(en) Anarkismo.net: Syria: Interview with an Aleppo anarchist by Brandon Gray

The uprising in Syria against the totalitarian dictatorship of Bashar al Assad is now in 
its fourth year. What began in March 2011 in the southern city of Daraa with schoolboys 
spraypainting the slogan from Egypt, ?The People Demand the Fall of the Regime,? soon 
became mass protests of all sects that spread across the country as brutal repression met 
tenacious resolve. Soldiers who disobeyed orders to open fire on protesters mutinied and 
formed the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to protect protesters from repression. Regular mass 
protests and popular councils sustained a vibrant rebellion. But at the time of writing, 
ISIS and the Assad regime are winning a war that has cost over 160,000 lives and destroyed 
huge swathes of the country, displacing millions. After communicating for almost two years 
via skype and facebook I finally had a chance to meet Anarch, a comrade from Syria with 
whom I had been exchanging messages for so long. He is from the neighbourhood of Bustan al 
Basha in Aleppo. This is our interview.


Interview with an Aleppo anarchist


The uprising in Syria against the totalitarian dictatorship of Bashar al Assad is now in 
its fourth year. What began in March 2011 in the southern city of Daraa with schoolboys 
spraypainting the slogan from Egypt, ?The People Demand the Fall of the Regime,? soon 
became mass protests of all sects that spread across the country as brutal repression met 
tenacious resolve. Soldiers who disobeyed orders to open fire on protesters mutinied and 
formed the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to protect protesters from repression. Regular mass 
protests and popular councils sustained a vibrant rebellion.

Regional Sunni monarchies emboldened reactionary local elements who attempted to imbue the 
rebellion with a sectarian edge while the Assad regime's torture system claimed thousands 
of activists. Sunni fundamentalists were released from Assad's prisons and joined with 
their Iraqi brethren to form the ultra-reactionary brigades of the Islamic State of Iraq 
and Syria (ISIS or 'Daash' in local parlance). Al Qaeda has rejected them as too 
extremist, preferring instead to back their official affiliate, Jabhat al Nusra. ISIS has 
rarely attacked regime targets, preferring instead to tear apart the rebellion's militias 
from the rear and thus were almost entirely spared aerial bombardment by government 
forces. Such a privilege was never granted to civilians in liberated districts.

The decentralized and disorganized FSA took on a reputation for corruption with some of 
their ill-provisioned fighters standing accused of looting and other abuses. The 
relentless bombing of civilians and the might of a fully equipped modern military backed 
by the Russia-Iran-China imperialist bloc took its toll. Homs, a major rebellion city, was 
laid siege to and starved out. Likewise with the suburbs of the capital, Damascus. Aleppo, 
the commercial heart of the country, has been the site of intense conflict and 
deprevations for two years now. This year the FSA and the Islamic Front coalition made a 
punishing drive to kick out ISIS after a brave activist campaign targeted the group as 
counter-revolutionaries.

At the time of this writing, ISIS and the Assad regime are winning a war that has cost 
over 160,000 lives and destroyed huge swathes of the country, displacing millions.

After communicating for almost two years via skype and facebook I finally had a chance to 
meet Anarch, a comrade from Syria with whom I had been exchanging messages for so long. He 
is from the neighbourhood of Bustan al Basha in Aleppo.



Destruction caused by the regime in the Bustan al-Basha neighbourhood of Aleppo
B: When the protests started in Daraa, what did you think when you heard something was 
happening?

A: Well before the protests started in Daraa, we were forming groups to protest in Syria 
but let me say that after the Egyptian revolution and the Tunisian revolution the Syrian 
security forces took the street all the time. So when the revolution started in Daraa, we 
had security forces everywhere. The only thing that came to my mind was that we should do 
like them, we should take the streets, occupy Aleppo but it didn't happen because my first 
time in the street in Aleppo I was kind of arrested just because we were a group of four 
going to the biggest square in Aleppo. So they took us, then interrogated us in the 
street; ?What are you doing here? Why are you here? Are you going to protest against 
Assad?? and we said ?No, we are here to eat falafel.? (laughs) After all, it started. When 
we saw the photos of the protesters in Daraa we all knew that it will continue, it won't 
stop because the ferocious acts of the Syrian regime forces against the protesters was 
like a notation to us that it won't stop there. It won't stop in Daraa.

Nobody would ever imagine this would happen. but you know after all, I can't say that the 
people are wrong right now. After all when you are against a dictator of four decades who 
is using heavy machinery (weapons) against unarmed civilians, I can't blame the people 
that took up arms, took the streets in the name of freedom. Right now it's not much 
freedom but I can't blame them.

You were pretty young when it started, how old were you?

I am 22 now so I was 19.

What was it like being a teenager before the revolution under the dictatorship? When did 
you first start to think politically, or disagree with the regime or be against it?

My family was against the regime so I grew up against the regime but let me say that the 
first combat against the regime was when I was 17. We had a theatrical play in the college 
but it passed through the ruling party. They deleted as many scenes as they wanted. That 
was the first battle and they won that time.

You know in Syria when you are 18 you should go to the army--you have to go to the army. 
So walking on the streets when you are 18 and are not in the army, is dangerous for you. I 
was nearly arrested two times just for this and I said that I'm a college student, I can't 
go inside the army when I'm studying in college. They said ?show us your card that proves 
you are in college? and I didn't have it so they took me to be detained and I stayed there 
for like 12 hours then took me out because they became convinced that I was in college. So 
you can see the dictatorship every day from your childhood until you are a grown-ass man.

