ISSUE TWENTY FOUR
The foot and mouth outbreak in Britain’s countryside has halted the Countryside Alliance march. But more than this, it has highlighted the effects that modern capitalism, via intensive farming methods and the call for cheap food in the developed countries has had on the countryside.
BSE was a turning point. Suddenly it was revealed to many that a lot of farms were not Old MacDonald’s gaff, but giant agribusinesses, that some farmers had multiple properties, that farms were just factories for animals, with profit as the only priority. The foot and mouth outbreak has underlined this. Now people know that many animals are kept in filthy conditions, trucked hundreds of miles across Britain (and sometimes from Britain to other parts of Europe, where foot and mouth has now spread) and then squeezed into sheds in disease-ridden conditions to be fattened up. Then they are taken on other journeys, because of the centralisation of mega-abattoirs, famed for their squalor.
Globalisation has contributed heavily to the present foot and mouth outbreak. 1. By excessive animal transport which moves infected animals around one country, and indeed several countries. 2. Stress suffered by these animals weakens their immune systems and makes them more susceptible to disease. Globalisation seeks “trade facilitation”, liberalising trade, whereby any health and environmental regulations are removed at borders.
The fact is, foot and mouth is not much of a killer for animals - and there is now a vaccine anyway. The frail and the young may die, but most get a painful but short disease, and survive but with a loss of appetite. So a sheep or cow loses weight and becomes less productive. That is the key thing, productivity.
In an industry that depends so much on intensive methods this is a disaster. In the 19th Century this minor drop in productivity was a thing that no one bothered about. Farmers let it run its course. And disease was localised. Now it has spread on an international scale and vaccination is banned to protect long term profits. Likewise, the mass slaughter of animals is purely to protect profit margins.
The foot and mouth crisis is a product of modern capitalism, of agribusiness and intensive farming methods.
The Labour government has claimed that unemployment has fallen below the 1 million mark. Tony Blair, in the run-up to the election , is boasting of this attack on unemployment. But a closer look at the figures reveals that this measures only those out of work AND claiming benefit. Another international way of measuring unemployment is that of the International Labour Organisation, and this puts British figures at 1,535,000, i.e. 54% more than government figures. These extra numbers are people looking for work but not getting benefits. On top of this there are people not looking for work, because they think there aren’t any jobs for them, also not getting benefits.
But more important is that most jobs on offer now, need no skills or low skills. Many already in work are on low-paid, part-time and temporary jobs. Soul-destroying, boring jobs with low pay. This is what the boss class has engineered right through the US and Western Europe. Permanent jobs are more or less a thing of the past, and the bosses hope to use this lack of a job future to terrify a workforce into being obedient and compliant.
On top of this, Labour’s New Deal has terrorised the unemployed to take any shitty, low-paid job that comes along. Labour plans to crank up the jobless- bashing by extending these sanctions to unemployed over the age of 25. None of us, jobless or working, unwaged or in a McJob, should take this lying down. We need to organise across traditional divisions to take on these modern slave-drivers.
5 ANARCHISTS ACQUITTED
Five French anarchists, members of the Federation Anarchiste and the CNT (anarcho-syndicalist union) were arrested for having blocked the path of an official vehicle during the recent demonstrations against the Nice Summit. They risked heavy fines and up to 2 years in the slammer. Luckily the court threw out the charges. They still have to pay the legal expenses so any donation would be welcome, made out to: Chat Nicois Turbulent, Compte CCP no8 897 05 U centre Lyon at CNT salle 15bis Bourse du Travail, 42028 St Etienne cedex France.
A day of discussion is being hosted by the Anarchist Federation on 7th April, at Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London, nearest tube Holborn. 10am-5pm. Entrance £2/free for unwaged.
Topics include:
Revolutionary Anarchism: Past, Present and Future.
Against Parliament, Against the State.
Anti-capitalism and Class Struggle
Due to shit loads of problems beyond our control the planned benefit gig for Turkish anarchist prisoners (see resistance #22 for more info) has been cancelled. Money is still needed though. Cheques to: “Emine Ozkaya” and the address is: 5th May Group, P.O. Box 2474, London, N8.
