Showing posts with label Censorship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Censorship. Show all posts

Thursday, 22 November 2012

Is National-Anarchism An Oxymoron? - National-Anarchism in a Nutshell

For a separate French explanation of the misconception that National-Anarhchism is an oxymoron, please see the article (not a translation of this one), 'Le National-Anarchisme : un oxymore ?'.


Is National-Anarchism An Oxymoron? - National-Anarchism in a Nutshell
By: J. Bates

National-Anarchism in a Nutshell is meant to act as a primer for those who are unfamiliar with National-Anarchism, anarchism in general and for those who might already be knowledgeable on anarchist philosophy but feel that there is just something else missing from the wide array of compartmentalized anarchisms out there. This small work is in no way meant as a substitute for the National-Anarchist Manifesto available on the National-Anarchist Movement’s web site. It is my sincere hope that after reading this the reader will find interest in delving into the details of National-Anarchism available in the manifesto.

National-Anarchism is Not an Oxymoron

There has been much debate on the nomenclature used in describing an anarchist philosophy that, while maintaining deep anarchist roots, also embraces racial preservation and rejects all forms of the Marxist cancer that has infested the anarchist movement since its misappropriation in the early 20th century. The most common argument the Establishment uses to try and disparage National-Anarchism originates from ignorance on their part of the origin, and thereby the true definition, of the term National.

The term nation, and thus national, has devolved into a watered-down, re-branded catch-all expression which is defined today as a collection of states or territories in which various ethnicities of people live and work. This modern definition completely disregards the original meaning of the term.  In fact, the term nation comes to us from the Latin root word natio meaning “that which has been born”, or “race of people”. Consequently, the term national is defined as “of or relating to the race”. As such, the prefix National works perfectly to describe a type of anarchism that serves a people with a common ethnicity. This point alone vindicates National-Anarchism’s choice terminology to describe the movement as well as part of its purpose. Nevertheless, those who disagree with the movement’s recognition of race as a vital factor for its existence will argue against it using the modernized definition of nation and thus categorize National-Anarchism as a right-wing attempt at appropriating the left’s Marxist-based flavor of anarchism to promote racism. This naturally brings about a common ad hominem attack, almost exclusively from the left, in that because we as National-Anarchists recognize race and wish to preserve it, we are not true anarchists. This is sheer hypocrisy on the part of egalitarian anarchists.

The term racism is another word used by the left to stigmatize and decry the efforts of racialists to preserve their own by twisting its meaning (a common tactic by the left to further their own agenda and add weight to their arguments). The left’s definition of racism is essentially the hatred of all other human races by a single race due to said race’s belief that theirs is superior to all others. This is completely without merit and could not be further from the truth. If we are to use the term then true “racists” are those who are simply concerned with the preservation of their own kind, not the hatred, destruction or repression of others. Nothing is more wasteful of valuable time and energy than blind hatred and violence. This energy is best spent in the preservation of one’s own and not the antagonism of others.

A simple example of the left’s lunacy on this matter would be if I were to say that I prefer Fuji Apples over other types of apples. By the Marxist-Left’s logic I would then be deemed a “Fujist”, but not only that, it would also be assumed that I must also hate all other apples. Does my preference for Fuji apples mean that I hate Red Delicious apples? Certainly not! It simply means that I prefer the taste of Fuji apples more than I do other varieties of apples. What sort of inferiority complex would discern that my preference for Fuji apples means that I must hate other apples? The same question can be asked of those who would say that because I prefer to associate, cohabitate, work, and procreate with my own kind, I must have a deeply rooted hatred for all that is not of my kind. This is illogical, absurd and demonstrates an extreme lack of reasoning and intelligence in those who would follow such thought.

National-Anarchist philosophy, then, is not the oxymoronic amalgamation of right and left wing political ideologies but a harkening to the original and true meaning of nation combined with a desire to preserve the natural races of man and the aspiration to free all people from the chains of both left and right-wing totalitarianism and imperialism.

Racial-Separatism and National-Anarchism

National-Anarchism attenuates to, and supports, the individuality genetically inherent in man and fights to unfetter him from the bonds of debt-slavery and state-worship forced upon him at birth by the Establishment. National-Anarchism rejects all forms of totalitarianism and goes a step further in recognizing multiculturalism as yet another transfigured form of it, and rejecting it as an anti-nature despotism. National-Anarchism consequently lives and breathes by the immortal words of Bakunin in that man obeys natural laws because he has himself recognized them as such, and not because they have been externally imposed upon him by any extrinsic will whatever, divine or human, collective or individual.

It only follows, then, that National-Anarchism supports and defends the right of all races to preserve their blood, the very essence of that which defines them. The races of man exist for a reason, some of which are beyond our comprehension. Nature found utility in the formation of the various races of the earth. Each race upon the earth has its own unique culture that is born not just of its environment, but of its genetic makeup. If this genetic makeup is adulterated or annihilated then we are destined toward an inevitable bland mono-culture devoid of a history and any unique qualities all its own. Egalitarianism is a false philosophy, Nietzsche’s ‘end of justice’. It has reared its head in every generation since man became aware of its malevolence. It is the cry of the embittered underman who has refused to recognize his place in the world and yearns to destroy that which he can never achieve to. Marxist political-correctness and multiculturalism combined form his battering ram which he uses to tear down the doors of natural aristocracy* in order to rape it of the vital seed that distinguishes it. National-Anarchism rejects this forced abdication of racial solidarity as another form of tyranny.