When you are a child in the school, every child, every class, has a picture of Hafez al 
Assad [Bashar's father] telling you that Big Brother is watching you in every act you are 
doing. So after all, you are human, when you see this staring at you, you know there is 
somebody watching you. You are under pressure all the time. That's when I started to do 
acts against the regime for the revolution. It wasn't that much but you know, I was a 
teenager.

Did you expect the repression, the killing, that they would crush it however they could?

Yes. I hadn't witnessed 1982 but my family has witnessed it. In 1982 Hama was destroyed so 
as Aleppo [now] just because there was people who demanded their rights. They said just 
like now, Hafez al Assad said they are terrorists, they are Islamists, let's burn the city 
and he burnt it. So we had in that time 200,000 people die in Hama just because they 
demanded their rights.

And other things like music was banned in Syria. You can't be a metalhead, you can't be a 
rapper, you can't be anything because the Big Brother doesn't want you to be. So when they 
ban music you should expect that kind of repression. When you are banning music by taking 
the guys 3 or 4 months in detainment just for playing music then if those guys ask you 
[the regime] to leave, you can kill them of course. That's why I expected it.

So when the protests did start in Aleppo, you were arrested. Were they big protests?

It wasn't as big as Tahrir Square but it was big. We were in college. In college you have 
a second part of the college, you have the dormitory and there were like 40,000 people 
there. All of them were against the regime. So every day and every night the riot police 
have a party inside the college. Many have been shot inside the college. Many murders 
happen there, stabbings, tear gas. Of course any kind of repression that you saw in any 
part of Syria, in Daraa, in Eastern Ghouta?anywhere in Syria?you can see in the college of 
Aleppo because when the protesters first took the street in Aleppo it wasn't that huge. It 
was small groups there and there and there, but the college group was the biggest because, 
I don't know, they are 'educated' (laughs)?they know what kind of repression happens in 
Syria. So when we were protesting we were 2,000 people for like ten minutes maximum 
because after ten minutes there comes the 4,000 riot police and Shabiha [regime thugs] and 
the Shabiha don't know any law. We were like 100 people arrested from this protest alone. 
So Aleppo college has a huge number of prisoners up to this day but I didn't last long in 
the prison, I didn't write my name on the walls and that kind of thing.

You were released faster?

Yes, 3 days.

And others with you were not as lucky?

Yes, they were not as lucky as I was. I know that one of them even now he is in prison, 
like right now he's got more than a year and a half still detained, and detained is so 
much worse than prison. When they take us from the detainment center to the prison you can 
see the smiles on the faces of the detainees because in detainment, first of all, whenever 
you hear your name you will get beaten. Beaten by what? That's the main question. That's 
what people play games on?you will get beaten by a cable, you will get beaten by 
electricity. So in prison life is much easier; you have your own bed, you don't have a 
friend called cockroach [laughs].

So you were protesting against Assad, but what did people like you want instead? As we 
say, we can all be 'anti' but what are you for as in what do you want for Syria?

For me it's not like the others. I'm anti-Assad not [just] because I'm anti-Assad, I'm 
anti-all. So I'm not going to vote for anybody against him. I don't want anybody to be 
Assad. I don't want a democratic state, I don't want a dictatorship state. I don't want a 
state at all. You know, anarchism.

Anarchism can mean a lot to different people, in an anarchist Syria what would life be like?

You have yourself. You own yourself and nothing but yourself. You have a life. Your 
country doesn't need you and you need your country maybe [laughs] but your country doesn't 
need you. Of course, there's no rich and poor. Until now, if anybody goes to Aleppo or any 
place in Syria you still see the hierarchal state that is wherever you go in the world, 
you see a hierarchal state and that's bad. This is worse than anything in the world. You 
know when the FSA first went into Aleppo, the first few days I was living freedom, 
anarchist freedom, I'm not talking about American freedom. Because you have those guys who 
are holding guns for you, not for the brigade, not for Allah, not for anybody, not for 
America, not for anybody. They are protecting you. From what? From everybody. In an 
anarchist state you don't need them, you don't need protection. Protection from who? Right 
now wherever you go in the world the biggest protection you need is from the government. 
So the government has the army, has forces that are protecting you from them. [laughs] So 
if you're talking about me, I haven't dreamed of a better Syria because dreaming of a 
better Syria means dreaming of a new dictatorship. I mean I don't want a new bigger 
prison, with nicer people, where you leave your house smiling. This is fake.

So I'm here right now in Gaziantep, I know I don't have the right to say this, when you 
are not fighting you can't blame people why they are doing this. I know that fighting is 
hard. I know that the FSA, even Jabhat al Nusra, anybody who is fighting inside Syria have 
harsh times. Being at the frontline is very harsh so I'm not blaming them, but I'm saying 
that whenever there is a war both sides are doing nothing. Both sides are fighting but the 
people are dying. That's why?I'm not saying 'peace and love'?but peace and love! [laughs] 
Stop the War! Because right now in Syria we have dictatorship in the East and we have 
dictatorship in the West. That's why I can't choose. It's like the Republican against the 
Democrats in America but they are both armed, they are both lethal. They can kill you if 
you don't choose them. That's why it's democracy: [laughs] you can choose.

So why did you leave Aleppo?

