Volume Vll No.7 Black Flag/BIack Cross, BM Hurricane, Distribution by A Distribution, B4b Autumn 1984 Quarterly London WCI 3XX. Whitechapel High Street, London E1. Published, typeset and layout by Discounb 1/3 to Bookshops and Black Flag Collective. Bulk orders. Printed by Aldgate Pres, 84b White- STATE OF PLAY chapel High Street, London E1. Balance sheet to August 31 1984 plack Flag quarterly and fortnightly Printing (prid up to date) 1759.00 Strtionery (envelopes and photocopying) 50.34 CONTENTS Postage 470.28 2279.62 AS WE GO TO PRESS' 4 Sales and subs 1898.27 DIRECT ACTION INTENSI FI ES 6 Donrtions* 496.76 PREPARING FOR CIVILWAR 8
23S5.03 CIVILWAR PART 1,2&3 I 2279.62 G ER MANY 16 LIBERTAR IAN PR ISON ERS. 19 We ectually finished up in the peilod HOW NEAB WERE WE TO BEVOLUTION? 20 April 1984-Aug lS84 fll5.46 in the black. MEXICAN INDIANS 23 Overal! deficit on whole ER ICH MUHSAM 24 83-&t c/fwd 1146.36 FREEDOM AS A SOCIAL PBINCIPLE 28 Les 115.46 VANCOUVER 5 32 DECENTRALISED TOTALITAR IAN ISM New u delicit on 83-BC WHAT period r630.s5 IS THE ANARCHIST MOVEMENT 36 REVIEWS & LETTERS 37
Having turned out so many issues in NEW The 6 monthly rate our fortnightly series as well as embark- SUBSCRIPTION RATES hopefully will encourage more readers to subscribe ing on the expensive quarterly, it is a Combined Subscription : and so help us pay pleasant surprise to realise that so far Quarterly Magazine & fortnightly our bills. Prisoners, upon request receive from increasing our massive imbalance . News Bulletin: incurred 'l Black Flag free. I{e exchange with during 983/84, we have l2 months:012 Inland ;t. & Surface, other Anarchist movement papers. dented What can we say but keep f,l9 Air. up the good work? Usual nii Donations are always gratefully contribut- 6 months: f,6.50 Inland & ion from Moscow, World Surface, accepted, and don't forget the Black Council of S10 Air. Churches, CIA and GLC Working Cross too! for London grant. . . usual nil pay- We have had to increase the subs ment for salaries. (the first time for 2/z leats) because of increase postage *Donations in costs and the Derbyshire MC f5; Devon cover price. Current subscribers f 10 Minn, US D0 f 19.71 Briston A's whose sub has not yet run out will f40; KP .75; LP f 10; Leics PM f 11; get their copies of Black Flas sent Lanc CP fl; SW London JG f80; as usual, without having to send on the extra money. N. London LF f6; Shipley TG f3.50; Cam.bs PN f 17.50; London PP f5; ANARCHO- QUIZ M & P f40; AM fl00; TH fl00; LP 1. What the nationality and religous enterprise f 1, G H f 15; FAU comrade f 1.30; was at birth - but what Canada PD f30; T0TAL f496.76 of Francois Villon and Napoleon was its business? Bonaparte? 5. In which countries could MUTUAL AID/SOLIDARITY 2. Of what impossible crime was animals once be tried by a judge Carried forward f23.18; Guam Anarchist'Chicago Martyr' Albert and condemned to death; and in SS f37.01; Cambridge A's f6; London Parsons accused of, long before which country can they still be PR f 1.06; Total in Hand f67.25. (Also the Haymarket Trial, and how did legally sentenced to prison? still in hand f 10 for Vancouver prison- Lucy Parsons cover up for him? ers - any more donations before we 6. All Cunard liners had names send? - and f45 for CNT Prisoners). 3. What atrocity, alleged by Con- ending in'...ia' (Berengaria, Lusitania Very quiet on this f ront no doubt servatives to have been committed etc) - why did they suddenly because of the large donations from by the Bolsheviks in Russia, and change their policy and call the every quarter going direct to miners' later by the Anarchists in Spain, Mary by that name? families. Queen Don't forget that for Spanish is now a regular feature of British veterans we intend t0 make an annual life? Answers on page end-of-year-habit of sending off remittances (see last issue). 4. The Uscoques were a sort of NOTE: - A misprint in our last Italian co-operative trust in the issue Quiz had Paderewski dving rROIII PAGE. top: Scrb Cdch cilpey, ltCpaon 16th century, blessed by the Church in his native Poland it w,as in TolE of T.cnthu, attackGd by frbotclE, - c.Eing tl5ormo rorul of ,l-gr. Church, in which the public of fact Portugal. Poland was under Botto: Blmt @t c.n (Dd.upcNkct troLli.c.l Ecd by plckcts u r bBi,crde rt Segna took shares and were paid Nazi occupation. Sj,lvcr@d Collicry. dividends. It was esteemed a public Answers on page 39 turn to individual violence or undisciplined unionism (either of the type seen in the the sase miners' strike todaY! - through EDITORIAI: capital ist co ncentratio n, were f rustrated, independent, and undisciplined; they would turn to individual violence or undisciplined unionism (either of the type seen in the agalnst Anarchlsm miners strike today! - though not self- employed, they have got used to more leisure, and includlng the possessionsand so on. in good times)' paper's editorial the mass picket up to It is rare that an Anarchist creation of lts own workers' state to combat None of this makes ordinarY common a is a criticism of Anarchism from Marxist cou n ter-revo lution. sense if by petty-bourgeois is meant what it Worker. That the organ of It is this last point which arouses the solicit' iournal, Sociatist the means today, chartered accountants, publish 'The Darticular ire of the anarchists who echo itre SWp feels it necessary to arquments that revolutionary ors, bank managers etc. Marx wasn't that as Lourqeols Case Against Anarchism' may be regarded oowdr leaos lnevitably to tyranny (that stupid! His followers are stupid or perhaps etc)' an acknowledgement of a growing interest Leninism leads inevltably to stalinism has failed to come up crafty. it obviously has to make However, anarchism has also altered in Anarchism and *itn any serious alternative way of resist- The term individualism unfavourable reference. But beforo accepting anie of-the capltalists and their efforts to its meaning - since it has been appropriated the tributes to our magnamimity and obiect- restore-- the old order. by the bowler-hatted,.striped-su ited attache- regard the article as fair So fir we have been discussing 'pure' But if one looks ivity, let us say we soclal basis in the cise carrying Conservative. Marxist circles' anarchism which has its - something rare indeed in iaoical petty bourgeoisie which feels alien- sav, at the story of the American IWW organis' however'humanist Marxist'. trorn both the power of big capital and ing the hoboes, farm workers, railway workerc. the"i.o power of the working class. one can see how MARXISM has alwaYs had to comPete miners; catering workers, with rival theories in its struggle for MERGE ind ividualistic revolutionary synd ical ism can over the working class and ln so far as anarchism has attempted to be! lf Boxcar Bertha or Joe H ill weren't infiuence class, it has had oooressed. lts main rivals, apart from qain a base in the wbrking individuatists but Olga Maitland and io ioanOon some of its individualist princip' sdriiqhtforward capitalist ideology' les and accept the need Ior collective John Junor arg, the term has iust bscome have- been social dCmocratic reform' oroanisation. Thus it has tended to merge gobbledegook. (discussed ism last week) and Stalin' wiin synoicalism, ie revolutionary trade Oddly, it is hard to fault the statement ism idealt with a few weeks ago)' unionism which rejects participation ln form' been an alter' and the role of the that 'anarchism, even in iF syndicalist but there has usually 'bourgeois'politics anarchism has na{ive standing, appaiently, to the left revolutionary partY. - that is, working class - It is as anarcho'syndicalism that anar- proved'inadequate' for the working-class' of Marxism, namelY anarchism. and in chijm has come closest to Marxism, a better word is'inappropriate')' A narch ism clearly is not an important Russian Revolution many iPerhaps Britain today, but at the wake of the working class who want things political force in anarcho-syndicalistS were dfawn to the Those of the vario rs ,times in the history of the revolut- its and who accept things as they the communist lnternational. Nevertheless, done for them ionar y movement (most notably in absenteeism from politica organisat' Civil War) it has exercised some taii or tneory, its are, and those who have built up Spanish *ttictt tear"t- ine tieto to the refotmists' pushed out of their own cons,derable influence. Even now it has think through the realities ions alike, have been younq and ina-its f"itrt" to and as a mass ctefin ite attractions for the of workers' power, continue to make anarch' movement, anarchist or socialist, rebel I iou s, i.m even in its svndicalist form inadequate hail Hitler or vote Tory. The reason for this ABSURD for the working class. has been the triumph of the'educated class' qeneral anarch ism remains a c )nsequently it is quite likely that at Thus in placed such store. But the negative and marginal doctrine' lt condemns on which Marx som,' point socialist worker readers will and is that where anarchism is arguments' Cu5itutir-, condlmns the reforrnists, important thing uD against some anarchist Marxists. working class "91-p,: differences between condemns the of iittle account there is no wha' then are the main From Socialist Worker, August' 1984' Mar) ism and anarchism and what is the struggle at all' The British labour move' Mar) ist case against it? and many others. is centred round cannot ment, F irst let us be clear that Marxists The f irst disagreement only comeswhen is a crushing anarchism in the reformism; the Russian scene af fo' d simply to scorn it says that Anarchism 'lacks any historical mon sense' does. Th is is defeat for the workers and in totalitarian way capitalist 'com (weare accused of too much) the ultimate goal of anarchism analysis' usually ' is no room for anarchism but becaJse - particular historical countries there a sc:iety of real freedom and equality in Every theory has its own struggle' That is not to or any individual armed whi( h there is no longer a state analysis, even fascism, but what they mean point to its oppression of people by people condemn anarchism. lt is to forn of - is that the Marxist historical analysis above is or e that Marxists share. necessitY' is (and Marx held that social' S upporters of the present order dismiss infallible divine)' sucf an aim as absurd. Marxists do not' Our ism is inevitably destined by history and he disa rreements with anarchism are not over his economic theory of the evolut- over how to achieve compared the ultimate aim but Darwin's theory of the it, ti,at is, how society is to be changed. ion of socialism with --he starting point of this disagreement development of biological species' (ln effect, is a different view of the root cause of he rejects revolution as orthodox Darwinism exploitation and oppression' To the anar' root cause is power. Power, in and reiects catastroPhism)' chis, tne Marx's analysis of tself, power in all its forms - state The Marxists of today take pos er, the power of political parties and as an accepted truth. as the Christian acoepts unit ni and everv other kind of authority to save the world. Regardless Anarchists believe that it that Jesus died and leaclership. the Christian or is tl e existence of this power and authority of the truth or otherwise of whi:h creates class divisions and all other the Marxist claims, the dogmas are Patently kin(ls of inequality and oppression. false: socialism isn't inevitable and the world rheir 'strategy' therefore is to denounce those simple and renounce, on principle, all manifestat' isn't saved. Everyone knows ionl of power and authority, and above facts but expressed as dogma they are accept' all r,very klnd of state power. To these they ed as truths. counterpose the absolute freedom of the refreshingly fair analylis, the purely spontaneous re- Despite her/his ind vidual and Gon-trict on bellion of the masses. the writer falls f or th€ Marxist Anarchism i5 thus essentially a moral anarchism. Words change their meaning and stance. lt lacks any historical analysis of term'peffy bourgeois' or in Marx's day the how the things it opposes came about worker, the book- of dhy it should be possible to get rid of meant the self'employed them now, rather than any time ln the binder, printer, mechanic, blacksmith, cook, past. lt simply condemns 'evil' and f ights f or cartwright, carponter, dressmaker - as distinct '9ood'. the employer and regard from the real 'Bourgeois', ln contrast Marxism does not the fields the state (or'power'in general) as t-he merchant. The peasants worked on fundamentai problem, Rather it explains and the'proletariat'slaved in the factories product th€ emergence of the state as the lor up to 18 hours a day. They couldn't of the di;ision of society into antagonistic time to is explained as the it was presumed bY Marx, have classes. This in turn accepted consequence of a certain stage in the devel' think lot themselves, but asthey oprnent of the forces of production. faaory disci$line and could - led by a The central task therefore is the abolition educated class accept party achieved 'thinking'and - of class clivisions. This can be power' The self" only through the victory of the wo-rking discipiline and take over clais over the capitalistic class. For this the employed, forced into the factories by working class requires organisation and capitalist concontration, were f rustrated, (trade the revolutionary leadership unions, iiependent, and undisciplined; they would party etc), and the use of power - from Page 3 Black Flag Autumn 1984 AS WE GO TO PRESSOOO
lledlak Bibbry, the scab leader in Tilbury fucks, is no 'ordina ry worker, with no hard- fast political line'. qring the period '80- '82 as Independent councillor on thurrak t Council (a post he had hetd, in fact, since 1968) he consistently sustained the qte vote I nnjority of a Tory led coalition. In addition i Bibby is a nrcrter of his local housirq crcnrn- ittee - not very danning you IIBy think, but then another mefitber, and a 'social acquaint- ance'of Bibby, is the head of the Iondon Ports Authority. Smll world. Is Frank (tra5ple, olt-going head of the E[PU, an l{I5 flple? Probably not, although he was otE€ a card carrying rnnber of the CF. Poor Etank ('we have a no-strike polic.Y in our uniqt') doesnlt kncr wtrat to do nor ttnt 9000 EEIEU ITExrbers in the NIIS have deciH to start selective strike action in a disprte involving pay parity. The EEI?U leadership was forced to ac:ePt the inevitable and is relrrtantly backing the strike threat despite official policy. llo doubt they will get a guick set lenent in their favour because of the ';nliticaI' strike that is taking place with the iliners disgrte. (The govertrcnt have a reIl exposed polic.y of avoiding any other they can help it, while TTIE IENEMY WITHINI . confrontations, if ttre ttiners strike is still on). Th guestion is will Ctrapple sho* his gratitude to the A couple of issues back we rePorted ld,Ilt for providing ttre right conditiss for on the fate of Sid Richmond (pictured his nerbership to secure ttre victory they above). Sid, a retired 70 year old miner, so badly want? Itard.Iy. But wbat is really the prospect of the was stotrry>ed by cops as he was driving raking Ctnpple sick is EEI?U strike sgreading' l'lready EIFU rErbers along in his car. Beca''se he refused in the Porer Stations have indicated that tc turn back (he was on his waY to see tlry are prepared to shor solidarity with his daughter) they ordered him out of their NllS coru-ades - and if they ccrE out, the car, knocked him around and hand- rell rnthing would please the lLJil rpre. cuffed him. And if that wasn't ernugh other EEIPU rebels have recently qened up a 'third frstt' at plant Ttey LEITER. the British Aerospace at Filton. deciffi to stage a sit-in after nanual workers at the plant were evicted bty cqs after a Dear Ccnrrades, sit-in that lasted three rrceks. Thqse EEI"U We all can cIearIY see the vital workers that refused to cross ttre manual rcrkers' work you are doing in solidarity with picket line were threatened with disnissal the Miners heroic struggle. As much bry nnrng,ment and it was this threat that prrovoked the EEI?U workers to cqre oLlt and a-s we can guage it there is widespread them' set up their mn acupaLion. tatest news on qrnpathy here in Australia for the action is thaL the EEI?U workers have ririy on a colrplete ban on coal shiprents blrckaded sorc jets ready for collection [t to the []K was established and nraintained' the USAF and are refusing to allcn the US ee-yond that nothing more Lo report at authorities to take thern away until the disprte this stage, except that we have estab- is over. money will hshed a-solidarity fund - Iabour Party leader, NeiI Kinnak, has be sent direct when sufficient and at onderned any attsr[)t to orchestrate the sG hand. called 'big bang' approach for all Dr- ^t- Dr - I 1 I Miners kids enjoying a holiday in the Netherlands, thanks to the anarchist sutr4rcrt network ovei tt.re. photo courtesy of De Vrie. The press has alreadY given much LEITM. attention to the holidays of the miners children and in soilte cases we even ended llar Friends, retrnrts and not Thanks for the addresses you've sent up with sone political us. l{e've asked the people in Dorrcaster just the usual 'hunan interestr. We about the wsren's are also planning a demonstration...The to write an article nany places group for our nngazine. So NUM video's are shovring at sul4nrt (squatter's cafes, etc) over the country theyrre of great use! giving a series of I think it's not necessary to saY ana punk bands are what we think about that fucking police benefits. raid at I2I Bookshop. Here in Holland Good luck and keeP in contact. things are going quite well with solid- -(rneDe Vrie arity to the miners. Werre involved nree). in the same Amsterdam Support Cqnnittee as the two wqnen who have visited you on their way to Derbyshire. The conunittee has nanaged to coilect about 82,500, which was enough to pay a weeks holiday for 40 people. In fact Saturday 25 August, 32 miners children and 8 adults frqn Ckrurch Warsop in Derbyshire arrived! Ssne of them are sailing, others are at the anarchist canp in Appelscha (a month ago we've given some information about that canP to a guY who wanted to write an article about it for Black Flag) and others tive at squats and with outch families for a week. We hope we'II IIEmage to get another group here in the auturnn holidaY (naYbe from Silverdale where life is very hard for strikers). 1984 Pase 5 Black Flag Autumn ASTION INTENSIFIES The beginning of August has seen the After the pickets were refused their community responded in support of first co-ordinated attempt to force request to speak to the scab before the pickeis bringing out cups of tea I return to work in Yorkshire, prior he entered, a force of police in fire etc. which isn't surprising considering to this there has only been odd attempts proof overalls, crash helmets etc. the police insulted and assaulted old by a couple of winders at Barnsley, an attempted to get behind the group of people, beat up a 14 year old office worker at Armthorpe, a couple 200 odd pickets at the 'gate house' in kid and broke his leg, there was still of workers at the Selby complex and order to force them back up to the some of the older people talking about a suspected attempt by two ininers top of the pit lane. The pickets fell using water cannons on pickets. at Rossington pit. back to the pit yard, there were minor After the days events the The week started with two miners scuffles, individuals were dragged up scab went to the union and apologised going in at Allerton By Water pit the pit lane and pushed through the and promised not to go in till the near Castleford and one miner police cordon. After about half an dispute is over. entering at Askern pit, north of how the police had managed to clear At Armthorpe pit the same day Doncaster, these scabs were only met the pit yard and forced all the pickets three masked scabs were driven through by small pickets. Meanwhile at Brods- into one place. picket lines totally unexpected. The worth pit near Doncaster a force of The pickets wete then pushed back result was that the pit entrance was 90 pickets met a TV crew that was from the pit lane , leaving a clear run blocked by pickets and a barricade attempting to enter the pit to film the for any vehicle coming from the other built to stop the scabs getting out 'damage' underground. The reason direction which wanted to get into and more police getting in. The group the pickets did not want the TV crey the pit. This resulted in some stone of less than 200 pickets waited around to enter the pit, was because TV crews throwing and some quite heated debate for the scabs to attempt to get out. have previously been shown disused amongst the picket, some wanted A convoy of police reinforeements workings and because the majority of everyone to fall back 30 yards so arrived and were heavily stoned by the people wouldn't know if a pit was in there was a clear view so they could pickets, as they were unable to drive good condition or not. The pickets chuck stones at the police; others straight into the pit, the vans stopped had armed themselves with lengths wanted everyone to get right up to before the barricade and the police of wood as a laige force of rioipolice the police lines ready to try and block jumped out and charged the pickets, was brought in. The branch delegate the road if any scab tried to get in. supported by more police from inside persuaded the pickets to throw down After that a convoy of police rein- the pit. their bits of wood, after the police forcements drove through the pickets, The police managed to block the 'promised' not to use their batons. resulting in many smashed windows, road running past the pit and despite Once the police had removed the dented vans and boken ariels. A small the constant stoning, the scab coach pickets' battons' the police attacked, group of around 150 younger pickets managed to leave. While the police (this is not the first time this has broke away and attempted to run were busy waging war on the people happened, it occurred a few weeks rouhd the back of the pit._They were of Armthorpe and obstructing the back at Rossington and the police also cut off by a group of riot police, who highway, pickets were busy redirect- used an ambulance.at Orgreave to get were stoned and responded with a ing traffic around the police. Also a barricade removed so they could baton charge which led to groups once the scabs were taken out, and charge). The pickets retreated back into and pickets in running fights with the police fallen back to the pit, people the pit yard. A union official manag- police. More police and reinforcements swept the stones and glass off the ed to get to talk with the TV crew ' were brought in by the coach and road. who were being held at the local van load. At around 12, the Scab At Hatfield pit , two scabs were police station and persuaded them that was taken in and the pickets dispersed. driven through a small picket and if tney insisted in entering the pit the Although the majority of the after cars had driven round the local heavill' out-numbered, out-equipped to be embraced by pickets would end up badly beaten up. SCAB people who would do us dead? The TY crew decided not to try and sick with disgust they1l suffocate you enter the pit and left. After this I would spit at you to turn you into heroic sheep incident the police made a big thing who fight for the right in the press about the fact that they your pockets bulge to slaughter had found two petrol bombs, which with forty pieces of silver forget history were in fact two bottles of petrol that slivers each of others future we will not forget. the pickets had had there since the the press