Sketchy Thoughts

Saturday, April 08, 2023

Main Blog Moved to Kersplebedeb.com!

Since March 2013, the main Kersplebedeb website has been migrated to a primarily wordpress format.

What this means in practical terms is that everything you are used to seeing on Sketchy Thoughts is now being posted straight to Kersplebedeb and simply being automatically mirrored here. So in general, you will probably have a better reading/viewing experience if you head over to Kersplebedeb.

For those who prefer the Sketchy Thoughts blogger layout for whatever reason, this page will continue to be automatically updated whenever something is posted to Kersplebedeb, for at least the short-term future. However, as additional functionality is added to the Kersplebedeb site via wordpress, the Sketchy Thoughts page will probably begin to show its age more and more.

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Some Antifascist Events in Montreal October 26-Nov 12

Lancement du livre: Antifa – The Anti-Fascist Handbook, de Mark Bray / Book Launch: Antifa – The Antifascist Handbook, by Mark Bray
vendredi 27 octobre, 19 h 30 / Friday October 27, 7:30pm
@ CEDA , 2515 Rue Delisle, Montréal; Métro Lionel-Groulx
facebook: http://ift.tt/2hdYSsf

Contingent Antiraciste ET Antifasciste dans la manif contre l’austerité organisés par la Coalition Main Rouge
Samedi, 28 octobre, 1pm / Saturday Oct. 28, 1pm
PARC VILLERAY (coin Jarry et Christophe-Colomb)
facebook: http://ift.tt/2zGFhaQ

Grande manifestation contre la haine et le racisme / Mass Demonstration Against Hate and Racism
dimanche le 12 november, 14h00 / Sunday, November 12 at 2 PM
Place Émilie-Gamelin
facebook: http://ift.tt/2hcQzgb
web: http://ift.tt/2zIcXVF

Pour de plus amples informations au sujet de la lutte antifasciste à Montréal, visitez http://ift.tt/2xgRMcl

For more information about the antifascist struggle in Montreal, see http://ift.tt/2xgRMcl

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2zIcYJd

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Monday, October 23, 2017

David Gilbert’s Looking at the U.S. White Working Class Historically

Looking at the U.S. White Working Class Historically tackles one of the supreme issues for our movement, the contradiction embodied in the term “white working class.” On the one hand there is the class designation that should imply, along with all other workers of the world, a fundamental role in the overthrow of capitalism. On the other hand, there is the identification of being part of a (“white”) oppressor nation. Gilbert seeks to understand the origins of this contradiction, its historical development, as well as possibilities to weaken and ultimately transform the situation. In other words, how can people organize a break with white supremacy and foster solidarity with the struggles of people of color, both within the United States and around the world?

Gilbert began this project in the early 1980s, while in jail facing charges stemming from his activities in the revolutionary underground. It started as a pamphlet reflecting on writings about race and class by Ted Allen, W.E.B. DuBois, and J. Sakai. In the 1990s, Gilbert added a retrospective essay, reviewing lessons from the 1960s and the New Left he had been active in at the time. Over the years, Looking at the White Working Class Historically (as it was known in previous editions) has been widely circulated across multiple waves and generations of activists. As Gilbert writes in the introduction to this 2017 edition, this text remains the most popular of his writings for younger radicals seeking to build movements against racism.

This new edition contains all the material from previous versions (including an essay by J. Sakai), along with a new introduction, Gilbert’s take on the election of Donald Trump, and an extensive new text surveying changes in the global political order since the 1960s. More than ever, Looking at the U.S. White Working Class Historically explores and illuminates perspectives for radical change and resistance to racism in the United States today.

What People Are Saying

“This book embodies what I have come to expect from all of David Gilbert’s writings: precision insight tempered with humanity, nuanced historical analysis for the purpose of learning lessons, and an everpresent willingness and even insistence on questioning everything, especially his own work. Gilbert’s honesty in his introduction about what this book lacks strengthens rather than weakens its impact – He does not pretend to have all of the answers, instead insisting the only right answer is a collective one. He invites conversation and critique rather than running from it, highlighted so clearly with a rebuttal by one of the people’s work he delves into. This book, like the politics needed to build a new future, shows struggle as the dynamic living growing creature it is.” —Walidah Imarisha, author of Angels with Dirty Faces: Three Stories of Crime, Prison, and Redemption, and co-editor of Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements

“David Gilbert’s analytical clarity, commitment to universal justice, and unswerving integrity shine through his words.” —Barbara Smith, founding member of the Combahee River Collective, and of Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, author of The Truth That Never Hurts: Writings on Race, Gender and Freedom

“When Malcolm X said John Brown was his standard for white activism, he could have easily meant David Gilbert. He is our generation’s John Brown. His support of Black liberation as a method of freeing the world is to be studied, appreciated, and applied.” —Jared A. Ball, author of I Mix What I Like! A Mixtape Manifesto, and professor of Media and Africana Studies at Morgan State University

“If we want to organize white people against racism and for racial justice, if you want to build up a broad-based majority for economic, racial, and gender justice, if you are enraged at the devastation of structural inequality in our lives and on our planet, then this book is key. Class inequality is organized through white supremacy, and the ruling class strategy of divide and rule of pitting working class and poor white people against communities of color, must be understood. David Gilbert gives us historical analysis to understand this ruling class strategy, and how we can unite white people across class to a collective liberation vision with racial justice at the center.” —Chris Crass, author of Towards the “Other America”: Anti-Racist Resources for White People Taking Action for Black Lives Matter

About the Author

David Gilbert, a longtime anti-racist and anti-imperialist, first became active in the Civil Rights movement in 1961. In 1965, he started the Vietnam Committee at Columbia University; in 1967 he co-authored the first Students for a Democratic Society pamphlet naming the system “imperialism”; and he was active in the Columbia strike of 1968. He later joined the Weather Underground and spent a total of 10 years underground.

David has been imprisoned in New York State since October 20th, 1981, when a unit of the Black Liberation Army along with allied white revolutionaries tried to get funds for the struggle by robbing a Brinks truck. This tragically resulted in a shoot-out in which a Brinks guard and two police officers were killed. David is serving a sentence of 75 years (minimum) to life under New York State’s “felony murder” law, whereby all participants in a robbery, even if they are unarmed and non-shooters, are equally responsible for all deaths that occur. While in prison, he’s been a pioneer for peer education on AIDS and has continued to write and advocate against oppression. He’s been involved with the annual Certain Days Freedom for Political Prisoners Calendar since 2001 and has written two books from prison that are available from Kersplebedeb: No Surrender and Love and Struggle, as well as the pamphlet Our Commitment is to Our Communities: Mass Incarceration, Political Prisoners and Building a Movement for Community-Based Justice.

