J25 International Day of Solidarity Reportback!!

Posted on July 31, 2016 by

Much like last year, the second annual International Day of Solidarity with Antifascist Prisoners was a great success, with events, actions, and other gestures of solidarity taking place on four continents! In addition to these benefit shows, letter-writings, dinners, banner drops, and solidarity photos, the call to action was translated into twelve languages, there is an ongoing t-shirt fundraiser by Antifa International, and social media was awash in #J25antifa solidarity!

North London Anti-Fascists break out the ultra-style and a sick mural for J25!

North London Anti-Fascists break out the ultra-style and a sick mural for J25!

In Great Britain, there were many solidarity photos taken by antifa crews in Manchester, North London, Cambridge, and South Wales. In Bulgaria, antifascists hung a banner at the courthouse in Sofia in support of Jock Palfreeman, calling for his freedom and the end of racist terror.

Anti-Fascist Action in Sydney does a banner action for Jock Palfreeman and all antifa prisoners!

Anti-Fascist Action in Sydney does a banner action for Jock Palfreeman and all antifa prisoners!

In Sydney, Australia, Anti-Fascist Action also hung a banner in support of Jock Palfreeman and all anti-fascist prisoners. In Indonesia, antifas attempted to march with banners in Cirebon and Surabaya, but were met with police repression.

Empty Cages/Progress for Science banner action in Los Angeles!!

Empty Cages/Progress for Science banner action in Los Angeles!!

Moving to the United States, in New York, local antifas organized a solidarity photo, and New York City Anarchist Black Cross hosted a letter-writing dinner for the prisoners. In California, Bay Area antifas held a bladed-knife defense workshop and a letter-writing; in Los Angeles, Empty Cages and Progress for Science held a banner action on the 101 freeway at rush hour (where passing cars honked in solidarity and passersby came up to reveal antifa tattoos as well as their support!). Antifascists in Denver, Colorado, and Minneapolis, Minnesota also hung banners for J25, while in Chicago, Illinois they held a Punk Rock Karaoke night to raise money for antifas injured in a fight with boneheads in Sacramento, California. Rose City Antifa in Portland, Oregon, once again facilitated the Postcards to Prisoners project, and also held a benefit for the Sacramento antifas.

The goal of July 25th is to bring attention to the many antifa prisoners behind bars and to raise awareness about the global struggle against fascism. Thanks to everyone who participated, we can say that solidarity knows no borders and that the fight continues stronger than ever. Now that the day of solidarity has passed, we encourage everyone to make prisoner support a part of your antifascist practice. We will do our best to keep our prisoner lists updated, so keep writing and keep the flow of solidarity moving!

NO PASARAN!!

Until All Are Free!!

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Posted in Australia, Bulgaria, Chicago, Events, July25, New York City, Solidarity, United Kingdom, United States

Get ready! July 25th International Day of Solidarity With Antifascist Prisoners Is Upon Us!

Posted on July 22, 2016 by

antifaprizonWe are fast approaching the July 25th Day of Solidarity with Antifascist Prisoners, and in preparation, we wanted to update everyone on the legal situation of our antifa comrades in the last year. In that time, quite a few antifascists have finished serving their time or have had their legal situations resolved, but unfortunately, a number remain behind bars, with many more expected to join them over the course of the next year.

Beginning with the good news, many antifascists finished serving their time, and have rejoined their friends and family after many months or years of separation. In Belarus, Dzimitry Zvan’ko—one of many antifas from Brest targeted by authorities—was released on parole on May 31, 2016 after serving three years. In Germany, on June 28th, Valentin, who was arrested and spent 10 months in jail for his involvement in a fight started by fascist soccer hooligans, was given a suspended sentence of 3 years instead of prison time. Many Swedish antifascists were also released in the past year—Dennis Miraballes, Nick Staffas, Linus Soinjoki, and Adam Taylor are now all home. In the United States, Jason Hammond was released on parole on April 1st, after serving a year and a half for direct action against the White Nationalist Economic Summit in 2012. Finally, Luke O’Donovan, after serving two years in prison for defending himself from a homophobic knife attack, will be released on July 25th, the International Day of Solidarity!