and the pigs Who will explain to your children start of the strike in order to keep their will not stand by you forever how do you explain braisier going. vile Judas betrayal Tuesday 2nd August appears to have old fashioned words: and when the face collapses beeri chosen for the return to work honour who will save you then? in the Doncaster region. At Brods- respect Will Thatcher pullyou out worth pit, pickets gathered from7.30am loyalty will MacGregor scrape the coal from you? in the morning as the local branch solidarity heroic sheep who smile at slaughter believed that scabs were attempting pieces they mean nothing to you wlll ot silver to enter, at the most there were 500 buy your because you are worthless self-respect? pickets at any one time. There is a can dirty money buy that? short lane down to the pit of less I would turn away and when it's over than a hundred yards and the pickets rather than soil my vision you'll still do the filthy work gathered in two places at the top of I would turn away you'll still be a the lane and at the 'gate house' to the and hold my nose slave - will Thatcher love you still? pit. By 9.30-lOam when all the to avoid the stench of betrayal = pickets had gathered there was a force how does it feel does pus fill your head, scab? of police of two hundred plus pit ; on the to sell away the future? you iue nothing T car park. how does it feel worth nothing. Black Flag Autumn 1984 Page 6 jn?.:;:*+" '"+ffik*': 1984 stYle. ARMTHORPE 22-8-84' Co mmun ity po I ici ng' street meeting, at all these incidents came from ou!' broke their waY into PeoPles homes communities with loud speak{s asking side of South Yorkshire, including Kent' and generally terrorised the whole for all people , a large picket gathered. Greater Manchester, Somerset and communitY. Pickets were batoned bY Police Avon, CitY of London, Sussex, Essex The majority of the piekets left and one picket ended up in intensive and Metropolitan police, including without the scab being taken in, the care with a fractured skull and who arrived on the Wednesday police blockade of Armthorpe was those suspecte4 brain damage. One of the morning a convoy of 20-25 coaches relaxed, but the road was still blockad' scabs after seeing the violence walk- at 9.00am believed to have come uP ed 400yds from the entrance' At ed out of the pit, escorted bY union Pit London. around 2.00pm a coach carrying the from officials to a mixture of cheers for The attemPted breaking of the scab was rushed through the complete rejoining the strike, and abuse for in the Yorkshire region has length of the village and was met with strike scabbing and causing the injurY of not gone.well for the NCB, with most only symbolic resistance as it took many pickets. being convinced to stay out and everyone by surprise because the pol' scab-s Barricades were also erected bY besides thi couple of miners going in ice could have easily taken the scab pickets at Bentley and Edlington pits at Allerton By Water near Castleford round the other waY with no trouble to prevent scabs entering and none and Gascoigne Wood at SelbY the whatsoever. This deliberately provoc' did, but riot police still chased pickets onlY other scabs have been the ative act served no other tlrough Edlington. PurPose solidarity scab at Silverwood near than to prove to the ArmthorPe lYith Ftratfield, Brodsworth and Rotherham and the only increase has communitY that the Police were Askern pits secured in the Doncaster been from 3-6 scabs at Kiverton Park definitely in control. Soon after the area, Armthorpe became the target near Rotherham. The overall effect went in, a couPle of South fot 2,000 pickets and a similar number scab coach of the attempts to drag a few isolated Yorkshire police vans drove past under of police, who sealed off the six individuals into pits has had the effect the customary hail of objects' It is roads into the village for a couple of of strengthening the unity of the pit believed these vans drove past the hours, more to stop Pickets ggtting villages, especially those directly miners welfare in order to Pick out out rather than getting in. A large affected and increased the numbers individuals for arrest at a later date as barricade was built and set alight and of police willing to become involved people have since been arrested and riot police chased and batoned pickets At ArmthorPe, shoPs carrY notices' accused of throwing things at the vans. the length of Armthorpe, POLICE" throughout The majority of the police involved saYing'NO Page 7 Black Flag Autumn 1984 --- ''",'rrffi Crash bariers being hurled at police during the siege of Parlianent. Block l:las Autumn 1984 Pase 8 Pcner, Aid Blaek FLag ue ?ePo?t- or tlilitar), Aid to Civil ltilitary In the Last Qua"tenly and t{ifi*ry Aid for ed in detail on-W-E-st'otg artd detteloryent to the Civit Ccnmunity Civil uinisters. Thre least clntentious of of the state's efforte od plans to emoh plans lle also the three was !tAC, wtrich set out for noss atrike oction otd./or revolt. disaster Yprk ltou tare teeent yeats the erner- the provision of trmps in descri.bed in (floods, gas explosions, eLc). IIACP spelt lll;rs been integrated int-o tle gency netunrk ort guidelines for the use of troops for riot home- defence stmtctu?e. This eombined ener- is cmoial control (different guidelines existed for gency/hone defetlee organisati,ott the north of Ireland); it also included a io the plow the etate utould P?ePa"e to ileal or intemnl section m the sort of situations when the tith oty tlveat to 'etobilityt bo be brought in to assist eecwity. thether the tlveat be a Large seaLe SA.S would need otd governrnent durirg tires of widespread unrest- uprising, a general strike, trtdeepread guidelines for the future use euen eioil tar- But fteOl Oetai.ted ptolonged rioting, ot of troops in industrial disp:tes. The only us- ttot get orteraaed by such plans: ue iet MACII was ever invoked so far was during but ae also hante to tijre luve to be realistic the firenen's (sic) displte, vrhen troops were ou:? otm eow*er-pteparations as ttell' d.eoelop deployed on the rGreen Goddesses'. Beeoning acqtainted ttith ltow the state interds -TtE rWar lenticned at pced vith a tlveat to eeeuritg Cabinetr, that was to act inen of the 1984 miners disEute links ie art inpreatiue otd essentbl step to take tfre-Ginni'ng the ACIl with @BRA (Cabinet Office Briefing in nakiig sune tlat uhen ute act we do so is in fact an arorphotts deeisistely md vith a degree of foresight. i nr. GRA itserf Uoay ttr.t changes according to the nature ;i1h" crisis it rrana. rf, for.exanple' the .rlii" involves national security then GBRA ,oufa it fra. various csunittee narbers rep- i"""ntitg the Intelligence Services, the ni.iitaty-ana the poli&. ore such conmittee the Jrc ttre Joint rntelligence csmittee Part Ore State Contingencies is - defence - tti"t, is a permanent-cf,i.f" csmittee of -all r"l.iiig"* that daily briefs-oOBnA ;;-;-ilb*.*ittee, on day-teday deferrce/ (classified) ermy land matteri. (A crA rinlsrEn is also According to the i"t.irig"t that Operations Manual, Counter-Revolutionary ili;d"i; " ure Jrc). Another cqmittee nLal concePt r"p"J"-a*."t to @BRA is the OrBc - the counter-insurgency) is tlte o"Ltt ." and Econ€mic htelligence Ocnmittee' 6f=r:cssfUi and indust- worl Black I'lag Autumn 1984 Page 10 Ttrey will be backed up by army personnel on Ttre state has several additional cqrunicat- instnrtions frcrn the AFIIQ's. Freedqn of rpve- ian systers as backup in the event of rajor rent wilf not be allcrred: reny min routes sabotage attacks on BT equitrnent. 'Ihe Covern- will have road blaks and st the wtlole ltnst rEnt @ntrol tlet-work (eN), nm called the citizens will be forced to remain within their Erergency Cqnnunication ltetwork (ml) is the laalities. Official Erergenq, Regilllations main backup systen. The mN bl4nsses Lhe main also call for lthe restricbion of npverent Ff network and links together all SRIIQ's, of rnred individualsr. O:rrently an the l{I5 AFtIQ'sr other military bases, goverrnent curnr- arrest list of possible 'subversivesr is around unication centres, the Hawthorn-Corsham cutplex, 201000 narrEs. If interrurent was introduced nrajor goverrrrent departrents, regiornl police anl, carfis (sr.rctr as the sre at Rollestone [tQ's, etc, all within one system. - used in 1980 during the Prison Officers disprte) are likely to be reguisitioned as hofaing centres. If need be PEty criminals the prisons will be released m parole frcrn : CYcle to rnake rocrn for the internees. Part Two The 5 Year l,!I5, based in Orrzon Street, central tsldon, has itrs part tm in the state's civil war The staters civil nar contingencY planning scenario. F Branch is the section in charge seems to have curred over five year crycles, of dcnestic subversion. The head of F Brarrch coinciding with ctranges in governnent and is tony ttansen. Ransen led joint intelLigerrce major industrial disprtes. 1973/74-saw ttte otrnratians in tbe north of Ireland and was enr6rgut e of the 6J frcm the old Errergenql also in drarge of t{I5 intelligence gathering, oog;i;ti.*, the decision to set up a national reprtirE direct to @EIRA, during the '72 p"iio force (the NRc) and the linking of l{iners strike. F Branch specialises in tackling tn O: network to lnlice and militarlt bases' all, forms of subversion, including the invest- igllfig witnessed the end of the Callaghan igation of trade unictists, poliEical o4tan- gou".*=nt and a reorganisation of ttf OCIJ isations, journalists, etc. A sub-branch of iittin an updated Hcrne Defence network' Through F Divsiut, H(, q>ecialises in infiltration the RE's tne O: was able to significantly into Snlitical gocotrpings and trade unions. ilprot u itrs intelligence SalfreJing capability F6 is another sr:b-division - it specialises anb strengthen its tinks with ttrc htelligerrce in anarctrist and nern left activity. According Service. a nefl grant in MI5 - ?2 - was created to the New Statesman the head of F6 (and E4) io. tni" Purpose. 1978 was also the year that is fury-eassweffer. Gassveller lives at Nicholas iriafey, no* Tory ninister of .trarLs;Drt' (telephone polic.Y civil 3 fonsurby Rd, London $t15 0t-788 prlii"r,.o a se&et feport -on 9803). C Brarrch also has a role to play: Policy iar cqrtingencY plans. Ridley made certain and opratiurat planning an ccnbined joint i""*tt=ttauli.ons tfrat he considered would take intelligence (Hr5, SAs, Special Branch, Arnl' arouna fo:r to five years to becure fully Intetligenc€, etc) activity for cotmter- operatianal. His reln-rt.was passed^?I.th' insurgerqr. 'C Branch liases with @verrurent g: the recqnrendations incp4Drated as @rmunication lleadquarters (6IQ) at Cheltenham offl"iif"nA poficy- A@rding to ttrc Economj'st and looks after $rone talping, general surveil- *Grio isar.y'" report csrtained an annexe lance, br:rglaries, mi1 opning, etc. S BrarEh runs the curpr.rter deSnrtrrent, the Joint Coq>uter Bureau - which is linked in to the l{16 cuputer facility. Files on over 500,000 individuals are contained in the JCB. JCts is also linked into the police natioral canglber as well as the Vehicle Lic€nsing Ccrqxrter at S{ansea and the DtlgS Ccquter. nring the pr+insurgency tr*rase, an integral part of ttre staters civil war plans is the blanking out of all nornnl aqrmunicatim facil- ities. Syst€n X, steadily being introduced by British Te1eqqn, provides total sunreil- lance capbility an all users as weII as pro- viding the facility for the blarkfutg otrt of ccrplete areas of the country or even selected subssibers on a mass scale. Uring the 1974 }tiners strike ttte GJ recunrended the setting up of a rtelephone prefererrce systemr. It was code nalred rFederal' and in rpre recent years the technologD/ of System X has ncn nade Federal a reality. The systern, wtren fully olnrative, can cut off up to 981 of all users if need be. The Teleptrone Prefer- ence Systen has in fact olrerated on a much suder level ever sirre l*{'2. Ttrree categories were devised: Category A - all essential industry, goverr[Ent, mititary, and police; Category B - all rajor ctnnercial users and certain VIP private subscri-bers; and Category C - ttre remainirg pop:latim. In tfues of erergercy Category C subscribers (and B if also necessary) can be cut off. rtre system lanps' works qt an area to area basis. Tvo pickets handcuffed to street Page 11 Black Flag Autumn 1984 that provided guidelines qr trcn a lbrlr govem- in those industrirefuould not have been agreeable nent rptrld deal with any rmjor industriaL to tlre state. Under 2) the Tories wEre urnble or trnlitica1 threat. Ridlelr recsnrended a to get that me right. But it is interesting five IErt plan to coLlnter such a threat: to note ttnt they cmsidered the railworkers 1. (The) retut."n on capital fi,gures ellould and the car workers to be a pshover. With be rigged eo tlnt ot obooe aoerage tnge elain the steel uorkers under the guidance of tr ean be pa.id to the 'uulnerable, industries. the-line Bill Sirs ttrey were right. The Tories 2. The eoenttnl battle ahould. be on grow.td. also won the eXfQ dislrute wtrich curcerned el@een by the ?ories, in a field. theg think the Civil Servic€. could be tnn (railunys, British Leyl.attd., the Ttre third recqmendatim indicates trcn rml,- Cioil Sentiee ot Steel). nerable goverrlEnt is to any threat posed 3. Every preeauti-ort should be taken against to the fuel and trner industries and just trcl, a ehallenge in electricity or gae. Ang,ny, much it fears a nnjor conflict in the oal re&,otdcncies in tlwse indtstries are unlikely industrlt. Significantly RidJ.ey reveal.s just tc be required. the group (the CCIJ?) belieoes tro mrch furyortance the state places on contin- tlnt the nost Likely futtle growtd vill be gencry plans. With oal it reant the stakpiling the eoal in&tstty. Ihey (the gvoup) wuld of supplies over several years in anticipatiur Like the Tluteher gouertunettt to a) build up of a dispnte, as weLl as mking pretrnratiurs ttpsi;run eoal stoeks, pa.rti.eulatly cit the WDe? for securing additimal staks through inports. stations; b) nake eontingency plans for the Even as far back as r78 Ridley was recurrrend- inport of eoal; e) encottrage the reetuitnent ing that the ernergenq/ organisation obtain of non-tmion Lorry drioers by haulage conrpanies lists of non-union and scab lorrlt drivers tc help moue eoal uhere neeeessa?y; @d d) wtro can be called qur should a disp:te break introduce dual coal/ oil fi-ring in aLL puer out. Under the Ridley recunrendations the stations as qti.ckly as posiible. road haulage firms *ould be provi&d with group 4. the belieues tltat the greatest inducqrcnts to take on non-union labour. As thteat to any atrike utould be to eut off the for the transfer of the p*er stations to noney eupply to the strikes otd. np.ke th wrion oil, this has not gone as rell as the lories finance then. had hoped. 5. There ehould be a Lange nobile eqad Recqrnendation 4 basically suggests that of police equipped attd. prepated to uphold sequestration of union funds or sLrike funds the Lau against vblent picketing. ,cbod r@n- (or their limitation - a policy recently p:t ttnion drivers' elnuld be reeruited to eross. pieket fonvard by the Adan Snith hstitute) should lines vith poliee proteetion. be fuplenented as a tol to break uniur lnrer Sirrce taking office the Ibry goverruent as smn as possible. Ihe NGA senred as the has acted on virtuaLly every one of Ridley's test case in this respect and the sequestratior reccnnendations. Under I) perhaps the ncst of the South tlales t{Il{ funds was the collsB- rec€nt exanples were the rail workers and qluence. Finally Ridley rade a recqrrendatiqr p""E1 hprkers displtes - both ended up makir,g for the consolidatian of a rpbile police force settlerents within the cLlrrent rate of inflation (perhaps on the lines of ttrc original Anti- anril as a result both disgrtes irere concluded Picket Squad), urr:ler the di-rectim of the ygry Suic*ly at a point in tine (during t}e llational Reporting CentJe. 1984 Miners strike) wtren a prolurged strike :iffi: , v.$*. :'i" st: .:|r. \ r. oi \".,. F_'.:.inir;' iii::ii: l:Sr' **-qq*..iq Black Flag Autumn 1984 Page 12 \ ry ss, year contingenqr c1'c1e gives a IrDSt iJrportant thing to be The five Perhaps the clear idea of just hcn far the class enemlz learnt a6out aU this is not that goverrnEnt' to tbe contrarlt' organises well in advance of any raior indust- despite ttreir protestations political activity. The forces of behind the scenes riil or is constantly intervening State anB Capital are on a constant war-footin9,' in all lmjoistrikes - ttreyrrre beeo doirg tttis within', conspiring began but that they are the real 'enemy sirr.e trade uniqrign first - to lubvert and crush any threat to their [ffer' state cdltingency plans are conceived and police and predicted Ttre setting up of a npbile force pit into effect long before the the introduction of anti-union labour laws lrisis ever materialises. Purthenpre it is are only part of the cutplex arrangements clear frcm Ridley's reccnnendations that state goverrnents clasely lir*ed that have been nade by successive policy sr industrial disprtes is over the years. Although both current events Lo a npre curprehensive contirryerrlt arrargerent shcrrn when it cqres Har scenario. and history have that, invotving the state's Civil dcr*n to it, the best thing the state can hope for in any period of conflict is the disloyalty of the oppressed class within its o*n rarks. As far as the state is conc'erned seIl-outs and scab c-ollusion is far preferable and Part Tlnee : Mobilisation strategically rore rnnageable than any last minute Lrmp deplolatent or eleventh hour ener- gerry legislation. The usual idea of a civil war t1r5E situation - StateTcapitalist strategy can teach us dividing a nation-into those p)'anning' is open'"opp"tt warfare, all the i.mportance of long-term *no the goverrunent or a military/ With a strike as biE and inportant as the p"fiti-.if faction and those who donrt' Hcf,'ever Miners it was inevitable that the call for it i" obuious that the state no longer sub- wider solidarity would meet with a huge and Lin"" to this dated def inition (did it ever?) ' ragnificent response, not only from within civil war is seen as a constant potent- cunnunities thenselves, but frqn i*i.ua basis' th6 mining il;-a; G prepareo for on an ongoing workers and unenployed throughout the land' *nii.-"t.t. planning rec-oginises The sq4nrb gouPs are a natural consequenc-e no-aift.t *="dtinget.l' whatioever between the daily of this solidarity and have sh*rn everyone that take prac-e as oI the class groups can play in curbating ;;iiA" Pgt! the the part such ;il;i; and those drat contribute to the State's strikebreaking efforts. But what of civil war. ot this basis state taught us is that the ;;Gti; that @pital/the state has ;;;.gy-i" to 'contain' c'onflict' -given support groups need to Ue per=man9nlr-not only nret is seen as a sign of weakness coat i.nAustry (where the battle is *y-;d;.4 principle of in tne ;d ;; undermining the .goverrunent' an-- ongoing one), but throughout all industry' in ctrcing uhis b-y i cqruination of Strike Support C;roups, existing iJ"u""..d" sure e rfutw5rx of classic ttivide and rule and by maklng before and during a disSute and car4'ing on. ttril-tn we fight back we do so in tenns once-the displte has corrcluded, could function of-iiiiu""'" and rarely as a unified lrnverent' 1984 Page 13 Black Flag Autumn a^c, a strike contingerrlt resource in ognsition federations and if ever strch a su[port network to the strikebreaking facilities of the state. was catrnble of npbilisation during tfues of !'lhatever the outcsre of the Miners strike, widespread industriat unrest (eg, the lead-up gjven that the state's contingenqr arr€rnge- to or during a Ceneral Stri*e) then all of us rents are so well organised, it would be fool- would surely be in a far npre confident posit- ish if any of the su14lort lEoups decided to ion to fight back than we are now. Bridging disband. Instead all of us wtro are involved ttrc gap between workers fighting in one indus- irr sutr4nrt activity should do what Y{e can try and workers in another (at rank and file tc,keep that activity going beyond the strike level), between the Ytagd arxt the unraged, and help seate new sulport grouP€ around and betrieen workplace struggles and neighbour- the industries and/or neigtibourhoods where hood struggles, a self-organised sq4:ort net- w€ are based. (l{any Miners strike sq4nrb work would have the trntential to form the ttroups have rade it perfectly clear, fron basis of a much wider resistarre lTrcvernent very early on, that when the strike is over that would help organise things under worker,/ they have every intention of carrying on. ) curmunity control during any pre-revolutionarlz A pernanent network of Strike Support Gnoups arxit post-revolutionartz period - which is might grw out of the current situation or exactly hov the crcnmunity and workplac-e lFouPS nay end up devel-otrriryl out of other initiatives. working within the Spnish CNI, the anarchist- Such a suplnrt network cottld be organised slmdicalist uniot, organised ;xior to and (as are rany of the ttiners Support Groups) during the Civil war. around existing laal facilities (neighbourhocd Such a sutr4nrt network is also capble of ctrntres, etc) and would need, of course, to providing a solid base for any activists bc open to waged and umaged alike. But so involved in rearguard support. Sq4nrt of a:; to avoid the ever [xesent danger of ce this kind nny end up being undertaken by local option and infiltration by local bureaucrats, defenc-e groups (a 'citizensr militiat ) to parEy officials, reformists, trots and ol4nr- fight, say, police or hired thug intimidation, timists generally, each grouP would need to or (if ttre activity is to cover a wider area and and involves offensive as well as defensive self-nnrnged, organised collectively, tcornando-style' place its priorities on direct action. ALso reasures) by guerrilJ-a or each group would need to avoid local authority units. Ho,rever organised, an intensification grants, direct funding frcrn one particular of direct actiqr into an open ccnflict situat- organisation, etc; instead to geE funds frcrn ion autqrnticatly prcnpts certain considerations. a wide curmunity base and directly frqn workers Firstly, and nast iJrportantly, the qLlestion ac rank arxl file level. Ideally each su14>ort of security. By abfinition any grotrP that gnroup r+or.rtd try to provide su1port for all engages in rearguard actions should be forned workers and unenployed involved in any dispute frcrn an existing affinity !troup. False i/d's (official or otherrise), on a stricbly mutual should, preferably, have been pran:red well would not be in a in advarrce of any projected activity if the aid basis. ftoups utly qte. position to trx'ovide mutual assistance (where carpaign is to be a long Bbatants will sought) on picket su[{prt arxt (ongoing) fund need to decide at scnp stagE whether or not raising, but would also furption as local they are gping to qErate 'undergtround' or sutr4nrt centres for neighbourhood strugEles hhether they can stiU nanage to live 'normal (eg, qollective rent./rate bqfcotts, clafumnts livesr and carry out actions as rell. With actions), etc. the acquisititrl of transtrnrt, registration A11 in all a network of pernnnent strike should be taken out under the false i/d. As sugnrt group operating throughout the qcuntry for safe-horsing, if this is neeessary this could indeed IDse a formidable threat to the can be either pne-arranged under a n* ider- staters contingerry set-up. The grou1>;s cpuld tity or a nunber of trusted contacts can be easity link together to form area. or regional asked to assist. rn an €[ErqencY a house can SUDDENLY, IN THE }IIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, A