Dear friends of the Olga Taratuta initiative for solidarity with deserters, refugees, and draft resisters from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine:
Exiled Russian comrades and deserters have informed us that they are organizing a rally this Friday, July 17, at 4:00 PM at Place Saint-Augustin in Paris. The event is in support of Daniil Mukhametov, a young Russian draft resister whom France is preparing to extradite to Lithuania—a country that, in turn, risks expelling him to Russia. If you have the time and energy to attend, we would be pleased to see you there.
If you are not based in Paris, we still invite you to share this call for solidarity with Daniil.
International statement against the NATO summit to be held in Ankara on July 7–8.
From Israel’s ongoing genocidal policies against Palestine to the devastation caused by the war in Syria that has been continuing for years, and the escalating regional tensions fueled by U.S. and Israel’s attacks on Iran, West Asia has today turned into a battleground where imperialist competition has intensified. This picture reflects not only regional conflicts but also the crisis of the global capitalist order.
Under these conditions, it is no coincidence that the 36th NATO Summit will be held in Ankara on July 7–8. NATO, which has played an active role in interventions stretching from Palestine to Afghanistan, from Libya to Syria and Kurdistan, continues to function as one of the fundamental tools of imperialist power relations and the militarist order. The fact that Turkey is hosting this summit clearly illustrates the position of the country’s ruling classes within this war system.
Despite all the differences in rhetoric, Turkey’s ruling class is not outside this order of war. While on the one hand “peace” and “opposition” rhetoric is produced, on the other hand NATO membership is maintained, military cooperation is intensified, and active integration into regional imperialist strategies is pursued. The contradiction between the rhetorical opposition to Israel and the ongoing economic and military relations is, indeed, merely a manifestation of the same class interests. Therefore, for us, the struggle against NATO is not a matter of national defense; it is a front in the attack on capitalism and the bourgeoisie.
From the perspective of us workers, both NATO and the other capitalist blocs competing with it such as Iran, Russia, China etc. are parts of the same system of exploitation. Aligning workers behind any of these powers means reserving them for the reproduction of their own exploitative relations. For this reason, the struggle against NATO is not merely a struggle against a military alliance, but a class struggle waged directly against the capitalist system of war.
This struggle also necessitates an internationalist line. Workers, youth, and all the oppressed share a common interest in opposing nationalism, militarism, war policies, and patriarchy. The fate of all workers in Palestine, Syria, Iran, Turkey, Kurdistan, and all over the world is intertwined; borders are ideological lines that conceal these exploitative relations. With this understanding, we must raise international solidarity against nationalism, militarism, and war policies everywhere in the world.
For this reason, we are raising our voices against the NATO summit to be held in Ankara. We call on workers, youth, women, queer people, and all anti-war advocates to strengthen the struggle against militarism, imperialist interventions, and the capitalist order of war.
Our side is neither NATO nor the other dominant powers opposing it. Our side is the possibility for common liberation of all workers in the world.
No to NATO!
Class War Against War!
Otonom İşçi Birlikleri (Turkey)
AnarCom Network -ACN (UK)
Anarchist Communist Groups, ACG (Great Britain)
Black Rose / Rosa Negra Anarchist Federation (USA)
Coordinación Anarquista Latina Americana (CALA) :
– Cordenação Anarquista Brasileira, CAB (Brasil)
– Organização Socialismo Libertário, OSL (Brazil)
– Federación Anarquista de Rosario, FAR (Argentina)
From Saturday in Durham town, as community and worker organisations assist Pride to continue after the local council tries to pull the plug – it’s solidarity with comrades from Organise! on their current days of action! Victory to the working class. Internationalism and emancipation.
Solidarity with the Obsidian and Echo Workers in Belfast – Fired on the eve of May Day for organising!
Organise! IWA express our solidarity with our members who fought for their rights but were fired in retaliation!
Support the workers!
