The Ex-Worker #17: Conspiracy!

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Trial has begun for the NATO 3, Chicago anarchists facing domestic terrorism charges as a result of police infiltration during a 2012 protest summit. To understand the case and its context, Episode 17 of the Ex-Worker explores the state’s strategy to repress anarchists and social movements through the use of conspiracy charges and entrapment. We interview three activists from the front lines of anti-repression work: a member of the NATO 3 support team, a volunteer with the animal liberation counter-information collective Bite Back, and an anarchist supporter of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation. Our Chopping Block review examines Green is the New Red: An Insider’s Account of a Social Movement Under Siege while more listeners write in to share what anarchism means to them. News across the world includes anarchist typhoon relief efforts, Indiana prisoner resistance, and Christian anarchists striking back against sexism. A brief discussion by political prisoner Veronza Bowers, Jr. about repression against the Black Panther Party and an announcement from an organizer with Everglades Earth First! round out one of our most action-packed episodes to date.

You can download this and all of our previous episodes online. You can also subscribe in iTunes here or just add the feed URL to your podcast player of choice. Rate us on iTunes and let us know what you think, or send us an email to podcast@crimethinc.com. You can also call us 24 hours a day at 202–59-NOWRK, that is, 202–596–6975.

The Ex-Worker #16: Back to Black

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It’s a new year and a new episode of the Ex-Worker! In the sixteenth installment of our twice-monthly podcast, we backtrack a little to cover our biggest topic ever: what is anarchism? What pathways led today’s rebels to embrace anarchy, and what does it mean to them? We’ll hear from historical and contemporary anarchists in a collage weaving together first person experiences and definitions. Also, listeners write in to elaborate on the situation in Ukraine we reported on in our last episode, and to share a provocative perspective on the relationship between religion and anarchism. We’ve also got our usual news, upcoming events, and prisoner birthdays. Tune in to hear the poignant stories of an anarchist generation.

You can download this and all of our previous episodes online. You can also subscribe in iTunes here or just add the feed URL to your podcast player of choice. Rate us on iTunes and let us know what you think, or send us an email to podcast@crimethinc.com.

Beyond Self-Care: Speaking Tour

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This year, contributors to our recent zine Self as Other: Reflections on Self-Care will present on the revolutionary potential of care in a series of speaking events. The first round of these include:

January 10 – 7:00pm at Fellowship Hall, Durham, NC

January 11 – 7:30pm at Red Emma’s, Baltimore, MD [Download Flyer]

January 12 – 7:00pm at the Flying Brick Library, Richmond, VA [Download Flyer]

If you are interested in setting up an event, email rollingthunder@crimethinc.com.

Full description after the jump.

Episode #15: The Ex-Worker Holiday Special

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It’s that time of the year again: massive consumer binges propping up an economy in crisis, Greek rioters torching Christmas trees, and… the Ex-Worker holiday special! In Episode 15 of our twice-monthly podcast, Clara and Alanis take a whirlwind tour through two hundred years of blistering anarchist critiques of religion and morality. From romantic poets to guillotined dynamite artists, from Enlightenment philosophers to punk rockers, anarchists have never been so fiery as when they’ve denied the gods and affirmed our right to determine our own values. The discussion touches on direct actions against religion, the shifting politics of atheism, and the contradictions of Christian anarchism. Prison rebel Sean Swain responds to our episode on fascism, a murderous police department receives some crime stopping tips, and we offer anarchist reflections on Nelson Mandela’s legacy, decapitated Lenin statues, and Finnish hockey riots. As the Greeks say: Merry Crisis and Happy New Fear!

Our first episode of the new year will deal with stepping back and defining what anarchism means, and we’re looking for listener contributions, so send in your thoughts to podcast@crimethinc.com, or leave us a voicemail at 202-59-NOWRK.

You can download this and all of our previous episodes online. You can also subscribe in iTunes here or just add the feed URL to your podcast player of choice. Rate us on iTunes and let us know what you think, or send us an email to podcast@crimethinc.com.

CrimethInc. Gift Pack Experiment

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For us, this week started with a flurry of bulk book orders from people getting them as gifts for the holiday. It reminded us that outreach takes many forms—and giving books to close friends and family might be one of the most efficient and effective methods there is. Reflecting on it, we decided to try a little experiment this year: our first ever sale, with books 27%-50% off.