FEW RIOT COPS ARE PUT TO SLEEP... s\ :l ' Black Flas Autumn 1984 Page 14 iI*p-s3;;: M*# \-.. Orgreave: angled stakes in road to deter mounted riot coPs. be squatted for a tenporarlt period or a 'secdrd Finally, organisatian. t{ithout the active hcrne' (in a rural area) can be taken over. (or pa.ssive) support of the civilian resistarrce, Secondly, skills. ScnE kind of trainirry any rearguard actims will have been carried period is essential, if tilre ccnstraints allm. out in vain. Ecrever sltact between support Each merber of the grolp (nwbering betlEen group activists and rrErrbers of any rearguard 5 and 8) should obtain a particular ski[ group strculd ideally be virtually ncrexistent, relevant to the $ork to be dsrc (eg, redical or at Least kept to a minimum, for security aid, electricsZbreak-ins, dennliticr rork, reasons. Any resene personnel or back-up car rechAnics, etc). Ideally ever), rrEsber activity can be st4pleflEnted by the leal should knq ttor to &ive and be skilleo in deferp.e militias, rho rny also be involved weaponry and una:nned srbat. in organisirg safe-housing or a courier net- Thirdly, tactics. If actims are restrlcted nork. The actual sq4nrt network can in.turn to a srml1 geographical area and other guerilla help the ccrrbat goups bV helping out in activity has not yet q)rung up in other parts intelligence work, prisoners aid, etc. Also of the country then their is a high risk of the puropaganda activity of the suporE network getting caught, especially if the group rrrcrbers will becqre ever ltDre eucial as the qtftict are kncrrn as rmilitantsr. Ideally any prolqrged widens. guerilla carpaign should cover a wide an area It can never be o\rer-stressed that gn:erilla as lnssible throughout the counLry and invoLv- activity shoul.d always, wittrout exception, ing as mny ccnbat units as possible (preferably ccnplerent the work of any suport network. where only one nerber of each grap, if that, Any instances of vanguardisn, or actims knos anly qre nerber in qp other group). undertaken for reasons of self-interest/se1f- With widespread actions the forces of the prcrotion or adrition, should be conoenmed state will find that tlreir resources are and dealt with inrnediately: any ccnbat group quickly overstretched. I€ss cqrfined actims that adopts the role of a gang and does not lake it far rpre difficult for the Security refer to the wider resistarrc but asts in Forces to sueessfully infiltrate the cqbat isolation, such groups are counter- uniEs. Initially SFoups should not be overarrF revolutionarlt. nrttrer:rrrcre all astions under- bitious but should *ork up experience by taking taken b1t any rrEnber of the resistance nust cl tsoft' targets (eg, conpany property, court of therselves be self+vident: state propaganda buildings, supply depots, fuel plants, w witl be enployed to distort aL1 resistarrce relay masts, etc) before going orr to ttre 'hard' activity in an attar4>t to eiminalise those ones (e9, police stations, army bases, lurer involved and to isolate thern frcm wider sq4nrt. stations, anranrents factories, etc). Po:rthly, sqplies. Arms and e:rplosives Ken tleHnan. r+ould need to be dtained bry raids either frcrn qmers frcrn or suppliers. In additiqr AdditisBl Sourc€ llaterial : cqrtacts within the suport network can assist qrversisr llar and.Order, by Celiru Bledoutska- in the of spo6ing re4ux, G rouanA{ A'eEizens' l,lilitia, by Stuatt Chtistie. even [l learning tra to nake inprwised @eLL. seaIDlrrlr. D(I)losive mterials can also be Tou-TntAGTty operations, by Frank Kitsorl. ilprovised if neccessary. qrce obtained, anns and e:rplosives ffiieantuess. will need to be stored ":re1y TEe-poor uanl{,lantes Bond, by ktrt furon. in the right urditiqr.s in strategically placed llot,ks 'enee and Resistance, duurps. Page 15 Black Flag Autumn 1984 Anorchy in Berlin ca$ were forced to retreat due to very accepted RZ quite rightly as an integral Recently it r+vs announced that heavy stoning and petrol bombing. part of the movement, and therefore as Berlin Radikal, the iournal of the After the night of extreme rioting the Movement paper theY were bound squatters movement, wili no longer further evictions were postponed till to print their commuriques in Radikal, be produced. This decision was tuken after Easter'82, but a heavy depression along with commentaries and discuss- had set in on the Movement. The cinema in the face of heavy and continuous ions. These make fascinating reading, the pirate radios and tt.e Bezetser Post very conscious of the his- repression (jail sentences, raids etc.) the RZ were (squatters weekly paper) all closed tory of the RAF (Red ArmY Fraktion) imminent death of the move- snd the down. The movement was already split of the dangers of becoming ettist, cut ment itself. There ure at this moment right down the middle by the PolicY off and paranoid. Most of their attacks only I I houses lefi squatted in Berlin, of legalisation/ criminalisation, about were those which anyone could do afld selling out, and 5 o! these will be evicted shortly. half the houses favoured were accompanied by appeals for more rather than endless uncertaintly and join Radikal's printing of llith the end of Radikaland the people to in. persecution. Most of those who did the communiques was thus very import' ripe a squatters the time seems for get legalised (about 50 houses to date) ant to them, and in turn they remained short review of the Berlin movement, got a lousy deal, some who negotiated responsible to the progressive wing of its relevance to Anorchism snd the role got evicted by surprise anyway. What- the movernent. The printing of these the splits amongst the squatters ond ideas put forward Dy Radikal. ever communiques of RZ was the excuse (and there were more between'mollis' given for the trials of Benny and Micha, and 'mueslis', punks and politicos etc.) which Rad ikal was'Proven' to be After the first few months of 1981 in they always demonstrated violently' the central organ of a.'terrorist group'. the full iorce of the police state was after evictions. Some of the nastiest is fair to say that it was not however turned t,r destroying the Berlin move- It scenes happened right after the truce the raids, seizures, arrests, trials and ment. The authorities took the occupat- ended with surprise evictions in April prison sentences which finally finished ions extremely seriously, as a direct '82, when 1000s of demonstrators were off Radikal.. .What finished them was threat to private property. The ruling trapped and beaten to shit by 1000s of the death of the Movement itself. CDU, backed by the constant media police to try and scare people off the There are at this moment only 1 1 squats barrage, only gained credibility by streets before the Reagan visit of June left, and five of these are due for immin- attacking the squatters. Between Jan 1982. However this policy only insured ent eviction, with most of the rest being and Aug'81 3,500 charges were that the best rioters went to the Reagan legalised. Under immediate threat is the brought, 60 houses were searched (this demo, and the authorities were shocked Kuckuck, the big LIVE-WORK-PALACE involved sealing off the whole street by pictures of pigs running away and of Tuwat (Do something festival) fame, et-c.) anrl 10 buildings were evicted. their vans burning going by TV around where a goodbye festival is now taking As time went on the Police built uP a the world. After that the repressions place. Kuckuck also were the offices whole industry of repression, watching In and evictions came hot and heavY. of Ecomedia, the International News people, taPPing Phones, making new The Lefties tried to organise a'total Service which also has an office in laws, pec,ple following people, controlling and solution' so that desperate squqtters This has now moved to a legal processing people, cross checking every- Brixton. could sell out, but this collapsed when house where a cafe and info centre thing with computers, arresting and houses which were due to get contracts have been set uP. imprisoning people. In June 1981, when were evicted by the police anyway. 15 The Berlin Movement is just about the Movement was still at its height, the houses were 'searched' in one day (Aug. no one knows how or where it questiorr iame up for discussion in the dead, 82) by.l000 riot potce. 2 hard line will erupt again. However we could do Council and an incredible 50,000 houses were evicted without warning. well to learn from their achievements people took to the streets to support Numbers at demos were falling off as and methods of resistance, as well as the squatters and rioting, looting and the police had learned how to totally their use and adaption of Anarchist burning spread across the city. On Sept. control the streets. Vigorous attempts ideas... l5th 1981 General Haig came to visit were made to revive things, like the Berlin and 80,000 came out for the 'KULTURSCHOCK' festival of late '82 This wasn't will demo and further rioting. and the Tent camps of summer'83, Comment: We hoPe the eruPtion just a squatters' demo, but they certain- but the'fantasy' and enthusiasm of come through a co'operation between ly got the blame for embarassing the early'81 were gone forever. wrtrkers (waged and unwaged) and authorities worldwide. Next day the residents ( tenant s and rent'strikers ) The squatters replied to the repression Insennator Lummer announced that whose' occupations' and'insurrections' with'Counter Violence' and the guerilla 9 of the biggest squats would be evicted will overcome the divisions of 'marginal' attacks of the Revolutionare Zellen (RZ, by the illst September. Writers, artists and 'straight' which have plagued the which also stands for Red or Raging and fan ous people moved into the modern rebellions of the West. . . , Zora, the womens' underground). The houses -o protest, but that didn't help. Gimme that'ole time Social Revolution people who 'hide in everydaY On the 22nd 1000s of riot pigs carried RZ are Gimme that'ole time Social Revolution life', carrying out attacks on banks, out the evictions. Lummer gave a.victor- It was good enough for SPain ('36) stores, institutions, landlords' property, ious press conference ilside one of the And, its good enough for me! bases, etc. Radikal captured houses. Shortly after, as rioting sex shops, American began, L9 year old Claus Rattay, a squat- ter was killed when he fell under a bus during r fierce baton charge by cops. A gigantic crowd gathered and marched * to the t'victed houses, the cops were Ilr. l2l nowhere in sight, then they opened up olrt. tl from tlLe squats with volleys of tear gas. S.lohrgong It had lregun, the worst violence in t mlt tottvarELli[itsaf Berlin since the War (with the American G(-aEidrat army offering to restore order). Again radikalt.ftnnralootailtlta ..I- and aguin whole convoys of armoured zeltung fii, dcn run ouf .lle Bohomos ato2lE .-mtollntir.a tEtlr Dl^^L E laa ,l tthtnn I ORZ Dnto I 6 Buckground to'Rodikol' Triul their conspiracies can be revealed and their I Recent Guerilla Actiom plans nipped in the bud. the fascist optpr- Autum t83 sart a specEacular attack trl tunists are always loking for the right nulent ttre ccnquter centre of the ilAN euise uissile to escalate their terror tastics, especially launch trucks plant at, Frarkfurt. Over if the left resistarre is itself on ttre offen-- E500r000 rorth of damage ras caused. RZ sive. graffitti alpeared nearby and there was no disclainer. tlAN is the 7th biggest cqnpany 2. Reprcsion in W @rmanlt and specialises in transport and anranents. At the tinE of the attack it In Gernany to go ort strike is interpreted was involved in the nanufacture of 465 vehicles by the state authorities as an act of violerrce for the transprtatiqr of Pershing nissiles. (disruption of the curmunity by disrup,ting industry). Section I30 of the Penal @de Other similar attacks on property relatirg rirrciteflrent to military tnrdnare plants that cured criminalises to class war' and around this tine irrluded the Sierens raid agitation generally. According to one Sqrrene judge, any advcacry of resistance against and the Littm Systems raid. The forrer took @urt rthere place an June 8 wtren a Sierens building was the state is prnishable... is advrcacy rplotoved. Ttre latter hapened on June 23 in the form of an indi-rect atr4rea1, secud with the atterpted firebcrtring of a Litton adrraacry in the form of an at[Erent distarrcirg txrilding in D-Eseldorf (Littm, Canada, nake of oneself , thirdly the desaipt.ion of oriminal ttrc guidanc€ system for Guise). Al,so around actions wtrich invite imitation, fo:rthly adiro- tiJrE an was nade on caql in the form of giving alproval to a hist- that attsq)t VicePresident present- Bush, wtro was ql a visit to W C€rrEny, utrcn orical event with the intention of his nptorcade was attacked by angfr dersr ing it as a npdel to be imitated, fifthly strators. advaacry in the form of an announcerent or Recently the Rz (Revolutimary @11s) have predictiur of acts of violence which invite issued a stern warnirq to all revolutionrlz imitatisr, and sixthly adveacry of violerrce tEoups involved in direct action and guerrilla in the form of reproduction of the opinian rrarfare to benare of pseudo4angs - goups of others in ritrictr the author i&ntifies that udertake actions against seerdngly himself (sic) with that opinion in order to legitfunate targets but who do so ot:t of self- produce a partiofar fuSrression. (Quote frcrn, interest or because of a strategy to dissedit Iaw, Order and Politics in West Germany, b1z existirg guerrilla groups. In particular the Sebastian Cobler. ) bY Sectim 131 of the Penal Code makes it RZ point to the actions undertaken the rglarourise neo--fascist HepP grotrp, wtrose actiqrs were an offerre to or trivialise viol- innediately assaiated by scme as being attrilF ence'. Clause 111 prohibits prblicatiors or utable to the Rz. Ihe Help grouprs targets rEetings that irrite eiminal acts (the were US armlz bases, but the attacks rere p:blishers of the biogaphy of June 2 Hoverent deliberately designed i,n order that ttrcre Bormi Barmrarur were raided and charged under wis a high possibility of indissiminate 11I). hter a IIDre catch-al] statute nas forr injury. afternards, trre W Gerlrnn leftist daily, ulated to sutErc€de lII. Ttris nerr law erEbled ttre 'iag', irmediately conderrred the raid the prosecutidt of soIIEoIre not only for irrcite but at ttre sare tine feII right into the traP rent but also for 'providing the right kind of cpndenning leftist actions generall.y (which of clinate for irciterent'. In other words, is ttre route soIE situtionists have taken any infornred argnrEnt that is sitical of with regard to possible pseuderevolutiunrlt tbe state as an institution and cottld 5rovoke activity that has taken place in Italy). anti-state ideas. The Rz also later stated that revolutianarlt The big qte is 129, ntrich pernlises anyone !troups stpuld not cstfuse anti-inperialist who suports or prblicises or syrqnthises or anti+ilitarist actions with any form of with any organisation or corbination 'preju& canpaign directed against the US people in icial to the state'. The salre clause also general. Tlrey clarified that they sere not g'ovides for suspects to be placed under arb anti-Arerican, but anti{rS inperialisn. Ttrc iLrary surveillance, be raided, etc, in order RZ considered that the HeFP incident has broLlght that evidence of guilt by assciation may rmny lessons trcne to everyone. In particular be built up. Ttrose defendants who refuse to the need for clearer analysis on wtrat is cooperate under Clause 129 provide the author- happening and the need for any underground ities with the 'evidence' ttrey need: yourre or clandestine organisation/network to nake either guilty of nonqration or of support- that analysis rore widely available. ing 'cziminal'groups. Catch 22. Attending cpn- the attetrpts brlz the pseude reetings and reading prblications can be Fortunatery rsutr4>ort' under 129. giangs of the extrere right have failed in strued as for resistance the solidarity of the Ore p:b1isher, Klaus t{agenlrach, ptXrlished [teir mission to break l€stern and anarchist resistance. Ttre dirty tricks a book called 'qt the Arned Struggle in left a naf IIElIber. He was sent of the Hep Gang rrcre eventually fully eryo99O Europet, written by prosecution under I29. t{ore recently 129 ! (by Anarchy magazine, for cte, tt* initia[y for I ccrningTo the rrong oonclusion) for all to has been invoked against scne squatters lgouPs. I in fact it should be the responsibility In one best case the High Court ruled that I of""". any revolutionary rpvelrent to develq its r:nder I29 a group of squatters can be defined I as a criminal organisation in that the actions I crm intettigprrce capabilities and be ctrEtant- watchful at all tines of ttre activities of that group tttreaten the staters housing r Iy state itself. : oi tn" extre$E right so that at any opPortunity laws and thereby the - Page l7 Black Flag Autumn 198' h another test case txle srrrEn got sentenced Joint cooperatist between the security to nine rnnths (suspended) for rerely dist- states of Europe is roving into a netr thase. ributing leaflets about the RAF, cr the Ttre @rman npdel has led the uay-as far as understanding that in future she alid not providirry an exalrple of just hc far saiety involve herself with any other slrqnthetic can be nranig.rlated to give total sqport bo actiors. Iater the Higher Court siticised the corlnrate state. And other Euro[Ean coun- this judgerent fon not being harsh enough. tries are learning fast (e9, the uave of alrests every instance wtrere censor- against anti-state sitics in Italy). Ihat tn nearly the (and ship laws have been invoked it has been against is rtry g:blicatims like Radikal others), arnrchist or,Jeftist lpoups, virtually never rto\rerrEnts like the RZ, arxal situatidls like against the grcning nurber of n+fascist the Berlin sqr:atting scene are such a thorn gFoups that are springing up. The sare in the flesh to the W Gertnan authorities. happened in ttre '50's, r*hen over 20 left [trq:ps ttadikal will lropefully rise again and there I were siminalised, rtrile the right received uil.lE, no doubt, rw p:blicatims to sork protection. Ttrc jail senterEes handed outt alqrg its side. Ttre Rz have so far been { to the two editors of Radikal are nerely part untor.rctnble; r.utlike ttreir predecessors, the of the long term careaffiTn w Gernany ainred June 2 ttovement ard the RAF (Red Ar[E' Itactim), at sushing all forms of resistarrce (whether the arrest detectian rate ql RZ actims has active or passive) that is targetted at the been minimal. Also the suport base for the state. With the coognratian exterxled betneen RZ is mr:ch wider and their tactic of avoiding the intelligerrce arxl security services in going undergomd and living a colpletely different countries, and with the annolrEexrent clandestine lifestyle has seemingly paid off. that part of the uork of Radikal was being A.s for the squatting rpvefiEnt, there have continued at the fZf enarcnlst -Centre, in been scnre defeats, but ttrcre have also been Brixtql, it is not that unfeasible tc speculate scme victories too that the rec€nt raid on iZf ry rrenbers of Finally, it should orre again be anphasised the rAnti'-Terrorist Squad, rl@king for the that ttre sucial nistake tlre fN @nmn author- ELlropean connection', may b but a continuatian ities have nade in their attack on Radikal of r-his conspiracy to stafi[) out arErchist (qstensi-bly for pblishing raterial about redia in Ccnnany. the RZ, in reality for consistently froviding He are alreadl' aware that the reS (ttre an outlet for the anti-state opposition) r paratnilita:1t border police) who each year is tbat by instigating and widening censorship have to attend a cuqxrlsory 'civil warr trairr they have forced ttre resistance into, inevit- ing session, are working with British llcrre ably anal trWefully, becunirr3 nore trnlarised Defence Forc€s (narety ttre recently e:rpanded and-thereby rpre solid within itself. A polar- TA's) on joint exercises on counter-insurgerEl,. ised resistatrc€ movemnt that kns a wide base FurLhernpre, se are asare of the special erientually takes on a strategic role within schml in Weingarten at the fong Itange the class struggle and for llodel t{est Gernany Recpnnaisarpe Patrol IlQ, where NAIO counter- that can only rean qre thing: its days are insurgerry training is parovided as part of finally nurbered. joint operatiqs qr an aqoing basis. I *t Black Flag Autumn 1984 pase I8 Itelow is an updated list of libertarians LERIDA I, Irrida, Spain. MURCIAPRISON ot the moment imprisoned by Spain's ARTURO PALMA SEGURA: Murcia, Spain. sociolist government. lile urge all Arrested 16-l-78. Tried 1-12{0. FERNANDO GARCIA MORALES Sentence: l7 years, CNT member. tomrades and friends to show their Arrested 3-2-78 (Valencia): salidarity by writing directly to them or Caso Scala. Sentence: I 1 years. by sending money for them to the LERIDA II, tlnarchist Bhck Cross. Apartado Oficial de Coreos 426, PUERTO DE SANTA MARTA PRISON Irrida II Lerida, Spain. Carretera Jerez-Rota, Km.6 @rision), CARABANCHEL PRISON: MIGUEL MULET NICOLAU: Puerto de Santa Maria (Cadiz) Spain. Apartado de Correos 27007, I\{adrid Arrested 1-8-79 (Barcelona). Tried 3-5-82 JOSE RAMON CORNEJO SANCHEZ 280 - 25, Spain. Sentence: 31 years. CNT member. (Imprisoned through previous convict- ,\LVARO ALVARO DEL RIO: JOSE GRANADOS MARTINEZ: ions). Tried: 16-1 1-82. years { ,\rrested 1979 Sentence: 23 years Arrested l-8 -79 (Barcelona). Sentence 4 and 8 months. (]UILLE&MO MARIN GAITAN: Tried 3-5€2. Sentence 3l years. PEDRO GARCIA PENA: ,t years. ,\rrested 24-L-83. On Remand. CNT member- Sentence: 20 .TOSEP DIGON BALAGUER: .\rrested 24-1-83. On Remand. LAS PALMAS (Canary Islands) SOTERO DEL CAMPO BAZ: Salto del Negro, .trrested 24-L33. On Rernand" Tafira Alta, MARIO INES TORRES: On Remand. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. RELEASED: Juan Conesa SANZ; A.RMANDO GARCIA PONS: Remand. GUIILERMO'RODRIGUE Z LOPEZ Fernando Simon FERNANDEZ ; RAIMOND SOLER SUGRANES : Miguel Angel Moreno PATINO; On Remand" VALENCIA WOMENS PRISON, Fernando Merino DEL RIO; Jose Luis .IAVIER CLARAMUNT CICERA : Carcel Valencia de Mujeres, Piquero PEREZ; Emilio Nieva REPARAI On Remand. Valencia, Spain. Guillermo PALLEJA; Eugenio Asensio IOSE M" VIEITES ARCAS: MARIA LUISA ALVARO DEL RIO NOGUES; Jose Ramon Sanchez RAMOS 1 (Barcelona) Augustin Garcia CORONADO ! Arrested 3-2{0 Arrested 1979. Sentence 10 years. Sentence: 16 years. SEGOVIAPRISON: Apartado de Correos 113, ,10080 Segovia, Spain. FIDEL MANRIQUE GARRIDO: Arrested 1 -5 -78. (Valladolid). Sentence: 32 years, CNT member, JOSE HERNANDEZ TAPIAS: Caso E.R.A.T. Sentence; 30 years GABRIEL BOTIFOLL GOMEZ : Caso E.R.A.T. (Armed Revolutionary Workers Organisation). Sentence: 30 years. MANUEL NOGALES TORO: Caso ERAT. Sentence: 30 years. RAFAEL SIMON GOMEZ: Arrested 3-2-78 (Valencia) Sentence: 1 I years. GUILLERMO LORENZO TREVINO: Arrested l4-2A0 (Barcelona) Sentence: 12 years. FRANCISCO MEDIAN HERNANDEZ : Arrested 14-2.80 (Barcelona) Sentence: 10 years. MODELO PRISON BARCELONA Apartado Oficial de Correos 20, Barcelona, Spain. comit6 pro- presos cnt -ait I JUAN MANUEL FERNANDEZ ASENSIO: Arrested 23-3-81. 