The Free

1000’s of Women Protest as Gang Rape 5 get Light Sentences and Victim Blamed

‘Fear is gonna Change Sides’.. Women’s Self Defense.

Just months before they had shared a video on Whatsapp of themselves abusing, mocking and stripping a drugged and kidnapped girl, to the adulation of their many fans (see Pozoblanco below). Image result for Manifestaciones mujeres sentencia manada

The San Fermin rape became the focus of a campaign against sexual abuse atthe Fiesta, highlighting many other similar cases, and condemning the impunity showed by the corrupt political justice system, as well as the links between machismo, bull torture, catholic nationalism and rape in the ‘culture’ of the Spanish right.

The sentencing of the rapists came just weeks after the first ever women’s General Strike on March 8th with an unprecedented awakening to the abuse , denigration and discrimination against women.

A heavy sentence was expected but the judges ruled there was no proof of rape, that the girl didn’t protest loud enough, and reduced the charge to ‘abuse’. For this they got 9 years each.. but with endless appeals and certain clemency they will likely never go to jail, like the hundreds of corrupt poiliticians charged but enjoying immunity..

Demonstrations called on social media have multiplied already across Spain to express the rejection of the decision of the court

(Ara report by ENRIC BORRÀS / MARIONA FERRER) Thousands of people – most of them women – have quickly concentrated in the Plaça Sant Jaume de Barcelona. Continue reading

Freedom Exclusive: 1,312 Undercover Anarchists Discovered in Metropolitan Police

Freedom News Apr 1st Last week the Undercover Policing Inquiry revealed that, since at least the 1970s, anarchists have been infiltrating London Metropolitan Police.

An estimated 1,312 undercover anarchists were discovered within the Met’s ranks so far, with some still active. AFed, SolFed, Freedom Collective and The Wombles refused to disclose the names of infiltrators, instead providing the Inquiry with their numbers: ranging from ACAB0001 to ACAB1312.

They have also refused to say how many are still active, or what is the purpose of the undercover operation.

One member of Freedom Collective, who prefers to remain anonymous, said: ”We will be issuing a statement at some point, but first we need to have a number of very long meetings and argue on Libcom.

I guess we better start doing more illegal raves in order to gather funds we will likely need if the Met choses to take legal action against us. Also, for the record, there is no leader of this operation: it was purely self-organized”. Continue reading “Freedom Exclusive: 1,312 Undercover Anarchists Discovered in Metropolitan Police”

Roberto wrote ‘Feed Royals to the Sharks’ on Facebook before his Arrest

13 Spanish policemen broke into Roberto’s home at 7.30 am, took his laptop and cellphone and dragged him away. The Canary Island activist had written ”Bourbons to the Sharks” and ”I Shit on the Royals, the King and his Repressive Forces” on his Facebook page.

The case comes after a long series of ‘gagging arrests’ especially of singers, rap artists, twitter critics, especially Catalan independentists, and even two puppeteers.

The Tenerife activist, Roberto Mesa, not only faces the imputation of a crime of insult to the Crown but also a crime of hatred to Spanish institutions and the security bodies of the State. As Cadena SER has learned, the National Police Body (CNP) had been investigating Mesa since 2007 due to its ‘contestatory’ activity on social networks.

Things looked black for Roberto, but then all the Canarian movements came to his rescue, picketing the police and then the court.

Almost a hundred Canarian, Spanish and South American social and political organizations – including Podemos, Izquierda Unida and Sí Se Puede – signed a support manifesto for Roberto Mesa, which was read on Friday at a rally held at the gates of the Palace of Justice in La Laguna. Continue reading

6 Million Women Reclaim their Power: The1st Feminist General Strike

A strike against/beyond borders: The March 8 feminist strike

It was to be a Feminist women’s strike, at work and in the home. In order to give it legal coverage it had to be officially registered by a Trade Union, in this case the anarchist CGT and CNT. But it’s not legal to call a Women’s Strike in the Spanish State, so they went one further and registered it as the first feminist General Strike. Legal and official. Helped by hundreds of women’s collectives, women journalists and social media the strike snowballed amazingly to over 6 million women.

photo: 3 anarchist women after legally registering a General Strike.

by Julius Gavroche main text from autonomies with thanks

This year’s call for a global women’s strike to mark the 8th of March women’s day was expressed in protests throughout the world. But it found no greater resonance than in the Spanish State.

The call to strike was already in itself a radical gesture, to move beyond the ever so often tepid parades of slogans for equality of rights. However useful such moments may be, their political limitations are profound.

In the Spanish State, the strike call was made in the name of feminism: March 8th was to be a Huelga Feminista, under the rallying cry of “If we stop, the world stops!”. And if Spain did not come altogether to a stand still, tens of thousands protested during the day and roving pickets closed roads, public transportation services, shops. Public and private sector workers (teachers, journalists, care workers, cleaners (las kellys) and so on) struck.

Originally called by radical labour unions (the CNT, CGT, among others), along with hundreds of feminist collectives and other political groups, its extraordinary resonance finally forced Spain’s larger labour unions (the CCOO and the UGT) to join, with their membership contributing to a two hour afternoon labour stoppage involving some 6 million people. (El Pais 08/03/2018).

CAN YOU describe how the strike was organized? What were the most important organizations? …..THE STRIKE began to be organized in August and September of 2017, a time during which many feminist collectives in the Spanish state met to analyze the feminist movement and the situation in which it was operating and to assess the potential for organizing a strike on March 8, 2018, following the strike organized by feminists in Argentina in March 2017. …YOU CAN read the strike’s manifesto here. Continue reading “6 Million Women Reclaim their Power: The1st Feminist General Strike”

Defend the Women’s Revolution

Defend the Women’s Revolution: Bandages for Shengal and Afrin

By Plan C

sending Emergency Medical Supplies

Plan C is working with groups all over Europe to support the women’s military units in both Rojava and Shengal by funding “Celox” hemostatic dressings. The invasion of Afrin and the potential invasion of Shengal is the continuation of decades of oppressive, genocidal policies against the Kurds by the Turkish state.Yezidi women demonstrating against Erdogan’s invasion of Afrin

But the revolution isn’t over and support is needed now more than ever. Bandages will go where they are most needed, we suspect Shengal will be attacked next but bandages will also be sent to Afrin. We are sending bandages to Shengal so that if it is invaded and borders closed there is already a supply.

Please follow this link and donate generously.

Defend the Women’s Revolution

Since its establishment the revolutionary project taking place in Northern Syria, the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (DFNS) otherwise known as Rojava, has been under attack from all sides. Whilst fighting a successful campaign against ISIS it’s international enemies have attempted to strangle it with embargoes. Continue reading “Defend the Women’s Revolution”