resistance
- monthly bulletin of the Anarchist Federation (Britain and Ireland)
ISSUE THIRTY THREE - JANUARY 2002
GOTCHA!
The
Argentinian state is on the brink of collapse following the explosion of mass
class anger over the last few weeks. A series of continuing protests,
demonstrations, occupations and outbreaks of looting has left politicians of
all parties, judges, cops and bureaucrats fearing not only for their own
personal safety but also for the future of the state itself. At the last count over 30 people had been
killed, hundreds injured and five Presidents sworn in over the last three
weeks.
Roots
of Uprising
The
uprising had been a long time coming – Argentina has been a favourite and
faithful follower of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Structural Adjustment Programs which
aggressively cut back on social spending in favour of tax cuts for business,
whilst exporting billions in debt repayments – Argentina currently owes $150
billion. The spark that ignited the current wave of rebellions was the
imposition of restrictions on cash withdrawals from banks and savings companies
as a result of the IMF’s granting of $1.3 billion to cover falls in tax revenue. This resulted in workers not
receiving their wages and the 50% of the economy that is irregular and cash
based (street traders, etc.) losing their scarce income. Overnight, poverty
came to a majority of the population, and those already in poverty faced
starvation. It was only a matter of time before working class anger exploded.
Battle
of The Plaza de Mayo
The
insurrection that followed has been seen around the world, giving just a small
indication of the anger that is building up in the IMF countries, this will
surely not be the last. On the morning of 20 Dec thousands of people made their
way towards the Congress Square to demand that President De la Rua follow his
Economic Minister and resign. The crowds were banging pots and pans
(cacerolazo), chanting slogans against all politicians and demanding an end to
debt repayments. The sheer anger and volatility of the crowd left De la Rua
with little option but to resign, along with the rest of his cabinet, but being
a typical egoistic politician, he demanded he be allowed to make a final
speech. This arrogance further inflamed the crowds besieging Congress and he
had to be airlifted to safety.
Tensions
were rising with the arrival of people from the outlying shanty towns (the
Villas de la Miseria), who came prepared to use their traditional tactic of
piquetora, blockading and occupying motorways and buildings. The large
supermarkets were now being looted by the starving. As we’ve seen in similar
cases, working class solidarity was very apparent with people fetching food for
elderly people and those who did not want to risk defying the 35 000 cops now
on duty. Piles of nappies and baby food were placed on corners for parents to
take.
The
Battle of Plaza de Mayo now kicked off proper with thousands fighting the cops.
Hundreds of barricades were erected, banks and multinationals were completely
destroyed, and very many were set alight. The cops ran out of rubber bullets
and began using live rounds. Motorqueros (people on motorbikes) formed a
‘people’s cavalry’ and charged at the police. The battle lasted seven hours and
left 26 dead. Similar class rage was being expressed all over the country.
What
Now?
The
Argentinian state has clearly lost all legitimacy in the eyes of the working
class – no one can be found to take political responsibility, the current
President was investigated for corruption and use of drug money only two years
ago – and this is the best they can come up with! Power is lying in the street.
The left are working feverishly to contain and curb the revolutionary urges of
a class in revolt, calling for an end to the looting, formation of a
constituent assembly, Union power – all the failed bourgeois crap of the last
century - and this whilst the proletariat
is actively engaged in insurrection!!! A further danger is that politicians
will try to recuperate the anger into a ‘national defence’ against the IMF, to
get people to rally around Argentina, this is already apparent with national
flags starting to appear at protests. Whatever happens, this is only a taste of
what’s to come…
---
THE
STATE IS YOUR ENEMY
The
response of states around the world to the attacks of Sept 11 have come as no
surprise to anarchists.
In
Britain the removals of our supposed human rights is continuing to gather pace.
The terrorism act of 2000 re-defined all effective forms of protest as
terrorism and made participants liable to be arrested and held in secret for
seven days without trial. The new emergency laws bring in indefinite detention
for foreign suspects.
In the
USA, things have gone even further with over 1,000 people already imprisoned
without even being charged. And for the few that do come to trial it won’t be
in open court but in front of a secret military tribunal - with the power of
the death penalty if judges decide to use it.
Democracy
and human rights are nothing more than myths - whenever states feel even
slightly threatened they are swept aside in an instant.
---
ON THE
FRONTLINE
Railway
strike
Railway
workers were back on strike in January, with the promise of more to come if
their demands are not met. Workers on South-West Trains rejected a 7.6% pay
rise (unthinkable until recently) and struck for 48 hours leading to the
cancellation of around 1700 trains. As we go to press more strikes have been
announced for the next few days. Other rail workers are unhappy at inadequate
staffing levels that are affecting safety, with many drivers simply refusing to
start their trains.
