostock region in the
north, near from the Baltic Sea, to Trier, near the Luxembourg border, and
finally with a "supraregional group", which brings together all the comrades from
the regions where we do not yet have the means to build a local group. A group is
also under construction in Leipzig. It should be noted that there is no platform
organizational tradition or one claiming to be especifismo [2]in Germany. We
therefore had to make an important effort to first define the organizational,
theoretical and strategic bases necessary for an effective participation in the
struggles of the workers.
Our members are currently active in the environmental movement, including the
school strike for climate justice Fridays for Future, in feminist struggles, in
the Black Lives Matter mobilizations and, to a lesser extent, in tenant
initiatives, unions and workers' struggles.
In January 2020, you wrote that you pledged for this year to define your own
organizational bases, and your objectives and strategies in social struggles.
Where are you at ?
Die Plattform: The foundations of this process are definitely laid. This is also
shown by the continuous practice that we have already developed in the cities
where we are established. We are starting our integration into social movements
but we are still at the beginning of a long-term learning and struggle process.
Many of our members have been socialized on the left scene for years. We had
never worked in an organization so structured, strategic and oriented towards
social movements. So many things have to grow and develop first.
Unlike sensationalist left campaign politics, the daily work of building and
participating in our class struggles cannot all the time be communicated
effectively in the public eye. Neither is the continued internal development of
the organization. But we are on the right track and we have taken some steps, so
that we can soon officially establish ourselves as a federation.
You want to draw the attention of the anarchist movement to action in social
struggles, what are the positive repercussions ? What is your establishment
within the unions ?
Die Plattform: We have touched and in part inspired many individuals and groups
in the anarchist movement. Whole groups that existed before have joined the
concept of platformism and are now trying to develop a practice in social
movements based on this concept. Other groups and individuals who, although they
continue to criticize platformism, are inspired by certain aspects of our
approach. With Die Plattform it became more normal in the movement to speak of
the class struggle and of the class society itself, which was rather frowned upon
for many years. This is not only of our doing, but we have certainly helped to
make people understand that we still live in a class society.
Our presence in the unions is weak. In large unions, we only have individual
members and no strategic integration. It is only in the anarcho-syndicalist Frei
Arbeiterinnenund Arbeiter Union (FAU) that we are active and many of our members
were activists of the FAU before joining us. So far we have focused on social
movements outside of trade union politics. In the current situation, we see more
potential for the development of a counter-power in this area. This balance is
also linked to the nature of our organization, as well as the nature of trade
unions in Germany.
The experience of the political strike and the general strike is little or not at
all widespread. The "social partnership" practiced by the large reformist unions
helps to mask and pacify class antagonisms by moderating the methods of
negotiation. The more offensive or more powerful modes of worker action are far
too little implemented. In this area of resistance against the attacks of our
class, we will have to clarify our position.
Nevertheless, we are of course involved and support trade union actions wherever
we can, such as the wildcat strike by agricultural workers in Bornheim near Bonn
or the wildcat construction strike in Regensburg. Here, we accompany, document,
analyze and share with the movement the experiences of workers' struggles, which
provide a perspective of the militant future.
What are your relations with Ums Ganze ! and Die interventionistische Linke (IL)
? [3]
Die Plattform: We are following the Interventionist Left (IL) project with
curiosity and see some similarities with our approach. Intervention and social
integration seem to us to be two different terms to designate related approaches.
What seems to be lacking in IL is a theoretical basis developed and shared by all
members and a viable analysis of the current situation. And the aspect that
probably sets us apart the most is our claim to build grassroots organizations.
In our opinion, IL's strategy is to influence political debates at certain times
and, in this way, to influence decisions.
This is reflected in the fact that they are increasingly focusing on campaigns
aimed at mobilizing large numbers of people for certain major political events
like the G20 summits or the various national elections in 2019. Due to this
orientation, IL seems to be placed in an instrumental relationship with
grassroots struggles and only considers them useful to the extent that they can
be transformed into broad conflicts with a strong media impact. It is therefore
less concerned with strengthening grassroots organizations of the oppressed, who
can fight for their long-term interests and needs. But that is precisely what is
important to create movements and organizations from below that are capable of
long-term action and self-defense - without a party or a state.
The Ums Ganze alliance ! (UG) has fewer similarities to our approach than IL. In
our eyes, the UG represents a rather loose supraregional association, composed
only of groups acting locally from the autonomous scene or from its vestiges.
Although groups, like IL, launch joint campaigns and mobilize together for
various events, unlike IL, they do not have a deeper political strategy to bring
about social change.
Much like the local IL structures, the groups working together at UG focus
heavily in their practice on the issue of alliances with other groups in the
radical left-to-left scene. It is precisely this focus on alliance work from
within the left that hinders the ability to reach out and organize large sections
of one's own class and the oppressed we want to leave behind.
Is the participation and / or the construction of a self-managed social center
also part of your strategy ?
Die Plattform: Yes, although currently it is more of a subordinate strategy. In
the medium and long term, however, we want to build appropriate centers to
provide a solid infrastructure for our organization and the struggles of our
class. However, we must not get bogged down in our current phase. We have limited
capacities and we cannot immediately implement everything we would like to do.