There's nothing much to do there, that's why. I had a friend inside Aleppo who was 
fighting with the FSA. I told him he is a pawn right now, ?you are a pawn for the one that 
grants you money, if he tells you leave the frontline you will leave it just because he's 
the one who has the money. So if he gets mad at you, you won't get money so you won't get 
armed. So you are losing, that's why you are a pawn.? I told him to leave, he didn't 
leave. I'm not saying leave the country, I'm saying disobey the rules. Disobey what the 
marshal tells you. He didn't disobey. So after three months from me leaving Aleppo he was 
killed by a sniper in al Ashrafia. But right there [Aleppo] I was feeling myself a pawn, 
that I'm not living my life, I'm living how others tell me to live. If ISIS comes, don't 
wear shorts. If they leave, wear shorts. Don't drink alcohol in front of the FSA. Drink 
alcohol in front of the Syrian Army because if you didn't drink you will get caught. I 
felt that there's nothing much for me to do. I don't know, it may be selfish but I don't 
want to killed by a barrel [bomb] without doing anything. Ok, kill me, but while I'm doing 
my job.

Even the activists there told me, don't shoot the frontlines, don't take your camera to 
the frontlines because in the frontlines there is robbery. You can't film it because you 
will get killed by the FSA themselves. They told me that those projects that you are doing 
here, help the people with that. They told me that after all we are dying with the people 
so let's finish the war then when the war ends we will look into those kind of things.

So it's not living. You are dying when you are alive.

Have you found a place outside of Syria, a home?

No. Neither in Syria. After all, I'm not a nationalist; home is where you make it. I'm not 
saying Turkey is so much a better place, of course not. Any government, they vote for it 
but they can kill you but with law, with a constitution. So I'm not going to say it's home 
but I'm living here. I have a job and I have my better half with me. So it's good.

Do you feel you can work for the revolution here?

Yes, because the first line of revolution is no borders. So inside Syria, outside Syria, 
people are oppressed everywhere in the world. So maybe living here in Gaziantep is a bit 
boring because they are not demanding their rights, but I may speak Turkish sometime and I 
will demand our rights [laughs] when I learn Turkish.

Why don't you go to Europe or Canada, the 'first world' as they call it?

Fuck the first world. [we laugh]

Cheers to that. But that doesn't interest you? Because I talked to some Syrians and for 
whatever reasons they want to go to Europe or Canada.

When you are going to Europe or Canada or any other place as an immigrant, as a refugee, 
you are living by the government laws. So if I'm ok with living by the government laws, in 
the first place why was I against Assad? I should live in Syria, be a pro-Assad and it 
will be a first world eventually. So if this is my dream, ok, the first world has its 
problems as well as the third world. Ok, in the first world you can dress however you like 
and go to the streets but in your home you can't paint the walls how you like where they 
put you. Ok, I can work here as a cashier in Turkey and get $500 and live in a place that 
is much better than the camp that they offer. If I was going to the first world I would 
prefer to go for tourism. Let me see Sweden for a month, not for a life time.

To go there (as a refugee) you have to give up what you care about, what you fought for?

Of course, for nothing. ?Hey Sweden, help me. But don't just help me, teach me how to live 
my life.? This is stupidity. Ok, I may have repression in my country, after all, I'm not a 
nationalist so I have repression in every part of the world. Even Sweden does repression 
on people who live there. So, I don't know, if I was in Sweden and I saw a protest I would 
participate. So I would get kicked out from Sweden. Then why go? Why bother myself going 
there just to be kicked out? I can stay here in Turkey and get kicked out.

So you were in Egypt for a bit and then you went back to Aleppo for about six months. What 
was life like there?

When I left Aleppo the war was not like now. When I left Aleppo there were no barrel 
[bombs]. The only heavy machinery that worked on the ground was the Howitzer but right now 
we have everything. Berlin didn't hit Paris with that. When I lived in Aleppo I lived in 
the Western side and when I returned I lived in the Eastern side, in the liberated areas, 
because if I went to that side I would have to go to the [Syrian] Army. I have to 
participate in it if I went there. So I stayed in the liberated areas, lived there, ok, 
there is shelling but you are living your life. Everybody is living their lives.

Ok, it's not going to make people happy what I'm going to say. But when ISIS first came to 
Aleppo in the first place, the people loved it because they cleared the roads of the FSA. 
The FSA repressed the people as much as the Syrian Army. So when ISIS came they took every 
single guy from the FSA and put them in jail. So you go to the roads and you see civilians 
just like you and me. You don't see someone holding a kalashnikov pointed at you just 
because of nothing, because he can. So the people there don't want that much?ok they are 
against Assad from inside?but from outside they are not against anybody. They are with 
themselves. They are voting for themselves. Because when you are living on the edge of 
life, every second of life is crucial because at any second you may get hit by shelling. 
There's an airplane flying over you that may bombard you. So people are living their life 
extremely. That's why, ok, the only thing that has changed in Aleppo after this war is 
that you have destroyed neighbourhoods and destroyed people from inside.

But ok, they are happy on the streets, they are smiling, when Ramadan finished the last 
year I was there, so people were happy for the Eid. But they are destroyed from inside. 
When you go to them and tell them ?you can live without authority? they look right and 
left and say ?what the fuck are you talking about, are you insane? Haven't you witnessed 
Assad. Haven't you seen the FSA, ISIS, Jabhat al Nusra?? They will tell you this. You 
should have someone fighting against Assad. Then you should have ISIS to fight him. Then 
with ISIS, you should have someone to fight them. That's why it's a matrix and they don't 
believe you can live without an authority. From my point of view, this is destruction of 
the soul. I don't believe in the soul, but this is destruction from inside.

So did you talk to Daash (ISIS)?

Yes.

What was your impression of these guys as time went on, did they show their true colours?

