2 Septa Transit Police Vehicles Had Their Tires Slashed at All Out For Gaza Demo

  • October 23, 2023 1:20 am

Submission

The All Out For Gaza demo tonight was a genuine expression of love, solidarity, and rage for Palestinians experiencing genocide at the hands of the occupying forces of the state of Israel. While the spirit of this demo was more inspiring in some ways than most demos in Philly, there was a general vibe that the space was not open to more combative expressions of solidarity. This was due both to the crowd generally not taking part in that, but also the march route being relatively devoid of potential targets. However small though, we take victories where we can get them. During the march I punctured the tires of 2 Septa Transit Police vehicles that the marched passed by. Police are an occupying force in any form and are the enforcers of settler-colonialism. In expressing solidarity with those fighting for their freedom and lives in Palestine, functionaries of a colonial project in support of the state of Israel, such as the U.S, can and should be attacked. Destabilizing individual colonial powers can make the larger project of settler colonialism more and more vulnerable.

Love to and Solidarity with Palestinian people. Fuck the state of Israel and the entirety of the settler-colonial project.

Conversation On Anarchist Solidarity With Anti-Colonial Resistance In Palestine

  • October 18, 2023 1:26 am

Submission

Conversation On Anarchist Solidarity With Anti-Colonial Resistance In Palestine
Sunday October 22nd
2PM
Clark Park by the chess tables
Bring a friend // Share widely

Flier: https://i.ibb.co/FDXFyJH/conv.jpg

Upper Darby Military Recruitment Office Vandalized

  • October 18, 2023 1:22 am

Submission

A military recruitment office in Upper Darby was attacked with paint. We wrote slogans and threw red paint on the facade. Born from our love, grief, and rage, this was a letter to Gaza and those in solidarity with the Palestinian uprising against colonial power. This wasn’t done to only send a message to imperialists, consider it an attempt to warm passersby chilled by the cold logic of genocide. In the face of massive non-disruptive protest, we hope we can inspire others to act more directly and confrontationally. Those pushing imperialism and islamophobia are being watche and can expect resistance.
RIP Ganda, killed by the same Amerikkan imperialism that feels entitled to exploit and kill without repercussion.
For Gaza with love

Calling on USians to Memorialize Jennifer Laude and call for American withdrawal from the Philippines

  • September 20, 2023 1:50 am

Submission

An Urgent Plea from the Philippines

Anonymous

To the brave comrades of Turtle Island:

Last year, we asked antifascists in the U.S. to act for us in commemorating our slain sister Jennifer Laude, killed by an American soldier. While there was some commemoration and remembrance of Jennifer Laude, this was done after her death anniversary on October 11 because the initial open letter calling for the commemoration initially fell on deaf ears. Earlier, Filipino/a/x autonomists, anarchists, and abolitionists in the so-called Philippines and its diasporas wrote an open letter asking US anti-fascists to resist the return of the murderer of Jennifer Laude to the United States, but his return was not resisted, and we received no report of any action protesting his return.

Let us review the facts for our comrades in Turtle Island:

Joseph Scott Pemberton committed a heinous hate crime by brutally murdering Jennifer Laude on October 11, 2014. Jennifer was murdered precisely because she was transgender, with Pemberton’s legal team even trying the so-called “trans panic” defense as a justification for her murder. The Philippine state appears to have sided with Pemberton’s excuse that Jennifer’s identity was a provocation in itself, inducing Pemberton to kill her. This defense frames Pemberton as the victim and sets a dangerous precedent for trans women in the archipelago and beyond.

Jennifer Laude is fondly remembered as a beautiful person who was confident in her identity and sexuality. She was well-loved by her family and friends and her nickname was “Ganda” meaning “beautiful.” However, Pemberton did not care for Jennifer Laude as a human being. He was unrepentant at his trial, even going so far as to dehumanize Jennifer Laude by referring to her as “it.”

Pemberton’s case was discussed again when the Philippine government considered him for an early release due to “good conduct” in early September, a charge that the Laude family questioned on the grounds that Pemberton could not have proved good behavior. Indeed, how could Pemberton have proven his “good conduct” if he had not interacted with any prisoner in his specially-designed cell?