Class
Struggle in China
A
factory owner and his wife have been ‘imprisoned’ by Chinese workers until he
agrees to pay them their wages. The owner of the toy factory in Sheyang city,
Jiangsu province has been held for over three weeks while his wife has been
released to try and raise the money to ensure his safe release. The police have
been too scared to intervene, and the local authorities have also washed their
hands of the affair. Spontaneous protests like these have been increasing in
frequency with the ‘liberalisation’ of the Chinese economy, and frequently end
in mass battles, (e.g. Wuhan 1999, Sichuan 1998). There have also been
persistent reports of assassinations and bomb attacks on bosses and local party
bureaucrats.
Direct
Action French Style
A fine
example of how militant direct action can prove a success is provided by the
strikers at Cormelles-le-Royal, France. After occupying their plants for three
months, holding the government’s negotiator hostage, burning down an unused
warehouse and threatening to “blow the place,” the 4,400 workers at Moulinex
finally won their demand. The bosses finally got the message and caved in to
the workers demands. Direct action gets the goods yet again!
Eastern
Europe
More
anger being directed at the bosses in the Czech Republic where hundreds of cops
were needed to stop a crowd of several hundred glass-workers from attacking
managers planning to shut down their 300 year old industry in Kvetna-Strane.
Again as in China, this is just one example amongst many. Class struggle in
Eastern Europe is taking on an increasingly direct and confrontational form as
people fight to protect themselves from ‘liberalisation’.
Scotland
Bank
workers in Scotland staged strike action in protest over having to work on
traditional Scottish Bank Holidays.
A
majority of staff stayed away on Jan 2 with those branches opening facing
pickets outside.
---
CELEBRITY
PRAT OF THE MONTH
‘...They
leave work at 5pm, there’s Bank Holidays every minute. It’s irritating. I can’t
believe how people don’t like work. I’m used to people in America working seven
days a week’
SO
PRATTLES on Madonna about British workers who ‘don’t put in long enough hours’,
whilst slaving away for a pittance compared to what she ‘earns’ refurbishing
her £6 million gaff. The vastly over-rated singer obviously believes that we
lesser-mortals should be at the wealthy’s beck and call 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week, come rain, hail or shine. We’d rather take our inspiration from the
likes of the Haymarket Martyrs who were
actually executed because they fought to secure the 8-hour workshift during the
early days of organised labour. What an insult from this positively uncharming,
over-publicised purveyor of below par music.
Where
would these pariahs on immature emotions be without the workers who slog and
toil in mundane jobs for barely a fraction of these bleating ‘stars’ rewards?
Who
exactly is it carries out the real work and just who is it that is a total
waste of space? It’s us who keep the wheels turning. Do we really need bosses,
controllers, false idols and would-be slave drivers like
Madonna?
Roll on
the day when working class lads and lasses collectively realise the strength
and power we hold within ourselves to turn things around in our own favour and
interest. Roll on the revolution.
---
STUDENTS GIVE A LESSON IN RESISTANCE
The
last month has seen lots of rebellious activity by students and pupils, which
culminated in a presence at the anti EU demonstrations in Brussels. In the
words of some of the organisers: “In our view it was a successful week of
protests with a lot of actions in various EU countries and it gave a lot of
students and pupils new energy. We are not at the end, we are at the beginning
of a long and hard battle against the EU governments, transnational
corporations and their instruments like the EU and the WTO (World Trade
Organisation) who are still working at treaties like GATTS (General Agreement
on Tariffs and Trade) in order to commercialise education even more. It was an
important and good step to internationalize our resistance and to make it more
political.”
Some of
the actions which took place are:
Germany:
Strikes at the universities in Berlin, Halle and Augsburg. The “Free
University” (FU) in Berlin which was occupied, was evicted twice by the German
police and a lot of students are charged with “disturbance of domestic peace”
and some are also charged because the police claim that they where insulted. A
day of action at the FU Berlin is scheduled for Jan 16. Several actions took
place in Berlin.
Greece:
There where protests at the universities of Athens, Thessaloniki and Patras. In
Patras there was a strike from 12 -17 Dec. At least 4 university buildings
where occupied during this time. In Thessaloniki there where occupations of
university-buildings and the Theatre school was being occupied. On Dec 14 there
was a demonstration in Thessaloniki. In Athens some university buildings where
occupied as well. We have information that there where strikes at 15 schools and
universities in Greece.
Spain:
More than 140,000 students where on strike on 12 Dec. There where a lot of
demonstrations in several Spanish cities with tens of thousands of students
participating. In Spain students are mobilising for the Salamaca summit in
March 2002
Italy:
There where student demonstrations in Milano, Trieste and Brescia. On Dec 20
about 100,000 students and pupils demonstrated against the privatisation of
education in Rome.