What is the image of anarchism in Germany and more precisely what contact do you
have with the population ?
Die Plattform: We would say that the public image of anarchism is still bad -
although it has improved a bit over the past few decades. It is not so much
because the population would have no sympathy for our ideas or because society is
so deeply reactionary that everything seems lost in advance. Rather, it is due to
the inability and reluctance of large sections of the anarchist movement itself
to engage in open and interested exchange with the population and to develop
their visibility. Worse still parts of the movement contribute to the negative
image of anarchism, like the various forms of individualism. Through our daily
work in our neighborhoods, through exchanges with people, through mutual aid,
through creative actions, in social movements, we see that our ideas are supported.
How do you see the evolution of German politics and what would be the role of
anarchism ?
Die Plattform: The evolution of the political situation is in part characterized
by a radicalization of the population, both in a positive and a negative sense.
Very strong right-wing movements have emerged in recent years, such as the
protests of the so-called coronavirus rebels against state measures, the
far-right formation European Patriots against the Islamization of the West
(Pegida) or marches in cities advocating right-wing self-defense. Fascist groups
and parties have so far failed to profit from it on a large scale and in a
sustainable manner.
However, the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) has gained
influence and scores high in elections in virtually all parliaments. Other
conspiratorial groups such as the Reich Citizens Movement (Reichsbürger) or those
opposed to vaccination are making themselves heard more and more, in particular
thanks to their activism on social networks.
The right is waging a cultural battle that makes our action among the popular
classes more and more difficult. There is also a vital threat with armed fascist
groups present in the German police and army which are actually preparing for a
civil war.
On the left, there is a rise in social movements. Fridays for Future is strong in
Germany. This mobilization politicized tens of thousands of young people and
radicalized many of them. The very large protests after the assassination of
George Floyd, as well as the general attacks on the right against migrants, led
to a strong politicization, especially among the young people of these
communities, who also tended to radicalize on the left. .
Sadly, the Black Lives Matter movement quickly lost its momentum and power here.
It did, however, lead to the founding of many black self-organizing groups and
also strengthened the Migrantifa movement that emerged after the deadly attack on
Hanau in February 2020 by a far-right terrorist.
The traditionally very strong political center in Germany and only interested in
maintaining capitalist social peace is weakening. Confidence in established
parties has plummeted and hundreds of thousands of people are looking for
alternatives. They are scandalized and politicized by certain events that are
happening in our country and in the world. Unfortunately, we have the impression
that the radical left and the anarchist movement are not in a position to
influence and reach people.
Our proposals for an alternative to this system are still marginal. Die Plattform
is still too young and too small to have a lasting impact, although of course we
do what we can.
Anarchism as a theory and as a diverse social movement could develop in these
circumstances, where many people are in search, where there are many
uncertainties, where social discourse and class struggles begin to take hold.
momentum. Since neither the anarchist movement nor most approaches to the radical
left really succeed, the right has been able to gain ground massively and is in a
much better position.
We hope that this trend will not continue, especially in view of the current
crisis. There is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a further
precariousness of living conditions and a generalized global economic crisis is
coming. The struggles waged during this period and the reconstruction work
carried out will clearly show how the social balance of power is, how we, as an
organization, anarchism and the radical left in general, manage to cope with this
situation.
What are your relations with international libertarian organizations ?
Die Plattform: As platformism has so far played no role in the German-speaking
region, it was very important for us from the start to network with anarchist
organizations around the world who share our approach.
By exchanging with them, we were able to gain experience that helped us to
advance our own political work. This is especially true for the understanding of
specifism, which was largely unknown in the anarchist movement until the founding
of Die Plattform last year and about which there is little literature in the
German language. Since the beginning of this year, we have further intensified
our collaboration with various organizations in Latin America, Asia, Oceania,
Africa and Europe - including UCL - we have published several statements and
analyzes, for example at the 1 stMay and 8 th anniversary of the social
revolution of Rojava.
This international cooperation shapes and shapes our organization in a
sustainable way. It is fantastic to be able to learn and grow from the decades of
work and experience of so many allied organizations. We sincerely hope that after
the first steps this cooperation will become closer and closer and that we can
form a broad alliance of the anarchist movement.
Words collected and translated by the UCL international commission
Validate
[1] That is, inspired by the 1926 platform of Makhno and Archinov which affirms
the revolutionary nature of anarchism, the need for a structured organization and
the tactical and strategic unity of its members.
[2] Especifismo or specifism or specific political organization, is a libertarian
current that has appeared in Latin America which advocates the need for
libertarians to organize themselves politically and to be included in social
movements even if, moreover, they have chooses to organize a union.
[3] Die interventionnistische Linke (the Interventionist Left) and Ums Ganze !
(which literally means For Everything) are the two main organizations of the
German Autonomous Movement. They are also established more marginally in Austria.