The point is now moot, as Pemberton has received an absolute pardon from then-president Rodrigo Duterte. He can now walk free, absolved of any criminal liability. We have no doubt that the government of the United States has had a hand in Duterte’s granting of absolute pardon unto Pemberton.

As anti-fascists, we know all too well how the state employs a double standard in its policing between the privileged and the dispossessed. Pemberton’s whiteness protected him from facing any meaningful consequences, just as whiteness protected countless murderers in the so-called United States. His case has been rife with special treatment from the beginning, and his pardon from Duterte only confirms that. This murderer has known nothing but lenience and special treatment in his trial and during his imprisonment. He was detained separately during his trial and was the only occupant of a Camp Aguinaldo detainment facility that was specially constructed for him after his conviction. As the pandemic ripped through overcrowded prisons, the state in the Philippines dragged its feet on releasing non-violent offenders and condemned countless prisoners to a slow death by COVID-19. Yet the white man, the U.S. national, the violent offender, and a prisoner at no risk of contracting COVID-19 was the one prioritized for release. Upon his return to the so-called United States, the U.S. government went on record stating that the murderer would not face court-martial in the country.

The reason Pemberton’s whiteness protected him was due to the imperialized position of the Philippines in the U.S. empire. Since the U.S. invasion of the so-called Philippines in 1898, U.S. troops have enjoyed free rein in the archipelago. Pemberton was in the Philippines due to Balikatan, annual military exercises between U.S. and Philippine armed forces — a recurring program established following the ratification of the 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

The VFA is a reminder of the neocolonial presence of the United States in the Philippines. It allows for the presence of U.S. military personnel, aircraft, and vessels in the Philippines. It also complicates the custodial process for U.S. troops accused of committing crimes while in the archipelago. Though the Duterte administration moved to suspend the agreement earlier this year, Duterte reneged 3 months before pardoning Pemberton. Now, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. revived the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and its VFA, promising to use the Philippines as a base for American imperialist interests in Asia.

Militarization of the archipelago by U.S. troops has been correlated time and again with violence and sexual assault against women and sex workers. The violence that occurs at the intersections of racism, sexism, fetishization, and dehumanization is compounded for trans women who experience violence simply for being trans.

We anti-fascists already know that there is no justice to be had from the state, whether Philippine or American. This transphobic murderer continues to walk free as far as the states in the Philippines and the United States are concerned, so we reiterate our call to anti-fascists in the so-called United States to act.

While U.S. anti-fascists acted valiantly in response to the killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and stepped up and defended communities where the state willfully failed, we have heard very little to suggest that Filipino/a/x trans lives matter in response to the return of the murderer to his country.

It has been nine years since the murderer took Ganda away from her family. There is still time to make up for this injustice.

We are writing this letter to ask antifascists and radicals of all strips on Turtle Island to act where we Filipinos could not. When the Spanish colonial government suppressed our people and murdered José Rizal, the anarchist Michele Angiolillo assassinated the Spanish Prime Minister Antonio Cánovas del Castillo. When US President William McKinley conquered the Philippines and murdered our people by the thousands, he was assassinated in turn by anarchist Leon Czolgosz. We mention these examples of direct action not because we are asking you to kill the murderer of Laude, but rather to show you that the anarchist movement has historically acted where Filipinos cannot.

To be clear, we are not asking you to kill Joseph Scott Pemberton. As anarchists and abolitionists, we abhor such cycles of violence. Killing Pemberton will not bring Ganda back, nor will it be justice for the Trans and Queer comrades among us. What we want is this to never happen again. Do not allow Pemberton to forget the vile crime he committed. You must prevent Pemberton from committing harm again. You must petition Pemberton’s prospective universities and employers not to accept him because of his violent past. You must picket his home, workplaces, and schools with memorials to Jennifer Laude. You must reveal to the world what a hateful and spiteful little man he is. You must make his life hell.

In terms of social justice, you must organize for the United States to withdraw its military assets from our islands, the Philippines. Their hateful and imperialist military can never bring good to our country. The biggest reduction of sexual and intimate violence from American servicemen would be in terms of their total withdrawal from the Philippines.

Above all, we ask you to remember Jennifer Laude as a victim of white supremacy and include her in your commemorations of the victims of white supremacy. She must be spoken in the same sentences as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and all other victims of U.S. imperialism and police violence. Remember her as Ganda, kind, and generous. Remember her family as brave and steadfast in their demands for justice. While Jennifer’s story is not well known in the so-called United States, the injustice surrounding her case deserves your anger and solidarity.