Background: On the eve of International Working Women’s Day (Saturday 7th March) workers – all members of Organise! – IWA – employed at Obsidian and Echo Body Piercing Studios walked out of an unsafe work environment.
Their boss and owner of the piercing studios, Pamela W., had refused to move on Union recognition and demands from workers that included issues around unvaccinated workers being made to carry out fittings and piercings. Anyone exposed to bodily fluids and blood as part of their work must be vaccinated against Hepatitis B. When customers declared that they had HIV or Hepatitis B employees were put under pressure to do piercings and fittings regardless – “just double up your latex gloves” they were told. Pamela and her management have been given numerous opportunities to meet with their employees to resolve issues but instead they chose to ignore their workers and put them in danger despite claiming to be a “family” that values everyone equally (of course managers in both of Pamela’s shops are immunised). Issues were first officially raised by the workers through their Union when a demand letter was handed to management on Saturday 31st January. With no movement workers refused to subject themselves to risk of disease for a minute longer.
The workers returned to work when their employer made the necessary changes to ensure them a safe workplace, and paid them for the duration they were absent. But now, all the workers have been sacked on egregious charges.
Organise: International Workers Association writes:
“The first indications that the employer was out for ‘revenge’ against workers who had the temerity to ensure their own safety came when two of the workers were informed that their contracts as apprentice piercers would not be honoured. Then on 1st April a part-time worker showed up for their first shift having been told to expect a back to work chat and retraining, which they were asked to attend half an hour early to complete. Instead she was left on her own to cover the manager’s lunch break and after about an hour discovered she had been brought back to work only to be used as cover before being handed a letter informing her that she was being immediately suspended on pay. As other workers attended subsequent shifts they were handed similar letters. They were then informed that they would be given notice of disciplinaries.
As workers were provided with ‘evidence’ it became clear that they were facing disciplinaries for the walk out on safety grounds under the guise of ‘damaging trust’ with their employer!”
More information is available on the crowdfunding page given in the links and on the Organise! IWA website!
As (ex) workers we are in it for the long haul as is Organise! and below is the link to the crowdfunder for hardship and campaign costs:
Pics from over the weekend. As well as the dramatic local history dimension that interested people, and discussions about the hopeless TUC echelons and the role of the LP etc, back then and now; there was also some talk about the Action Councils.
Whether they could have ever developed into becoming revolutionary councils or other bodies and a proto non-state? And whether such a thing maybe eventually on the horizon?
Good to see some youngsters along, especially on the Sunday centenary anniversary, as well as those with longer memories.
Some pics from weekend. Some literature given out to comrades / potential comrades and accepted by a few places – Barnsley, Rutland-Sheff, Sage-Gateshead inc putting out on main desk by Cramlington Train Wrecking Remembrance Crew (Derailing of scabbing Flying Scotsman in 26)
As opposed to the electoral bourgeois farce on 7th May, the 1st of May and any ensuing weekend has for nearly a century and a half been a time for working class celebration. This encompassing organising, actions, catch ups with friends and comrades, community events and remembering the past with a determined optimistic look to the future. This is particularly the case for us as anarchists.
For those who don’t know, the modern incarnation of May Day began as a day of remembrance in the 1880s. This is the case from the start for fallen anarchist comrades and then over the years, more generally, for workers facing the wrath of the capitalist system.
For in 1887, in reaction to an explosion at an event in Chicago’s Haymarket Square the year before, attended by an enormous number of (40,000) striking workers during an increasingly mass bitter struggle for an eight-hour day, the state used the event as the pretext to sentence comrades of ours to death in cold blood. This was despite no evidence whatsoever having proven a link to the bomb’s manufacture or consequent explosion. The consequent killings which shook the world, took 5 of our comrades’ lives, including 4 who had the death penalty enacted upon them and 1 who committed suicide before they could be hanged. 3 more were convicted before being later pardoned. The funeral procession of the slain was followed by thousands upon thousands of workers. They became known as the “Haymarket Martyrs”.