Belgium:
In Brussels the French speaking university of Brussels was on strike between
10-14 Dec. Lots of other schools and universities in Belgium where on strike on
Dec 13-14. There where many alternative lessons and hearings about the
Bologna-process and the GATTS-treaty.
Sweden:
At the Södra Latin school in Stockholm there was an alternative hearing/meeting
about GATTS and a new union was founded. In Luleå and Hässleholm there where
manifestations.
Denmark:
There where 3 demonstrations in Aarhus, Copenhagen and Odenske.
France:
Montpellier students changed the names of university buildings to Bill Gates
Building, Nike University, etc. A week
of actions took place in several cities.
Austria:
There was an action at the university of Innsbruck.
Netherlands:
Students at the university of Utrecht removed all advertising from the
university billboards and put up publicity about the commercialisation of
education.
Switzerland:
In Zurich students blocked the entrance of the university with a sit-down
action.
---
ANARCHISTS
IN BRUSSELS
A
report from the anti-EU summit protests in Brussels from the AFers who went:
Fri 14
- The left wing demonstration
A
bigger event than the official
estimates of 20-25,000 livened up by a large,
militant anarchist block. The pigs stood back while 2 banks and 2 police
stations were redecorated en route with 1 cop shop being completely trashed by
some of the more hardcore crowd (see picture).
In true
left wing fashion the demo was totally pointless, directing people towards the
summit before taking a u-turn to a convenient place for a police hem in job. As
a result of this people were searched on the way out and about 40 arrests were
made with a further 120 being nicked at a solidarity demo later that night. If
people had kept their wits about them they would have been able to disappear
down a side road not blocked off by the police until a good half hour after the
containment operation began.
Sat 15
– The anarchist demonstration
The
anarchist ‘manifestation’ was superb, with roughly 5,000 present, the majority
serious and committed anarchists. For the weekend the Centre Libertaire was the
hub of things for anarchists. Brussels Alternative Libertaire group were the
main organisers of the demonstration. They were a sincere and committed bunch
who had clearly thought about the purpose of the day. They wanted a
demonstration that was not anti- this, that, and the other but a positive
manifestation of anarchist ideas and strength to the people of the city. Rather
than take their message to the politicians (a totally non-anarchist thing to
do) they wisely planned a route through the city’s working class areas.
On the
day concerns about police repression proved to be excessive, as did rumours of
an attack by fascists who wisely stayed well away. We then wound our way
through the streets of Brussels with anarchist flags flying, singing songs of
solidarity and spreading anarchist leaflets. The march ended and we headed off
towards the street party that had just begun. En route a complacent copper got
his van bricked and chased away and many CCTV cameras were destroyed too.
For the
whole march the police stayed well back, respecting our ability to take them on
and give them serious aggro. The one time they did slip up and come too close
they were met with a hail of rocks and a couple of Molotovs for good measure.
The message was a clear “Stay away, or else”.
We
reached the street party and the sound systems moved off. Thousands of us
followed them as they wound their way through the backstreets of the St Gilled
district - a working class area with a tradition of political radicalism. We
went on to occupy the Porte de Hal after the police had made a failed attempt
to stop us from reaching the park, where the street party continued until we’d
all had enough. A few arrests were made but as with the day before, with a
little common sense and awareness of police movements this could be avoided.
People gave out messages on the sound system advising us of what the enemy was
up to.
All in all we were impressed with the
organising skills of our Belgian comrades. They got away with everything they
planned and forced the police to leave them alone. It didn’t kick off like Nice
or Gothenburg but to be honest this really didn’t matter, especially as this
was to do with the police fearing our strength and keeping well clear. These
events shouldn’t become ritualised. Our actions should depend on what is going
on around us, and how we all feel at the time.
---
MUMIA MUST LIVE!
The
campaign to free radical journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal has had a partial
victory. It has been decided by Judge
Yohn to throw out the death sentence, though he upheld the conviction. Mumia
will be re-sentenced soon and the death penalty could be re-imposed. This is
despite a mass of evidence that Mumia is innocent, including a confession from
gangster Arnold Beverley. Mumia Must Live! in the UK has copies of affidavits
(http://uk.geocites.com/mumiauk) from people who were involved in events that
led to Faulkner’s death and the corruption surrounding the legal process since
his death.
Help to
save Mumia by raising awareness of his case. Contact Mumia Must Live on:
mumiauk@yahoo.co.uk
---
TIME
BOMB
Hungary
1956
The
death of Stalin, the Soviet Union’s bloodthirsty dictator, led to unrest in the
satellite countries of Eastern Europe. Uprisings began in Czechoslovakia and
East Germany. In the forced labour camp of Vorkuta in Siberia there was an
uprising of 250,000 slave labourers. By 1956 Kruschev, the new leader of the
Soviet Union had to take a softer line because of unrest among the working
class. This itself triggered an uprising in Poznan, Poland, starting off at the
locomotive works.
