Categories

news & events, january 2014

Camp Anarchy

The third annual Camp Anarchy is scheduled for the Labor Day weekend, March 8-10. The Camp is held at ‘Camp Eureka’ in outer (outer) Melbourne: 100 Tarrango Road, Yarra Junction (Mel. Ref: 288 K10). It’s about an hour’s drive from the city. See the Camp Anarchy website for more information.

Sydney Anarchist Bookfair

The first Sydney Anarchist Bookfair is taking place on Saturday 22nd March 2014 at Gumbramorra Hall/Addison Road Community Center in Marrickville, Sydney. For further information see the Bookfair Facebook page.

Social Centres

A new social centre is opening in Melbourne.

h.o.p.

-H.O.P Community Centre- is a new space in an old fruit shop at 659 Plenty Road, Reservoir. It’s having a launch party on February 1. -Contact- h.o.pcommunitycentre[@]gmail.com for further details. [Facebook]

A few notes

The Directory has not been updated for over a year now — our apologies. There has also been an absence of news. In the meantime, the following may be of interest:

Anarchist Affinity
Anarchist Affinity are an anarchist communist group organising in Melbourne, Australia.

The Bastard Archive
The Archive formerly known as BASTARD (Brisbane Anarchists Sabotaging The Australian Representative Democracy) Books. Includes The Treason Press Collection (Canberra).

Black Swan
Black Swan is an anarchist group in Adelaide.

Etnikobandido Infoshop [Manila, Philippines]
Celebrated its third birthday on September 17, 2013. “Etnikobandido infoshop is an anarchist social space in the eastern part of manila who is actively involved in different projects and campaigns like CopWatch, Food Not Bombs, MindsetBreaker Press and Mobile Anarchist School. Etnikobandido infoshop still continue his aim to spread radical consciousness through his community library and offer different literature for further knowledge and alternative information. Etnikobandido infoshop became a hub for the anti-authoritarian bloc to make meetings, discussion, planning, film screening and workshop.” Email: etnikobandido[at]yahoo[dot]com[dot]ph

Fierce Dreams
A gathering of ‘green’ anarchists from October 18–20 2013, somewhere in the Blue Mountains (west of Sydney, NSW).

Hit & Run
a zine of ‘social conflict in australia’. latest issue (#2) january-april 2013. email: hnr@riseup.net

How To Make Trouble & Influence People
A new edition of HTMT has been published by PM Press and is currently being launched around Australia.

If We Can’t Dance
~ an anarcha-feminist / queer-anarchist discussion group ~ based in Melbourne.

The Victorian chapter of the interim International Organisation for a Participatory Society. Current projects include a free English language class program, organising for a new worker and patient run health cooperative, and various community art initiatives. Other activities range from discussion forums and film screenings to community gardening. Open meetings are usually held fortnightly on Sundays at 2pm at the Global Cities Research Institute, 17/23 Lygon St, Carlton (see the Events page for details).

If you have any queries, please email mac[at]anarchy•org•au.

3rd Annual Melbourne Anarchist Bookfair, August 10, 2013

The Anarchist Melbourne Bookfair will be a free event held at Abbotsford Convent (St Heliers Street, Abbotsford) from 10am-6pm on Saturday 10th of August. The bookfair consists of up to 40 stalls of independent book-sellers and activist groups. Alongside the stalls there will be about 21 one-hour workshops running all day on all kinds of anarchist and direct action topics. There is also a small kids’ space with volunteers to help carers, or for carers to self-organise child minding, or if the kids just want to play indoors.

For more details please see the website.

Melbourne: Rally in Solidarity with Grand Jury Resisters, Friday, November 16th

MAC infoshop opening this Saturday!

Super exciting! Melbourne’s only anarchist infoshop will be launching this Saturday evening from 7pm until late!

See the MAC blog for more details. There’s also the Facebook event.

Melbourne Anarchist Bookfair review round up

The Melbourne Anarchist Bookfair has come and gone. There were many improvements on last year’s inaugural event; more space for workshops and talks, more talks. Below are links to some of the reviews, some of which have generated much discussion.

The main controversies, if the pub talk was anything to go by, were the inclusion of the Communist League and Polyester Books as stall holders.

Kieran’s Review: Thoughts on the Melbourne Anarchist Bookfair

A couple of particularly good replies to this review were in the comments of Kieran’s website. From Lia. From Rebecca.

A Marxist goes to an Anarchist Bookfair.

IWW Melbourne GMB: A Melbourne Wob reviews the 2nd annual Melbourne Anarchist Bookfair.

Plan to Win’s recommendations for “good anarchist and activist books”.

The Facebook event also has a lot of discussion.

The next major event for the discussion of anarchist ideas looks to be the Anarchist Summer School up in Queensland in 2013.

 

Black Light #1

We have added Black Light #1, a publication of the Melbourne Anarchist Club, to our Anarchist Texts page. Check out the eye-popping cover after the break.

The Dole Army: Classic Aussie Anarchist prank

Ten years ago (!), some pranksters decided to give the media what they were looking for when reporting on “dole bludgers.”

Interviewer:

Now, Work for the Dole, what do you think about that [unintelligible]?

Anarchist 1:

Pathetic.

Anarchist 2:

Absolutely ridiculous.

Anarchist 3:

Hitler would have loved it.

Statements from Felicity Ryder and Mario López Hernández

There has been much in the Mexican press about an Australian anarchist apparently sought in connection with bombings/attempted bombings. The statement below from Felicity Ryder appeared on Liberacion Total, and there’s no reason to believe it is not genuine.

Statement from
Felicity Ryder

Comrades, friends,
I would have liked to have written earlier, but for various circumstances I haven´t had the chance to yet. I want to send a warm greeting and say thanks to everyone who has worried about me and my situation, to those who have shown solidarity with Mario and I. In these difficult moments it means a lot to have people standing in solidarity from near or from far, even without ever having met me. I sent a revolutionary hug to all of you.

I want to clarify that despite all of the lies of the Mexico City police forces and the mass media, I was never arrested and they never had me detained in any of their prisons. I have tried to understand why they would have said that and spread such false information throughout Mexico as well as Australia, but at the end of the day, as a free person I don´t think like a police officer, and I won´t be able to understand. If it was to try in vain to break or manipulate Mario, to manipulate my family, or to try to appear half competent in doing their jobs, I don´t know.

What I do know is that I am proud of being an Anarchist, and proud to be an enemy of authority and the State.

To my brother Mario, I send him a giant hug and much strength and health. I know that he will always maintain his convictions strong, as well as his desire to achieve Total Liberation. I will always be by your side, compañero. Remember, always face to face with the enemy!

I also send a warm greeting to the fugitive comrades Diego Rios and Gabriela Curilem in Chile. A warm hug to the comrades from the CCF and Revolutionary Struggle in Greece, to the anarchist comrades in prison in Italy, to Braulio Duran, Luciano Pitronello, Gabriel Pombo da Silva, and to all of the anarchist prisoners and fugitives all over the world.

Que viva la Anarquia!

Felicity.

Mario López Hernández was injured when an explosive device he was carrying went off prematurely. According to statements by the Mexican police via media reports and Mario’s statement below, Felicity Ryder’s passport was found in his backpack at the scene. We have reprinted his statement, denying Felicity’s involvement, in full, after the break.

Directory updated

We’ve made a big update to our directory, with more current information on goings on anarchy in Queensland, deleted some dead/inactive/resting groups and more.