Anti- and Pro-Trump Rallies in Philly End With Fights, Blood, Arrests

from Unicorn Riot

Philadelphia, PA – A rally calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump took place Sunday morning at Liberty Bell Plaza. A variety of liberal and progressive organizations generally denounced the Trump administration, calling for Medicaid for all, and drawing attention to the ongoing Trump-Russia investigation.

Area antifascists were also in attendance. An announcement was published days before the event calling on people to come oppose various white supremacist, so-called ‘alt-right’ elements who threatened to disrupt the impeachment rally.

The permitted march got underway shortly before noon, as planned.

The heavily policed march eventually ended without incident at a plaza downtown. However, a group of neo-nazis, white nationalists, and Trump supporters was also holding an event nearby.

The white nationalist pro-Trump march eventually ended at Logan Square, where the small crowd of a few dozen listened to speakers. One of the speakers presented his own version of Richard Spencer’s call for a “white ethnostate”, which was met with applause.

Several individuals at the white nationalist event were carrying ‘Kekistan’ flags, a visual reference to online harassment culture based on 4chan and other image boards. The ‘Kekistan’ flag is a variation on the original German Nazi flag.

The ‘Kekistan’ flag is based on the German Nazi flag

The pro-Trump rally then ended, but many of the group walked directly from their rally point to Tir na nOg, a nearby Irish pub where many of the white nationalists had planned to meet. In the alley outside the pub, several fights broke out between anti-fascists and white supremacists.

Philadelphia police officers arrested four antifascist demonstrators, while not arresting any of the several Trump supporters who were also involved in the fights. (The Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Donald Trump during his presidential campaign.)

When asked about white supremacists using their pub as a venue to meet, the manager at Tir na nOg declined to comment. The pub’s twitter account later tweeted a statement in response to comments made on social media.

In a separate incident from the fights outside the pub, a man who had been carrying a ‘Trump 2020’ sign at the white nationalist event appeared to have been involved in a fight by Suburban Station in downtown Philadelphia. He was visibly covered in blood as he was removed by paramedics on a stretcher. SEPTA transit police arrested three individuals.

We will provide updates as more information becomes available.

Fake Event Mobilizes far-Right at Gettysburg; Militia Member Shoots Himself in Leg

From It’s Going Down

In the last two weeks, Alt-Right trolls have attempted to replay the events in Houston, Texas in June, where using over the top threats from fake antifa groups on social media, they galvanized a ‘counter-protest’ from the militia movement.

Moreover, it turned out that the people behind the trolling where also raking in thousands of dollars off of crowdfunding for the ‘counter-demonstration’ which drew several hundred and led to infighting between militia members and neo-Nazis. Seems like the Right has a business plan! Make a fake antifa group, make over the top threats, and then crowd fund money off of people that want to protest it.

This time around, trolls using the page ‘Harrisburg Antifa’ alleged that antifascists would burn flags and urinate on the graves of Confederate soldiers. These outright lies were then picked up by the ‘journalists’ at Fox News and distributed as actual truth. This connection between Alt-Right trolls and Fox News is not new; just last week Fox reprinted an article written by a member of the Alt-Right who wrote a hit piece about IGD at HeatSt.com.

Interestingly enough however, in the lead up to the protest, Navy Jack, a mover and shaker within the far-Right Oath Keeper militia, called out the event as total make-believe in a tweet (see image on the top-right), which has since been deleted. Navy Jack also included the photos of the two people he believed were behind the fake event and called it #FakeNews.

Other members of the far-Right, such as Joe Biggs, who recently left InfoWars because of the #Pizzagate conspiracy, have stated publicly that the rise of such fake antifa accounts have hurt the far-Right who continues to take them seriously.

In an interview with USA Today, Central PA Antifa, who IGD interviewed last year, also rightfully called out the event as a complete and total fabrication:

Central PA Antifa, based in the greater Harrisburg area, is planning to participate in an anti-Trump demonstration in Philadelphia on Saturday, according to the email.

The email claimed the rumors about the Gettysburg protest stemmed from a fake Facebook page called “Harrisburg Antifa.”

