Sydney – DISACCORDS

Sydney: Anti-electoral campaign

Over the past two months some anarchists around Sydney mounted a campaign against politics and the democratic process.

This election takes place in a period of historic disillusionment with the political spectacle and the politicians who represent it, and never before have so many parties been on offer, to direct that mistrust back into the electoral process.

We reject this process in its entirety. Elections are a charade to confuse us about where power lies, and how things can be changed. With the following petty acts of anti-political sabotage, we draw a line.

Thousands of anti-electoral posters were pasted up throughout Sydney.

Hundreds of anti-political slogans were painted across the city.

A dozen banners were tied to highway overpasses.

Political advertising of every party was vandalised, or taken down and later burnt.

Party activists caught spreading political propaganda were confronted, harassed and sometimes relieved of their material.

Unlike every political party we do not measure success based on opinion polls or ballots.

We do not seek to promote ourselves as a solution to capitalism, we do not seek to recruit, we do not want power. We offer no promises. We represent no one.

We intend to encourage the spread of class hatred and collective resistance to the bosses, their politicians and the way of life they’ve sold to us.

We desire the total annihilation of capital and the state.

Fighting for ourselves.

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‘Free Transport, Full Communism’: vandals encourage attacks on rail staff

CCTV footage of an assault against a ticket inspector

NOTE FROM DISACCORDS: Funnily enough, we actually don’t know have anything to do with these posters in Sydney, but we are glad to have fans in the city promoting the website.

18 March – Police are hunting a ‘deranged group of thugs’ who are inciting members of the public to physically attack transport officers, ticket inspectors and council rangers.

The cowardly vandals are also urging people to destroy train and bus ticket machines, Opal card readers and parking meters.

Going by the name Free Transport, Full Communism, the anarchist group also encourages public transport passengers to refuse to pay fares.

The group, which police have yet to track down or identify, has been plastering anti-establishment posters near train stations throughout the inner city.

Under the heading “Transport Officers Are Scum” and an image depicting two ticket inspectors with telescopic rifle sights on their faces, the poster refers to an anarchist website called “disaccords” which uploads articles about people rebelling against government.

“Spit venom and throw bricks at Transport Officers, Police, Rangers and every other stooge physically enforcing capitalist law,” it says.

The posters, which have been shared by thousands of Facebook users, have caused alarm among police, state and local government and transport and police unions, who fear people’s lives are at risk.

Rail staff have already been suffering a high rate of violent attacks. About 80 per cent of train guards on Sydney stations have experienced confrontations with violent or aggressive customers, according to a rail union survey.

Head of the Police Transport Command Max Mitchell confirmed rail officials and police in the Joint Transport Intelligence Group were searching for the anarchists.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance was appalled by the posters: “It’s disgusting to see material like this distributed in our community.”

Rail Tram & Bus Union state secretary Alex Claassens described those behind the poster campaign as “grubs”.

Police Association president Scott Weber described the use of violence as cowardly. Police have asked the public for help in finding the group.

One of the group’s posters at Newtown Station.

Brisbane: Students occupy Peter Dutton’s Office

12 Feb – Early Friday morning in Brisbane, university and TAFE students occupied federal immigration minister Peter Dutton’s office.

Sitting in the cramped public space, we chanted: “Say it loud, say it clear! Refugees are welcome here!”.

Behind the locked doors, Dutton was nowhere to be seen.

Framed in the foyer are numerous awards and messages, including a mental health awareness poster. Lauren Saunders, NUS Women’s Officer for Queensland pointed out the irony:

“Many of the asylum seekers are here in Australia to be treated for the psychological trauma they have suffered on Nauru – and now they are being sent back to an island camp which is not fit for human beings.”

She indicated to a number of framed children’s drawings on the walls of Dutton’s office. “We can see a giraffe and bicycles here. Meanwhile children locked in detention are drawing pictures of themselves committing suicide.”

After two hours, media arrived. When one of our representatives stepped outside to speak with them, 14 police clamped down on the occupation.

A follow up action took place in King George Square at 5pm to demand the government #letthemstay.

The protest coincides with another action in Sydney this morning where activists have placed 37 cribs along Bondi Beach to symbolise the 37 babies facing removal.

Sydney: Antifa clash with police at Cronulla nationalist memorial

12 Dec – During the protests and counter-protests that marked the 10-year anniversary of the Cronulla race riot on Saturday, riot squad officers clashed with anti-racism protesters numbering in the hundreds, and managed to corral them at the southern end of Cronulla beach.

The memorial barbeque for the riot attracted about 50 people.