National-Anarchism in Summary

National-Anarchism is a form of anarchism that embraces the very foundations of anarchism as penned in ink and blood by its earliest forebears, one that is against the state, be it a hyper-Capitalist Plutocracy or a Socialist/Communist Mediocracy, as well as against all tyranny in whatever form it may disguise itself including that of the Marxist anarchists. Unlike most other hyphenated anarchisms, National-Anarchism does not cling to the expression “Against All Authority” as it can be too easily misconstrued by those who do not yet understand the basic tenets of anarchism thereby causing them to believe that this slogan encompasses all forms of anarchism. In the minds of those unfamiliar with anarchist philosophy this phrase conjures images of masked youth wildly pitching Molotov cocktails, setting fires, breaking windows, destroying businesses and participating in other violent behavior for no other reason than a bizarre love of utter chaos. This is, however, what the Establishment would like you to believe so that you will find solace in the “protection” of the state. To further this point, any modern dictionary will define anarchism as lawlessness, chaos, mayhem and disorder. This is not anarchism’s true definition and is even further from the foundational standpoint of National-Anarchism. Simply put, National-Anarchism recognizes authority, but not that which would establish rule over others and so we remain ever vigilant of social conditions that might produce an avenue for those who would establish a ruling class. This, contrary to belief, actually creates order from the fanatical chaos that is the state.  Those anarchists that do not subscribe to the “Against All Authority” mantra believe that authority (without rule) is a natural manifestation of order in any society. In matters of authority, the anarchist world-view can be summed up in the combined words of our anarchist forefathers.

“Does it follow that I reject all authority? Perish the thought. In the matter of boots, I defer to the authority of the boot-maker.” -Bakunin

But that…

“He who lays his hand on me to govern me is a usurper and a tyrant, and I declare him my enemy.” – Proudhon

Anarchism is often misunderstood to mean ‘without order’ when it in fact means ‘without rulers’. This is paramount to the understanding of any form of anarchism. If one understands this from the outset, then further study into anarchist philosophy makes far more sense.

For those wanting to learn more about National-Anarchism and anarchism in general we recommend the National-Anarchist Movement Manifesto located at http://www.national-anarchist.net.

*The term natural aristocracy refers the natural distinctions formed amongst a group of people due to work, capability and intelligence rather than by birth, class, and privilege.

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Monday, 15 October 2012

Oakland Anti-Anarchist Vigilante Group Declares War on Black Bloc

A GROUP OF OAKLAND RESIDENTS, NATIVES, AND OCCUPY ACTIVISTS IDENTIFY THE "OAKLAND COMMUNE" AS AGENTS OF MASS VANDALISM; DENOUNCED AS RACIST, CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION.

A group of ideological extremists relocated to Oakland in order to foment chaos and destruction, as a means of achieving their political goals. These attacks have targeted Black and Asian owned businesses such as art galleries, copy shops, clubs, and offices. These actions have driven out businesses owned by people of color, and cost many Oaklanders their livelihood and sense of safety in their own neighborhoods. They boast of an attrition strategy, that by destroying Oakland's economy the chaos will trigger revolution through a class-war. This strategy is strikingly similar to the one espoused in the novel The Turner Diaries, which has inspired many acts of terrorism by racist groups and militias.

Members of the Oakland Commune were first drawn to Oakland by the Mehserle Riots. During the Occupy Oakland encampment they held key positions of leadership, often to the criticism of Occupiers. These criticisms include exclusion of Oakland residents and people of color from the Occupy consensus process, marginalizing and excluding the contributions of locals and members of the Black community, and abusing their power to censor criticism of vandalism and violence.

http://anarchistnews.org/files/pictures/2008/gun_reverse.jpg

1)Following the first incident of vandalism associated with Occupy protests, the breaking of a police training-facility window, Occupiers submitted a proposal to pay for the repair of the window. Oakland Commune members censored this as an inherently "divisive" proposal.

2)The Oakland Commune lionizes and endorses property destruction. In their brochure Oakland Commune:Sundry Writings About The Successful Failures, they boast "Property destruction is not a new element for the Oakland Commune." The brochure celebrates incidents of mass vandalism, asserting it as an effective means of revolution through chaos ("...this activity sends signals of disorder pulsing through the imperial system."). They describe themselves as "raising a red army".


3)The Oakland Commune popularizes Orwellian euphemisms for violence and vandalism, such as 'autonomous action' and 'diversity of tactics'. As well, the Oakland Commune encourages people to come to Oakland to perpetrate violence and vandalism.


4)On May Day the Oakland Commune called for people to "descend upon" the Mission area in San Francisco for a "ruckus street party", which is a coded call for vandalism. This resulted in the destruction of the Mission District.


4)The Oakland Commune distances itself from Occupy Movement with its well known slogan "Occupy Oakland is Dead! Long live the Oakland Commune!" This is an expression of their goal to define political activism in Oakland.