You can write to David at:

David Gilbert #83A6158
Wende Correctional Facility,
3040 Wende Road
Alden, New York 14004-1187

Looking at the U.S White Working Class Historically can be ordered from leftwingbooks.net here

The press sheet for this book (pdf) can be downloaded here

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2i257P4

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Antifa: The Antifascist Handbook

In the wake of tragic events in Charlottesville, VA, and Donald Trump’s initial refusal to denounce the white nationalists behind it all, the “antifa” opposition movement is suddenly appearing everywhere. But what is it, precisely? And where did it come from?

As long as there has been fascism, there has been anti-fascism — also known as “antifa.” Born out of resistance to Mussolini and Hitler in Europe during the 1920s and ’30s, the antifa movement has suddenly burst into the headlines amidst opposition to the Trump administration and the alt-right. They could be seen in news reports, often clad all in black with balaclavas covering their faces, fighting police at the presidential inauguration, on California college campuses protesting right-wing speakers, and, most recently, on the streets of Charlottesville, VA, protecting, among others, a group of ministers including Cornel West from neo-Nazi violence. (West would later tell reporters, “The anti-fascists saved our lives.”)

Simply, antifa aims to deny fascists the opportunity to promote their oppressive politics, and to protect tolerant communities from acts of violence promulgated by fascists. Critics say shutting down political adversaries is anti-democratic; antifa adherents argue that the horrors of fascism must never be allowed the slightest chance to triumph again.

In a smart and gripping investigation, historian and former Occupy Wall Street organizer Mark Bray provides a detailed survey of the full history of anti-fascism from its origins to the present day — the first transnational history of postwar anti-fascism in English. Based on interviews with anti-fascists from around the world, Antifa details the tactics of the movement and the philosophy behind it, offering insight into the growing but little-understood resistance fighting back against fascism in all its guises.

Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook is available from leftwingbooks.net

Canada Book Launches

Toronto, Wednesday October 18 at 7pm
Workers’ Action Centre: 720 Spadina, Room 202
facebook: http://ift.tt/2zjOrdb

Ottawa, Thursday October 19 at 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:30)
Room 31, Dalhousie Community Centre
755 Somerset Street West
facebook: http://ift.tt/2zxzepI

Montreal, Friday, October 27 at 7:30pm (doors open at 7)
CEDA, 2515 Rue Delisle, Montréal
Métro Lionel-Groulx
facebook: http://ift.tt/2zidAVr

What People Are Saying

“Focused and persuasive… Bray’s book is many things: the first English-language transnational history of antifa, a how-to for would-be activists, and a record of advice from anti-Fascist organizers past and present.”—The New Yorker

“Insurgent activist movements need spokesmen, intellectuals and apologists, and for the moment Mark Bray is filling in as all three… The book’s most enlightening contribution is on the history of anti-fascist efforts over the past century, but its most relevant for today is its justification for stifling speech and clobbering white supremacists.”—Carlos Lozada, The Washington Post

“[Bray’s] analysis is methodical, and clearly informed by both his historical training and 15 years of organizing, which included Occupy Wall Street…Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook couldn’t have emerged at a more opportune time. Bray’s arguments are incisive and cohesive, and his consistent refusal to back down from principle makes the book a crucial intervention in our political moment.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“An excellent primer and essential reading.”—Counterpunch

“Mark Bray does a great job detailing the movement’s growth in the U.S. and giving historical context to the antifa’s resurgence. Read the book if you want to learn even more…”—Reveal News

“[An] excellent introduction, which serves as a reasoned and passionate defense…Antifa: The Anti-fascist Handbook serves as an educational tool for those whose inclination is to support antifa because they oppose fascism and white supremacy, but remain on the fence… Bray’s concise and multilayered text is an essential aid in that task.”—Counterpunch

About the Author

Mark Bray is a historian of human rights, terrorism, and political radicalism in Modern Europe who was one of the organizers of Occupy Wall Street. He is the author of Translating Anarchy: The Anarchism of Occupy Wall Street, and the co-editor of Anarchist Education and the Modern School: A Francisco Ferrer Reader. His work has appeared in Foreign Policy, Critical Quarterly, ROAR Magazine, and numerous edited volumes. He is currently a lecturer at Dartmouth College.

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2gNIjCX

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Robyn Maynard’s POLICING BLACK LIVES available now!

policingblacklives Delving behind Canada’s veneer of multiculturalism and tolerance, Policing Black Lives traces the violent realities of anti-blackness from the slave ships to prisons, classrooms and beyond. Robyn Maynard provides readers with the first comprehensive account of nearly four hundred years of state-sanctioned surveillance, criminalization and punishment of Black lives in Canada.

While highlighting the ubiquity of Black resistance, Policing Black Lives traces the still-living legacy of slavery across multiple institutions, shedding light on the state’s role in perpetuating contemporary Black poverty and unemployment, racial profiling, law enforcement violence, incarceration, immigration detention, deportation, exploitative migrant labour practices, disproportionate child removal and low graduation rates.

Emerging from a critical race feminist framework that insists that all Black lives matter, Maynard’s intersectional approach to anti-Black racism addresses the unique and understudied impacts of state violence as it is experienced by Black women, Black people with disabilities, as well as queer, trans, and undocumented Black communities.

A call-to-action, Policing Black Lives urges readers to work toward dismantling structures of racial domination and re-imagining a more just society.

Policing Black Lives is available from leftwingbooks.net

What People Are Saying

“Robyn Maynard’s meticulously-researched and compelling analysis of state violence challenges prevailing narratives of Canadian multiculturalism and inclusion by examining how structures of racism and ideologies of gender are complexly anchored in global histories of colonization and slavery. This book should be read not only by those who have a specific interest in Canadian histories and social justice movements but by anyone interested in the abolitionist and revolutionary potential of the Black Lives Matters movement more broadly.” — Angela Y. Davis

“A crucial work in chronicling Black experiences in Canada. If you only read one book this year, make it this one. Policing Black Lives is a comprehensive and necessary book for anyone who cares about the past, present and future of Black life in this country. Brilliant work!” — Black Lives Matter Toronto

“In this eye-opening and timely book, Robyn Maynard deftly and conclusively pulls back the veil on anti-Black racism in Canada, exploding the myth of multiculturalism through an emphatically and unapologetically intersectional lens. In compelling and accessible prose, Maynard provides a sweeping overview of Canadian state violence from colonial times to the present, seamlessly articulating the relationship – and distinctions – between settler colonialism and anti-Blackness, and centering Black women, trans and gender nonconforming people within the broader narrative. Through an analysis squarely situated in the global socioeconomic context, Policing Black Lives explores parallels between state violence in Canada and its neighbor to the South, as well as the unique legal, social and historical forces informing criminalization through segregation, surveillance, “stop and frisk”/carding/street checks, the war on drugs, gang policing, the school to prison pipeline, welfare “fraud” and child welfare enforcement, and the conflation of immigration and criminality. The result is both eye-opening and chilling, firmly pointing to shared fronts of struggle across borders. Policing Black Lives is a critical read for all in Canada and the United States who #SayHerName and assert that #BlackLivesMatter, and essential to movements for Black liberation on Turtle Island.” — Andrea J. Ritchie, author Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color