“This page is not run by antifascists but by alt-right trolls attempting to discredit antifa, create confusion, and attempt to stir violence,” the email stated.

Furthermore, Antifa took exception to the allegation that they would be desecrating graves, especially in Gettysburg, “a site of great historical importance in the struggle of oppression,” the email said.

“That battle was a turning point in the war that eventually lead to the freeing of millions of slaves,” Central PA Antifa said. “The Confederacy and their ideology were dealt a resounding defeat at that battle, as fascism itself will one day be defeated by the will of all people to be free from oppression.”

The BBC also ironically pointed out:

There’s a problem: although there is a cemetery at Gettysburg, no Confederate graves at the site are marked by stones.

Alt-Lite trolls, general adult failures at life, and conspiracy theorists like Cassandra Fairbanks and Jack Posobiec did flip flops with the story. First, they promoted it as fact and then when it became clear it was a fake, they took to laughing at the mainstream media for picking up the story after they helped to get it off the ground. Hilariously though, it was Fox News that picked it up and ran with it after hearing about it from the grassroots far-Right, even as some local Fox affiliates backpedaled on the story.

But regardless of the lies, militia members and the far-Right still showed up to Gettysburg to protest the hoax created by Alt-Right trolls. During their ‘counter-rally’ however, a young militia member apparently shot themselves in the leg. 

According to One People’s Project:

The rumor that antifa were coming to Gettysburg National Military Park to desecrate Confederate monuments there turned out to be false, but that did not stop a group of militia members from coming out, standing guard and shooting themselves in the foot – or literally in their left thigh.

According to Pennlive, a 20-year-old “patriot” accidentally triggered the revolver he brought to the park, which was inside a leg holster, when he temporarily rested the bottom of his flag pole against the holster. Park police who were nearby when the shooting took place quickly applied a tourniquet, possibly saving his life.

The accidental discharge happened near four designated fenced areas for demonstrators. Many of the ‘patriots’, did not go into those areas immediately reportedly because their permit was suspended because of a brief rain, but instead marched around the perimeter. After the rain cleared, they were allowed in.

Later, as police were trying to unload the revolver, it went off a second time while visitors were nearby. Police say the gun was “bad” and they had a hard time getting the rounds out of the chamber. After they forced all of the rounds out of the revolver, they secured the gun.

As Alt-Right trolls peddle lies, mainstream and corporate media like Fox News feeds off of the manufactured frenzy, which in turn leads to far-Right militia groups mobilizing to ‘fight’ these fake threats. This cycle has become increasingly clear. People like Cassandra Fairbanks and Jack Posobiec lose credibility when independent investigative journalism expose the facade. It is important that our movements continue to support, fund and defend such liberatory efforts.

Moreover, it was the far-Right, not anarchists and antifascists, which called for violence in the lead up to the demonstration and in the end, shot themselves with a gun and put people in the general area of Gettysburg in danger. This is the kind of reckless behavior they accuse our movement of engaging in all of the time, yet it is the far-Right which is creating a climate of violence, fear, and threats of bodily harm.

The far-Right has a symbiotic relationship with the State, the mass media, and is built on a foundation of dis-information and relationships of violence. In an attempt to get ratings they sow rotten seeds amongst the public, crowdfund off each other and peddle their rhetoric to anyone simple enough to be played. The joke is on them this time. Reap what you sow and maybe you’ll just end up shooting yourself in the leg.


 

No Pasarán in Philadelphia: They Shall Not Pass!

From It’s Going Down

Social Media Event Here

On July 19, 1936, Spanish anti-fascist organizer Dolores Ibárruri gave a speech calling her people to stand in solidarity against fascism during the Spanish Civil War. The speech concluded on a passionate call to arms: “Long live the Popular Front! Long live the union of all anti-fascists! Long live the Republic of the people! The Fascists shall not pass! THEY SHALL NOT PASS!”

