social revolution – Page 1142

Bengaluru attacks: Patriarchy excuses toxic masculinity by night and day

The toxic masculinity that triggered the New Year Eve’s attacks on women was there in the morning to deny they even happened.

Mass sexual harassment occurred on New Year’s Eve in Bengaluru, India [EPA]

by Meena Kandasamy@meenakandasamy Meena Kandasamy is a poet, fiction writer, translator and activist who lives in Chennai and London. via Al Jazeera with thanks

The reasoning extended goes like this: You had violence visited upon you (groped/pinched/felt-up/beaten/raped/murdered) because you did this (wore short clothes, wore no clothes, wore revealing clothes, loved a man of the wrong caste, stepped out of home, stepped into the street at the wrong time of day, went to work, went partying, got drunk, got on a bus, were speaking to a man of a different religion, did not pay enough dowry, talked back, and so on).

The mass molestation of women in Bengaluru during the midnight celebrations at New Year brings to mind the similar outrageous incident that took place in Cologne last year.

The kneejerk reaction of the Indian political establishment was to blame “western culture” – Karnataka’s Home Minister G Parameshwara blamed young women for their western attire, while Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi blamed the late-night revelries as a western import.

Rewind to a year ago, and in another part of the world, immigrants were blamed for the sexual violence, asylum seekers were rounded up as suspects, and the right-wing seized the opportunity to talk about “rapefugees”

Violence against women is universal, so, we end up with multiple iterations of the same tragedy, with eerily similar responses: In India, the ruling class blames western culture. In the West, the ruling class blames immigrants. This blame game achieves its intended aim: It outsources trouble, diverts attention from the misogyny on the domestic front and normalises violence against women. Continue reading “Bengaluru attacks: Patriarchy excuses toxic masculinity by night and day”

Greece: Updates on the hunger and thirst strike of the 3 imprisoned Revolutionary Struggle comrades

In the early morning hours of January 5th 2017, two Revolutionary Struggle members, fugitive comrade Pola Roupa and anarchist Konstantina Athanasopoulou were captured at a southern suburb of Athens. Anti-terror cops raided a hideout with Pola and her six-year-old son inside, while Konstantina was arrested in another house nearby.

After being forcibly removed from his mother, Lambros-Viktoras Maziotis Roupas—the small son of Revolutionary Struggle members Nikos Maziotis and Pola Roupa—is being held captive inside a children’s hospital guarded by cops(!), without any access to visitations by his close relatives or even the legal representative of his parents.

The Greek authorities, and in particular the public prosecutor for minors Mrs. Nikolou, still refuse to entrust the child to first-degree relatives of Pola Roupa.

In response to this, three Revolutionary Struggle members—the anarchist prisoner Nikos Maziotis, the recaptured comrade Pola Roupa and the newly arrested Konstantina Athanasopoulou—have undergone hunger and thirst strike since January 5th, demanding that the six-year-old be immediately placed with his aunt and grandmother (relatives on his mother’s side).

In an open letter Nikos Maziotis stated, among others, that: “Our son is the child of two revolutionaries, and he’s proud of his parents. We will not succumb to any blackmail. We defend our choices with our very life”.

On January 6th, during the women’s transfer to Evelpidon courts, Pola shouted: “The worms are holding my kid captive at Paidon (children’s hospital in Athens), guarded by armed cops; at the age of six, he is a prisoner of war” and: “Long live the Revolution!”. Furthermore, Pola stated: “I am a revolutionary, and I have nothing to apologize for.”

Below is Konstantina’s statement:

“I am an anarchist, member of the armed revolutionary organization Revolutionary Struggle (Epanastatikos Agonas). The only terrorists are the State and the Capital. I refuse to eat and drink anything until the child of my comrades Pola Roupa and Nikos Maziotis is delivered to relatives of theirs.
Konstantina Athanasopoulou”

On the inside, anarchist prisoners and other inmates at different wings of Koridallos male and female prisons have mounted a joint protest by refusing lock-up, to claim an end to the captivity of Lambros-Viktoras in solidarity with the Revolutionary Struggle prisoners currently on hunger and thirst strike.

On the outside, comrades in various cities throughout Greece have carried out diverse actions in immediate support of the anarchist revolutionaries, demanding that the first-degree relatives of Pola Roupa be granted immediate visitation and custody of the underage child.

Strength to Konstantina Athanasopoulou, Pola Roupa and Nikos Maziotis, proud members of Revolutionary Struggle.

Revolutionary Struggle will neither lay down arms nor surrender to the enemies of freedom.