Borneo: Ethnic violence has exploded in Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) with Madurese being forced out and hundreds killed by indigenous tribes. The authorities offer no protection, instead inciting trouble. There is a history of tension between ethnic groups. The Madurese arrived in the 1920s; though most arrived under Suharto’s divisive settlement drives in the ’60s and ‘70s. Chinese have also been on the receiving end of ethnic violence in the past. The tribes (known pejoratively as Dayaks - a catchall name for over 200 non-muslim tribes) are themselves settlers, though they have been on Borneo far longer than anyone else. Recent settlers like the Madurese and Chinese survive through commerce, while many tribes cling vainly to traditional ways, leading to gaps in economic and political power. The Indonesian state uses this to divert disaffection away from themselves and into the dead-end of ethnic violence. They are now actively removing all Madurese from Kalimantan as they have served their purpose.
As Indonesia slips further into economic and political chaos these ethnic disputes will be used increasingly by the authorities to maintain control. With 200 tribes and other ethnic groups, once the Madurese are gone, who might be next? All people in Indonesia must look past these differences and realise who their real enemy is.
Kenya: In an attempt to win political favour the government is planning to give away 10% (67,000 hectares) of its remaining forests to lackeys for logging. The financial loss in timber alone is at least £1.7bn. The ecological and social costs are massive. 15% of the Mau forest is scheduled for felling, even though this is the catchment area for 40% of the country’s water supply. Illegal logging around the source of the Njoro River has already left that supply dry for half the year. A coalition opposed to the scheme has so far managed to block the give-away.
ON THE FRONTLINE
La Paz, Bolivia: 1500 pensioners march to capital to demand higher pensions.
Jakarta, Indonesia: 8000 in protest calling for resignation of the president.
Mexico: Zapatistas march to Mexico City to highlight indigenous struggle.
Palestine: Clashes with security forces throughout occupied territories during ‘Day of Rage’ against Israeli occupation.
Kiev, Ukraine: Over 18,000 demonstrate against President Kushma. 70 arrests during running battles with riot police.
“I’m the hardest working person I know. I have about five jobs and I only go to about three parties a week.“
Lady Victoria Hervey
Nope, sorry, we don’t know who the fuck she is either, but she’s on record as having remarked: “People with 12 kids claiming benefits just laze around on the dole because they make more that way than having a job”. She rants on to say that she herself works so hard, poor dear, with “about 5 jobs”, that she‘s only able to attend 3 parties a week to flaunt her aristocratic arse and open her silly gob denouncing us proles.
Well, we don’t know what your other 4 jobs are, missus, but the one where you pose in a few tiny bits and pieces of your underwear for some grubby magazine doesn’t seem much like a real job to us mi’lady. In fact, we don’t think you know what a real job or a real life actually is. “Lady”, our arses; you’re just a spoilt little rich girl with too much time on your hands and too much of mommy’s and daddy’s inheritance to spend on yourself. Instead of all this indulgence in attention seeking you should try for a few months a bout of job-seeking or asylum seeking. then you’d know first hand just what a struggle it can be to exist on so-called ‘benefits’. Ain’t much of a party we can tell you.
2 members of the Anarchist Federation attended a meeting of the International of Anarchist Federations in Montpelier, France over the weekend of 17/18th March. They met with French, German , Italian, and Spanish anarchists. Among topics discussed was the ongoing construction of the International and a forthcoming international anarchist mobilisation in Genoa, Italy. The AFers signed a joint press statement with the other delegates offering solidarity with Kurdish asylum seekers on hunger strike in Montpelier.
Thousands of anti-capitalists have clashed with riot police in the Italian city of Naples. 40,000 demonstrators took to the streets to protest against a meeting of the Global Forum - a conference of government and technology - and a large number were determined to stop the meeting from going ahead at all. Demonstrators took the filth on and succeeded in breaking through enemy barricades in an attempt to reach conference delegates from 120 governments.
As paving stones and smoke bombs were thrown from the crowds and rubbish containers were set on fire numerous police scum were injured including a police commander who was taken to hospital with serious head wounds. Cars and offices were damaged in the riot and shop windows were smashed. An Italian television crew also got a kicking - as a mouthpiece of the ruling class they deserve nothing less.
The protest was organised by the No Global Network, and if the Italian pigs feel in anyway put out by the way they were treated, they were warned. Just look at the No Global Forum logo. Superb stuff.