'f Sentence: 19 years. CNT member. FRANCISCO NICOLAS GARRIDO : Arrested l-8-79. Tried 3-5{2. SPANISH Sentence: 43 years. JORGE GIL SALVADOR: Arrested 20-5€ l. Tried l0-2{3. LIBERTARIAN Sentence: 4 years and 5 months. MANUEL CRUZ CABALEIRA: Caso ERAT. PRISONERS FRANCISCO JAVIER CANADAS GASCON: Sentence: l7 years - Caso Caso Scala. LIST. Page 19 Black Flag Aurumn 1984 HOWNEARWEREWE TO REVOIUTION ? H ow near were we to revolution in and after the last war? The first time was with the proqpective German in- vasion of Britain. This never came off ; but the prospect was near enough for it to have inlluenced attitudes during t the war for large numbers of people. The second time was with the Allied invasion of Greece, when the Govt. tried to take a large number of forseen measures tt, deal with the problem. The third tlme was after the war, when it seemed - despite the upheaval in lYestern Europe and perhaps because of the Sovi:t Takeover in Eastern . Europe -that the soldiirs councils had .i:\ii:.r! their'Indiaa Summer' in Egypt. The coalition formed in 1940 under Churchill's leadership was able to learn the lessons of the First World War, when manl of the Labour Party had found thenLselves in opposition - At Abbasia (British uniforms, l-r McNamara, Meltzer, (seated) Gregory). The Sudanese did not take industrial or military. part in the strike (they were professional soldiers) and indeed took over guard duties from the British, vrere friendly (as seen hats) was no resentments as is The most authoritarian Trade Union but in the s,wopping of - there natural in an industrial dispute, partly because most soldiers felt that, strike or not strike, guard duties had Leader Ernost Bevin was made Minister to be done in the interests of life security, of l,abour r,nd he strengthened the ihdustrial " conciliation" - in reality In the first world war, there had been likely to lose, there was a general con- dictatorial - tribunals with trade union a series of scandalous imprisonments viction there would be a revolution, and representatron. In a determination to with shooting and torture and death and many planned for it (hidine arms). 1 see that tht, shop steward movement of conscientious objectors. Not so This will be denied only by those who did not branch out as a horizontal however in WWII. Those who could use the oft-repeated lie "if Hitler had union movt:ment inside the vertical convince *he tribunals they had object- won, we would be German slaves";if movement (as-it did during WWI, and ions to joining the Army mairrly religi- in fact he had invaded these islands, still in part does) he tried to involve ous but often not were exempted un- he would have met considerable resist- the shop st:wards as much as possible conditionally or conditionally. Those ance, which would have allied itself in arbitrati,>n. This was finally success- who had reasonably articulate anti-l\'ar rvith continental resistance. It was ful after Rrrssia declared war and the beliefs faced a few years in prison at because he lost that the revolutionary immense e::pertise of the Communist most. This invalidated the role of feeling subsided and hope was placed Party was thrown behind the State. conscientious objection as an anti-war in the Labour Party because that meant The Trotsk yi'sts however, influencing force. It made it a game. Most sincere taking no action whatsoever and playing groups of those ex-CP militants discon- libertarian opponents preferred to go it safe. certed by the Party's change of face, into the Army, even if they did not There had been one or two uneasy managed s(,me minor successes in accept the line of "getting within the moments during the war when unrest wildcat ind ustrial opposition. forces" directed by the Leninists at (in other words the realisation that The pol-ity of the Govt, very clearly the masses, themselves wisely perhaps revolutionary feelings did exist in the inspired by Home Secretary Herbert ignoring it. Armed Forces) became plain. One such Morrison (.vho loathed the CP as Thus there was considerable potential was in Cairo, where Commonwealth pe'rsonal ri.'als in Socialist Hackney) sympathy for the Anarchist movement Army sergeants had formed discussion I was tolerar ce for political dissent in the Forces, beyond anything known circles and finally what they called the (after it hai banned the CP in its early before or since in Great Britain. 'Cairo Parliament'. It was nothing more pro-Hitlervar time stance) except for Commonwealth, a body growing out than a debating society but the interest- T fascists. This was because after Russia of Socialists who did not support the ing thing was that it was modelled on came intci The war, Morrison wanted Coalition (but generally were for the Parliament, and had an overwhelmirgly the CP to Le exposed for its shifts in war) had already extended itself in the left wing majorlty. It also revealed. that policy. Therefore he did not take Army, but usually in higher ranks, because of the overpowering effect of any proceedings against Trotskyists and especially in the Education Corps. the four-year-long praise of Russia, and or Anarchi;ts who would certainly Most people of the authoritarian as all its works from Dear Uncle Joe down expose the CP forever in a way Morris- well as the libertarian left thought of to the delights of the rest camps in on as a me nber of the Govt. allied "the revolution" coming at the end of, Siberia, with its forces doing all the with Russi.r, could not, until the last or precipitating the end of, the war. work of fighting to the point of making year of the war when both movements In the event, the vast majority settled all others superfluous, Communist Party faced a ser,es of prosecutions for what for safely voting Labour; but both influence was growing steadily (only they had b.:en doing with impunity during the period when Hitler looked checked by the anti-CP influence) and for five yelirs. likely to win, and later when he looked this applied to the European resistance Black Flas Autumn 1984 Pase 20 without opposition.- iro Morrison there were able to fish for members in the demobilisation but at that meeting it to modify repressionl shrinking CP pond. was decided to abpoint delegates to co-ordination. The very It was also thought that Common- The Labour Party, as one of its num- form complete mutiny had long wealth was tending to be Communistic, erous anti-working-class policies, went dividing line over into thor:gh in fact it had more in common on to decide to maintain peace-time been passed. regularlY with the SDP of today. conscription (unknora'n in Britain; These delegates who met Tte 'Parliament' was disbanded, the when introduced a few months before during the week - ignoring all military further sergrrants dispersed, and all its influence the war it had been definitely promised duties and rules - went one step push luck and form waslLed away by the Army authorities. that this was a temporary measure). and decided to their Hov ever, partly because of the immin- Not only did they propose to continut! soldiers' councils. They knew the Govt was enct of the Second Front, a new situat' National Service; after a time, the was afraid to go too far, that Egypt rising, Palestine ion rrose where a very considerable commitments they had made forced anyway on the verge of (as with the bod'r of soldiers resented the whole them to cut back on the rate of demob- ready to explode it did years' clash), role of the Communist Party which ilisation, the very thing that had trigger- following Arab-Israeli and that for the Govt to further provoke l had been thrust down their throat, and e d off soldiers' strikes in the First the the 'act of going to the aid of Russia World War. TheY felt theY were their only conceivable "tool" in t East, namely the Armed Forces witt the implication they'd been in a invulnerable. Middle rest camp all the previous time. In November 1946, when it was would-be lunacy. Tlre CP's line of Open the Second thought that all was "safe" so far as The .\rmy swallowed the pi11 by deal- Fro tt and its continual protests that upheaval was concerned, there were ing with the delegates direct, thus enab- notiring but a frontal landing on France sudden strikes in Egypt. GHQ issued ling the soldiers' councils to exist. That wot ld help the Soviet Union "carrying a laconic statement that as a result of this was a momentous occasion anyone the brunt of the war" tended to be the announcement of the new release wi.th the faintest idea of revolution must less attractive to soldiers than to factory dates, "soldiers of some administrative concede. It was one thing to have a workers where, in any case, the CP was establishments at Tel-el-Kebir were phoney debating society two years be- sh6:ring itself into a disciplinary force: missing from their work; similar fore in Cairo, organised by respectabie rep rrting "slackers" for declassification incidents took place in Port Said, Suez sergeants, but this had been disbanded for rnstance. and Abbasia". It tried to play the and anyway, all concerned must long Aiter the invasion, revolution at home matter down though anyone knows since have been demobilised. This was bec rme more remote, but revolution on that such a thing as strikes do not a new generation. the post-1945 con- the continent became a distinct possib- exist in the Army. It is mutinY. scripts, though stiffened in the councils people who had gone through the ilitl , it was thought. Chance after The Secretary of State for War, by battalions detention barracks cha rce was "missed" in Europe - the Bellenger first tried playing down the discipLinary protests, issuing constant statements and more incLined to agitate among the CP lominated Resistance movements, (\o wit r Russian aid, bY this time, and reassuring the rest of the ri'orld - ]'ounger men. women, those in the bui ding itself up in Western Europe, British soidiers rr'ere after all spread \liddle East were volunteers). tak ng over in Eastern EuroPe with out in Europe, India. the Far East - The soldiers' councils - the first in the aid of the Red ArmY. that all rvas quiet. "a number had been Britain - then decided to cail a general During this period, PossiblY under missing, they had returned. normal strike (of Army personnel). At christ- rigl t-wing pressure, Morrison decided conditions now prevai.l". But GHQ was mas in Cairo, also in the suburbs of thar the period of "tolerance" for Trots contradicting him all the time. From lleliopolis, Misri Gedida, Abbasia and anc Anarchists was over. It was just REME in Te1-e1-Kebir,it spread to the other military barracks, not only all the time when either or both had the Pioneers in Ismailia, ftom there to the work stopped (except for German opl,ortunity they never had before or massed soldiers centres in dbbasia, and POWs who continued to work, and sin':e, and failed to contact the bail. finally there was a massive demonstrat- even organised their own disciplinel) Th,)re are several reasons for this (they ion in the centre of Cairo, Ezbekiah but every military duty except patrols deserve to be dealt with in a separate Gardens. The demand was solely a ceased. (An overwhelming vote had art cle, as the extent to which both protest against the slowing down of determined that patrols continue, grew, both faced internal dissensions anrt broke up under pressure and police inf ltratiot, has not been told nor the les:ions drawn from the reasons whY bo.h missed their chances,) j'he Workers in Uniform (anarchist) grr,uping was broken up2, the corres-- poedence societies of soldiers and the pe'rple concerned went their various ways, and were demobilised in due co rrse. But the last flowering of thc rer olutionary movement was yet to I co rne. )n 1945 the [abour Government came int o power. The Communist Party by I th rn was ehtirely a right wing movement - t campaigned in the Election for a "I abour Government with Churchill as Prime Minister" and certain Conserv- at ves had countered with an appeal for the Communist vote "Vote for Cl urchill - Stalin's pal". Thanks to M,;rrison's policy of making sure their tuists and turns from pro-Hitlerism to super-patriotism were known by the , "ief:. people who would mike it known, it relaxed and The atmosphere of the strike and the formation of soldiers' councils was very iokey' never revived as a considerable force. (photo abovr the some were held in leave camps, Naatis or christian centres. At Port Foud I and Stanlev trepresenting For a time the Trots, though now dis- *iii"o sot in on the f f,I"'o11rniitee consisted of Meltzer, McCarthy ur ited and vanishing as a credible party Cairo, centre) - seated.".t. Page 21 Black Flag Autumn 1981 largely because so many British troops since though most of Europe retains the believed they would have their throats the male blood tax. I Was a Teenage cut in the night by.the local population It has never been written up. But it if they drdn't. This mistrust made it should not be written down. Among impossibie for the delegates to con- so many setbacks it would be a shame Junkie vince the mass meetings that they not to record that for two or three should c()-operate with Egyptian months we actually achieved Soldiers' was 17 when I first picked up the habit. workers. Councils in the British Army. I was the time when those around me The result of the soldiers councils It may be asked by the cynical was It - starting to grow uP' some were and the rnass meeting either caused it so important that a limited mutiny were for their lives, work' the airmcn to strike, or it may have occurred in Cairo, that it was success- taking responsibilty what enjoyed and doing it. been thal they had already struck and ful in timited objectives in that the ing out they felt I couldn't cope with this this was the first time it was brought rate of release from the Armed Forces but I to be free. I needed a way to to the soldiers' attention generally. was speeded up and what has this to struggle I the problems of this world, (Thoselvho struck were not, of course do with social change? Resistance to escape from from the feeling of powerlessness against I flying officers, but the lower ranks of the State is always important, and the vast machinery that controls iL airmen). The RAF'however faced speedier demob (involving both British the At first it didn't make that much different problems. The softly-softly soldiers and POWs) a major reform. difference I only needed a fix once a policy adopted by the Army was not When one thinks of the incredible - week, but soon I found that all mY old repeated, State mentality that was building up friends had gone out of my life. I found The Communist Party was strongly arms bases and fancy officers' resid- myself spending more and more time represented in the RAF though not in ences and hotels in Egypt, only for among those with the same habit I the Army. This tended to frighten the the ultimate benefit of an hostile Army - could only relate to people through the higher ranks though in fact there was (in the Suez war), in return for which suffocating mediation of the drug. no attempt to form councils as in the families were separated so that had it Normal relationships becarne impossible Army, and on the contrary, most of not ended when it did, thousands now and any thought of enjoying myself & what they did - apart from striking - living would not have been born, for them was suppressed healthyjoy in was to pass resolutions demanding that alone the episode deserves its - life became a childish dependance on speedier demobilisation build the place in history. But above all, what "to the otherjunkies, especially the older, new Britain". distinguished it was the building of more experienced ones, those who had a historian is Soldiert Councils; the holding of reg- I understand Marxist stayed hooked over the years as an writing the story of the RAF strike. uhr medtings to which the councils escape from their boring, alienated lives. Perhaps they will also cover the sold- were reiponsible. In the RAF general After a while doubts came in what iers'councils? council a few Communists; in the Army - if there was more to life thari this? It It shorrld be stated that in January councils, Communists were excluded Palau 1947 most of the Army positions in but not Anarchists, and it was the pre- was then that I went to see Luis Egypt were in the hands of the sold- sence of Anarchists that prevented at Croydon in 1983, and my doubts grew great marL saw the iErs' councils. They could not spread. the reactionary forces from swinging as I saw this I In Palestine, the soldiers' councils it on patriotic lines and provided an crowds, an impersonal mass, and I saw formed :ould not operate because of antidote to the pro (Labour) Govt. the stewards, many of them off'dutY the tense situation; (or rather, because tendencies. In the First World War policemen, standing threateningly about of the way in which the majority of there had been in some towns (such the auditorium, watching the audience the soldrers were inhibited by the local as Giasgow) workers councils. If only to ensure its passivity, not Iistening to situation). But in Egypt the councils there had been simultaneously and tfre words of the master' some not even operaterl during almost the whole in the same town soldiers and workers bothering to pray with him, as if their month. councils, we would have been more position of power put them above even to join The It is interesting that the attitude of than near to revolution. the necessity of seeming in. GHQ expressed again and again to Albert Meltzer. whole thing reminded me of the in Nazi Germany. delegates was, "It isn't us who wants Nuremburg rally was a you her,:. We want to get back to the It rvas then that I realised that I junkie, that religion was my drug and old prolessional army with a pride in 1 Aft", the war, an amnesty for all arms Palau a pusher. The rally was perfectly its work." Or as o4e brass hat expressed surrendered up to the police ptovided a orchestrated to make as many people it sarcastically, "It isn't us diehard staggering amount, and it was twice repeated- militarists who keep you here. It's Typically, the Trots made sure a photographer as possible take the fix and continue your Labour government, your ules there to see them carrying a pile of needing it" His great charisma was based police while (alag, purely on the audiences need to bow militants" a true statement that, weapons to the station, - typically) the anardrists in London before him, to believe and be regretfully, impressed a great many. equally down buried most of theirs for some future use accepted. Those who queued up at the Suddt'nly we learned that Bellinger in what turned out to be the site designated were already his was out and Shinwell, was in. GHQ end for redemption for a huge block of Council flats, unlikely faithful followers acting out a pathetic in Kasr-el-Nil announced that the rate by some future now to be discovered except ritual. It became otrvious that his of demobilisation was to be restored archaeologist who may think they've dug up I enthusing about the West's freedom of and the new rate would mean most an Ancient British fortress.. meant his freedom to I of those in would be out within the religion only , push his drug the only 'freedom' he t year, though National Service was to z. See The Anarchists in London - about. be retained (until the Conservatives cares me, Lies Palau got his first fix of abolished it, when they came to power Like drug at a Mission Summer the Labour Party, being associated the religous - is smuggled in behind with anti-militarism, never quite pluck- School where it facade games and sport. He got his ed up the courage). Less happy was a of manipulating rallies on the outcome in the RAF where heavY experience of Overseas Crusades, a organ- sentences were inflicted, despite the the front promote American Dream Communist Party flying out top law- isation to the yers. (lhough in fact many of the and the reality of poverty. become a sentences, were later remitted, the He worked his way up to example having been made, and those friend of various South American who had twenty years served only two dictators such as President Montt of greatest mass at most). We have not had conscription Guatamali, one of the PldiL Flla /rttetno I O9/1 D-^^ 'r) murderers and torturers of all time (but of course the greater Your sins, the greater your forgiveness, not that he PERSUCUTION OF stopped when'born again'). He is proud to claim that he stoPPed a revolt in Ecuador against the dictator there, by INITIANS revolt MEXlCAlrl converting the leaders of the (ie' into submissive bible.junkies. He then In Mexico, the National Institute for where the natives are'employed' and manual labour, went on to help dupe the workers Indigenorls Peoples,. a huge bureaucratic exploited) as cheaP improving the peasants of Asia into accepting their machine, has recently come.to light as all under the guise of here lot, and now he is coming back to being one of the main tools of oppression area" want jungle, after having preach the morality that our rulers of the l3 million Indian people living The Lacandone WORK exploited by lumber com-- us to accept, GET MARRIED' there". Since it's foundation, the progra- been totally. other has dispossessed the Tzeltak t HARD & SHUT UP. Turn the mmes and resources of the NNI have oanies thus you some the benefit of multinational cheek and let the boss exploit favoured its emPloYees, or foreign tribes, for I the thbir original links with more, and the great sugar'daddy in groups instead of the Indians it is sup- comp;nies, of work Meanwhile the sky will make it uP to you when posed to represent. Moreover, according theii environment. or the dole or war has killed You. to Genaro Dominguez, leader of the Chole, Tolojobale and Catchilquile go hunger-strikes to THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT THE Co-ordinating Body of Native Nations, Indian tribes on political freedom of thier EARTH UNDER WHICH THEY ARE the NNI has remained completely demand the BURIED. silent about, for example, slaughters of compatriots. His present campaign is being run by people perpetrated amongst the Chiapas Among the Yaqui tribe living in the Saatchi & Saatchi, the Tory's answer in Chacihualt at the end of.March 1983 desert of Sonora exist manY other for an advertising agencY, and bY or amongst the Iriquis Indians in the forms of oppression. For examPle, got Harvey Thomas, the TorY's PublicitY State of Oaxaca. The inaction of the foreigners rent land that does adviser, and paid for try bosses like NNI seems to belie the fact that this officially belong to them and grow Sir Maurice Laing of the building firm. top-heavy organisation is but a bureau- marijuana there. According to the We want to live now, not sPend a cracy whose interests it is supposed to Indians the Federal Drug Squads have living death waiting for a non'existent hold as a top Priority. Governmeht introduced marijuana to the cash crop life after death. Religion, like heroin effortS to thwart the Indian's attempts community.for many reasons; to find helps to dull our dissatisfaction with to stop injustices are illustrated in the an alibi to Put in jail as manY as this world; helps to justifY our own example of one man who is the leader an excuse to Put in jail as manY of powerlessnegs in this wdrld. Capitalism of the Iriqui Struggle and Unification the Indians-involved in the struggle who was jailed in SePt '83 oppression, and to destroy forces us to sell our power to produce Movement against their with of his comrades, on and take away their and control, to helP create a world together ten the local morale justifies credits that bevond our control. Despite Christian' false homicide charges. power. It also the (local dons Government ity, the fight is on,3nd will continue Meanwhile t]ne caciques are given to the Federal the coffee, banana in Mexico until we are in control of our own or bosses) control and American authorities to be drug abuse' lives, and the bosses and gurus are and mango soils, Pretending in the fight against acknowled- Indians hiding under stones where they belong. igSorant of the title deeds The list of extortions against ged to the Iriquis bY the SPanish is never ending. The Pajapan, Yeracruz, of town, Lets kick the