As self-described 'professional protesters', the Oakland Commune has been very effective at attaining power within activist networks. As a demonstration of their potency, the General Strike and West Coast Port Shutdown can be accredited to the Oakland Commune. Their endorsement of vandalism has harmed far too many residents. They have declared themselves enemies of Oakland and the Occupy movement. Oakland is rich in ethnic diversity and magnificent architecture. On October 10th and 25th, major events are anticipated in recognition of Occupy Oakland's anniversary and the anniversary of the notorious police action against it. Concerned residents are encouraged to defend Oakland against the vandals.


"In the matter of boots, I defer to the authority of the boot-maker." - Mikhail Bakunin.


"Defend Our Oakland Movement" (DOOM) calls for "Bring Your Own Bat" (BYOB) action against anarchists using Black Bloc tactics & engaging in property destruction

(Source)


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Thursday, 11 October 2012

Third anarchist jailed for refusing to testify before secret grand jury

A third self-described anarchist from the Pacific Northwest has been jailed by federal officials for refusing to speak before a secretive grand jury that the accused have called a politically-motivated modern-day witch-hunt.

Leah-Lynn Plante, a mid-20s activist from Seattle, Washington, was ushered out of court by authorities on Wednesday after refusing for a third time to answer questions forced on her by a grand jury — a panel of prosecutors convened to determine if an indictment can be issued for a federal crime.

Plante was one of a handful of people targeted in a series of raids administered by the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force on July 25 of this year which the feds say were in conjunction with an investigation into acts of vandalism that occurred during May Day protests in Seattle nearly two months prior. As part of their probe, search warrants were issued at multiple residences of activists in the area, including Plante’s, demanding that dwellers provide agents with “anti-government or anarchist literature” in their homes and any flags, flag-making material, cell phones, hard drives, address books, and black clothing.

“As if they had taken pointers from Orwell’s 1984, they took books, artwork and other various literature as ‘evidence’ as well as many other personal belongings even though they seemed to know that nobody there was even in Seattle on May Day,” Plante recalls in a post published this week to her Tumblr page.

Only one week after the raid, Neil Fox of the National Lawyers Guild told Seattle Times that raids like this are create a “chilling effect” by going after lawful, constitutionally-allowed private possessions.
“It concerns us any time there are law-enforcement raids that target political literature, First Amendment-protected materials,” Fox said.

This week Plante still maintains her innocence, now she has reason to believe that the raid that has left her suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome may have been more than an investigation into an activity, but an ideology. Plante says a Freedom of Information Act request she filed in the months after her apartment door was broken down by armed officials reveals that the grand jury investigating her was first convened in March, two months before the vandalism she is being accused of even occurred.

“They are trying to investigate anarchists and persecute them for their beliefs. This is a fishing expedition. This is a witch hunt,” she says this week.

On the day of her third meeting with the grand jury on Wednesday, Plante wrote on her blog that she’d almost certainly be jailed on charges of contempt for refusing once again to testify about herself but said she was willing to face the consequences for exercising her right to remain silent.

“I do not look forward to what inevitably awaits me today, but I accept it,” she writes. “My convictions are unwavering and will not be shaken by their harassment. Today is October 10th, 2012 and I am ready to go to prison.”

Hours later, her Tumblr was updated with a note authored by one of her supporters confirming that Plante “was thrown into prison for civil contempt” after her court date. Plante is now the third anarchist to be imprisoned in the last month for refusing to answer questions about their belief and behavior before a grand jury.

Last month, Plante spoke openly about the grand jury before refusing their questioning for only her second time. “I believe that these hearings are politically motivated,” she wrote in a September 16 statement. “The government wants to use them to collect information that it can use in a campaign of repression. I refuse to have any part of it, I will never answer their questions, I will never speak.”
“While I hate the very idea of prison, I am ready to face it in order to stay true to my personal beliefs. I know that they want to kidnap me and isolate me from my friends and my loved ones in an effort to coerce me to speak. It will not work. I know that if I am taken away, I will not be alone.”

Katherine “KteeO” Olejnik, a fellow anarchist from the Seattle area, was taken into federal custody on September 28 for refusing to cooperate with a grand jury, a decision she said was based on humanity and her First Amendment protections. 

“I cannot and will not say something that could greatly harm a person’s life, and providing information that could lead to long term incarceration would be doing that,” Olejnik wrote before being booked. “Icannot and will not be a party to a McCarthyist policy that is asking individuals to condemn each other based on political beliefs.”

On the No Political Repression blog, a support of Olejnik writes that she was prohibited from taking notes during her time on the stand, during which she says she resisted questioning. 

Days before her imprisonment began, Matt Duran was also jailed for contempt. According to his attorneys, Duran was not only imprisoned by placed in solitary confinement, denied intimate contact with his lawyer, denied visitor requests forms, personal dietary requirements and sunlight an fresh air.

