Italian fascist offices firebombed
The offices of Robert Fiore’s fascist, ‘Forza Nuova’ party have been firebombed by persons unknown. The fascists have stated that extensive documents, membership information, flags, banners, and a large amount of literature has been destroyed.
The offices in Bonifati are the regional headquarters in Cosenza. The fire was started during Saturday night and quickly engulfed the ground floor before it could be extinguished. Soon after, the upper floors collapsed due to extensive fire damage.
Forza Nuova, whose activists intimidate and attack political opponents, homosexuals, and immigrants, have hilariously labelled the attack as
South African vineyard workers erupt
For the second time in the last few months vineyard workers in the Western Cape Province, South Africa have clashed with bosses, scabs, private security goons, and the Police. They are demanding that their paltry wages are doubled, and an improvement in their working conditions. Countless injuries have been reported and at least 50 people have been arrested.
Wildcat strikes have been reported across the Cape region, which is of huge financial importance to the South African state – both in terms of wine production, and the tourist industry….. The government are worried about “business confidence”..
Attempted reoccupation of Villa Amalias
This morning there was an attempt to reoccupy the recently evicted Villa Amalias squat in Athens. In response the police again attacked the squat.
There was an attempt this morning to reoccupy the Villa Amalias squat in the centre of Athens. At this point details are unclear as events are still on going. Reports state that early this morning a group of people managed to get back inside the building which has been under police guard since an eviction on 20th December.
Rejecting the compulsory jobs guarantee and the left's work ethic
A look at Labour's compulsory jobs guarantee and the problematic narratives that inform the debate around both it and unemployment in general.
Few regular libcom.org readers will, I imagine, need it explaining why Labour's recent proposal for a compulsory jobs guarantee is a crock. However, as is often the case with Labour policies, it is being pushed as something “left” by certain people.
Autonomisation, financialisation, neoliberalism
An overview of the way in which with increasing autonomisation of finance capital, models come to shape the real economy and influence its restructuring.
Arbitrage is defined as any technique to profit from differences in price between identical assets in different markets. At its simplest, if an asset is priced at £1000 in one country and at £1200 in another, I can buy in the cheaper market and sell in the more expensive and profit from the difference.
Top ten libcom blog posts of 2012
The 10 most popular articles which have been posted to our blog section in 2012.
10. Safer spaces, false allegations, and the NYC Anarchist Bookfair - Ramona
9. Europe-wide general strike November 14: How real? How relevant? - rooieravotr
IKEA struggle: January update
On January 3rd, porters and stores workers at IKEA and subcontracted cooperatives in Piacenza again blocked the entrance to the warehouse.
Over the past two months, in spite of an uphill battle against the giant furniture company, workers in loading & unloading, logistics and goods distribution have led a nation-wide struggle with initiatives taking place all over Italy. A small and symbolic demonstration also took place in a IKEA store in Stockholm.
A new start? Welfare changes and the labour-power shortage
Debt in the banana republic
An exploration of the reasons for austerity in Queensland, Australia and a critique of those arguments that would reduce the cause to one of 'ideology'.
( For non-Australian readers the title refers to jokes about the nature of Queensland, based on its history of agricultural production and its experience under the Joh Bjelke-Petersen National Party Government that ruled from 1968 till 1987)
Why no platform is still relevant, and the trouble with liberal "anti-fascism"
Some on the liberal end of the anti-fascist movement have argued that "no platform" is dead and free speech the best antidote to the far-right. This argument rears its head time and time again, but it bears shooting down every time.
Today, a Robert Sharp posted a short blog on Liberal Conspiracy to argue against no platform.
Top ten most read libcom articles of 2012
Here are the 10 most popular articles read by you lot throughout 2012.
10. Prison survival guide
9. Golden Dawn offices bombed
8. Economics of the war economy - Paul Mattick
7. The black sea revolt - Tico Jossifort
Asylum seekers occupy a church in Vienna
Frustrated at the lack of help from the local or national government, being kept in terrible conditions, and frequent threats of deportation, 100 asylum seekers have occupied a church in Vienna – 27 of whom are now on hunger strike. Despite the possibility of alternative accommodation being found they are refusing to leave due to so many disappointments in the past.