“To understand this moment in Canada when Black communities are asserting that Black Lives really do matter, readers need this book.” — Sylvia D. Hamilton

“Grounded in an impressive and expansive treatment of Black Canadian history, Maynard has written a powerful account of state anti-Black violence in Canada. Empirically rich and theoretically nimble, this work is an outstanding contribution to Black Canadian Studies.”— Barrington Walker, Queen’s University

“Timely, urgent, and cogent…brilliantly elucidates the grotesque anti-Black racist practices coming from the state, and other institutions imbued with power over Black people’s lives.”— Afua Cooper

“Robyn Maynard offers powerful lessons for making anti-blackness in Canada legible to activists, scholars, policy makers, and community members committed to building a future nation—and world—free of racism, heteropatriarchy, xenophobia, and exploitation. “— Erik S. McDuffie, author of Sojourning for Freedom: Black Women, American Communism, and the Making of Black Left Feminism

“Thanks, Robyn Maynard, for opening all of our eyes to a scary history and frightening present for Black Canada.”— Patrisse Cullors-Khan, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2iibkKB

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

2018 Slingshot Organizers Have Arrived!

By far the most popular way for anarchists to stay organized, the Slingshot 2018 organizers are here, complete with mini-calendar, daybook planner, address book section, international radical contact list, and nifty what happened on this day notes scattered throughout. The artwork, as ever, is wonderful in a chaotic punk rock way.

Now in its 24th year of publication, Slingshot is a 176 page planner/agenda with radical dates for every day of the year, space to write your phone numbers, a contact list of radical groups around the globe, menstrual calendar, info on police repression, extra note pages, plus much more. Slingshot has a tough layflat binding and a laminated cover, and comes in 16 cover colors printed with either black or silver ink (depending on how dark the paper stock is)—you can see most of these on the order pages (below) — if you have a preference indicate it when ordering, we’ll do our best to accommodate.

The Slingshot planner comes in two sizes, pocket size (4.25 inches X 5.5 inches) perfect bound, and a spiral bound larger size.

TO ORDER THE POCKET SIZE FROM LEFTWINGBOOKS.NET CLICK HERE

TO ORDER THE SPIRAL BOUND LARGER SIZE FROM LEFTWINGBOOKS.NET CLICK HERE

Kersplebedeb Leftwingbooks.net is happy to be the official distributor of Slingshot in Canada.

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2gOrSGy

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Monday, October 09, 2017

Certain Days Freedom for Political Prisoners Calendar 2018 — Back from the Printers!

The Certain Days: Freedom for Political Prisoners Calendar is one of the most important and wonderful products that i am lucky enough to be able to distribute — and the 2018 calendar is back from the printers and available now! (you can order from leftwingbooks.net here)
Certain Days is a joint fundraising and educational project between outside organizers in Montreal, Toronto, and New York, in partnership with three political prisoners being held in maximum-security prisons in New York State: David Gilbert, Robert Seth Hayes and Herman Bell. As the calendar collective explains, “The initial project was suggested by Herman in 2001, and has been shaped throughout the years by all of our ideas, discussions, and analysis. All of the current members of the outside collective are grounded in day-to-day organizing work other than the calendar, on issues ranging from migrant justice to community media to prisoner solidarity. We work from an anti-imperialist, anti-racist, anti-capitalist, feminist, queer- and trans- liberationist position.”

The proceeds from Certain Days 2018 will be divided among these groups: Addameer Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association (Palestine), Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) and other groups in need.

To see thumbnails of the artwork in this year’s calendar, scroll down —

The following is this year’s statement from the CD collective:

CERTAIN DAYS 2018: AWAKENING RESISTANCE

This year’s theme has been a bit of a moving target. We wanted to showcase different groups and movements who are Awakening Resistance to the current political climate, the one brought to the fore by Trump’s entry into office, though it clearly goes beyond that one person and has deep roots that precede his election. When we put out our call for submissions in March, many of us were working to understand the changes in tone and substance of the political establishment, and to respond—both personally and as a movement—to the increased blatancy and viciousness of far-right attacks, as well as increased state repression. In the intervening months, much analysis has emerged to explain this political moment, and to help understand the history that brought us here. On both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border, though the context differs, organizations and campaigns have formed to fight back. But much remains to be done.

The contributions we received for the 2018 calendar range from confronting the far-right to building resistance inside prisons. Many highlighted campaigns and projects began well before Trump ran for office, underscoring the fact that this “new” political reality is simply an outgrowth of processes that extend far back in time. In the face of increasingly bold racism and xenophobia, people are stepping up to challenge Islamophobia, anti-immigrant measures, and attacks on reproductive justice. Important dialogues have opened up—or been revitalized—on the role of antisemitism in upholding white supremacy, and on the relationship between the far-right and the mainstream capitalist establishment. We invite you to use this edition of Certain Days as a tool to further these efforts. Discuss these articles with fellow organizers. Use the calendar to fundraise for your project, or as a conversation-starter in your community around these issues. Get in touch with our contributors to continue the conversation.

David Gilbert’s essay below describes the landscape we find ourselves in, and the task ahead. We encourage you to read it as a preface for the rest of the articles.

As we work to build the calendar, Certain Days is also growing our collective. This year, we have added the category of “supporting member,” and welcome several people aboard in that capacity—some of whom have already been helping to make this project possible for many years.

– the Certain Days collective: Sara Falconer, Helen Hudson, Daniel McGowan, Amy Schwartz
– supporting members: Josh Davidson, Aric McBay, Tasha Zamudio

The Decline of Imperialism: Dangers and Opportunities, by David Gilbert

Trump’s election has set off an exciting eruption of protests; at the same time, the challenges we face are daunting. To fully grasp the dangers and opportunities ahead we need to look at the decline of imperialism, which is the context for the rise of this loathsome demagogue. Increased divisions, confusion, and strategy ip- ops within the ruling class are further signs of decline. “Decline” does not mean “collapse,” far from it. The convulsions of world capitalism have been in process for 45 years and still have a ways to go. The predatory beast, now wounded, can lash out in even more vicious ways, but that vehemence stems from its vulnerability.

Imperialism brutally beat back the revolutionary challenges of the 1960s, globally and within the U.S. But the system failed to achieve well-functioning stability. Indeed, since 1971 the economies of the U.S. and other rich nations have been mired in stagnation (chronically slow growth) and have been teetering in and out of crises. The responses typically have entailed even greater concentration of wealth at the top and expanding the balloon of speculative nance—temporary “solutions” that pave the way for more severe problems in the future. We can expect them to race even faster down this dead end road now that Trump’s “populist” billionaires are in the driver’s seat.