Yes. I was staying in a neighbourhood called Masaken Hanano and then my two friends, who I 
knew them before the war, I contacted them because I was in Egypt so they can come to me 
and say ?hello,? grow a beard maybe, but no, because they are from Daash right now. They 
stayed at my place for a week. First I told them, ?what the fuck are you doing? For whom 
you are fighting for?? They told me this?of course they are Syrians, they are not British, 
not Canadian, [laughs] they are Syrians?they told me ?the FSA robbed us, the Syrian Army 
killed us and Jabhat al-Nusra are not doing anything about it. So we joined Daash so we 
can do what everybody else didn't do.? I asked them about Islam, I knew them, they were 
Athiests, so what the fuck happened? They told me that, ?we are not convinced that there's 
a god and when you are convinced that there is a god and god says 'if you are going to 
please me then fight for me' and we are fighting for god. That's why whenever anybody 
speaks about Daash, they tell you this, that ?the leaders are corrupted but the pawns are 
not.? They are really convinced that everything they do is very right. And sometimes they 
may convince you so don't go there. I told him, ?I'm still not religious so what would you 
do to me?? He said to me that ?What I don't know doesn't hurt me. If you are going to 
drink beer then drink beer in your home, then go to the street without it. If it's 
Ramadan, don't eat while you are walking in the street because I will kill you. Ok??

So if you hide it they don't care?

They don't care because that is what Allah says. Allah says in the Quran that if you are 
doing something wrong then you should hide. So they are convinced. I've met people from 
Daash. I've met people from Nusra. I talked to them like this, like I'm talking to you and 
I'm alive until now. The only people I know that if I meet them I will be killed are the 
Syrian Army.

Where do you see Aleppo going? Do you have any idea what's going to happen in the future?

Maybe after like ten years you will need a passport to go from the Eastern side to the 
Western side. You may see the wall of Berlin but it will be called the wall of Aleppo. 
Until now, let me say about Syria, [rebels in] Damascus the capital have signed truces 
with the regime. Al-Raqqa is under the Calipha, they have al Calipha, Abu Bakr al 
Baghdadi. Aleppo, you have the war. The Syrian Revolution until now looks like two things: 
the Spanish Revolution and the American Civil War. So it may go there or there. I'm just 
saying that you may see after ten years, ten people, one of them may be Benjamin Franklin 
who will say ?here is your constitution, bring me the Statue of Liberty? and you may see 
something like Spain. But after all, al Assad after six years from now, he's not allowed 
to be our President anymore.

It's not despair, but you can't find hope when you are searching for an alternative to 
dictatorship. There is no hope. It's an alternative after all. So you are going from a 
cross to another cross but you are going to get murdered both ways. So if there's no 
community act to abolish hierarchy then you are going to stay like this. I don't care 
about the names, I do care about the state. So if it's called Benjamin Franklin or it's 
called Bashar al-Assad, both ways they are fucking me. And both of them make marijuana 
illegal. [laughs]

What did you think when I contacted you as an Anarchist in Canada wanting to talk to you? 
Did you think what the hell is this? Did it make sense that anarchists would want to make 
a connection?

Of course, as I said to you, there's no borders and the struggle is one wherever you go. 
You have a struggle and it's one. So an anarchist from Canada is just like me, we are 
friends who are talking. That's it--brothers.


Further reading:

Syrian Anarchist Challenges The Rebel/Regime Binary View Of Resistance, by Joshua Stephens
http://www.popularresistance.org/syrian-anarchist-challenges-the-rebelregime-binary-view-of-resistance/
The life and work of anarchist Omar Aziz, and his impact on self-organization in the 
Syrian revolution, by Leila Shrooms
http://tahriricn.wordpress.com/2013/08/23/syria-the-life-and-work-of-anarchist-omar-aziz-and-his-impact-on-self-organization-in-the-syrian-revolution/

(en) Aleksey ?Raskhod? Raskhodchikov, anarchist, antifascist and musician ,was beaten and arrested

Aleksey ?Raskhod? Raskhodchikov, anarchist, antifascist and musician was beaten and 
arrested by police at night of 23 of July 2013 in the center of Murmansk city. On the main 
square policemen surrounded a group of punk-rockers and without any reason asked for IDs. 
Raskhod tried to ask for documents of police officers, but he was beaten and arrested. 
---- The police violence continued in the police station. As a result anarchist was taken 
to the hospital by ambulance, there he contacted with Regional Youth Human Right Board and 
Public monitoring committee (PMC) of compliance of human rights in places of detention and 
asked for help. ---- Than human rights defenders arrived to the police station. They 
observed badly injured Raskhodchikov with bandaged head and police officer with stains of 
blood all over his uniform.  The floor and walls in the police foyer were also stained 
with blood.
 
After it Raskhodchikov was set free, human rights defenders went to the
Department's own security AMIA Russia's Murmansk region, were they
officially reported about crime of policemen against anarchist,
accentuated attention on the fact that the police station has
video-cameras, which should been spotted the cruel treatment.
Nobody  informed watchers about any injuries of policemen. The version
about policeman getting injuries was published later.
 
 
?When brought to a police station one of them had an active resistance,
attacked the police with a knife. As a result, the police officer was
wounded in the form of multiple scalped wounds of both hands - the
press-service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Murmansk region
- Upon demonstrate how violence against a police officer is being
conducted. Materials sent to the investigating authorities to decide
whether a criminal case.?
 