(Source)

WE ARE MADE OF ST(A)R STUFF - Statement by Leah-Lynn Plante
Oct 10, 2012

On the morning of July 25th, 2012, my life was turned upside down in a matter of hours. FBI agents from around Washington and Oregon and Joint Terrorism Task Force agents from Washington busted down the front door of my house with a battering ram, handcuffed my house mates and me at gunpoint, and held us hostage in our backyard while they read us a search warrant and ransacked our home. They said it was in connection to May Day vandalism that occurred in Seattle, Washington earlier this year. However, we suspected that this was not really about broken windows. As if they had taken pointers from Orwell’s 1984, they took books, artwork and other various literature as “evidence” as well as many other personal belongings even though they seemed to know that nobody there was even in Seattle on May Day. While we know that knowledge is powerful, we suspected that nobody used rolled up copies of the Stumptown Wobbly to commit property damage. We saw this for what it was. They are trying to investigate anarchists and persecute them for their beliefs. This is a fishing expedition. This is a witch hunt. Since then, thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request, we have learned that this Grand jury was convened on March 2nd, 2012, two months before the May Day vandalism even took place.

I was served a subpoena to testify before a Grand Jury on August 2nd, a week later. I hastily packed my life up into boxes, got rid of almost all of my personal belongings in preparation of incarceration. I was dismissed that day after refusing to testify and re-subpoenaed for August 30th, which was pushed back to September 13th. In that time I did a lot of self care, got my affairs in order and got advice from other people who have either resisted Grand Juries, gone to prison or both. I returned to the Grand Jury on September 13th where I was granted immunity. When you are granted immunity, you lose your right to remain silent and can be thrown into prison for civil contempt. Between consulting with my attorney and an hour long recess, I narrowly avoided a contempt hearing simply because they ran out of time. I was dismissed and was told I would receive my 4th subpoena. I walked out of the courthouse just in time to witness Matthew Kyle Duran, my fellow resister, being taken away to prison in a police van. It broke my heart to watch them kidnap an amazing and strong person and take him away from his friends and loved ones. Katherine “Kteeo” Olejnik has met a similar fate for refusing to testify on September 27th. Right now, Matt and Kteeo are both sitting in prison cells for doing nothing but remaining silent. I have nothing but love and admiration for them both and I know that thousands of others feel the same. On the drive home that night my brain felt like it was short circuiting. A few days later, I received notice that my next subpoena was for October 10th. They also notified my lawyer that they were preparing for a contempt hearing.

Court dates aside, my life has been a roller coaster. Thanks to unrelated events, I have suffered with severe depression and PTSD for many years. These are now much worse and new things trigger me. For a while after the raid, I was in a constant state of panic and I could barely eat. Every time someone knocked on the door, every time I heard any sort of loud sound in my house, my heart sank and I thought “they’ve come for me.” To the day of this writing, I haven’t slept a full night since that cold July morning thanks to nausea inducing anxiety that wakes me up between 4:00 and 7:00 every single morning. After a couple months, the initial panic has faded into grim acceptance. Despite my mental health issues, I never once considered co-operation and never would. It is against everything I believe in. On my right arm I have a tattoo reading “strive to survive causing least suffering possible.” This is something I live by every single day and will continue to live by whether I am in a cage or not.

I cannot express in words how grateful I am to all those who have shown us support and solidarity, especially our friends, partners and loved ones. We will all get through this together. I know I am a broken record with the following sentiment, but I feel like it’s worth repeating. They want us to feel isolated, alone and scared. I know that even though Kteeo has been held in what is essentially solitary confinement, she does not feel alone. I know that Matt does not feel alone. I know that I will not feel alone. When they try to mercilessly gut communities, we do not scatter, we grow stronger, we thrive. I view this State repression like this: The State thinks it is a black hole that can destroy whatever it wants. In reality, it is much more like a stellar nursery, wherein it unintentionally creates new, strong anarchist stars.

I do not look forward to what inevitably awaits me today, but I accept it. I ask that people continue to support us throughout this process by writing us letters, sending us books, donating and spreading awareness.

My convictions are unwavering and will not be shaken by their harassment. Today is October 10th, 2012 and I am ready to go to prison.

Love and solidarity to all those who resist,

Forever in silence.

Leah-Lynn Plante
Related links:

New database has extremists' number




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Wednesday, 19 September 2012

Police arrest 14 anarchists for vandalism

PET director Jakob Scharf worked with Copenhagen
 police to arrest 14 anarchists for vandalism (Photo:Scanpix)
City cops work with PET to track down overly-artistic left-wing extremists

The Copenhagen Police and PET, the Danish security and intelligence service, have collaborated to arrest 14 left wing extremists for committing or planning politically-motivated vandalism against the police and other public authorities.

According to Copenhagen Police, four of those arrested were charged with “systematic vandalism of an organised nature”. They were charged with vandalising or attempting to vandalise vehicles at a police academy on Artillerivej and a police station on Hermodsgade. They were also charged with scrawling graffiti on several buildings on Gormsgade and Ægirsgade, including the Nordea facade in Gormsgade where they spray-painted the phrase "Fuck capitalism".

PET said that some of the seven men and seven women detained, who ranged in ages between 16 and 48, were rounded up as a precautionary measure.

“PET’s view is that those arrested had plans of carrying out co-ordinated, politically motivated vandalism targeted at the police and other public authorities,” PET said in a statement.