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Die-Plattform-Allemagne-des-centaines-de-milliers-de-personnes-cherchent-des
------------------------------
Message: 4
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
In these circumstances, the military effort in Afghanistan quickly became an
occupation. All Afghan civilians were the enemy, unless they were known tools of
the occupiers. And so the fighting age males were deemed fair game. Imperialist
war cannot be waged justly, so the political decisions of John Howard, Kevin
Rudd, Julia Gillard and other Prime Ministers made the crimes of the soldiers on
the ground inevitable. The soldiers named in the secret version of the report
deserve to be in the dock, but so do their political masters. ---- Australian
troops in Afghanistan. Credit: LS Paul Berry via The Guardian ---- ar crimes ----
The Brereton report about allegations of war crimes against Afghan civilians by
Australian troops, mainly the Special Air Service Regiment, was met in November
with gasps of shock by the capitalist media and the appointment of a special
prosecutor to bring criminal charges. The prosecutor's appointment, however, was
also the signal for the issue to drop out of the media and normal service to
resume in the area of propaganda glorifying the military. When trials eventually
occur, it will be years after the report, when the military have fabricated a
story to exonerate the institution, whatever the fate of the individuals mentioned.
Australia's imperialist military and the governments that sent it to Afghanistan
shouldn't get away with it so easily. The 39 murders named in the report are only
the ones for which whistleblowers could be found. There are rumours of many more.
This is inherently plausible because of the nature of the practices the report
itself describes:
* Execution of prisoners was done as "blooding" new team members with their first
kill.
* Units carried "throwdown" weapons to plant on civilians they killed.
* All fighting age males found in combat zones, whether armed or not, were
considered Taliban.
These features indicate that the murders discussed in the report are just the tip
of the iceberg. The last point, indeed, is actual official US policy in waging
the "War on Terror", so the rotten apple defence rings particularly hollow.
Having admitted that many war crimes had been committed, the Brereton report goes
on to pin as much blame on sergeants and corporals as possible. Commissioned
officers were found to be "bewildered" by evidence of crimes, while exhibiting
"abandoned curiosity". These officers were not just incompetent or lazy. At best,
they were wilfully ignorant. More likely, they were complicit through verbal
arrangements about what they needed to know and what they didn't. There were
credible accusations of war crimes already, dating at least to 2009, so the
entire SAS command structure would have known whether their supervision was
sufficient to detect such events if they occurred.
Beneath all this, however, is the guilt of Australia's military high command and
the governments, both Coalition and Labor, that decided to send Australian troops
to Afghanistan and keep them there. Australia's Afghan War was never about
Afghanistan, but about the US alliance. It was about supporting a US-dominated
world order in which Australia has the South Pacific franchise. This requires
supporting US military action in Asia and contributing enough military forces to
be seen as a valuable ally deserving its own sphere of influence.
In these circumstances, the military effort in Afghanistan quickly became an
occupation. All Afghan civilians were the enemy, unless they were known tools of
the occupiers. And so the fighting age males were deemed fair game. Imperialist
war cannot be waged justly, so the political decisions of John Howard, Kevin
Rudd, Julia Gillard and other Prime Ministers made the crimes of the soldiers on
the ground inevitable. The soldiers named in the secret version of the report
deserve to be in the dock, but so do their political masters.
The Brereton report revealed what could no longer be concealed. But the cover-up,
both of further crimes and the guilty parties all the way from Lieutenants to
Prime Ministers, has begun. Our best response is to demand that Australia get out
of Afghanistan.
END AUSTRALIAN IMPERIALISM
*Article in the latest issue of "The Anvil", newsletter of Melbourne Anarchist
Communist Group (MACG).
It can be found on our blog at the following page:
https://melbacg.wordpress.com/the-anvil/
It can also be found directly at the following address:
https://melbacg.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/the-anvil-vol-9-no-6.pdf
https://www.anarkismo.net/article/32131
------------------------------
Message: 2
We acknowledge that the land that we have been meeting on, organising on, and
living on is stolen land. It belongs to the traditional custodians who never
ceded their sovereignty to the colonial forces of Britain who, with brutal force
and malicious cunning, invaded over 200 years ago. First Nations people have been
engaged in a war of resistance ever since, and settlers must acknowledge their
complicity in the structures of hierarchy which have facilitated their
domination, and strive to be genuine allies in this de-colonial resistance.
Colonialism is the product of the illegitimate hegemony of capitalism as
facilitated by the state, whose falsified national borders justify the racism and
oppression which continues to affect Indigenous people, refugees, and ethnic
minorities globally today. This is why de-colonial struggle does not exist in
isolation; it is at the heart of our resistance to capitalism, the state, and
interacts with all illegitimate hierarchies which foster oppression and
exploitation in these names.
We acknowledge the sovereignty of the Dharug, the Kuring-Gai, the Dharawal, the
Comma,
the Cammeraigal, the Borogegal, the Garigal, the Cadigal, the Wangal, the
Wllumattagal, the
Bidjigal, the Boorooberongal, the Cabrogal, and the Gweagal people, and any other
nations
on whose land we reside in the so-called Sydney region. We pay our respects to
elders past,
present, and emerging on each of these lands. We acknowledge that the ally-ship
of settlers in
our spaces will more often than not be inadequate and require a constant state of
re-learning,
however, we hope that we can put into practice the principles of de-colonisation
to the best
of our ability, and remain committed to the enactment of these principles.