A
demonstration in solidarity with the Polish workers was called, by mostly young
people with a small number of workers downing tools to join in. 50,000
assembled in central Budapest. The demonstrators were denounced over the radio
as counter-revolutionaries. By evening 100,000 assembled and marched on the
radio station with the request that their demands be broadcast. A 26 foot
statue of Stalin was toppled on the way there. At the radio station, the secret
police opened fire, killing many. These hated scum were overwhelmed by force of
numbers. Some police and soldiers handed over their weapons to the crowd. One
Stalinist leader was replaced by the more ‘liberal’ Nagy, who proceeded to call
in the Russian army!
By now
both workers and students had started setting up a revolutionary council
calling for a general strike. Barricades were built to stop the Russian tanks,
behind which workers and students fought back.
The
revolution spread to all the main industrial towns and mines. Workers councils
were set up in the mines, the steel mills, the power stations and many other
workplaces. Farm workers and peasants organised deliveries of food to city
workers.
Budapest
prison was captured and all the political prisoners released. The Nagy
government tried to calm things down, but by now the Russians were swarming
into Hungary. Fighting broke out and went on for over a week. By November 4 the
revolution had been crushed. The secret police re-emerged from their holes and
began hanging workers. A massive repression began. Nagy himself was executed by
the Russians. Revolution was slandered as a ‘counter-revolutionary’ ‘fascist’
plot. But the struggle remained in the hands of the working class that was
looking towards a real, free communist society controlled by the majority of
working people through the councils they had already started forming.
For
more on the Hungarian revolution read the AF’s ‘A brief flowering of freedom’
available for £1 from London Anarchist Federation.
---
INSIDE
INFORMATION
Gothenberg
prisoner is moved
Paul
Robinson has been moved from the remand centre in Gothenberg to a prison in Karlskoga
- a small place in the middle of nowhere. His new address is:
Paul
Robinson, KVA Karlskoga, Box 7,
69121
Karlskoga, Sweden.
For
more info email: defendpaul@hotmail.com
News
from Paul: He’s fine and he says the prison is 100 times better than the remand
centre in Gothenberg. He is relieved to have finally moved. He has his own
room with no bars on the windows, there
is a kitchen where the prisoners can make their own tea, coffee and sandwiches,
there is a gym, a sauna and he is now, finally allowed to exercise outside.
He is only locked up at night. He is spending his time reading, writing
and watching TV. He says he has had no problems from any of the other
prisoners, and everyone is friendly and laid back. Please keep sending Paul
letters, magazines and newspapers. He is really grateful for the
solidarity.
-
Oppose
injustice! Challenge racism! Fight repression!
Robert
King Wilkerson was held in solitary confinement in Angola maximum security
prison in Louisiana USA for 27 years for crimes he did not commit. King was
framed because of his political organising at the prison as a member of the
Black Panther party. He was released in February 2001 after a long campaign and
is now spending his time doing speaking tours around the world raising
awareness of the brutality, corruption, racism and injustice ingrained in the
Louisiana criminal justice system.
King’s
co-accused Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace are still in prison and entering
their thirtieth year of solitary confinement. King is an inspirational person
who is devoting his life to fighting against racism, repression and injustice
in modern day Louisiana USA. People are hoping to be able to arrange for King
to do a speaking tour in Britain and need to raise funds to pay for his air
fare etc. Help make King’s speaking tour to Britain a reality. For further
information or to find out how to help Email: catherine.kay@btinternet.com or
Tel: 0161 370 1113.
-
Write
letters to prisoners
Tomasz
Wilkoszewski, Zaklad Karny, Orzechowa, 598-200, Sieradz, Poland.
In 1997
Tomek was sentenced to 15 years in prison for taking part in a fight, in which
a nazi skinhead died. There isn’t any possibility to change Tomek’s sentence in
legal proceeding. The only chance for Tomek is the president’s pardon. Next
year Tomek is going to ask for earlier release.
If you
publish or distribute a zine, CDs or T-shirts, send one to Tomek by mail at the
prison’s address.
Dawid
Hass, Wlodzimierz Matuszewski, Janusz Szewczyk, Areszt Sledczyuk, Ciupagi,
103-016, Warszawa, Poland.
Dawid,
Jakub, Wlodek and Janusz were detained and arrested on 27 Dec 2000 after having
a fight with neo-nazis. They were charged with beating of one of the nazis.
Their stay under arrest has been lengthened and the trial has been postponed
for several times. Three of them are still under arrest. Jakub was released
until the day of the trial in order to take his matriculation exam. More info from: www.ack.most.org.pl or ACK
(ABC)
Poland,
PO BOX 560-966, Poznan 31,
Poland
or Email: pomierz@poczta.onet.pl