Tagged with terrorism

antifa notes (december 20, 2016) : Phillip Galea & Co.

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Alleged terrorist Phillip Galea (above with his kameraden in the TBC) appeared in the County Court in Melbourne yesterday (Monday, December 19). A few media outlets carried reports. See : Far-right terrorism accused Phillip Galea boasted of plans, court told, The Guardian (AAP), December 19, 2016; Anti-Islamist accused of plotting to blow up HQ for left-wing radicals, Angus Thompson, Herald Sun, December 19, 2016. Few others bothered reporting.

That said, having been arrested and charged with terrorism offences in August 2015, there wasn’t much news, apart perhaps from the fact that police allege that Galea was planning on blowing up the Resistance Centre (Socialist Alliance) in the CBD and the Melbourne Anarchist Club in Northcote (!).

Magistrate Charlie Rozencwajg heard Mr Galea tried to get a contact — now a prosecution witness — to buy fertiliser, and that he had adopted the Anarchists Cookbook to become a “patriots cookbook”, which he planned to distribute.

“There’s a bit of irony, isn’t it, in that he’s against anarchists,” Mr Rozencwajg said.

According to Kieran Bennett, who also attended the hearing, the bulk of the police case appears to rely on telephone intercepts, however the case also involves the testimony of witnesses; Galea’s next court dates are in April and May.

Galea has been linked to a range of ‘patriot’ groups. He was an admin on the Reclaim Australia Melbourne page, supported and attended Reclaim rallies as well as established the RA Media website and Facebook page. (The site’s “International Allies” are Breitbart, Britain First, Knights Templar International, PEGIDA and UKIP.) He was also closely associated with the United Patriots Front, True Blue Crew and Patriots Defence League of Australia and has even been linked to neo-Nazi groupuscule ‘Combat 18’.

Of course, Galea reserved his biggest props for the TBC, and was terribly excited by their activities, especially when they organised an anti-leftist rally in Coburg in May. A handful of TBC gronks were arrested and charged with various minor offences as a result of their brave, racist expedition and this week one, Nicholas Edward Abbott, got a slap on the wrist for being naughty; another TBC-aligned meathead, Mathew Wingrave, has also been reprimanded by The Law.

Since their last anti-Muslim rally in Melton in August (where the TBC methgoblins got into a shouting match with the ‘Soldiers Of Odin’) and a previous flagwit rally in Melbourne in June (one of Galea’s last public appearances), the wheels seem to have fallen off the TBC hate bus, with at least three of its members, including its leader, Kane Miller, being either convicted or accused of domestic violence and, in Miller’s case, ‘financial impropriety’ (ie, running off with his supporter’s money). But whether or not the boys resurrect themselves as the ‘True Blue Crew’, capitulate to Blair Cottrell’s Führerprinzip, or create some other motley assortment of thugs, it’s highly likely that they’ll continue fighting the menace of the Islamic State from the safety of their keyboards.

Speaking of violence against women …

On Friday, December 16, a Muslim woman was allegedly assaulted by a man in Perth. I reported the story on my Facebook page — it engendered a typical response of disgust but also derision — and it was subsequently noted by Islamophobia Register in a media release on December 18. Subsequently, various media picked up the story and the woman who was allegedly assaulted appeared on television providing her account of events. See : Woman attacked outside Perth supermarket, 9 News (AAP), December 18, 2016; Woman called ‘f***ing Muslim’ during Beeliar shopping centre attack: anti-discrimination group, Courtney Bembridge, ABC, December 19, 2016; ‘Why should I be ashamed?’: Muslim woman stands up to Christmas bully, Jessica Page, Yahoo7, December 19, 2016; Muslim woman attacked with broken bottle after saying ‘happy holidays’ instead of ‘merry Christmas’, Peter Walker, The Independent, December 19, 2016.

In which context, two things: 1) NEVER READ THE COMMENTS; 2) I understand that police will be releasing images of the man captured on CCTV.

Finally, and briefly, Blair Cottrell (United Patriots Front), Neil Erikson (‘Australian Settlers Rebellion’) and Chris Shortis (Australia First Party) are due in court in March next year to face charges of racial and religious vilification (inter alia) as a result of their media stunt in Bendigo in October last year. In connection with the case, for some reason — the charges were laid several months ago — Cottrell appeared on Ten News last week (December 15):

The lying neo-Nazi’s appearance resulted in more likes for the UPF Facebook page and presumably further donations towards the fuehrer’s legal defence. In the meantime, Shortis — who recently had his gun licence revoked — is appealing for funds via the Australia First Party while Erikson has declared that, presumably in an attempt to provide some comic relief, he’ll be representing himself in court. Sadly, Shermon Burgess, the other half of ASR, has received a letter from Sutherland Shire Council claiming $170,287.58 in costs incurred following the legal battle over the Cronulla Riot Re-enactment of last year.

