The Revolutionary Confederation of Anarcho-Syndicalists - N. I. Makhno (Революционная конфедерация анархо-синдикалистов им. Н. И. Махно), established in Ukraine in 1994, was one of the most famous anarchist organizations which emerged from the former Soviet Union. Platformist in essence, the organization managed to assemble a cohort of vigorous activists who wanted to adopt a strategic and responsible approach to the question of achieving a libertarian society. The RKAS survived many troubles, it was involved in the miners' strike and had several long-tem projects, but it was not without its internal squabbles and splits. Over the past year, however, the organization has been heard from less and less. To find out what had happened to the RKAS, and also hear their opinion on the current events in Ukraine, our Russia-based comrades of Autonomous Action interviewed a comrade from the RKAS, Samurai. [Italiano] [Français] read full story / add a comment

The main confrontation between the Israeli ruling capitalist elite and the Palestinian working people which have continued forcefully over the last few weeks forms part of ongoing efforts by Israel to transfer them out of Palestine, or at least pressure them into voluntary transfer. [Italiano] [Ελληνικά] [Türkçe] read full story / add a comment

Dezenas de militantes e ativistas são presos e levados para o presídio de Bangu, onde estão detidos. Os argumentos para esta absurda ação são profundamente ideológicos, onde os governos fazem utilização da violência de Estado, como a velha e conhecida política por outros meios. Uma operação que tem como objetivo a privação da liberdade de se manifestar e opinar sobre as questões sociais no país. Uma operação policial que mancha com resquícios de estado de exceção o momento que vivemos. Não é novidade que as polícias apresentam como “provas” contra os manifestantes as opções de classe dos mesmos, com apreensões absurdas de materiais políticos como livros, cartilhas, bandeiras (como na invasão da sede da FAG e nos atuais processos). Montam a partir desta grande FARSA acusações como formação de quadrilha ou mesmo milícia privada para atacar quem se manifesta contra as injustiças sociais praticadas cotidianamente contra os setores mais oprimidos da sociedade. read full story / add a comment

The leader of the International Marxist Tendency has written an attack on anarchism from his Trotskyist perspective. He makes some correct criticisms of some versions of anarchism, in relation to those who reject revolution or political organization. But he attempts to defend the idea of a "workers' state" by limited quotes from Lenin and by mistating the history of the Russian revolution. [Italiano] read full story / add a comment

هەڵوێستی سەربەخۆی جەماوەر لە نێوان داعش و دەوڵەت

بەدەر لەوەی کە هێرشی (داعش) و ڕەوی سوپای دەوڵەتی عیراق کێ و چی لە پشتەوەیە، بەدەر لەوەی نەخشەڕێژانی ئەم هێرشە ‌هێزە دەرەکییەکان و دەوڵەتەکانی ناوچەکەن یا هێزە نێوخۆییەکانی عیراق، جەنگێكی سەرتاپاگیر لەنێوان دەسەڵاتداران و دەسەڵاتخوازاندا لە ئارادایە و باجدەری سەرەکی ئەم جەنگە و هەموو جەنگەکانی سەراپای مێژوو، تەنیا خەڵکی سڤیل و چین و توێژە بندەستەکانی کۆمەڵن. [العربية] [English] [Italian] [ελληνικά] [Deutsch] [Français] [Português] read full story / add a comment

O quadro das lutas e dos conflitos sindicais e populares no país antes e durante a Copa do Mundo, tem pressionado o governo federal, alguns governos estaduais, municipais e as patronais, gerando uma guerra de nervos nos principais centros urbanos do Brasil. Se no ano passado as grandes mobilizações foram protagonizadas pelos setores precarizados da juventude e não pelos movimentos populares organizados, em 2014, a tônica tem sido e, pelo jeito, continuará sendo dada pela base dos trabalhadores de diversas categorias e por setores próximos e articulados com as classes oprimidas. O desenrolar do conflito dos Metroviários de São Paulo – que durante dias enfrentaram a intransigência de uma das piores expressões da direita desse país (o quadro da organização de extrema direita católica Opus Dei Geraldo Alckmin/PSDB) é um exemplo disto, recebendo a forte repressão policial, todo o jogo sujo dos grandes meios de comunicação e ainda o anúncio de mais de 40 demissões. Os metroviários prosseguem na campanha de readmissão dos 42 trabalhadores demitidos. Chumbo grosso está sendo jogado em cima desses valorosos companheiros/as e em cima de outras categorias atualmente em greve é por isso que precisamos estar atentos a todas as tentativas de criminalização das lutas. [Italiano] read full story / add a comment

O Sindicato dos Municipários de Cachoeirinha (SIMCA) manifesta sua solidariedade ao companheiro Guilherme Runge, atual presidente do SIMCA, que teve sua residência invadida de forma intimidatória na última quinta, dia 22 de Maio. read full story / add a comment

