On the evening of 22 Oct a group of approximately 25 fascists attacked a Freedom Club event at the Melbourne Anarchist Resource Centre. They approached prepared to attack, armed with steel poles.
When they arrived at the door they attempted to force their way in but the occupants held the door. When the fascists began trying to smash the front windows, the anarchists reacted with decisive force, successfully repelling the fascists and defending their space with poles, fists and a hail of bottles. The fighting spread onto the street closing off 4 lanes of traffic and the 2 tram lines. Even the next morning the streets were still covered in broken glass from the hundreds of bottles that fell like rain on the fascist bastards. Facing this determined resistance they retreated, running and limping back to their holes nursing their bruises and much reduced egos.
The MARC has been frequently attacked by the fascists, including an incident where some members of Blood and Honour broke into the space and threatened some members of an anti-rape activist group, and there have been many fascist graffiti attacks to the building and surrounding streets.
All over Australia, politicians, and the mass media increasingly use racism to garner popular support from the middle class and workers lacking class consciousness. Fascist groups are becoming more active with the tacit approval of the bourgeoisie. They are running in elections as “Australia First Party” and “Australian Protectionist Party”, they are putting up propaganda like stickers and graffiti, gathering on the street posing as “concerned citizens” against immigration or against “sharia law”, and making violent attacks against anyone they perceive as “unaustralian”.
This same night was the anniversary of the death of a member of the Southern Cross Soldiers, an Australian fascist organisation. We believe it is no coincidence that there were several other reported fascist/racist attacks that night throughout the city.
This incident was not only an attack on one self organised social space, it was an attack on all revolutionaries and people who fight against authority and domination. With their attacks they attempt to terrorise the local neighbourhood and all those who fight fascism and racism, but on the contrary it only makes us more defiant.
We are anarchists, our thirst for a life with dignity is insatiable and we will not tolerate to be slaves and captives. If the fascists think that they can be publicly active and be allowed to continue to spread their hate, racism, and authoritarianism they are deluded. With solidarity as our weapon we fight for a world of equality, without states or borders and we will oppose the fascists and all enemies of freedom at every turn.
WE ARE NOT FRIGHTENED, WE ARE UNTAMEABLE
-anarchists