Young people told that after arrest they have been kneeled down in
opposite corners and been beaten up by officers.
***
 
Vostok-Forum attacked by OMON
Russian police attacked an international youth meeting near Apatity
(Murmansk Region, Russian Federation)
On the evening of the 1st of August 2013 Russian OMON (Armed Unit of
Interior Ministry)=SWAT, faces covered and equipped with machine
pistols, in collaboration with the agents of Investigation Committee
raided the touristic base ?Russ? (13 kilometers from Apatity, in
Murmansk region). An international youth forum, the ?Vostok Forum?, was
taking place there. The 30 participants of the Vostok Forum (15
residents of the European Union, 12 persons from Germany) and other
guests were on the touristic base.
 
Some of the people were forced to stand face to the wall or thrown on
the ground in a brutal manner. Nobody was allowed to make phone calls,
or take photos or videos of the Russian force. Some of the participants
were not allowed to lock their rooms or fetch their medicines. No
document confirming the legal conduct of such operation was shown.
Participants of the Forum were not explained about their rights.
Formally, the whole action was ?a search for a person accused of
completing a criminal activity?. However, policemen asked as well more
general questions concerning the participant?s relations to Russia and
the aims of the Forum. Translator into the native languages was not
provided. One of the participants of the Forum, a citizen of Germany was
treated more violently, which resulted in a shock. Assistance of the
Russian emergency service was needed.
 
One of the participants of the Forum, civil activist Aleksey
Raskhodchikov, was arrested. A few days before the start of the Forum he
was also accused of attacking a police officer. At this moment, there is
a lack of information about the legal circumstances of the arrest and
the further situation of Raskhodtchikov.
 
The organizers of the Forum ? ?Humanistic Movement of Youth? (Russia)
and AG Russland (Germany) are deeply concerned about the situation, when
the agents of the Investigation Committee and SWAT act without complying
with the norms of the international law. Holding all the participants of
the Forum, limiting their freedom of movement, they do not consider
necessary to explain their rude behaviour and to inform about the
people's rights.
 
For 8 years Vostok-Forum takes place annually on the Russian
Kola-peninsula. It offers a platform for young students, scientists,
artists and activists. The topics for discussion are researched in a
so-called ?Open Process?.
****
Instead of providing the public and the media with video from cameras
that work in continuous recording mode at the entrance and in the lobby
of the police station, where was delivered Raskhodchikov, as well as
similar cameras installed at Five Corners area under the "Safe City",
law enforcement agencies insist on a version that Raskhodchikov attacked
a police officer. But this version can easily be confirmed or refuted by
the only reliable source - recordings from CCTV cameras.
 
Alexey Raskhodchikov charged with the second part of Article 318 (usage
of violence dangerous to life or health against a governmental
representative), the maximum penalty for which is 10 years in jail.
The investigator Verentehin asked for putting Alexey in jail for whole
investigative period, citing the fact that Raskhodchikov tending to
escape and committing a crime.
 
Judge Boiko, however, doubted that the collected materials characterize
Raskhodchikov as a dangerous "felon", able to escape from the trial.
The defense has provided strong evidence of reliability Alexei: has a
permanent place of residence, did not leave the Murmansk region, and
never had been charged in a criminal offense.
 
The prosecution could only "brag" in court the speed with which
Raskhodchikov was detained by police: from the opening of a criminal
case against him in Murmansk to the moment of his detention at the camp
site "Russia" in Apatity was no more than 12 hours. References of the
investigation to the fact that during this time they were trying to warn
Raskhodchikov about initiation of criminal proceedings against him,
sounded unconvincing.
 
Concerning the attack on a police officer allegedly committed by
Raskhodchikov sounded as a very strange version. In a report dated 23
July, when there was some incident at the centre of Murmansk, the fact
of attack was not even mentioned. In later reports is already emerging
narrative about how Raskhodchikov showed disobedience and started
grabbing jacket of guardian of order, threatening to kill him, then
knocked to the ground and tried to hit a police officer with a knife,
which he held in his left hand. On the last argument should pay
particular attention, as Alexey - right-hander, as it was stated to the
judge.
 
In the face of a professional judge the position of the investigation
looked rickety. In the absence of hard evidence of Raskhodchikov?s
guilt, all that could do Investigator - ask the judge to extend the
detention of a suspect for another period of up to 72 hours. He
justified this by saying that in a short period of time investigation
"has not had time to gather and present relevant evidence to the court."
 
At 5 August in the Oktyabrskiy court of Murmansk was held final meeting
on choosing a preventive measure for Alexei Raskhodchikov. Judge
considered that evidences of Alexey?s criminal behavior are not
reliable. So court stated to use lighter preventive measure in form of
house imprisonment until the 1st of October 2013.
 
All this time Raskhodchikov is not allowed to leave his apartment from
22 pm to 8 am, the usage of cell phone is also prohibited. He also has
problems with bracelet that controls his location. Signal is not always
working and it can be a reason for police to put him in temporary isolation.
 
Anarchist Black Cross of Moscow is gathering funds for Raskhodchikov's
legal costs. You may donate via paypal: abc-msk@riseup.net, or read from
our website about other means of transferring funds:
http://wiki.avtonom.org/en/index.php/Donate. When donating, always
contact us by e-mail, as we gather funds for a number of cases
simultaneously.
 
Source:
https://avtonom.org/en/news/aleksey-raskhod-raskhodchikov-anarchist-antifascist-and-musician-was-beaten-and-arrested
 
Forwarded by
Anarchist Black Cross Moscow
abc-msk A riseup D net
http://www.avtonom.org/abc
http://www.facebook.com/abcmoscow
http://www.twitter.com/abc_moscow
P.O. Box 13 109028 Moscow Russia
 

Russia, Interview with an anarchist from the city of Perm about the movement of ? Absolutely free markets ?

