Solidarity with Fearless Feminists in Iran .. A Short History of the Movement

Genealogies of the feminist fightback in Iran

It is nearly impossible to read any article about Iranian women and not spend the entire time rolling your eyes. Historically, the Western media has tended to make liberal use of Orientalist and infantilizing depictions of Iranian women as, alternatively, trapped in the harems of their turbaned overseers (a historically pre-1979 trope applied liberally to all Middle Eastern women) or militantly crazed and clad in black “traditional garb” (a post-1979 trope specific to Iranian, and later Islamist, women).

by GEORGINA MARÍN NOGUERAS at La Directa, shared and translated with thanks, illustrations added

Policies that discriminate against women in Iran are one of the main factors of mobilization of the feminist movement to demand more rights. Consider this journey from the regime of the Shah until the present day…

“As I am dressed now, showing my neck without the veil-strap under the chin, would be unthinkable ten years ago.” she says and encourages us to pay attention to the young people in Tehran who subtly or blatantly defy the ultra strict dress code required, rebel against any ideology (.a blouse that does not cover the buttocks, a handkerchief pulled back so that it shows her hair, hair cut short or shaved ..) .

I don’t want to chime in to all the Western finger pointing at Iran. but women like the one pictured do deserve full support and admiration. — I don’t want to ‘chime in’ to all the Western finger pointing at Iran. but women like the one pictured do deserve full support and admiration.

How much power and struggle we can glimpse in these symbolic gestures. For example Niloufar, 29,on Friday night, leaving her apartment in northern Tehran wearing pirate pants and a jacket with three quarters length sleeves, ready to receive looks of disapproval and weaving complicity. Continue reading “Solidarity with Fearless Feminists in Iran .. A Short History of the Movement”

Greek punk bands raise money for refugee squats

Around a dozen squats provide housing for refugees and migrants in the Exarchia neighbourhood of Athens.

by Patrick Strickland via Al Jazeera

@P_Strickland_

Athens, Greece – On a cold night in late December at a smoky venue in the Greek capital, Anfo takes to the stage and immediately launches into a song.

A tall, thin man in a Soviet beret, guitarist Nikos stands on the edge of the stage. The vocalist, Sotiris, lowers his head and looks downward between guttural screams.

http://players.brightcove.net/665003303001/4k5gFJHRe_default/index.html?videoId=5280734885001

WATCH: Helpless refugees freezing in cold-hit Greece

Behind them, Giorgos Chloros pounds away at the drums. Anfo, a leftist punk band, is joined by a handful of other punk outfits.

“Everybody [in Anfo] is involved in the anti-capitalist struggle in some form,” Chloros, a 45-year-old socialist, told Al Jazeera, explaining that they perform at anti-racism festivals and other pro-refugee events. Continue reading “Greek punk bands raise money for refugee squats”

SDF forces launch 3rd stage of Liberating Raqqa from ISIS

KDN Kurdistan, Syria

RAQQA (ANHA) – Wrath of Euphrates operation room has declared the beginning of the third stage of the liberation of eastern countryside of al-Raqqa campaign, and they called people of the area to get away from terrorists’ positions.

Wrath of Euphrates operation room released a statement to the public opinion and declared that the 3rd stage of the eastern countryside of al-Raqqa liberation campaign has been begun, and they called youths of al-Raqqa to join their forces and participate in completing their areas- liberation.

The statement was read by the spokesperson of Wrath of Euphrates operation room Jihan Sheikh Ahmad in the Şabdax village in al-Raqqa city.

The statement contains the following:

“Meanwhile the military operations are continuing in the western countryside of al-Raqqa for liberating what remained from its ISIS-held space, we declare the beginning of al-Raqqa countryside and city liberation third stage campaign that aims for liberating the eastern countryside of the city and rescuing our people from the terrorists of ISIS and their fierce practices that increase as their ending approaches, particularly that we are massively supported by our proud people including different component and the increasing aid of the global coalition forces as they are securing advance of our forces by aerial coverage and also the help special forces provide to our forces on the ground with the blessing of sheikhs and tribal notables, completion of the military campaign will be our major concern now in this stage”.

This phase of Wrath of Euphrates campaign will continue with all the military factions that participated in the previous stages in addition to a huge number of youths from the areas recently liberated, and military factions recently formed by locals during the wars led by Wrath of Euphrates operation room after they have been trained and armed by the aid and support of the global coalition forces to fight ISIS.

