Indigenous Mazatec Political Prisoners from Oaxaca Demand Freedom!

Voices in Movement

Communiqué from the Mazatec Political Prisoners, November 2022.

To our families and residents of our hometown, Eloxochitlán de Flores Magón, Sierra Mazateca, Oaxaca, Mexico:

To our sisters and brothers in the struggle in Mexico and the world:

People of the world:

To the media:

We are Mazatec prisoners Jaime Betanzos, Herminio Monfil, Fernando Gavito, Alfredo Bolaños, Omar Hugo Morales, Isaías Gallardo and Francisco Durán. Five of us have been imprisoned for eight years without trial or sentence, and two of us for four years in the same circumstances. Some of us were released in March 2019, but at the door of the prison we were arrested again based on false accusations. We did not enjoy a single minute of freedom. 15 more comrades have been forcibly displacement because arrest warrants were issued on the same false accusations, among them, Miguel Peralta Betanzos.

We are still locked up, even though it has been proven that the crimes are based on fabricated evidence. As Mazatecos wanting self-determination for our people, we do not understand why the government of Oaxaca wants to keep us locked up. We have had more than 13 favorable rulings in court and more than 20 decisions ordering the release of other comrades. Since December 2018, the federal government has recognized we are unjustly imprisoned people and political prisoners. Women, mothers, comrades, daughters, sisters and people in solidarity have tirelessly demanded our freedom, but have faced discrimination and racism.

For this reason, we want to strengthen our demands. We have agreed to continue organizing as a collective, because enough is enough! It has been too long!! We should be free by now! Our freedom, and that of every person, is precious.  We will always defend freedom and would not trade it even for all the gold in the world. We have decided to name our struggle: “Tjí’nde-najin Kjoabijnandií-najin”, a Mazatec expression that means: “We have the right to freedom”.

As a collective, we have agreed to join the struggle for freedom with the “International Coordinating Committee for Solidarity and for the Freedom of Revolutionary Political Prisoners of The World, Oaxaca”, because we are not alone. In has been 100 years since our brother, Mazatec anarchist Ricardo Flores Magón, was assassinated in prison and we say: Enough! No one should be in prison for thinking differently! No one should die in prison! Down with the prisons walls!”

We are once again calling for worldwide solidarity, and to those who have already offered it to us, it would be an honor to have your continued support. We invite you to join us in our demands. If we are standing, it is because you have supported us in solidarity from the outside. We thank you for your faith and your sensitivity in recognizing that we are innocent.

Sincerely, from the prisons Villa de Etla, Taniveth and Cuicatlán, in Oaxaca, Mexico:

Collective: “Tjí’nde-najin Kjoabijnandií-najin” “We have the right to freedom”.

Jaime Betanzos,Fernando Gavito, Alfredo Bolaños, Omar Hugo Morales, Herminio Monfil, Isaías Gallardo, Francisco Durán

Important: We invite you to share and spread the word about this communiqué, as well as to translate it into all the languages you know.

Going for Broke

AnarCom Network

In Gordon Brown’s last budget just before the 2008 financial crash, he declared that the state had effectively resolved the instability of capitalism promising “we will never return to the old boom and bust”.

Since then we have seen a banking collapse, 10 years of austerity, a flight from Europe, a pandemic, a war, a government inflicted fiscal catastrophe, a return to austerity and the promise of the longest recession in our history. All against the backdrop of mounting climate emergency.

Far from being resolved, capitalist crisis and the depth of their cycles are intensifying. The government tells the truth on one thing, it’s not just Britain. Capitalism’s crisis is global and it’s war against us all intensifies in equal measure.

The latest emergency budget presents a bill of £50 billion in cuts and tax hikes to workers and the poor already facing a 10% real term cut in living…

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Artist view of tiny homes

Focus E15 Campaign

Victoria Street – no place for children

In May 2022, Labour Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz, under pressure from Focus E15 campaign, was forced to say that all families with children will be moved out of Brimstone House, Victoria Street by May 2023.

Victoria Street is a building designed for single young people and now those same rooms/flats are being used by Newham Labour council to house families with children in emergency and temporary accommodation.