The iron lady of neoliberalism, Margaret Thatcher, declared there was no alternative in
matter of economy. Yet, experiences putting in practice alternative and egalitarian
economic forms since propagate themselves with a great vivacity to answer to growing needs
of impoverishment. Activists subvert the exchange and consumption through the Free of cost
and self-organization. Through the interview that follows, on questions of the blogue du
Collectif Emma Goldman (UCL), a Russian anarchist comrade from the city of Perm, will
describe the phenomenon in expansion of the ?absolutely free markets?, and will explain
few dynamics of her local anarchist milieu. Whole questions and answers.
Interview with an anarchist from the city of Perm about the movement of ? Absolutely free
markets ?


Perm is a great industrial center of Russia, of near 1 billion inhabitants, just below
Ural Mountains, which are traditionally considered a natural boundary between Europe and
Asia. Can you first draw us up a brief portrait of the local anarchist and
antiauthoritarian milieu of Perm and around what (groups, places or subcultures) it is
concentrated?

- Perm is considered to be more liberal and libertarian than other provincial russian
cities, because there are many active human rights activists and active non-profit
organizations, local authorities are more ready to changes and cooperation, more "calm"
police. Active antiauthoritarian community in Perm is not really big; it's about 10-15
people in a core, and about 30 people around. But it's quite difficult to tell whether we
are real anarchists, because most of people who take part in these activities won't say
they are (some of us are communists, apoliticals, antifascists, hippie?), but they are
active and do lots of considered-anarchist things.

A movement of ?Frimarkets? (?????????) actually seems to be growing in a number of cities
of Russia. Solnechnogorsk, Kirov, Magnitogorsk, Perm, Tyumen, Chelyabinsk, Nizhny
Novgorod, Saint Petersburg, etc. Temporary markets where people bring unnecessary items
and food for sharing freely in a common place and ?take on the pile? to take an expression
from Kropotkine. It is based on a Gift Economy that does present a lot of similitude with
Food not bombs initiatives. From which ?seed? does this movement evolve as much ? is it
more or less connected with other anarchist organizing?

- In most cities freemarket movement was really started by anarchist groups. In other
places it was caught by young hipster or cultural communities as popular and funny
initiative without any sense of anarchism. We strongly feel that real success this story
has in the places where freemarkets are not promoted and positioned as "true anarchist
initiative" but as local activity that helps common people to get what they need and build
community. It teaches people practically how anarchism can work. For example, in cities
like Kirov where it's positioned as anarchist activity, only subcultural young people
visit their freemarkets and it looks like just funny party for strange people. We try to
make it as usable and easy to understand to people as possible, so we even call it here in
russian language as "Absolutely free market" (????????? ?????????? ???????) instead of
english word freemarket.

The Free of charge appears in a certain manner as a subversion of the capitalist economic
processes, particularly apparent when people are taken of astonishment to not pay at the
distribution points. Society inculcates from early age: ?work, consume, and shut up!? to
its future workers. Do you believe that ?Absolutely free markets? got an emancipatory
potential for individuals and communities?

- It surely makes people believe that things can be done without any charge. We feel that
today someone gets something he or she needs at freemarket, and tomorrow he or she will be
more capable to do kind things for free. Lots of people didn't believe we do that without
any benefit, but after they see everything themselves they change their opinion.
Unfortunately, we still have some people who try to make benefit of free, so they spend
all their time at freemarket trying to get as many "good" things as possible, not taking
part in any other activities around them. That's our unsolved problem yet. We try to talk
to them, but still have same problem. We try to persuade people to make freemarkets by
themselves in their districts, houses, offices, communities (or just make free book shelf
or freebox), and sometimes get some response.

Threats and provocations from the radical and fascist rightwing and from the police
arbitrariness are realities that a lot of activists face in Russia and abroad. What
challenge does it represent to freemarkets of different cities?

- Fascists and police are problems, but not for freemarkets. As it's positioned like
something for people and they see that is, that's why I guess everything is okay. Just
because if they closed such peaceful and charitable activities, that would cause high
resonance and attention.

What are local impacts of the "antiextremist" repression felt by antifascist activists and
radical dissent against United Russia?

- In our region we don't have any problems with antiextremist repressions, but in
neighboring region, Tyumen, our friend Andrey Kutuzov, has got serious problems because of
his views. I think it's also because of more liberal environment in a here.

In domestic work (household work and child care), a certain gift economy is often lived by
women under very unequal gender roles and task distribution, thus exploiting their work
force without any remuneration. How do you evaluate the awareness in relation to gender
and patriarchy in frimarkets?

- Visitors of freemarkets are women in the majority, because they are more interested in
clothes, different home-used stuff, that are the most often exchanged things at
freemarkets. In a younger generation of about my age (17-25) parts of men and women are equal.

And finally, how do you evaluate the impact, and then the fast diffusion of radical
dissident art groups like ????? (Voina) and Pussy Riot?

- I think they are cool and have a strong impact. They are for all of us to fell that we
can make really strange and strong things right now and simple. They are for people to
wake up. I'm really upset by the girls being jailed.