Filipinos/as/xs have thundered that trans lives matter and for justice for Jennifer Laude, but we regret that our voices were not joined by U.S. anti-fascists. Ganda’s death anniversary is on October 11. We expect you to remember. We expect you to act.

In anger and solidarity,

Filipino/a/x autonomists, anarchists, and abolitionists in the so-called Philippines and its diasporas

An Afternoon of International Solidarity with Anarchist Prisoners

  • December 6, 2022 1:23 am

from Philly ABC

international-solidarity-call-in-event.jpg

Philly ABC invites you to join us this Sunday, from 1:00 – 3:30pm at Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St. ) for an important afternoon of international solidarity with anarchist prisoners across the pond. It is our firm belief that political education and solidarity work should extend far beyond the borders of the territories we live in and fight against. In this special event we’ll be hearing from UK-held anarchist prisoner Toby Shone and from a supporter of Italian anarchist prisoners Alfredo Cospito and Anna Beniamino.

Toby Shone was arrested by counter-terrorism cops in November 2020 as part of “Operation Adream” – a series of coordinated raids against the anarchist website 325.nostate.net, and part of an ongoing attempt by the UK government to silence dissent and criminalize anarchist beliefs.

He plead not guilty to charges under the UK Terrorism Act, and was set to stand trial on October 6th, 2021. However, with no evidence to put before the court, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was forced to drop these charges on October 1st, leaving a sentence of 3 years and 9 months for psychedelic drugs found during the raid.

Out of spite, the prosecution and Counter-Terror Unit also attempted to apply conditions of the Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO). If granted, the police and Counter-Terror Unit would have been able to control, monitor and surveil Toby’s electronic devices, finances, residence, visits to the residences of others and other movements, and his entire associated social, professional and political network for five years following his release, with the prospect of returning Toby to prison for an additional five years if conditions were breached. Their efforts failed again on May 6th, 2022, when a High Court Judge refused the order on account of “No Necessity,” even going as far to say the order is draconian even for ’terrorist’ offences.

The next juncture for revenge against Toby comes at his mandatory prison release on December 28th. Without any legal basis whatsoever, the Counter-Terror Unit, MAPPA (Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements) along with the Probation Service have used experimental de-radicalizaton measures to place Toby in their highest risk categories and have drafted the following release conditions which are more extreme than that of SCPO:

  • No contact with extremists or anyone arrested for extremism;
  • No discussions (sharing opinions will be regarded as ‘grooming’ ‘radicalisation’ and ‘preaching’);
  • No attending any meeting or gathering except for the purpose of worship;
  • Only one phone, which must be handed over to the police whenever they ask for it – nothing must ever be deleted from this phone; and,
  • Must live in an Approved Hostel for one year.

For a deeper dive into this latest effort against Toby, what he faces in the road ahead, and what we can learn from this case, see the full October 22nd update from ABC Brighton and join us for his call.

Similar repression against anarchists exists all over the world. In Italy, anarchist prisoners Alfredo Cospito and Anna Beniamino are being given life sentences after accused of an explosive attack that didn’t harm anyone. On May 5th, 2022, Alfredo was moved to the 41bis prison regime, a regime based on total isolation, sensory deprivation, and “white torture.” He began an indefinite hunger strike on October 20th. Anarchist prisoner Juan Sorroche has also joined the hunger strike together with Anna, Ivan, and Toby.

Together with these heavy sentences, several comrades are being charged with incitement to revolt and apology of terrorism for writing in journals and websites: there is a clear attempt to silence all forms of anarchist speech. Normal repression? Something more, a warning for all those who struggle without compromise inside and outside prison and who haven’t stopped believing in the practice of direct action and revolutionary solidarity.

This is not an Italian exception but rather a European trend, given the numerous investigations and detentions involving anarchist comrades in England, France, Spain and Greece, and it is clear that the attack on anarchists can only be understood in the context of the permanent state of emergency and war in which we have been immersed for two years now (strengthening of the state and its control over the population, increasing powers given to police forces, experimenting with “red zones” and curfews, harsh repression in the streets and in the workplace, increasing technological control and increase of prices of essential goods and general impoverishment the consequences of which, also in terms of conflict, are hard to imagine, but against which the state is already preparing its countermeasures).