That these comrades are out is something to be cheered and celebrated, but we cannot forget the antifas who remain in prison, or the sad fact that many others will be joining them all too soon. Michelle Smith was sentenced on July 12th to twelve months in prison for her participation in the antifa counter-protest of an anti-immigration rally called by various far-right and fascist groups in Dover, England on January 30th.  Additionally, there are many other antifas currently on bail in England for actions over the past year who are also facing jail time. In the United States, seven antifascists were charged on June 30th in connection with a physical confrontation between antifascists and Klansmen in Anaheim, California this past February. Although three antifa were stabbed, none of the KKK members were charged by police. In Sweden, eight of the Kungsan 15 were sentenced to prison on July 1st to between 4 and 12 months for a physical confrontation with fascists during a huge counter-protest of a Nazi demonstration in 2014.

The worldwide increase in far-right activity means that more anti-fascists will risk not just prison, but their very lives, in confrontations with fascist scum (who are protected and encouraged by the state). In order to be as effective as we can be in this fight, we must create a strong flow of solidarity over the prison walls, not just on July 25th, but every day.

However, there is something powerful in a worldwide day of solidarity, and there is still time to do something for July 25th. Even something small, such as a solidarity photo, or a letter, is meaningful and appreciated. If you write to a prisoner, consider participating in Rose City Antifa’s Postcards to Prisoners project, and tweet a photo of your postcard or letter using the hashtag #postcardstoprisoners. Another way to be in solidarity is to contribute to Antifa International’s International Anti-Fascist Defense Fund, which raises funds for prisoners, as well as money for legal defense, medical costs, and family expenses for antifascists.

Tweet your solidarity with the #J25antifa hashtag and remember:
They are in there for us, and we are out here for them!

Free Roman Bogdan! Free Vlad Lenko! Free Dzmitry Stsyashenka! Free Jock Palfreeman! Free Michelle Smith! Free Aleksandr Kolchenko! Free Alexey Sutuga! Free Joel Almgren!

j25_1

Thanks to @brighton161 for the great image!

Posted in Call To Action, Events, July25, Territories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

NYC: Tuesday, July 19th – Letter-Writing for the Day of Solidarity With Anti-fascist Prisoners

Posted on July 15, 2016 by

If you live in the NYC area, come down to The Base for letter-writing to anti-fascist prisoners sponsored by NYC Anarchist Black Cross!

WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, July 19th, 2016
WHERE: The Base – 1302 Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11221 (directions below)
NOTE: The Base is on the ground floor, is wheelchair accessible, and has a gender neutral toilet.
COST: Free

As an anarchist collective, NYC ABC opposes capitalism, the state, and all forms of oppression. Naturally, this includes totalitarianism and fascism. So when the call for an international day of solidarity with anti-fascist prisoners was made, we answered. Our next every-other-week letter-writing dinner will be dedicated to sending cards to folks imprisoned for the actions they have taken in the name of fighting the spread of fascism around the world.

If you are unable to make it to our dinner, but want to write to the prisoners, please reference this list complied by NYC Antifa.

The deal, as always, is that you come bringing only yourself (and your friends and comrades), and we provide you with a delicious vegan meal, information about the prisoners as well as all of the letter-writing materials and prisoner-letter-writing info you could ever want to use in one evening. In return, you write a thoughtful letter to a political prisoner or prisoner of war of your choosing or, better yet, keep up a long-term correspondence. We’ll also provide some brief updates and pass around birthday cards for the PP/POWs whose birthdays fall in the next two weeks thanks to the PP/POW Birthday Calendar.

Directions:
Getting to The Base is simple:
From the M Train:
Central Avenue Stop: Walk east on Myrtle Avenue (away from Hart Street, toward Cedar Street). We’re about two blocks down on the south side of the street.

Knickerbocker Avenue Stop: Walk west on Myrtle Avenue (away from Harman Street, toward Himrod Street). We’re about three blocks down on the south side of the street.

From the L Train:
DeKalb Avenue Stop: Walk south on Stockholm Street (away from Wyckoff Avenue, toward Irving Avenue). We’re about four blocks down, at the intersection of Stockholm Street and Myrtle Avenue.

From the J Train:
Myrtle Avenue Stop: Transfer to the M train and follow the above directions.

Posted in Uncategorized

July 10th: Day of Solidarity With Injured Antifa in Sacramento

Posted on July 5, 2016 by

combatantsOn June 26th, over 500 anti-fascists ran Nazis the fuck out of Sacramento, preventing a rally and show of force at the state capitol by the Traditional Workers Party, the Golden State Skinheads and other assorted fascists (from Blood and Honor and Red Ice Creations).