Related Link: http://ucl-saguenay.blogspot.ca/

by Blogue du Collectif Emma Goldman - UCL In Russia

(en) Australia, Melbourne Anarchist Club - MACannounce

The MAC-Infoshop! ---- The Melbourne Anarchist Club info-shop has now officially opened
through an amalgamation of MAC and Anarres Books. The launch occurred on the 11th of
August, with slam poetry by Paulie, and Bernard Young (Pirate Satellite), A Commoner?s
Revolt and Dead Peasants playing some their respective brands of rebel music. Footage of
the event will be posted onto the MAC Facebook page. The Infoshop is open 12-5 Sundays and
will also be open this Friday night (see below). The MAC-Infoshop is the only Anarchist
Bookshop in Melbourne and we stock a wide range of contemporary, historical and
theoretical anarchist classics, plus other items like anarchist cards, various forms of
rebel music, pamphlets and (soon!) anarchist clothing and patches.

Friday Nights at MAC Returns...!

On Friday August 24 (tonight!), Friday Nights at MAC will return. Get along for some
refreshments, music and general good-hearted anarchist revelry from 7:30pm. The
MAC-Infoshop will also be open ? feel free to drop in to discuss the finer points of
Kropotkin?s The Conquest of Bread, the Occupy Movement or the football finals (and otherwise?)

Dominos Dispute...

MAC is supporting a dispute led by the Brisbane Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation (ASF-B) and
supported also by the Melbourne branch of the ASF. Drivers at a Brisbane store were asked
to take a 19% pay cut and the Brisbane-ASF is currently representing some of those workers
in arbitration before Fair Work Australia. This dispute will continue with a solidarity
action taking place internationally on the 15th of September. The ASF is an affiliate of
the International Worker?s Association, which has sections in countries all across the world.

Blacklight Issue 1...

The new Blacklight, Issue 1 (following on from last time?s issue 0#) ? the journal of the
Melbourne Anarchist Club that discusses issues of anarchism and organisation ? is now
available at the MAC-Infoshop or contact MAC if you would like to subscribe.

Sedition 2.0?

In March this year, MAC, Jura Books (Sydney) and Organise! (Adelaide) launched the first
edition of Sedition. Unfortunately, Organise are no longer with us but Jura and MAC will
continue the publication, in the hope to move towards a federative structure between the
two groups further down the line. Sedition is an anarchist magazine designed to express
the common politics between our three geographically disparate groups. We are heavily
focused on content that relates anarchism to the Australian context, as well as on
information and debates about our politics, as we understand in the here and now.

Sedition is permanently open for submissions. We?re interested in:

And Sedition blog @ anarchy.org.au

- journalistic reports on struggles going on in your community and workplace. Strike &
rally reports, etc.

- anarchist ideas and practice, especially from groups or individuals from other places in
Australia.

- there are no hard & fast rules about what we will or wont publish in Sedition, whether
you are an anarchist or not. The aim is to create an anarchist magazine, and editorial
decisions are the prerogative of the three groups.

- if you?re not sure if you?ve got something appropriate for Sedition, pitch it to your
closest group: mac@anarchy.org.au, jura@jura.org.au, or organize@riseup.net

- if you would like to see your article in the next printed edition, you?ll need to get it
to us ASAP.

Sedition is no longer simply a print magazine. We have decided post articles on the
Sedition blog as soon as they become available through the editorial process. Check
anarchy.org.au to see if any new material posted on Sedition blog. But stay tuned for
full-blown Sedition blog that will be integrated into this site.

Print editions will be made available for download on the blog. You can become a
distributor of Sedition in your hometown by simply downloading the first edition and
printing it at home. You?re welcome to either collect donations for the project or give it
away for free.

Need a Space for an Event?

The Melbourne Anarchist Club is available to hire (for free or similar in most cases) for
any progressive artistic or community activity that you have in mind. We have regularly
shown DVDs at the space in the past, amongst other things, and currently have a martial
arts group that uses the MAC regularly ? so almost anything goes. Please contact us if
you would like to utilise the MAC for any purpose.

25 Years of MAC!

This November 3rd will be the 25th Anniversary of the (re)founding of the Melbourne
Anarchist Club. The original MAC was founded in the 1880s, and the current MAC is its
successor organisation. We will be holding a celebratory event on November 3rd, with a
BBQ, music and other aspects to be included further down the track. Keep it open!

Want to get involved?

The Melbourne Anarchist Club is an organisation for anarchists living in Melbourne and
surrounding areas. You must be able to meaningfully participate in decision making, which
means making it to a meeting regularly.

Our Aims and Principles are available on our website.

The Launch of the Direct Action Collective!

The Direct Action Collective (DAC) is a joint initiative of the Melbourne Anarchist Club
and the Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation of Melbourne. The DAC is an informal collection of
anarchists ? that is, libertarian socialists/libertarian communists and
anarcho-syndicalists. Together, we aim: to be engaged in working class struggles and
socially progressive movements; to maintain an Anarchist presence at protests, strikes and
other direct actions; to unite revolutionary Anarchists; and to promote the ideas of
Anarchism to the public. Why march alone? Join us.

In solidarity

Bron :

Melbourne Anarchist Club

62 St Georges Rd Northcote

mac@anarchy.org.au

mac.anarchobase.com

Open Saturdays & Sundays 1pm?5pm

From a Syrian anarchist - Sat, 28/07/2012

I am Mazen***, a Syrian anarchist . I want to inform you about the difficult humanitarian
situation in my country, Syria ; due to the brutal oppression of the regime against the
revolting masses. A group of young Syrian anarchists and anti ? authoritarians from Aleppo
? Syria, contacted me asking for urgent help. Their community is in urgent need for
everything : medical drugs , tents , children milk , etc; almost everything. We hope that
you can help them to alleviate the sufferings of Syrians in these difficult days. -- About
the actual situation in Syria, it is deteriorating rapidly. After the killing of the some
high rank generals of the regime (defense minister and his deputy , which is at the same
time the brother ? in ? law of the president himself ) by unknown force, even that the
Syrian free army claimed responsibility for the attack ; the armed opposition groups
attacked the two main cities , which were reluctant to join the revolution before :
Damascus and Aleppo.