The statement gives no indication of what other actions police believed the group had planned.

The 14 arrested were interviewed and released Wednesday morning.

(Source)

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A callout to Bristol anarchists. Do we want a Bookfair in 2012?


9 November: An anarchist assembly – do we want a bookfair in 2012?

Wouldn’t you like to play a part in a successful anarchist collective that for the last 4 years has been organising an annual event that is both highly public and explicitly anarchist…and just keeps getting bigger?

From 350 people in 2008 to around 1500 attendees in 2011, the Bristol Bookfair has rapidly become the UK’s second largest, and reflects the exciting anarchist movements in this city.
We have always strongly believed the bookfair fulfills two key purposes:

Firstly to be an easily accessible, highly public event that provides an introduction to anarchist ideas, practices and local groups/projects via literature and meetings.
Secondly to provide a space for anarchists in the region to gather, chat, plot & plan, exchange info, socialise, and get the latest anarchist books etc.

So far we have made a huge effort to publicise the Bookfair very widely around Bristol and beyond, whilst chasing groups etc to get them to attend. We think overall the bookfairs have been successful in meeting the two aims.

The Bristol anarchist bookfair collective is reforming, and holding an open meeting to discuss the viability of another bookfair in 2012. Nothing has been agreed or decided, and that includes who is going to be in the collective. What happens in 2012 will depend largely on what ideas, input and committment you can bring to the meeting. What is certain however is that the 4 to 6 people who have organised the bookfair each year so far, do not collectively have the available time nor energy to make it happen in 2012. This meeting therefore is for those who self-define as anarchists, whilst other radical comrades who have adopted a non-hierarchical, anti-capitalist and extra-parliamentary political position are welcome to attend.

What do you think should happen in 2012? What format would you like to see? And where? Come along to the anarchist assembly!

Meet Wednesday 9 November from 6.30 to 9pm, downstairs at Cafe Kino, 108 Stokes Croft, Bristol BS1 3RU

At 6.30pm for drinks & informal chat. Main assembly kicks off 7pm sharp!

More info: there are a number of ideas doing the rounds, from doing ‘Nothing‘, to holding a month long ‘Festival of Anarchy‘ in May 2012. We have produced a more detailed document covering these ideas, along with the necessary tasks to make a bookfair happen, and the approximate costs of putting it on. Read it here (pdf) Bookfair info

One last point is that the bookfair does not exist outside of the day to day reality. We are living through historic times. The political, economic and social upheaval around us is immense and fundamental change is on the agenda. Whatever we do we should be seeking to push any change in the direction of social revolution. Can, or does, the bookfair have a role to play in that? We obviously think it does!

(Read further: Source)

Related links


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Anarchy on the streets! 2012 Winnipeg Anarchist BookFair and DIY Fest promises radical ideas, interesting workshop — and giant Scrabble


Get radical this weekend at the 2012 Winnipeg Anarchist BookFair and DIY Fest.
  
Now in its fifth year, the annual event takes place Friday, Sept. 21 to Sunday, Sept. 23, in and around the Old Market Autonomous Zone (aka the A-Zone) at 91 Albert Street, a building that’s currently the shared home of a number of activist groups, worker-owned businesses and other alternative enterprises.
  
Offering the opportunity to purchase books, magazines and crafts from more than 20 local and out-of-town publishers and organizations, as well as an assortment of presentations, workshops and musical performances, the book fair/fest is open to all and free to attend — save for a Sunday vegan brunch which will set you back $15.
 
"It’s a real chance to share ideas and be exposed to new radical ideas and writing," says Tim Brandt, 56, a volunteer with Junto Local 91, a collectively run anarchist lending library on the A-Zone’s second floor.
  
"Probably 75 to 80% of the people who come, come because they are already thinking about alternative concepts and radical ideas, and just want more info or to be re-inspired," he adds.
  
Things kick off Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. with a panel discussion on "Books that Rocked My World" featuring Chris Hannah, frontman of punk band Propagandhi, feminist and Copwatch member Shelagh Pizey-Allen, Anishinabe poet Marie Annharte Baker and Winnipeg poet Colin Smith.
  
The book fair begins Saturday at 11 a.m. and continues through Sunday; weather permitting, tables will be set up outside in the lot at Albert Street and Bannatyne Avenue. Meanwhile, a host of activities will be happening as part of DIY Fest and in celebration of World Car-Free Day. (Brandt says organizers are trying to make the local event as car-free as possible by recruiting volunteers to help move merchandise via bike; he’s transporting a canoe to the site to showcase another alternative to car travel. Yes, a canoe. By bike.)
  
Workshops will tackle such topics as community gardening, activist burnout and "hungover yoga." Brandt is particularly excited about the Anarchy and Education workshop facilitated by Pat McGuire and Heather Hall.
 
"Pat is a high-school social-studies teacher and his partner (Heather) is a homeschooling mother, so it’s going to be really interesting, talking about both homeschooling and institutional education and how that fits with anarchist principles," he says.
  
