Video from Santa Cruz May Day black bloc
May 3, 2010
Greek Anarchists Riot After IMF Deal Announced
April 28, 2010
The crisis is not a natural disaster that simply happens; the crisis is the outcome of the choices of all those who want to maintain this system, in which we are exploited, repressed and governed. Their proposals on how to come out of the crisis do not differ from suggestions on how the existing situation could be reinforced and take root. Our propositions can be nothing less than strikes and solidarity, occupations and sabotage, expropriations and mutual help… in order to create the world that we choose for ourselves, against all kinds of segregations and hierarchy.
-Assembly of the revolted in (the island of ) Salamina, (and the neighborhoods of) Perama, Keratsini, Nikaia, Koridallos, Piraeus
While the IMF meets in Washington, D.C. this weekend, Greece’s financial troubles have continued to deepen. Greek Prime Minister Papandreou chose the remote Aegean island of Kastelorizo on Friday to announce his government was to activate the IMF-EU “rescue” plan, effectively throwing the proletariat and lower middle classes in the country at the mercy of international financial giants. IMF loans always have nasty strings attached, rules that force the recipient to re-structure their economy along a neo-liberal, privatized, U.S. friendly model due to the influential U.S. position in the IMF.
The current situation in Greece has many similarities to the IMF crisis in Argentina in 2002 that sparked a nation-wide rebellion and created a of worker-run businesses in its wake. Add to this crisis the recent revelations that the Greek ruling class has been evading paying its share of taxes for years, and you have a country that is turning into a powder keg.
This is social war at its peak; this is the guarantee that the Greek standard of living will be crushed, and that a dictatorship of capital shall reign.
Riots begin after SB1070 is signed into law
April 26, 2010
These videos show a fast-moving and unfortunately a quickly-contained moment of unrest at a peaceful protest outside the capitol building in Phoenix. A Neo-Nazi/Minuteman type and the cops defending him were under attack by the crowd, most of whom had just legally been made second-class citizens based on the color of their skin. The eruption of rage was calmed by peace police (who should probably just join the force already). Note that the videos are titled “Mexicans” riot because they are uploaded to Youtube by racist fucks; obviously there are many nationalities rioting in the video.
The Phoenix Class War Council reports on more actions resisting SB7010 including a lockdown and statewide walkouts involving thousands of high school and college students.
Same Shit, Different City (from Cali)
March 9, 2010
In California, they face the same shit. Critiques of the so-called “white anarchist male outside agitator” emerge and simultaneously erase all the power and agency of the inside agitators, of all the nonwhite nonmale nonanarchists who know how to fight and don’t play by the activist rulebook. In solidarity with our comrades in Cali, we post the following three letters below, letters which take such critiques to task. Enjoy!
Response to a Critic of the “White” Student Movement by The Invisible Women Committee
Rebuttal to “Why Did the March onto the 980 Freeway Happen” by Melissa Merin
Raider Nation Collective Statement on the M4 Highway Takeover
OccupiedLondon – The photos below are from corporate media agencies, reposted on Athens IMC. This is the same demo where Manolis Glezos was tear-gassed by the police.
If Only There Was Such A Thing As Outside
March 5, 2010
Oh how lovely it is to be accused of causing all the fantastic actions at the CUNY Hunter rally on March 4th! If only we were such a large, nebulous conspiratorial varmint army. If only we were all privileged white boys! If only the Hunter organizers weren’t all ISO trots and maoists claiming to speak for everyone! If only there was such thing as outside.
We’re reposting the following response to such accusations, from takethecity and a facebook critique. Let the shit-storm begin!
————–
The issue in this debate is not inside/outside agitators, or oppressed/less oppressed — these are disguises for the real issue: the conflict between those who are angry and those who want to control other people’s anger.
1. there were “outside agitators”, and that is a good thing. it is a good thing because
a. it is everyone’s struggle, and everyone wants to work together to fight it. this is how we are strong.In the coming months, we will see more cuts, more police, and more struggles uniting us.
b. thus, there are no real ‘outside agitators.’ This label is specifically designed to i) deny that any hunter student/faculty/staff could be critical of hunter and want to see it attacked and taken over and ii) paint everyone who did something “undesireable” as coming from the “outside”.
c. to clarify: those who came in from outside hunter were not only from “New School” and “NYU” but workers from around the city and other CUNY schools.
d. Conservatives are famous for using the term “outside agitators”.
e. in the new school and nyu occupations, everyone at those schools accused the occupiers of being outside agitators.
we challenge the opponents: what is bad or wrong about non-hunter students/faculty/staff participating? don’t you want the “WORKERS OF THE WORLD TO UNITE”?!?!?!!!