In the Global South, international nance imposed a ruthless regime of debt peonage, which they call “structural adjustment programs,” to extract even more wealth from the wretched of the earth—wreaking devastating damage on the peoples and environment there. At the same time, the CIA fostered reactionary sectarian forces to undermine the unity needed for national liberation. A range of military interventions turned whole countries—Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Sudan—into killing fields of chaos and suffering. On top of the disruptions of wars, droughts made terribly worse by global warming threaten the lives of tens of millions of human beings with famine.

At home, imperialism has preferred to rule by keeping the majority loyal, or at least placated, with a rising standard of living. But since 1971, what had been decades of rising wages levelled off and job insecurity got worse. The rulers have deflected (with various ups and downs rhetorically) white working class frustrations toward racially- coded scapegoats: “welfare queens,” “criminals,” immigrants, Muslims. This despicable approach has a strong foundation in a U.S. built on white and male supremacy and on imperial expansion. Repression, both state and extra-legal, is likely to get worse. Our movements need to be prepared—psychologically, with support and legal networks, and by building communities of solidarity across issues and identities.

At the same time, Trump’s more naked exposure of the obscenities of capitalism has created wider interest in anti-racist education, organizing, and mobilizations. The range of people under attack can be a basis for forging unity and promoting an understanding that the problem is the system as a whole.

Imperialism’s great strength from global exploitation is also, potentially, its downfall in that the vast majority of people in the world have a fundamental interest in revolutionary change. For those of us in the Global North, critical tools for hewing a path toward unity entail a sorely needed anti-war movement and an environmental struggle that has a deeply global perspective. Such developments could also provide a basis for showing at least a sector of white workers the potential, the more viable alternative, of developing a cooperative economy that prioritizes equality and environmental recovery, and that learns from, as well as gives back to, the Global South and to people of colour communities within the U.S. and Canada.

We face the fight of our lives, with the very survival of humanity and countless other species at stake. History calls on us not only to be creative and courageous but also to operate fully with love in our hearts.

Some Artwork from the 2017 Certain Days Calendar:

by Jesus Barraza

by Serena Tang

by Roger Peet

by Sophia Dawson

by EE Vera

by Fernando Marti

by Billie Belo

by Marius Mason

by UB Topia

by Design Action Collective

by Annie Morgan Banks and Mutope Duguma

by Zola

Once again, to order the calendar, click here!

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2kAJfza

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Friday, September 15, 2017

From Prison to Ph.D.: The Redemption and Rejection of Michelle Jones (repost)

Michelle Jones was released last month after serving more than two decades in an Indiana prison for the murder of her 4-year-old son. The very next day, she arrived at New York University, a promising Ph.D. student in American studies. In a breathtaking feat of rehabilitation, Ms.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at From Prison to Ph.D.: The Redemption and Rejection of Michelle Jones

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2eZXuYl

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Thursday, September 14, 2017

From Prison to Ph.D.: The Redemption and Rejection of Michelle Jones

Michelle Jones was released last month after serving more than two decades in an Indiana prison for the murder of her 4-year-old son. The very next day, she arrived at New York University, a promising Ph.D. student in American studies. In a breathtaking feat of rehabilitation, Ms.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at From Prison to Ph.D.: The Redemption and Rejection of Michelle Jones

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Dear Friends,

We are asking people to write letters to Anthony Annucci, Commissioner of New York Dept. of Corrections, making the following demands (a sample letter follows that we would like you to use):

That Herman Bell be immediately given adequate medical screening and attention at an outside hospital;
That CO J Saunders and the other officers responsible for the beating be fired;
DROP THE CHARGES – That the ridiculous charges brought against Herman be dropped immediately
Mr. Bell should be returned at least to general population (he had been on the Honor Block at Great Meadow and despite his request was never given a reason for being moved to general population);
That Mr. Bell’s family visits be reinstated;
That Mr. Bell be moved to a facility where his family visiting can take place and be rescheduled at the earliest possible date.

_____________________________________

Anthony Annucci
Commissioner
Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
1220 Washington Ave
Albany, NY 12226

Dear Commissioner Annucci:

I am writing in concern and outrage over the unprovoked beating by Great Meadow C.F. correctional officers of Herman Bell, #79C0262.

On September 5^th , with no provocation, correctional officers assaulted this widely respected elder. The recreation yard was being closed following a disturbance in which Herman had no part. He was told to line up with hands behind his back, which he did. When all other men on the yard were escorted through one door back into the prison, only Herman was escorted into a separate entrance and into a hallway with no one around except correctional officers—and with no surveillance cameras. In the hall, one officer began beating Herman in the face, breaking his glasses and knocking him to the floor. That guard continued to punch and kick Mr. Bell while he was on the ground. Around 5-6 additional guards arrived at this scene and joined in, punching and kicking Mr. Bell all over his body while he was on the ground. He was kneed in the chest and stomach, breaking two of his ribs. One guard then grabbed his head and slammed it into the ground three times, at which point Mr. Bell thought his life would be ending. He was excessively maced at close range all over his face and eyes, causing temporarily blindness and inability to breathe.

After being brought to the prison infirmary, Mr. Bell was not treated right away but was left alone for hours in an isolation cell. When staff finally looked in on him, he asked why he was there and was told he was accused of assaulting one of the officers. This charge is absurd.

The idea that this 69-year-old man would have hit an officer is ludicrous, as he was about to have a family visit (the first in two and a half years) and was beginning preparations for an appearance at the Board of Parole this coming February. People who had spoken to Herman on the phone the day before the incident attest to the fact that he was looking forward to the family visit with great anticipation, and that he was optimistic about his chances at the Board, given recent changes in parole regulations and the appointment of new commissioners. He had expressed similar thoughts and feelings to many of his friends and family. There is absolutely no doubt that he did not commit any infraction on September 5th ; he also has not had a ticket in the past 20 years. He has never been accused of assaulting staff.

This brutal assault by Great Meadow guards constitutes not only staff abuse but also elder abuse. Mr. Bell will be 70 years of age in four months. He was badly injured in the beating. An X-ray, the only diagnostic screening he received for his injuries, revealed two cracked ribs, and he has a massive, swollen black eye and bruises all over his body. He has suffered severe headaches due to the beat-down, and the vision in his left eye – which remains completely red – is seriously impaired. Mr. Bell requires both a CT scan of the head and an ophthalmology examination.