That’s a lot of Bundy ‘n’ Cokes!

#HeyASIO dox on protest and/or terrorism : July 1969 — July 1972

#HeyASIO, below is a transcription of ASIO dox from the National Library. It provides an account of a number of actions classified by the agency as ‘terrorist’. This one’s for disaccords — eat yr heart out.

See also : How To Make Trouble & Influence People (March 19, 2008) | ASIO : Persons of Interest : Interview with director Haydn Keenan (January 10, 2014).

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National Archives of Australia: A12389, A30 PART 14

“Title: ASIO Special Projects Branch documents 52-67: Terrorism its nature, objectives and revolutionary role, A note on the past, present and future significance of Communism in Australia, Significant demonstrations, including violent incidents claimed by or attributed to terrorist-type groups like the People’s Liberation Army, Worker-Student Alliance, the Utashi etc, A note on Terrorist activity, Trotskyism in Australia, The National Socialist Party of Australia (NSPA), Communist Party of Australia (CPA), Socialist Party of Australia (SPA), Comment on a Communist Party of Australia Discussion Document for its 23rd Congress (1971), A note on recent “New Left” trends in the USA and their significance for the “Left” in Australia, A note on the “new Left” in Australia, Urban Guerilla Warfare including Anarchist and radical Violence, The Politically Motivated Act of Violence”

Significant demonstrations, including violent incidents claimed by or attributed to terrorist-type groups like the People’s Liberation Army, Worker-Student Alliance, the Utashi etc,

1969

4th July : About 13 youths, in three cars, broke 18 windows in the U.S. Consulate-General, Melbourne. Anonymous callers to radio station claimed responsibility on behalf of the P.L.A. Damage assessed at $500.

17th July : A ballot box being used in the University of Melbourne Student Representative Council elections was stolen. Anonymous callers to mass media claimed responsibility on behalf of Melbourne P.L.A. “Second Division”.

14th August : Two plate glass windows were broken at Australia House, Brisbane (housing the Department of External Territories). An anonymous caller to mass media claimed responsibility on behalf of the Brisbane Branch of the P.L.A. Earlier that day there had been a demonstration outside Australia House in protest at the Department’s policy in regard to the Bougainville copper dispute. Damage was assessed at $2,000.

9th September : Four – six persons raided the premises of Department of Labour and National Service, Adelaide, throwing animal blood into filing cabinets and cutting telephone cables. The raid was planned by PROVO. One of the participants was arrested.

23rd/24th September : A group, claimed to number 15, extinguished the eternal flame at the Shrine of Remembrance, Brisbane, and later broke windows at Australia House (housing the Department of Labour and National Service). An anonymous caller to mass media claimed responsibility on behalf of P.L.A.

24th September : G.L. JONES placed “tear-gas type” bottle on a parapet at the University of Queensland outside a window where a Lions Club was to have a meeting.

29th September : Paint was daubed on S.A. State War Memorial; No.4 Magistrates Court; Liberal and Country Leagues Headquarters; Department of Labour and National Service offices; Glen Osmond Tollgate; Keswick Army Barracks Administration Block; Burnside Corporation Buildings; Victoria Park Racecourse; Goodwood Subway; S.A. Railway Property; a drive-in theatre and private fences. Windows were also broken at the Combined Services Recruiting Offices and the Department of Labour and National Service. An anonymous caller claimed responsibility on behalf of the People’s Liberation Armed Forces (PLAF).

8th October : A small bomb was thrown onto the verandah of the residence of Mr. Andrew JONES, MHR, S.A. PLA involvement is suspected.

11th October : Two windows were broken at Australia House, Brisbane. Damage assessed $3,000.

18th October : Telephone threats to the residence of Mr. Andrew JONES, MHR, S.A., by anonymous caller on behalf of the PLAF Committee.

1/2 November : Bricks were thrown through the window of the Reserve Bank of Australia and Ansett Transport Industries in Melbourne and responsibility was claimed on behalf of the Australian Liberation Army (ALA). Damage assessed at $3,400.

29th November : Explosion at rear of Yugoslav Embassy, A.C.T. Minor damage only.

12th December : Bricks were thrown the residence of Mr. BEERWORTH, SM., Adelaide, and the offices of the Australian Institute of Management. D.W. REES was later arrested and convicted of criminal damage. Earlier that day Mr. BEERWORTH had heard the trial of two persons arrested on 11th December, during a demonstration. Damage assessed at $352.90.