On Sunday, July 2, 2017, members of fascist “alt-right” groups will attempt to disrupt a Philadelphia liberal-organized march calling for Trump’s impeachment. We are calling for groups and individuals to mask up, crew up, and show up to send a strong message to the far-right that they are not welcome in our city. We will smash the growth of fascism by any and all means necessary.

First, let’s be clear. We aren’t there to support the liberal strategy of impeachment. The focus on impeachment is strategically ineffective from a Left standpoint, as the media frenzy will mask discussion of fundamental policy changes desperately needed by working people.

It is also tactically idiotic. If the impeachment succeeds at removing Trump from office, there will be one more imperialist, bigoted, misogynist prick to pick up where he left off.

Philadelphia anti-fascists do not endorse wasting time while neo-Nazi, white nationalist groups grow in strength and number. Liberals twiddle their thumbs while the country fractures and its most detestable ideological elements bubble to the surface. We are the future that we need to see, and no one’s fighting but us.

This is our city, and we have home turf advantage. But they know we’re coming this time, so we need to up our game even further beyond our victory at the Disrupt MAGA march. Alt-right groups including the Alt-Knights are looking to make their first splash in the streets of an east-coast Left stronghold. We need the numbers to humiliate them and send them scrambling back to their pathetic holes. Let’s show them how organized we can be.

There come times in history when we have to decide where we stand. The future of America is in flux, being fought on battlegrounds across the country. The growth of the neo-fascist Right must be countered by a united, active front from the Left. Make no mistake, July 2 will be another battleground moment.

We are calling on everyone to come together and fight against white supremacy and all the unconscionable ideologies held by the far right. We must deny them a platform to promote hate and let them know they are not welcome in our communities. Come masked, come with comrades, come ready to fight, come ready to win.

We meet at 10am at the Liberty Bell on Sunday, July 2.

NOTE: The purpose of the mask is to protect your identity and your freedom of expression. It’s hard to be as courageous as we need to be on the streets if we’re worried about alt-right doxxers uncovering our identities and harassing our families. It also allows us to identify at a glance who’s militantly anti-fascist and willing to put their bodies on the line for their values and beliefs.

From Philly Antifa

We fully support this call to defend our city. The ranks of those coming to Philly to try and disrupt the liberal Impeachment march will be filled with avowed Neo-Nazis, racist Libertarian Capitalists and Anarcho-Capitalists, and other assorted Far-Right wannabe storm troopers. Philadelphia is an Anti-Fascist city now and forever.

They shall not pass!

#JUSTICEFORDJ

Submission

Enough is enough….
We need police officer Ryan Pownall of the 15th police district…charged with the murder of David Jones…

DAVID Jones was a soulmate and best friend and the father of a son! On Friday we are marching for him demanding justice! I won’t rest until Pownall goes down! Please come march with us!

[June 30 at 5pm at District Attorney’s Office, 3 S Penn Square]

No Pasaran: Shut Down Nazi Rally

from Facebook

Members of “Altright” groups took to Twitter calling for the disruption of a mainly liberal trump impeachment march on July 2nd in 12 cities including philadelphia, These groups don’t deserve to be called by names other than fascists so we will leave it at that.

We are calling for direct action against the disruption and asking the community to stand togther against hate and bigotry. Fascists should never be given a platform to spread hate, let’s these fascist know Philadelphia is a hate free zone.

[July 2 10AM at 6th and Market]

Taking Back Pride: Philly Report Back

from It’s Going Down

While LGBTQ Pride began as a riot lead by black and brown trans women, today’s Pride celebrations do nothing to address the unjust system that oppresses queer people of varying intersectional identities, namely Queer Trans People of Color (QTPOC). As of mid-June 2017, thirteen black and brown trans women have been murdered this year. Queer youths are kicked out of their homes and make up almost half of the homeless youth population across the country. Transphobia and transmisogyny run rampant in all aspects of culture. Instead of throwing bricks, burning police cars, or taking it to the streets in protest, Pride has lost its revolutionary roots and instead become an agent of the very thing that oppresses us.