Many of the anti-racism protesters dressed in black, with faces covered and appeared to be members of Antifa, the self-appointed enemies of the far-right.

Antifa members carrying red, black flags emblazoned with the words Antifaschistische Aktion clashed with anti-Islam protesters and abused police using megaphones.

Antifa, or anti-fascists, are a loose collection of socialists and anarchists, anti-racists and small-l liberals.

Antifaschistische Aktion is the name of a paramilitary German communist organisation that was dissolved in 1933 by the Nazis and resurfaced in the 1980s in Europe as a response to resurgent right-wing groups.

Today Antifa groups are transnational, and part of the ultra-left common at the protests that often mark G20 and other global leader summits.

In Australia, members or self-professed members of the group have become an increasingly common sight at rallies organised to oppose the far-right protests held by groups like the United Patriots Front and Reclaim Australia.

Members of Antifa in Australia have deliberately remained anonymous.

Australia: Arrests as violent clashes break out between anti-Islam and anti-racism protesters

22 Nov – Hundreds of Reclaim Australia protesters and their anti-racist opponents have held rallies in cities and towns across Australia, with riot police using capsicum spray to subdue violent members of both groups.

Rallies were held in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart and Alice Springs, as well as at Townsville and Cairns in north Queensland, Mildura in northwestern Victoria and Esperance in Western Australia.

At Melton in Melbourne’s outer northwest, there were six arrests as hundreds of police, including members of the air-wing, mounted branch and dog squad, maintained a barrier between about 500 protesters from each group.

A 29-year-old man who punched a police horse was subdued with capsicum spray and charged with animal cruelty, while three men were charged over possession of knives and another two with riotous behaviour.

Victoria Police Acting Commander Alan Byrnes said three members of the public were hurt, but the protest was largely peaceful. “It’s always a bit disappointing to see people turn up with masks,” he said. “You wonder what their motives are for doing that.”

A coalition of socialist, anarchist and unionist groups calling themselves No Room for Racism chanted “Nazi scum off our streets”, “Always was, always will be Aboriginal land” and “Shame, shame, Victoria Police”.

On the other side of the police line, Australian flag-clad youths screamed “you are a f..kwit” at a Syrian woman addressing the No Room for Racism group.

In Sydney, police arrested two people as up to 1000 packed parts of Martin Place, with police lines again separating the demonstrations. About 300 anti-racist demonstrators clashed with police along Macquarie Street from Martin Place, knocking batons from police belts before officers forced them back after an attempt to breach the police line.

200 meters down Martin Place about 100 anti-islam demonstrators listened to speeches while surrounded by police.

A 36-year-old man was arrested for allegedly damaging a war memorial while a 16-year-old boy was issued a “move on” direction for allegedly breaching the peace.

For a more detailed description of events in different cities check out:

http://slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=39305#comments

Sydney: TWU activists arrested at sit-in

13 Nov – The Transport Workers’ Union has said it is planning further rallies and store sit-ins after 10 truck drivers and union activists were arrested yesterday during a peaceful demonstration at a Coles store in Parramatta.

The protest was one of several rallies held around Australia ahead of the annual general meeting of Coles’ parent company Wesfarmers. Protesters highlighted the 330 deaths in truck-related crashes each year because of the pressure by wealthy retailers.

Coles’ low cost contracts are forcing truck drivers to speed, drive long hours with over-loaded vehicles.

Relatives of people killed in truck-crashes and TWU activists confronted Coles’ bosses during the annual general meeting in Perth yesterday over the company’s stance on safety. When pressed on whether the company would sign up to a safety charter, Wesfarmers chairman Bob Every replied: “Short answer is no.”

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Sydney: Solidarity Actions Against the North Wales Mega Prison

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10 Nov – In response to a call for a week of actions against the North Wales mega prison, some anarchists in Sydney made some small actions.

The primary contractor involved in the Wrexham Prison Project is Lendlease, an Australian based construction company. In Sydney Lendlease is currently involved in a huge casino project called Barangaroo. The project has major state government backing and is responsible for the social cleansing of Millers Point, the last working working class district in inner Sydney.

Over the past two years there has been consistent resistance to the project and to the eviction and sell-off of the remaining social housing in the area. Numerous buildings in the area have been squatted, and the struggle continues.

Over the first week of November dozens of slogans against Lendlease and its projects were painted on walls across Sydney. Lendlease banners were torn down from their construction sites, repainted and hung from highway bridges.

We wish solidarity to our comrades in Wales and all those fighting for a world without prison.

Neither prisons no casinos.
For revolution.

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again destroy soli north w neither no bord wrex