Insurrection News

Photo: banner in Syros: Solidarity to those who do not bow their head -and to their kids- P.Roupa, N.Maziotis, K.Athanasopoulou

08.01.16: Imprisoned Revolutionary Struggle members Pola Roupa and Konstantina Athanasopoulou, on hunger and thirst strike since 05.01.17. have both collapsed and been transferred to hospital.

Solidarity Actions

07.01.17: Two OPKE (Group of Crime Prevention and Suppression) police vehicles ambushed in Exarcheia, Athens with Molotov cocktails, one OPKE vehicle completely destroyed.

07.01.17: 3 ATMs torched in Thessaloniki

06.01.17: Car torched outside the home of Tassos Tsakiridi, Deputy Mayor for Social Policy in the Neapoli-Sykies Municipality in Thessaloniki.

All information sourced from Athens Indymedia

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Greece: Pola Roupa and Nikos Maziotis on hunger and thirst strike in defense of their 6 year old child’s rights

On the inside, anarchist prisoners and other inmates at different wings of Koridallos male and female prisons have mounted a joint protest by refusing lock-up, to claim an end to the captivity of Lambros-Viktoras in solidarity with the Revolutionary Struggle prisoners currently on hunger and thirst strike.

On the outside, comrades in various cities throughout Greece have carried out diverse actions in immediate support of the anarchist revolutionaries, demanding that the first-degree relatives of Pola Roupa be granted immediate visitation and custody of the underage child.

see also..Pola Roupa vows to Fight as her comrade Falls

GREEK ANARCHISTS SENTENCED AS ESCAPE BID FAILS. NIKOS GETS LIFE + 129 YRS.

https://en-contrainfo.espiv.net

Insurrection News

pola-and-nikos From our comrades in Greece we have learned that during the arrest of comrade Pola Roupa (member of Revolutionary Struggle and partner of the comrade Nikos Maziotis, also a member of Revolutionary Struggle), that the police kidnapped and detained her 6 year old son.

The child is being held in a hospital room under armed guard and the police are refusing to allow family members or legal representatives to see him. Although we do not know if he is being interrogated it is worth noting that it is illegal under Greek law to interrogate a minor without the presence of a parent / guardian or lawyer.

In response to the state’s vengeful kidnapping and detention of their son, comrades Pola and Nikos have begun a hunger and thirst strike to demand that their child be released from police custody and into the care of close relatives. The 25 year old woman comrade who was…

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Briton and Canadian killed while Fighting against ISIS for YPG/SDF Revolution in Syria

Another British man has been killed fighting against Islamic State in northern Syria, his family and Kurdish activists have said.

Ryan Lock, 20, from Chichester, West Sussex, died on 21 December during an offensive by anti-Islamic State forces to recapture the city of Raqqa, the extremist group’s de facto capital.

Lock’s father, Jon, said in a statement: “Ryan was a v Ryan Lock, from Chichester, who has been killed in northern Syria. ery caring and loving boy who would do any thing to help anyone. He had a heart of gold. We ask for privacy to allow our family to grieve.

”Ryan Lock, from Chichester, who has been killed in northern Syria. Photograph: family handout

Lock, who had no previous military experience and had worked as a chef before travelling and training in Syria, was one of many foreign volunteers who have joined the People’s Defence Units (YPG), the Kurdish military force fighting in northern Syria.

Canadian Man Killed Fighting Daesh Alongside Syrian Kurds in Raqqa

Canadian volunteer with the People’s Protection Units (YPG) Nazzareno Antonio Tassone was killed in operation to retake the city of Raqqa from the Daesh terror group, according to official statement. (Sputnik) — continues further down.. Continue reading “Briton and Canadian killed while Fighting against ISIS for YPG/SDF Revolution in Syria”

‘God, rid us of men!’ from feminist song Shocking and Delighting Saudis

tweet announcing the publication of the song Hwages, from the Twitter account of Majed Al-Issa.

From Observers with thanks Women wearing niqabs ride bikes, rollerskate and roll down the street on scooters, play basketball or go bowling, dance like nobody’s watching, and sing about dismantling the patriarchy. Pretty incendiary stuff — at least when it’s the video clip for a new pop song in Saudi Arabia.

The song “Hwages” (“Concerns”) by the Saudi singer Majed Al-Esa is making waves in the Wahhabi kingdom, having hit over 2 million views on YouTube in just over a week.

In the first part of the video, women wearing niqabs (a veil, usually black, that covers the face while leaving the eyes uncovered) get in the back of a car, leaving the passenger seat at the front empty, while the vehicle is driven by a young boy. Continue reading “‘God, rid us of men!’ from feminist song Shocking and Delighting Saudis”