Nine anti-fascists were seriously injured in the chaos of the day and needed to be hospitalized. According to the fundraising website, all nine have been released from the hospital as of yesterday, July 4th, although their recovery process is not yet finished:

So it has been an exciting couple of days. All Antifa folks are out of the hospital and recovering. Many have a long road to being fully healed. We want to give a shout out to our medics who saved people’s lives on the 26th, without you all at least 2 people would have died.

Many of the folks who were injured spent a significant amount of time in the hospital and many had to undergo surgery. The bills for their treatment at the hospital and continued medical care are going to be very expensive.

A day of solidarity has been called by west coast comrades for July 10th to show support for the injured Antifas, but also to help continue the work they were willing to risk their lives for.

This is a call for a day of solidarity with all those who put their lives and bodies on the line to confront white supremacists in the streets of Sacramento on the 26th. Solidarity means many things, and can articulate itself in many ways. Demos, attacks, letter writings, benefits for medical fee, banner drops and more are welcome on this day. Just make sure to securely take photos or write reportbacks and post them itsgoingdown.org, anarchistnews.org or your local anarchist news source.

It’s Going Down has compiled a list of things you can do to help, as well as posters and images you can distribute in person or on social media:

Donate to the Medical Fund:
If you can, please donate to the bail and medical fund. Anything helps and you can also share the link on social media. Go there at: https://rally.org/June26th

Throw a Benefit:
Several groups are already planning benefit events in several locations. Host an event, discussion, or party to raise funds. ‘Welcome to Leith’ is now on NetFlix if you are looking for an excellent film to show. We also recommend getting in contact with a local anti-fascist speaker or holding a discussion about how these struggles are linked to what is happening in your area.

Drop a Banner or Hold a Rally:
Drop a banner in a public place, take a picture, and send in report to itsgoingdown.org. Hold a rally or demonstration, hand out flyers and talk with people about how what happened in Sacramento was a victory against fascism and white supremacy and why we should support the people that were injured fighting. These acts of solidarity with help build people’s spirits and show that our struggles are connected.

Send a Card of Support:
Want to send a message to anti-fascists who are dealing with injuries? You can send messages of support to:
Sacramento Prisoner Support
PO Box 163126
Sacramento, CA 95816

Take Action Against Fascism In Your Area:
Organize, confront, and combat fascism and white nationalism in your area. Let us build from this mobilization and sweep the fascists off the streets. ¡No pasarán!

Print out and Put Up Solidarity Posters:
Download posters here and place them around where you live, work, or go to school. Take pictures and send them to itsgoingdown.org.

If you are in NYC, come out to the Solidarity Dance Party on Saturday July 9th at the Silent Barn!

 

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized

Call for the 2nd Annual International Day of Solidarity with Antifascist Prisoners, July 25, 2016

Posted on June 21, 2016 by

In the year since the first July 25th International Day of Solidarity with Antifascist Prisoners in 2015, there has been a disturbing increase of Far Right activity worldwide. Every day brings news of some new wave of reaction—in the name of nationalism and security—which demonizes refugees and immigrants, stokes hatred for Muslims, and attacks LGBTQ and other oppressed groups fighting for their liberation and their very lives.

We see Nigel Farage and UKIP in the UK, the Burmese magazine The Irrawaddy, the Front National in France, and Donald Trump in the U.S. all making the same racist claims about refugees using almost identical Far Right language. In response, anti-fascists from Poland, Thailand, Malaysia, England, Australia, Brazil, Burma, Greece, France, Sweden, the United States, and all points in between, have the same response to this bigoted garbage:

NO PASARAN!

Antifascists are on the front lines in the fight against these fascist and other Far Right nationalist nightmares. In the U.S. we have already seen a large increase in antifa arrests at increasingly confrontational demonstrations against KKK and similar rallies. Internationally, there has also been an increase in street confrontations, and unfortunately this means more repression by the State. We will not allow our comrades—surrounded by steel cages and concrete walls—to be forgotten.

The July 25 International Day of Solidarity with Antifascist Prisoners originated in 2014 as the Day of Solidarity with Jock Palfreeman, an Australian man serving a 20-year sentence in Bulgaria for defending two Romani men from an attack by fascist football hooligans. In 2015, we expanded our solidarity efforts to include all antifascist prisoners across the globe. There were a variety of actions around the world: groups held benefit concerts, movie nights, talks, raffles, banner drops, letter-writings, and literature distribution on the street and at a punk festival. Others did photo-ops and videos, and issued statements of solidarity.