19th December : Six large windows were broken at the Commonwealth Centre, Melbourne. An anonymous caller to mass media claimed responsibility on behalf of the ALA. Damage was assessed at $3,000.

30th December : Seven plate glass windows were broken at the offices of the Imperial Chemical Industries of Australia and New Zealand Limited, Melbourne. An anonymous caller to mass media claimed responsibility on behalf of ALA.

1970

2nd January : Two Croats carrying explosives arrested in Canberra. Planned to destroy statue in Serbian Orthodox Church.

8th January : An Australian flag was pulled down, torn and burnt, and paint was daubed on the Town Hall at Prospect, S.A.

16th January : Anti-National Service Act slogans were painted on 70 S.A. Municipal Tramway Trust buses in Adelaide.

21st January : Two windows were broken at Unley office of Department of Labour and National Service in Adelaide.

31st January – 1st February : Anti-National Service Act slogans were painted on the Adelaide Combined Services Recruiting Office and the Commonwealth Offices. Anonymous caller to mass media claimed responsibility on behalf of the PLA.

2nd March : A molotov cocktail was thrown at U.S. Consulate-General, Melbourne. Fire broke out in the Australian-American Association premises. Damage assessed at $7,000.

5th April : J.A. TULLY fired 20-30 rounds into the premises of the Department of Labour and National Service, Hobart, breaking 14 windows. He was arrested and later convicted of charges relating to this incident. Damage assessed at $258.32.

3rd May : Windows at Honeywell Pty.Ltd., and ASIO Headquarters were broken by a break-away group of “May Day” protesters. Three persons were arrested.

7th May : A small home-made bomb was used in an attempt to damage the U.S. Consulate-General, Melbourne.

3rd June : Three windows were broken in the premises housing the South African Trade Commission and also that of Honeywell (Australia) Pty.Ltd., Data Processing Division in Australia.

7th June : Stones were thrown through windows of the Commonwealth Offices and Department of Labour and National Service, Wollongong.

23rd 24th June : Pamphlets were glued and varnish was daubed on the office of Mr. J. McLEAY, MHR, Adelaide.

29th June : Shotgun blasts were fired into the Melbourne premises of Honeywell Pty.Ltd., breaking a window and damaging a computer. The four participants were arrested.

30th June : Two stones, followed by a “stink-bomb”, were thrown through the window of the S.A. Stock Exchange. Two persons were arrested and convicted concerning this incident.

2nd July : Two molotov cocktails were thrown into the Melbourne premises of General Electric Pty.Ltd. An anonymous caller claimed responsibility on behalf of the P.L.A. Damage was assessed at $10,000.

2nd July : Butyric acid was poured into the air conditioning of the U.S. Consulate-General, Sydney.

4th July : Paint was daubed on premises of Honeywell Pty.Ltd. by three persons in Perth.

5th July : Bricks, followed by a molotov cocktail were thrown into the electoral office of the Prime Minister in Melbourne. An anonymous caller to the mass media claimed responsibility on behalf of the PLA.

6th July : A molotov cocktail was thrown into the Melbourne premises of Keep Bros. and Wood, destroying the factory’s storage area. An anonymous caller claimed responsibility on behalf of PLA. Damage was assessed at $300,000.

8th July : A piece of masonry was thrown through the window of the residence of Mr. R.T. DOBSON SM, in Canberra. He had earlier that day dismissed a charge against M.J. KAHAN (Vietnam Moratorium Committee – ACT) following the 12th December, 1969 Demonstration. The raid was possibly committed by members of the National Socialist Party of Australia, whose members had previously ridiculed KAHAN during demonstrations.

14th July : The eternal flame at Brisbane Shrine of Remembrance was extinguished with blood and liver.

15th July : An ‘envelope bomb’, containing phosphorous, exploded when opened at the Department of Labour and National Service, Adelaide. An employee narrowly escaped injury from burning phosphorous. A second ‘envelope bomb’ was found in a subsequent search of the inward mail.

16th July : Mr. NELLIGAN SM, was threatened by anonymous telephone callers regarding his decisions over defendants who appeared in court that day on charges as a result of 4th July demonstration in Adelaide.

21st July : An anonymous telephone caller alleged that a bomb was in the Department of Labour and National Service, Brisbane. It transpired that the call was a hoax.

24th July : An ‘envelope bomb’ was received by the Department of Labour and National Service, Sydney. It did not explode.

27th July : Bricks were thrown through the windows of Imperial House, 255 George Street, Sydney (premises which have been the target of a demonstration in protest against the Vesteys Group of companies for alleged mistreatment of the Gurindji aborigines in the Northern Territory).

29th July : Two persons entered the Commonwealth Film Censor’s office, Sydney, and tampered with telephones and mail, in a protest at censorship.

