Philly Police Cars Vandalized At Anti-Trump Philly GOP Retreat Protest

From local media

 

“Protests continued on Thursday night following President Donald Trump’s visit to Philadelphia to address the GOP Retreat.

Although President Trump departed the city hours earlier, protests continued.

By 10:00 p.m., the protests had died down, but a police presence remained in Center City as some protesters still remained.

During the night, the day long demonstrations did take a destructive turn when three police vehicles were vandalized with spray paint while parked on 13th and Arch.

Also, police stood watch in front of the Wawa on Broad and Walnut when they were confronted by a group. A sign appeared to have been thrown and was confiscated. This all occurred following President Trump’s visit to the GOP Retreat taking place at the Loews Hotel.

About 3,000 protesters took to the streets during the day to express opposition to the new administration.”

Any Time, Any Place : Welcoming Trump to Philadelphia

from Crimethinc

Last night at the GOP Summit, the most powerful Republicans, business elites, and alt-right white supremacists schmoozed in the luxury tower of one of the city’s most expensive hotels. There, they plotted the destruction of health care and our environment, mapping out a political platform that will include violations of indigenous land rights and further attacks on the freedom and dignity of indigenous peoples, people of color, migrants, and Muslims. As they schemed, over a thousand queer Philadelphians raged outside their windows. Dancing, singing, and yelling fierce chants—including “Any time, any place, punch a Nazi in the face!” and “Gay sex is great, try it!”—they tore up the night sky at the Queer Rage(r): Guerilla Dance Party. This video is a record of the night, and an invitation to join a more joyful world of ungoverned sexuality, anti-racism, and solidarity.

[Video here]

All Out Against Trump In Philly TOMORROW

from Philly Antifa

When: January 26, 2017

Where: Dilworth Park

When: 11:00 am

As almost all of you are no-doubt aware, The GOP congressional delegation is holding their annual retreat here in Philly and Donald Trump will be in attendance tomorrow.

There are several protests planned throughout the day. We would like to encourage our supporters and other Antifascists in the area to join us in participating in these protests as an explicitly Anti-Fascist contingent and show that Philadelphia is an Anti-Racist, Anti-Facist city that intends to disrupt and oppose the Trump regime at every opportunity.

Look for the Antifa Philadelphia banner. Protect your identity.  See you in the streets.

photos from no more presidents

Submission

[More images below the cut]

Philly J20 Report Back

from It’s Going Down

It’s not because Trump won. Its not because Hillary lost. Its because fuck all this. Its because the world is burning and the only way to ignore it is to side with the death culture– turning life into commodities. Trump is merely today’s incarnation of “democracy;” the logical extensions of capitalism, imperialism white supremacy, patriarchy, and all the systems that undergird “democracy” under any president. Because democracy is synonymous with capture. Because its all supposed to happen like this. In four or eight more years a new figurehead of the same system to march around blocks about. Because shits not working, folks.

As if we think broken windows and spray paint will change any of it. Of course it won’t. No window will ever be enough. No march, no rally, no bloc, no president. can we take seriously anything nowadays? Are we seriously still debating violence vs. non-violence. Property vs. life. Its farcical. The “system”, “protest”… Laughable, and yet dire, with real consequences for land, animals, people. Because actually, we’re dying. Because amidst all the rhetoric of hope, the closest glimpse we see sometimes is in people willing to throw down for each other- for some vision, fractured as it may be, that we can fight back, that we can be fearless, that we can strike, be ungovernable, remind ourselves, if no one else, that some part of our minds and bodies hasn’t yet been domesticated by our masters. It could be 100,000 people evicting the halls of D.C. – and would be a resurrection from suffocation, but instead, 100 here, 50 there… we are a death gasp. Signs of life in a dying body.