I write to demand that you take these actions:

That Herman Bell be immediately given adequate medical screening and attention at an outside hospital;
That CO J Saunders and the other officers responsible for the beating be fired;
That the ridiculous charges brought against Herman be dropped immediately and that he be returned at least to general population (he had been on the Honor Block at Great Meadow and despite his request was never given a reason for being moved to general population);
That Mr. Bell’s family visits be reinstated;
That Mr. Bell be moved to a facility where his family visiting can take place and be rescheduled at the earliest possible date.
Sincerely,
NAME/ADDRESS

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2jrvaDq

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

A New Class Politics (repost)

Class is back on the agenda of the European left. That is good news. The reasons, however, are unfortunate. It is primarily the growing working-class support for right-wing parties and movements that troubles left-wing authors, activists, and organizers. Two poles have emerged in the debate.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at A New Class Politics

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2vqifn8

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Monday, September 11, 2017

Un groupe skinhead québécois cause une commotion en France (repost)

Un spectacle de musique et de combats illégaux mettant en vedette un groupe québécois d’extrême droite vient de causer une commotion dans un village du sud-est de la France, où le maire a interdit l’événement. En vain.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Un groupe skinhead québécois cause une commotion en France

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2wWXr9R

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Un groupe skinhead québécois cause une commotion en France

Un spectacle de musique et de combats illégaux mettant en vedette un groupe québécois d'extrême droite vient de causer une commotion dans un village du sud-est de la France, où le maire a interdit l'événement. En vain.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Un groupe skinhead québécois cause une commotion en France

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Thursday, September 07, 2017

Not Your Grandfather’s Antifascism (repost)

Following the clashes in Charlottesville and the massive anti-fascist demonstrations afterwards in Durham, Boston, and the Bay Area, the struggle against fascism has arrived in the consciousness of the general public.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Not Your Grandfather’s Antifascism

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2vQJVFL

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

The Men Who Left Were White (repost)

There are three things you should know. First: I’m not biracial.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at The Men Who Left Were White

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2xSNUyK

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Not Your Grandfather’s Antifascism

Following the clashes in Charlottesville and the massive anti-fascist demonstrations afterwards in Durham, Boston, and the Bay Area, the struggle against fascism has arrived in the consciousness of the general public.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Not Your Grandfather’s Antifascism

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

The Men Who Left Were White

There are three things you should know. First: I'm not biracial.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at The Men Who Left Were White

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Saturday, August 12, 2017

MONTRÉAL: Manif contre l’extrême droite en solidarité avec Charlottesville

When: Sunday, August 13 at 7 PM
Where: Square Phillips (Corner of Saint Catherine St W, Montreal, Quebec H3B 3E9)

Facebook: http://ift.tt/2wTBLs5

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2wEYmJE

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

IGD: Guide to Charlottesville Solidarity Actions Around the World

In solidarity with our friends at CrimethInc.

On August 12, a fascist murdered one person and injured dozens more by driving a vehicle into a crowd of anti-racist protestors in Charlottesville, Virginia. Fascists had been calling for violence in advance; they made it very clear that this would happen. We are calling for solidarity actions to take place around the country in response—to support the bereaved, to encourage those who courageously stood up to fascist murderers, to reach out to our communities about this situation, and to show that we will not stand for this. Here, you can find a list of solidarity demonstrations and a PDF of a flier you can print and distribute to inform others about this situation.

To add your event, email: info [at] itsgoingdown [dot] org and send updates about solidarity demonstrations to us via @crimethinc or rollingthunder@crimethinc.com.

General Purpose Flyer

Download and Print the PDF Flyer Here

On August 12, an alt-right fascist murdered a person and injured dozens more by driving a vehicle into a crowd of anti-racist protestors in Charlottesville, Virginia. We are calling for solidarity actions to take place around the country to respond to this.

If we allow the alt-right and neo-Nazis to organize in our communities, the consequences will be fatal. Charlottesville is just the beginning. If the alt-right can get away with murder there, none of us will be safe. We have to stand up to white supremacists, we have to shut down and chase out these bigots every time they try to organize, or else they will kill more people.

You are a target. These bigots target people of color, women, Muslims, Jews, LGBTQ people, immigrants, radicals, liberals, and anyone who doesn’t agree with them—not just with words, but with violence. Emboldened by Trump’s election, alt-right and fascist bigots have already shot and wounded protestors against racism in Minneapolis and Seattle, stabbed bystanders to death in Portland for intervening against Islamophobia, and sowed hatred and discord across the country. We are betraying our friends and neighbors if we don’t take a stand.

The police will not protect us. They murder over a thousand people every year in this country, and infiltrate and attack our demonstrations when we stand up against alt-right terror. We have to organize to defend ourselves.

Saturday, August 12th

Portland, OR: Pioneer Courthouse, 5pm. Social media event here.
Hillsboro, OR: 150 Main Street, Hillsboro Civic Center, 3:30 PM. Social media event here.
Chico, CA: MLK and 20th Street, 9 AM. Social media event here.
Oakland, CA: Oscar Grant Plaza, 14th and Broadway, 7pm. Social media event here.
Austin, TX: Travis County Jail,500 W 10th St, Social media event here.
Santa Ana, CA: Ross and Santa Ana Blvd, 6: 30 PM. Social media event here.
Los Angeles, CA: 100 W 1st St, 7 PM. Social media event here.
East Palmdale, CA: 1008 West Ave, 7 PM. Social media event here.
Burbank, CA: Chandler Bike Path, Hollywood War, 7 PM. Social media event here.
El Cajon, CA: 701 Broadway, 8 PM. Social media event here.
Iowa City, IA: 21 North Clinton St, 5 PM. Social media event here.
Baltimore, MD: Penn-North Metro Station, 8 PM. Social media event here.
Atlanta, GA: Hyatt Regency, Downtown Atlanta, 6:45 PM.
Dayon, OH: Courthouse Square, Downtown Dayton, 8 PM to 10 PM
Cleveland Heights, OH: Peace Park, 9 PM
Kalamazoo, MI: Bronson Park, 2: 30 PM. Social media event here.
Kalamazoo, MI: 100 Michigan Ave, 9: 30 PM. Social media event here.
Columbia, SC: 1100 Gervais St, 8: 30 PM. Social media event here.
Harrisonburg, VA: Court Sq, 7 PM. Social media event here.
Chicago, IL: Trump Tower, 7 PM.
https://twitter.com/ChicagoRising/status/896521928420282368
Boston, MA: 50 Chestnut St, 7 PM. Social media event here.
Philadelphia, PA: Downtown, happening now.
Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania State Capitol, N. 3rd Street, 8:15 PM. Social media event here.
Portland, ME: East End Park, 6: 30 PM. Social media event here.
Buffalo, NY: Lafayette Square, 8 PM. Social media event here.
New York, NY: Union Square, 5pm. Social media event here.