The attack against our comrades is an attack against all those who won’t surrender to a system based on the exploitation of all living creatures and the destruction of human beings and the planet. Let’s mobilize to prevent the advancing of repression, life sentences and the 41bis special security regime. Let’s come together, coast to coast, to build and strengthen our support and solidarity for comrades worldwide

Solidarity Action Communique

  • November 18, 2022 1:03 am

Submission

On the night of November 5th, a small group of Anti-colonial Anarchist settlers in Lenapehoking blockaded a chokepoint of a high frequency railway in Solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en resisting drilling in the Wedzin Kwa and all those resisting colonial capitalist development and infrastructure all across Turtle Island and the World!

It was a very simple and easily replicable action using commonly found blockade materials that were near the tracks already.

We hope to inspire many more and frequent railway blockades as an effective action to disrupt colonial and ecocidal infrastructure all across Turtle Island and Globally.

Shut down Canada, Colonialism, and Capitalism everywhere!

Graffiti in Memory of Jennifer Laude in South NJ

  • October 12, 2022 1:13 am

from Jersey Counter-Info

Trans and queer anarchists in so-called southern New Jersey stand in solidarity with our siblings in the Philippines. We remember and lift up the memory of our international trans sister, Jennifer “Ganda” Laude, who was hate-crime murdered by U.S. Marine and transphobe Joseph Scott Pemberton on this day October 11, 2014. Pemberton poses a serious risk to communities everywhere as an “international pig” who got away with murder with the help of the U.S. military.

When the police murder with impunity domestically, marginalized people and those who stand in solidarity rise up, burn shit down, demand action, and force those in power to bow before the people. We remember and don’t give the state or its agents an inch. We must respond the same way when “soldiers”, international pigs, act the same way. We cannot make excuses for international pigs and their violence simply because it’s not directly in our faces every day.

With this in mind, we stand in solidarity and in power with Ganda, the larger trans and queer Filipino/a/x community, and trans and queer anarchists in the Philippines.

Death to Imperialism!

Death to Capitalism!

Death to the State!

For Trans and Queer anarchy!

– some anarchists

 

From Coast to Coast: Open Letter by Anarchist Prisoner Toby Shone

  • August 27, 2022 1:21 am

from Philly ABC

toby-shone-statement.jpg

I’ve previously written about the need to recreate an Atlantic bridge, based on international revolutionary solidarity and reciprocal knowledge, that moves towards affinity and direct action in support of our imprisoned comrades. Since then, I was recently visited by a comrade from Anarchist Black Cross Philadelphia here at the G4S facility in which I’m held. G4S is originally an American company, Wackenhut, which has pioneered the private prison and security industry all over the world. As part of our discussion between the comrade from ABC Philadelphia and myself, we spoke of the need to prevent our groups and commons becoming inward-looking and closing in on themselves in microscopic scenes and myopia. The anglophone world is particularly susceptible to this trend, although it is not solely confined to English-speaking territories. How can we translate rhetoric into practical activity? Words and deeds must coincide, and that is what?

For too long, a kind of one-way discourse has been in effect, breached by too few valiant individuals and groups. We can speak of a loss of solidarity flowing across the Atlantic between north and south, east and west. Without wanting to advocate any kind of anarcho-tourism or the colonial approach of the wholesale export-import political programs of the activist left, I’m in favor of strengthening our international networks in the face of an increased technocratic authoritarianism. To remain locked up in our local areas without considering the struggles elsewhere is self-defeating, as repressive operations seek to confine us and stem our anarchic contagion specifically to promote sterility. Can we renew an Atlantic bridge that connects our tendencies, that connects the uprisings in the North American metropolises to those in Europe, Latin America and Asia? Can we join together the struggles of the long-term COINTELPRO prisoners with those elsewhere in the global prison industrial complex?

As a very basic contribution with the small means I have, I’ll join the Running Down The Walls 5K run event organized by the comrades of the American chapters of the ABC, called for September the 11th-18th this year, during the time I have out of my cell on the yard or the gym. This event aims to create a sense of togetherness through athletics. Keeping our fitness and health is important outside, and money raised by the event will supply funds to the ABC Warchest.