INDEX
4
THE MEANS AND ENDS OF REVOLUTION:
ON ANARCHISM AND LENINISM
Toby Violet D'Mango
8
ON THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
Anonymous
17
COPS AND SCREWS OUTTA MARDI GRAS!
Pride in Protest
18
SEX WORK IS WORK! ANALYSING STIGMATISED LABOUR
UNDER CAPITALISM
Anonymous and Honey Christensen
22
NEITHER TRUMP NOR BIDEN, BUT WORKERS POWER
Evan Van Zijl
26
DIRECT ACTION
Anonymous
27
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ROOTED:
AN INTERVIEW WITH ANGRY WORKERS WORLD
Daniel al-Rachid
33
PRIMITIVE AND ONGOING ACCUMULATION
Percy Hill
37
IN CONVERSATION WITH BLACK ROSE/ROSA NEGRA
James Sherriff
39
FURTHER READINGS
41
IS IT ALREADY OVER?
Toby Violet D'Mango
SPECIAL THANKS
Cover Design - Jess D/@fartwitch
This bulletin was written, designed, and produced by the Sydney
Anarcho-Communists from
our weekly reading group. We are a libertarian socialist group formed along a
shared affinity for
the tendencies of anarchism: the organised struggle for a society coordinated on
the basis of
solidarity and without the interference of the state or capitalist bosses, and
communism: that
this society will be organised around each according to their ability and human
need rather
than profit and exploitation. This world will only be possible when working
people take the
reins of society from the state and the capitalists and run it for themselves.
Everyone interested in the ideas of anarcho-communism is warmly welcomed to
attend our
weekly reading group from 6pm-8pm at Monster Mouse Studios, 9 Gerald St Marrickville.
For updates on the reading groups, its readings and topics and general
information, request
to join our Melbourne/Sydney Facebook Group "Ancom Reading Group":
https://www.facebook.com/groups/838449613333624, our Facebook Page "Sydney
Anarcho-Communists":
https://www.facebook.com/Sydney-Anarcho-Communists-106535081162644 and our
Twitter "@sydneyancoms": https://twitter.com/sydneyancoms
May we always carry a new world in our hearts!
https://www.redblacknotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/SydneyAncom_Bulletin_3_Dec2020_DigitalEdition.pdf
------------------------------
Message: 3
Recently a libertarian class struggle organization has been active in Germany. We
spoke with our comrades from Die Plattform about their approach and the prospects
for the class struggle across the Rhine. ---- Libertarian alternative : Can you
present Die Plattform, your action in the social movement and your
establishments? ---- Die Plattform: We are an anarcho-communist organization on a
platformist basis [1]founded in 2019 which currently has five groups with a
presence in the industrial Ruhr area, in Berlin, in the Rostock region in the
north, near from the Baltic Sea, to Trier, near the Luxembourg border, and
finally with a "supraregional group", which brings together all the comrades from
the regions where we do not yet have the means to build a local group. A group is
also under construction in Leipzig. It should be noted that there is no platform
organizational tradition or one claiming to be especifismo [2]in Germany. We
therefore had to make an important effort to first define the organizational,
theoretical and strategic bases necessary for an effective participation in the
struggles of the workers.
Our members are currently active in the environmental movement, including the
school strike for climate justice Fridays for Future, in feminist struggles, in
the Black Lives Matter mobilizations and, to a lesser extent, in tenant
initiatives, unions and workers' struggles.
In January 2020, you wrote that you pledged for this year to define your own
organizational bases, and your objectives and strategies in social struggles.
Where are you at ?
Die Plattform: The foundations of this process are definitely laid. This is also
shown by the continuous practice that we have already developed in the cities
where we are established. We are starting our integration into social movements
but we are still at the beginning of a long-term learning and struggle process.
Many of our members have been socialized on the left scene for years. We had
never worked in an organization so structured, strategic and oriented towards
social movements. So many things have to grow and develop first.
Unlike sensationalist left campaign politics, the daily work of building and
participating in our class struggles cannot all the time be communicated
effectively in the public eye. Neither is the continued internal development of
the organization. But we are on the right track and we have taken some steps, so
that we can soon officially establish ourselves as a federation.
You want to draw the attention of the anarchist movement to action in social
struggles, what are the positive repercussions ? What is your establishment
within the unions ?
Die Plattform: We have touched and in part inspired many individuals and groups
in the anarchist movement. Whole groups that existed before have joined the
concept of platformism and are now trying to develop a practice in social
movements based on this concept. Other groups and individuals who, although they
continue to criticize platformism, are inspired by certain aspects of our
approach. With Die Plattform it became more normal in the movement to speak of
the class struggle and of the class society itself, which was rather frowned upon
for many years. This is not only of our doing, but we have certainly helped to
make people understand that we still live in a class society.
