Category: anarchist

no gods no masters

Hambacher Eviction Resistance Continues, Tree by Tree: More Solidarity Welcome

hf1#Hambacher Forest: Thousands marched in solidarity, hundreds take over the forest

Written by 

On the fourth day of the eviction of the Hambach Forest occupation, activists and supporters from all over made it clear to energy-giant RWE and the government of NRW, that the squatters inside the forest are not alone in their struggle!

Originally published by Hambi Bleibt. Edited by Enough is Enough.

Already from early in the morning, it was clear that the weekly “forest walk” was going to be something special.

09:39 September 16: Activist started #AufBäumen this morning. While #RWE and cops evict, cut trees and destroy , activists are planting new trees. #HambacherForst #Eco #HambacherWald #HambiBleibt Image by @_mtiemann pic.twitter.com/ZijD8Fxcio

— Enough is Enough! (@enough14) 16. September 2018

Despite the fact, that police beforehand had made it official that the “forest-walk”, led by Eva and Michael Zobel, would not be allowed to enter the forest, thousands of people, from all stages of life, went towards the nearby village of Buir, completely filling up several trains on the way there. After hours of continuous arrival of motivated “forest-walkers”, the march began moving in the direction of the forest, waving flags, yelling slogans, and showing their solidarity with the climate-justice activists inside the occupation, and protesting for the preservation of the 12,000 year old forest, and against the extraction of lignite-coal by energy-giant RWE.gg

11:01 Cops are busy evicting tree houses in #Oaktown – #HambacherForst #HambiBleibt Image by @infozentrale pic.twitter.com/B6PdXGWhj0

— Enough is Enough! (@enough14) 16. September 2018

When arriving at the protest vigil, many hundred people chose to break off from the march, and while yelling “we want a forest walk!” managed to break through police lines, entering the forest.
Here people spread out, surrounded the occupations that were being evicted, in order to support the activists, and some places even managed to force the police to leave the premises. At one point a few hundred activists managed to completely surround an eviction tank near the Cozy-town occupation! Others went through the forest, erecting barricades, and playing cat-and-mouse games with the officers still present.
Although police violently arrested several activists, these moments gave people the strong experience of how active self-empowerment and solidarity is the strongest weapon against repression, making it clear that if we are determined enough, we can overcome any obstacles.
They may have the money, but we have the masses!

13:37 According to @AktionUnterholz there are 7000 people at the walk today. – #HambacherForst #AktionUnterholz #Aufbäumen #HambiBleibt. Video by @MonaNeubaur pic.twitter.com/EsQmWnyIbl

— Enough is Enough! (@enough14) 16. September 2018

While some people were taking back the forest, attempting to halt the destruction of the unique ecosystems of the Hambach Forest, the action group “AufBäumen Gegen Kohle” had planned a “tree-planting action”, where a large group, equipped with shovels, watering cans and seedlings, attempted to plant new trees at the edge of the forest, bringing new life, to make up for the mass-murder committed by RWE.
Their peaceful protest however was met with very aggressive behaviour from the police, pushing and punching activists to keep them from getting to their goal.bunteGleiseKonfetti-400x268.jpg

14:59 Hundreds left the registered Forest walk that was not allowed into by cops. Many people now went into the forest as a wild spontaneous demo. #HambacherForst #HambiBleibt Video by @infozentrale pic.twitter.com/eDnQ1GTfVp

— Enough is Enough! (@enough14) 16. September 2018

At the end of the day, despite the presence of large amounts of activists and supporters, police forces managed to evict the rest of the treehouses in Oaktown, including Mousehouse, Floki and Nest. One activist in Oaktown, however, impressively managed to stay up in a tree throughout the day, where they still remain to this moment.
The police also began the eviction in the so-called “WWestside”, which includes the treehouse-villages Beech-town and Cozy-town. From here two people were evicted and transported away to the pre-charge detention centre.evictionjuly22-400x225