Those living in Victoria Street with children are struggling. Those families who have been moved out are also experiencing the appalling conditions of the private rented sector, the poorly-maintained council sector and the ongoing issues of temporary accommodation with insecurity and anxiety about the future and long term stability, job, support networks, schooling.

Currently more than a quarter of all renters in Britain, overwhelmingly the poorest families, live in substandard, badly insulated homes, vulnerable to…

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The fuse has been lit …

Anarchy in the Sticks!

We had our meeting in Boscombe on Saturday and it was very encouraging, potentially we’ve got an enthusiastic crew spanning many age groups, genders, interests, and levels of experience. We aim to pull something together for April 2023 and we’re still evaluating potential venues. We’ve had offers from some lovely small ones but we may have to put the stalls seperate from workshops and catering.

If you’ve got any ideas e-mail dorsetbookfair@riseup.net with the subject line ‘venue’.

If you want to be involved, send us an e-mail with the subject line ‘Peregrin’ stating what you would or wouldn’t like to do, and any dates next year you will not be available. There are lots of possible roles ranging from physical graft to sitting in a chair minding something, or back room admin and online publicity.

Or use the contact form above.

The DRB Collective.

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University Workers Prepare to Strike!

Antifa Enternasyonal: Time to defend the revolution!

Nûçe Ciwan.

ROJAVA – Stating that an alternative to the capitalist system has emerged with the 21st century women’s revolution in Rojava, Firaz Dağ from the Antifa Enternasyonal organization stated that Turkey targeted this alternative with its attacks on Northern and Eastern Syria, and said, “It’s time to defend the revolution.” Against Turkey’s attacks on Northern and Eastern Syria and Southern Kurdistan, reactions from the international ground and the Kurds continue.

On behalf of the Antifa Enternasyonal (International Antifascist), Firaz Dağ from Rojava evaluated the bombing of the living quarters and cities of the Kurds fighting against ISIS to JINNEWS.

Airspace under Russian control

Stating that Turkey’s attacks on Kurdistan with the idea of ​​conquest never stopped, Firaz reminded that the airspaces are under the control of Damascus and Russia. Firaz said, “The fascist Turkish state once again attacked positions in Northern and Eastern Syria and Southern Kurdistan in order to create fear among the Kurdish people. The attacks and invasions against the Revolution never stopped, but as earlier this year, the Turkish state attacked several targets simultaneously in a coordinated operation. It is known that the airspace of Rojava and the whole of Syria is under the control of the Assad regime and the Russian state.”

‘Attacks with the support of Russia never stopped’

Noting that the air attacks on Rojava never stopped, Firaz said that the fascist states cooperated in destroying the revolution and said: “During the occupation of Afrin in 2018, the Russian state allowed dozens of warplanes to enter its airspace and bombard Afrin nonstop for 2 months. Drone attacks have never stopped in Rojava, and coordinated attacks like last night are nothing new. Cooperation between the existing nation-states in the region and their interests in overthrowing the revolution were once again clearly seen.”

‘Rojava has become a symbol of hope and strength’

Stating that Rojava has become a symbol for all the oppressed peoples of the world, Firaz said that the coalition against ISIS did not act without harming the interests of the guarantor countries, and said: “As long as they are not harmed, they are not very interested in attacks against the people of the region. While playing volleyball at a school located 2 kilometers from the coalition base in Hesekê in August, 5 girls were martyred and 10 girls were injured in the attack carried out by the Turkish state with an unmanned aerial vehicle. The answer was a statement condemning the attack, but without mentioning the perpetrator… Turkey being the second largest army and one of the founding members of NATO, It is wrong to understand and think that these constant illegal and immoral attacks are only a conflict of interest. These attacks in Rojava and the constant attacks in the mountains of Kurdistan are fully compatible with the interests of the hegemonic forces of capitalist modernity. The only reasonable and correct attitude to prevent such attacks on the revolution lies in ourselves. Rojava has long become a symbol of hope and strength for all the oppressed peoples of the world, demonstrating that it is possible to create a revolutionary alternative to the women’s revolution, the capitalist system and its inhuman practices in the 21st century. The only reasonable and correct attitude to prevent such attacks on the revolution lies in ourselves. Rojava has long become a symbol of hope and strength for all the oppressed peoples of the world, demonstrating that it is possible to create a revolutionary alternative to the women’s revolution, the capitalist system and its inhuman practices in the 21st century. The only reasonable and correct attitude to prevent such attacks on the revolution lies in ourselves. Rojava has long become a symbol of hope and strength for all the oppressed peoples of the world, demonstrating that it is possible to create a revolutionary alternative to the women’s revolution, the capitalist system and its inhuman practices in the 21st century.”