Our presence in the unions is weak. In large unions, we only have individual
members and no strategic integration. It is only in the anarcho-syndicalist Frei
Arbeiterinnenund Arbeiter Union (FAU) that we are active and many of our members
were activists of the FAU before joining us. So far we have focused on social
movements outside of trade union politics. In the current situation, we see more
potential for the development of a counter-power in this area. This balance is
also linked to the nature of our organization, as well as the nature of trade
unions in Germany.
The experience of the political strike and the general strike is little or not at
all widespread. The "social partnership" practiced by the large reformist unions
helps to mask and pacify class antagonisms by moderating the methods of
negotiation. The more offensive or more powerful modes of worker action are far
too little implemented. In this area of resistance against the attacks of our
class, we will have to clarify our position.
Nevertheless, we are of course involved and support trade union actions wherever
we can, such as the wildcat strike by agricultural workers in Bornheim near Bonn
or the wildcat construction strike in Regensburg. Here, we accompany, document,
analyze and share with the movement the experiences of workers' struggles, which
provide a perspective of the militant future.
What are your relations with Ums Ganze ! and Die interventionistische Linke (IL)
? [3]
Die Plattform: We are following the Interventionist Left (IL) project with
curiosity and see some similarities with our approach. Intervention and social
integration seem to us to be two different terms to designate related approaches.
What seems to be lacking in IL is a theoretical basis developed and shared by all
members and a viable analysis of the current situation. And the aspect that
probably sets us apart the most is our claim to build grassroots organizations.
In our opinion, IL's strategy is to influence political debates at certain times
and, in this way, to influence decisions.
This is reflected in the fact that they are increasingly focusing on campaigns
aimed at mobilizing large numbers of people for certain major political events
like the G20 summits or the various national elections in 2019. Due to this
orientation, IL seems to be placed in an instrumental relationship with
grassroots struggles and only considers them useful to the extent that they can
be transformed into broad conflicts with a strong media impact. It is therefore
less concerned with strengthening grassroots organizations of the oppressed, who
can fight for their long-term interests and needs. But that is precisely what is
important to create movements and organizations from below that are capable of
long-term action and self-defense - without a party or a state.
The Ums Ganze alliance ! (UG) has fewer similarities to our approach than IL. In
our eyes, the UG represents a rather loose supraregional association, composed
only of groups acting locally from the autonomous scene or from its vestiges.
Although groups, like IL, launch joint campaigns and mobilize together for
various events, unlike IL, they do not have a deeper political strategy to bring
about social change.
Much like the local IL structures, the groups working together at UG focus
heavily in their practice on the issue of alliances with other groups in the
radical left-to-left scene. It is precisely this focus on alliance work from
within the left that hinders the ability to reach out and organize large sections
of one's own class and the oppressed we want to leave behind.
Is the participation and / or the construction of a self-managed social center
also part of your strategy ?
Die Plattform: Yes, although currently it is more of a subordinate strategy. In
the medium and long term, however, we want to build appropriate centers to
provide a solid infrastructure for our organization and the struggles of our
class. However, we must not get bogged down in our current phase. We have limited
capacities and we cannot immediately implement everything we would like to do.
What is the image of anarchism in Germany and more precisely what contact do you
have with the population ?
Die Plattform: We would say that the public image of anarchism is still bad -
although it has improved a bit over the past few decades. It is not so much
because the population would have no sympathy for our ideas or because society is
so deeply reactionary that everything seems lost in advance. Rather, it is due to
the inability and reluctance of large sections of the anarchist movement itself
to engage in open and interested exchange with the population and to develop
their visibility. Worse still parts of the movement contribute to the negative
image of anarchism, like the various forms of individualism. Through our daily
work in our neighborhoods, through exchanges with people, through mutual aid,
through creative actions, in social movements, we see that our ideas are supported.
How do you see the evolution of German politics and what would be the role of
anarchism ?
Die Plattform: The evolution of the political situation is in part characterized
by a radicalization of the population, both in a positive and a negative sense.
Very strong right-wing movements have emerged in recent years, such as the
protests of the so-called coronavirus rebels against state measures, the
far-right formation European Patriots against the Islamization of the West
(Pegida) or marches in cities advocating right-wing self-defense. Fascist groups
and parties have so far failed to profit from it on a large scale and in a
sustainable manner.
However, the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) has gained
influence and scores high in elections in virtually all parliaments. Other
conspiratorial groups such as the Reich Citizens Movement (Reichsbürger) or those
opposed to vaccination are making themselves heard more and more, in particular
thanks to their activism on social networks.
The right is waging a cultural battle that makes our action among the popular
classes more and more difficult. There is also a vital threat with armed fascist
groups present in the German police and army which are actually preparing for a
civil war.
On the left, there is a rise in social movements. Fridays for Future is strong in
Germany. This mobilization politicized tens of thousands of young people and
radicalized many of them. The very large protests after the assassination of
George Floyd, as well as the general attacks on the right against migrants, led
to a strong politicization, especially among the young people of these
communities, who also tended to radicalize on the left. .
