Category: workers

Women of Syria and Their Daily Resistance

 by  Alexandra Valiente and  Marinella Correggia           at Internationalist 360°.              shared with thanksWoman from Quneitra in front of a mosaic in Damascus |Image © Marinella Correggia

The oriental fable “Appointment in Samarra”, of the soldier rushing away from his destiny of death while indeed rushing into this very destiny (it is the theme of the song Samarcanda by Roberto Vecchioni) seems well suited to what Om Ahmad is telling us.

Robust, flowered scarf on her head and black dress, sitting on the cushions that serve as a sofa in the bare apartment rented in Masaken Barzeh district, she explains that her husband, an auto mechanic, and their three sons lived in Douma, the most Islamist area of Eastern Ghouta.

“Over five years ago, while several formations of musallahin – armed Islamist groups – were coming to the area, we closed the house and came here to Damascus, where we had friends”.Her second child Rabee, now sixteen, is in a wheelchair. “One day, three years ago, he and my husband were in the mechanical workshop…. when it was hit by a missile that targeted Damascus, starting right from the area that we had left behind.”

Rabee’s father died in the explosion, and the boy’s mangled legs had to be amputated. Continue reading “Women of Syria and Their Daily Resistance”

Towards a World without Bullshit Jobs.. Interview with David Graeber on his Theory

Shared from Roar with thanks

In this interview about his latest book, David Graeber discusses the role of unions, the challenges posed by automation and “the revolt of the caring classes.

Is your job pointless? Do you feel that your position could be eliminated and everything would continue on just fine? Maybe, you think, society would even be a little better off if your job never existed?

If your answer to these questions is “yes,” then take solace. You are not alone. As much as half the work that the working population engages in every day could be considered pointless, says David Graeber, Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics and author of Bullshit Jobs: A Theory.

According to Graeber, the same free market policies that have made life and work more difficult for so many working people over the past few decades have simultaneously produced more highly paid managers, telemarketers, insurance company bureaucrats, lawyers and lobbyists who do nothing useful all day. Labor journalist Chris Brooks interviewed David Graeber to learn how so many pointless jobs came to exist and what it means for labor activists. Continue reading “Towards a World without Bullshit Jobs.. Interview with David Graeber on his Theory”

Week Of Solidarity With Anarchist Prisoners 23rd-30th August

Image result for Week Of Solidarity With Anarchist Prisoners 23rd-30th AugustWe are coming back with global week of solidarity with anarchist prisoners. Since last year, a lot has changed in our countries, but the general tendency is going in the worse direction with more repressions applied against anarchists not only in Europe but worldwide. With this in mind, we are calling for sixth annual week of solidarity!

Originally published by Solidarity International.

Last year lots of people sent us their reports from different parts of the world and we hope that this year the tradition will grow even bigger. We need to support our comrades! Use this week to spread the information about anarchists behind bars.

Don’t have prisoners in your country? No worry, support prisoners from other countries in your region or use those days to raise awareness of repression mechanisms and how anarchist communities can fight against them!Related image

Posted on August 8, 2018 by | Leave a comment

To start off the Week Of Solidarity With Anarchist Prisoners (23rd-30th August) we bring you this fun evening of Poetry Music and Information on Prisoner solidarity and how you can join in and prepare actions of support. At Hydra Bookshop 34 Old Market Street, BS2 0EZ Bristol, UK.

This is a good opportunity to meet others and throw ideas around about upcoming actions you could do in solidarity with Anarchist prisoners!

With music from GINS
http://www.georgiebiggin.com  &  Poetry from T. S Idiot     This event if free, but we hope to also make it a fundraiser for prison abolition projects and the International anarchist defense fund, so donations are very welcome!  https://tomstockley.weebly.com/

poster evento

website for Afund: https://afund.antirep.net
website for Week Of Solidarity With Anarchist Prisoners: https://solidarity.international/
Link to Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/445522069184739/

Stop Amazon’s Slave Work Conditions. World Solidarity for Strike in Amazon Spain

Workers at Amazon’s center near Madrid took on the richest capitalist ever, Jeff Bezos , in a 3 day strike on July 16 to 18 (Amazon’s ‘Prime Sales Days’ ) against severe cuts in their working conditions.

On the second day of the strike riot police charged and viciously beat up defiant pickets, injuring many and arresting three, later released with charges. Video of the police attack in favour of Amazon went viral around the world on social media.Amazon’s management thought they could intimidate a local dispute but the assembly based strikers of the anarcho-syndicalist CGT and the CCOO called out 80% of the full time workers, nearly shutting down the operation.

International solidarity was the key breakthrough, union delegates had previously traveled to Italy and Germany to seek support. 1,200 people in six German centers seconded the strike on these same days , while in Poland there have also been days of strikes despite “completely contrary legislation”. Continue reading “Stop Amazon’s Slave Work Conditions. World Solidarity for Strike in Amazon Spain”

Nº 2 del periódico anarquista “Aquí y ahora”: leer /descargar

Enviado por anon  17/07/2018 –
YA DISPONIBLE EL Nº 2 DE LA PUBLICACIÓN ANARQUISTA TRIMESTRAL “AQUÍ Y AHORA”Image result for aqui y ahora periodico anarquista

Descargar Fanzine / Revista:
Descargar Fanzine / Libro Descargar documento

Aquí tienes el segundo número de este periódico que, con el poco tiempo de vida que tiene, puede decir que ha ido cumpliendo poco a poco algunos de los objetivos que se proponía.