The real challenge is to enable an evolution in self-organization, osmosis, decentralization and cooperation; critical and practical action. As a first principle and minimum start, we can mention the exchange of letters and postcards that break the isolation of the prison walls and national borders that separate us. Since I am forbidden a large part my correspondence, and especially that of political content, it is fair to say that this constitutes meaningful solidarity of a certain type. Then there is the collation and publication of the letters and updates of our imprisoned comrades, and the incendiary dialogues which are always breaking out and multiplying as written about by comrades Alfredo, Gabriel, and Gustavo. This dialogue between inside and outside is very important. We need to cut through the bars which divide us all to support our hunger strikes, to identify structures of repression, to raise funds, to carry out campaigns, to hold events and give a helping hand to those next to our side even though an ocean may seem to separate us. I hope certain comrades can forgive me for laboring the topic as I’m positive everything I’ve written about already exists to varying degrees over several territories, but I’m aware of the need occasionally to reiterate key aspects of our practices to spread them and create new connections.

Let your voices be heard in protest from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from Maine to Mexico. Serve notice upon the murderous capitalistic class that you will not again stand idly by and see your brothers made victims because they so will it, and they will dare not do it!

– Lucy Parsons, The Proposed Slaughter, 1905

Everyone to the streets,
Toby Shone
19 August 2022

Tuesday July 5th: Letter-writing for Karla & Magda

  • July 5, 2022 1:01 am

from Philly ABC

karla-magda-letter-writing-updated.jpg

Join us as we write to Magda and Karla, feminist political prisoners in so-called Mexico. This past April 15th, a spectacular operation with more than 200 police officers occurred outside of the property of Okupa Cuba Casa de Refugio in Mexico City. At this eviction, the authorities took women that were in Casa as refugees– women who had to leave their homes, run away from the violent femicide that plagues Mexico, and took refuge to save their lives in Okupa Cuba Monumenta Viva.

Okupa Cuba is a self-managed and autonomous space that developed as a form of permanent protest because we had enough, a protest against the impunity, the indolence and the re-victimization by the patriarchal institutions of the Mexican state. Family, victims, and, feminist allies, in an uncounted event in the history of our country, they took over the facilities of Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission building. This was a wake-up call directed toward the authorities.

A series of irregularities and violations of their human rights have been mounting since they were detained– they were assaulted and threatened, at not one moment were they shown an arrest warrant, they were not told about the charges brought against them or told where they would be detained. They have since been charged with fabricated charges of possession simply to incriminate them. The women that are now imprisoned in Santa Martha are feminist activists, militants of the movement of victims of femicide in this country, they have volunteered their time and energy to build a shelter for women, for children, to denounce all forms of violence that we face every day in this country.

If you cannot join us in person and would like to send letters of solidarity to Karla and Magda, they can be emailed to: libreslas3@gmail.com .

We will also be sending birthday cards to political prisoners with birthdays in July: Gage Halupowski (the 1st) and Jessica Reznicek (the 25th).

🎥 Crass: There is No Authority But Yourself

  • June 9, 2022 1:35 am

from Iffy Books

June 16 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Promotional poster for the film "Crass: There is No Authority But Yourself". The title is at the top left, in a black stencil font. At the bottom right, a person holds a large square flag with the Crass logo.

On June 16 we’re hosting a free screening of the documentary Crass: There is No Authority But Yourself (2006), directed by Alexander Oey. Hope to see you there!

From Wikipedia:

> There is No Authority But Yourself is a Dutch film directed by Alexander Oey documenting the history of anarchist punk band Crass. The film features archive footage of the band and interviews with former members Steve Ignorant, Penny Rimbaud and Gee Vaucher. As well as reflecting on the band’s past the film focusses on their current activities, and includes footage of Rimbaud performing with Last Amendment at the Vortex jazz club in Hackney, a compost toilet building workshop and a permaculture course held at Dial House in the spring of 2006.

International Exchange on Housing Justice: Learning from LA PAH (Spain)

  • April 10, 2022 1:51 am

from Making World Books

How should we welcome people at assemblies? How should an assembly-based, decentralized movement be organized? How can we carry out non-violent direct action? How should we negotiate with others? How can we change narratives and perceptions? How can we harness the power of the streets? Many move­ments answer these questions over time through trial and error, but PAH aims to contribute to the debate by reflecting on its own experiences and presenting them in this manual. We take a step back and analyze the practices that have allowed our movement to overcome a series of obstacles and have a far-reaching impact on Spanish society, both materially and ideologically.