We’ve made three simple gift packs designed for different types of recipients: Contradictionary, our most broadly appealing book, suitable for everyone, but an especially delightful Trojan horse for fans of the printed word; Work, an excellent introduction to anti-capitalist ideas for curious folks questioning the forces that shape our world; and Rolling Thunder, perfect for immersing radicals and free-thinkers alike in the contemporary anarchist milieu, providing an excellent base from which to begin exploring real-world projects and actions.

So, if you find yourself caving to the gift-giving pressures of this time of year, or you simply want to share the ideas that are important to you with the people who matter most in your life, these could be a great place to start:

Contradictionary: 5 copies for $20, 27% off regular wholesale price. All five books come with special release bookmark and pencil (usually limited to one per order). Add Contradictionary Gift Pack to cart.

Work: 3 copies for $15, 50% off regular price. All three books come with a copy of the bulk capitalist pyramid poster (usually just one per order). Add Work Gift Pack to cart.

Rolling Thunder Bundle: 3 bundles for $15, 35% off regular price. Each bundle contains the 3 most recent issues of Rolling Thunder (#10, #9, #8); well over 300 pages per bundle. Add Rolling Thunder Bundle Gift Pack to cart.

Each pack comes with 10 PRISM stickers (which make excellent stocking stuffers), and are limited to three of each pack per person. Sale ends January 1st.

More photos after the jump.

The Ex-Worker #14: Squat the World!

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In this episode, Alanis and Clara allegedly break into an abandoned building to begin a conversation about squatting–and why it’s so important to anarchists. This episode includes two interviews–one with participants in a squatted social center in the United States, and one from an anti-infrastructure land occupation project in France. We’ll also hear the soothing sounds of listener feedback, regarding our last episode and some further clarifications about technology, a review of Hannah Dobbz’s “Nine-tenths of the Law: Property and resistance in the United States,” news, upcoming events, and prisoner birthdays.

We’ve just been chugging along with the podcast—can you believe this is our 14th episode?!—and realized we haven’t actually taken a step back and defined what anarchism means. Our first episode of the new year will deal with this topic, and we’re looking for listener contributions, so send in your thoughts to podcast@crimethinc.com, or leave us a voicemail at 202-59-NOWRK.

You can download this and all of our previous episodes online. You can also subscribe in iTunes here or just add the feed URL to your podcast player of choice. Rate us on iTunes and let us know what you think, or send us an email to podcast@crimethinc.com.

The Ex-Worker #13: Ones and Zeroes

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Some radicals believe the internet prefigures a decentralized utopia; others foresee a new digital feudalism of total management and surveillance. In our long-awaited thirteenth episode of the Ex-Worker, Clara and Alanis take on the recent CrimethInc. feature “Deserting the Digital Utopia,” teasing out some of the limitations and possibilities of resistance that engages with digital technologies. A supporter of imprisoned radical hacker Jeremy Hammond discusses his anti-authoritarian politics and the military, corporate, police, and intelligence agencies he targeted with his hacks. Listeners lambast us on our grievous gaffe from last episode, sketchy cops and masked marchers populate the news, and we announce an anarchist primer competition (even if we can’t agree on how to pronounce it).

You can download this and all of our previous episodes online. You can also subscribe in iTunes here or just add the feed URL to your podcast player of choice. Rate us on iTunes and let us know what you think, or send us an email to podcast@crimethinc.com.

Contemporary Israeli Anarchism: A History

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Our anonymous interlocutor traces the prehistory and development of contemporary Israeli anarchism, touching on the origins of punk and the animal rights movement in Israel and presenting a critical analysis of the trajectory of Anarchists Against the Wall. He concludes by reflecting on the function of nonviolence rhetoric in the conflict between Israel and Palestine. We strongly recommend this interview to anyone interested in the Israel/Palestine conflict or, for that matter, in the strategic challenges of formulating an anarchist opposition in adverse conditions.

Read the interview.

CrimethInc. in Hebrew

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To accompany our in-depth interview on the history and context of Israeli anarchism, here are some of the CrimethInc. materials that have appeared in Hebrew, including translations of Dear Occupiers and Eight Simple Steps towards Revolution. A full translation of Fighting for Our Lives is available at mevakerhamedina.blogspot.com along with other texts.

PDFs and photos after the jump.

The 2013 Uprisings in Brazil: Speaking Tour

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In hopes of fostering an exchange of tactics and momentum between liberation movements in North and South America, we have arranged a speaking tour of the East Coast for comrades from Brazil. In these presentations, they will explain the context of the new wave of unrest sweeping Brazil, tracing its trajectory and distilling lessons for anarchists and others organizing in the US. Don’t miss!

Speaking dates and full description after the jump.