13 Mayıs günü Manisa Soma‘da bulunan kömür ocağında çıkan bir yangın, bu toprakların en büyük katliamı oldu. Vardiya değişimi esnasında çıkan yangınla, madende çalışan yüzlerce işçi yoğun karbonmonoksitle zehirlendi. Yangının çıktığı ilk anda açıklanan yaşamını yitirenlerin sayısı, saatler geçtikçe arttı. Enerji bakanı, başbakan, çalışma bakanı… Devlet erkanı madende yaşananın “elim bir iş kazası” olduğunu televizyonlardaki canlı yayınlarda söylerken, madende bulunan işçi sayısının kaç olduğunu saatler boyu açıklamadı. [ελληνικά] [English] [Italiano] read full story / add a comment

Lo que aquí se intenta es acallar legítimas denuncias, reclamos, reivindicaciones. Endemoniar descontentos y rebeldías. Judicializar y criminalizar la protesta. Ha quedado claro que eso no corre para quienes asesinaron, secuestraron, torturaron y violaron y que siguen contando con impunidad que casi todos cubren y amparan. Que cuando surge una jueza como Motta que quiere solamente investigar enseguida salta de ese lugar y la mandan al último rincón. Eso sí, procesos para quienes protestaron por la tamaña artimaña de la corte. Impunidades y cárceles de lujo. Pero otras impunidades se han ido sumando y no dicen otra cosa que como es que funciona esto. read full story / add a comment

There has been much hype, amongst the media and sections of the public, in the run up to this year’s provincial and national elections in South Africa and, for some, the arrival of new parties to the electoral arena has renewed their faith in the possibility of an electoral solution to the myriad of problems facing South Africa. Politicians from across all parties have been using this hype and a seemingly renewed faith in the ballot box to their advantage. The question, therefore, is: can equality, socialism, national liberation or ‘economic freedom’ – or even a respite from state violence – for a majority be brought about through parties and activists entering into the state or through voting for parties that promise not to use the state for violent or oppressive means; or will this only lead to a dead-end for the working class yet again? read full story / add a comment

For far too long major segments of the working class have been dormant under the illusion that change can be delegated to exterior organizations or parties. When our struggles are bureaucratized and delegated to others, we lose ownership over them and in turn lose many benefits gained through them. A victory for the working class can only be established if our class is active in the struggle leading to victory. [Italiano] [Castellano] read full story / add a comment

Days after the Sochi Olympic Games, in the course of which the dictatorial Russian government allowed multinationals firms and other States to satisfy their capitalist pretensions by muzzling opposition and banning demonstrations, the repression of anticapitalists, anarchists, trade-union activists, and the feminist and anti-homophobe movements is still going on.

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El pasado Domingo 23 de Marzo cerca de las 18hs la militante social de la Federación de Organizaciones de Base (FOB) Iris Velasquez sufrió un atentado en la puerta de su domicilio, cuando descubre la quema completa intencionada de su moto (adjuntamos foto). Previamente le habían llamado para amenazarla y advertirle del hecho. Minutos más tarde las mismas personas que habían realizado ese hecho llaman telefónicamente al compañero Emilio Crisi para amenazarlo de muerte y advertirle que él sería la próxima víctima. read full story / add a comment

La crise de développement du capitalisme et ses conséquences sociales ont éclipsé la crise environnementale, pourtant plus que jamais d’actualité. De notre point de vue, cette crise peut se décliner en trois points principaux : le réchauffement climatique global, la dégradation des écosystèmes et l'amenuisement des ressources naturelles. [English] read full story / add a comment

Свержение авторитарного режима Януковича отнюдь не обозначает для нас конец борьбы. На смену Партии Регионов спешат новые диктаторы, которые будут без стеснения опираться не только на изрядно ослабевший силовой аппарат, но и на ультраправых боевиков. Режим милицейского и прокурорского беспредела безоговорочно заслуживал свержения, но сейчас может настать время нового террора, который теперь будет обосновывать себя идеологически. [English] [Français] [Italiano] read full story / add a comment

Há poucos meses da Copa do Mundo o Estado brasileiro, amparado nos grandes oligopólios da imprensa e nas classes dominantes promove uma grande intensificação da repressão política contra os setores populares organizados. Com a morte acidental de um trabalhador cinegrafista em um ato contra o aumento das tarifas do transporte público no Rio de Janeiro tem se desatado uma grande ofensiva que visa aprovar uma lei antiterrorista. Já em Porto Alegre, a espionagem contra os setores populares organizados começa a se direcionar contra filhos de militantes.