Sadly, the Black Lives Matter movement quickly lost its momentum and power here.
It did, however, lead to the founding of many black self-organizing groups and
also strengthened the Migrantifa movement that emerged after the deadly attack on
Hanau in February 2020 by a far-right terrorist.
The traditionally very strong political center in Germany and only interested in
maintaining capitalist social peace is weakening. Confidence in established
parties has plummeted and hundreds of thousands of people are looking for
alternatives. They are scandalized and politicized by certain events that are
happening in our country and in the world. Unfortunately, we have the impression
that the radical left and the anarchist movement are not in a position to
influence and reach people.
Our proposals for an alternative to this system are still marginal. Die Plattform
is still too young and too small to have a lasting impact, although of course we
do what we can.
Anarchism as a theory and as a diverse social movement could develop in these
circumstances, where many people are in search, where there are many
uncertainties, where social discourse and class struggles begin to take hold.
momentum. Since neither the anarchist movement nor most approaches to the radical
left really succeed, the right has been able to gain ground massively and is in a
much better position.
We hope that this trend will not continue, especially in view of the current
crisis. There is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a further
precariousness of living conditions and a generalized global economic crisis is
coming. The struggles waged during this period and the reconstruction work
carried out will clearly show how the social balance of power is, how we, as an
organization, anarchism and the radical left in general, manage to cope with this
situation.
What are your relations with international libertarian organizations ?
Die Plattform: As platformism has so far played no role in the German-speaking
region, it was very important for us from the start to network with anarchist
organizations around the world who share our approach.
By exchanging with them, we were able to gain experience that helped us to
advance our own political work. This is especially true for the understanding of
specifism, which was largely unknown in the anarchist movement until the founding
of Die Plattform last year and about which there is little literature in the
German language. Since the beginning of this year, we have further intensified
our collaboration with various organizations in Latin America, Asia, Oceania,
Africa and Europe - including UCL - we have published several statements and
analyzes, for example at the 1 stMay and 8 th anniversary of the social
revolution of Rojava.
This international cooperation shapes and shapes our organization in a
sustainable way. It is fantastic to be able to learn and grow from the decades of
work and experience of so many allied organizations. We sincerely hope that after
the first steps this cooperation will become closer and closer and that we can
form a broad alliance of the anarchist movement.
Words collected and translated by the UCL international commission
Validate
[1] That is, inspired by the 1926 platform of Makhno and Archinov which affirms
the revolutionary nature of anarchism, the need for a structured organization and
the tactical and strategic unity of its members.
[2] Especifismo or specifism or specific political organization, is a libertarian
current that has appeared in Latin America which advocates the need for
libertarians to organize themselves politically and to be included in social
movements even if, moreover, they have chooses to organize a union.
[3] Die interventionnistische Linke (the Interventionist Left) and Ums Ganze !
(which literally means For Everything) are the two main organizations of the
German Autonomous Movement. They are also established more marginally in Austria.
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Die-Plattform-Allemagne-des-centaines-de-milliers-de-personnes-cherchent-des
------------------------------
Message: 4
youtube.com/watch?v=nQmYlEjnYq4 Dear comrades, ---- behind us 2020 - one of the
most intense years in the history of Belarussian society and the anarchist
movement. Solidarity became the main weapon in the struggle not only against the
dictatorship, but also against the coronavirus. It was by collective efforts that
we were able to overcome the first wave of the epidemic. ---- After the spring
bankruptcy of the Belarusan dictatorship, we rebelled. We revolted not only
against Lukashenko, but against everything he symbolized - authoritarianism,
false stability, hypocrisy and indifference! We rebelled for freedom! ---- For
the past 6 months, our society has been experiencing one of the most brutal
repressions in the country's history. There is no point in naming the numbers of
the repressed - they have become so large that it is already difficult for us to
comprehend them with our minds. Instead of numbers, we recall the names of those
murdered who will remain in our hearts forever:
Alexander Taraiskovsky
Alexander Vihor
Nikita Krivtsov
Artyom Parukov
Gennadiy Shutov
Konstantin Shishmakov
Denis Kuznetsov
Roman Bondarenko
But through thorns we rush to the stars! Despite repression, our resistance
continues. We take to the streets by the thousands every week. We continue to
organize in our workplaces and neighborhood initiatives. The train of
self-organization is unstoppable. We have tasted freedom!
If you had asked us a year ago what awaits us in 2020, we couldn't have imagined
that we would collectively wake up from our long sleep, rise from our knees and
fight shoulder to shoulder for a future without dictatorship!
We do not know what awaits us in 2021. But we do know that we are going into this
year together, and we have never felt such a sense of solidarity! We believe that
together we can free our world from the lies, violence and lawlessness of
Lukashenko and his friends.
But dear friends, we remain anarchists and we wish that in 2021, we will not
strive for a new strong leader who will be able to lead us into a "bright"
future. We want to achieve more and become an independent society that needs
freedom instead of a strong leader!
