English

The Lawyers General Union of Greece has condemned and is threatening to mobilise against the police-state measures proposed by the Ministry of Justice.

The general council of Lawyer Unions of Greece has expressed its opposition to the criminalisation of masking and hooding and the return of the fascist law regarding "insulting authorities". The emergency assembly of the council headed by the president of Greek Union of Criminologists published its decision on Tuesday 24/3 after new totalitarian proclamations by the Minister of Justice who claimed that protesters arrested with 'distorted features' will have no right to monetary exchange of their penalty nor will the universal right for probation be applied to their cases, even after appeal court procedures. The Lawyer's General Council, the highest organ of solicitors in the country with powers ranging to striping individual lawyers of their soliciting permits, has announced that it is ready to mobilize against the police-state legislation

NOT HERE, NOT ANYWHERE

-Out with the rent companies
-Down with the subletting slavery at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Konstantina Kuneva is an immigrant worker from Bulgaria. She worked as a
cleaner at the State-owned public transport company of ISAP, as an employee of the rent (i.e. worker-subletting) company ΟΙΚΟΜΕΤ.She is a militant member and secretary of the Union of Janitors and Cleaners of Attika (PΕΚΟP),and she had been receiving threats for her syndicalist activity well before the 22nd of December 2008, when she was attacked with sulfuric acid on her way home from work. Today, she is still in a critical condition, suffering from extremely serious injuries in vital organs and on her face as a result of the murderous attack.

* A translation of a March 2008 interview conducted by the French anarchist Charles Reeve with two members of the El Libertario group www.nodo50.org/ellibertario in Caracas, the nation’s capital, which offers some stark insights into the reality of the situation.

This month (February 2009) marks the tenth anniversary of Hugo Chávez’s coming to power in Venezuela, and ten years of the “Bolivarian revolution”. This process has included waves of state intervention in the economy and fervent rhetoric against US imperialism. But while some on the left see this Chavista movement as the new “socialism for the 21st century”, A more radical critique has argued that it is actually more like an old-fashioned attempt at modernisation by a technocratic élite (including an ex-situationist as second-in-command of the ministry of information and propaganda); that increased bureaucratic power over capital is not inherently progressive; and that the “revolution” in Venezuela allows for very little working-class control or initiative from below.

Here we present a translation of a March 2008 interview conducted by the French anarchist ‘Charles Reeve’ with two members of the El Libertario group in Caracas, the nation’s capital, which offers some stark insights into the reality of the situation. Looking at various aspects of the Venezuelan economy and living standards in the country, it argues that Chavismo and the mythology of the “Bolivarian revolution” conceal a raft of neo-liberal reforms and attacks on workers’ rights, and that we must break out of the dynamics of Chávez vs. the opposition in order to build an autonomous working-class alternative.

Today's Awakening Anti NATO and Anti racism days. Today's issue that's like usual agenda, then as main subject would be Anti NATO day(21.03.09). We will also read interview with activist spending his life on the protest side, occupation camp and we will continue the book SHARING THE QUEST(The Practice). We will also would try to fit some DIY tips and positive things about squatting...In the background like usual some fresh in our collection international/ political songs(mainly punk)

Repression has no place in our boat…

In the last few years the island of Lesvos has represented one of the main entrance gate for thousands of refugees and migrants seeking to reach Europe. Packed in tiny plastic boats they try to cross the sea border between Turkey and Greece but some of them can't make it. More than 1.100 migrants and refugees have lost their lives that way in Aegean sea the last 20 years.

The Hellenic Coast Guard, following the european and greek policies of "prevention of entrance" violates the rights of the refugees and put their lives in danger. At the same time, though, its activities are supported by Frontex, whose first boat started operating on the island in July 2008. Recently Frontex’s officials started interviewing / investigating refugees and migrants in Pagani (Lesvos).

In the current context of economic crisis and rarefaction of natural resources, tensions increase between powerful countries fighting for control over the world. So western countries strengthen their device of domination, NATO, and use it in their aggressive and imperialistic politics (Afghanistan, Iraq, Georgia, Ukraine, and so on). Sixty-year-old NATO will celebrate its birthday at its yearly meeting this April the 3rd and 4th on the border between France and Germany (Strasbourg and Baden-Baden), claiming to be representative of liberty, peace and democracy.
NATO was founded in 1949 in order to unite North America and Western Europe against the Soviet Union. It had to find a new legitimacy in 1989 after the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. According to Sarkozy and Merkel it should take into account “in addition to military issues, (…) the global financial situation, the supply of energy or migratory issues” (1).

