Sydney – DISACCORDS

Sydney: Solidarity against repression in Copenhagen

On May 17th police in Copenhagen raided 10 separate addresses, including the autonomous social centre Bumzen, arresting 25 people in all.

They are all facing heavy charges in relation to a riot in inner Copenhagen on March 1st 2017, on the ten-year anniversary of the eviction of Ungdomshuset, a long standing social centre within the far-left scene.

Four of the arrested have been remanded in prison. A number of solidarity noise demos have been called in response, outside the prison in Copenhagen.

On the other side of the world, in Sydney, some anarchists painted a mural in support of the arrested comrades.

No one hostage in the hands of the state.

Sydney: Four arrested as protesters clash with police outside Villawood detention centre

25 March 2017 – Protesters have camped outside Villawood detention centre overnight despite the arrest of four people yesterday.

The riot squad was called in at 3.30pm after an initial group of 30 protesters grew to around 70 and began blocking traffic on Birmingham Road.

Police said the group, who were gathered at the detention centre to protest the deportation of a 60-year-old Iraqi man identified only as Saeed, began to impede traffic in and out of the facility.

“This is kind the kind of horrible rise of racism we’re trying to fight here,” Josh Lees, a protester from the Refugee Action Coalition, said.

“We want to see a world of equality and justice not a world of division and hatred and racism.”

Protesters allegedly ignored several move-on directions from police and tried to break a police line, which was formed to allow traffic flow into the facility, just before 7.30pm.

Two men and two women were subsequently arrested.

The protesters allegedly tried to break the police line.

The two women, aged 25 and 29, were later released for breaching the peace.

An 18-year-old man, who was chased down a storm drain before being arrested, was charged with assaulting police and resisting arrest. He was granted bail and is expected to front court on April 12.

A 25-year-old man was issued with a Field Court Attendance Notice for assaulting police.

A police officer suffered minor injuries during the protest.

A small group of demonstrators camped out overnight at the detention centre to continue the protest.

One protester said they were “physically” trying to stop the deportation of the man.

“We’re trying to physically prevent a deportation of man who, if he is deported, his life is at risk,” she said.

“We’re not protesting, we’re actually trying to stop our government from violating international law.”

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection today confirmed Saeed will be deported.

Sydney: Seven arrested after riot against cops

19 March 2017 – Four men and two women have been charged with various offences after allegedly rioting against police who were trying to break up a fight in Sydney’s inner west.

The group of men and women ignored police orders to move on when officers arrived at the Leichhardt street early Sunday.

A riot soon broke out after some of the members tried to stop police attempting to arrest a man who allegedly tried to grab an officer’s gun.

The group was pepper-sprayed but started throwing beer bottles towards police and their cars.

Seven of them were arrested after the riot squad was called in.

Four men were charged with affray and various other offences including resisting police and malicious damage.

One woman was charged with affray and another was charged with assaulting police.

A 25-year-old man was released pending further inquiries.

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.

Continue reading “Sydney: Anti-electoral campaign”

‘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.