2. it was not only “outside agitators” who escalated tactics.
a. “they varmits” (see the “Hunter Word” blog post from Owen Hill) was in large part HUNTER STUDENTS. In california, they varmits are occupying universities.
3. the ISO and other manipulative, authoritarian organizers killed the potential, the momentum of the event.
a. at every juncture, they pushed to destory the indoor demo: during organizing meetings, when we were on the 3rd floor, when we were walking through the building.
b. they told people not to go back inside the school once they were outside, even though most students in the crowd wanted to.
c. they smothered the dance music and the chants in order to continue to lecture the crowd, even though people were sick of being talked at and wanted to chant and dance.
4. The ISO and other manipulative leftists with their newspapers co-opt the activity done by others, while trying to smother people’s anger and desire to act when it arises.
5. The ISO are happy to call out people who do not accept their scripted perspective. They malign those who don’t dogmatically agree with their ‘idea of the movement’ and they call security and cops on them. They defuse anger and the power of students and workers.
written by: students/workers from at least 4 different schools and 24 different jobs. (including hunter, assholes)
MARCH 4TH NY
March 5, 2010
from takethecity:
-Walk-Out / Indoor demo at CUNY Hunter:
At 1pm students and supporters gathered on the 3rd floor of the 68th street campus. There was a large police presence inside and outside the building. Students attempted to move toward the upper part of the building to get more students to participate but were blocked by campus security. Scuffles broke out as students forced their way past a campus guard and took to the stairwells.
Word has it that, inside the building, the financial aid office had its windows broken, and the much hated security turnstiles at the entrance to the building were attacked and broken.
Before the demo, signs were posted up on the 3rd floor saying that the indoor demo would not be permitted but the simultaneous rally called by the International Socialist Organization (ISO) and others would be. There are also rumors that ‘Student Activists’ were warning other students via text message that unpaid agent provocateurs would be coming to Hunter to cause a riot (more on this when we get confirmation). A New School Student supporting the Hunter walkout was ejected from the building possibly after being pointed out by an ISO activist (there have been conflicting reports).
Students and allies marched through Hunter’s walkways, to the cheering of students standing by, many of whom joined in. The INDOOR DEMO proceeded to the 3rd floor:
The police were in full force blocking the escalators but at least 40 students broke through into the back stairwell and surged up the stairs, only to find yet more police on every single floor blocking every door.
While some ran through the building urging students to walk out of their classes, others began to urge people to leave the building and attend the rally outside. A few scuffles broke out between people involved in the walkout and those running the permitted rally. 3 or 4 individuals have supposedly been arrested inside of CUNY Hunter.
Eventually enough people were pushed out of the building by the police or by Organizers who wanted to have the rally and talk at the crowd:
someone in the crowd is trying to send a message to the speakers
More info soon…
-Brooklyn College:
Hundreds participated in a successful teach in that will hopefully build up to larger actions in the future.
– CUNY Graduate Center
about 30 Graduate Students (also adjunct professors) from the CUNY Grad Center arrived with allies at school this morning, to see five black cop cars parked in front of the building and the cafeteria filled with police. The students, however, were headed towards the elevators (the only means of entering the building), and filled them with their angry bodies, blocking entrance to the elevators while others spoke to people about the cuts, their shitty jobs, and encouraged folks to go to Hunter College. One of the elevators was boarded by a plainclothes police officer who shoved one of the students to the floor. He stayed in the elevator, harassing the students for their names and calling them cowards while the students hurled insults. He left the elevator only when the students exited to find support.
CUNY Grad Center Students also executed a banner drop, small but real (LUV U RIVERSIDE), with only more to come.
like a tiny purple patch of desire facing the empire state building
The Grad Students exited unscathed and immediately went to join the Hunter walkout.
– Centralized Rally
-There is currently a heavily policed and relatively small march making its way to the MTA hearings at F.I.T.
–SUNY Purchase is Occupied!
occupation still going, it needs support!
More to come,
For breaking news from California check:
MTA Hearing Turns Rowdy In Brooklyn
March 4, 2010
NY1 – Four people were arrested Wednesday night after an argument broke out at a Metropolitan Transportation Authority hearing in Brooklyn.
It happened inside the Cantor Auditorium of the Brooklyn Museum.