Signs of life in philly. 40 rebels affiliated only by our actions; no group, no platform. 20 minutes in the streets of one of philly’s most cop-friendly areas at 7pm on a busy friday night thoroughfare. Our rage left dripping from walls, shattered across sidewalks, and left upon cars, gentry property, peddlers of bourgeois excess, banks, atms, symbols of the capital that survives off the life of everyone. More life breathed into our bloc by the vast support of onlookers, who joined in; “fists up, fight back”, “kill your local fascist” (of which south philly is a haven), “a-anti-anticapitalista” etc. Shit got got. If your shit got hit, remember its not about you. Its bigger than you because, fuck all of this, right? Because, Everything.

As we disbanded safely before the lurking eyes of police, a shout, “its been real great, see you all next time!” And everyone faded back into the precarious turbulence.

In Solidarity with D.C. Rebels and Blockaders
In Solidarity with Indigenous Freedom Fighters
In Solidarity with everyone stepping it up in 2017

A “No More Presidents” Reportback

Submission

On J20, around 50 of us masked up and took down South St.  We wanted to set a tone of resistance against the Trump regime and the ruling class for the years to come.  There were chants of “Good Night Alt Right” and antifascist flags and banners. The OCF Coffee house was smashed while people spray painted windows along the street.  Bank of America took a paint bomb.  As we moved along, more windows were tagged and shattered.  There was a brief discussion before we turned off South St and started pulling baricades into the road, knowing the cops had to be close by, being earily absent so far.  When they did show, we split, the obstacles slowing them down enough for everyone to get away.
This shit is officially still possible in Philly.  Affinity groups can come together in direct, violent, contempt against the business of gentrification and the moneyed masters funding attacks on indigenous peoples.  For all those arrested on J20 and all those still fighting the Black Snake.

Expect more.

NO MORE PRESIDENTS

Submission


NO MORE PRESIDENTS

[January 20
6:30pm sharp
South East corner of Washington Square Park]

Report from New Year’s Eve Noise Demo

Submission

On new year’s eve a crowd of people gathered outside the federal prison at 7th St and Arch St to show love for those kidnapped by the state.

People brought banners, drums, a speaker, fireworks, whistles, and airhorns to get it going. Everything turned into a drum; signs, trashcans, walls, and bike racks were all kicked and banged to make sound. Fliers explaining the noise demo were passed to passersby and thrown around. Coffee and snacks were shared, as slogans against police and prisons were shouted through the megaphone. The night was fun and prisoners flashed their lights as we made a racket.

Police arrived toward the end as the energy was dying down, but didn’t intervene. The demo ended with a short march to a nearby park where everyone was able to disperse without incident.

Prisoners to the streets!
Burn down the plantation!

New Year’s Eve Noise Demo

Submission

[Make Some Fuckin’ Noise
New Year’s Eve Anti-Prison Demo
7pm at Arch St & 7th St
Bring Noisemakers]

Philadelphia: Fragments from Last Night’s Anti-Trump March

from It’s Going Down

A few more things happened last night (11/9) then the cops and news are letting on. We were going to skip the march altogether until we heard that people had burned flags and surrounded the cops who tried to make arrests. We never found the flag burners but we still had fun. Here’s some moments from the night:

When we found the demonstration it was huge and full of energy. The march seemed to be mostly college kids, but not only. Cops couldn’t keep track of the whole thing because of how big it was, especially in the tight North Philly streets.

Some young people ripped down some “VOTE NOV 8” and run off cackling, vanishing into the crowd.

Chants that “Philly hates Trump” are nice, others that mention “this is what democracy looks like” seem to miss the point.

Masked strangers ask each other if they want to walk together, a small black bloc comes together. Anti-Trump stickers and fireworks go up, people clap and smile.

No one is the peace police, but we’re still reminded that doing graffiti is “not what we’re here for” even though it’s definitely part of what we’re there for.

A Rite-Aid truck almost becomes the canvas for an anti-trump message but the artist is interrupted by a plainclothes cop, the cop in turn, is interrupted by some masked people. Everyone gets away unscathed, except the truck. “FUCK TR”

A bunch of the light columns on Broad St are redecorated with anti-police tags.

