The latest series of attacks by the state of Israel upon the Palestinian people in Gaza has sparked outrage and protest around the world. Last Sunday saw a spontaneous demonstration in George Square and we will see another demonstration this Saturday.
The coverage of this most recent state massacre has been abominably reported in the mainstream press with the BBC talking as if there is some kind of balance of power between the Palestinians imprisoned inside the Gaza strip and the Israeli state. Whereas the reality is closer to the story of David and Goliath. Were Goliath armed with fighter jets and tanks.
There will be a demonstration in solidarity with the people of Gaza starting at 12:30 this Saturday leaving from Blythswood Sq.
Below we reprint a message from Ewa Jasiewicz an anarchist currently in the Gaza strip. (more…)
People involved with the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) campaign were convicted of scary-sounding things before Xmas. Cue much hysterical mainstream media reportage. Regardless of your opinion on animal rights campaigns and their tactics, this piece by NETCU Watch(*) is of interest (for the balance it affords if nothing else), offering a less-hysterical take on the story and what the SHAC activists actually did.
Most importantly, it sounds a warning about the political police moving on to other groups.
Finally a message to all activists even activists who do not believe that this in any way applies to them and are pro vivisection. This is a precedent, the CPS and the police and their overlords in the multinationals have discovered something which will silence anyone who runs any effective campaign against the crimes multinationals are so famous (…) Some people will go to prison for much longer than if they had beaten someone half to death or raped a child, others will no doubt follow.
(*) – NETCU is the police unit combating “domestic extremists”. They take a very wide view of what extremism is and are very close to business interests. If you have taken part in a protest about a political or economic issue, they would take an interest in you. They don’t (officially) operate in Scotland but the plod here would be watching their work.
Only with the help of 6 police pigs could the Coke trucks continue their way from the center, which means that a lot of parents had to answer their kids’ question: “Why did the police stop the nice and fun Santa Clauses?”
This is a country with a population lower than that of Glasgow but many of the same problems in terms of a clique-ish government wedded to stupid development plans and personal enrichment. While its size and remoteness might make it seem irrelevant, you could also look at it as the canary in the coalmine of capitalism as the coaldamp of the credit crunch creeps onward.
…some spirit that is already spreading like fire: Municipal buildings and town halls are being occupied across Athens, and popular assemblies (λαϊκές συνελεύσεις) are being organised in neighbourhoods of both Athens and Thessaloniki. In what turns out to be one of the most positive aspects of the revolt, people are starting to take back their lives: street after street, square after square, neighbourhood after neighbourhood. This is not about a government falling, about some “justice” being paid, about a mere meeting of some demands, a vindication of some sort. The people on the streets demand nothing; they occupy, they organise among themselves, they know that there is no way back to normality, that fighting this very normality is, quite literally, a matter of life and death.
Friends of ours are having a Xmas bash down in Dumfries on Tuesday night. You should go, it’ll be fun.
Our next big event is a benefit and fundraiser on December 23rd, 2008 at the Fifth Window, top floor, Tam O’Shanter pub, Dumfries. Performing will be the brilliant modern Irish folk band Choonz and the gifted, but sick comedian Mark Nelson. Click here for the pdf of the promotional poster.
Tickets available in advance from the Tam O’Shanter, Barnstorm Records or from us at iww_dg&yahoo.co.uk or 0845 053 0329. Tickets are £5 or £3(concessions). Some tickets should be available on the night (though they might be a pound more expensive).
CARRUTHERS DAVID. Peacefully, at home, on Thursday, 11th December, 2008, David, dearly loved husband of Cath, loving father of Jason, beloved son of Mary and Tom, and much loved brother of Colin and Wilma.
Dave lost his 18 month battle with cancer and his death at 55 is hard to bear. Dave restarted the Glasgow Anarchist group in late 1974, opening up a squat at 21 Bute Gardens. He was a inspired public speaker, operated a hand duplicator as if he was Popeye, yet always appeared to cut a frail figure with a severe visual impairment.
The group hosted several public meetings around 1976-7 with Albert Meltzer, Miguel Garcia,John Olday etc. Dave wanted John – a man who tried to assassinate Hitler to move to Glasgow although it didn’t happen.
He went on to develop a passion for anarchist communism, hosting a conference of the A.C.A. in late 70s. Dave became the national secretary of the ACA after a more platformist tendency left to join forces (the LCG) with a trot group and the lotta Continua influenced Big Flame. Dave moved on to free schools and helped keep Barrowfield open for a while. He became a teacher and eventually was the teacher for sick children at Yorkhill hospital: he was great with kids and at least one anarchist in the 1990s had dave as a primary school teacher. He devoted a lot of time to his family and his adopted son from 1990. Dave was a warm, caring person, with an infectious sense of humour. At the funeral various Glasgow anarchists were present.
There will be a more complete obituary appearing in Freedom newspaper, if you would like to make any contributions please forward them to Jim McFarlane; hereandnowscot[at]email.com (replace [at] with @)
Friday 12/12, the assembly of the occupied Athens Polytechnic decided to make a callout for European and global-wide actions of resistance in the memory of all assassinated youth, migrants and all those who were struggling against the lackeys of the state, Carlo Juliani; the French suburb youths; Alexandros Grigoropoulos and the countless others, all around the world, a day of international action against state murders, Saturday 20.12.2008. Our lives do not belong to the states and their assassins! The memory of the assassinated brothers and sisters, friends and comrades stays alive through our struggles! We do not forget our brothers and sisters, we do not forgive their murderers.
Please translate and spread around this message for a common day of coordinated actions of resistance in as many places around the world as possible. (more…)
A video to tug at your heart strings. Feel compassion fatigue melt away as if in a soothing bubble bath of pity. You can make a difference in these uncertain times.
Photos and information at the Alexis in Edinburgh blog. Saturday the 20th has been called as an International Day Against State Killing. More on this when we have it.
A different perspective on the SHAC trial
December 29, 2008 · 1 Comment
People involved with the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) campaign were convicted of scary-sounding things before Xmas. Cue much hysterical mainstream media reportage. Regardless of your opinion on animal rights campaigns and their tactics, this piece by NETCU Watch(*) is of interest (for the balance it affords if nothing else), offering a less-hysterical take on the story and what the SHAC activists actually did.
Most importantly, it sounds a warning about the political police moving on to other groups.
(*) – NETCU is the police unit combating “domestic extremists”. They take a very wide view of what extremism is and are very close to business interests. If you have taken part in a protest about a political or economic issue, they would take an interest in you. They don’t (officially) operate in Scotland but the plod here would be watching their work.
Categories: News · comment
Tagged: animal rights, domestic extremist, NETCU, police, political policing, SHAC, SHAC trial, vivisection