Pushers out viceroys of Mexico, then bY Benito Mexica Popolucas and Najuatals Indians gates of heaven. and storm the Juarez.who freed Mexico from the are still protesting.against the seizure CAMPAIGN FOR REAL LITE expeditionary unit of Napoleon the of more than 5,000 hectares of their BNI_CRL LONDON WCIN 3XX Third last century. ln 1976 the.army property/territory for the construction ignored new legislation laid down in of the harbour of Laguna Ostian. then the favour of the unions bY the . For the anthropologists committed President Louis Echeveria, and 200 to Indian Problems and those most Indians were slaughtered by the army. directly affected the only situation Still today theY hold the Iriquian that could be an imProvement is the community at seige with frequent dissolution of the NNI in which the patrols and terror tactics. Indians have no word, or rights. The state of Oaxaca - 700 kilometres Officially more than 80 million pesos south of Mexico CitY 'witll. a 70% have been invested in our community Indian population is one of the most yet we see no result. , .The employers maltreated of Indian communities. of the NNI are living off us! saYs a Some lands'ejidos' (Collective prop- militant of the CNPI. Indignation is erties) are left for mortgage to the becoming stronger especially as the 'ejidatarios' (peasants) by the Govt' result of a recent scandal; the previous of Oaxaca, but the states's regards head of the NNI, Salomon Sitton, now I -them as zones of small property for in jail, was accused of having a hand in as a means of forcing the Peasants trading fabrics, shadey business of - pay higher taxes and to break the money intended for i. to where he Put the I communal solidarity. This is also the the clothing of young Mexican Indians reason they force the Indians to grow into his own pockets. This is of course non-food products as they must rely not isolated incident (his arest isl)' on markets for food and provisions. Tonto. ConsequentlY their economY of exchange and self-subsistence is grad- ually collapsing. Also there has been a discovery of uranium fields in the Upper Mixteque, where a method of exploiting the land is similar to that a-t used in oil-drilling: a road is built, supposedly to.help the people n the. vilfte, then some'exPerts' come and *orf on the exProPriated territorY Page 23 Black Flag Autumn 1984 tI Black Flag Autumn 1984 Page 24 Fifty years ago, on July 10th Erich Muhsam, the revolutionary anarchist poet and On leaving school, Muhsam, at the insist- writer was murdered by the forces of flitlerian barbarism in the concentration camp ance ofhis father, studied pharmacy and was of Oranienburg. later apprenticed to the Lubeck based firm Despite his being one of the most interesting figures in the German anarchist of Adler. Soon though, the repugnance for pharmaceutical profession, movement, Iittle or nothing is known about him outside his native country, and even the compounded with the oppressive home atmosphere and all less by English-speaking anarchists apart from Roland Lewin's disappointingly short too fequent violent disputes with Siegfried sketch which appeared in the Cienfuegos Press Review so{ne years ago. over his literary aspirations forced Erich td Rudolf Rocker, Muhsam's friend and comrade for the last part of his life wrote leave Lubeck and settle in Beriin. Later, '. of him , . Muhsam wts one of the most remarkable personalities I have known looking back on his childhood, he wrote Always generous in his actions he was s true and devoted fiend. He uns s born bitterly ', , . My hatred grows when I look unarchist snd refused to recognise any constraints. He htd in him throughout his life back on it and visualise unspeokable f the I- something of a child which showed itself in the joy he got from his activities in his flailings which were supposed to beat out of limitless optimism and the vibrant enthusiasm in which he firmly believed in the me all my innate feelingt.. .' A11 this left inntte goodness of human being* . , ' him with a permanent dislike for his father Muhsam, despite suffering ill-health and poverty throughout mudr of his life and authority in general. fought with all his energy every form of tyranny and injustice. His anarchism, although not always consistent, (and he was always the first to Muhsam arrived in Berlin in early 1900 and recognise, and admit to his errors) was aimed at working people, especially the soon began to frequent literary circles while lumpen-proletariat, in whose company he always felt nnost at home. Like Bakunin he working in a chemist's shop in the Wedding- believed that these people above all, rejected and despised by both capitalists platz,. Later in the year he was invited by and'respectable' socialists alike were capable of building a new society. Heinrich Hart to join the Neue Gemeinschaft The anarchism that Muhsam fought for was for the now and not some distant (New Society) cil;cle. Neue Gemeinschaft, future, and when accused by the state socialist of being a 'utopian' he always replied founded by young middle class writers and poets attempted to create basis a nerv 'I attach a great importance to being a Utopian, this means striving goals the of for for society through communal living that would which hove no roots in the present. It also means planting the seeds something for become 'a forerunner of a socially united different, something nohler and we hsve better than now!' great working commune of humanity'. Members of the group included Hart's brother Julius, Peter Hille, Wilheim Bolsche, Martin Buber and most importantly Gustav Landauer. If Muhsam had any illusions about the ly'ere Gemeinschaft, they were soon to be dashed. ERIgH Despite its vague attempt at communal liv- ing (cooking etc. being done in common), it was in reality only a debating society and soon both Muhsam and Landauer left the group, Landauer commenting that commun- ity was not organised like that. For Muhsam, MUHSAM the most important thing to come out of his encounter with the ly'ezre Gemeinschaft group was his meeting with Landauer which rvas to r1934 have a profound and lasting influence on hirn. Although their subsequent friendship, which 1878 was to last almost 20 years was always sorne- what stormy, Muhsam always recognised the At the age of 10 Muhsam was sent to the debt he owed to Landauer, more than once PART Katharineum Gymnasium in Lubeck, a school referring to him as'my friend and leader, I Sieg- run on authoritarian lines, which like my teacher and comrade'. Through Landauer, fried Muhsam, thought little of beating pupils Muhsam was introduced to anarchist writers Erich Muhsam was born in Berlin The school, in fact, rvas a sort of state within which he read avidly especially Bakunin, on 1878, April6 the third child ef a state and served on the model for the who he greatly admired. Muhsam's introduct- a middle-class Jewish pharmacist. school in Thomas Mann's novel Budden- ion to anarchism though merely ciaritied and Soon after his birth his family movd brooks. Here Erich soon began to show his directed his own feeiing, as he wrote much to Lubeck where Erich spent his child- rebellious nature and constantly resisted the latet 'I was on onarchist before I knew what hood and youth. school's attempt to mould his character to anarchism was. . .' Muhsam's home life was far from conform with their ideas For this he was always Muhsam now threw himseil enthusiastic- huppy. His father, Siegfried, a national picked out for the most severe punishment. a1ly into anarchist propaganda and soon liberal by political persuasion and an In January 1896 he wrote anonymously began to contribute articles to several anarch- to lhe Lubecker Volksboten, Lubeck's local journals ardent nationalist by sentiment ist including Der Freie Arbeiter Social Democratic nervspaper denouncing (The Free Worker) the organ of the Anarchist- (for instance, he was very proud of one of the schools more unpleasant teachers. ische Irederation Deutschlands; Der Anarch- his family name which in German The publication of this letter caused a scandal iit, Neue GemeinschaJt and Kampl (Struggle) tireless and was given to his when its author became known, and resulted edited by Senna Hoy (the pseudonym of 'ill,eans forebears by Frederick the Great for in Erich's expulsion fiom school for 'socialist Johannes Holtzmann). Through the group fighting tirelessly in his service during activities'. As no other school in the area aronnd Kampf, Muhsam met many Russian the Thirty Years War) was an auto- would take him, he was forced to continue his revolutionary exiles as well as several *'e11- cratic and authoritarian of the worst studies away from Lubeck at Parchim where known pre-expressionist and expressionist artists who contributed paper kind who ruled over his family with he obtained his baccalaureat. drawing to the From early age Muhsam showpd a including Otto Buek and Wener Da1.a. Of the an iron hand and took delight in beat- an remarkable talent for writing and wanted journals that Muhsam contributed to during ing his children for the most trivhl nothing more than to become a poet. At the tlre period 1902-1905 Kartt1t.f'was b1' far thc of reasons. When, in later year, Erich age of 1 1, he wrote animal fables, and at 16, most widely rcad, reaching a circulation ol made his desire to become a poet unbeknown to his father carned a little money 10,000 by 1905. Iror a -vear of so (until Ma"v known his father tried to beat the idea by contributing satirical verses based on local 1903), Muhsam also took over the editorship out of him! nervs and politics to the Lubeck circus. of Der Arme T ufel (The Poor Devil), a small Page 25 Black Flag Autumn 1984 posal to the Amsterdam International Anti- Militarist Congresss of 1907 organised by the Dutch anarchist Domela Nieuwenhuis he urged that individuals should refuse to be conscript- ed and refuse to pay the portion of their taxes that went on military spending. More importantly, he proposed that any threat of war should be met with an immediate general strike. In an attempt to counter the poisonous relormism of the Social Democrats he also advocated the general strike and direct action as an altemative method of workers struggle: Controry to the toctics o! negoti0tion, mutual comprornise, hiemrchicol organistions, and the representative system, he wrote direct action is the ethical principle which tends to secure a higher standard of life for the work- ers and to advance their emancipation from capitalism and centalisation through immed- iate self-help, When, in 1905, he wrote and distributed a pamphlet urging a general strike he was arrested and fined 500 Marks for his 'piovoking class hatred and encouraging violations of the Law'" In November 1908 Muhsam settled in Schwabing the North-eastern suburb of Munich. Munich, as the capital of the semi autonomous Kingdom of Bavaria offered a welcome release fiom the stuffy atmosphere of Berlin, and many writers and political activists found refuge there including the playwrite Frank Wedekind, Ernst Toller, Thomas and Heinrich Mann and the Social- ist Kurt Eisner- In addition the city was the home for many Russian revolutionaries who were forced into exile after the aborted revolution of 1905. Muhsam's move to Munich coincided Johannes lr'ohl and Muhsam in Zuich 1904 with the founding of Gustav Landauer's From Bund Socialist Fe deration) " weekly iou'nal founded by Albert Weidner, libertarian Fritz Brupbacher. Zurich Socialistischer I the Bund, was to wdting arti.les under the pseudonym Nolo' Muhsam made frequent visits to Geneva Landauer's aim, through society outside the State Through his propaganda work in general and where he became active in the German create a parallel as far through the founding of agricultural comm- his editorsh ip of Der Arme T ufel inparlicvlar, Workers Union. In Ita]y they travelled hllotment anarchism' was also Muhsam scon became known to the police, as Pisa and Florence. unities. This with the intention of pulling the who even then considered him as one of the In 1906 they visited Austria and the founded year i-elt rug a\ra-v fiom under the developing anarcho- most dangt rous anarchist agitators and put following France. In Paris Muhsam movement which was at the time him under Jonstant surveillance. most at home especially in the cabarets like s!'ndicalist Agile slowll' gining headway amongst German During these years Muhsam continued the Chat Noir and the Lapin which In Paris workers. with his lit:rary career as an extension of his were very libertarian in character. Muhsam immediately began propaganda anarchist propaganda '. . . The purpose of he also met Gustave Herve, then a militant work for the Bund in spite of his syndicalist my art'he wrote later, 'l',r the some as the antimilitarist, James Guillaume and former sympathies (he always defended Landaser purpose of my life: Struggle! Revolution! communatds. He also spoke at many meet- Anarchist against his detractors claiming his 'revolution- Equality! l1reedom!.. .'By norv a well known ings and socials in the German Club. ary settlement idea was based upon the writer, at l:ast in Bohemian circles, and gave Where ever Muhsam travelled he spread propagancla using every means thought of an extremely militant boycott of readings o his satirlcal poems in cafe cabarets anarchist speaking in workers union capitalist production and consumption'), which bro rgh him great popularity. He even at his disposal, pubiic meetings and even no doubt and founded the Gruppe Anarchist asils became th: founder and manager of the locals, closely followed Munich section. Due to initial lack of interest 'Cabaret z rm Peter Hille', named in honour on street corners. He was by the local police in every country he though the group was soon disbanded' of one of I he comrades of the Neue Geim- visited who reported back to Berlin his every Undeterred by this initial response Muhsam einschaft 1 roup who had recently died. move, with the aid of Landauer's companion a new Although always on the move during Margarete Fass-Hardeggel, founded Tat (Group Action) inMay Betrr'een 1904 and 1907 Muhsam, together these years, Muhsam did return to Germany group, Gruppe though instead of appealing with his friend Johannes Nohl, travelled on from time to time and continued to contrib- igO9. rnlt time who were in any foot to mirny parts of Europe. In 1904 and ute to the anarchist press in general but to the Munich workers' theb leaders and did 1905 thef made long visits to Switzerland mainly to Der Freie Arbeiter and its monthly case blindly following idea of employing their and Italy. In Switzerland they made a pro- supplement Generalstriek (General Strike). not react to our themselves. Muhsam sought longed stay in the artists colony of Ascona In the columns of Generalstiek Muhsam dev- labour solely for the unemployed and on the banks of Lago Maggiore as well as eloped a strong anti-militarism. He called members from amongst to tnyself, he later staying in Zurich where Muhsam became for the intensification and augmentation of lumpenproletariat: I sid the ranks of these idlers, crooks, involved I or several months with the journal the little anti-militaristic propaganda that recalled, it shattered fien, are Der lileckruf (lhe Alarm Call) edited by had until then been catried out and recomm- thugs, vagobonds ond who couW be given o hope Seigfried \acht, the brother of Max Nomad. ended that May Day should become a mass there not those in ltfe by someone showing He also b|came very friendly with the Swiss workers demonstration against war. In a pro- and a purpose Dr-^r- Dl^- t "..-..^^-- 1 iO, D--^ az them o new humone gool? Are not loziness were dragged off to prison charged again becomes nececwry he refashions them to and the inclirution to crime often only.a with founding a secret society etc. Released conform with'the rules of property,.. misdirected rebellious defiance agoinst the the next day through lack of evidence Erich As well, he chronicled and perceptively State whose oppressive calculating chartcter- Muhsam confronted the officer in charge of analysed international affairs which he saw istics are unwelcomed by them since it would political affairs and demanded that the police as a head-long rush into war. In 1912 he foist unorganic drudgery upon this sort of stop persecuting him and other members of prophetically wrote: It o war breaks out it person? his group. In reply the policeman told him will be a wotW war more horrible than Soon Muhsam found premises for the that he would not stop harassing anarchists humanity has ewry experienced, All nations grcup which served both to house a small like him until they were all behind bars will be seized by the throes of misery, Lives libr ary and act as a meeting place. Although, wheie they beiongedl Some time later the will be destroyed and entire families, villloges thcse 'outcasts of society'mistrusted him at groups local was again raided and this time cities and provinces will be decimated.., To first they soon warmed to Muhsam's person- all the nonCermans were arrested and deport- combat this he once again ca11ed for an in- ality and over the next few years became ed for 'engaging in political activities'- tensification of ant!militarist propaganda the foremost anarchist group in Munich. Muhsam was now portrayed everywhere and in addition asked parents not to give Th:y also organised many demonstrations as a villain and a dangerous anarchist and their children toys related to military games including a protest outside the Spanish Con- accused by the press of plotting every crime and appealed to workers to refuse to work sul rte against the judicial murder of Francisco under the sun, especialiy the social demo- in firms having army contracts. Fe'rer during which the official shield was cratic newspapers. Soon things became so As Kain refuscd to take paying adverts ripoed down from the Consulate's home. bad that most publishers began to boycott its' financial position soon became precarious Irluhsam's success in organising the lumpen- his articles, even literary journals on whose but Muhsam's printer Max Steinbach liked prrletariat was met with ridicule and con - money he depended on to live. the journal so much that he agreed to share ter,rpt not only from the Social Democrats Confronted with this situation Muhsam's the cost of production. an(l the middle class press, especially the only altdrnative was to begin his own journal Munchner Post, but from within the Anarch- and so in April 1911 the first issue of the ist movement itself. Landauer had little sym- small format monthly Kain appearcd, sttb- In August 1914,the war that Muhsam had pathy with Muhsam's methods, especially as titled 'a journal for humanity',,(alrl Muhsam been predicting broke out. Frorn the beginn- he imbued the Bunds idea with direct action stated would be o penonal orgon for what- ing the international anarchist movement an(l during an anarchist meeting in 1910 erer the editor, as o poet, as a citizen of was split into pro and anti-war fractions. Muhsam was accused by anothet comrade the world, and os a fellow mon had on his Peter Kropotkin and Jean Grave quickly (sc-called!) of swelling the ranks of Gruppe mind, abandoned their anarchist principals and 7a' with tramps and the dregs of Munich's openly supported the allies while Errico ta\ erns Indeed Muhsam rcplied, he had Malatesta, Alexander Berkman and Custav collected the dregs of the taterns but far Landauer'led' the anti-war fraction, Other from abominoting these people he respected former anti-militarists such as Gustave Herve them ond hod showed them how to partici- and Miguel Almereyda (the father of the pte in socialist work because it wos some- film maker Jean Vigo) reversed their position thing tlwt mattered as much to them as to completely and became'super-patriots'. so- cafie d' re sp e ctab le people'. Muhsam for his part, adopted a momentarily I.,luhsam's activities were also followed quasi pro-war position before coming out in clcsely by the Munich police. Already in Zeillchri[[fur total opposition and taking part in the fore- Apfil 1909 he was tried and fined 100 marks llen/chlfchllei[ front of the German anti-war agitation. for against the police'and 'libel on October Herau(eber; Some days after the outbreak of the war 29thhe was again arrested and charged with Muhsam suspended the publication of Kain 'founding a villainous secret society' and and-issued a statement to it's readers which 'in;itement to instigate major crimes'. He (richXuh6nr ended: In this hour, when the fote of every- v-as refused bail and held in prison until one is at stake, there is nothing essential and Ju re 1910 when he was brought to trial. nothing ot all that could concern a joumol for humanity. That is why l.have decded tu discontinue the publication of Kain the dumtion of the state of war. MI for I $hL-brri... -rrrxrErrbr{,.-.{.d(it | | Aftenoards I will again resume my plons | ,n'ukrril u. 'd. b - o-.