Stickers and fireworks run out and people who wanted some are let down. Those of us who brought too little are also let down, more stuff next time?

It’s proposed that an American flag is burned but the bearers don’t want to. A lot of people are here because they are upset Hillary Clinton lost, they don’t seem critical of democracy or America or whatever.

A couple cop vehicles are tagged, surprisingly many people holler and clap. I guess anti-cop stuff is always in.

The march approaches the highway but police have formed a line in front of the ramp, after some chanting and an unfortunate firework we all leave toward city hall instead.

Fuck Trump!

Rebels To The Street!

A Rundown of November 5th in Harrisburg and Some Reflections

from It’s Going Down

This account and the reflections that follow are only a glimpse of the events that took place in Harrisburg on November 5th. I’m not interested in or able to cover the whole of what took place; instead I’m putting forward how I experienced the day (plus a few rumors I heard), what I learned, and some thoughts that came out of conversations following the mobilization. The reflections and critiques apply to myself and those I was with as much as they do to anyone else who was in attendance.

November 5th in Harrisburg, PA

Before I got to the meetup spot, a friend told me that a fascist livestreamer or photographer was present and was filming people. When he was pointed out and confronted, he punched an antifascist, got jumped right away, and left.

By the time I got to the spot, people were just about to march. A few blocks of walking and chanting brought us to a police line behind some wooden barricades. The fascists weren’t scheduled to arrive for another hour. People milled about and a few announcements were made on the bullhorn. More and more police arrived in riot gear and on horseback, strengthening the “thin blue line” between us and the steps of the capital building where the white power rally was set to take place. Slow moments passed uneventfully.

Eventually a man in a confederate flag t-shirt appeared on the steps and with the help of the cops set up a PA for a bit less than an hour. People were becoming more agitated, screaming at the fascist and the police. As the anger in the crowd was rising and more fascists arrived, including klansmen, members of the National Socialist Movement, Keystone United, and the Traditionalist Worker’s Party, I saw people losing patience. Although never in a coordinated or unified way, eggs, rocks, full soda cans, and vegetables flew at the police line, bottle rockets exploded in the air, and police barricades were dismantled. This continued on and off for hours as tensions rose and fell, responding both to our own energy as a crowd and to the actions of fascists and police in front of us. At one point some masked ones began breaking up the cobble stones to make smaller rocks to launch at white supremacy, but were dissuaded by local pacifists.

A lone fascist near the demo was punched and beaten by masked people; police quickly stormed the fight and arrested an antifascist. This again roused anger against the police but no concerted response came from us as a whole.

As the fascists packed up and filed off the capital stairs, everyone could be heard cursing the neo-nazis and cheering their departure. Some people began proclaiming a victory, others grumbled and started to mill around. Some bloc’d up people chanted their intention to find and fight the fascists and began marching. Moving slowly at first, the march blocked streets with trash and newspaper boxes; after turning onto a large street, those at the front of the march saw the fascists in the distance and picked up the pace. Those behind them called for the march to stay tight, unaware that there was an opportunity to finally bang on the neo-nazis. The mix of fast and slow marching led to riot police moving into the street fast enough, stopping the head of the march. From there, those at the front decided it was best to cut losses, leave downtown and disperse. The march changed direction, rushing down smaller streets and throwing trashcans into the street as cops closed in, eventually dispersing. I don’t think anyone from this short march was caught, although I heard one or more people who stayed behind at the steps of the capital were arrested.

Thoughts and Reflections

While talking after the demonstration, some points came up about things that could have been done differently, ideas for how to be more effective in similar settings in the future, and criticisms of both ourselves and the crowd in general. Two themes came out of our discussion: communication and cover; neither was completely separate from the other.

