Anarchic update news all over the world - 1 January 2017

Today's Topics:

   
1.  AGAINST THE ASSAD REGIME'S CONQUEST OF EASTERN 
      ALEPPO -- The
      Rojava-Syria Solidarity Committee of Black Rose/Rosa Negra
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
2.  France, Alternative Libertaire AL Decembre - Migrants and
      migrants: Ferns open and inclusive (fr, it, pt) [machine
      translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
3.  Britain, class war: Harrods staff demand full payment of
      tips (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
4.  Greece, Athens: Manifestation against the "sub-minimum wage"
      (ca, gr) [machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)


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Message: 1




We members of the Black Rose/Rosa Negra Rojava-Syria Solidarity Committee (BRRN-RSSC) in 
the strongest terms condemn the Bashar al-Assad regime and its Russian and Iranian allies 
for their recent conquest of Eastern Aleppo. This brutal defeat of the Aleppo rebels, who 
were both secular and Islamist, has entailed massively indiscriminate bombardment and 
besiegement by the Syrian regime and allied Russian and Iranian forces against a civilian 
population numbering 250,000 people over the past several months.  On December 12, 2016, 
this ruthless "scorched-Earth" policy targeting Eastern Aleppo yielded a final defeat of 
the rebels there, in addition to an "agreement" supposedly stipulating their evacuation 
with families to secure areas.  Credible reports nonetheless warn that, in numerous cases, 
Assad's victorious forces and their allies have not observed these publicized truces since 
their capture of the remainder of the city: they are accused of forcibly disappearing 
hundreds of men and boys since taking over the remaining sections of former rebel presence 
within the millennia-old citadel.  The defeat of those defending what was formerly known 
as "Free Aleppo" was prosecuted by the cruelest of methods, involving wanton destruction 
of human lives, especially those of children, by regime and Russian mass-aerial 
bombardment and artillery strikes of the rebel-held districts.  The extensive atrocities 
of which the Syrian military and paramilitary forces stand accused of having committed in 
Eastern Aleppo are one with the Assad regime's general modus operandi of despotic terror, 
which has led to an estimated 60,000 forcible disappearances since the beginning of the 
Syrian Revolution in March 2011.

The RSSC clearly acknowledges that the Syrian Revolution exists and continues, even amidst 
the loss of Aleppo to regime forces.  The devastating fall of Aleppo and the enormous 
human suffering this has entailed represent tragedies of immense proportions which cannot 
be overlooked by revolutionaries or humanity in general. This "victory" for the Assad 
regime and its crimes against humanity also anticipate generally negative outcomes for the 
Syrian Revolution. With the State's recent capture of Aleppo and of Daraya four months 
ago, Assad has few major Syrian cities that remain beyond his dictatorial reach.  Save for 
Rojava and the territory still held by the Islamic State, only Idlib and smaller cities 
remain under rebel control. From pillaged spaces, the destruction of base needs, and a 
resurgence of rare diseases to disappearances, mass executions, being buried under 
collapsing buildings, and having only one hospital functioning in a city of nearly 2 
million, it's only reasonable that people escape war, or fight in it. Regarding armed 
struggle, we wish to clarify that the much-maligned far-right Jabhat Fatah al-Sham 
(formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, or JAN) remained a distinct minority within the rebel forces of 
Eastern Aleppo, and that it had in fact been expelled from the district by the organized 
revolutionaries for nearly a year until last summer, when it regrouped to assist with 
breaking the siege maintained by Assad and his allies, leading to the final outcome we now 
observe.  In parallel, the Eastern Aleppo rebels expelled Islamic State forces from the 
area as early as 2014.  Under the circumstances created by authoritarian leaders like 
Assad and imperialistic states such as the United States and Russia, we must support 
refugees at all costs, and in as many ways as we can.  We expect that Assad and his 
Russian and Iranian military allies will now repeat the terror waged against the civilian 
population of Eastern Aleppo by turning to similarly bombard the remaining Sunni-majority 
cities and people into submission and carrying out forcible disappearances and summary 
executions en masse.