29th July : A bomb hoax at the Department of Labour and National Service, Sydney.

1st August : A molotov cocktail was thrown into the Mobil bulk fuel storage office near Tullamarine Airport, Melbourne.

1st August : Seven bricks were thrown through the windows of the private residence of Mr. F.H. BROOKS, Director-General of Education in Victoria. An anonymous caller later claimed responsibility on behalf of the PLA as a protest against the dismissal of Mrs. Julie INGLEBY from that Department.

4th August : Large paint signs were daubed on the Riverdale Returned Servicemen’s League building in Perth. A telephone caller claimed that the [?] was carried out by three members of the “Democratic Activist Organisation”.

9th August : A group of anti-Vietnam war protesters entered the Sydney Headquarters of the Returned Servicemen’s League where they were alleged to have smashed open safes, filing cabinets and drawers.

12th August : Four windows were broken in the Administration Building, at Monash University. An anonymous telephone caller claimed that they had been broken by the People’s Liberation Army. On 11th August, it was announced that seven persons (including six Monash Labor Club members) had been disciplined by the University.

14th August : Mrs. PEACOCK (wife of Minister for the Army) received two threatening phone calls.

15th August : A nightwatchman at the Mobil Oil bulk fuel installation at Tullamarine Airport, Victoria received a threatening phone call.

17th August : A further threatening phone call to the night watchman at the Mobil Oil fuel installation at Tullamarine Airport, Victoria.

20th August : Four molotov cocktails were thrown into the Balmain container vessel terminal, White Bay, Sydney, causing superficial damage.

24th August : It was announced that the Victorian Minister for Education, Hon. L. THOMPSON, MLC, had received a threatening telephone call and letters regarding the case of Mrs. Julie INGLESBY.

25th August : Two bricks were thrown through the windows of the Combined Services Recruiting Centre in Melbourne. It was subsequently claimed by the People’s Liberation Army. Large anti-National Service Act slogans painted on the National War Memorial, Canberra.

26th August : Paint was thrown and slogans were written on the War Memorial, Wahroonga, Sydney.

16th September : A $600 painting was damaged and a wall daubed by the painting of black clenched fists (using a stencil) in the University of Queensland Main Building.

18th September : A bottle of chloropicrin was used during the demonstration in support of the Vietnam Moratorium campaign in Adelaide. At least 20 policemen had to seek medical attention after inhaling this gas.

17/18th October : A swastika and the words “Fascist Pigs” were painted on the steps of the Commonwealth Employment Service, Gilles Arcade, Adelaide.

21st October : Explosion seriously damaged Yugoslav Consulate, Melbourne.

24/25th October : The CMF Armoury at New England University was burned down. A steel door had been breached to gain entry and molotov cocktails had been used to start the fire. Damage was assessed at $50,000.

26th October : A swastika and slogans painted on the windows of Commonwealth Employment Centre, Unley, S.A.

20th November : Two plate-glass windows were broken at the premises of Honeywell Pty.,Ltd., at Subiaco, W.A. A man telephoned a local newspapaer to say he was a member of the PLA, who was responsible for the attack. He also stated that the PLA had a list of firms supplying war materials and that more attacks would be made in future.

1971

17th January : A gelignite bomb was thrown at the USSR Embassy in Canberra, causing extensive damage. Two Bulgarians were arrested and charged.

20/21st January : Damage with paint, oil and turpentine and by digging was done to Kooyong Tennis Courts (Victoria) in protest against two white South African tennis players.

22/23rd January : The Cadet Training Depot in Ballarat was set on fire. Though the fire did not gain hold $1,000 damage was done. Anti-war slogans were painted on the outside walls.

26th January : The slogan “Smash the Draft” was burned into the turf on Adelaide Oval in letters ten feet high.

26th January : A brick was thrown through the window of the National Socialist Party’s Headquarters in Melbourne. Eighteen members were present at the time.

1st February : An explosive device, probably a practice hand grenade or mortar, was detonated on the steps of Police Headquarters, Adelaide, doing minor damage to the building.

25th February : A molotov cocktail was thrown through the window of the 3 WRAAC Company Headquarters, Kew, Victoria, doing damage worth $50.

26th February : A molotov cocktail was found at Headquarters, 3 Division, Melbourne. Slight damage had been caused to the building.

4th March : Anti-apartheid slogans were painted on the outer walls and the Chancery of the South African Embassy, Canberra.

6th March : A gelignite device was exploded at the home of Senator-elect Arthur Gietzelt at Caringbah, Sydney, causing extensive damage.

6th March : “Smash Apartheid” painted on South African Embassy walls.

13/14 March : A petrol bomb was thrown against the walls of Victoria Barracks, Melbourne, causing only slight damage.