On the 5th, communication between each other and with passersby who might be interested in fighting against white power and white nationalist groups could have been better. There was little in the way of chants, speeches, fliers, or graffiti that communicated to people outside the demonstration why we were there. Even though they told people not to throw stuff at the cops, the crew of clowns did more to send a message (whether I agree with it or not) than many others there. I’m not saying that the demonstration was completely silent and inscrutable though; there were some banners, signs and at least one instance of anti-fascist graffiti. It’d be great to see more communication directed at potential accomplices and supporters. Often this kind of communication can add to the kind of “cover” that I’ll talk about a little later.

Internal dialogue also fell short in my opinion. As masked people, we didn’t come together to coordinate or try to do things that can’t be accomplished by individuals or small groups. If communication during the march at the end had been better, it’s possible that we might have been able to actually lay hands on the fascists as they were leaving. It’s true that beyond the friends I arrived with I didn’t know many people present, but even if we are unknown to each other, it doesn’t mean we can’t propose plans, let each other know what cops and fascists are doing, or just talk in general.

Cover was another topic that came up as something we would like to see more of. By cover I mean the amount of activity, energy, sound, and anonymity that make a crowd feel safe and exciting to take direct action from within. The cover waxed and waned throughout the day. Something that seemed to make the energy intensify was sound. Drummers, chants, fireworks, and the person banging on that stop sign with a flag really added to the feeling of power we felt in the crowd. When the police barricade was broken, people moved banners to line the whole front of the demo, which made those of us behind them feel both more protected and anonymous; it seemed that more throwing took place then too. Holding even taller, reinforced banners, and/or having banners both in front of and right behind us, would give even more cover to protect the people throwing stuff from the many high-grade police cameras that were watching us. Bringing more things to throw, talking more to people who happened to walk by the demo, making fiery speeches (that also communicate our ideas), filling the area with antifascist posters and tags, surrounding ourselves with banners, and having sound and music all contribute to a feeling that we’re powerful and builds our capacity up to do even more.

See you in the streets

PS: I also feel that it is worth mentioning the tension between wanting to attack police and focusing only on self-described white supremacists was still present. Comrades on the west coast have interesting reflections on this that can be worth reading here.

Anti-Trump: Rally for Police Abolition

from Facebook

The election of a racist, sexist, xenophobic fascist man was a slap in the face to all people of color. The Fraternal Order of Police endorsed and campaigned for a racist, sexist, xenophobic and fascist.
THE FOP is UNFIT to serve our communities.

The police have chosen their side – a president who is anti-black, anti-immigrant, anti-Lantinx, anti-women, anti-LGBTQ, anti-US…so we are anti-POLICE.

We are calling for the police to be abolished. Only the complete dismantling of our current system of policing will lead to liberation for black and brown people. The police have no capacity or commitment for protecting and serving our communities. We will create just alternatives to policing that reflect the aspirations of black and brown folks. We demand:

-The immediate end of Stop and Frisk
-Reject Martina White’s HB1538 that allows police to remain anonymous after murdering citizens.
-End bail and fines
-Increased funding for public defenders
-End drug-testing for parolees

[November 16 from 4PM to 6PM at Philadelphia Police Department 750 Race St]

Report Back from Harrisburg Anti-Fascist Mobilization

from It’s Going Down

When the NSM chose to hold their biannual “Anti-Diversity” rally, they claimed their choice of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania was just the “luck of the draw.” An ironic statement, since it turned out the day wasn’t so lucky for them after all.

Central PA Antifa was quickly alerted to their plans, and moved to organize a solid response that would make it clear that Nazis aren’t welcome in the state capitol. Calling on old comrades in the tri-state area to assist, a core group of organizers began to spread the word via social media. Additional assistance flooded in from groups like It’s Going Down and The Final Straw Radio, both of whose interviews provided a valuable boost of signal.