In reflecting on the fall of Aleppo, we must be critical of the role the Kurdish 
Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its world-renowned militias, the YPG and YPJ, played in 
this process. While the international anti-authoritarian left has rightly hailed the 
Rojava Revolution (2012-present) as an emancipatory development reminiscent of the Spanish 
Revolution of 1936-1939, less attention has been focused to date on the relationship 
between Rojava and the regime.  The truth is that the undeniable gains made in the Rojava 
Revolution were made possible by Assad's withdrawal of forces from the northeastern region 
of Syria in 2012-unfortunately, the very opposite of the situation for the Syrian 
Revolution, with movements from the Sunni Arab-majority regions of the country arrayed 
against Assad bearing massive losses during these same years.  Indeed, some critical 
commentators have charged the PYD with either remaining "neutral" toward or even openly 
siding with the regime since 2012.  In terms of Aleppo, the PYD's militias are accused of 
having conspired with Assad and his various reactionary international allies in 
dismantling the Aleppene council system and bringing the city district back under State 
control.  We wish to investigate these claims about the actions of the PYD's militias in 
Aleppo further, expressing our concern, and we declare our support-apart from some of 
PYD's military aspects-for the TEV-DEM movement struggling to implement democratic 
confederalism through the construction of popular power based on communes and councils in 
the region, as well as the specifically feminist elements of the Rojava Revolution.

Amidst this negative turn of events following the fall of Aleppo-the very silencing of the 
Arab Revolutions, perhaps, at least for now-we recognize the dignity of the resistance of 
the Syrian civil defense to the atrocities of Assad, Russia, Iran, and their allied 
militias.  We declare our support for the Syrian Revolution that lives on in the remaining 
Local Coordinating Committees (LCCs) and parallel self-organizational efforts, as in the 
martyrdom of those taken since the onset of the Revolution and its development into a 
global/regional civil war.  We denounce the terrible disregard for human life demonstrated 
by the counter-revolutionary State and international military forces in Aleppo and 
throughout much of Syria.  We demand an immediate cessation of arms sales and transfers to 
the Assad regime and a withdrawal of the Russian and Iranian militaries and the Shi'ite 
militias from Iraq, Lebanon, and Afghanistan that are propping up a tottering 
dictatorship, in addition to a suspension of US/NATO support for the Kurdish militias and 
the financing and arming of right-wing Islamist rebels by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and 
other reactionary Gulf kingdoms. We believe that only by clearing the field in Syria of 
all imperialist interventions will progress toward justice and liberation be achieved, as 
these imperialist forces will inevitably only cause a degradation of liberatory 
strategies, and will surmount to a furthering of proxy warfare. We further support the 
immediate investigation and prosecution of Assad and his allies for their violations of 
international and natural law.  We encourage our comrades and readers everywhere to 
organize in favor of Syrian refugees and the threatened Revolution, against foreign 
intervention and militarism in Syria as well as Assad's resurgent fascism.

Al-sha'ab yourid isqat al-nizam!  "The People want the fall of the regime!"

- The Rojava-Syria Solidarity Committee of Black Rose/Rosa Negra

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Message: 2



Since October 25, a reception and guidance center (CAD) opened Beaucé, in the community of 
common Ferns (20 and 000 inhabitants), to accommodate 140 réfugié.es following the 
dismantling of the jungle Calais. ---- Following the announcement of a CAD in Fougeres 
(Ille-et-Vilaine), the extreme right, as usual, tried to go up against precarious each 
other. The Regional laying FN - resident in Fougeres - wanted to organize an event to 
mobilize its supporters against migrants and migrant. ---- Many false leaflets (on the 
flight work by asylum seekers - even though they and they can not work - on possible 
attacks on public money spent ...) were broadcast. The presence of the extreme right in 
the markets and in public spaces has created significant tension with residents and 
inhabitants, even as the FN claims to have a speech to appeasement.

In response, many political organizations, associations, original residents have 
organisé.es to fight against this speech. Thus, in parallel antimigrants rally organized 
by the extreme right, which brought together about 100 people from all over Britain, 750 
people gathered shouting "Fougeres, Fougeres, open and united" to show support for future 
residents of CAD.

social ties against rejection

The far right had bet on potential spillovers to validate his speech. Other cities hosting 
for several months CAD testify if some residents and some inhabitants may be receptive and 
responsive to the speech of the far right, the experience has not validated their hopes.

This is to accommodate the best male and female migrants and bring the best possible 
reception, a group of residents and inhabitants has created Fougeres Solidaires. This 
class is complementary charities designated to accompany the reception, to propose actions 
and activities to réfugié.es and Fougerais and Fougeraises (city tours, cafes, board 
games, collecting clothes, repair bikes ...).

This group has existed since mid-October, has been opened to residents of CAD and some 
participating. Beyond solidarity that contributes to exist, the collective can create 
social ties between inhabitants and the inhabitants themselves and with residents and 
resident.