Sunday August 13th

Seattle, WA: 100 Dexter Ave, 1 PM. More info here.
San Francisco, CA: 24th and Mission, 2 PM. Social media event here.
San Francisco, CA: City Hall, 1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Place, 7 PM.
Denver, CO: City Park, 2pm. Social media event here.
Chapel Hill, NC: Silent Sam Statue, 7 PM.
Louisville, KY: 3208 W. Broadway, 3 PM. Social media event here.
Asheville, NC: Vance Monument, 7 PM.
Tampa, FL: Hillsborough County Clerk’s Office, 419 N Pierce St, 7PM. Social media event here.

Montreal, QE: Phillips Square, 7 PM.
London: Trafalgar Square 12 PM. Social media event here.

Monday August 14th

Waynesville, NC: Haywood County Courthouse, 5pm. Social media event here.
Chicago, IL Corner Of Wacker And Wabash, 5pm. Social media event here.

Sunday August 20th

Colorado Springs, CO: Colorado Springs City Hall, 4pm. Social media event here.
Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Bookstore, 2301 Central Ave NE. Social media event here.

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2vtzBlb

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Sunday, August 06, 2017

Building Everyday Anti-Fascism (repost)

Ibrahima Barry. Azzeddine Soufiane. Khaled Belkacemi. Mamadou Tanou Barry. Abdelkrim Hassane. Boubaker Thabti. On January 29, 2017, these six men were murdered while praying at Québec City’s Islamic Cultural Centre, and five others were seriously injured.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Building Everyday Anti-Fascism

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2varUym

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Building Everyday Anti-Fascism

Ibrahima Barry. Azzeddine Soufiane. Khaled Belkacemi. Mamadou Tanou Barry. Abdelkrim Hassane. Boubaker Thabti. On January 29, 2017, these six men were murdered while praying at Québec City’s Islamic Cultural Centre, and five others were seriously injured.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at Building Everyday Anti-Fascism

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Friday, August 04, 2017

Manifestation de soutien avec des réfugiés et contre les racistes // Refugees In, Racists Out! (Stade Olympique, dimanche 12h)

[Svp partagez dans vos réseaux] [Please share widely]

[facebook: http://ift.tt/2wdLj1L]

*Bienvenue aux réfugiés! Expulsons les racistes!
Manifestation en support aux migrants et aux réfugiés*
DIMANCHE LE 6 AOÛT, 12h pile.

Stade Olympique (Montréal)
4545 Avenue Pierre-de-Coubertin – allez à porte ‘D’ (Métro Pie-IX ou Métro Viau)

*SVP arrivez à l’heure! Nous allons manifester jusqu’a 15 heures au minimum.
Apportez vos affiches et banderoles en support aux migrants et aux frontières ouvertes*

Un appel lancé par le Comité de réponse anti-raciste/anti-fasciste et le Comité Cité sans frontières de Solidarité sans frontières et le Comité d’action des personnes sans-statut haïtiens, avec le soutien du Collectif de résistance antiraciste de Montréal (CRAM), le Réseau Résistons Trump et l’extrême droite, et d’autres groupes.

Racistes et fascistes: No Pasaran!

Des individus de groupes d’extreme-droite, racistes et anti-immigrants, en particuliers Soldiers of Odin et La Meute, organisent eux aussi une manifestation (anti-immigrante) dans les parage du stade olympique ce dimanche. Ces racistes et groupes d’extreme-droite n’ont droit à aucune plate-forme pour exprimer leur haine. Nous lançons un appel aux anti-fascistes et anti-racistes de partout à Montréal et du Québec en général à se mobiliser massivement pour notre manifestation et pour garder les racistes loin du stade olympique. Voici leur événement raciste: http://ift.tt/2v37sBe

Nous encourageons les organisations d’endosser et de partager cet appel et à mobiliser leur communauté et contacts.

Contact: solidaritesansfrontieres@gmail.com
438-933-7654
Sur la toile: http://ift.tt/2wdZvb6
Facebook: http://ift.tt/2v3S6MT
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SolidariteMTL

Nous vous encourageons d’assister à la Marche Trans ce dimanche. Quand c’est possible, nous allons aller ensemble de Stade Olympique (par métro ou sur les rues) au Marche Trans. Info: http://ift.tt/2wdxoJ5 703884209/

Plus de renseignements ci-dessous. ——-

*Refugees In, Racists Out!*
*Emergency Demonstration in Support of Migrants and Refugees*
SUNDAY, AUGUST 6, 12pm sharp
Montreal Olympic Stadium – 4545 Avenue Pierre-de Coubertin – Go to Gate “D” (métro Pie-IX or métro Viau)

*Please arrive on time! We will be demonstrating until at least 3pm.
Bring your signs and banners in support of migrants and open borders.*

A call by the Anti-Racist/Anti-Fascist Response Committee and Solidarity City Committee of Solidarity Across Borders and the Non-Status Haitian Action Committee, with the support of the Collectif de Résistance Antiraciste de Montréal (CRAM), the Resist Trump and the Far Right Network, and many others

Racists and Fascists: No Pasaran!

Individuals with far-right, racist, anti-immigrant organizations, particularly Soldiers of Odin and La Meute, are organizing an anti-immigrant demonstration in the vicinity of the Olympic Stadium this Sunday as well. These racist, far-right groups deserve no platform to express their hatred. We call on anti-fascists and anti-racists from all over Montreal and Quebec in general to mobilize in massive numbers for our demonstration, and to keep the racists far away from the Olympic Stadium complex. Here is the facebook event for the racist anti-immigrant demo: http://ift.tt/2v37sBe

We encourage organizations to endorse and share this callout, and to mobilize their communities and contacts. Get in touch if you can support this mobilization.

Contact: solidaritesansfrontieres@gmail.com
438-933-7654
Web: http://ift.tt/2k6D7wm
Facebook: http://ift.tt/2v3S6MT
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SolidariteMTL

We also encourage you to also attend the Trans March and related activities. When possible, we will move together from the Olympic Stadium (by metro or on the streets) to attend the Trans March together. More info available here: http://ift.tt/2wdZa8a

[English below] ——-

Bienvenue aux migrants et aux réfugiés!

Par cette manifestation nous démontrerons notre support et notre solidarité envers l’arrivée récente de réfugiés avec un message clair: Bienvenue aux migrants et aux réfugiés! Nous encourageons la participation massive de tout les gens qui supportent la justice pour les migrants. Une partie du complexe du stade olympique de Montréal est utilisée comme refuge temporaire pour les réfugiés arrivés récemment, les migrants haïtiens en particulier. Plus que jamais, il est important de partager notre message collectif de bienvenue et de support.