‘The attacks clearly reveal the mentality of the system’

Regarding the ongoing bombing, Firaz said, “The fact that the attacks target civilian infrastructure and civilian deaths clearly reveal the mentality of the system. Those who accuse the YPG/YPJ of being a terrorist organization are the same ones who financed the Islamic State and today finance the al-Qaeda Front Al Nusra and now former members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham State (HTS).”

‘The AKP-MHP government has been preparing for an operation for months’

Stating that preparations for an operation have been made for months to ‘protect’ his power due to the upcoming elections, Firaz continued: “The explosion in Istanbul was a pretext for attacks without any evidence of any connection with Rojava (except for what the Turkish state itself said). The fascist Turkish state has been preparing to launch a new ground operation in the region for months as it is in the election period and the AKP-MHP fascist coalition needs to gather more votes for re-election. However, the fact that they have not advanced significantly in the mountains so far makes a direct attack on Rojava impossible.”

‘Defend the Revolution!’

Finally, Firaz, who called on the whole world to defend and embrace the Rojava Revolution, said, “Therefore, it is in the hands of anyone who claims to defend democracy and socialism to rise up against the Turkish state wherever they are. Demonstrate your solidarity in a practical way by performing actions, occupations, direct actions, whatever. Time to answer! We demand that the fascists be held accountable and punished for their war crimes. Fight for Rojava. Defend the Revolution!” used the phrases.

Where is my baby going to go?

Focus E15 Campaign

A mother at Victoria Street hostel is sharing a double bed with her two year old child. There is no space in the one room she has been allocated by Newham Labour council for her soon to be born baby and cot. She is due to give birth in 10 days and is extremely worried about how her baby will sleep.

Paediatric advice clearly states that a new born baby should not share a double bed and should be sleeping in a cot or moses basket.

We demand that this family are immediately moved into long term safe and affordable accommodation where there is space for a cot and room for the family to live. Moving is the only course of action that will provide the safety and security the children and mother so desperately need. Otherwise the baby will be in a dangerous situation.

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COP27: “Global dash for gas threatens climate goals”

DRILL OR DROP?

International efforts to replace gas supplies from Russia threaten the 1.5˚C warming limit, new analysis has shown.

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November Remembrance Day blog, by Peregrin.

It’s November, which means it’s the time for red paper poppies again. When I’m asked why I’m not wearing a poppy it gives me pause for thought. Unlike many that obediently wear their poppy I do actually think about what I’m doing nowadays, if I choose to wear or not wear one I will at least do so mindfully and with purpose. Don’t get me wrong when I was young, I used to blithely wear my red poppy and remember all the dead people I had never met and never knew. Then, later, I would wear my white poppy to challenge that narrative of only remembering those who died as soldiers in the war. I’ve moved on again since then.

When I’m asked why I’m not wearing a poppy there are several reasons behind that. Most people that ask won’t want the answer. I suppose the easy answer is that I think that it’s more important to help the living than remember the dead. That’s a sound bite so let’s go deeper.

Even as a child I instinctively understood that history was important. We had to remember the suffering from the past to learn how to stop it happening again in the future. It should be a process of evaluation and improving. In my innocence I thought that’s what the red poppy stood for. That in some way we could prevent war by wearing it. As I got older I somehow came to believe that we could prevent war by remembering all the victims; soldiers, civilians, men, women, children and animals. I’ve come to the understanding that if this were true we would no longer have war or suffering or death, because remembering isn’t enough. We need to understand the reasons for it and put in place prevention and cures.