13th March : About sixty students demonstrated at the South African Ambassador’s home. “Smash Apartheid” was painted on the entrance.

14th March : During a demonstration by about 50 University and High School students at the South African Embassy, “Smash Apartheid” was painted on the wall.

14th March : A molotov cocktail was thrown against a window of the Police Watchhouse, Kew, Victoria. The window did not break and the molotov cocktail burnt harmlessly on the pavement.

17th March : During a demonstration at the South African Embassy, anti-apartheid slogans were being painted on the walls of the British High Commission and the home of South African Embassy staff members.

22nd March : A Commonwealth Police officer was assaulted during a demonstration at the Special Federal Court, Sydney in protest at the jailing of Geoffrey Mullens on charges under the National Service Act. John Norman Page was arrested and charged with the offence.

22nd March : Anti-conscription slogans were painted, in black paint on the walls of the Liberal Party Headquarters in Barton, A.C.T. An anonymous caller to the “Canberra Times” claimed that three PLA members were responsible.

24th March : During a demonstration from Melbourne University in protest at Geoffrey Mullens’ imprisonment, two plate glass windows at the Department of Supply building in Swanston Street were broken and walls were defaced in the Princes Gate building which houses the Department of Labour and National Service.

24th March : Anti-conscription posters, authorised by the Communist Party of Australia, were pasted to the walls of Victoria Barracks, Melbourne.

4th April : A General Electric Co. showroom in Carlton, Victoria was bombed by two molotov cocktails, thrown through the windows from a car. Damage was estimated at $2000.

19th April : About seventy (70) students at Monash University, barricaded the entrance to the Administration Building as a protest against the expulsion of Michael Hyde, Kerry Langer and Ralph Hadon.

21st April : A Department of Supply bus arrived at University of Adelaide to collect students from Weapons’ Research Establishment, Salisbury. The bus was attacked by seven students wearing crash helmets, causing slight damage. The driver avoided further trouble by driving quickly away. There has been a campaign by SDA against the use by WRE of the University’s computer.

23rd April : Early in the morning, four young men attacked the guard at the Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne, causing injuries requiring hospital treatment. They then painted the word “Peace” and various peace signs on the walls of the Shrine. A man, claiming to be one of those concerned, telephoned “The Age” newspaper, to say that only two people had been responsible for the attack.

6th May : 800-1000 students blockaded the Administrative Building at Melbourne University for 5 1/2 hours in a demonstration aimed at giving students more voice in the administration of the University. The walls were daubed with such slogans as “Fight Repression” and “Students Demand a Say”, and 200 staff including the Vice-Chancellor were trapped in the building.

7th May : Peace signs and slogans critical of the Victorian Premier, Sir Henry Bolte, were painted on the Melbourne Cultural Centre and the Police Hospital and Barracks nearby.

17-18th June : During the night, a molotov cocktail-type bomb was thrown at a house in Gilbarton, S.A. owned by B. MacLACHLAN, a director of Elders – G.M.

4th July : Bomb damaged Free Serbian Orthodox Church, Melbourne. $3000 damage.

18/19th August : Windows broken at the Squire Inn Motel, Bondi where Springboks were accommodated, and also at South African Airways office, Sydney. Anti-apartheid slogans painted on walls of Sydney Sports Ground. A female telephoned a Sydney newspaper and claimed that the PLA was responsible for the above incidents.

23rd August : A person claiming to be a PLA member in Sydney was interviewed on ABC program ‘A.M.’. He also claimed to be a member of the CPA. He gave details of targets for future PLA activity.

1/2 September : Property of South African Consul in Sydney damaged by fire (including 2 small boats). Responsibility claimed by PLA.

6th September : Torrens River Pump House, Adelaide damaged by a gelignite blast. Anonymous telephone call to radio station 5KA claimed that the PLA was responsible.

18th September : The Bulletin (Sydney) of 18 September carried a report of a series of telephone conversations between a reporter and “Alan”, a self-styled member of the PLA. Details of aims, organisation methods and targets given.

12th September : Explosive device detonated in St. George’s Anglican Cathedral, Perth, W.A.

17th September : 2 plate glass doors and 2 windows at CMF depot, University of New England, broken by stone throwing.

24th September : Butyric Acid thrown into Department of Labour and National Service offices, Adelaide.

3rd October : Petrol bomb placed in grounds of Prime Minister’s Lodge, A.C.T.

14/15th October : Arson attack on CMF depot at Orange, N.S.W.

19/20 November : Unexploded petrol bomb containing S.A. ammo. in grounds of Prime Minister’s Lodge, A.C.T.

23rd November : Bomb damaged premises of Adriatic Trade & Travel Center, Sydney (owned and operated by Yugoslav government).