On Sunday June 18th, Philadelphia Pride proved problematic as ever, starting with the sponsorship by multiple alcohol brands, big banks, and investment companies. These corporate interests do not at all represent the struggles of QTPOC, and often systemically oppress these populations further. After the corporate Pride parade, instead of an accessible community-based event, attendees were expected to pay fifteen dollars to get in to a post-celebration at Penn’s Landing, just to pay even more money for everything inside. Pride should be an inclusive celebration, but instead, if you are one of the hundreds of homeless LGBTQ youth in Philadelphia, you likely wouldn’t even be able to afford to attend.

More than ever we need a Pride that isn’t cissexist, racist, and transphobic – but Pride has been co-opted. Philadelphia’s queer community is not short of racism: the senior adviser for Philadelphia corporate Pride is a huge Trump supporter, the owner of the gay club ICandy throws around the “n-word,” and there was huge backlash when the City of Philadelphia included a black and brown stripe on the rainbow flag this year.

Realizing that something had to be done, Philly’s Equity Coalition organized an event called QTPOC Take Pride Back that aimed to start with a rally at City Hall, protest along certain areas of the corporate Pride parade, and end in a protest at Penn’s Landing. Through community organization, the event was able to draw in people from different backgrounds and give voices to the black, brown, and trans members of our community who too often are ignored during Pride. QTPOC Take Pride Back shed light on the sick injustice that Pride itself has become in exploiting queer people for money while serving the interests of the cis white gay men.

IMG_5689.JPG

QTPOC Take Pride Back started off at City Hall with a group of about 65 who gathered to listen to speakers that galvanized the crowd with their personal experiences as queer people of color. As the event progressed, police presence began to grow. First, a group of about ten bike cops were stationed on the corner, two undercover police stood on the sidewalk behind the crowd, then a police van parked nearby, and finally a counter terrorism vehicle parked behind that van. As the speakers began to conclude, a black bloc of about 20, donning militant queer branded shields and flags, descended upon the event creating a protective barrier behind the QTPOC Take Pride Back attendees. Dozens of matching flags and trans colored bandanas were passed out in solidarity with the bloc.

Shortly after the speakers finished, organizers roused the crowd to begin the march. The march from City Hall was lead by QTPOC and the bloc was in a “U” formation around the back to protect the vulnerable sections. Shields and flags were used as noise makers as several chant leaders shouting “take Pride back!” As QTPOC Take Pride Back and the bloc marched, they were immediately followed by a wave of bike cops flanking both sides attempting to disrupt the march and discourage marching. They were unsuccessful and the march cut down the middle of Broad Street. At this point, the police began their aggression towards the bloc and plain clothes protestors by riding in the streets and attempting to hit protesters with bikes.

The front of the QTPOC Take Pride Back march began to make it’s way down a side street, in order to gain access to the corporate Pride march, but was blocked by bike cops once again. After some maneuvering, the march was able to go down another side street to gain access to a section of the corporate Pride parade. Then police quickly formed a line of separation between corporate attendees and the march. On megaphones, the QTPOC Take Pride Back marshals encouraged the crowd of corporate parade attendees to realize the damage being done to the LGBTQ community and to join them in the streets in solidarity.

IMG_5727_sRGB.JPG

As the QTPOC Take Pride Back march continued on each street continued to be blocked by police. At one point a police line on a particularly isolated street began physically assaulting plain clothed QTPOC Take Pride Back marchers, using their bikes as weapons to slam people to the ground and hit people, even openly punching and grabbing trans people. Luckily, the bloc and marchers jumped to action defending targeted folks and actively resisting the police violence through the use of shields and flag poles. It should be noted that any and ALL comrades who were grabbed were successfully de-arrested and no arrests were made.

“some corporate Pride attendees were high-fiving and fist-bumping with police, the same police who 20 minutes before were smashing their bikes…”

After several kettling attempts and increased violence by police, the QTPOC Take Pride Back marchers and black bloc were separated into three sections: two were caught on cross streets and the other, representing a large number of the bloc, escaped into the corporate Pride parade, quickly followed by a line of police. Even with a guard of police, the bloc was immediately met with intense cries of support by corporate Pride attendees and many even joined in anti-cop and anti-corporate chants. However, some corporate Pride attendees dissented and were high-fiving and fist-bumping with police, the same police who 20 minutes before were smashing their bikes in to QTPOC. Once the corporate Pride parade route had finished, the black bloc to exited the march without issue.