A fierce battle started , after some early gains of the opposition forces, the Assad army
gathered its remaining forces and started a counter attack using his available
conventional forces including jet fighters , beside canons and tanks that he was using
since months ago. Many civilians had to flee in very harsh conditions, hundreds massacred.

In fact , the Syrian revolution is caught now in an open armed fighting. The peaceful
demonstrations lost their significance now, and almost nobody bother to mention them or
think they can have real impact on the outcome of the struggle . what started as a
spontaneous mass revolution has become an armed struggle between the regime army and its
armed opponents. This happened mainly due to the brutal oppression of the regime, using
its army, its tanks and guns against civilian neighborhoods , but also because of the
intervention of tyrannies like Saudi and Qatari monarchies.

Due to the strategic position of Syria, the revolution was caught in Iran ? Saudi rivalry
for regional domination, and even between Russia and US , each supporting one part , but
only for the sake of their own interests : we can't believe that the Saudi monarchy bother
about the freedom of the Syrian people , they just want to weaken their opponent : The
Iranian Islamist oppressive regime. Saudi Arabia and Qatar did all they can to divert the
Syrian revolution into sectarian struggle between Sunni and Shiaa sects of Islam ,
cynically , the Syrian regime did the same.

Just recently an influential Saudi journalist described the Arab spring ( this term is
used to describe the sequence of Arab revolutions) as a Sunni spring that threatened shiia
Iran. The other competing camp of oppressed regimes are using sectarianism for their sake
also. The Syrian regime is trying to do the same by promoting himself as the "protector of
religious minorities" in Syria .

We saw it very differently, we saw it as it happened and as it started, a spontaneous mass
revolution against dictatorships and their neo ? liberal policies and "reforms", and in
this difficult moment for the masses; we count on the masses, on the oppressed, from every
religion , sect , or ethnicity to unite against their oppressors, whatever their religion.
We count on organizations like our comrades from Aleppo and other initiatives done by
young students and some workers. It is a difficult struggle that could descend into
sectarian civil war, and there is no guarantee but the masses' determination (and ours) to
continue the struggle for real freedom and justice , for free self ? organization of the
oppressed .

In fact , there is very big divisions now in the Arab and Syrian left : the Stalinists
stood beside the regime as an "anti?imperialist" regime ; as usual , they can neglect the
oppressive nature of the regime , it is so natural for them . There are three Syrian
"communist" parties , supporting the regime fully very shamelessly . Other prominent
Stalinist parties in Arab countries support the regime also. On the other side Trotskyites
stood against such regimes but they see Islamists as a possible "allies" is such struggles
, denying the reactionary, authoritarian and capitalist , even the neo ? liberal, nature
of the Islamists ' project. This is so true for Egypt where Trotskyites had strong
organization: Revolutionary socialists.

Another thing, brothers, I am going back to Syria this august in order to join the
struggle of our comrades and masses. Some Syrian activists organized a campaign named WE
ARE COMING BACK . We will enter Syria in August from *****. It is expected that the regime
will arrest us, and they could torture some of us, or even kill some. I might need your
solidarity that time. Some comrades might update you about such developments when it
happen. For the time being I am still in *****, Egypt. If you can arrange any support for
our comrades inside Syria you can contact me here till that time, and before leaving to
Syria; I can give you contact details of our comrades inside Syria or some Egyptian
comrades here to send your contributions to. Thanks a lot for your solidarity.

For revolution, and freedom, for Anarchy !! mazen *****

Some details have been redacted for the safety of the comrade concerned.

Bron :  a-infos-en@ainfos.ca

(en) Turkey: We have lost Tayfun G?n?l well-known anarchist and the first conscientious objector

Yesterday (30.07.2012) we have lost Tayfun G?n?l (age 54) who was the first conscientious
objector and among the well-known anarchists in Turkey. ---- He was suffering from health
problems related with his heart and spent a long time in hospital for the last six months.
His funeral will probably be held tomorrow (01.08.2012) in Istanbul where he had died. ---
In 1989 he had declared his conscientious objection in Sokak periodical. Starting from
1990's he initiated and contributed many anarchist periodicals such as Apolitika,
Efendisizler etc. Lately, he was among of the founders of Anarsist Paper. He has a booklet
"What is Anarchism?" and a book titled "Emergence from Rule to Chaos" including his
interviews with Gediz Akdeniz. About 10 years ago, he was regarded as the leader of
anarchists in Turkey in the police records. Related with that, in 2002, he had gone to the
court of imprisoned Usak anarchists to tell that anarchism is not terrorism (and also
cannot have a leader) which helped to free Usak anarchists.

Bron : a-infos-en@ainfos.ca

(en) Cubao Quezon City,Anti-Sona 2012- Anarchist Protest in the Philippines

July 23, 2012, Monday ---- A group of anarchist demonstrators wearing mask, around 30
individuals, (with black clothes tied on in their face) unpredictably showed up from
Aurora Avenue, Cubao Quezon City staging uncompromising rebellion against the State of the
Nation Address or SONA. ---- Circle A black flag was waved in the air, along with green
and black and red and black flags that symbolizes an ever-expanding expression of
solidarity in the struggle for radical social change and liberation that are inclusive for
all common people and every walks of life not solely amongst activists circles and
political movements.

Bron :  a-infos-en@ainfos.ca