In this decisive war of al-Raqqa and its countryside’s liberation, we call our people to get away from the terrorists’ positions, and aid our forces as they reach their areas, in addition to that, people should be taking shelter from our advancing military units and resort to safe regions under our forces control.

Moreover, we call all free men and women of al-Raqqa to join our forces to complete liberating their areas.

Who Are the Anarchists?: Why Resistance Is Coming from Below

$It\'s Going Down$ via IT’S GOING DOWN … Anarchist Movement

America is in the throes of crisis. Polling as the least popular starting President in history, Donald Trump has taken the reins and intends to force his agenda on the world by brute force. Alongside him, outright white supremacists are coming out of the woodwork, convinced that their time has arrived.

Who are the Anarchists? from subMedia.tv on Vimeo.

Millions who once counted on the Democratic Party are losing faith in the entire political system. Can anything be done to halt the rise of tyranny? Continue reading

DEFEND La Chispa CSO.. LAW made for the RICH .. SOLIDARITY for the REBELS

main report by by Sergi Bertran and Sonia Perez at La Directa. … translated summary by The Free ..en català abaix

….We are on the outskirts of Lleida city (in Lleida province). This area has undergone a major change in recent years… where there were small family orchards and country houses today they have built fast food chains, department stores, hotels and luxury villas. The companies and new owners of the land have been moving out the locals, buying up their land at high prices…

After a lengthy legal process against four ex-occupiers the vibrant, active, self-managed SPARK project among the orchards of Lleida is condemned to be evicted by capitalist speculation. ”The Court Sentence against La Chispa condemns the people judged to 3 months / fine at the rate of 5 euros a day. The ruling also agreed to the eviction of all persons who are in the CSO Chispa and that the speculative company (UA sl) be reimbursed for ‘damage to property’. We want to make clear that this house. if not for for being squatted for nine years, would have already collapsed due to the state of abandonment; and that the only intention is to demolish the house to speculate on the price of the ground”. Continue reading “DEFEND La Chispa CSO.. LAW made for the RICH .. SOLIDARITY for the REBELS”

I Was A Teenage Anarchist And Now I’m A Mid-Thirties Anarchist

from MAGPIE at Birds Before the Storm, shared with thanks

Fifteen years ago today, on February 2nd, 2002, I became an anarchist. I was nineteen, living in NYC, and I attended the World Economic Forum protests. I knew the anarchists by reputation only — they wore all black and they smashed things. They were going to wear masks in defiance of NYC’s anti-mask laws. I wanted to know why, so I approached a man with his face obscured by a black bandanna.

“What’s anarchism?” I asked. 300px-black_bloc_at_rnc_running

“Well, we hate capitalism and the state.” He was very forthcoming, which I appreciated.

“What do you all do about it?”

“We build up alternative institutions without hierarchy while attacking and interfering with the existing, oppressive ones we despise.”

“Oh,” I said. I pondered this for a moment, but honestly only a moment. “Do you have an extra mask?”

He did, and he gave it to me. Simple as that, I became an anarchist. Continue reading “I Was A Teenage Anarchist And Now I’m A Mid-Thirties Anarchist”

We Deny free speech to Nazis who try to Destroy it for Everyone

Freedom against the freedom of speech

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Julius Gavroche

With the expansion of neo-fascist and neo-nazi groups in the shadows of ever more racist, xenophobic and sexist “traditional” conservative right-wing political parties, confusion over the significance of the liberal freedom of speech can paralyse radical political criticism and action. We share below a timely analysis from CrimethInc on the limits of free dialogue when politics must be conceived of as war, as a conflict between ways of life.

We are Not in a Dialogue:

We need Not Just Free Speech……….. but Freedom Itself

Maybe you missed this, but you’re not in a dialogue. Your views are beside the point. Argue all you want—your adversaries are glad to see you waste your breath. Better yet if you protest: they’d rather you carry a sign than do more. They’ll keep you talking as long as they can, just to tire you out—to buy time.

They intend to force their agenda on you. That’s what all the guns are for, what the police and drones and surveillance cameras are for, what the FBI and CIA and NSA are for, what all those laws and courts and executive orders are for. It’s what their church is for, what those racist memes are for, what online harassment and bullying are for. It’s what gay bashings and church burnings are for. Continue reading “We Deny free speech to Nazis who try to Destroy it for Everyone”