26th November : Brick through glass doors of Foundation for Abo. affairs premises, Sydney. Black Power slogans, etc. painted on outside of building. Bomb hoax telephone call to offices of the Foundation.

1st December : 2 house bricks with anti-conscription leaflet attached thrown through plateglass doors of Camberwell (Vic.) R.S.L. Club. 1 house brick with leaflets attached thrown through a window of premises used as offices by Liberal Party at Brunswick, Vic.

19th December : Bomb damaged the ‘Hub Theatre’, Newtown, Sydney where a Yugoslav film was being screened.

23rd December : Small petrol bomb planted against an inner wall of Prime Minister’s Lodge, A.C.T.

29th December : Statue of Sir Henry Parkes in Centennial Park, Sydney blown up, allegedly by Black Power militants.

1972

11 January : Bomb damaged base of statue in grounds of Free Serbia Orthodox Church, A.C.T. Church windows broken also.

21 January : Anti-conscription slogans painted outside Melbourne home of the Federal Attorney-General.

4 March : Explosives damaged door of Melbourne University Council Chamber while university authorities act to consider disciplinary action on four students.

28-30th March : Sit-in at Administrative offices, La Trobe University. Damage estimated at $750. Theft of personal possessions also.

6 April : (a) Flat occupied by M. Jurjevic in Melbourne bombed and wrecked. (b) Migrant Advisory Center of ANZ Bank in Melbourne bombed and wrecked. (exhibn. of Yugolsav folk costumes on display).

12 April : La Trobe University students inside Administrative Building.

19th April : CPA HQ’s in Brisbane bombed and badly damaged.

20th April : (a) Phone threat to Brisbane newspaper that Moratorium marchers would be bombed with grenades; also to a CPA member that he would be bombed. (b) Death threat to R.A.M. chairman in Perth, W.A.

21st April : Anti-war demonstration in Melbourne. – police pelted with crackers and rocks outside U.S. Consulate. – rocks thrown at police and Pan-Am building.

24th April : Sydney University students mobbed Commonwealth Police and freed an arrested draft resister.

9th May : (a) Molotov cocktail thrown into Honeywell Pty. Ltd., Melbourne. $100 damage. (b) Pan Am office windows broken during demonstration in Melbourne. (c) Army vehicle (Queensland University Regiment property) damaged by fire.

10th May : (a) March to Du Pont Chemical offices. Police car stoned; window in adjacent building broken (Brisbane). (b) 2 Army vehicles destroyed by fire. 1 damaged. Responsibility claimed by ‘May 10 Action Committee’. (Adelaide). (c) Department of Labour and National Service daubed with paint. (Adelaide). (d) ALCOA offices daubed with paint. (Adelaide).

10-11th May : (a) Window broken at residence of U.S. Defence Air Attache (Canberra). (b) Window broken at residence of South Vietnamese Armed Forces Attache (Canberra). (c) Molotov cocktail thrown through window of General-Electric (Melbourne). $50 damage. Responsibility claimed by A.L.A.

11th May : Posters pasted on Honeywell Pty. Ltd. (Perth).

11-12th May : Molotov cocktail thrown into solicitor’s office in Du Pont Building, Brisbane. $20,000 damage.

12th May : (a) Anti-war demonstration in Sydney. Student group attacked Pan-Am Building. – smoke bomb thrown – bottles, empty can and 1 piece steel (1″ cube) thrown at police – 57 arrests all told. (b) in Brisbane also – S.W. Watson (militant abo.) urged occupation of City Hall and its use as a “People’s Embassy”. – foiled by police 23 arrests all told. (c) U.S. Consulate and Pan-Am buildings in Melbourne attacked – windows broken. Police attacked with bolts, nuts. rocks, poles, flares, crackers. (d) Torrens Parade Ground Army depot stoned (Adelaide). – approx. 40 windows broken. Smoke bombs used also. (e) I.B.M. office window broken in demonstration (Adelaide).

13th May : Damage to R.A.A.F. buildings at University of W.A. Claimed by “People’s Army”.

25th May (evening) : East Wind Bookshop Source Bookshop C.D.A. and Third World Bookshop in Melbourne attacked with incendiaries.

19th June (10 p.m.) : Windows in building housing French Consulate, Melbourne broken with a stone, and petrol bomb thrown through. Did not ignite. Anonymous phone caller claimed P.L.A. responsible for incident.

20th June : (a) Fire damaged a guard-box at la Trobe University ($50). Claimed by W.S.A. (b) 250 students invaded La Trobe University Administration Building.

21st June : (a) Car belonging to Mr. Justice Anderson damaged by fire. – claimed by W.S.A. (b) Death threat to French Consul in Melbourne over French A-tests.