In this pre-election period many political parties are trying to make their butter by 
appropriating such popular initiatives. The proposed democratic framework for the 
collective can fight against this recovery. This framework also enables participants and 
residents of the CAD to experiment with direct democracy and self-management, as well as 
exchanging collectively on the relevance of the actions and positions of the group. 
Indeed, certain forms of aid can be infantilizing and embarrass residents and residents. A 
collective framework allows for reflection.

The opening of the CAO had consequences far beyond the strict welcome and collective 
responses are encouraging.

Céline (AL Ferns)

http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Migrantes-et-migrants-Fougeres

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Message: 3



Harrods faces strikes and protests over ‘unfair' tips policy ---- from Politics.co.uk, 23 
December 2016: Harrods is facing demonstrations and possible strike action by staff over 
its tips policy, Politics.co.uk can reveal. ---- Workers at the high-end department 
store's restaurants are involved in a dispute with bosses over the amount the company 
deducts from the service charge. ---- The United Voices of the World Union (UVW), which 
represents a number of the workers, says that Harrods takes an unspecified percentage of 
the tips left for waiters and staff by customers. ---- Staff say they have been left in 
the dark over the amount being deducted from the service charge because they do not 
receive a full breakdown of what they receive. They have complained to management over 
Harrods' refusal to confirm in writing the percentage they take...

Full article here

More info as it comes!

http://www.classwarparty.org.uk/harrods-waiters-demand-full-payment-tips/

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Message: 4



Informative text of several student groups on a demonstration against the "sub - minimum" 
wage, on December 17 in the center of Athens. ---- Following an initiative of autonomous 
student groups at the Polytechnic School of Athens, and libertarian groups in Athens on 
Saturday 17 December 2016 at noon a demonstration was held against the salary "sub - 
minimum" and in general against the undervaluation of our work. The appeal was made by the 
Cook Association, the Peristeri People's Assembly, the Kipseli-Patission Resistance and 
Solidarity Assembly, the Syntagma Square Workers and Unemployment Assembly, the Rocinante 
Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative, the Union of Trade Unions Libertarian, the Assembly of 
anarchists for social and class emancipation, as well as fellow workers and associations, 
neighborhood assemblies and squatters, and political communities.

More than 150 students, colleagues and colleagues marched in various downtown streets of 
the commercial and tourist center of Athens, finishing, even temporarily, with the 
"festive" atmosphere, with which the state, mayors and bosses try to hide the Wages of 
hunger, work without social security, unpaid overtime, work on Sunday, and intensification 
of excessive work prevailing in this period.

During the demonstration, leaflets were distributed to workers and consumers, and flyers 
were thrown at the "sub-minimum wage", the new anti-worker bill being prepared, as well as 
the diachronic undervaluation of our work. Stops were made at the bookstore Ianos on the 
street Eolu, highlighting the repression and exploitation of workers in this 
company-dungeon in recent years, Everest in Monastiraki, for the murders of workers by the 
management of the company. At Everest production stopped, and members of the Association 
of waiters and cooks distributed leaflets and engaged in conversation with the companions 
of this company.

Then the march went to the offices of the Greek Confederation of Commerce and 
Entrepreneurship, which has contributed during the last years to the undervaluation of our 
work, to work without social security, and to the imposition of work on Sunday in the 
Sector of commerce. When slogans were painted on the door of the building, the timbers of 
the so-called anti-riot forces, as real protectors of the patrons, came to protect this 
association from the employers. The march arrived at the subway station of Monastiraki, 
where slogans were shouted in favor of free access to the mass media.

It is necessary to continue our struggle against the diachronic undervaluation of our 
work, as well as against the new anti-worker law proposal being prepared by the State and 
Capital. We must continue in a more organized, more massive, more combative and more 
dangerous way!

Autonomous Group of Electrical Engineers, Autonomous Group of Surveyors, Libertarian Group 
of the Piraeus Technical School, Libertarian Group of Jarokopios, Companions

NdT The motto of the poster of one of the photos: "Abolition of all subliminal wages. To 
block the proposed anti-worker law. " The graffiti on the window of the bookstore Ianós: 
"Riot forces, bullies and aggressions: This is the culture of Ianós". The graffiti on the 
wall: "40 hours for 400 euros? Slap and kick all the bosses. "

http://verba-volant.info/es/atenas-manifestacion-contra-el-salario-subminimo/

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