The Plataforma de Afectadas por la Hipoteca (PAH) (the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages) in particular has instigated a paradigm shift in terms of viewing housing as an inalienable human right and demonstrated the strength of collective action in the pursuit of greater social justice. It has shown that there are ways of making the personal political and transforming struggles based initially on personal dramas into large, organized movements that challenge the authorities and wider society.

Members of the PAH will be here to exchange critical lessons with housing activists based on the recently produced La PAH: A Handbook.This manual describes the essence of PAH and pays tribute to the platform’s history and efforts to obtain decent housing for all, targeting an international audi­ence that views its achievements as a ray of hope.

[April 16 3:00 PM 4:30 PM Making Worlds Bookstore & Social Center 210 South 45th Street]

The Anarchist Inquisition with Mark Bray

  • April 9, 2022 1:41 am

from Making World Books

The Anarchist Inquisition explores the groundbreaking transnational human rights campaigns that emerged in response to a brutal wave of repression unleashed by the Spanish state to quash anarchist activities at the turn of the twentieth century. Mark Bray guides readers through this tumultuous era―from backroom meetings in Paris and torture chambers in Barcelona, to international antiterrorist conferences in Rome and human rights demonstrations in Buenos Aires.

Advance registration required. Click here to join us!

Anarchist bombings in theaters and cafes in the 1890s provoked mass arrests, the passage of harsh anti-anarchist laws, and executions in France and Spain. Yet, far from a marginal phenomenon, this first international terrorist threat had profound ramifications for the broader development of human rights, as well as modern global policing, and international legislation on extradition and migration. A transnational network of journalists, lawyers, union activists, anarchists, and other dissidents related peninsular torture to Spain’s brutal suppression of colonial revolts in Cuba and the Philippines to craft a nascent human rights movement against the “revival of the Inquisition.” Ultimately their efforts compelled the monarchy to accede in the face of unprecedented global criticism.

Bray draws a vivid picture of the assassins, activists, torturers, and martyrs whose struggles set the stage for a previously unexamined era of human rights mobilization. Rather than assuming that human rights struggles and “terrorism” are inherently contradictory forces, The Anarchist Inquisition analyzes how these two modern political phenomena worked in tandem to constitute dynamic campaigns against Spanish atrocities.

MARK BRAY is a political organizer and historian of human rights, terrorism, and politics in Modern Europe. He earned his BA in Philosophy from Wesleyan University in 2005 and his PhD in History from Rutgers University in 2016. He is the author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook (Melville House 2017), Translating Anarchy: The Anarchism of Occupy Wall Street (Zero 2013), and the coeditor of Anarchist Education and the Modern School: A Francisco Ferrer Reader (PM Press 2018). His work has appeared in Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, Salon, Boston Review, and numerous edited volumes. He is currently a lecturer at Rutgers University.

[April 16 5pm – 6:30pm at Making Worlds Books 410 South 45th Street]

Making Worlds Community Teach-in and Discussion: The Farmers Protests and Peoples Movements in India

  • March 12, 2022 1:36 am

from Making Worlds Books

Advance registration required. Please sign up here.

Please join us for a discussion of the Indian farmers’ protest, a movement that has created a worldwide audience and rekindled the hope for mass mobilization t to bring about progressive change in the agrarian sector in India. Farmers hailed victorious in December of 2020 after protesting at the borders of the national capital for more than a year, resisting three farm laws passed by the Indian government. The aesthetic and strategy this movement displayed was unique and captured the attention of media both nationally and globally. Mobile trolley homes, free medical camps, 24-hour langars (a Sikh tradition to provide free meals to everyone), libraries at every kilometer, film screenings, musical evenings, open discussion sessions were all part of the movement. People across caste, class, gender, region and religion boundaries participated in this resistance effort and the Indian diaspora played an important role in making this movement global.