Nous manifestons aussi pour rejeter le narratif raciste qui mets en contraste les migrants avec les itinérants et les pauvres qui demeurent déjà au Québec. Nous lançons un appel pour faire un lien entre les luttes de tout les opprimés, pauvres et de classe ouvrière contre les riches et privilégiés. Au lieu de blamer les migrants d’avoir fait des choix valides, nous mettons nos énergies à nous opposer aux systèmes d’oppression, spécifiquement les systèmes coloniaux, corporatifs et capitalistes.

Nous militons pour bâtir une Cité sans frontières : pour la création d’une communauté qui rejette un système engendant la pauvreté et l’angoisse chez les immigrant(e)s et les réfugié(e)s, mais aussi chez les autres Montréalais(e)s confronté(e)s aux mêmes réalités. Nous luttons et nous organisons pour un monde sans frontières, un monde de justice et de dignité pour tous et toutes!

Nos revendications

OUVREZ LES FRONTIÈRES ! Permettez l’entrée à tous.tes migrants qui tentent de s’échapper de la pauvreté, d’interdictions de vol et de voyage, et d’attaques contre leur intégrité en tant qu’être humains. Toutes personnes ont le droit de se déplacer, le droit de rester, et le droit de résister aux déplacements forcés.

ANNULEZ L’ENTENTE DES TIERS PAYS SÛRS ! Les États-Unis ne sont pas un pays sûr, et le maintien de cette entente signifie que les réfugiés prospectif.ves quittant les ÉU doivent traverser irrégulièrement vers le Canada, subissant souvent de graves blessures et risquant la mort.

RÉGULARISEZ LE STATUT DE TOUS.TES IMMIGRANTS SANS PAPIERS AU CANADA ! Le Canada comprend également une énorme population d’immigrants sans statut légal – au moins 500,000 personnes habitent sans statut régulier dans le pays. Le Canada doit mettre en place un programme de régularisation compréhensif, inclusif, et continu.

Racistes et fascistes: No Pasaran!

Des individus de groupes d’extreme-droite, racistes et anti-immigrants, en particuliers Soldiers of Odin et La Meute, organisent eux aussi une manifestation (anti-immigrante) dans les parage du stade olympique ce dimanche. Ces racistes et groupes d’extreme-droite n’ont droit à aucune plate-forme pour exprimer leur haine. Nous lançons un appel aux anti-fascistes et anti-racistes de partout à Montréal et du Québec en général à se mobiliser massivement pour notre manifestation et pour garder les racistes loin du stade olympique. Voici leur événement raciste: http://ift.tt/2v37sBe

Pourquoi les gens traversent-ils irrégulièrement vers le Canada ?

Les réfugiés ont traversé irrégulièrement à Roxham Road et à d’autres frontières québécoises et canadiennes en grand nombre depuis la mise en place de l’entente honteuse des Tiers pays sûrs entre le Canada et les États-Unis en 2004. Cette entente empêche les migrants de demander un statut légal de réfugié. e s’ils traversent des États-Unis vers le Canada d’après une frontière régulière. Or, les réfugiés peuvent encore demander ce statut légal s’ils traversent via une frontière « irrégulière » comme Roxham Road, qui s’agit d’un endroit relativement sécuritaire pour traverser.

Récemment, nous observons une augmentation marquée du nombre de personnes traversant de façon irrégulière des États-Unis vers le Canada en raison de la rhétorique et des politiques de l’administration Trump, qui incluent interdictions de voyage et attaques contre l’intégrité de groupes entiers, tels que les musulmans, les Arabes, et les Mexicains. Plus récemment, l’administration Trump a annoncé que le statut temporaire de plus de 50,000 migrants haitiens leur serait potentiellement enlevé, beaucoup d’haitiens ont migré vers le Canada de manière irrégulière.

Ceci se déroule dans un contexte plus large, dans lequel des pays comme le Canada et les États-Unis sont responsables d’une importante dégradation économique et sociale dans des pays du Moyen-Orient, d’Amérique latine, des Caraïbes, d’Afrique et d’Asie, et cherchent pourtant à limiter sévèrement la capacité migratoire de gens originaires de ces pays .

L’entente des Tiers pays sûrs force les réfugiés prospectifs à traverser de façon non sécuritaire ou même dangereuse. En mai 2017, Mavis Otuteye, une candidate réfugiée de 57 ans originaire du Ghana, fut retrouvée morte, exposée aux éléments, au sud de la frontière manitobaine. Elle est morte en tentant de traverser au Manitoba pour retrouver sa fille. En hiver, plusieurs autres réfugiés ont perdu des membres à la gelure ou risqué la mort par hypothermie.

Des groupes racistes et anti-immigrants comme Soldiers of Odin, Storm Alliance et La Meute démonisent et blâment les réfugiés. Au contraire, nous appuyons et saluons les réfugiés qui traversent vers le Canada, et nous soutenons le droit de tous à immigrer en toute sécurité.

Déclaration anticoloniale

Solidarité sans frontières reconnaît que nous sommes sur un territoire traditionnel des Kanien’kehá:ka. Les Kanien’kehá:ka sont les gardiens de la Porte de l’Est de la Confédération Haudenosaunee. L’île appelée « Montréal » est nommée Tiotia:ke dans la langue des Kanien’kehá:ka, et elle a historiquement été un lieu de rencontre pour d’autres nations autochtones. Nous appuyons l’autodétermination et la souveraineté autochtones et cherchons activement à approfondir notre compréhension collective des luttes autochtones.

Le Canada s’est construit sur le vol des territoires autochtones ainsi que sur le déplacement et le génocide toujours en cours des peuples autochtones. Ses frontières ont été établies par des guerres coloniales pour en faire bénéficier les colonisateurs. Cette reconnaissance se situe au coeur de notre rejet des frontières de l’État canadien et de ses déportations, détentions et statuts à plusieurs niveaux créés par ses lois sur l’immigration. Nous rejetons la légitimité de l’État canadien puisqu’il incarne ces structures, et c’est pourquoi nous refusons de collaborer avec l’État tout comme avec ses agents frontaliers et ses policiers. ——-

Nous encourageons les organisations d’endosser et de partager cet appel et à mobiliser leur communauté et contacts.

Contact: solidaritesansfrontieres@gmail.com
438-933-7654
Sur la toile: http://ift.tt/2wdZvb6
Facebook: http://ift.tt/2v3S6MT
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SolidariteMTL

+++++++++ +++++++++

Refugees In, Racists Out!
Emergency Demonstration in Support of Migrants and Refugees
SUNDAY, AUGUST 6, 12pm sharp Montreal Olympic Stadium – 4545 Avenue Pierre-de Coubertin – Go to Gate “D” (métro Pie-IX or métro Viau)

Please arrive on time! We will be demonstrating until at least 3pm.Bring your signs and banners in support of migrants and open borders.

