Public statement on fascist presence @ MAC
Dear friends and comrades,
On Sunday, November 1, at 12:25pm, five members of the fascist group the 'United Patriots Front' (UPF) attended the Melbourne Anarchist Club (MAC) in Northcote.
The five confronted a member of the Club who happened to be present: the confrontation was filmed and uploaded to the UPF Facebook page.
Obviously, the UPF intended their visit to intimidate the MAC, local anarchists, and all those in Melbourne who reject fascism.
In this context, we deeply appreciate the solidarity displayed by local anti-fascists who attended the space later that day in support.
The MAC is issuing this statement in order to re-affirm our commitment to anarchist politics and to appeal to the broader community to join us in a public refusal of fascist attempts at intimidation.
We appeal to our fellow anarchists, anti-fascists, and all those involved in public campaigns to oppose racism and fascism in Melbourne to attend the Club on our next opening day on Sunday, November 8 from midday onward.
We intend to carry on our work of promoting anarchism, regardless of the UPF's actions.
~ MAC.
CANCELLED! Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. Benefit gig, Sat/Sun, June 18/19
Please note : the gig has been CANCELLED and rescheduled to take place in August. Please refer to the Facebook event page for more details.
On the weekend of June 18/19, MAC is hosting a gig: Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.
$5 pp per day.
A $3 donation will get you a beer.
NO BYO.
No dickheads.
Please see the Facebook event page for more details.
Protest at Spanish consulate, Tuesday 23 December #YoTambienSoyAnarquista
On Tuesday 23 December members of the MAC and others paid a visit to the Spanish consulate in Melbourne.
We delivered an open letter to a consular official and held an hour-long protest outside the consulate.
The action was held in solidarity with anarchists in Spain who have been arrested by police and accused of belonging to an 'anarchist terrorist' association. We also wanted to register our opposition to the new gag laws that criminalise political dissent in Spain.
Thank you to all who joined us.
We will continue to monitor events in Spain and to act in solidarity with our Spanish comrades.
Note: the MAC will be closed over the holiday period and re-open on January 4. Our first gig for the year is on Friday, February 6 with Kollaps, Headlopper, A Commoner's Revolt and Spacecho.
Protest in solidarity with Spanish anarchists. Against the gag laws, against state repression!
On December 16, 2014, Spanish police launched 'Operation Pandora'. Round-ups, searches, and arrests were carried out at squats in the 'Casa de la Montaña' district of Barcelona, at the libertarian San-Andres reading room, the anarchist Poble-Sec reading room, as well as 15 private homes.
Presently, 11 anarchists have been detained incommunicado by the state and accused of belonging to an 'anarchist terrorist' organisation.
At the same time as these attacks upon the anarchist movement, the Spanish government has introduced new laws which criminalise a wide range of political activity. Among other things, the new laws "allow fines of up to €30,000 for disseminating photographs of police officers that are deemed to endanger them or their operations. Further, individuals participating in demonstrations outside parliament buildings or key installations could be fined up to €600,000 if they are considered to breach the peace. Those insulting police officers could be fined up to €600. Burning a national flag could cost the perpetrator a maximum fine of €30,000".
The police action and the enactment of new, harshly repressive laws come at the same time as the Spanish state is implementing deeply unpopular austerity measures, part of a European-wide attack on working conditions. In response, mass popular movements have arisen to contest these measures and it is surely no coincidence that the state now aims to criminalise these movements and their activities.
On Tuesday, we will be joining the tens of thousands of workers in Spain who have already mobilised in response to state terror and repression to demand: the immediate release of the anarchists; the repeal of the new gag laws and; an end to the attack upon working conditions and workers' movements in Spain.
Please join us outside the Spanish consulate in Melbourne at midday on Tuesday, December 23 and let workers in Spain know that they do not struggle alone.
“The Anarchist Age”
Fairfax has a small article about the developments on either side of MAC.
Melbourne's anarchists overshadowed by capitalist developers
Simon Johanson
The Age
November 2, 2014
New Opening Hours (October–December)
MAC is extending its opening hours. As of Friday, October 24, we will be open:
FRIDAY : 2pm -- 8pm
SUNDAY : 12pm -- 5pm
MONDAY : 12pm -- 6pm
MAC will be closed from Sunday, December 21 to Sunday January 4 (inclusive).
New stock + G20 gig
We have some new stock:
Against the Nation $15
Bakunin: The Creative Passion $18
Continuing Appeal of Nationalism $5
Damned Fools in Utopia $11.50
Declaration Of The Rights Of Human Being $10
Direct Struggle Against Capital $25
Guillotine at Work (HC) $12
New World in Our Hearts $4
Public Power in the Age of Empire $3
Rolling Thunder (Issue 5 Spring 2008) $6
Rolling Thunder (issue 6 Fall 2008) $6
Rolling Thunder (Issue 7 Spring 2009) $6
Rolling Thunder (Issue 8 Fall 2009) $6
Situationist International Anthology $20
Typecasting $12
Tyranny of Theory $30
Coming up in November:
Fuck the G20 gig, Saturday, November 15. More details TBA ...
Benefit gig for imprisoned Australian antifascist Jock Palfreeman, Sunday July 27
As part of an international week of activities in solidarity, on Sunday July 27 from 3pm MAC will be hosting a benefit gig for imprisoned Australian antifascist Jock Palfreeman and the Bulgarian Prisoners' Rehabilitation Association.
For more information on Jock's case, please see the Free Jock or Every Parents Nightmare websites.
The gig will star the following superbly-talented musicological groups:
• Citywide Wildcat
• Force Fieldz
• King's Cup
• Makeshift Believers
• Robot Mugabe
• Someone Else's Wedding Band
• Strawberry Fistcake
• The Two Shots
There'll be a raffle w great prizes, entry is $10, and all proceeds are going to the Bulgarian Prisoners' Rehabilitation Association.
Come along, have fun, and support a worthy cause! Kick-off is 3pm.
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Statement on transphobia
transphobia
n. Intense dislike of or prejudice against transsexual or transgender people [Oxford].
The MAC rejects transphobia and all other forms of irrational prejudice based upon a person's real or presumed ethnic, national, gender, racial or sexual status. People from all walks of life are welcome to participate in events organised by the MAC and always have been. We welcome debate and discussion and are committed to providing an environment in which this can take place. Any person who has participated in a MAC event and believes they have been subject to some form of harassment or discrimination is encouraged to inform us so that we may attempt to remedy the situation.
Fuck the Budget: Punk Rock at the MAC, Sunday, June 29
Dodgy neoliberal budgets are all the rage, and raging is good fun. Shitloads of rad punk, ska and hardcore bands, plus acoustic outside (for you gentler folk...bring the kids?), BBQ, drinks and the like. Sunday 29th of June, 3pm onwards:
Coffin Wolf
ThundaBox
The FckUps
Citywide Wildcat
LIQUOR SNATCH !M.C.H.D!
Robot Mugabe
Intoxicated Memories
mammoth graveyard
Acoustic tunes out the back, featuring:
Jay Wars
Craig Coburn (Shadow League)
Someone's Else's Wedding Band
MTBA
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