Even though protesting outside of Penn’s Landing was no longer possible due to the amount of police violence shown toward QTPOC Take Pride Back marchers and the bloc, the goal had been fulfilled through infiltration of the corporate Pride parade, protection provided to marchers by the bloc, and bringing awareness to corporate Pride parade attendees. Afterward, a free queer picnic for the community was provided by a local Food Not Bombs chapter and other accomplices. The picnic itself embodied another portion of what LGBTQ Pride should be about: community building, support, compassion, and free access for everyone no matter income or background.

Reflecting back on June 18th, it’s apparent that only through militant resistance of the state and its corporate entities will progress be reached. Queer people must ask themselves: What would Marsha do? What would Sylvia do? What would our other Queer siblings who started the Stonewall Riots do? For every brick we grab, every body we put on the line, every pig we face, every window that gets smashed, we do so with them.

Special notation: in the days following June 18th, it became clear that the level of resistance for QTPOC Take Pride Back from the police came directly from a 9-1-1 call by a cis white gay male organizer who sought to attack the Equity Coalition. This is a stark reminder of the history that liberals have had condemning revolutionary movements across the years.

Rally and March for Police Abolition

from Facebook

Over the last two months, the pigs have exceuted and brutalized several black people. In Philadelphia, David Jones was murdered by Ryan Pownall. Pownall shot David in the back, and claimed that David had a gun. An off-duty pig brutalized a young man named Naji Tribble. The cop slammed his head into the groud leaving him with a severe skull facture. Naji has suffered from seizures and other health problems as a result of the incident.

In Seattle, Charleena Lyles, was murdered by pigs in front of her three children. She’d contacted police to report a burglary and the cops shot her for having a knife in her hands.

In St. Paul, Jeronmio Yanez, the pig who killed Philando Castile in front of his girlfriend and daughter was found not-guilty of his murder.

The list of black and brown people murdered by cops is growing every day. We know we can NEVER reform a system created from the enslavement on African people. In order to proect our communities, we must completely dismantle the current system. We must fight for police abolition.

Please join us for a rally and march on June 28th at 5:30pm. We will gather in front of the Municipal Services building. Please join us!

[1401 JFK Blvd]

Harrisburg, PA: Reportback and Analysis of June 10th Counter-Demo

from It’s Going Down

On June 10th, ACT for America held anti-Muslim rallies across the country. They were assisted by American Vanguard, a white-supremacist fascist group, and the Oathkeepers, a hyper-masculine organization of former military and police officers. One of the rallies was held in Harrisburg, PA, where they were joined by the ultra-racist Keystone Skins. In an effort to create a strong counter-presence a call was put out to activists in the region to join Harrisburg comrades in shutting them down. We were among many who answered.

As anarchists, we firmly believe in self-criticism and learning lessons from every action. This is our attempt to do so.

Leading up to the day of the action, we had concerns about what we perceived as some organizers’ peace-policing discussions of militant tactics. We did not gain a complete understanding of their concerns, and felt that ours were not fully heard. Arranging a spokes council well in advance would have prevented much of the resulting tension in both preparation and execution, and provided clarity in terms of goals, contingency plans, support for autonomous actions, diversity of tactics, etc.

A spokes council, when properly implemented, is distinguishable from representative councils: the spokes (individuals comprising the spokes council) constantly rotate, must closely follow the affinity groups’ mandates, can be immediately recalled, and any decisions are non-binding. This provides a method for organizing the decision-making process of a large group while preserving the autonomy of all involved. A spokes council can help level the field of communication, so that everyone’s voice is heard, most importantly those of folks who are too often silenced, i.e.: women, people of color, lgbtqia+.