Another likely highlight is Steve Langston’s presentation. The 28-year-old spends his winters in Winnipeg and his summers in Riding Mountain National Park, and is an author, filmmaker and avid cyclist. Earlier this month, Langston and a small film crew embarked on a 17-day, 1,200-kilometre bike trip around Manitoba, during which they ate only provincially sourced foods. The team posted daily video updates at www.tailwindtv.com/ and will release a documentary in November.
  
Langston will be talking about the tour Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Other presenters are Montreal student organizer Jerome Raza (Saturday, 5 p.m.), speaking about the recent protests in Quebec, and author Nik Barry-Shaw (Sunday, 2 p.m.), whose new book, Paved with Good Intentions, critiques the role of NGOs.
  
Saturday afternoon will also feature music (singer/songwriter John K. Samson is one of several performers) and, for those who missed them at this year’s Winnipeg Folk Festival, a chance to play some of the over-sized classic board games handmade by Winnipegger Sean Strachan and friends.
  
While the politics on display at this year’s event will be radical, there’s no need for first-timers to feel nervous about attending: despite what’s typically depicted on TV news reports, not all anarchists are black-clad, rock-throwing trouble-makers.
 
"Absolutely everyone’s welcome," Brandt says. "We’re all gentle — and just interested in sharing the knowledge that there’s probably a better way to co-exist on Earth."


Related links


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Saturday, 15 September 2012

UK Anarchists Targetted: Police Tells Public To Report Anti-Government Beliefs As Terrorism

The London Metropolitan Police is encouraging businesses and the general public to immediately report anyone who holds anti-government political beliefs to the authorities as terrorists, calling on people to become volunteer informants as the state prepares for widespread social unrest.

“This was the surprising injunction from the Metropolitan Police issued to businesses and members of the public in Westminster last week,” reports the London Guardian. “There was no warning about other political groups, but next to an image of the anarchist emblem, the City of Westminster police’s “counter terrorist focus desk” called for anti-anarchist whistleblowers stating: “Anarchism is a political philosophy which considers the state undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, and instead promotes a stateless society, or anarchy. Any information relating to anarchists should be reported to your local police.”
In also calling on people to report Al-Qaeda paraphernalia to police, the briefing conflates “anarchists” with terrorists.

“It unfairly implies that anyone involved in anarchism should be known to the police and is involved in an dangerous activity,” said Jason Sands, an anarchist from South London. “There is nothing inherently criminal about political philosophy whatever it is. The police work under the convention on human rights which disallows discrimination against people because of their political beliefs and even the request for information would seem to be in breach of that.”

Of course, the “anarchist” label could apply to a whole range of political beliefs, but the fact that the state is now openly criminalizing anti-government sentiment and encouraging people to report on their neighbors for expressing dissent or displaying any sign of their political philosophy is a clear indication of how paranoid the British government has become of its own citizens.

As anarchist Sean Smith told the Guardian, “It’s pretty absurd, but not surprising, when the state seeks to criminalise ideas it deems to be dangerous to its own survival.”

Indeed, if you want an insight into where the British government thinks this is all heading, look no further than a 2007 Ministry of Defence report which foresaw “the middle classes becoming revolutionary” and “taking on the role of Marx’s proletariat” within three decades.

“The world’s middle classes might unite, using access to knowledge, resources and skills to shape transnational processes in their own class interest,” warns the report, predicting mass unrest and social dislocation.

This is why the authorities are already putting the squeeze on any kind of political beliefs that could be construed as anti-government. They are aware of the fact that the increasingly dangerous, unjust and economically deprived post-industrial revolution now being used to eviscerate the middle class in the west will provoke a hostile and radical reaction.

Encouraging people to report on each other for political beliefs deemed undesirable by the state is precisely what happened in Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany.

One common misconception about Nazi Germany was that the police state was solely a creation of the authorities and that the citizens were merely victims. On the contrary, Gestapo files show that 80% of all Gestapo investigations were started in response to information provided by denunciations by “ordinary” Germans.

“There were relatively few secret police, and most were just processing the information coming in. I had found a shocking fact. It wasn’t the secret police who were doing this wide-scale surveillance and hiding on every street corner. It was the ordinary German people who were informing on their neighbors,” wrote Robert Gellately of Florida State University.

Gellately discovered that the people who informed on their neighbors were motivated primarily by banal factors – “greed, jealousy, and petty differences,” and not by a genuine concern about crime or insecurity.

(Source) See also the Daily Mail article on the subject.


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Friday, 14 September 2012

Interview with Tia Foster (ATS/CC Radio interview)


Tia Foster, an animal rights activist in upstate New York, shares her experiences on the Left and her exploration of some intellectual currents of the New Right. Topics include:

* Occupy Wall Street
* political correctness
* white guilt
* animal rights and deep ecology
* feminism
* Holocaust revisionism
* Jewish harassment techniques
* the New Right
* National Anarchism
* Being of mixed Iranian-European ancestry
* Psychedelic drugs
* Mysticism and religion
* Charles Manson and ATWA
* Cracks in the Left coalition
* Che Guevara
* Male feminists
* Zoophiles and their demands for inclusion and tolerance
* Left-wing politics as therapeutic self-affirmation for the damaged and neurotic
* Veganism

Listen to the full interview below.

This interview is also discussed on the N-AM facebook group here and on Counter-Currents here.