&r.' Dhr., I I of a way to peace and hopiness. May xdlv.,,.rr,..!.a finding 1_l it be soon! For the time being let all dissen- sion in the couiltry cease. My basic pinciples Kain: Cover of first issue remoin uruffected by the current events. But I know I am united with oll Gern ans in Over the next few years Musham used the the wish that we will succeed in keeping columns of Kain to expose and condemn the foreign hordes away from our children every excess and stupidity of the State and and women, and from our cities and fields, authority- He demanded the abolition of Despite himself Muhsam was sucked into the death penalty. He lead a long fight against the vortex of xenophobia and chauvinism the official censorship olthe theatre, especia- that swept Germany. This,he explained lly a continued defence of the writer Irrank later, was because a girl he loved was at the Despite the State's attempt to win a Wedekind who was always falling foul of the time on a visit to East Prussia which soon ,:onviction Muhsam, and his lawyer Max censor. He attacked the legal system and in took the fuli force of the Russian oflensive Bernstein, demolished every accusation the particular the State's intervention in all and the realisation that a victory for Russia p:osecution put forward, and after three days qspects of everyday life. The Law, he wrote would have the double eflect of being a Muhsam was acquitted, when he proved that orders the relotionship between citizens victory for : Czarism ond would unleosh the niuch of the evidence against him had been according to what it defines as punishoble most relentless rcoctiotury fotces in our fi'bricated by the police. acts. He exposed the increasing power given country as well! Ironically, Muhsam sa$ Released from prison, Muhsam continued to the police. Nolr, he wrote things have from the beginning the conflict bets,een ideas and the position he had hrs work with a much enlarged Gruppe Tat progressed ss for thot the policeman is the his anarchist thanks to the publicity gained from the noster of all our decisions. He is always adopted, as he wrote lnhis diary: 'And I tr ial, but now he had to contend with con- with us and potenwlly conttols our most the arurchist, the anti-militarist, the enemy trnual police harassment" In early 1911, the private affairs. He supervises our desires, of notiorul slogans, the antirytiot ottd g:oup which was always under police sur- life styles, habits, entertainments, sexual implocable critic of the otmament furies, I v:illance, was raided and all those present relotionships ond artistic tastes. When it discovered myself somehow possessed by Page 27 Black Flag Aurumn 1981 the common inoxiution, fired by on imte ly much of the work of the League was pared to do things for themselves. Now he pssion.. undermined by less radical SPD'ers including saw not only the prospect of peace but also Muhsam's position was of course seen by I(urt Eisner. In June 1916 he was prominent of revolution. the press as total support for the war and in organising a mass demonstration against The Bavarian government however saw the made as much as they could from it. But bread shortage in the Marienplatz, Munich strikes in a different light and began a general his fcllow anarchists saw it as a complete during ti,hich a number of people were injured round-up of anti-war agitators. In March Ericfi betrayal olhis ideas. He was openly critic- by the police. Muhsam was prohibited by the Military ised by both Landauer and Fritz Brupbacher As the war dragged on the privation and Authorities fiom engaging in political activit- but the m()st relentless attack came from suffering of the German people became worse ies, and on 24th April was arrested for refus- Franz Pfeinfert, the editor of Die Aktion and woise. In January 1918 thousands of ing to comply with their wishes and interned who denounced Muhsam as'undeniablv munition workers came out on strike in Kiel in the fortress at Tranenstein. government and demanding patriotic a nd nationalistic I denouncing the For Muhsam, life at Tranenstein, where he an immediate end to the war. was held with fellow anarchist Josef South- On the 28th of the same month a delegation eimer was not too bad. He was able to rent of workers from the Krupps factory in Munich a room and move about freely as long as he suburb of Freimann invited Muhsam to the signed the camp register four times a day. factory to speak in favour of a general strike. He even fraternized with Russian prisoners After his address over 10,000 workers came of war expressly against the orders of the out on strike despite opposition lrom the camp cammandant, official SPD and threats of reduction in food Muhsam was released from Tranenstein on rations and forced conscription" After several 3rd November 1918 and after demanding days however the strike fizzled out when the and receiving a certificate to confirm that SPD took ovet control of the strike comm- his arrest and internment had been illegal, ittee. made his way back to Munich. Muhsam, although disappointed at the out- come of the strike, sarv that after four years Paul Albert of suffering. the rvorkers were at iast pre- To be concluded in next issue' FREEDOMAsAsocrAt PRINIPTE Gustav Landauer ERISH MUHSAM By the end of 1914 however, after much - text of a talk broadcast by the radio represents the sum of those lofty spirit- reflection Muhsam abandoned his 'pro-war' station of Frankfurt-am-Main on 7th ual attributes of human society, hgnour, sympathies, became reconciled with Landauer November 1929. glory, civilization, natural order. There (but and Brupbacher not Pfemfert, as he is after all no other word in the language wrote latei: I will probably hove to bur The history of humanity in war and which unites within itself the qualities the fin of betroying my ideols for the rest revolution, in the struggle to change, of individual virtue and those of social ol my W becouse Franz Pfemfert ius plont- improve, eliminate or preserve certain ideal. ed this notion about me in everybdy's situations and institutions, in political, That every person clearly experiences mird...) threw ald himself into active oppos- economic, religious and social dissension freedom as a social ideal is an indication ition to tl e war. 'Those who comfortably and conflict, everywhere displays the that the desire for individuai freedom acqube ond uy 'we connot chonge thittgs, incoruistency of its forms and purposes is rooted rvithing humar nature itself. he wrote 'rhamefully deseoate hunun. yet the orchestral accompaniment No propagandist promising to effect a dignity ond oll the gifts of theb ov)n hearts remains always the same. In every age general improvement in the quality of andbrain. For they tenounce without a and nation where opinion and solution human solidarity can afford to ignore struggle every uv of thet obility te over- confront confront each other, both this desire form some personal enhance- throw man-mde infiitutions ond govern. the guardians of the old and the champ- ment of life's values. It is partly for this ments ond to reploce them with new ones,, ions of the new advertise themselves to partly 'Soon reason, and because the aspiration Muhsam became one of the most be the advocates of freedom. There is to more refined forms of social inter- outspoken agitators against the war which not, has never been, and never will be a course is experienced in primitive and put his fre,:dom, not to mention his life, at movement which could hope to campaign complex societies alike as being in all (he great risk was already under police sur- successfully for support unless its comm- respects identical with the aspiration veillance for refusing to do labout service itment to freedom is emblazoned on its to increased freedom within the com- for the wa effort). At first he approached banners. Only where some moral purpose munity as a whole, that almost every well know r friends and figures in the literary has been proclaimed will followers rally public contest for people's minds takes and acadernic circles who were known for to the pursuit of aims which transcend the form of a competition in which the their anti-rvar viewq but apart lrom much material necessity, or rather which representatives of opposing world views, talking nolhing of value emetged and besides appear to transcend it; but it is as a political and economic creeds and social he found their arrogant attitude insuft'erable. moral concept pure and simple that all axioms do their best to demonstrate As the anarchists werc not really prominent the various competing parties and ass- that home-bred freedoms are the most in the struggle, he decided to work with ociations extol the name of freedom, as beneficial and to discredit alien and in- dissident nrembers of the SDP like Kurt a concept which incorporates and sub- hospitable conceptions as inimical to Eisner, Franz Mehring and Karl Liebknecht sumes all other moral values and which freedom. Were only freedom clearly with whonr he formed the Illegalen Aktion- to the ingenious understanding of every defined as people's understanding of the bunde (Illeqal Action League). Unfortunate- mass that stands in need of a leader language and its meaning universally Block Flos Ailtumn l9Ry' Pnoo )R acknowledged, then there would be no discussion of social questions as questions State and the achievement of libertarian nee,J for this competitive extolment of of a predominantly ethical nature has long communism in which each will produce socral prograrnmes in terms of what since ceased to be token as a matter of according to their capabilities and consume thel' have to offer in the way of freedom course. lnqeased social freedom will help according to their needs, yet nowhere in then it would be a simple matter to dis- to establish the primacy of ethics in every their writings does this libertarian perspect- cover what in the system being offered debate concerning relationships between ive receive more than the odd hypothetical came closest to or even matched up with people. This presupposes of course that the allusion. the positive claims made on its behalf. concept of freedom as a social phenomenon Their economic analysis of the existirlg and Unfortunately, hcwever, the word cannot simply be interpreted in exclusively desired modes of production may run their freedom is for most people only of an political terms, theories to the point of exhaustion, but indiscriminate sentimentality, and as a It is true that both established and non- they hardly devote any space to the repre- result it has been possible for its social existant freedoms will in the first place sentation of freedom as a fundamental meaning, which derives from the most manifest themselves politically, in the broad characteristic of social life. powerful of moral impulses, to become sense that all domination, economic power The non-socialist theories of society, inso- no more than the most vapid of rhetoric- included, must be politically deployed if it far as they invest the word freedom with a al generalities. In all the many centuries is to be maintained. But the applications of value greater than that of a propagandist of recorded human history there is no politics to changeable institutions and oblig- cliche, base themselves on the noted conten- tyranny, no repression and violation of ations founded on a voluntary consent are tion of Malthusian law, that productive the capacity for work and knowledge, far too narrow to ailow a universal principle capacity will never be abie to keep pace that has not availed itself of the demand of human reason to be realised through its with the increase in the world's population for freedom raised by its victims in order methods. and that the full enjoyment of life is there- to seize power. The slave who concretely The question to be answered is this: each fore reserved by nature itself for a preferred suffers under unfreedom scarcely ever tries to fulfil their potential as an individual. caste. Malthus's proposition has been so imagines themself free and so is easily It is their aim to develop and realise, freely completely discredited in practice by intens- persuaded to shoulder the burden of a and independent of enforced constraint, ive methods of agricultural production, nelr serfdom, if only the master gives a that which is unique and inimitable to their that there remains of it scarceiy anything credible assurance that it is he who will own character, their inherent capabilities, other than the formula for freedom set by liberate them from their erstwhile bond- inclinations, strengths, and aptitude for laissez-faire capitaiism: the free play of age. Thus the reason why all previous achievement and pleasure. Such independ- market forces. It is easy to see that there is struggles for social freedom have met ence, embracing personal autonomy and no place for the concept of freedom in with failure is that not one of them has responsibility, provides them with their this context, where what is intended is eve: bepn waged for the achievement concept of lreedom;without it they cannot simply uninterrupted competition between of a genuinely free life, a social situation be free, But people are dependent on the privileged property-owners, nor for that decisively imbued with freedom, but work that they do, each on the work of matter where the demand for freedom took as its point of departure the unbear- all and all on the work oJ'each, The conseq- becomes identified with a xenophobic abkness of existing conditions and limit- uence is that evert, societt faces the problem attachment to nation, race, creed, or class. ed its aims to the purely negative one of futding a solution to the so-called social The existence of soverbign power in any of of l.beration from this unbearableness. problem, in other x;ords of organising pro- its forms, whether as economic supremacy. The promise that "we will liberate you the duction, distibution and consumption in as political authority, or as any other man- peol le, the State, society, the human race!" such a way that the cotect relation is ifestation of privilege, is absolutely irrecon- and :he exhortation to "liberate yourselves, established between output and the rutes cilable with the idea of social freedom for the compulsion, the people, the State, society, the human of work on the one hand and.the natural where imposition of author- ity, government, and State persists, there race." relate to freedom only insofar as the resources of the earth on the other. Now can be no freedom for the individual except absurdity of these slogans is recognised and social freedom is generally understood to to retain independence nor for the thefu injuriousness established. The proposed mean that the organisation of social pro- his collectivity to expand the range of its-opport- alternatives are in almost every case limited duction is removed frsm the arbitrary con- unities. Liberalism wants to promote the to t1 e visualisation of relationships which trol of self-interested individuals and handed self-regulation of production by proscribing will be distinguished by the absence of things over to the totality of producers and con- intervention and describes such a the lradication of which is held to be the sumers, So it is possible - and it is this State separation of political authority and econom mea ring of liberaiion. The defenders of the which decides whether or not freedom can institutions, conditions or customs under operate as a social principle - to regulate ic competition as freedom, but ot the same time this tokes the subjugation atta,'k, on the other hand, also respond to human relationships in sucfi a y;ay that the doctine of labour by property gronted; State sociol- the rall for liberation by arguing that every- maximum quantity of goods is collectively for ism on the other proposes that the thin I that is to replace them runs counter to produced for the benefit of all, while exclud- hond legal machinery should be inyested with the ths :'pirit of freedom, and both the one side ing self-interest - and at the same time to and the other point to their representations assure the personality of the full expression goyernonce of the economy and of relation- ships people, excludes of the unfreedom of what is being fought and development of its capabilities, the full between but thereby agai'rst as conclusive proof that the values expression of its strengths and the full satis- any control by individuals over the circum- stonces live their liyes. thel propound or defend are of the essence faction ofits needs? in which they In neither of the'se coses is social a of f:eedom. So it still remains to be seen Marxist socialism evinces not the slightest freedom vbble concept, whether it is at all possible to arrive at a pos- doubt that there is an answer to the social itive formulation of the concept of freedom question and that work can indeed be organ- The underlying error of all doctrines that assume that the cause as a social principle, and how society would ised along lines rvhich ensure that the return of frcedom can be havt to be organised ifit were to plixsue the on every effort accrues to the worker them- advanced while the principle of authority aim of making freedom the dynamising self. It also postulates - in common with remains unquestioned rests on a confusion government forc: within the human community. ,all other socialist doctrines - the sociatsat- of the terms and administration. It is clear that the present context does ion of the land and the means of production The decisive factor in a reorlanisation of society not lend itself to a philosophical interpret- and with it the abolition of domination over in conformity with the spirit of atiol of the concept of freedom such as that the labour power of others. This without freedom is identified in Michael Bakunin's phrase: undertaken by Schopenhauer with regard to doubt satisfies one of the preconditions of concise Not the government of his wo fundamental moral problems. But not only collective but also individual frde- people, but the administration of thinesl this does not mean that we should turn our dom. But Marxism.does not reach beyond The task of those whose oim is to promote as the sociol is accord- b'iicks on the consideration of freedom as a the demand for economic equality between freedom pinciple communal moral principle. At the same time, to lay people. Marx and Engels, like Lenin after ingly the t/onsformotion of interdependent particular stress on the necessity ofinvest them, do indeed identify the ultimate ptoduction by Nople, igatrng the moral ospects of this problem is objective and final consequence of the social- turning it from being the execution of a duty to corry out orders aborc into not superfluous only for the reason that the ist economy as being the dismantling of the from Poge 29 Black Flag Aurumn 1981 t-/ the reciprocol fulfilment of comrudely stood. When these concepts are correctly a unitary and therefore a harmonious relat- obllgations. Nothing is more perverse than appreciated it immediately becomes appar- ion with a life of its own; that is what the people belief that will work only when ent that there is no substance in Goethe's differentiates it from the State and every driven t the overseer's On to by whip. the dictum that where there is equality there centralised power, which signify an attempt contraxy: resistance to work, in the which can be no freedom. On the contrary, free- to substitute something machine-like for past oiten taken to has been be an innate dom, understood to mean that every action the functional, living organism, a refusal to charactedstio of humanity, derives solely is undertaken voluntarily and in unanimity allow the affairs of the community to be from the t,xperience as something of work with society as a whole, is unimaginable administered by the community and a per- imposed and carried out under the . ty duress without equality in the sense of equality petuation of enforced obedience by one of ruling t,rdergivers. An acute awareness of opportunity. And equality of opporrun- group of people to the commands inflicted that to a person a be means to be comrade, ity for every member of society, in tum, by another. Let the contrast between these that comrrdeship is as integral to the satis- requiles thot there arc no dispartties in the two alternative forms of social life speak faction of life's needs as is the it to enjoy- economic conditions into which peopk for itself. In the meantime, the system of ment of rleasure and the endurance of are born and under which they can develop government from above, the system of pain, ruies out the belief that the provision their tolents and abilities to their own centralised power, has prevailed thtoughout of food, s'relter and clothing is assured benefit and to the advantage of the comm- the world and survives into the present only wher there is legal constraint and dis- unity as a whole. lt would appear that such with scarcely any realistic threat to its con- ciplinary ranction. At issue here is not the conditions can be created only under social- tinued existence. The system of lederation 'democratic constitutionality of authority, ism, which makes the question of whether from below, of co-operation, of comrade- but the very absence of authority and the collective or communist socialism is to be ship and freedom, this system of social extent to which every social function is a preferred less than urgent in the light of order founded on voluntary contract, must function r,f comradeshiP. the recognition that it is stateiess socialism prove itself workable in the real world by Democr rcy is a procedural technique by without rulers, that is the necessary pre- presenting the evidence gleaned from the which the governed themselves install their requisite for social freedom. Goethe's dim beginnings of human history and from rulers. Like eyery other system of govern- assertion was intended to anathematise the the everyday experience of the animal ment, the democratic process assumes that rhetorical emptiness of the liberal slogan world around us. The person who truly the necessrties of social life are guaranteed of the French Revolution 'Libertl', equai- believes in the future of humanity will people are kept in a only for a; long as ity, fraternity". If \r'e take up this slogan not allow themselves to be robbed of this state c< ercion. of This assumption hoids and use it to convey the idea ofvoiuntary faith by the recalcitrance of the sturdily good only in as much as the worker cannot production in the service of mutual aid by practical present. acknowledge that the work they are forced equal individuals, then we obtain the social The question of the means which people to do has social value and sees lny that the programme of a human community in might adopt in order to create the conditions return on it fals neither to them nor to the which freedom is the socially unifying ol their own freedom wili not be entered into collectivit,r, alien interest but to an determ- principle. into here, all the less so as there is consider- iaed by pt,wer or profit. This conception does not in fact contra- able difference of opinion amongst the Seen .his light the concept social in of dict but rather reaffirms Goethe's ideal, various tendencies which share this same freedom corresponds almost exactly with that the personality should be the greatest goal. Bakunin, for exampie, would take a that of g,:neralised comradeship between joy of the children of the earth. Indeed, different road entirely from the one which people, and raises the major point of personality and society can only be con- Tolstoy, amongst others would choose. whether a:rd how this comradeship can be ceived of as an integral whole, when viewed But who has dedicated themselves to made into the underlying impetus behind from a libertarian perspective. Founded on the cause of freedom and without reservat- the benefrcial activity of the whole comm- the comradeship of people who enjoy equal ion holds fast to the idea that people will unity- The scientific approach to this quest- rights, the free society is an organic entity be free when such a society has been attain- ion which Peter Kropotkin adopts in his rvhich embraces every facet of personality, ed, remembering all the while that the free fine study of mutual aid amongst animals even the individual's sensuousness, while society can be constructed only by those and peoplr not only leads him to answer every person who lives in a natural, ie. who have themselves discovered an inner in the affi: mative, but also brings him to libertarian environment experiences them- freedom, they by themselves will begin the the conclusion that solidarity is an innate selves not just as a link in a social chain, a work of liberation amongst those closest characteris.tic of all living creatures. All small cog in the gigantic machine of the to them. They wili be a slave to nobody, animals which come together in social social process, but equally identifies with ard rvi-ll knorv that only they who do not groups b rse their communal existence every aspect of the whole, which for them \\'ant to be a master can be nobody's slave- exclusivell on a natural disposition to is just as vital a reality as their own social, Those rvho respect the freedom of all are comradel, fraternity and this, Kropotkin physical and spiritual being. l|here libertar- themselves tiee and the societl' rvhich insists and Darwin conflrms, constitutes a ian relotions obtain, individual ond society binds equals together in comradeship and mode of e Black Flag Autumn 1984 Page 30 INNOSK PIEADS fuR covERNilrENT o{ LabourLeader,NeilKinnock,waSwitneSsedbymillions ,"". li';;;;k-making his plea for the supremacy trade union delegates at the TUC ln doing so he was reiecting the orr TV recently begging rJ;["J;; parliamentary democracy' (Trades Union congress) annuar conference and to put arltheir traditionar union root oi'0i,"", action B:ff:tIffifr:fru::,Y,ff:1:::;:ntn:?