The latest meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) was in Cancun, Mexico on Feb 25-27th. 2,700 soldiers and police versus 5,000 protesters and, one would have hoped, a repeat of the same kind of direct resistance that plagued earlier meetings. But sadly no. Things got off to a bad start when buses carrying protesters heading for Cancun were stopped at a checkpoint outside the city and held for 5 hours; their belongings were searched and banners, paints, masks, tyres and helmets were confiscated. This temporary setback led to further divisions in an already divided camp. The strangely named ‘Civil Disobedience’ wanted nothing of the sort. Instead they seemed determined to push through a ‘zero violence, zero drugs, zero provocations’ agenda. Another faction, the ‘Continental Social Alliance’ preferred an alternative forum, holding workshops on issues such as human rights, the environment, labour struggle, and the proposed Puebla to Panama plan- whose goal is the possible future replacement of the Panama Canal. All well and good. But when violence in Cancun finally kicked off on the 27th, with police launching an unprovoked attack on two contingents outside the hotel where the WEF was meeting, it was left to small numbers of people to fight back. 55 arrests and 15 hospital victims later the WEF was given a chance to catch up with the important business of screwing up the planet. The moral of the story? Less talk, more action! Direct action, organised and disciplined, is the ONLY form of protest the authorities fear, the ONLY form that will actually disrupt the bastards in the WEF, IMF etc...from meeting up in the first place.
On Sat 3rd of March the National Front (NF) held an anti-paedophile demonstration outside of Nottingham prison, Perry Road. The hypocrisy of an organisation that models itself on the Nazi Party, which abused and slaughtered thousands of children, protesting against child abuse was not lost on the local population. The anti-fascist group Nottingham Anti-Fascist Alliance (NAFA) publicised the event and approx. 400 people turned out to oppose the racist scum. The National Front turn out was a pathetic 30. Scores of police formed lines at both ends of Perry road, and protesters made a concerted effort to push through and at one point the Police line had been pushed back ten feet when out came the batons. NAFA will be following up the many cases of brutality, and are asking for people who witnessed anything to contact NAFA on 07949 312668 and leave details, or e-mail: nafanotts@yahoo.co.uk
As a result of this Demo, the National Front know that they are not welcome in Nottingham. They will be coming to Leicester on the 21st of April (St Georges day) and we plan to oppose them again.
Some of us travelled to Nottingham with the No Platform Anti-Fascist Network, who can be contacted at:
BM Box 5827, London, WC1N 3XX Email: noplatform@antifa.net web: www.antifa.net/noplatform
We’ve also heard a report that Nick Griffin, the leader of another fascist group, the BNP, recently had to run for his life from about 30 anti-fascists in Leeds! Oh well, next time...
May the 1st is a day of celebration in memory of anarchists in Chicago who were executed for leading a strike against capitalist exploitation.
This year take the day off, phone in sick and join in the London wide Monopoly party to protest against the corruptness and greed that emanate from the global beast of capitalism. Get together with friends and colleagues, get the monopoly board out, get some beers in and plan an autonomous action against a symbol of authority or capitalism that rules your lives. You could: publicise injustice outside of a prison, hold a mass bureaucratic paperwork burning outside Ofsted, organise a demonstration........ be creative.
Contact Mayday Monopoly with your plans and they’ll help publicise it:
BM Mayday London WC1N 3XX, mayday2001@hushmail.com www.maydaymonopoly.net Telephone: 07989 451 096
Got a bike, roller blades, a skate board, a pushchair or are you a wheel chair user? If so start the day bright and early with the Critical Mass Ride for affordable and safe integrated transport, traffic free spaces for kids to play, wheelchair and pushchair accessible transport, environmentally friendly alternative transport driven by our needs not capitalist profit
Meet at Marylebone Station (Harewood Ave W1) or Liverpool Street station at 7.30 am then converge on Kings Cross for a fun late breakfast before riding off to join up with other events happening on the Monopoly board. Also at 4pm there’s a party against consumerism in Oxford St.
Last seen scavenging litter off Wimbledon Common circa 1970’s the Wombles (alias ‘the White-Overalls Movement Building Libertarian Effective Struggles) among others resurfaced outside Nike HQ ‘Niketown’ in Oxford Circus on Sun March 11th and for two reasons. First of all, to protest against Nike’s continuing sweatshop enterprises in the developing world, and secondly as an act of solidarity to coincide with the arrival of the Zapatista’s ‘Zapatour’ of caravans that has trundled its way for two weeks from Chiapas to Mexico City.