War – what is it good for? Well, it’s very good for making some people very rich. It’s very good for killing people, but not just any people; it doesn’t kill politicians and not so many rich people. It appears that the majority of people who are killed are going to be the poor old working class. Who does the fighting and the killing? It’s not so much the rich and the officer class is it? It’s the working class, privates, our children, the boys with the stars in their eyes off looking for adventure, and family, decent pay and heroism. Taken away to serve the ruling classes in a bid for control of the planet’s resources.

When I’m asked why I’m not wearing a poppy I reflect on the glorification of war, the way the poppy is used as a recruiting tool. We wouldn’t need to raise money through charities to support the victims of war if we did away with the wars of the ruling classes. The best way to support those victims is to stop making them.

I used to wear the white peace poppy, of course I was a pacifist back then, a hippy child of innocent heart. I used to believe in peaceful protest. In my naivety and because it made sense to me in the fight for justice and peace and equality, I thought it would make sense to the ruling classes to give up their wealth and their power, I don’t know why I thought they would want the same things that I did. I thought we could march and that when we had enough people we could just ask for what we want and make a better world for everyone through co-operation.

I think I’ve grown up a bit since then. Why would the rich give up their power over us voluntarily. The more power we take the more they will try to defend what they have. They don’t care about fairness or equality, that’s a lie they spin to the working class to get them to comply with the system from which they benefit the most.

When I’m asked why I don’t wear a poppy, these are the thoughts that go through my mind. How does it benefit anyone to wear these symbols? They are symbols of compliance, they are to distract us by making us think about the dead rather than the living, a great display of pageantry and theatre to entertain us. The class war continues while we look the other way and remember, but we never learn, we just remember the past when we should be looking into the present. Looking at all our class who die and are killed by the system, the same one that caused the wars in the past and that causes the continuing class war today.

When I’m asked why I don’t wear ay poppy, these are the thoughts that go through my head but I don’t have the words to express those thoughts and they wouldn’t understand or care if I did. They would take it as a criticism but it’s not. If you want to wear your poppy, if that’s your thing, if that’s how you make a difference in the world go ahead. I don’t care if it’s red, white, purple, black or rainbow coloured, I appreciate the sentiment behind the idea of trying to stop war. I just don’t think a poppy has the power to do that, I’ve lost faith; I think we need to think about it more.

When I’m asked why I don’t wear a poppy and why I won’t be attending Remembrance Day this year I ask the question why don’t you wear transgender badge?  Why won’t you be attending transgender day of remembrance when we stand together to remember a group of people that died this year around the world? Killed by the system, the same one that continues to kill people even to this day, young people who had to die for the crime of just wanting to be themselves. Because maybe if we remember the present instead of the past we might be able to figure out a way to stop it all happening again and again into the future. We do need to take action though – Watch, record, evaluate, understand and take action.

Transgender Day of Remembrance – 20^th November  – Think it over!

Prisoners and war. What happens inside Russian and Ukrainian prisons while the whole world is not watching

Anarchist Black Cross Belarus

Data correct as of September 2022

The war in Ukraine has kept everyone’s attention for over eight months now. Many were horrified by the atrocities that accompany war efforts and are ongoing. We see dead soldiers, tortured civilians, sad faces of those who found their relatives killed and happy cries of locals on de-occupied territories. However, not much is known about one of the most marginalised and invisible groups of the population – the prisoners. This text will give you an overview of how prisoners are treated and used in war by both the Ukrainian and Russian state. We are not going to cover the topic of war prisoners (soldiers who were captured by the enemy and placed in special prison) as their conditions of imprisonment and prospects of release depends in many ways on diplomatic relations.

PRISONERS INSIDE UKRAINE

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice, as of 2021, there were 49,823 prisoners in Ukraine who were held in 160 penitentiary institutions. Just before the war, the Association of Ukrainian Human Rights Monitors on Law Enforcement UMDPL urged the Ukrainian government to take measures to protect the prison population and prepare the emergency guidelines for the prison staff in case of war.

Several months into the war, most of

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