And we call for the fight to continue in 2021 from the first minutes of the new
year! Take to the streets and greet the new year not with family or a couple of
friends. Our family is all of us: neighbors, friends, acquaintances and
relatives. We are all in this fight together! That's why on New Year's Eve we
will march to the central Christmas trees and do our best to meet this new year
in struggle!
See you on the streets of revolutionary Belarus!
Your anarchists from Pramen!
For freedom, equality and solidarity!
https://pramen.io/en/2020/12/new-year-statement-from-anarchist-collective-pramen-from-belarus/
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Message: 5
Report on the action of solidarity with people preventing the destruction of the
rare ecosystem and against police arbitrariness ---- Prague group Anarchist
Federation (AF) as a co-organizer involved in the protest demonstration e front
of the German embassy, which is located in Walnut street, which was attended by
about thirty people with a banner "Les instead of asphalt" to express their
solidarity with activists and activists who for more than they occupied the
300-year-old Dannenrod Forest for a year. The event took place on Wednesday,
December 9, shortly after the second afternoon. Although this early time provided
enough light on an otherwise frosty day, those who spent their time at work could
not participate. Other co-organizers were the groups Limits We Are, Socialist
Solidarity, Universities for Climate and Extinction Rebellion Czech Republic (XR).
Due to the early end of working hours at the embassy, an open protest letter was
first handed over there. The event itself then began with an introductory word,
when it was mentioned that the day before this demonstration, the last occupied
tree fell, which stood on a marked section of the planned junction of the A49
motorway. But the fight against the highway continues. It is now necessary to get
the detained activist detained and not leave the police violence that the felling
allowed unnoticed, which was the purpose of this action.
The first speech was given by a representative of the Limits We Are initiative.
He spoke of protected species in a hitherto healthy beech forest, the dangers of
underground drinking water and the nonsense of a highway project that dates back
to the early 1980s. Even then, he encountered resistance from the local people.
He reminded that the Greens were also involved in the whole matter in the Hessen
government. He described the emergence of the occupation against capitalist
destruction and his own experience with building protest infrastructure.
After the chanting of "Dani bleibt", a greeting was given from Czech participants
directly from the Dannenrod Forest, in which police violence was described and
false accusations were mentioned. They talked about people's anger at the state,
the police and a system that does not look at nature and human lives. They ended
their entry with the words "Solidarity lives, the fight continues!"
In his speech , the AF representative described the violence perpetrated by the
police, such as thrashing, cutting security ropes, felling endangering those
present, sadistic abuse of detainees, use of tasers on people at heights, use of
water cannons in freezing weather and uncovered contempt for human lives. He did
not hesitate to remind that police violence is a general method used against
climate activists, as we can know, for example, from Czech climate camps. He
said: "If anyone thinks that the police are an ombudsman for ours, to whom he
should even be thanked at the protests, they should sober up quickly."
Finally, a representative of the Socialist Solidarity spoke, using the example of
the Dannenrod Forest to illustrate a capitalist practice that has nothing to do
with sustainability. Finally, there was a moment of chanting, after which the
protesters dispersed.
Although the event was not the most numerous, it is important that there has been
a condemnation of the police violence, which goes hand in hand with the interests
of industrial lobbies, for which a climate is completely stolen. It is necessary
to praise good sound. And a new issue of the anarchist magazine Existence , which
is dedicated to the climate movement of which the occupation of the Dannenrod
Forest is a part, was also available on the spot .
https://www.afed.cz/text/7273/demonstrace-na-podporu-okupace-dannenrodskeho-lesa
------------------------------
Message: 6
1- Throughout the territory dominated by the State of Chile the social revolt
continues. Mass levels have dropped in the central calls, but from neighborhoods
and peripheral populations, self-defense continues to be exercised and community
organization is strengthened. No matter how much the ruling class wants to
install the discourse of overcoming the conflict, no matter how much its
institutionalization agenda advances, the struggling territories continue to
create popular organization and through direct action we walk the difficult path
of building power revolutionary self-managing. The State wants to establish an
image of defeat, an image that intends to consider the social breakdown over,
denying the class struggle and its antagonisms, however, the current reality only
clarifies the conflict, An example of this active force of protest was the day
for the liberation of political prisoners, where the most diverse actions took
place for the unconditional amnesty of those who are now locked up by the State.
Throughout all this territory, as well as the world, gestures of solidarity were
made for those who today experience State terrorism in their own flesh.
2- On October 25, democracy triumphed, said pasquins and politicians of all
colors, trying to position this date as the relevant one for the future of
society, and not October 18, a date that has been demonized by the self-defense
developed from of that day, when the peoples in struggle put the neoliberal order
in check, which had to be defended at the point of bullets and political
agreements between roosters and midnight.
From the plebiscite and its results, what was known beforehand is confirmed:
there is a gigantic will for change within our class, but many have interpreted
this as a victory for the popular project, and no, the popular project is still
in progress. construction, therefore that day only confirms the need for
transformations, but not adherence to a class project, otherwise non-existent.