13:53 Cops continue with evictions this Sunday. People at sit-blockade chant “#HambiBleibt!” (Hambi stays). #HambacherForst Image by @KimKolumna pic.twitter.com/ofl2BhRpRY

— Enough is Enough! (@enough14) 16. September 2018

Throughout the day, the police kept press-workers at a distance, making it hard (almost impossible) for journalists to properly show the brutal reality of the police’s destruction of the climate-justice occupation in national and international media. It seems clear, that for interior-minister of NRW Herbert Reul (CDU) and the government of NRW, the protection of the interests of energy-giant RWE and the coal-lobby, has higher priority than the protection of the “freedom of the press”.

15:28 Cops are powerless. Hundreds reach the next “village” in #HambacherForst #HambiBleibt #eco #antireport Video by @infozentrale pic.twitter.com/lOOIglTnWl

— Enough is Enough! (@enough14) 16. September 2018Luftschloss-17-1

The support and solidarity in the last days has been truly empowering, giving us the energy to keep going. Although tomorrow Monday brings with it for many people the beginning of another working week, we are hoping to see all of you here, to help keep the resistance alive! Hambacher Forst stays, to infinity and beyond!

17:15 #Lastweet Cops now attacked people with pepperspray in #HambacherForst #HambiBleibt https://t.co/dfa6WVwJXT

— Enough is Enough! (@enough14) 16. September 2018

.

Ongoing prison Strikes: Update info from #prisonstrike media team

Statement regarding the ongoing Prison Strike in the US.

Submitted to Enough is Enough.

New confirmed prison action reports

(full list & details below)

  • Missouri: at least one prisoner on a hunger strike at Leavenworth (USP).

  • New York: strike activity at Coxsackie Correctional Facility, strike activity and boycotts at Eastern Correctional Facility.

  • Ohio: at least one block engaged in a 3 day fast on first days of the strike and a commissary boycott throughout at Ohio State Penitentiary, plus a work stoppage in late July in response to preemptive repression by staff.

  • Texas: More prisoners involved in the hunger strike at Michael Unit.Prison Strike Statement to the Press, August 28, 2018

 

Statement from prison strike media team

September 9th has passed, but it is up to the people in each prison who are participating in boycotts, hunger strikes, work strikes or sit-ins to determine the right day and time to close out their actions — from the outset, Jailhouse Lawyers Speak and national organizers have endorsed local strikers to set their own end dates, or strike indefinitely. Continue reading “Ongoing prison Strikes: Update info from #prisonstrike media team”

FIRST EVICTIONS BEGIN! Climate Solidarity Alert: occupied #Hambacher Forest

PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT 06.09.18

TREEHOUSES BEING EVICTED, TREES CUT,

TODAY MARKS DAY X

https://hambachforest.org/blog/        The polices forces of NRW have currently begun the eviction of treehouses in the Hambach Forest occupation. They will now be violently removing activists and destroying the infrastructure of the occupation, in order to prepare for RWEs continued clearing of the 12.000 year old Hambach Forest.

Image result for hambach forest eviction 6th sept

In this way Herbert Reul (CDU), interior minister of the state of Northrhine-Westphalia, is actively attacking climate justice and democratic civil rights, in support of fossil-fuel giant RWE and the coal-lobby, clearly showing the corruption inherent in the capitalist system.

With the eviction of the first tree houses, the Hambach Forest occupation, alongside several action-alliances (including Ende Gelände, Aktion Unterholz, and Buirer Für Buir) are calling out: Day X is here, and a new phase of the struggle has begun.

In the next days, while RWE employees, with support from the hired soldiers of the German state, attempt to evict the occupation, hundreds of people will join the forest struggle, in order to protect the climate justice protest-camp, and there are many ways to take part. See the text “How do I become active?” for more information. Continue reading “FIRST EVICTIONS BEGIN! Climate Solidarity Alert: occupied #Hambacher Forest”

#FreeSarahAndSean: Criminalisation of Life-savers Continues

via   Originally by  Ioanna Schuppert     

Seán, Sarah and Nassos have now been in custody for over two weeks. They have been arrested because of their work with refugees on Lesvos.