22nd June : 150 students occupied La Trobe University Administration building. 100 forced entry to Council Chamber. 2 staff members assaulted.

29th June : Youth carrying smoke flare, pressure can of paint and 2 marking pencils arrested at U.S. Consulate in Perth, W.A.

30th June : Home-made bomb thrown into offices of Australian Pipeline Coy. near Dandenong, Victoria. No damage.

3rd July : Kero. bomb thrown at University Army Regiment’s H.Q., Melbourne. Little damage.

4th July : Smoke flare thrown into an office of the Department of Labour and National Service, Perth. It did not ignite.

11th July : Anti-draft slogans daubed on 10 railway carriages in Melbourne.

12th July : 64 masked students and Black Panther leaders invaded Queensland University boardroom protesting against mining coy, C.R.A. employment drive at university.

13th July : Token attempt by 100 La Trobe university students to break into Pentridge gaol to release gaoled students.

19th July : (a) Students set up draft resistance centres at Monash, Sydney and A.N.U. universities, in Union buildings. – centres barricaded against entry. Draft resisters given sanctuary. (b) Students at Sydney University attempt to operate a ‘pirate’ radio transmitter.

20th July : Aboriginal ‘Embassy’ in Canberra dismantled by police; clash with Aborigines and students. 8 arrests. 7 police and 2 demonstrators injured.

21st July : (a) Conflict between 500 anti-conscription demonstrators and 100 police in Melbourne. 14 arrests. (b) 800 demonstrators in Sydney. No incidents.

22nd July : Conflict between 500 pro-China and anti-China demonstrators at Sydney airport as Chinese table tennis team arrived.

23rd July : Clash in Canberra between Police and 100 aboriginal and white demonstrators over second dismantling of aboriginal ’embassy’ tents. 18 arrests. 9 injured. 5 police injured.

25th July : Police dismantled “draft counselling centre” on G.P.O. steps in Melbourne. 2 women leaders arrested.

28th July : Clash between police and 400 anti-conscription protesters on G.P.O. steps in Melbourne. 53 arrests including Secretary of S.O.S.

Tales of Ordinary Fatuousness

Very Ordinary

“The League of Ordinary Gentlemen is a group blog that hopes to bring a new style and sensibility to blogging.”

Uh-huh.

In reference to an apparent attempt to blow up an aeroplane in Detroit by a Nigerian-born mentalist, Ordinary Gentleman Chris Dierkes writes (An(archy)-Qaeda, December 28, 2009):

Whatever else comes up in the pseudo-analysis of the (thankfully) failed terrorist attack, we see yet again that the terrorists are largely from middle to upper classes. The ones who are recruited to perform suicide attacks are usually young and increasingly drawn from a self-selecting pool, communicating through the internet.

This lends credence to the notion that al-Qaeda is the anarchist movement of today. It follows in the patterns of the Baader-Meinhof, the Red Brigade, and the earlier anarchist movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Contrary to the right-wing US motifs of the early 2000s (which thank God are soon about to end), the analogy for an Al-Qaeda is not to Nazism or Communism…

…but to anarchism.

A few points.

…the terrorists are largely from middle to upper classes…

In the case of Al Qaeda, yeah, it seems so. (And their leader, Osama bin Laden, was a member of the Saudi ruling class.) But when applied to the anarchist/terrorists of the late nineteenth century, it’s a false proposition. Most of these ‘propagandists by the deed’ were drawn from the working classes. And while it may be said that Al Qaeda operatives are — and the anarchist/terrorists were — largely drawn from the ranks of yoof, the anarchists were drawn from a rather large pool, were fewer in number, and did not belong to an organised, hierarchical, religious network of the kind Al Qaeda is understood to be. (Nor were they bankrolled by a billionaire.) As for the ah, Internets, unless Dierkes is composing a riff on, say, The Difference Engine, anarchists of the period were incapable of communicating through this highly complex arrangement of soup cans and string.

…[Al Qaeda] follows in the patterns of the Baader-Meinhof, the Red Brigade, and the earlier anarchist movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries…

The principal problem with including “Baader-Meinhof” (aka the Red Army Faction) and the Red Brigade among ‘later’ anarchist movements is that they were neither a) anarchist nor b) movements. They were, in fact, Marxist urban(e) guerilla groups, whose relationship to the state was rather more complex than that of the few score anarchists who, by executing its titular Hydra head, tried to topple some of its other, earlier manifestations.