A call by the Anti-Racist/Anti-Fascist Response Committee and Solidarity City Committee of Solidarity Across Borders and the Non-Status Haitian Action Committee, with the support of the Collectif de Résistance Antiraciste de Montréal (CRAM), the Resist Trump and the Far Right Network, and many others .

We encourage organizations to endorse and share this callout, and to mobilize their communities and contacts. Get in touch if you can support this mobilization.

Contact: solidaritesansfrontieres@gmail.com
438-933-7654
Web: http://ift.tt/2k6D7wm
Facebook: http://ift.tt/2v3S6MT
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SolidariteMTL

We also encourage you to also attend the Trans March and related activities. When possible, we will move together from the Olympic Stadium (by metro or on the streets) to attend the Trans March together. More info available here: http://ift.tt/2wdZa8a ——-

Welcome Migrants and Refugees!

This demonstration will express support and solidarity with recent refugee arrivals, with the clear message: Welcome Migrants and Refugees! We encourage the massive participation of all who support migrant justice. A part of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium complex is now being used as a temporary shelter for recent refugee arrivals, particularly Haitian migrants. More than ever, it’s important to share our collective message of welcome and support.

We also demonstrate to reject the racist discourse that contrasts migrants with the homeless and poor already living in Quebec. We call for a linking of the struggles of all oppressed, poor and working class people against the rich and privileged. Instead of blaming migrants for exercising valid choices, we focus on opposing and resisting systems of oppression, specifically colonial, corporate, capitalism.

We campaign to build a Solidarity City, the creation of a community that rejects a system that engenders poverty and anguish, not solely for immigrants and refugees, but also for other Montrealers confronting these same realities. We support open borders and the free movement of people seeking justice and dignity, meaning freedom to move, freedom to return, and the freedom to stay.

Our Demands

OPEN THE BORDERS! Allow access to all migrants fleeing poverty, travel bans, raids and other attacks on their integrity as human beings. All human beings have the right to move, the right to remain, and the right to resist forced displacement.

CANCEL THE SAFE THIRD COUNTRY AGREEMENT! The USA is not a safe third country, and maintaining this agreement means that refugees leaving the USA need to enter Canada irregularly, which results in serious injuries, and will lead to more deaths.

REGULARIZE ALL UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE IN CANADA! Canada too has a significant undocumented population, with at least 500,000 people living without regular status. Canada must implement a comprehensive, inclusive and ongoing regularization program.

Racists and Fascists: No Pasaran!

Individuals with far-right, racist, anti-immigrant organizations, particularly Soldiers of Odin and La Meute, are organizing an anti-immigrant demonstration in the vicinity of the Olympic Stadium this Sunday as well. These racist, far-right groups deserve no platform to express their hatred.

We call on anti-fascists and anti-racists from all over Montreal and Quebec in general to mobilize in massive numbers for our demonstration, and to keep the racists far away from the Olympic Stadium complex. Here is the facebook event for the racist anti-immigrant demo: http://ift.tt/2v37sBe

Why are people crossing irregularly into Canada?

Refugees have crossed irregularly at Roxham Road, near Hemmingford and other border crossings across Quebec and Canada in larger numbers ever since the shameful Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the USA was implemented in 2004. This agreement prevents migrants from making refugee claims if they come to Canada from the USA at a regular border crossings. However, refugees can make claims if they make an “irregular” crossing at any other point at the border, such as at Roxham Road, which is a relatively convenient and safe place to cross.

There has been a marked increase in irregular crossings into Canada by asylum seekers currently in the USA due to the rhetoric and policies of the Trump administration, which includes attempted travel bans and attacks on the integrity of entire groups, such as Muslims, Arabs and Mexicans. More recently, with the Trump administration indicating that the temporary status to close to 50,000 Haitian migrants might be removed, many Haitians have been migrating to Canada via irregular crossings.

This is in a broader context, in which states like Canada and the United States are responsible for economic and social devastation in countries throughout the Middle East, Latin America, Caribbean, Africa, and Asia, and yet seek to limit who from those countries can live here.

The Safe Third Country agreement forces refugees to make often dangerous border crossings. In May, a refugee claimant from Ghana, Mavis Otuteye, 57, was found dead due to exposure south of the Manitoba border, where she had travelled to try to reunite with her daughter. During the winter months, other refugee claimants lost limbs due to frostbite, or risked death due to hypothermia.

Racist anti-immigrant groups like Soldiers of Odin, Storm Alliance and La Meute demonize and blame refugees. In contrast, we support and commend refugees who cross into Canada, and we express our welcome and solidarity.

Anti-Colonial Statement

Solidarity Across Borders acknowledges that we are on the traditional territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka. The Kanien’kehá:ka are the keepers of the Eastern Door of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The island called “Montreal” is known as Tiotia:ke in the language of the Kanien’kehá:ka, and it has historically been a meeting place for other Indigenous nations. We actively support Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination, and undertake to deepen our collective understanding of Indigenous struggles.

At its foundation, Canada is based on the theft of Indigenous lands, and the ongoing genocide and displacement of Indigenous peoples. Its borders were established by colonial wars, to benefit colonizers. This recognition lies at the heart of our rejection of the Canadian state’s borders and the system of multi-tiered status, deportation and detention created by its immigration laws. We reject the legitimacy of the Canadian state as the embodiment of those structures. For this reason, we refuse to collaborate with the state, including police or border agents. ——-

We encourage organizations to endorse and share this callout, and to mobilize their communities and contacts. Get in touch if you can support this mobilization.
Contact: solidaritesansfrontieres@gmail.com /
438-933-7654
Web: http://ift.tt/2k6D7wm
Facebook: http://ift.tt/2v3S6MT
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SolidariteMTL

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2v3BMvw

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

«Noyés de la Deûle», sur la piste des skins lillois (repost)

A Lille, c’était le gars dont on évitait la route, un skinhead réputé pour sa violence.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at «Noyés de la Deûle», sur la piste des skins lillois

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2uW5a7P

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

«Noyés de la Deûle», sur la piste des skins lillois

A Lille, c’était le gars dont on évitait la route, un skinhead réputé pour sa violence.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at «Noyés de la Deûle», sur la piste des skins lillois

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Friday, July 21, 2017

A New Class Politics

Class is back on the agenda of the European left. That is good news. The reasons, however, are unfortunate. It is primarily the growing working-class support for right-wing parties and movements that troubles left-wing authors, activists, and organizers. Two poles have emerged in the debate.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at A New Class Politics

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

A New Class Politics (repost)

Class is back on the agenda of the European left. That is good news. The reasons, however, are unfortunate. It is primarily the growing working-class support for right-wing parties and movements that troubles left-wing authors, activists, and organizers. Two poles have emerged in the debate.

Read the rest of this post on the original site at A New Class Politics

on the main Kersplebedeb website: http://ift.tt/2vqifn8

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE POST

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)