This situation has led many organizations to enter the institutional process
traced between the parties of order. Constituent candidacies emerge and multiply,
under the discourse that the street is not abandoned and how important this
process is for our territories. In the first place, determining whether or not to
leave the street is an unproductive and arrogant exercise, especially when those
candidacies have not yet been able to sit down with the bourgeoisie to build the
new social pact that will pretend to govern us, that is, when they have to
negotiate with the parties. of order and put mobilization as a bargaining chip,
when they offer stability and governance capacity through the inhibition of
protest, we will be able to see whether the street was abandoned or not, and
there the peoples in struggle will be the ones to make this necessary balance.
Second, the restitution process, as we have called it in previous documents, has
a certain degree of importance, insofar as it has functioned as an exercise in
the politicization of our class, around the discussion about the different
positions on the ways that exist to live. otherwise, but up to there. No process
that arises with a dominant bourgeoisie, with its own strength and means in
optimal conditions, will suppose a space for advancement for the communities in
struggle. From our village we see how we have thousands of political prisoners,
how repressive laws are proposed and passed in an abundant way, which are going
to directly hit our class, we also see how our organizations are still in a
strengthening phase, entering a process of construction of an emancipatory
project. We cannot negotiate the primordial issues of the class struggle with the
bourgeoisie, a constitution is never a blank page, part of the moral, economic,
social and political assumptions of our times, and these are the times of
capitalism and patriarchy. For this reason, looking for shortcuts in the
political-legal sphere to reverse that situation is to neglect the essential task
that we have: the construction of organized communities in struggle that acquire
high organizational levels that allow to give materiality to the revolutionary
self-managed power, which is nothing more than that capacity that we will have as
a class to defeat the bourgeoisie and throw their world overboard. social and
political of our times, and these are the times of capitalism and patriarchy. For
this reason, looking for shortcuts in the political-legal sphere to reverse that
situation is to neglect the essential task that we have: the construction of
organized communities in struggle that acquire high organizational levels that
allow to give materiality to the revolutionary self-managed power, which is
nothing more than that capacity that we will have as a class to defeat the
bourgeoisie and throw their world overboard. social and political of our times,
and these are the times of capitalism and patriarchy. For this reason, looking
for shortcuts in the political-legal sphere to reverse that situation is to
neglect the essential task that we have: the construction of organized
communities in struggle that acquire high organizational levels that allow to
give materiality to the revolutionary self-managed power, which is nothing more
than that capacity that we will have as a class to defeat the bourgeoisie and
throw their world overboard.
3- We cannot forget the serious situation our peoples are experiencing due to the
effects of the pandemic. The neoliberal discourse has triumphed, and together
with the precariousness of working conditions, the brutal repression of street
workers, and the over-indebtedness of which many have had to lay hands to try to
survive, the logic of "saving themselves alone" has been raised. , especially
from the retirement plans of the pension funds, which have undoubtedly alleviated
the serious economic situation of our homes, but all this from the logic that
makes our lives even more precarious, and where workers and the territories have
been the ones who have had to carry the "economic reactivation" on their
shoulders, with the expansion of extractivist projects and the crisis of care.
On the other hand, the pandemic has not ceased, and we return to worrying rates
of contagion, and to the same confinement plans based on maintaining the profit
rates of the bourgeoisie, where during the week we have free movement to go
crammed into the city. bus and subway to our jobs, but on the weekend, we must be
locked up, unable to enjoy our free time. Everything is prohibited, except work.
The curfew has also been tightened, which has no reason to exist, and which keeps
our people afraid and the drug traffickers very happy with their new businesses,
now not only with the pacos and the PDI, but now also with the soldiers, who
supply them with weapons of war.
4- Patriarchal violence reveals the contradictions between life and death
represented by the system of domination. Femicides have become a bitter constant
in our populations and neighborhoods, which is why the need to build a new policy
becomes clear, which will de-patriarchalize our organizational spaces as well as
ourselves as individuals. We have the need to make feminist self-defense more
complex and a new ethic of care, weaving safe spaces for children, women,
lesbians and other non-binary corporations, who directly suffer patriarchal
horror and violence, we know that the State protects these logics, for This is
why we do not see in their institutions a concrete solution to this complex problem,
5- Finally, we make a call to avoid the siren songs, there are no recipes for
emancipation but there are no shortcuts. In our opinion, we will continue to
support the strengthening of popular organizations, for the construction of
communities of struggle, that will weave a class project based on direct action
that goes from the vindictive to the emancipatory. The social revolt continues,
therefore we must be agile and audacious, the times of struggle of the oppressed
class cannot be governed by the times of institutionality, we do not have to wait
for any election to begin to build our emancipation.
FREEDOM TO LXS PRESXS DE LA REVUELTA AND MAPUCHE
TO ROOT THE ANARCHISM
NO SHORTCUTS FOR EMANCIPATION
TO BUILD COMMUNITIES OF STRUGGLE
TO STRENGTHEN THE POPULAR ORGANIZATION
#anarchism
#libertadalxspresxspoliticxsmapuche
# LibertadALxsPresxsPolíticxs
#shopping
#anarchismorganized
#covid_19
https://www.facebook.com/fasanarquista/posts/728917877748880
------------------------------
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