Joint statement by MAC and ASF (Melbourne) regarding sexual assault within Melbourne anarchist milieu
JOINT STATEMENT BY MAC AND ASF-M REGARDING SEXUAL ASSAULT WITHIN THE ANARCHIST MILIEU IN MELBOURNE
Since 2010, the question of how an anarchist group can respond effectively and fairly to sexual misconduct by men against women has been the subject of debate and action by the MAC and the Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation Melbourne.
By sexual misconduct we mean the spectrum of conduct from low level sexual harassment through to opportunistic or predatory sexual behaviour.
This misconduct is a fundamental challenge and threat to our anarchist goals of a free and equal society. In the absence of an effective anarchist justice system we are ill-equipped to respond.
For this reason, we want to put on the public record our support for the right of women to choose the appropriate avenue for redress when wrongs are committed against them. This includes the criminal justice system.
An injury to one is an injury to all. Our anarchist community must develop its sophistication in making that axiom real for women who suffer injury from men.
Endorsed at the 27 October meeting of the MAC
Subsequently endorsed at the assembly of the ASF Melbourne
Benefit gig for #Tecoma8, Saturday, November 16 at 3pm
On Saturday, November 16 from 3pm MAC will be hosting a benefit gig and BBQ for the Tecoma 8 -- 8 people being dragged through the courts for daring to challenge McDonald's corporation in their attempts to colonise the Dandenong Ranges.
The gig will feature music from seven bands -- including Cabin Fever, Citywide Wildcat, Con-Troll, Flawless Boiz and Spew'N'Guts -- and a BBQ. Entry is $10 with all proceeds going to the campaign in defence of the Tecoma 8.
The MAC is located at 62 St Georges Road in Northcote.
Fantin Reading Group meeting, October 20
The next meeting of the Fantin Reading Group is on Sunday, October 20 at 1.30pm. The reading for the meeting is an essay by Cornelius Castoriadis titled 'Recommencing the Revolution'. All welcome. For more details see the Fantin Reading Group blog.
Distorted punk rock documentary, Saturday September 14
Distorted: Reflections on early Sydney punk - Trailer #1 (2013) from Des Devlin on Vimeo.
The Melbourne premiere of the acclaimed documentary
'Distorted: Reflections on early Sydney punk'
Directed by Des Devlin
This documentary charts the growth and development of the punk scene in the first city in Australia where it appeared with a particular emphasis on the famed Grand Hotel at Railway Square. Featuring interviews with those who were there including the musicians, activists, artists, squatters and anarcha-feminists and actual never-before-seen footage of live bands. 'Distorted: Reflections on early Sydney punk' firmly locates the punk scene in Sydney in its social and political context in what some have claimed as the last true white rebellion in Australia.
This will be the first time it is to be shown in Melbourne before going on to wider release next year.
WHEN : 7PM, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2013
WHERE : MELBOURNE ANARCHIST CLUB, 62 ST GEORGES ROAD, NORTHCOTE
[FACEBOOK]
August Update : Anarchist Bookfair (August 10) and Fantin Reading Group (August 25)
MAC will be tabling at and participating in the Melbourne Anarchist Bookfair on Saturday, August 10 at Abbotsford Convent. Entry is free. For more details see the Bookfair website.
On Sunday, August 25 we will be hosting another meeting of the Fantin Reading Group, when we will be discussing the essay 'On the Content of Socialism' by Cornelius Castoriadis. The reading is available on the Reading Group blog.
Coming up in September: a screening of a new documentary film on the early Sydney punk scene.
Anarchist Bookfair 2013 / Black Light #2
Anarres/MAC will be having a stall at the upcoming Melbourne Anarchist Bookfair, August 10, 2013. For more details on the bookfair, see the bookfair website.
We'll also be distributing copies of the latest edition of our zine, Black Light. (The previous edition is available for download here.)
If you'd like to contribute to the zine, write to melbourneanarchistclub[at]gmail[dot]com.
Thank you to all who attended the Towards Federation event at MAC on the weekend of June 8/9. A full report on the event will be available on the MAC site as soon as practical. In the meantime, a brief report has been published on the 'slackbastard' blog.