“There will come a time when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today.” (August Spies – often cited as his final and bravely defiant words on the scaffold.)
There have been attempts by some political party and trade union officials in the West to muddy the reasons for celebrating May Day as International Workers’ Day. There have been entire May Day cancellations by governments, including in Spain (particularly Barcelona) in 1937 in order to crush anarchist inspired workers resisting an onslaught upon them in street battles. There have been hideous parades of military might in state capitalist Soviet Eastern Europe on May Day until the 1990s, which continue on to this day in Stalinist states.
In the face of all this, we continue to remember the real origins of this day and look to a time of serious potential challenges to and then emancipation from state and capital. This, a time of resistance and joy. A time when we can really begin to live in harmony with the planet and the incredible other species that inhabit it. A time to end conflicts over resources. A time for internationalism and real solidarity. A time to gain control over our own lives. A time when this system can finally be flushed down the toilet. A time for history to finally begin.
Class struggle anarchists have often taken to the streets and attended events on this important day and weekend for us over the years – at both official labour movement events, where we have ducked and dived the dull stultified atmosphere and ludicrous Mao and Stalin banners, to bring our revolutionary message of emancipation for all. And at unofficial events, where we have danced, celebrated, shared literature, marched and directly challenged those who defend the current, yet in reality, obsolete system of capital and state.
This year as a group, though small in number, following a stall at the Hull Radical Bookfair on 25th April, we will be at events in South Yorkshire (Barnsley, 2nd May) and the Northeast (Gateshead, 4th May) as well as Manchester and Salford. We may yet be at further events too over the May Day weekend?! We will be chatting, celebrating and trying to learn lessons from the past, whilst talking to others about our potential futures.
It is the centenary of the General Strike of 1926 in the UK. Many leftists will be showing degrees of simplistic nostalgia over this. For us, whilst noting some impressive local examples of determined working class unity and direct action at that time; we will point out that this event revealed the hopeless nature of official, capital friendly, trade union perspectives and of those claiming to represent us (the Labour Party and so-called Communist Party at that time but not restricted to them). For in reality, any early enthusiasm or claims of workers potentially having any real power through this event quickly abated as its limited nature became apparent and as it failed to shake the base of the society and profit system in each we live. We need to be honest about this but not despondent.
For our class can still challenge and potentially overcome the present system. Be it through, for example, autonomous networked direct action, strike and community committees, popular assemblies and workers’ councils, or / and novel new bodies that display a development of genuine revolutionary content.
Emancipation and liberation are not guaranteed or in any way inevitable. There is also much despondency currently, many recent defeats, a horrendous international conflict situation and a quietism too often displayed by our class in the social war. However, despite all this, with the mass of resources available to humankind now and for us to thrive (moreover, as well as survive?), they need now be closer than ever.
As such, we wish to convey with hope and a determination based upon real potentials, revolutionary May Day greetings to all friends, comrades and workers throughout the world.
“I am an anarchist: I have no apology to make to a single man, woman or child, because I am an anarchist, because anarchism carries the very germ of liberty in its womb” (Lucy Parsons, anarchist organiser – on both anarchism and on our fallen comrades, murdered in 1887 by the state).
“Does this rising generation know that those who inaugurated the eight-hour day were put to death at the command of capital?”
7th May is the latest D-Day, or so we are told. For then there is another large scale round of that popularity racket, known as election time. This is the time when many of us are supposed to rubber stamp our local overlords or for those living in Scotland and Wales, to stick crosses in boxes at a national level. Either way, as is often the case, offered up is a media sc(r)um fixated on statistics, casting judgement upon a UK level of who is up, who is down and why on earth it’s supposed to make such a ruddy difference?
It’s your say, so they say. As if as members of the working class, we really get one in this system of state and capital. They’re taking us for fools. For if we believe we have a stake or a real say as things are, then we’ll believe anything! As some long lasting local graffiti used to inform, “Slit your own throat! Vote!!”