Sobre a recente tentativa de criminalização das lutas (FARJ) read full story / add a comment

Just over a week ago, if you were thinking of cities in Spain most likely to host the start of a proletarian uprising, Burgos would have come pretty much at the bottom of the list. A sleepy, socially conservative, traditionally ultra-Catholic city in the Northern Castille plain, Burgos was up until now mostly known for its Cathedral and other mediaeval real estate and a local sausage uncannily reminiscent of Clonakilty black pudding. But since the initial clashes between police and protesters in the working class district of Gamonal on the night of Friday 10th January, Burgos has seen nights of continual rioting, a veritable military occupation by riot police, and solidarity demonstrations this week around 46 cities in Spain, including two successive nights of demos in the capital Madrid, resulting in clashes with the police, arrests and injuries. All this supposedly over a plan to redevelop the main road through Gamonal into a tree-lined Boulevard. read full story / add a comment

Une analyse de la dynamique antisémite en France
I Comprendre la dynamique antisémite pour mieux la combattre
II « Complot sioniste-illuminatis », le « rebranding » du complot « juif et franc maçon »
III L’impasse du légitimisme institutionnel bourgeois des institutions communautaires
IV L’impasse de l’option sioniste
V L’option révolutionnaire : la seule voie pour briser l’antisémitisme read full story / add a comment

Las recientes elecciones presidenciales en Chile, donde la no participación –superior al 50%- fue el ganador absoluto, eran predecibles de no ser por la aparición de un sector que se reclama de intención revolucionaria y de izquierda libertaria en el escenario político-electoral. La Red Libertaria (RL) se sumó decididamente y de manera entusiasta a la plataforma “Todos a la Moneda”, cuyo candidato fue Marcel Claude. El objetivo nuestro no es cuestionar las formas mediante las cuales esta decisión fue tomada (o impuesta, según quien opine) y sus implicancias para el movimiento libertario en Chile. Tampoco nos ocupa, primordialmente, el impacto que tal decisión tiene para el campo específico que se reclama proveniente de la tradición anarquista. Mucho menos nos proponemos hacer un análisis del programa de “Todos a La Moneda” o de las fuerzas políticas que sustentaron esta plataforma. Nos interesa, en cambio, evaluar el impacto que esta decisión tiene para un sector mucho más amplio del pueblo que el representado por esta plataforma electoral y mucho más amplio que aquellos sectores provenientes de la tradición libertaria; compartimos nuestras reflexiones para contribuir al debate de carácter táctico y estratégico en este proceso de recomposición del movimiento social en Chile. [English] [Italiano] [Français] read full story / add a comment

Mandela, the ANC and the 1994 Breakthrough: Anarchist / syndicalist reflections on national liberation and South Africa’s transition
Shawn Hattingh and Lucien van der Walt

The destruction of the apartheid state form, with its odious policies of coercion and racism, was a major triumph for the working class in South Africa and elsewhere, showing that ordinary people can challenge and defeat systems that seem quite unbreakable. Mandela did play a heroic role, but was also the first to admit that “It is not the kings and generals that make history but the masses of the people, the workers, the peasants, the doctors, the clergy." And indeed, it was the black working class, above all, that through struggle tore down many features of apartheid by the late 1980s, such as the pass law system, the Group Areas Act and numerous other odious laws and policies.

The 1994 transition in South Africa was a political revolution, a break with the apartheid and colonial periods of state-sanctioned white supremacy, a “massive advance” in the conditions of the majority. It introduced a new state, based on non-racialism, in which South Africa was to be a multi-racial, multi-cultural but unified country, founded on human rights; welfare and social policy and legislation was transformed; capitalism was kept in place, but despite this, there were very massive and very real changes, political and material, that made qualitative differences in the daily lives of millions of black and working class people. And for millions, it is precisely the association of Mandela with that victory and with those changes that makes him so emotionally powerful.

Yet at the same time, Mandela’s policies and politics had important limitations that must be faced if the current quandary of South Africa, nearly 20 years later, is to be understood. Mandela never sold out: he was committed to a reformed capitalism, and a parliamentary democracy, and unified South Africa based on equal civil and political rights, a project in which black capitalists and black state elites would loom large. These goals have been achieved, but bring with them numerous problems that must be faced up if the final liberation – including national liberation – of South Africa’s working class is to be achieved.

The 1994 breakthrough was a major victory, but it was not the final one, for a final one requires a radical change in society, towards a libertarian and socialist order based on participatory democracy, human needs rather than profit and power, and social and economic justice, and attention to issues of culture and the psychological impact of apartheid.

As long as the basic legacy of apartheid remains, in education, incomes, housing and other spheres, and as long as the working class of all races is excluded from basic power and wealth by a black and white ruling class, so long will the national question – the deep racial / national divisions in South Africa, and the reality of ongoing racial/ national oppression for the black, Coloured and Indian working class – remain unresolved. And so long will it continue to generate antagonisms and conflicts, the breeding ground for rightwing populist demagogy, xenophobia and crime. By contrast, a powerful black elite, centred on the state and with a growing corporate presence, has achieved its national liberation.
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