Talk on health and inequality, Sunday, May 19th
We are pleased to host our Italian comrade, Giordano di Jesi, who will be presenting a talk on health & social inequalities, from a uniquely anarchist perspective. Giordano will also talk about the current struggle in his own workplace, and provide us with an update on the Italian/European situation.
Giordano is in Melbourne for an international health conference. In 2011 Giordano completed a PhD in sociology & epidemiology, focusing on health inequalities. He currently works as a nurse at a regional hospital near Ancona, which is facing the austerity measures of the centre-left regional government.
Giordano is a member of the Anarchist Group Mikhail Bakunin in Jesi, which is a part of the Italian Anarchist Federation; a section of the International Anarchist Federation.
All welcome!
Links:
http://cslfabbri.blogspot.com.au/
May Day 2013
To celebrate May Day (aka International Workers Day) this year we will be doing a few things:
1) The Direct Action Collective (i.e the activist arm of both the MAC and the Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation- Melbourne) will be attending the May Day demo @ the 8 Hour Monument from 12pm, on Wednesday 1st May.
Anyone interested in attending a May Day planning meeting is welcome to come along this coming Saturday 27th April at 3pm @ MAC. We will also be having a banner/poster making session afterwards. BYO paint, brushes and materials.
2) May Day Celebratory BBQ @ MAC, Sunday 5th May from 4pm.
We are holding the BBQ after the Trades Hall Council May Day Rally, (which is held at the bosses’ convenience) on Sunday at 1pm. The DAC will be participating in both marches.
Come join us at MAC to celebrate May Day with food, drinks, and music from DJ Pete!
We will also be introducing our anti-election candidate: Nobody. Vote for Nobody!
Towards An Anarchist Federation, June 8–10, 2013
The Melbourne Anarchist Club is organising a gathering to take place on the Queen's Birthday weekend, June 8--10, 2013. The theme of the conference is 'Towards An Anarchist Federation'.
And what better way to celebrate Elizabeth's birthday than to plot the dismantling of her Commonwealth?
A full program will be provided closer to the date, however for those interested a MAC member will be conducting a workshop on the topic of anarchist federation at the upcoming Camp Anarchy (March 9--11).
Dear Channel 9: On the graffiti at Captain Cook’s Cottage
For the record, an open letter to Channel 9 News:
Dear Channel 9,
Re: Cook’s Cottage spray-painted again
We received a message through our Facebook page on February 6 asking for "our side of the story" regarding graffiti on Captain Cook's cottage. It was written in such a way that it was difficult to take seriously. We have pasted it below.
Later that day, we received a more professional message. At that late stage, we determined we had nothing to contribute, even if the contact was genuine. We don't know anything about the graffiti other than what we saw on the news.
We have made no statements or offered any indication that we took responsibility for the action. We are capable of spelling the word "thief" if necessary. Inclusion of our building at 62 St Georges Rd in Northcote in the footage is likely to give your viewers a false impression. We have already received messages (example) indicating that some of your viewers think we conducted the action based on your news item.
We understand that we gave no statement, but we also did not expect silence to be taken as confirmation of responsibility, especially based on the available evidence. As you might imagine, we are a small group ill equipped at responding in a way that your news cycle might demand.
The Melbourne Anarchist Club would appreciate it if you amended the news item to reflect the fact that people claiming to be anarchists have said on the Internet that they wrote the graffiti. The Melbourne Anarchist Club has not claimed or suggested it has claimed responsibility for writing the accurate statement on Captain Cook's cottage. It seems to us that removing footage of our building would be the easiest way of communicating this.
Frankly, there was some debate in the club that Channel 9 news was capable of accurately reporting this news and this contributed to our silence. If you could provide 6 good examples of your accurate or balanced reporting around political action by non-parliamentary groups from the last 3 years, that might go a long way to persuading our group to quickly respond to poorly constructed Facebook messages in the future. We were unable to find a single example of such reporting in our brief search.
Thanks,
–The Melbourne Anarchist Club.