Decisions can be made using consensus, and agreements and understandings can be efficiently communicated from each crew to the spokes council and vice versa. Groups voluntarily opt in or out, and have time to speak amongst themselves to determine the nature of their relationship to the spokes council. Moreover, a spokes council provides the opportunity for people from different crews to establish personal connections, and potentially boost confidence in the strangers they will stand with as comrades on the day of the action.

For the action in Harrisburg, the spokes council would have been talking on a regular basis, met the night before and morning of, and been ready to meet quickly when necessary during the action itself. Instead, there was an attempt to make critical decisions among 40-60 people. While full participation in decision-making can function on the ground, with the lack of clarity between groups leading up to the action and with cops and fash looking to pick a fight, it proved ineffective.

The Action

Our crew plus one person from Harrisburg arrived at the meet-up spot at the designated time already bloced up. It took the rest of the day’s main organizers and crews over an hour to arrive, during which time we were scouted by both fash and cops. This put us at a severe disadvantage and deflated the morale of those who had waited around for so long.

Once more people arrived, a decision was made to move the group to a location that was not clearly communicated and to which several individuals and crews had severe misgivings, leading to further lack of confidence in some of the local organizers. A few crews even de-bloced and considered leaving town, and then re-bloced once we decided to take to the streets. That said, at least one of the local organizers was attentive and responsive to outside concerns, and did their best to relay messages to the other local organizers. We had established a rapport with them weeks prior, vibed well, and felt comfortable looking to them in times of critical decision-making, which speaks to the need for good inter-regional communication before an action. Unfortunately, other organizers appeared to drown them out and dismiss them, which not only hampered confidence but, in our eyes, actually led to harmful chaos.

Upon arrival at the capitol, it was clear we had arrived well after the fash and pigs, whose occupation of the capitol steps was reinforced by armed paramilitary, police barricades and mounties (pigs on horseback). For our movement to succeed we must constantly evaluate the situation on the ground and ensure we dictate the terms of success. The goal was immediately changed from stopping the march (which was clearly not going to happen) to preventing fash from approaching the rallying point and drowning out their chants. Crews continued to arrive, bringing noisemakers and other supplies. Fash continued to arrive, too, albeit in meager numbers, and when some people within the bloc attempted to hold the line as they approached, others did not, and they were able to break through easily, assisted by the pigs, who came armed with rubber bullets, smoke grenades launchers, and zip-ties.

Around this point, some crews left and de-bloced. While some returned, others did not. Organizers had continuously called for the bloc to “tighten up” so we could somehow reach consensus as a full bloc. This was clearly not working, and some of us recommended the creation of a spokes. An ad-hoc spokes was assembled, in which not all crews were represented, some individuals attempted to function as an actual spokes, a few attempted to dominate the conversation, and others seemed unsure of how to operate within that environment.

Amidst this spokes reevaluation, a peace-police antagonizer came into the bloc and began yelling incoherent nonsense. Rather than removing him, pigs arrested a person of color who was standing close by, and the bloc did nothing to stop it. We attribute this arrest to disorganization and miscommunication, and need to figure out how to avoid situations like this in the future: how to neutralize rogue antagonizers while protecting and maintaining the bloc.

Eventually, the spokes decided we should leave the location and begin a march as a way of coopting the fash’s plan and create an anti-racist march.

The march was immediately pursued by mounties, police on foot, and several police vehicles. In an attempt to outpace the pigs, the “leaders” of the march kept a fast pace, which was dangerous for several reasons. First and foremost, it was ableist—some who may have wanted to participate couldn’t. Second, it risked spreading the bloc thin. Luckily several individuals ensured this did not happen. We began to feel much more confident, forming lines in the street and pushing through aggressive mounties who tried to penetrate, reroute, and divide the bloc. We dictated the terms of the march and cut off police interference. A local civilian joined the march and suggested a densely populated public destination, and we marched there effectively.

Once we’d passed this location, the mounties became much more aggressive, charging the bloc in an effort to remove us from the street. Shit was going south. As we weighed separating from the bloc and some of us even began to so do, pigs started to make arrests and we were cut off.