The recent Indian farmers protest has been hailed as the largest peoples movement in the history of the country. After the right-wing BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government passed three pro-corporate farm laws, many farmers of Punjab camped out at the borders of the national capital for more than a year in protest. In solidarity with trade unions and workers, the farmers articulated various demands and successfully forced the government to rescind the laws in December 2021. This historic protest created a worldwide audience and rekindled the hope for mass movements to bring about meaningful change in the Indian agrarian sector. The protests have shined a light on the intersections between corporate agriculture in India and global capitalism. Crucially, women were at the forefront of the movement. Their involvement expanded the scope of the movement and brought questions of gender, patriarchy, and the caste system to the fore.

Navkiran Natt joined this movement from day one, witnessing and participating in all of the movement up-close. In this talk, she will share the story of this historic movement. Navkiran Natt is a student-youth activist and film/media researcher who works between Punjab and Delhi, India. She is trained as a dentist and later completed her Masters in Film Studies from Ambedkar University, Delhi. She works on transnational Panjabi migration and its reflections in Punjabi popular culture and media. Her primary areas of interest are media and politics, visual culture of new media, transnational migration, popular culture, caste and gender. She did a podcast series on the Green Revolution’s health implications in Punjab with the Goethe Institute, New Delhi. Currently, she is co-editor of Trolley Times, a newsletter that started from India’s ongoing farmers’ movement.

Event cosponsored by Philly Socialists and Philly DSA.

[March 18 7pm – 8:30pm at Making Worlds Books 410 South 45th Street]

Monday June 28th: Letter-writing for Fidencio Aldama Perez

  • June 24, 2021 1:17 am

from Philly ABC

fidencio-aldama-perez.jpgFidencio Aldama Perez is an indigenous Yaqui land defender and political prisoner from the northern Mexican state of Sonora. He was arrested on October 27, 2016, and later sentenced to fifteen years and six months in prison on trumped-up charges related to a death in the community of Loma de Bácum, Sonora. It is believed that he was targeted due to his support for the indigenous community’s opposition to a gas pipeline that was to pass through Yaqui territory.

Before his imprisonment, Fidencio loved playing soccer with his children and the community. His favorite team is C.F. Pachuca. He is a talented singer and musician, playing the guitar, bass, accordion, and flute. He has long been involved in practicing, teaching, and strengthening the culture and traditions of the Yaqui people, including playing guitar in traditional Yaqui ceremonies and participating in communal dances. For Fidencio, his identity as indigenous and Yaqui is extremely important, something he has passed on to his children. His vision is for a Yaqui territory that fully belongs to the Yaqui people and from which no one can be displaced.

Please join us this coming Monday in Clark Park (stone platform near 45th and Chester) for letter-writing and art-making in participation of the international week of letter-writing and artwork in solidarity with Fidencio Aldama Perez!

We will also send birthday cards to a political prisoner with a birthday in July: Gage Halupowski (the 1st).

Monday May 24th: Letter-writing for Ruchell Cinque Magee

  • May 21, 2021 1:19 am

from Philly ABC

ruchell-magee.jpgRuchell Magee is one of the longest-held California prisoners who has been dubbed a political prisoner due to his spontaneous participation in the Marin Courthouse rebellion– the famous incident that spawned Black August. He is serving a sentence of 7 years to life for a nonviolent disagreement that landed him the wrongful charge of ‘kidnapping to commit robbery.’ Years later, he happened to be in the courthouse for unrelated reasons when Jonathan Jackson entered to free his brother and Black Liberation icon George Jackson. According to a sworn affidavit from one of the jurors, the jury voted for acquittal on charges from the Courthouse rebellion, however, this acquittal has been obscured and he continues his fight to expose this.

Ruchell is now 82 years old, and has spent more than 58 years in prison. From behind bars, he has been a positive force by helping many people with his tireless work as a jailhouse lawyer. He currently has a pro se motion pending review by the Supreme Court as well as a commutation application to be reviewed by the Governor. He is also parole eligible. Please join us Monday at Clark Park (stone platform near 45th and Chester) as we reach out to Ruchell to connect, offer solidarity, and see what all can be done to free him this year so that he can finally reunite with his family.

Because we are not aware of any political prisoners with a birthday in June, instead of birthday cards we will pass around cards for Palestinian freedom political prisoners: Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, Dr. Issam Hijjawi Bassalat, Khalida Jarrar, Layan Kayed, Ahmad Sa’adat, and Khitam Saafin.