Details of the NSM’s plans were also trickling in. Word was quickly heard that Matthew Heimbach, a familiar face in Pennsylvania, would be in attendance to give a speech announcing that the recently-formed Aryan Nationalist Alliance was already being renamed the Nationalist Front. The November 5th event had been taken over by the Traditionalist Worker’s Party and the KKK, and it would be their new group’s coming-out party. Security would be provided by Keystone United (FKA Keystone State Skinheads), who can’t seem to shake their reputation as nothing more than street thugs. This news only resulted in greater interest by the anti-fascist/anti-racist community, and groups from Georgia to New York and everywhere in between contacted Central Pennsylvania to coordinate plans.

The fascist’s bad luck persisted up to the day of the rally. Anti-fascists had already planned to arrive at the foot of the Capitol steps an hour before the NSM rally at 2 pm. However, it was assumed that fascists could be on time. Their PA system and mic were apparently incompatible, and 45 minutes went by while two of them fiddled with it amid constant harassment from protesters. When the remainder finally did show, their pathetically small group had to be escorted through the building itself by a cadre of riot police. A crowd of 200 or more protesters greeted them with jeers and profanity.

The police themselves outnumbered the fascists in attendance. Police on horseback as well as several columns of riot police assembled throughout multiple rows of barricades. Spotters roamed the roof of the building, and a helicopter circled overhead. In addition, a police drone was flown in over protesters’ heads multiple times.

As the protesters gathered steam, it was noticed that Keystone United goons were loitering in alleys behind the bulk of the protesters, taking pictures and trying to look inconspicuous. Other fascists were spotted intermingled in the crowds, some of whom were dressed similar to antifa in an attempt to blend in. These infiltrators were chased off, and several scuffles occurred on the outskirts. Police were also agitated by bottle rockets being fired and rotten food being thrown by the crowd. In the center of the protest, at the front, people began to dismantle the barricade in their excitement. One barricade finally came down, but police swiftly moved in and snatched a comrade at the front of the ranks.

Another was snatched in a coordinated move during which police fired pepper spray to quell protesters. A third was taken in a skirmish with an invading fascist, although the fascist in question was not arrested or removed. He was instead taken to sit in the back of a cop car for a short time, then let out again to come back and cause more trouble.

In the background, the NSM, Heimbach, and the KKK took turns droning on and sieg-heiling themselves. Although it was assumed they could hear their own speeches, barely a word made it down to the street over the noise of the chants, drumming, and profanities. Afterwards, it was discovered that even the NSM’s audio recording of the event was unusable due to the protester’s din in the background. The media also focused entirely on the protest, so the NSM’s message went unheard by anyone.

Overall, this was a highly successful event. The support and presence of so many were invaluable in making this a victory. Lots of intel was gathered and the nazi’s platform was effectively taken away. The energy seen on November 5th was encouraging, as there are many fights still ahead of us. The alliances made, networking opportunities discovered, and friendships solidified will carry us through in the uncertain times ahead. Harrisburg was witness to the fact that, just as fascist and racist rhetoric has increased in this country, so has the anti-fascist and anti-racist response, and our numbers, our energy, and our momentum are far greater than theirs as long as comrades continue to fight.

November 5th: Help Shut Down Nazis from the NSM and TWP in Harrisburg, PA

from It’s Going Down

On Saturday, November 5th, the National Socialist Movement (NSM), one of the largest Neo-Nazi and white nationalist organizations in the US, along with Matthew Heimbach of the Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP), will attempt to hold a rally at the State Capitol of Pennsylvania, in the city of Harrisburg. We will begin assembling our forces at 12:30 PM on the intersection of Front & State Street along the waterfront (Susquehanna River) – marked as “Susquehanna Scenic Overlook” on Google Maps.