Por un lado, se quería generar debate en el barrio y hacerlo mediante un formato accesible, gratuito y con presencia en la calle, algo que se va logrando poco a poco con los repartos que se van haciendo en los metros, algún centro cultural, bibliotecas, comercios y locales.

Por otro, al ser un proyecto auto-gestionado, no contamos con más ayuda económica y esfuerzo que el nuestro propio y el de quienes, mediante el apoyo y la solidaridad, hacen posible que iniciativas como ésta puedan seguir adelante. Ya son varios los proyectos del barrio que nos apoyan económicamente para que puedas tener en formato impreso este periódico y no es  poca la ayuda que supone para quienes queremos seguir con la iniciativa, por lo que, les estamos muy agradecidos y esperamos seguir en esta dirección para poder, en un futuro no muy lejano, tener una tirada más grande en la calle y poder llegar a más sitios.

Al final, los 1.000 ejemplares, se nos han quedado cortos y eso, es una buena noticia.

SUMARIO_______________________________________________________

  • El trabajo mata
  • Contra la especulación inmobiliaria
  • Tecnología, control social y relaciones humanas
  • ¿Quién nos protege de la policía?
  • Anexo: Autogestión

Noticias breves / Convocatorias / Recomendaciones / Proyectos del barrio

PUNTOS DE DISTRIBUCIÓN FIJOS:

– Local Anarquista Motín, C/ Matilde Hernández, 47 <M> Oporto
– Centro Social Anarquista La Gatonera, C/ Valentín Llaguno, 32, <M> Oporto
– Casa Autogestionada del Barrrio de Aluche, La Caba, C/ Quero, 37 Aluche
– Espacio Social Liberado Autogestionado EKO, C/ Ánade s/n Urgel / Oporto
– Ateneo Libertario Carabanchel Latina, 2ª pl. del ESLA EKO

OTROS PUNTOS DE DISTRIBUCIÓN:

– En los metros de Carabanchel, Aluche, Carpetana, Vista Alegre y Oporto
– En centros culturales y bibliotecas públicas, comercios, etc.

PARA CONTACTAR, SUGERIR, APORTAR O DISTRIBUIR…:

aqui_y_ahora@riseup.net

Portada: https://ibb.co/mX2wmy

BANNER PARA COLOCAR EN WEBS Y AYUDAR CON LA DIFUSIÓN: https://ibb.co/cuxCRy

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Anarchist Reading group #1 .. review and download

Anarchist Reading group #1

London Anarchist Federation held their first reading group looking at two chapters in volume 1 of ‘Anarchism, a documentary history of libertarian ideas’, edited by Robert Graham. We read chapters 8 ‘Anarchist Communism’ and 9 ‘Anarchy and anarchism’.Below we present some of the talking points during the discussion, hastily jotted down as notes by one of our members.

A pdf of the texts (vol.1) can be found over at libcom: click Anarchism – A Documentary History of Libertarian Ideas .

Parts of the texts are strikingly modern (particularly Kropotkin) and seem readily applicable to situation the working class finds itself in today. Has anything really changed, then? The texts speak of the coming automation of labour and the need, therefore, to make sure workers are in control so this can be a post-scarcity utopia rather than a high unemployment, high exploitation dystopia (hello Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work 2016).

Within this Cafiero acknowledges that many jobs could already be automated but it’s cheaper for capital to exploit labour, so we are condemned to drudgery (hello Bullshit Jobs, A Theory 2018). Although the texts on anarchist communism mainly focus on work and production, there is also an acknowledgement of the impossibility of valuing work and the need to consider mental health, social work and other functions of society which fall outside capitalism. Continue reading “Anarchist Reading group #1 .. review and download”

Spain: A Insumisa social centre evicted

Spain: A Insumisa social centre evicted

World,

Last Wednesday, the municipal police have evicted the A Insumisa social centre in Galician city A Coruña. The space originally belonged to the Ministry of Defense until, after more than 15 years of abandonment, it was ceded to the city council. In November 2016, it was reclaimed by residents of A Coruña and since then it has been carrying out a range of social and cultural activities organized through open assemblies.

After it was occupied and set up as a social centre, the city council came up with their own proposal to turn the space to a cultural project similar to the one already set up by the citizens: except that it was to be managed by the council. The council’s proposal was rejected by the local residents and participants of A Insumisa, who defended the local self-managed project that already worked well without the intervention of the town hall and without public funding. After this defeat, the city council initiated the eviction process, which was finalised last Wednesday.

On Wednesday morning, fifteen hours after the deadline for the eviction, the local police turned up at the door, and were met with locals gathered outside to defend the space. During the eviction there have been police charges that have resulted in several people being injured, some with blows to the head. The police also used tear gas.

Two women climbed the roof of the Insumisa and resisted police attempts to take them down while the solidarity gathering remained at the doors. Continue reading “Spain: A Insumisa social centre evicted”