Of the anarchists’ Greatest Hits, one might include President Sadi Carnot (France, 1894); Prime Minister Antonio Cánovas (Spain, 1897); Empress Elizabeth (Austria, 1898); King Humbert (Italy, 1900), and (arguably) President William McKinley (United States, 1901). Note that Gavrilo Princip, the assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand — whose murder is popularly believed to have been the trigger for WWI — is also often described as an anarchist (for example, by Michael Moore in Stupid White Men) but was in reality a nationalist.

…the earlier anarchist movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries…

Which, it is important to note, were social movements, not terrorist cells.

In any case, the Ordinary Gentleman adds:

“I mean it [Al Qaeda is anarchist] in the sense that their (al Qaeda’s) political goals are totally utopian (and unrealistic) and therefore there are no real actions they can take in this world to get closer to their political goals, so they end up just trying to destroy what currently exists.”

A statement which, as far as I can see, is more or less in accord with the post as a whole: nonsense.

See also :

“Declaration of War against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places”, Al Quds Al Arabi, August, 1996 | Second fatwa, February 1998 | October 7, 2001 statement.

On state involvement in leftist terrorism, see : Gladio, a documentary by Allan Francovich, BBC Timewatch (1992). Episode 1 : The Ring Masters | Episode 2 : The Puppeteers | Episode 3 : The Foot Soldiers.

On the subject of Al Qaeda as a form of resistance to ‘modernisation’, as well as a comparison with the actual political vanguards — from Lenin through to “Baader-Meinhof” and the Red Brigade — upon which it models itself, see Afflicted Powers: Capital and Spectacle in a New Age of War, Retort, Verso, 2005.

On the relationship between Al Qaeda and anarchism, see Anarchism and Terrorism (In the Real World) & Al-Qaeda and Anarchism: A Historian’s Reply to Terrorology by James L. Gelvin, May 6, 2009.

This article situates al-Qaeda and similar jihadi movements within the category of anarchism. In so doing, it challenges the central pillar of the terrorology paradigm: the notion that terrorism is useful as an independent unit of analysis. The article takes a two-fold approach; in the first part, it offers a five-part definition of anarchism, based on the literature in the fields of history, political science, and sociology. Anarchism is distinguished by five characteristics: First, anarchism is an episodic discourse which provides its adherents with a prescription for action and which has been consistently available to, but only sometimes adopted by, political actors in the modern world. Second, anarchism makes for itself the claim of being defensive in nature. Third, anarchism is anti-systemic; i.e., the target of anarchist grievances is the very system (the nation-state system, capitalism) anarchists view as the source of oppression. Fourth, by “othering” the source of oppression, anarchists delineate, either implicitly or explicitly, an ideal counter-community. Finally, unlike the disarticulated domain of, for example, scientific socialism, the discursive field of anarchism draws heavily from the specific cultural milieu from which it springs. The second part of the article examines al-Qaeda and similar movements in terms of these five characteristics, contrasts al-Qaeda with other organizations (Hamas, Hizbullah) which have often been conflated with al-Qaeda under the terrorist rubric, and argues that, based on those characteristics, al-Qaeda does not represent a new or sui generis phenomenon, but rather fits squarely into the anarchist mold.

Conclusion

Bad analogy.

Bringing the Real

Venturing further into The Real World™, in this case the territory stamped on maps as being Serbia, six anarchists — Sanja Dojkić, Tadej Kurepa, Nikola Mitrović, Ivan Savić, Ratibor Trivunac and Ivan Vulovic — were arrested in September 2009 and have been charged with the crime of ‘international terrorism’ by Serbian authorities. Denied bail, the six have now been imprisoned for almost four months, and will not be presented with another opportunity for release until their trial, scheduled to commence next year.

The dreadful crime of which the six have been accused took place on the evening of August 24/25, 2009, when two Molotov cocktails were thrown at the Greek Embassy in Belgrade. One window was damaged by the fire caused by the cocktails, and there was also some minor damage to the building’s façade; the fire did not spread, however, and was quickly extinguished. Further, no person was injured in the incident (the building was empty at the time) and the following morning work at the Embassy resumed as normal.

This is ‘terrorism’, according to Serbian authorities. Further, it is ‘international’ in its scope as the building targeted belonged to the Greek Embassy. As a result, if convicted, the six may be sentenced to up to 15 years in jail. All six deny the charges, and argue that state authorities are more interested in destroying the anarchist movement in Serbia than in defeating terrorism; a claim which depends, of course, on the ability to make a distinction between the two isms schisms — something with which a number of Gentlemen, whether in academia, the blogosphere or the corporate/state media, obviously still struggle.

See : ASI Report to IWA Congress 2009 on the Belgrade 6, December 17, 2009 | Serbian Intellectuals Write New Letter Condemning Charges Against Belgrade Six, libcom.org [December 10, 2009].

Bonus Utopianism!