This time around, we are told we have the incredulous primary (non)“choices” of Labour, Liberal Democrats, Greens, SNP, Plaid Cymru, Conservatives and Reform. Despite claims that local elections are to elect the most effective individual candidate in your area and are about day to day issues (potholes, building problems etc), in reality you can bet your life that the main political parties will treat it as a national contest and boast afterward as such. So let’s look briefly in turn at this shower:
Labour – emerging at the beginning of the 20th century to represent the upper echelons of the organised labour movement. Even at its supposed most sexy in the 1940s, witnessed was the hideous spectacle of the armed forces being sent to break the actions of striking workers and the development of “placing a union jack on nuclear weapons” at home. Whilst support for right wing forces in civil conflict (in Greece for one) occurred.
Nowadays, this Party seems to spend most of its time in government dreaming up new ways to screw the working class in a supposedly slightly less enthusiastic way than the conservative party. Either way, the reality is we face yet more attacks and oppression, especially if we are poor, live in substandard accommodation, dare protest, happen to have a disability, are young, old, trans, refugees…. The list is long for sure! Meanwhile, more dodgy dealings with the rich and powerful, including characters with links to those preying upon young vulnerable people, are revealed on an almost weekly basis. Whilst at times, like in a recent meme, you could actually imagine the Prime Minister donning a Reform jumper. Them and the Labour Party generally, having enabled that motley crew so well over the last couple of years.
Some claim that the current Labour Party isn’t really the Labour Party. However, given this party’s crap history, says who? They certainly aren’t averse to obsessions with attacks on civil liberties in the name of “law and order” and with dealings with militaristic oppressors of migrants and with those engaged in other viciously regressive causes – e.g. link ups with Palantir or seemingly even backroom talks with figures in Reform (as is said to be possibly happening in Scotland and is certainly happening with Labour Party backers in Unite the Union in Birmingham).
Liberal Democrats – a party so ludicrous that it largely emerged from considering the Labour Party too left wing! Consider that!
Largely insignificant unless it “holds the balance of power”. We saw the result of that in the early 2010s, when its vote share collapsed after jumping into bed with the conservative led government; it craving power at any cost and ending up being labelled the “Fiberal Democrats” or “Fibs” for short!
Conservatives / Tory Party – historically the natural home of ruling class representatives. For 200 years, this organisation has headed up the majority of governments within the UK. Credited (if that’s the correct term?) by some as one of the originators of pushing through on the latest phase of capitalist attacks, the so-called, “neo-liberal” garb. Often the bête-noire of many in the working class, they clearly have nothing to offer but enriching themselves, austerity, vicious class and divide and rule culture wars. Were last seen claiming intellectual superiority over the rest of us whilst getting pissed at parties during a pandemic and being headed up by a perpetually useless buffoon. May or may not finally be increasingly irrelevant?
SNP – often does rather well in elections by claiming to simply not be the Tory (or Labour) Party at Westminster. However, were actually labelled the “Tartan Tories” with some justification. Clearly helped enable the formation of the Boris Johnson led Tory government after triggering an election in 2019 with the Liberal Democrats when the outcome was clear to all. Its record in government is not nearly as “progressive” as is claimed and is obviously nationalistic, with all the dangers that that entails for us as a class.
Plaid Cymru – as with the SNP, picks up support by officially differentiating from the useless parties at Westminster. May again come out the elections as being the largest party in the Welsh Assembly but despite claims to be “socialist” in its texts since the early 1980s, clearly does not support the abolition of capitalism nor does it support internationalism.
Greens – the latest darlings for political nerds and those who feel homeless in the current incarnation of the Labour Party. If as claim, try to actually put “People before Profit” within capitalism (using notably increased taxation etc), the result will very likely be downturn, capital flight and recession. Whilst, if they actually head up a government, much potential opposition to them may well be worryingly quiet and disillusioned. This amidst claims of, “If not us, then you’ll get them” (the forces of the right).