The NSM will be joined at the demonstration by Matthew Heimbach and the Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP), the same group that attempted to hold a rally in Sacramento and ended up stabbing close to 10 people before running away to their cars, dropping a gun in the process while holding others. On the Neo-Nazi website, The Daily Stormer, Heimbach talked on his podcast, The Daily Traditionalist about how this event will be the big “coming out” for the Nationalist Front, also known as the Aryan Nationalist Alliance, which so far has united many of the most disgusting and openly pro-Hitler groups such as the NSM, KKK groups, the TWP, and racist skinhead gangs such as the Aryan Terror Brigade. According to Heimbach, there will be a Nationalist Front press conference the day before. With this turn of events, Heimbach has only further cemented himself as an open Neo-Nazi and farther and farther from the suit and tie Nazis of the ‘Alternative Right.’

We also expect that the KKK, Keystone United (PA-based white supremacists, formerly known as the Keystone State Skinheads), and some other racist and fascist groups to make an appearance and rally in solidarity.

Central Pennsylvania Antifa is asking for your help in making sure that the people of Pennsylvania, a richly diverse population, know that someone is willing to fight to the defend of poor and working-class communities when the Nazis show their ugly faces.

Medics will be on site as will National Lawyers Guild (NLG) legal observers; the latter will be wearing green hats. We encourage attendees to dress uniformly from head to toe in all black, commonly known as ‘Black Bloc.’ This is not mandatory for participation, however this dress code increases security and safety for all those attending – our personal identities are not necessary to confront these bigots and we should not freely give information away to law enforcement.

We encourage attendees to bring signs, banners, flags, and noisemakers – let’s be loud, let’s be clear, Nazis are not welcome here!

If you have a ‘smartphone’ and want to be prepared for any possible police repression, the ACLU has a mobile app called https://www.aclupa.org/education/mobile-justice-pa/. It has Know Your Rights information and the ability to record and automatically send your recording to the state chapter of ACLU. There are expected to be 3 different police forces present and their plans for handling this event are unknown.

Street parking is not free, so check here for parking options, http://parkharrisburg.com/

For those who cannot make it but would like to contribute to our efforts are welcome to make a contribution to our GoFundMe Campaign. All raised funds will be used to acquire supplies for this event, medical and legal resources, and for future projects. See links below.

Follow our social media accounts for updates regarding this and future events! If you are on social media, especially in there area, please help promote the event. You can print out flyers, add and invite your friends online, and also share the event to increase the amount of people going. Let’s make this big!

Resources:

Facebook Page
Event Page
Promo Video For Sharing
Promo Flier
Twitter Profile
GoFundMe Campaign

Your Comrades in Central PA

Central PA AntiFa on the 5th of November NSM rally in Harrisburg

from The Final Straw Radio

Listen or download here
Link to November 5th demonstration here

Central PA AntiFa

Airs on WSFM-LP 103.3 in Asheville / streaming at AshevilleFM from 3am EST on October 24th, 2016, through October 30th, podcasting at radio4all.net. Also airing this week on KOWA-LPFM in Olympia, WA, KWTF in Bodega Bay, CA, and WCRS-LP Columbus Community Radio 98.3 and 102.1 FM. Past episodes can be found at TheFinalStrawRadio.NoBlogs.Org and you can now subscribe to us via iTunes! You can email us at thefinalstrawradio@riseup.net and you can send us mail at:

The Final Straw
c/o AshevilleFM
864 Haywood rd
Asheville, NC 28806

This week we spoke with members of Central PA Antifa about antifascist organizing in Pennsylvania, about some of the racial and socioeconomic aspects of that place, and many more topics but mainly about the National Socialist Movement counter protest that folks are calling for on November 5th in Harrisburg. We talk about the logistics of the event and what sorts of things to expect and what sorts of solidarity folks are asking for. To hear another interview with Central PA Antifa you can visit our comrades at itsgoingdown.org and follow the links to their podcast called the IGDcast. To learn more about Central PA Antifa you can get up with them on facebook, on which you can search Central PA Antifa, or follow them on Twitter @centralpaantifa. There is also a blog at: https://centralpaantifascist.wordpress.com/

Playlist is here: http://www.ashevillefm.org/node/17929