Wednesday, 5 September 2012

New database has extremists' number

But, what constitutes an extremist and who is to decide?

Article:

All individuals and organizations ever involved in extremist activities or even suspected of it will be taken under the watchful eye of law enforcers. Currently, each of the agencies has its own data and they use different electronic programs, so it takes a while to get full information about a certain person when required.

Russian law enforcement agencies will create an integrated electronic database where all individuals who have ever been prosecuted for extremism-related crimes will be listed.

The idea was initiated by the Russian Ministry of Regional Development, which has worked out a set of measures to prevent interethnic conflicts, writes Izvestia daily.

Under the plan, the work on the database will begin next year. The Internal Affairs Ministry, Federal Security Service, Justice Ministry, Prosecutor General’s Office and Financial Monitoring Service will be taking part in the project.

All individuals and organizations ever involved in extremist activities or even suspected of it will be taken under the watchful eye of law enforcers. Currently, each of the agencies has its own data and they use different electronic programs, so it takes a while to get full information about a certain person when required.

The only database that is now available contains information on literature and videos that were banned by court decisions as extremist. There is also a list of outlawed organizations and parties. However, organizations that were suspected of extremism but were not closed are only known to a limited number of people in the special services, writes the paper.

The law enforcers will also control informal youth movements and carry out search activities to reveal international extremist groups organized within national Diasporas and among migrant workers. The Financial Monitoring Service will help to reveal and stop sponsorship of radical groups.

In addition, the database will monitor the election process. The law enforcement bodies will counter attempts of representatives of extremist movements to be elected into power structures.

Former Minister of Nationalities Policies Vladimir Zorin believes the proposed measures will be quite useful, especially since it was decided to return to the direct election of regional governors.

“The new liberal rules for registration of candidates [in elections] and parties may allow the use of radical slogans which stir up interethnic discord and phobias during political campaigning,” he told Izvestia.

The integrated database will help prevent extremists from finding their way on to candidate lists, he added. (Source)

Sunday, 2 September 2012

Anarchist book fair gaining momentum, organizers say


Thanks to the mindcorroding influence of the Sex Pistols, the word "anarchy" always conjures up (at least for me) images of wild-eyed punks smashing up stuff.

That's silly, of course. In essence, anarchism, with its long history as a social movement, favours abolishment of government. And, given the B.C. Liberals' recent hijinks, perhaps the notion is not so offbase.

On Sept. 8 and 9, the Fernwood Community Centre hosts the seventh annual Victoria Anarchist Book Fair ("located on unceded Songhees territory in Victoria," the press release declares).

Timid types need not be put off - organizers say the book fair is for "anarchists and non-anarchists" alike. I suspect one of the most interesting speakers will be Victoria's Tom Swanky, who's written a provocative new book, Canada's "War" of Extermination on the Pacific. It suggests white colonialists deliberately introduced smallpox to First Nations' populations in the mid-19th century. (Read further: Source)


Related links



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Monday, 27 August 2012

Extremist makeover: Communists blast Lenin ‘witch-hunt’


Russia’s Communist Party (KPRF) is strongly opposed to probing works of its progenitors, such as the Bolshevik Revolution leader Vladimir Lenin, for extremism.

“If we launch a ‘witch-hunt’ and attempt to apply modern law to the historical and political writings of our predecessors, we may overstep the mark,” Communist MP Sergey Obukhov stated at a media conference on Monday.

Earlier, Russian historian Vladimir Lavrov asked the head of the country’s Investigative Committee, Aleksandr Bastrykin, to carry out an expert evaluation of Lenin’s works, as they “incited social hatred by the propaganda of people’s inferiority based of their social affiliation.”

Commenting on the matter, Obukhov noted that he will not be surprised if ideas to probe “the Bible, the New Testament and chronicles [history of the Eastern Slavs]” for extremism are also voiced soon.

The Communists have also vowed not to allow the mummified body of the revolutionary leader be removed from the mausoleum on Red Square and buried.

According to KPRF leader Gennady Zyuganov, keeping Lenin’s body where it is “complies with Orthodox Christian canons and traditions.”

He pointed out that in Kiev’s Pechersk Lavra – an Orthodox cave monastery founded back in 11th century – the dead were not committed to the ground.For instance, Zyuganov observed, relics of St. Ilya Muromets are stored at the monastery in the Ukrainian capital.

The KPRF chairman also noted that it is impossible to rebury the remains of prominent Communist activists and revolutionaries laid to rest in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis – which is located on both sides of the mausoleum. Removing their bodies from the site and burying them in another place is only possible with the consent of relatives. So far, Zyuganov said, no one has asked to do so.

The dispute on whether Vladimir Lenin’s body should be relocated has been going on for over 20 years.
A poll published earlier this year revealed though that more than half of all Russians believe it is time for the remains of the Bolshevik leader to be interred.

After Lenin’s death on January 21, 1924, his body was embalmed and placed in the mausoleum built in the very center of Moscow. It was opened for the public, who queued up for hours to see the body of the legendary Bolshevik leader. The top of the memorial was used by the Communist leadership as a tribune during parades and demonstrations.