If, as some in this party claim, as a government they could simply print money to spend on needs and the environment, then an inflationary spiral will result. They fantasise that capitalism – the profit system – can be reformed to meet human need, when all experience shows the opposite. In reality, the Greens (English and Welsh, and Scottish variants) are much more likely to go the way of past dreams of reformism (e.g. in the Labour Party) – i.e. died at the altar of capital whilst government gets used for its usual state role, as a means of oppression and enforced exploitation of the working class.
Much of the previous talk of the challenges facing the environment and climate change have already gone rather quiet as it now follows a more traditional liberal left populist route. Meanwhile, the new Green Party leadership declared that in a desire to “placate the Daily Mail”, it must look “respectable”. This meaning manipulations, so that its upper bodies control what the membership and local party “activists” get to vote on and who to pick as local candidates. Unlikely to be long before it follows its counterparts in Germany and elsewhere, on the right of social democracy, cheer leading capital, war preparations, NATO and social attacks upon the working class. “Respectable”? Oh aye!
Reform / Restore – darlings of the nativist wing of capital and notable parts of the media. Xenophobic, nationalistic but currently, mostly snake oil sales people and grifters. Fans of out and out authoritarianism, wars (especially in the Middle East), fossil fuels…. You get the picture. If it’s a really crap idea for humankind and planetary well-being, you can bet your life they’ll champion it! A few years ago were castigated as “swivel eyed loons” but are now seen as possible saviours of capital by turbo charging it and its attacks, in the light of economic crisis after crisis.
Claim to be on the side of the “white working class” and figures of the “people” – always the non or ill-defined, “people”. Who of us have mates hanging about in steak houses in red or orange corduroy trousers, landowning tweeds and wellies, whilst ordering meals that cost hundreds? If we want to hang out about with a bloke talking bollocks in a bar whilst getting pished, we could just find some poor sod of that ilk down a local watering hole. At least they might have actual moments of incisiveness, clarity and positivity? In reality of course, they are clearly part of the actual ruling elite and no supporters of the working class. Their only role they see for us is to fall for their manipulations, vote for them, and get possibly used as suckers to divide up any effective opposition to them and the current system they support.
These three word sloganeering bullshitting wonders, these multi millionaire non wage earning parasites, clearly would cheer on further attacks upon us whilst rolling around laughing, taking us for mugs, enriching themselves at our expensive. What they do love unsurprisingly, is the bourgeois – petit and more so, large.
So, with that bunch and with electoral representatives representing an executive of the ruling class, why on earth would we engage in electoral voting at a local or national level? After all, the government and state bodies will win again. That, we can be sure of. We clearly all need to do something about this!
Yet, if we tell people that we are refusing to vote, we will likely get castigated as enabling the far right or at least not stopping it. Voting, like the belief in there being no alternative to capitalism and state has become somehow sacrosanct. However, voting over the past century and a half has done nothing to undermine the present system, not even to pull the rug from its most right wing elements. Voting in elections does not escape us disappearing down the plughole of vicious reaction, let alone lead to any kind of liberation.
We in turn however, will not take any delight in return in saying, we “told you so”, after we all face more shit on an ensuing daily basis. Any attacks hurt us just as much. We are members of the working class and hope that many more will achieve a level of confidence and class consciousness through direct engagement in the class struggle that will help provide the basis for turning the tables and in gaining a world of equality and liberty. The vast majority of us have that potential. We are not in any way special in this.