We call on anti-fascists worldwide to act in solidarity with antifascist prisoners! Consider having an event or dedicating an action to them. They are in there for us, and we are out here for them!

No Pasaran!
Until All Are Free!

USE THE HASHTAG: #J25antifa

TRANSLATIONS OF THE CALL AVAILABLE IN SPANISH, RUSSIAN, GERMAN, FRENCH, BAHASA INDONESIA, GREEK, FINNISH, JAPANESE,  TAGALOG, SWEDISH, and DUTCH (Español, русский, français, Deutsche, Bahasa Indonesia, ελληνικά, suomalainen, 日本語, Tagalog, Svenska,
and Nederlands)

Below is a list of global antifascist prisoners. Please contact us: if you know an antifa prisoner who is missing form the list (include their details, and what languages they can read); if you can help translate the call; or if you are planning an event that, so that we can help publicize it: nycantifascistaction@gmail.com.

Note that there is a separate call for International Days of Solidarity with Russian Anarchist and Antifascist Prisoners, from July 1-10, 2016. It doesn’t matter if you want to participate in one or both calls, as long as you show your solidarity!

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««««««Global List of Antifascist Prisoners»»»»»»
(list will be updated shortly; check back soon!)
 Continue reading →

Posted in Call To Action, Events, July25, Territories | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

New Clément Méric Film on 3rd Anniversary of His Murder by Fascists

Posted on June 5, 2016 by

On June 5, 2013, antifascist activist Clément Méric was murdered in Paris by skinheads associated with a Third Positionist fascist group. (For background on this, see here.)

The media collective Left Report and the North-East Antifascists Berlin have produced a new, 30 minute documentary called Une vie de lutte (The Fight Goes On), which is subtitled in English. It documents the antifacist struggle in recent years in France, the death of Méric, and how the political landscape has swung to the right with the electoral successes of the far right Front National.

You can find further information about the movie on: http://uneviedelutte.blogsport.eu

Additionally, the filmmakers have also asked for help funding a new project:

“We’re currently planning to produce another antifascist movie about the political events in France, e.g. about the new powerful social movement Nuit Debout, which fights against neoliberal labor market reforms and questions the whole capitalist and political system in between, the continuing rise of the Front National and the swing to the right in the parliament and society, the militarization of the public sphere after the Paris attacks from January and November 2015 and the precarious situation of the migrants and refugees.”

They are calling for donations, and have only raised about half their goal. A donation link is available here: www.leetchi.com/c/projekt-von-left-report.

There is also a short donation appeal video (subtitled in English):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl8_umkuf9w.

Posted in France, Paris | Tagged , , , , ,

Oi Fest and the Santos Party House of Lies

Posted on May 31, 2016 by

The sudden closing of Santos Party House immediately after it hosted the second day of the pro-Nazi, “Rock Against Communism” 2016 Oi Fest has been the focus of a media onslaught. Santos manager Sean Kane told DNAinfo that, in principle he was fine with having pro-Nazi bands play there, although in this case he was unaware of their affiliations: “I do tons of parties here…. I don’t sit here and do a background check on people. I don’t know what these peoples’ religious beliefs are or what their affiliations are…as long as they don’t display aggression towards people in my venue I’m not going to have an issue here.”

In fact, Kane didn’t need to do a background check, because friends of ours warned Santos about booking the Oi Fest on Sunday, May 19 – twelve days ago. (Santos was warned because it had hosted the Oi Fest’s first day in 2015.)

So what was the response from Santos’s event coordinator Jackalyn Tipchaieuh on May 24? “There is nothing wrong with the events at our venue on May 28th or May 29th.”

It seems that Brooklyn Vegan, Gothamist, Gawker, DNAinfo, Billboard, NME, Vice’s Noisey, and BrooklynPaper – as well an our antifa friends at One People’s Project and Anti-Fascist News – all disagree.

Last, the role of venue finder Curtis Nystrom in booking the Oi Fest both in 2015 and 2016  – and moving it to Santos on the second day – also needs to be explained.

Santos_email.1 Santos_email,asa

Posted in Culture, Music, New York City, United States | Tagged , , , ,