Got $20 bucks? Help our Greek comrades continue their U.S. tour!

The VOID Network breaking it down to a packed house during their talk at Beer & Revolution.

Before kicking back with a six pack of Guinness this St. Patrick's Day, please consider kicking down $5 or $20 to lend some mutual aid to our Greek comrades from the VOID Network.

That's right, we're asking you to buy the cheap stuff tonight.

Our Athenian comrades had a really crappy incident last night, their vehicle was broken into in Berkeley, and all of their materials (Boxes of books and pamphlets) for the U.S. tour were stolen. In addition to this theft, the window to the vehicle was smashed, but the worst news of all is that the projector they used to share the images from the revolt was also taken. In short, everything bankrolling the tour is gone.

They are now in desperate need of mutual aid, in the form of monetary assistance, ASAP. The broken window must be fixed before they can continue on their tour, and a donation will help restock those books and pamphlets as well. We were very grateful the folks from VOID took the time to stop in Phoenix for a few days, and it would be a tragedy if they were unable to continue their tour, so please kick some cash down if you've got it.

Hit up Little Black cart and donate:

-$20 donation to the VOID Network
-$5 donation to the VOID Network

The VOID Network reports on their visit to Phoenix

What a pleasure it is to meet new comrades from across the world! This weekend PCWC was lucky enough to share time, beers and plenty of conversation with our new Greek comrades from the VOID Network. We saw them as well as their traveling companion, Peter, off yesterday morning over omelets and pancakes and can't wait to see them again in San Francisco at the end of the week.


The three travelers delivered two interesting presentations while they were here, one on the squatting struggle in Barcelona (something we at PCWC, almost accidentally, had some very exciting experiences with a couple years back), and the other on the Greek insurrection of December 2008, and in Greece generally. Peter and the VOID Network comrades were thoughtful and open to hearing how anarchists and Indigenous peoples here in this part of the world see things and organize.

It was particularly exciting to meet people who were convinced, as we are, that any anarchy in the US -- insurrectionary or otherwise -- must reflect our local conditions and history. We cannot just take anarchist politics, actions and organizing techniques from other cultures and apply them wholesale here. We need an anarchy with American characteristics, if I can use that for shorthand, which analyzes honestly the history of the struggle against capitalism, the state and colonialism here where we live.

We can, however, be inspired by the struggle and tactics of others, and inspired we were for sure. The Greek struggle is a fascinating one, and what the anarchists there have accomplished it truly amazing. There is much to learn from. We were thrilled by the multimedia discussion they led at our Beer & Revolution night on Sunday. In what I think was a great way to start the night, the gathered audience, numbering about fifty over the course of the night, was requested to throw out their questions right at the beginning so that the talk could focus on what everyone wanted to know. This method definitely kept the talk interesting and amusing.

All in all, it was a very fulfilling experience and it is nice to read in their blog that it wasn't a one-way exchange. We, for instance, shared our analysis of the critical nature of white supremacy in maintaining US capitalism and the importance of attacking it as a revolutionary strategy. Likewise, we shared our "Fractures and Fissures" method of intervention and why we use it. For my part in particular, I really found it interesting to hear how Greek anarchists organize within what is a broadly shared cultural experience and how that affects the way they appeal to people.

For those interested in reading about their analysis of their time in town, follow the link below to the blog of the VOID Network, where they discuss in depth their visit, as well as their voyages in general. Very good stuff, comrades!

Click below:
Phoenix Arizona // O'Odham Tribe Land / We Are an Image from The Future U.S.A. Tour 2010

Tonight: March's Beer & Revolution with the VOID Network

Beer & Revolution is back for March! Thanks to everyone who came out for our last B&R in January with Dan Todd and John Zerzan. Over 70 people packed the upstairs space at Boulders on Broadway for a remarkable evening of (anti-) politics and discussion, PCWC recorded this talk and I'll try to have it online before the end of the month.

We're very excited for our next B&R, this Sunday we're fortunate to have some comrades from the other side of the globe, members 0f the VOID Network, straight outta Athens, will be in town to deliver a talk on the (now) infamous rebellion that shook Greece in 2008. The execution of young Alex Grigoropoulos set off days of riots, which became weeks of social upheaval, a broad revolt that challenged the police, capital, the state, and the faux social peace of every day life.

The VOID Network will also examine the context of other revolts, as well as the state repression that follows, in Catalunya (Spain), and the United Kingdom, and what these developments may mean for other social struggles worldwide.

The speakers from the VOID Network have also released a book, "We Are an Image from the Future: The Greek Revolt of 2008," published by AK Press, featuring interviews with anarchists and antiauthoritarians from Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, and several villages and islands.

This will be an exciting night to hear directly from a few of the participants of the ruptures in Greece, to have some beers (or soda, tea, water, etc.) with friends and comrades, and to enjoy a night of politics and conversation.

One important note, this month's Beer & Revolution WILL NOT be held at the usual stomping grounds of Boulders on Broadway, due to a scheduling conflict. It will be held, for this month only, right down the street at Casey Moore's Oyster House on 9th and Ash. Casey's is gracious enough to let us borrow the dining room this Sunday night, and we're very happy to have B&R there. The other change is that it we'll begin a bit later than usual, around 9 PM, so make sure to get there a bit early, as we'll be starting closer to the posted time than usual. The final bit of news is that we managed to keep this an all-ages event, our comrades under 21 will be able to attend this month's forum.

Come one, come all, we're very excited for tonight, and look forward to seeing folks at Casey's!

Bring your politics!