Tomorrow Awakening about Tibetan upraising, No one is illegal demo and Lappersfort update

Today issue thats like usual agenda, then as main subject would be 50years from Tibetan upraising. We will play interview and speeches from pickiet line for illegal what had place in last week. Also we will fit last news from ocupation of Lappersfort forrest in Bruge in Belgium and tell few words about demonstration and throwing the shoes for free Palestinians.

radio awakening every tue from 16.00-19.00 in radio patapoe 88.3 fm (links below)
to download program (about DIY culture and tips)from last week go to:
http://www.archive.org/details/GriksAwakeningdiy

For the first time in 10 years, participants in the March 8 Manifa were detained by the cops. 5 members of the radical block had to spend time in jail yesterday due to a ridiculous police action.

Just at the end of the demo, a few members of the radical block wanted to leave the demo through the street before the end point. They went out of the demo and onto the sidewalk to dismantle the banner, which was on plastic broom handles, and collect flags. A couple of people, including myself, went to the sidewalk to ask if they were leaving. All of a sudden, a rather deranged cop started yelling at people to get back, get back! Nobody even knew what was happening.

Within seconds there were a bunch of police. Suddenly, it turned out that one cop noticed that one guy had "a chain" - it was one of those chains you put on your belt loop that holds your wallet. Some chaos broke out as the cop was telling other cops that "he has a weapon", etc. etc.

100 years after the first National Women's Day celebration in the USA in Feb. 1909, feminist demonstrations were held all over Poland to commemorate International Women's Day. In Warsaw the demonstration, known as "Manifa", was attended by around 6000 people. The "theme" of this 10th annual Manifa could more or less be translated as "every government is the same old story".

This year the Manifa concentrated on a number of issues including poor access to health care, lack of support for families, poor working conditions of women and church intervention in daily life. Other slogans for this year's Manifa included "the Bishop is not God" and "we want health care, not prayer".

Anarchists from ZSP (Union of Syndicalists) and WRS (Freedom, Equality and Solidarity), along with some individuals from other groups and non-alligned people took part in the radical blok with slogans such as "Neither Patriarchy of Capitalism", "No God, No Masters" and "Fuck the Patriarchy".

(click on "czytaj dalej" to read further)

Sofia: 08.03.09 Protest in solidarity with Kouneva

This morning there was a small action in solidarity with Kouneva - the woman migrant syndicalist, who had been brutally attacked by her bosses with sulfur acid, because of her syndicalist activism. About 50 people gathered in front of Sofia University around 11.00 am. We stayed there for about an hour carrying banners and chanting slogans.

At 12:00 we marched to the greek embassy. We stayed in front of the embassy for about one more hour, where everyone had the chance to share their feelings and thoughs on an open mic. 50 people is not that few for the bulgarian context. In this highly conservative, individualistic and patriarchical society, any progressive event like that is actually very promising. The bulgarian neo-fascists published attack threats on internet against the protest, but in the end they did not attempt any open provocation.

The action was organized by the leftist student group
"Priziv"(Call-out for Education). www.priziv.org

Turn off the Stockholm Programme!
No Future for the "Future Group"!

Following Tampere 1999 and Hague 2004, the EU plans to decide the next five-year plan on "Justice and Home Affairs" (JHA) this year.

After the implementation of data retention and new databases, the creation of "Frontex" and the "European Security Research Programme", the "harmonization" of terrorism laws and more surveillance of the internet, next severe changes are foreseen to bet set in the new guideline.

Under swedish EU presidency in the second half of 2009, probably in November or December, the ministers of interior and justice will meet to agree the new "Stockholm Programme".

A self-announced "Future Group" of some of the ministers, initiated under german EU presidency 2007, already published the wishlist "European Home Affairs in an open world":

An EU population register, ‘remote’ forensic searches of computer hard drives, internet surveillance systems, more implementation of satellites and ‘drone’ planes for surveillance, automated exit-entry systems operated by machines, autonomous targeting systems, risk assessment and profiling systems, e-borders, passenger profiling systems, an EU ‘entry-exit’ system, joint EU expulsion flights, dedicated EU expulsion planes, EU-funded detention centres and refugee camps in third countries (even "overseas"), expansion of the para-military European Gendarmerie Force, deployment of EU Battle Groups, crisis management operations in Africa, permanent EU military patrols in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, more power for EU agencies, interlinking of national police systems, an
EU criminal record, a permanent EU Standing Committee on internal
security (COSI) dealing with operational matters, more partnerships with
the security industry.