For Seán, this mainly includes search and rescue of and shoreline response to migrant boats arriving from Turkey – essentially ensuring that people do not die or come to serious harm on this crossing.

Sarah also played a large role in Search and Rescue on Lesvos, but she is also a very important spokesperson for this issue and has raised a lot of money through public speaking, including, for example at TedX and Harvard University.

Sarah is a refugee herself, and gained a lot of public attention when, during her own crossing from Turkey in 2015, the boat broke down and she, along with three other people, jumped into the water and helped bring it to shore, saving the lives of 20 people. Continue reading “#FreeSarahAndSean: Criminalisation of Life-savers Continues”

free downloads .. New Zines and Anarchist Pamphlets in Aug.’18..

via    Originally published by Sprout Distro.

     Here’s our (Sprout Distro) monthly round-up of anarchist zines and pamphlets published over the past month. If you have suggestions for titles to include next month, please get in touch. Previous months of these posts are available here.

All previously featured zines are available on Archive.org. As usual, we encourage folks to print these out, share them with friends or random people on the street, and have face-to-face conversations..

Zines Published in August 2018 Continue reading “free downloads .. New Zines and Anarchist Pamphlets in Aug.’18..”

US Prison Strike Takes us to the Dark Heart of Capitalism: Support Needed

New US Prison Strike Takes us to the Dark Heart of Capitalism

shared from LIBCOM  and Enough is Enough

Prison labour is a billion-dollar industry, and the corporate beneficiaries of this slave labour include some of the largest corporations and most widely known brands. There are literally hundreds of corporations and firms that exploit prison labour.

One year ago the largest prison labour strike in US history took place. More than 24,000 prisoners across 29 prisons in 12 states protested against exploitation and inhumane conditions.

 

 

 

It was timed to mark the anniversary of the Attica Prison uprising1 of 46 years ago over prisoners’ demands for better living conditions and political rights. Attica prisoners rioted and took control of the prison, taking 42 staff hostage. When the uprising was over, at least 43 people were dead, including ten prison staff, and 33 inmates.2

see also : Two Weeks Into #PrisonStrike, Inmates Speak Out

One year on, another major prison strike is now spreading across the US and Canada which has entered into its second week. The strike began on August 21 and is set to last a total of 19 days. Naturally, it has been subjected to a media blackout by the mainstream media in the US; and reliable information about the progress of the strike is difficult to come by. Continue reading “US Prison Strike Takes us to the Dark Heart of Capitalism: Support Needed”

Resisting Slavery: From Marie-Joseph Angélique 1734 to Prison Strike 2018

We postered along the same streets that Angélique was paraded down moments before she was hung, and then burned.

Text for a poster distributed by anarchists in Montreal linking historical struggles against slavery to the current prison strike. Some anarchists came together on the night of August 23rd to cover Montréal’s Vieux Port (Old Port) in posters that read in both French and English:

Resisting Slavery: From Marie-Joseph Angélique 1734 to Prison Strike 2018   ..August 21 – September 9th 2018    More Info: twitter.com/JailLawSpeakImage result for abolish prison slavery

By   Anonymous Contributor at Its Going Down

We postered along the same streets that Angélique was paraded down moments before she was hung, and then burned. Angélique, we remember. Slavery, stolen land, and attempted genocide define the contours of the ever-forming settler states of Turtle Island (North America).

In solidarity with prisoners currently fighting slavery inside all US prisons, we wanted to (re)tell the story of Marie-Joseph Angélique. Angélique was a Black woman enslaved in Montréal during the 18th Century who was sentenced to torture and death for allegedly setting fire to her slave owner’s domicile, which resulted in the majority of the city of Montréal burning.