*"the ballot box to be the faith instead into government. perfectly clear that he considered Kinnockappearedtobeatdesperationpoint.ltwasultimateandsolemeansofchallengingtyranny..lnsayingrhetoric as the Tory hardliners events involving the Miners ini' rinno"rt uses the same that he considerei;;"i insist that the ballot clear o'etre or his party' ;; ;;ii trade unionists' They as a direct challenge to the raison and that the strike action' then "; ue the only way to make decisions could threaten-gouu'nrn"nt by.direct must - only be l{ workers - uno url industrial action can is the Labour-e"-'iyr Party as therne traditionalrldurrrvrr( sell-out tu''""tt titii" principle in what use "" ii voted on.in this way. The same arbitrator? '"n,i,n..',e"J the principar;Jinn Each time trade unions undermine l#:II:j,T:.tU.1lt:Tfljif"":t:'ff t{J'[i:H:; f utL or be one of the lowest then this in turn affects the o"'""'""t t""'u* they know it to Uo*nrn"n,, n"io' that allows issues to be , Labour party government, while forms of democracy - a system "*"nn,n",liln"in"capable'o'f in to be made in ,r{ the unions as an independent body 'niting' t in" tu'L'ricia'l' decisions ioea ttrat ir,-e ,r"i" delegated to the few' rpposition to parilameiil lr," ,urv '";;;"; power to be rear oJpo;;;" ,rnions have the po,"nriut to become tne 'n"".*L, he is against make Kinnock rejects violence not because opposition' would someone power in the same an extra-parliamentary ura LL."rr" his party receives go weak at the knees. v,"r""." de{eatism' rike Kinnock Tories do: throujh apathy' through *u, ,n" l{ violencewas the unions are far from that position and in" of responsibilities of course r:'ail;';;;, *;;';; '"j""tion traditionaily have atways sucked uptothe or ress what i:::: givins them carte urailne-io oo.o," thev l:iff"t':::^" :'r";ru:l:*h:,",*:l;"J::the authority of another' like. effective weapon to challenge He kniws that if he even gave tacit Kinnock has pressed the r'""""n tno*t this Throughout the Miners strike' ur" ol action by the unions then that and work out a compromise sorution illh" 9lt""t of the Tories to intervene "rtr"""'in turn weaken the power and legitimacy he, Kinnock, would have JJ;u the TUC to (i.e., a sell-outt, wnicn-is-what Kinnock's pi"u *"t a plea for with Labour the Tories ;;;r ;;;,r- put done if he,d been in charge. As Min"tt had made and to their behind the scenes for years Kinnock have been secretly intervening ';;;;""; "lvlnces^th1Party as a negotiating body non-political strike anyway t"lti-in tr'" Labour - there's no such thing as a u ut he saw his partv being dispute has been to #;;;i' sougnt and Thatcher's part ,n"ri" .urr"ni 'oi" lt was an act' perhaps' of a to back the class enemv to the hilt ;;;;; i"-:"":"o.tl1"" where it avoid compromise and a fleeting vision of a future society interest in solving the dispute in ,;;;" had their Kinnock has never had an and communities who controlled only in securing a' vote- ;;;tn;;"'kers or any the interests of the miners, without the intervention of government rn"'f-"C;r, iarty anA ens-uring that direct i"ti'rl'' him' catching, role for t"P;:^ji;;;;"iir;iv "*";;;;il;itv' And the thousht sickened confrontation (something the Labour tn'"0 away from) is avoided at all costs "i*"r" Page 31 Black Flog -{urunar 'i! Vancouver 5 Attltrl IIANSEN ,NTmlrnN QUESTION: Facing life in prison, would 1ou have done anything differently ? Answer I'm definitely still a feminist and an environmental- ist and an idealist. Obviously the most serious mistake that we made was the Litton bombing ,itself. We should not have plac- ed a bornb beside a building where people were working. I was very shocked to say the least that the building wasn't cleared. when the bomb threat was phon- ed in. It was explained in the bomb tlrreat that there would be Ann Hqnsen Brent Toylor a van parked right up against the building. There were relatively few emlrloyees working at the A: In retrospect, it would have been more a conseryative person who belongs to the time of night. It would have taken politically honest if I had just refused to Socred party or any member of a gun club, nothing for them to have cleared coiiaborate ur rhe begrnning and I would fires at what is essentially a human sillhouette have just pleaded guilty as well, because if It's a standard procedure" We shot at oil and the building. It wasn't until the you don't collaborate, the trials;ust go other cans and drums too. you. bomb stluad arrived that they along without There's no point in Q: You've been portrayed as the ringleader cleared the building, and then, sitting around for two or three years waiting of the five. Do you feel you led others, for to be sentenced. example Julie Belmas, down the garden for some other unknown reason! you Q: Did you ever consider getting a job? path, or were all equally committed to the bonrb exploded prematurely \{hy did you steal guns and money? these actions? - 12 minutes early. A: \Vhen 1,ou're living underground, trying A: I certainly wasn't the ringleader and to avoid the police, ;.ou can't have jobs or Julie has said that herself. She has said in on you her defence statement there are things she Q: Do you take responsibility for the injur- be UIC ol r\'eh-are because that tags to the police. The ueapons are got self- regrets. When you have people with different ies that the Litton workers suffered or do for defence. There u'as never levels of political experience some are 25, you blame the guards and police for not an!'plan to kill - some are 30 perhaps there's clearing the building earlier? anyone. Some people have sondered u'h1' - differences there were so man)' \\'eapons. \\'e had a lor in levels of responsibility and those that A: No, I trke responsibility for it. The more than we really' needed. have been politically responsible, active for mistake rvrs that you can't rely on the 10 1'ears rnight assume a leadership role, police or security guards to act. Someone If you had guns, isn't it a corollary that Q: even ii its just at a dentonstration. But there could havi been in the washroom and not violence can happen? is ro sa1'an1' of us manipulated others or heard the :vacuation order. So that was a A: We would have fired back if we were ta-1ked them intc an1-thine. mistake ar d I take responsibility for that... fired at. of course he amorrnt of explosives used Q: Of course, if 1'ou're committed to doing Q: How do you feel people reacted when was well irr excess. illegal actions, you have to be preparcd to tapes werc played (in Court) of you saying spend some time in jail. {ere you really Q: When you heard what had happened at you would have shot to kill at a Brink's prepared serve life sentence? Cheekeye-Dunsmuir, at Red Hot Video guard? to r A: We all had different levels of prepared- stores in the Lower Mainland and at Litton, A: Probably we lost some support because ness for jaiL I don't think everybody should did you feel you had scored success? most people don't plan robberies so they consider behg an urban guerrilla. It is a A: At Litr.)n, I didn't feei any el ation at don't sit around in their house talking about full time occupation and takes a all when I heard what happened. It was one it. l:t of energy, and it's true you could be killed or of the mo't traumatic experiences I've ever The wiretaps were so false. If you're sitt- you could go tojail for life those are the had. It wa; just horrifying. ing around your house, you say an awful - realistic consequences. If you're not pre- With Ch:ekeye, I felt happy, I had no bad lot of things you wouldn't say in public - pared for that, then you shouldn't be a feelings at ali. I consider that thing a piece weird jokes, gossip, jealousies things that - guerrilla. of garbagc and I rvas glad to see it de(troyed. happen in everybody's home or family. I Nothing slops B.C. Hydro, but we wanted feel a lot of the things said in our house we Q: Did you bare your teeth and shriek as to stop thr: progress at least for a year or had the right to say in private. you threw a tomato at Judge Toy? Do you so. So I fe t happy about Cheekeye, and think that trivialised your political state- Your mother said you wouldn't the same about the Red Hot video the Q: has hurt ments earlier? - anybody. Your friends have said you're an fuebombings did seem to help. The media A: Of course I didn't bare my teeth and I animal lover and an essentially gentle person scrambled to every feminist's door trying didn't shriek, He was such a cold and merci- Yet in the press and in Court you came to find ou i what the issue was all about, less judge. He didn't believe Julie's statement across as a shoot at and that hadn't happened for months. tefiorist who would of contrition about the injured people at human sillhouettes and stopped at nothing. Litton and she really meant it. He sentenced Q: Do you wish you'd come clean at the Which is the real Hansen? Ann me to life and 20 years without even looking very beginning and made a political state- A: I don't think I would hurt anyone. I've up! ment o( d,r you believe you had to let your never shot at anyone and I've never killed lawyers attempt to argue about the admiss- anyone. I can't say I wouldn't shoot if I was THE PROVINCE Sundav June 24th 1984 ibility of evidence such as surveillance. shot at in a robbery situation. But anyone, Black Flag Autumn 1984 Page 32 Yancurver 5 REttlT TAYLOR ,NTmilnil purpose petuate My for speaking today is suffering in order to secure power activities which really place us a'11 in very simply to reaffirm my committment to and profits for themselves. I understand grave danger. the basic values and ideals which motiv- that the nations of Canada and the United Far more important than the fact that ated me to sttuggle. I believe that both States were founded upon campaigns of I've broken some Laws of Canada are the the ideals, and the struglle, are just and genocide against the indigenous peoples reasons I did so. State militarism is slaught- that they hold the promise of a better of this beautiful continent and that the ering people in ever increasing numbers. future. I continue to desire the creation basic intent of these genocide campaigns The ruling class of the western world is of societies based upon feminist, human- continues to this day. I understand that preparing for imperialist war to stop the ist, co-operative, ecological, and non- industrial development of the scale occur- advance of anti-imperialist liberation authoritarian principles. ing ir the world today will inevitably kill struggles. The entire planet is threatened Illegal activities were one part of my the earth's living biosphere. I understand with nuclear war. Western civilization is political activism in the struggle against that the escalating war preparalions of forcing its domination throughout the the injustices and threats to life manifest Western nations is the result of imperial- world - exploiting people and suppress- in modern industrial civilization, and the isms desperation to prevent further losses ing their cultures with the production of political and economic system of imper- of its empire to ongoing liberation move- every M-16 rifle, automobile, television ialisnr. The overall purpose of any illegal ments in the Third World. set, rock and roll supergroup, or can of activity I was involved in was to further In my opinion, it is essential that we hairspray or underarm deoderant. The develop this struggle and thereby contrib- stop industrial civilisations destruction earth's precious environment upon which ute to the possibility of a better world - of the environment and that we stop all life depends is being relentlessly des- one iq which all people can finally live imperiatst war and the launching of troyed by industrial development from in freedom and international unity. nuclear weapons. It is not enough to the rain forests of the Amazon basin to Fven if this does not come about in my simply be concerned about such things, the dying lakes of Northern Ontario. It lifetime, it is my hope that one day our or even opposed to them. We must stop is only because of my active opposition future relatives will liire in such a world. them from happening! I believe that to these enormous injustices that I am in I fiist began to becorne aware of social moral and political responsibility requires Court today. people reality during the latter part of the 1 960s of that we develop an effective It may seem like arrogance, but I mean Since then I have never been able to resistance to such thiags. I say this resist- this in a most humble way - there are too accept the existence of so many horrible ance struggle is essential because unless many people in our society who have injustices within human society, nor we can prevent such things from happen- their heads in the sand concerning these could I ignore that so many of the injust- ing, life on earth will very likely be enormous injusiicris. I realise that there ices resulted from deliberate decisions by extinguished. are many reasons for this, and therefore the e,:onomically and politically po\Mer- It is as a direct result of this analysis I feel sorrow - not anger - in regards to ful people of western industrial nations. that I felt the need to take action to do the overall spiritual and moral poverty of The rvidespread protest and social move- what I could to directly resist the escalat- Canadian people generally. The struggle ments, which took to the streets in the ing life-threatening tendencies of imper- in Canada, I've come to believe, is for 1960s, opened my eyes to a whole differ- ialism and modern industrial civilisation. people living under this system to over- ent plcture of what life is about than I Even though I recognise that there are come their allegiance, acquiesence and had previously seen in nursery rhymes, many important and necessary forms of participation in it. We have a great task children's tv programmes, or school. illegal before us in Canada - to create a better I paic attention to what was happening legal political work that people must be world, a better society because I felt that something had to be involved in as part of an overally struggle society, not for bread and shelter for our- fundamentally wrong with the system to make better societies, I was involved selves, but because we recognize that it since so many people were putting their in illegal protest work because there is a is wrong to live the way we do: off the hearts and energies into protesting real need for directa ction now against spoils of imperialism and the plunder of against it. the most critical threats confronting the the earth. This will take moral and spirit- I lerrned about racism. I learncd about people and their environment. Ultimately ual understanding and strength. I pray the Vietnam war. I learned about the in- I believe that the destruction of the that we are able to find it in ourselves. humanity of capitalism, and the evil greed imperialist system is necessary for the Finally I want to say that I am a human- and hypocrisy of the powerful. I learned wrongs it causes to be righted, and that being - not some stereotype. Like all of why r.o many people rejected the spirit- only by popular revolutionary struggle us, I am imperfect. But I am not an evil ually vacant, obsessively materialistic life- can people ever take control over the person, I deeply care about this world style of the status quo. I was inspired by direction of our societies from the greedy and the peopie living in it. To me, the peopie's dreams for justice and liberation and powerful and thus begin to build struggle for freedom and fberation and and for a society based upon love and truly just ones. to protect the earth is more important sharirg. I considered myself to be a child Although the Court says that the only than anything else. of peace. I was not then, nor have I ever thing of concern is whether or not I broke Brent was sentenced to 22 years for the been. a violent person. some Laws, I submit that the actual real- conspiracy to rob a Brink's truck, break Fol the whole of my adult life, have ity of this case is distorted and obscured I and entry, theft and possession of stolen participated in a variety of political by the State's legal definitions about what activ- property, dynrnite and weapons. He will ities involving many issues. I have learned is relevant to this enquiry. I say that people be going on trial in the fall for the Litton a lot about the real character of system people should not allow their perceptions the boming. we live under and why it is the way it is. of what is really at issue here to be distort- I understand that there are common links ed and debased by the self-serving and between the many grievances and critiques moral hypocrisy of the State. The State that people have about the system and the has assumed the power and authority to put qualily of life generally in industrialised put me and my activities under intense societies. I understand the sad truth that scrutiny, but I say it is really the imperial- some human beings really do consciously ist system and industrial civilization that exploit other people and knowingly per- should be scrutinised, because it is their Page 33 Black Flag Autumn 1984 hitech firms are encouraged to move DEgENTRAI.ISEI) in. Previously militant work forces, having faced misery on the dole, gladly accept employment in new small TOTAIITARIANISM factories vastly different to what they had before. Unions, where they exist, are powerless and bound by no-strike It seems fairly obvious that when Futurologists and some economists agreements etc. And of course small talk about a third industrial revolution they are not exaggerating. The units employing at most a couple of people close up and open continued innovation and spread of what is called the 'new technology' hundred can somewhere else just by moving the (a term that covers anything from industrial robots to computer machines and computers (less bulky and the deliberate rundown of heavy controlled electric toothbrushes) than car plants, you'll agree). industry point to a fufure socio+conomic system that is markedly Those not employed in the new different from what has existed in the recent past. At the time of industries, either personally because writing the miners strike is in its 15th week with neither side willing of previous militancy or because the to back down and in some cases the miners taking the struggle out onto area they live in is unsuitable for the streets (for example the attacks on the police station at Maltby in exploitation, will become part of a ' South Yorkshire). In many ways this strike is of decisive importance, permanent underclass of unemployed. notjustforthemining industry but for society as a whole. The govern- These people will never work. They will ment is rleliberately attacking the coal industry not just to destroy the be a class to frighten the employed and miners and class solidarity but because it is an integral part of a policy who are simply not needed anymore. The tensions this will create will be the of smashing heavy industry right across Europe. new terrain ofthe class struggle. The I should perhaps point out that I com, weapons systems etc.) or services tensions between North and South in know fuck all about economics so (programming. analysis etc.) would Britain will spread, become almost anyone interested in figures and graphs depend on the rnanufacturing bases in permanent. Black people will almost should look elsewhere. What I aim to the Third World for components and certainly be a large part of the perman- do is sketr:h a few of the trends which raw materials. ent unempioyed, and excellent for are visible already and suggest how they A good example is Sinclair Research, exploitation by racists. Inner city and might develop. one of the pioneering companies in suburbs, professional and manual. All The trend in the capitalist class that this field. The mother (or father) the tensions that already exist will get Thatcherepresents is probably the company, Sinclair Research, employs worst, much worse. most advanced and powerful. They less than fifty persons. Mostly highly- The state is well aware of what is have definite plans and aims for the paid professionals. The actual assembly coming and they are already arming future, they are very forward looking. of products (home computers) is sub- themselves with new laws. The miners What thel aim for is a Decentralised contracted to Timex in Scotland, who strike and mass demonstrations give Totalitarianism that would guarantee get the components mainly from the them more experience and are leading total profits and almost total control. Third World (Korea, Taiwan etc.), to an evolving national police force. They no long see heavy industry where they are produced in appalling Again the new technology is just what as vialy profitable in West Europe and conditions to designs by Sinclair Re- the state wants (why do You think it so they have deliberately run it down. search. The distribution was originally exists?), computers, better communi- The organised working class (even by mail order but that too is now sub- cation, new arrns all are excellent those in re formist unions) demand too contracted. It's no surprise that Sin- instruments of oppression. The police much in the way of pay and conditions. clair Research is held up as the modei will equip itself with all that it can Nationalisation the tactic of one sect- to follow, (notice that its owner is use. and it can use a lot. And it will all ion of the ruling class is being largely now S/ Clive Sinclair). Any industrial be aimed at the inner city unemployed, abandonerl. The answer has been to action or improvements in conditions at the population as a whole not just destroy inlustry in West Europe whilst which threaten profits anywhere along the minority of revolutionaries. Places investing in heavy industry in the the line could simply mean switching like Brixton, Toxteth and St Pauls will third worlC. The reasons are obvious, sub -contracto rs. be under police occupation, the likes of the third rvorld states guarantee low The government has bent over back- which only Ireland has so far seen. pay and n,r strikes. The present wards to accommodate this sort of At the root of all this is the new miaers str.ke is a direct result of this system. Places like South Wales have technology. Possibly the most techno- polioy. The state wishes to turn the been opened to hundreds of new-tech phobic section of the population is the mines intc highiy profitable small companies. Nearly all of these com- Left, and that includes anarchists. Most scale units. with few workers and no panies operate in small units. IBM the radicals seem to think of computers as unions. biggest company of them all operates evil incarnate. The truth isn't that Ifwe accept that the state no longer internally in the same way. Small units simple. When industrial robots take wants or reeds a manufacturing industr- of professionals are given corporate over an unhealthy, boring and badly ia1 base u hat is it replaced with? The autonomy to work almost independ- paid task should we reject it? Of course answer seems to be small scale hi-tech ently, only staying within the IBM not. What we should object to is what factories ,vith few workers and in- 'family'. It's no surprise that unions capitalism does when that task is given house (i.e . bosses) unions. The trend are not allowed at IBM. And of course over to robots. The problem is not would be away from centralised industry all the shit work is done by poorly- robots but capitalism. The new technol- with cent ralised workers movements and paid women in South East Asia. ogy is potentially liberating, capitalism toward hghly organised decentralisat- Supposing this hi-tech decentralisat- will pervert that and liberate our class ion with ro real workers movement. ion spreads, what happens to those straight onto a life-time of the dole. These smali units engaged either in hi- unemployed? In areas where heavy Innovation in electronics has not tech man rfacturing (computers, tele- industry has already been destroyed the finished and it's impossible to tell how Black Flag Autumn 1984 Page 34 fa r it will go . But what shall be a problem ion by home computers. Central comput- most likely work from home using (i: exists already), is the revolution of