Bruno Ramirez's analysis of the Italian working class' response to the economic crisis of the 1970s, with particular focus on "the refusal to comply with price increases of essential services", also known as 'self-reduction'.

With an inflation rate of over 25%, widespread unemployment, and increasing repression, Italy's current economic crisis shows how far capital is willing to push its attack against the living conditions of the working class.

One of the distinct marks of this crisis - in Italy as well as in other capitalist countries - is the extent to which class conflict has widened, involving directly the area of social consumption. The dramatic increase in the cost of living is in fact setting off a wave of struggles dictated by the working class' need to protect their wage gains, and to ensure adequate access to essential goods and services such as food, housing, utilities, and transportation. It is no coincidence that - particularly in Italy - capital's massive move onto this terrain comes after a long cycle of factory struggles which have yielded considerable gains in wages and working conditions. It shows the coherence of capitalist strategy - a coherence which has been forced to become explicit by the organized resistance of wide sectors of the working class.

An Anti-authoritarian call-out for resistance to the London G20 Summit

G20 SUMMIT IS COMING TO LONDON
...to attempt to re-build confidence in global financial markets.

2 DAYS OF DIRECT ACTION are planned in the city:
- Capitalism isn't in crisis - Capitalism IS crisis;
- Don't bail-out the banks, SINK THEM!

i am a long time receptionist from sleepy lion/central globetrotter hostels leipzig and started working in good bye lenin hostels krakow and zakopane since december. i didnt care about agreements for payment on the beginning, because i was very happy and enthusiastic living and working in krakow now, and the hostel owners gave a very good impression, because they gave me free stays for all together 2 weeks last summer. (most hostels give free stays or discounts for other receptionist just for some days - if they give it at all) after one month working there, they told me that 3 up to 4 shifts per week i work just for my stay in the hostel, which is somehow hard but acceptable. later i got to know, that they are going to charge me also for my 2 weeks staying in their hostel in zakopane while working there. normaly nobody of the workers there has to pay for that, because people HAVE to stay there, otherwise its too difficult to work in that hidden place. asking about that, i got told "your case is different", without further explaination. there is mostly not much money to earn in poland and i didnt expect much, but suddenly i was also supposed to get just 5 zloty/per hour, instead of 6 zloty from the 2nd month (1euro = 4,5 zloty). it appeard very difficult to work there after a while. the manager is very rude, missing no chance making staff feeling uncomfortable, to compensate his personal mental problems. as a result the whole atmosphere was often like acid. not surprising, there is surveillance cameras observing the reception, which is recording the work of the receptionists. in the end the bosses and me agreed on the evening of 8 of february, that i will do my last shifts until end of february and for my outstanding money i will have free stay in the hostel for march. i finished my last shift in that night, the next day i packed my back because i needed to go to germany for 2 weeks and suddenly, just 2 hours before my train left, the manager told me, that the bosses told him to kick me out with all my property (which is not so much, but too much to take it all on travelling). i tried to call the boss who made the agreement with me - he was not available of course - and the manger told me i will also not get my outstanding salary or the free stay for march. i somehow managed to hide my things in a friends flat in the last moment, but i was really shocked. even if i did something really really wrong, there should have been at least an explaination for such rude behavior. nobody deserves to be treated like this, being kicked out like some dirty asshole. after staying in gbl hostels people always get asked to give some rating, thats why the hostel management tries to give an good impression to the outside - to guests and people from other hostels. you can do me a very big favour with asking uncomfortable questions to the following adress: hostel@goodbyelenin.pl also put this adress in the bcc: krakow@goodbyelenin.pl

This text was written in a relatively short period of time in an effort to spark awareness and discussion of the current global situation, its pitfalls and possibilities, from a perspective which rejects domination and exploitation in all forms, which wants to put an end to all of the divisions imposed by class, nation, gender and so on in modern society. It is an analysis offered as a tool for use by anyone interested in radical change, not as a report on the facts of current global trends and unrest.

Foreword: Class, conflict and crisis

It’s hard to know where to begin this story, as it concerns stituations exploding right now around the world, as well as thousands of years of class struggle, cycles of conflict and accumulation which make up so much of what we know as history. Hard times in the economy of the rich means political attacks on the common people. It is a moment where social and technological “progress” could provide the means to extract more profit by separating us from our survival in new ways. But it is also a moment when counter-attack against the ruling class could bring about total social change—a revolution in which all the existing system’s defenders like institutions, cops, commodities and money will be swept off the field.
[Man! The crisis sounds fucking awesome!]