We offer Angélique’s story as a reminder that Québec and Canada were engaged in the practice of slavery for over 200 years. We chose Angélique’s story because it connects the city we live in to the ongoing story of resistance to slavery on this continent.

US prisoners have used this strike to reference a long history of resistance to slavery. August 21, 1831 marked the start of Nat Turner’s Rebellion, a significant moment of resistance by enslaved people.Image result for abolish prison slavery

August 21, 1971 also marks the day the state killed George Jackson, a Black revolutionary prisoner deeply involved in struggles for the liberation of Black peoples. Jackson’s death ignited an intense period of prison organizing.

September 9, 1971 marks the start of the Attica Uprising, one of the most significant moments of resistance inside US prisons. Prisoners at Attica released a list of comprehensive demands to improve their living conditions. Those demands were never met but have clearly influenced the prisoners on strike today.

Resistance to slavery is an ongoing struggle for those facing incarceration in the United States. The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution states:

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Slavery actively continues within US prisons. The 13th Amendment legally justifies the violent, brutal conditions that define this carceral system. These conditions are what prisoners across the States will be striking against over the next two weeks.

And while Canada does not have a similar constitutional amendment, we view prisons not only as an apparatus of domination, but also as an extension of Canada’s settler colonial project.Image result for abolish prison slavery

The primary aim for the settler colonial project is to control land for settlement and for the extraction of “natural resources”.

It is through these capitalist relationships to land that the colonial system secures its wealth and future existence. However, First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nations are viewed by the political and economic elite as an obstacle to this settler future.

The settler state and society have employed tactics and strategies such as: racialized and class-motivated surveillance, policing, military repression, and incarceration. Containment and control are not only central to the settler colonial project, but prisons and incarceration are a strategic part of keeping Indigenous people off the land, and thus less able to challenge state power.

Slavery, stolen land, and attempted genocide are the founding stories of the settler states occupying this continent, and they are the foundations of the systems we seek to abolish.Image result for us political prisoners

We weave together these aforementioned moments in history to illustrate how they belong to a longer, more global context of colonial expansion, exploitation for profit, and great wealth for some humans at the expense of the objectification of so many forms of life.

Solidarity with the prisoners on strike, in memory of Angélique.

Against prisons, against slavery, against colonialism!

URL link to poster pdf files: https://archive.org/details/PrisonStrike2018posters

Philadelphia, PA: Noise Demo Report Back

By    Philly Anti-Cap  

Report back from the Friendly Fire Collective about the recent noise demonstration in solidarity with the .

As the local Friendly Fire group, we decided that we would cancel our prayer meeting in order to attend an action instead. As endorsers of the National Prison Strike, and as followers of Jesus, a revolutionary abolitionist, we felt that participating in this noise demo in solidarity with striking prisoners was important.

The action as a whole turned out great. Dozens of folks showed up in front of the Juvenile Justice Services Center in West Philly with drums, pots, pans, whistles, even a saxophone – anything to make noise with.

This energy of this action was bright and joyful and yet felt a bit more militant than other recent actions, with a spontaneous blockade erected and chants such as “Burn the banks, burn the prisons, just make sure the cops are in ’em” and – a Friendly Fire favorite – “God Hates Cops.”

IMG_20180821_230407_404(1)

There seemed to be a lot of support from those in the surrounding community, who raised their fists, honked in support, and for the most part, happily learned about the Prison Strike. A number of folks, even families, joined the protest.

We concluded by reading the demands publicly and then marched down Market Street.

We are thankful for everybody who came out and the IWW comrades who organized this action. May God be with those striking prisoners, may their demands be heard and met, and may all those opposing their work and livelihood face God’s most severe judgment.

For more information on the Prison Strike: https://incarceratedworkers.org/campaigns/prison-strike-2018Image result for abolish prison slavery