In late December a large group of asylum seekers set up a tent city close to the Votivkirche church in Vienna. Following threats of eviction, many of them decided to occupy the nearby church.
Those that chose to remain in their tents were forcibly evicted this morning. Several were arrested for not having the correct documentation, and for allegations of assaulting the police.
Libcom.org traffic analysis 2012
Our annual breakdown of statistics on people reading and posting to libcom.org.
Here are our reader and user stats from 2012 1. In summary, reader figures have fallen slightly on the previous year, but are still significantly higher than 2010 and 2009.
- 1. Different stats systems measure traffic in very different ways. So two different systems can give wildly different results. Our system excludes all bots, and only counts real visits by people.
Wrong to work! Two perspectives on the abolition of work
ALL MUST WORK! declares the cabinet of millionaires. 'Workers not shirkers!', they implore. 'Strivers not skivers!' The divide-and-rule rhetoric trying to pit those in work against those without is as relentless as it is transparent. But what's so good about work anyway?
Junge Linke's short piece nicely skewers how attempts to mobilise resentment of claimants and the unemployed undermine even those in work who aren't claiming benefits. What I'd like to focus on is two perspectives on what an explicitly anti-work politics might look like.
Robocommunism
With Sober Senses – A new research project
With Sober Senses is a new project in which I am trying to reorientate my research and writing towards mapping out the territory of capital accumulation with Australia, in a way I hope will reach a larger audience and may be useful for those trying to understand and change the society they live in and make up.
All fixed, fast-frozen relations, with their train of ancient and venerable prejudices and opinions, are swept away, all new-formed ones become antiquated before they can ossify.
POA Cry-Wolf at Morton Hall Immigration Centre
Several prison officers are reported to have been injured during a serious disturbance at the Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre on Christmas Eve. One prisoner is said to be in a serious condition in hospital with a head injury. Between 30 and 40 Prisoners are believed to have started a peaceful protest against conditions within the facility, and refused to return to their cells when instructed to.
Despite the UK border agency playing down the incident, the POA (Prison Officer Association) claim that around 50 individuals were involved in serious violence that included the use of home-made knives, pool-cues, and snooker balls. They also claim that there was a serious escape attempt thwarted on Christmas day.
Russian prisoners fight-back against corrupt and brutal screws
Hundreds of prisoners at Prison Number 6 in Kopeisk, in the Urals region of Russia, have fought fierce battles with screws and security forces and launched a rooftop occupation in a protest against draconian conditions, torture, extortion, and the use of solitary confinement. Four inmates have died at the prison in recent years following beatings from staff. The protest lasted for two days before the police and army special forces managed to regain control.
The trouble started when around 250 prisoners refused to follow the prison rules and routine, demanding the immediate release of those in solitary confinement. An end to barbaric treatment and extortion were the main demands that the prisoners had. Whilst on the roof, the prisoners unfurled placards that read, “Help us”, and “We have a thousand on hunger strike”
IWA-AIT 90th anniversary conference - Jan 2013
International Workers' Association
90th anniversary conference
5 January 2013, London
Due to unforeseen circumstances, including one of the key organisers and speakers having been taken seriously ill, we have had to reduce the conference to just Saturday 5th January 2013. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.
IWA-AIT 90th anniversary conference
Hosted by South London Solidarity Federation
Final programme
"Fighting For Ourselves " - lots to learn, a few things to criticize
"Fighting For Ourselves", a new book by which SolFed explains it s view on anarchosyndicalism, deserves to be widely read. In what follows, I try to review the book, both highlighting its strengths and pointing to a few problems I encountered on the way.
"Fighting For Ourselves" , a new book in which Solidarity Federation (SolFed) explains its views on how to struggle against the bosses and the state, why anarchosyndicalism makes sense in that respect, and what anarchosyndicalist strategy could look like in the twenty first century, is a challenge to read and to think about.
Are communities of care a possible site of struggle?
Raising the question of whether intentional communities of care can be a site of struggle, rather than just a place of support.
I have personal experiences in creating and expanding communities of care, street medicing, radical mental health, as an herbalist initially trained through an informal apprenticeship, and in radical clinics.