Thursday, 16 August 2012

UK anti-terrorist police detain Anarchist Federation member


Two anarchists returning to the UK from a conference in Switzerland were detained, denied a solicitor and interrogated by counter-terrorist officers.

For the past week, thousands of anarchists from across the world have been converging in St.Imier, Switzerland to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the founding of the Anarchist international. The gathering took the form of a festival and educational, with music, films and entertainment as well as workshops and discussions.

On returning from the St Imier gathering, two anarchists, one a member of the UK Anarchist Federation, were detained for nearly two hours at Heathrow by SO15 (counter-terrorist) intelligence who initially refused to identify themselves to the detainees. During the detention, the anarchists were told that their normal rights did not apply, and had their names, addresses, email addresses, DNA, photographs and fingerprints taken. The detained anarchists were also forced to sign forms – which may or may not be legal – waiving their rights to silence and a solicitor. Police also conducted a thorough search of personal possessions, photocopied literature and passports and took information from phones and cameras. (Read further: Source)

Related links

*  In Swiss city, global anarchists reject gov't debt


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Wednesday, 15 August 2012

Communist Symbol Ban Spreads Among Russia’s Neighbors


In Lviv, Western Ukraine nationalists fought last year to block communists from bringing red flags to the city’s World War II Hill of Glory.  This year, Lviv banned all public displays of Communist and Nazi symbols.

The ban on hammers and sickles and swastikas follows similar bans in the Baltics, in Georgia, and in much of Eastern Europe.  Moldova implements its ban on October 1.

In front of Lviv’s Opera House, where a statue of Lenin once stood, there is now a fountain. And near the railroad station, where there was once a fountain, there is now a statue to the late Stepan Bandera, a leader of the anti-Soviet Organization of Ukrainian nationalists. (Read further: Source)


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The Online Hate Prevention Institute censors YouTube


Welcome to Australia: a land of opportunities; the land of parrots; and the home of a group of semi-literate hatemongers who want to tell you which videos you can watch, and which you can't.

Hate is a terrible thing, isn't it? Or perhaps that depends on the target of that hate. Is it wrong to hate war? To hate poverty? To hate lies? To hate bigotry?

These issues can be subjective, because it is not always wrong to lie, and depending on how it is defined, bigotry can be a good, bad or indifferent thing. Therein lies one of the many problems of an organisation that sets itself up to "prevent hate". Or perhaps that should be "ostensibly to prevent hate". There is at least one such organisation Down Under, the deceptively titled Online Hate Prevention Institute. (Read further: Source)


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Monday, 30 July 2012

Agents Raid Homes in Search of “Anarchist Literature”


When FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force agents raided multiple activist homes in the Northwest last week, they were in search of “anti-government or anarchist literature.”

The raids were part of a multi-state operation that targeted activists in Portland, Olympia, and Seattle. At least three people were served subpoenas to appear before a federal grand jury on August 2nd in Seattle.

In addition to anarchist literature, the warrants also authorize agents to seize flags, flag-making material, cell phones, hard drives, address books, and black clothing.

The listing of black clothing and flags, along with comments made by police, indicates that the FBI may ostensibly be investigating “black bloc” tactics used during May Day protests in Seattle, which destroyed corporate property.

If that is true, how are books and literature evidence of criminal activity?

To answer that, we need to look at the increasing harassment, surveillance, and prosecution of anarchists and political activists associated with the Occupy Movement.

In some cases, such as the May Day arrests in Cleveland, the FBI has been so desperate to arrests “anarchist terrorists” that it supplied them with bomb-making materials and used an informant to entrap them. The same thing happened in Chicago. (Read further: Source)

Related links

BREAKING:Interview and Documents from FBI Raid Show Feds are Targeting Anarchists
Young Persons Called to Private Grand Jury for Owning Books

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Wednesday, 11 April 2012

Behind the Mask: The Story of The Animal Liberation Front (Documentary)

 Behind the Mask: The Story Of The People Who Risk Everything To Save Animals is a 2006 documentary film about the Animal Liberation Front (ALF). It took three years of filming, interviewing, and editing to complete. The movie was created by animal-rights lawyer Shannon Keith, who owns Uncaged Films and ARME (Animal Rescue, Media & Education). The documentary was produced in response to a perceived bias in the mainstream media against the animal rights movement.


The film is about animal rights activists who break into laboratories and other facilities to provide previously unseen footage of the way animals are used.

It includes well-known names within the animal rights movement, some of whom have been imprisoned for taking direct action. The story of Jill Phipps, who was killed when she fell under a lorry while protesting against the live export of animals, is told, with her mother saying, "They call us terrorists but the reality is that over the years four animal rights activists have been killed during protests."

The UK première was held on September 7, 2006 at the Exeter Phoenix Arts and Media Centre. Keith Mann gave a talk and answered questions. Mann and others have since toured the film extensively worldwide, organizing screenings in local cinemas and at animal rights events. The Calcutta The Telegraph has said about the film: "Regardless of what one thinks about the tactics of the Animal Liberation Front, the film is an extraordinary one that is well worth watching".

Watch the documentary in one full video below


Or watch it in 7 segments below

Part 1 of 7


Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7



Related links