Meanwhile, for those who genuinely believe that Parliament can be used as an instrument to further a revolution (no not you, the farce of fantasy that is Your Party), we say how can this be so when this is an arena where we as a class are at our weakest and where for standing now as a candidate, you can pretty much go bankrupt trying to pay a lost deposit? Then there’s the long time thorny tactic of setting out to abolish the state by first capturing it. A questionable case of, “Now you see it, now you don’t”? There being a clear temptation to hold onto the state, “Until such a time as….” – this time then never arriving. William Morris was right in seeing Parliament being necessarily turned into a massive dung heap in any future of emancipation.
So, on 7th May, despite naysayers, we and like minded comrades will go on vote strike. We may be giving out revolutionary literature and may perhaps “spoil” / propagandise our ballot papers? We may be discussing alternatives to the current horrific situation with our workmates, friends and neighbours? We may be busy carrying out care duties or other responsibilities? We may simply decide that the best option is for us on the day is to “stay home” and even actually enjoy some much needed “down time”?!
All of this shows a desire to assert our autonomy and is more useful than providing a mandate to be exploited and oppressed. Yet, we realise it is far from enough. For a start, if we spoil the ballot paper and they are seen as invalid often to the annoyance of our dear master class, they are still included in the votes cast tally. If we stay home, we are often seen as merely apolitical, uninterested and uninformed – the cheeky sods!
Moreover and more importantly, we clearly cannot transform and abolish this profit driven and state based system alone. Real change and liberation doesn’t only take much more effort than simply sticking an “X” on a piece of paper every 2 to 5 years or so. It entails mass resistance, class wide, possibly through autonomous strike committees, the emergence of networked popular assemblies and workers’ councils?! These bodies and organisational types displaying clearly recallable delegates engaged in rotations of posts and responsibilities within a horizontal structure; ones that have similarly appeared in the past. Or they may be novel new bodies? There is no blue print in a mass collective movement for emancipation and by a class moving to abolish itself as a class and as such, class divided society.
Here, what matters most is that any content can lead to social revolution, a transformation of the social relationship and material conditions of capital and end that monopoly of a body of violence and oppression, the state. At the moment, this may be seen as a real stretch. After all, working class struggle appears to be at a very weak point in the “West” and any anarchist movement here, on the surface, seems tiny and badly divided; practically on its arse.
Yet, an emancipatory victory in the class struggle is still required to ensure our well being, our collective and individual potentials. It’s required now for possibly even our very survival? And even locally, small direct action based skirmishes can end in at least temporary victories, e.g. in self managed small scale strikes and against property developers at times and for renters. Obviously, this is barely a start in itself and only a social revolution can guarantee any victory to be permanent. However, they can provide some much needed confidence.
Meanwhile, class struggle anarchism may yet emerge in surprising strength. In parts of the world that were seemingly miles away from its known strongholds to us, movements have expanded recently, e.g. in South Asia and on the African continent. Closer to our own locale, internationalist class struggle anarchists are now beginning to co-ordinate themselves in networks with like minded comrades and organisations in opposition to capitalist wars and militarism in an increasing number of regions, and against the social peace at home. This in itself offers some hope for the future.
By refusing to take part in the electoral farce, we have every right to complain and oppose daily attacks upon us. We have not supported in any way, the murderous wars of capital fuelled by resource exploitation, power expansion and an increasingly frequent desire to deal with its crisis caused by overproduction and / or a falling rate of profit, possibly combined with economic sector disproportionality etc, by armed conflict. We won’t provide a mandate to parasites to exploit and oppress us, not any of us! Nor in any way, support or cheer on our immiseration.
We argue against voting and then having to run to the nearest toilet! We will continue to argue for our liberty and emancipation and we wish this for every single one of our class members – and with it, humankind. We will continue to organise with members of our class to attain this aim.
We do recognise that the emancipation of the working class is clearly the task of the working class itself. It ever was and we must look forward to a future based on liberty and egalitarianism with determination, in the face of an era of seemingly perpetual pessimism and gloom! The alternative hardly bares thinking about. Instead of engaging in the electoral farce, let’s organise, learn together, agitate and speed the day! There’s still a world to win!
AnarCom Network 