ers can illegally be accessed by home home work-statiorfs (this already application. What will happen is that computers who can either copy the happens on a small scale). Those sti1l tlLe separate pieces of equipment will info, re-arrange it or wipe out files employed among the working class b,: integrated and reduced in scale. completely. In the US it's already a will have less freedom to organise and The application of this equipment major problem. Computer crime is be less central to the economy. The will cause immediate problems. For costing the banks millions. And those large number of permanently unem- example combined video/TV/computer/ who get caught usually don't get pun- ployed will be stuck in the inner city of getting out. They telephone/security systems will come ished, in jail it would be easy to spread with little hope permanently at wai with the tr, dominate homes and lives. And the the know-how. Also just as they monitor will be police, among s]'stems will work two ways, they'll us we can monitor them, who they are, and unfortunately, themselves. be able to watch us as we watch TV. where they are and what they do. If not hopeless, this process of mov- Shopping will be by computer/TV it doesn't sound too fanciful I believe It's to the Third World will take linked straight to your bank account. in a few years the state will have to ing industry class here still has Money will almost become redundant, come to terms with the problems of time. The working power. It's by no means certain that the ercept for the working class who will computer guerrillas! be the only target for muggers. Central- So if what I've outlined above is in-house unions will not turn into ised computers will be able to follow anywhere near correct then Britain genuine workers unions. The unemploy- ur everywhere. It's not a nice vision of will be transformed into a powerful ed can do much to organise. Resistance the future. decentralised totalitarian state. The is vital. And of course we can start by But computers readily adopt them- class of profeisionals living in the using their weapons against them, get selves to decentralisation, to local suburbs will have considerable econ- over the techo-fear. Smashing comput- networKs, direct person to person omic power and social freedom (as ers won't get rid of them. communications. Central computers long as they don't get stroppy). They M. Black are wlnerable to attack and interrogat- will live in computerised houses and en in Greek by Chionis, Luzi and Luca Christofidi. The Italians Y ozai, Lotzi and Greeh Worhers Movern- Pitzoritti were expelled from Egypt in 1 9 I 1. Later Doumas together with the ent ln Egypt 1872 -l9ll Italian anarchists Jabio and Antonio were also expelled. piece we have seen Greek workers of The following was written by a As the The llorker Doumas' PaPer, in 1908, Greek Marxist-Leninist historian, Gianni Alexandria, most of whom were from after only a years publication, stopped Kordatou, and is part of the thirteenth Corfu, founded the workers club with coming out. However its propaganda chapter inhis History of the Greek Work- the name of Brotherhood of the l|orkers had great affect among the Greek workers et s Movemenl (Athens' 1 93 1). The book in 1872. (printers and cigarette workers). Generally covers the period from 1880 up to 1920 Later the Internationol Cigarette the cigarette workers of Egypt, came to and despite some distortions, snide llorkers Club was founded in Cairo. This and Volos where they played a point Pireaus remarks and patronisation he cannot deny was at the high of the Egyptian vanguard role in the Greek workers great /' the influence of the Greek anarch- tobacco industry. movement. ist movemsrt. In 1907 the workers paper with the (Translation: P.P.) In the period covered the Greek worker title The Worker was distributed, it was uas spread across the Balkans and the brought out weekly then monthly by the l. The International Cigarette llorkers ClLtb was founded 1894. In this year the Middle East, and like the Spanish worker old socialist from.Athens, N. Doumas, a around ffust stdke in the tobacco industry (cigarette of later years, spread their knowledge and shoe-maker, who stayed at Haret-el-Nous makers) took place in Cairb and another of socialism, which in those have a Marxist tlte activity Nousara. Doumas did not occured in 1899. ln these strikes about 1600 days was generally anarchism. In almost education (sic.) and was mostly a support- workers were involved. Both of these strikes arl cases the Socialist groups consisted of er of anarchism. However until his death were won thanks to the workers solidarity. a tiny minority of Marxists (at odds with he stood up for and by his convictions. At the head of the 1899 strike rvere A. Pappas erch other), usually intellectuals, and a ln 1912 an anarchist pamphlet Down with N. Chrysoudis, S. Blachopoulos, N. Xaidis, large number of anarchist workers. the-Mask was distributed, written by Muhammed Sidley and Solomon Coldenberg Egypt, in particular the cosmopolitan Stavros Kouchtsoglou 2' a tobacco wo,rker who was, it is said, the leader of the Cairo period. Also cLties of Alexandria and Cairo, was home Like the doctor Sarafides, Asteriades J' workers movement in that active were the Boursonides brothers (anarchists), t,) various immigrant communities of and Joseph Chionis, he was also a helper N. Gdanis and G. Mavros. u,orkers for a large period of time. Chief on the paper The Worker with Doumas. among these were the Jews and the Greeks In this period the print workers organ- 2. Stavros Kouchtsoglou was one of the great- with and indeed large Greek communities exist- ised themselves into an International est of the Greek anarchists In contact anarchists in Europe (he met Malatesta among ed in Egypt until they were expelled by Syndicate of Printworker,r, which had a others), he was active in Egypt, Turkey and 1950's. piece Greek Joseph Chionis as its Nasser in the late The that section, with Greece. I{e took part in armed expropriations f rllows deals with the workers movement secretary, Another printworker Gerasimus of banks in Constantinople (now Istanbul) nrainly among the immigrant communities Luzis, with Chionis and the Italian anarcho and in Alexandria. He also represented the Any snide remarks are not my own and syndicalist printers Vozai, Lotzi and tobacco workers at the fust two conferences are to be expected even from a reasonably Pitzoritti influenced all the print-workers of the General Confederation of Greek Work' l,onest Marxist-Leninist. I have added to in Egypt at that time (1907-1913). As ers where, along with K. Speras and Fanouraki, some of the notes to give a greater outline their organ they had the weekly Buletino he led the anarcho-syndicalists against the Marxists. His pamphlet Down With The Mask c f the later activities of some of the Typografico, and with the active move- published in Cairo in L9l2 with an introductior anarchists. ment of the print-workers they won the by another Egyptian-Greek anarchist day where previously they had eight hour G. Sarafides, was reprinted in Athens in 1984 A lively workers movement appeared 1 2- 1 4 hour days. by the International LibrarY. at around period (1910) Tt,e Buletino (it came out from 1909 that in Egypt, 3, The worker K.S. Asteriades, published a nainly in the big cities of Cairo and until 1914) gave great service to the syn- property'money period pamphlet Capital.- work or hlexandria where many Greek workers dicalist mo'iement in Egypt. In the where he propagandised the ideas of workers vzere employed, 1909 to 191 I two of its pages were writt- clubs and syndicates, in Cairo (1900). Page 35 Black Flag Autumn 1984 position in between, to which the vast majority of society belong - neither 'non-violent' in-the Gandhian sense nor WHAT IS THE 'violent' in the mad axemen sense); on the other hand they are apparently undersold by the Nationalist and 'armed 'armed scholar' theory of revolution ANARgHIST which proclaims the mantle of guerrilla action for conventional militarism and uses revolutionary phrases to cover divisive military tactics. MOVEMENT ? This type ot reactionary 'revolution' - the'liberation' movement with one The first time I was taken to Court - movement. (In this the Russian cops foot in "the revolution" and the other and was assured it was "not political" - may well have co-operated). Marxists in inter-State terrorism - is something that couldn't happen here! - the prosec- were referred to as Anarchists, Anarch- the international police once tried to ution none the less brought up the shock ists were referred to as Nationalists, identify with anarchism - and parts horror stories against anarchism includ- Nationalists became Anarchists and of the Press still do. ing (of al) things) Sidney Street Siege. Marxists combined; nobody was ever Claiming to be within.,the Anarchist I protested. The 80 year oldjudge, to be referred to as what they were. movement, however, equally trying to who loverl the chance to appear contrG' On the various consequences, some. 'undersell', are those who claim to be versial and paradoxical and be quoted times comic, sometimes tragic, we have so revolutionary that they are against in the Press, commenting, after acertain- commented throughout. the years. revolution, so much into action that' ing that the seige was a one-off affair, But one, perhaps intended, result of they reject all action, so much more "What a .vonderful record - a political this has been on the anarchist move- 'anarchistic', than the Anarchists that movement with no criminal scores ment itself. One lesson of history is they are not into anarchism. This is against it for over 25 years". (Unfortun- that persistant caricatures can beget merely the High Camp of revolution, ately for him, next dai the Press was the very thing lampooned or distorted. that appears to be activist but uses one full of the Munich Pact). The Christian caricature of witchcraft cause to discredit another. It is against Sidney Street is now over 75 years for instance, led to old women think- strike action because "the masses" are old. The liction writers who created the ing they could or did fly broomsticks misled; it is against solidarity because "shock h,rrror" carilature of anarchism and kiss the Devil's backside: they only they must be prodded into action. This are dead "rnd sometimes forgotten learried about this through the religious is apparently the antithesis - but really (William te Quex, G.K. Chesterton, opponents of the old religion. Italian a synthesis - with the quietist who Joseph Ccnrad, Phillips Oppenheim). Communists not wanting to break opposes any form of action and is New cari':atures have been offered. Yet from Christianity have said they are cynical of any social revolution or the old c:rricature still exists; still news- Protestants, but haven't a clue what that workers' advance. papers carefully refer to "self-styled" means except that it's against the In rejecting any of this rubbish as Anarchists lest they be accused of Roman Church. 'anarchism' and putting its proponents libelling someone on trial: still the Le Now one of the biggest problems of firmly outside the door of what we Quex image is conjured up by hack the Anarchist movement is that it is regard as the anarchist movement, we journalists; still we have politicians beset not only by professed opponents may be accused of setting ourselves referring to Statist and nationalist gun- but opposed by some who claim to be up as a kind of party leadership. men as "anarchists" because they are Anarchists while fundamentally dis- Certainly the party formation has a using illegal violence as opposed to agreeing with its basic principles. vast number of deficiencies; but it legal, Many would like to filch the history does not follow that there are no Though numerous articles have been of the Anarchist movement, Take some problems by having no party structure. written by journalists discovering anar- examples. The Marxists often refer to If we are to assume all these tenden- chism or particular anarchists with naive anarchist episodes in working class cies are within the Anarchist movement surprise -- and very often portraying history as if they were concerned ia it. it is a verl' peculiar movement indeed, them synpathetically - though tonn- The Trots will cite episodes in the rent b)' differences and arguments. If ages of alarchist literature have appear- Spanish struggle though in fact they w'e confine the term 'Anarchist ed and br:en road, and innumerable meet persistently opposed it - and equa[y Movement' to mean. what it plainly meetings held, some of which must the National Front, in its new Strasser- ought to mean. that movement which have perr;oiated through to the purvey- ite direction, quote the struggles developed out of working-class struggles ors of news; though book reviewers against Bolshevik tyranny as demon- and consists of those who believe that have conrmented on books by Anarch- strated at Kronstadt, by those who anarchism is desirable, is immediately ists (ver) often falling back on "the would havp used fascistS as target achievable given the will, and who work gentle ararchist" cliche to distinguish practice had they appeared. There is to those ends, it can be seen that the from has the cliche), the situation not not much difference between this and Anarchist movement is (perhaps) really si-nce 1935. chinged say the liberal pacifist claiming to be smaller, but has a distinctive contribut- one time late J.B. Priestley At the an anarchist and appealing to 'our long ion to make, and a purpose and deter- discoverr d anarchism - and how it and honourable' struggle in Spain, mination equal to an1 ihing in its would w rrk for "ordinary,decent Russia etc - as if it had anything to do history. people" ,resumably thilking that it with those who would neutralise and It is a development conditioned by had previously been advocated by dilute anarchism with the prior qual- the would-be encroachment on our lunatics, and that he had worked out ification'non-violent', thus stigmatis- movement that today the Anarchist (he got the logic of it all by himself ing the Anarchist movement as 'violent' movement is genera[y inseparable very cro:,s when Herbert Read claimed (to the delight of the shock-horror from anarcho-rrndr"urrr-, to have p:ot there first, and abandoned brigade). O.r. it). The shock-horror brigade has induced During the peak of post-war European two complementary though apparently Resistan;e the German police, and ooposing tendencies, On the one hand through them, the international cops, Anarchists are placed in the position of were giv:-ng directives to the press to denying they are random homicidal distort tire word anarchist, in a plain maniacs (and by denying it being iden- effort to disorientate the growing tified with pacifism, as if there was n^ Black Flas Autumn 1984 Page 36 questions as were not directly relevant Its a great pity anarchists couldn't to the struggle at hand. It may even be have done more duripg the builders TETTERS argued,that there are instances of auto- strike of l972.The State of that indust- nomous anarchist societies that have ry now is a good indication of how won their wars of existence and become workers can be divided by not having Dear friends, "acceptable", but that, in doing so, they a clear objective. The miners have one As regards your excelbnt have ceased to be anarchist. albeit not our ideal, but a goal just the publication, you are surely the finest A11 this would seem to suggest four same. The building industry is rife with | 00% revolutionary anarchist trself-employment" hardcore possible options for anarchists:- a misnoma if ever paper and around. Consistently regular- 1. To advocate the establishment of an there was one how can wage-slaves ,'very you - ly two weeks deliver the autonomous anarchist society which ever be self+mployed? The only reai crirical message in your coverage of would be committed to eternal armed kind of self-employment is collectivisat- world-wide anarchist actions that the struggle with neighbouring States. ion and that needs revolutionl Some bastards are vulnerable and that the 2. To hope and work for the overthrow anarchists and libertarians were telling State can be hit, hit hard, hit repeatedly of every State a/ the same time strely us then that it was better to be "self- an Page J7 Block Flag Aunmn l98J shaming beyond belief that hard-working A State of Siege and The Iron Fist, people could be framed for any crime both reports by Trade Unionists to the REVIEWS just because of their never-contested Yorkshire Area NUM. sincere belief in the possibility of a The Unsolved magazine, published better world" A State of Siege is a report on the policing of weekly, has as its latest issue to hit the Just look at the photographs, could the miners strike during the first six weeks and The lron Fisf on the second six weeks. stands "I he Case That Shamed America" you imagine crowds like this, admitted- ly not all anarchists (but the majority Both can be guaranteed to dispel any last - the trial of Sacco and Vanzptti. It is illusions about the police. The mesage which must have been some way sympathetic) a reasonable fair review, with some comes across in all the iaciderits detailed are these typical reservations at the finish (fash- coming out onto the streets in that the police are BASTARDS. The authors' ions come and go, sometimes i'ts Sacco times, deadened by atrocitY? both NALGO members, suwey different who might just possibly have been The same prejudices of Judge Thayer incidents, with much first hand material. guilty, other times its Vanzetti, but no are echoed in a King-Hamilton (the It's a frightening reality. one doubts that is was not a 'fair trial', judge who presided over the Persons In particular The lron Fl's, details the rise ofthe'radical Right that now controls the and that ,t was loaded with prejudice Unknown trial ilr 1979 and has now state. People like the Freedom Association, from begrnning to end)" gone on to judge TV small claims). Monday. Club,, Economic League, League of Courts are still treated to anti-anarchist The case may have shamed America St. George, various private armies all firmly at the tinre, but thousands came out on prejudice in order to convict libertarians in control of much of the Conservative Party. to the streets both in Arnerica and an often self-defeating piece of chicanery Regular rcaderc of Black F/ag should find throughout the world and testified to by lawyers which they never apply to much of this information familiar. However the fact that there was a living conscience anyone belonging to an establishment all these disparate facts are drawn together science which protested at innocent party. Newspapers can still peddle even to show that the state has deliberately pre- workers being condemned just because greater distortions about anarchists than pared and engineered the miners strike in the two rnen were anarchists, and at they could get away with in the States order not to attack the NUM, bttt to crush working class, to destroy any organised that time it was still felt that it was during the Sacc-Vanzetti trial' the opposition. Le!'s make no mistake about this. If the miners lose, it will be our defeat and victory for the fascists. The miners strike is central. If we lose this one, then we can look forward to a dark age. And if the miners win then the struggle moves onto a higher level. The civil war is on. Smash the bastards. Fight to win. M. Black Recommended hice f.2 from better book' shops or the authors: Paul Holmes, Green- wich Branch Nalgo Staffside Office Basement, Borough Treasurer, Wellington Street, Wool' wich SEl 8. Cheques made payoble to'Green' wich Branch NALGO'. FACERTAS: ANARCHIST EXTRAORDINARY Antonio Tellez,400pp Their own battle against fascism lost, the exiled Spanish anarchists fought on virtually every front in the Second World War" TheY plaYed a Prominent role in the French resistance and iought with the British at Navarik in North Africa and even as guerrilla units behind German iines in the Ukraine. After the fall of Hitler and Mussolini, many of the survivors then returned to take up the struggle against Franco. This book is a small contribut- ion to the anonymous men and women who maintained a rearguard action against Franco's regime until the shatt- ered working class movements were able PUBUCATI0]tS to re-form in the late fifties. The story SOLIDARIDAD OBRERA:- researching into WAC l. and of Facerias demonstrates that 'the indiv- "organ r,f the CNT/AIT in Catalonia',. the SAS - next issue postponed until idual is never helpless, the possibility of c/o Calle Reina CristinaNo 12-2,-24 (lZ), funds permit, but hopefully soon. 50p rebelling and defending an idea which just present BARCELONA - 3 Spain. Excellent Available from: Box A, 84b l{hite- one considers to be is always f ortnightly anarcho-syndicalist newspaper chapel High St, London El. even in the most unfavourable and in Spanish language with news from adverse conditions whick were those REFRACT PRESS _ - Spain and abroad. he found and those in which he fought'- published jointly with Anarchy the Refract Publications need assistance to DIRECT ACTION _ book Stefano Delle Chiae, portrait of help cover the printing and binding monthll paper of the Direct Action a terrorist; which examines the role costs. Those who wish to help get this Movement/International Worker's of modern fascism and the career of title into print should contact: Association. The voice of anarcho- this fascist and the disruption caused Refract Publications clo Cambidge syndicalism. 20p Available from: to the Italian Anarchist movement by Free Press, 25 GwYdir St. Cambidge. Box DAM, 59 Cookridge St Leeds 2 these Statist provocateurs. f,4.75 from ANARCHY - BM REFRACT, LONDON WCIN3XX now an A,narchist investigative journal, Dr-^r- Dt-- /.,+.,61 1OA, Ddno ?9 ANSWERS TO gurz 1. As Villon was born in paris when the Duke of Burgundy owed his allegiance_to the King of England, and }Japoleon whs born in Corsica when the English were temporarily rn^o_ccupation, such is the absurditl. of Statism that these two famous Frenchmen were originally of English nationality. 2. Miscenegation (union of people ofdifferent colour); Lucy pirsons claimed she was not Black, as her man could have been sentenced to to imprisonment in many States at that time. 3. Destruction of churches as redundant and also converting them into warehouses and community centres. 4. piracy. 5. In all the countries of the Inquis_ ition, animals could be sentenced a as 'accomplices to witchcraft'; and forillegal entry into England dogs and cats can still be sentenced t"o quarrantine. 6. The intention was to call it 'Victoria'and the Cunard chairman went to George V to ask if he ,,after might name the ship our greatest queen of all time" _ the silly old fool thought he was talk- ,DONIT ing about his wife Marv and so JTIS? WGETATE the chairman didn,t feei like dis_ - FEDERATq! I appointing him, ANARgHIST BIAgK cRoss In the near future we intend to organise a meeting, somewhere central but outside London, to which all B1ack Cross contacts in Britain are invited. Those contacts who wish to attend should write in soon and we will send the details on. The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss the organisation of the B1ack Cross network and how it can be expanded, the work of the Black Cross, tactics, propaganda, mutual assistance, improved intelligence work, as well as short and long term strategy. ABC - London Chapter. "Let u.s bring back Victorian vahtes - f'ree enterprise, individualism - and give our people the right to work without fear of intimidation!" Yours for at least another 10 Years, Love, lVlargaret Thatcher, P.M./M'P'