30 protesters marched from the Mexican embassy in swanky Hyde Park and stormed the premises of the sportswear outlet while Nike security guards along with their mates from Top Shop next door attempted to force them out with the usual heavy-handed tactics. Campaigners regrouped and formed a human chain around the building even managing to unfurl a banner from the second floor walkway with the NIKE swoosh logo dripping blood and the maxim:
NIKE SUCKS LIFE OUT OF MEXICO!
When members of Her Majesty’s finest eventually arrived on the scene they were at a loss to locate the protest’s leaders - a much to be expected response as the authorities don’t understand non-hierarchical organisation being too wrapped up in their own centralised chain of command and expecting the same from others.
And the most pathetic moment of the day? Perhaps the pitiful spectacle of NIKE employees scrambling to scoop up the protesters leaflets before Joe Public could get a chance to read them!
In an election year, no greater metaphor for so-called ‘democracy’ and the futility of ever trying to get your voice heard when your voice isn’t what the corporations or their cronies in government want you to hear.
JUSTICE FOR TOMEK WILKOSZEWSKI!!!
Tomek Wilkoszewski is in prison because he isn’t rich, he doesn’t have contacts with authorities and cannot afford a lawyer. His only crime was that he defended himself. At the end of Feb 1997 he was found guilty of murdering a neo-fascist and was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment. Tomek may now only be pardoned by the president. Write the president at: Prezydent RP, Aleksander Kwasniewski, Krakowskie Przedmiescie 48/50, 00-071 Warszawa,
Write to Tomek: Tomek Wilkoszewski, Zaklad Karny, Orzechowa 5, 98-200 Sieradz.
KLAUDIUSZ DOES TIME.
In 1991, when attacked by three skinheads Klaudiusz Gliklich defended himself and two of the aggressors received injuries. As a result he was charged and sentenced to six years in prison. After 2 years and 9 months of the sentence he was released on parole. His conditional release was supervised by a person who turned out to be a former nationalist. Eventually, being provoked, Klaudiusz hit him. His parole was cancelled and Klaudiusz returned to prison. Write to:
Klaudiusz Gliklich, SZPITAL WIEZIENNY, ul.Chrobrego 2, 43-400 Cieszyn
FRAMED BY THE POLICE
Jarek ‘Sruba’ was sentenced to three years and six months of imprisonment Nov 1999 . He was framed by the police and charged with beating and robbing a policeman.
JAROSLAW IZYKOWSKI, ZAKLAD KARNY, UL. WIEZIENNA 6, 56- 100 WOLÓW
2 RUSSIAN ANARCHISTS ARRESTED
Alexsandr Biryukov and Olga Nevskaja are 2 anarchists accused of being part of the New Revolutionary Alternative which attacked the offices of the FSB (successor to the KGB) and killed 2 policemen. They deny any involvement in the actions of the NRA. Write to Alexsandr Anatolyevch Biryukov, Ul. Novoslobodskaja d. 45 IZ 48/2 103 055 Moscow Russia; And to Olga Aleksandrovna Nevskaja, E-20 p/ya 201, 111 120 Moscow, Russia.
YUGOSLAV ANARCHIST ARRESTED
On 23 Jan Srdjan Knezevic, was arrested at Belgrade Airport. He is one of the most active anarchists in Yugoslavia. He is accused of the crime of “ abandonment of his post and desertion of the Army of Yugoslavia”.
More info ftrom CNT AIT (International Secretariat) BP 1886, 89003 Auxerre Cedex, France. E-mail cnt.ait@wanadoo.fr
SUPPORT AMADEU CASELLAS RAMON
Amadeu Casellas Ramón is on hunger strike since the 13th Jan in the prison of Can Brians, as part of the general mobilizations of social prisoners in the Spanish State regarding collective demands. Send protest letters demanding the freedom of Amadeu Casellas to: Sr. D. ANGEL GOMEZ MUÑOZ, Dr. Gen. de Serveis, Penitenciaris i Rehabilitaciò, C/ Aragó 332, 08009 Barcelona - Spanish State
Please visit the regularly updated Anarchist Federation diary page for details of the latest events