Police say a speaker was led away and later handcuffed after she went up to the podium to try and speak out of turn. She was asked to stop and when she didn’t, witnesses say she was taken outside.
“I have no connection to her, but I just felt an adult or someone should be involved because she looked like she was probably under 18,” said one witness. “And then he really started rough-handling her and really kind of backed her out. So then I followed her and I followed him and I kept saying ‘Why are you doing it? What’s going on? Why isn’t any adult involved?’ And then he took her around and locked the door behind her.”
Others in the audience got involved, too. Some were led out into the hallway and handcuffed. One was cuffed inside the auditorium.
In all, four people were arrested for disorderly conduct.
Economic Riots in Greece
March 3, 2010
A striking taxi owner protests on Monday
Libcom – State of war” declared by Greek PM
The greek PM, Giorgos Papandreou, has declared the country in “a state of war” after extended meetings with the EU economics commissioner Mr Rehn, leading workers to declare more strikes.
A brief video statement from participants in the Durant Hall Occupation and the subsequent street party/riot in downtown Berkeley. For more information on the occupation movement in California visit: occupyca.wordpress.com
Video: dance parties, smashed windows, ghost ridin’, burning dumpsters, whining liberals, and police lines in Berkeley
February 27, 2010
Brief occupation and riot in Berkeley
February 26, 2010
Berkeley, CA – Durant Hall (next to Wheeler Hall) is occupied. Hundreds have stormed this building (that is being renovated).
updates:
12:10am: some UCPD (~5) present around the building, still trying to figure out what’s going on. They are spotlighting people near the entrance with flashlights, but a green chain-link fence obscures most of their view. People are dancing right outside.
1:30am: About 200 people inside. Doors are wide open but barricades are set up to keep cops out. There’s a few police on each side, a few hundred feet away from the building. Durant is under construction, so random materials and fences are keeping police out for now. Organizers have released a statement: Why Durant Hall?
1:45am: Students have emptied out of Durant, now going down Telegraph Ave smashing windows and turning over trash cans.
1:50am: Riot police have blocked students at intersection of Telegraph and Durant. Source on the ground reported a trash can on fire. Random people are joining the street party that is forming.
1:57am: A dumpster has now been set on fire.
2:15am: From on the ground: “Real battle with cops, rioters winnin”. 25 riot cops, 300 rioters.
2:25am: So far 1 arrest reported. Students/rioters holding their ground against the cops.
2:35am: A 2nd arrest reported. Students not backing down.
2:55am: Still going strong, still breaking shit, no new arrests.
3:00am: Riot dissolves. BART and Berkeley police cars patrol the streets.
Video of one of the 2 (!) arrests:
Berkeley, CA – In Sproul Plaza of UC Berkeley, hundreds gathered for a dance party that began around 10pm on Thursday, February 25. At the peak of the party (around 12am) the 250 people dancing surrounded the loudspeakers as together they moved farther into campus. As we approached Durant Hall, a building currently being renovated, people began handing out communiques. We began to see a yellow light glow from inside the second story windows of the building, and then silhouettes of dozens of occupiers emerged. They rigged a few banners across the front of the building and descended to join the party. Read the rest of this entry »
ALL charges dropped for Berkeley 8!
December 16, 2009
Indybay – On December 15th, at the final arraignment for the UC8 — a day after no charges were filed against the first two arrestees to be arraigned — it was announced that District Attorney Nancy O’Malley would not be filing charges at the current time against any of those wrongfully arrested by UC Berkeley Police on Friday, December 11th. Three of those arrested had made non-refundable bail of $13,000 for their release on Saturday and Sunday. The five others who have remained in Santa Rita jail throughout will be released this evening.
Tehran University students stiffen their resolve to continue protests in the face of heavy-handed assault
The shuttered gates and police cordons outside Tehran University told only part of the story: the institution was shut and would be for the foreseeable future.
For the other part of the story – how one of the most brutal episodes of the stand-off unfolded – there were as many theories as there were students filing through the streets of Tehran .
“We have not been allowed to go to the university since Friday; we really don’t know what has happened exactly,” said Hossein Salehi, 22, one of thousands marching to the university’s dormitories to denounce the death of students at the hands of pro-regime attackers on Sunday night. “One of my friends who was present at the dorm complex that night and was able to escape … said that he was beaten by three riot police while he was pushed to … the ground. I saw his injuries on his legs and his back by my own eyes.”
The New School Reoccupied 