After de-blocing, regrouping, and meeting up with others, we observed several roaming bands of Proud Boys (who appeared young and weak) walking the streets looking for members of Antifa to fight. Groups of pigs did the same, clearly in coordination with fash and also in pursuit of Antifa, stashed gear or perhaps even cars that looked out of place. Nonetheless, several members of different Antifa crews beat the shit out of a few Proud Boys with their own weapons (they later complained about their wounds, using social media to request safe spaces to spout their hatred).

Lessons

1) There should always be a secure and comprehensive scouting plan before any action, but especially a large-scale action. This includes leading up to and day of. We need to ensure that we have a complete understanding of the terrain: potential locations where we can demonstrate our power, choke points, escape routes, etc. This must be done carefully and thoroughly.

2) The host crew and folks coming from abroad must be clear about where they stand, what they are willing to do, goals, and contingency plans. Clear communication is key always, and every effort must be made to listen to anyone who expresses concerns during planning. This is crucial when working with others as it ensures that people know they are being heard, and helps everyone to work as a more cohesive unit.

3) As a movement, we need to be more creative with our tactics. The fash and pigs have become accustomed to bloc strategies in these types of scenarios. In order to win we need to think about other ways to take them on.

Conclusion

We were able to enact an effective noise-making counter-demonstration, drowning out the fash’s pathetic chants and renditions of “God Bless America,” or whatever. We were then able to take the streets, creating decent optics by staying tight, chanting in unison, and maintaining the bloc through an extensive route in downtown Harrisburg. And, after the bloc dissipated, folks were able to de-bloc and make some fash regret leaving their keyboards. All of these elements of the action could’ve been improved with better communication and planning, and in the future, as we make a more concerted effort to do so, we must take into consideration lessons from the June 10th action in Harrisburg.

P.S.: Remember, horses are our friends, and even though they can be scary they don’t want to be involved in our oppression any more than we do. They are frightened in those moments, and will often defy their masters when the heat is on.

RIP David Jones

from Instagram

RIP David Jones shot in the back by police

Ugly-Ass Frank Rizzo Mural In South Philly Gets Tagged, Again

from Tattle Tot

In case you missed it, Philadelphia Police Officer Ryan Pownall, a white man, shot David Jones, a black man, in the back earlier this month.

Jones died.

In the coming weeks I’ll be doing more reporting on the case. But for now, let us just enjoy and praise the brave soul who tagged the ugly-ass Frank Rizzo mural in south Philly.

RIP David Thomas Jones

Submission

Saw this on Chester at 49th street. David Thomas Jones was killed by police on Thursday.

Harrisburg June 10th Action Roundup

from It’s Going Down

A Philly Cop Shot A Black Man In The Back, Here’s How Philly Media Responded

From Tattle Tot

Yesterday afternoon an officer with the Philadelphia Police Department shot and killed someone, who according to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross, was running away from the officer. But local media is doing a terrible job of telling the city that.

According to police, the officer was transporting two witnesses to a precinct for something unrelated when he saw the yet-to-be-identified victim driving erratically on a dirt bike. The cop pulled up next to the guy, whose bike was having a malfunction.

According to police when the officer went to confront the individual he started to back away. When the victim did this, for whatever reason the officer got out of his car and conducted a frisk, (surprise!), at which point the officer allegedly felt a gun and the victim ran.

While running away, the cop shot the victim in the back, according to video footage. Ross said the video caused “pause.”

“The one video vantage point is actually showing or depicting the officer firing as the guy is running away,” Ross also told reporters. “He is running ahead of the officer when he discharges from behind, so that’s a piece we want to look at very closely.”

Police seem to like killing black people, that’s not news, per se. There’s are also some weird things about what the police are saying surrounding this particular case, but this isn’t the post for that.

The issue I’m having with this current killing is how my local media is covering it and how they are fucking up said coverage.

A police officer killing someone while running away from someone is a huge story. That is the story–the fact that an armed government official shot someone who from initial reports wasn’t an immediate threat?

Shut Down Anti-Muslim March Harrisburg

from Facebook

On June 10th, all over the United States, Act for America has called for marches against “Sharia Law”, which is clearly a thinly veiled stab at the Muslim community, given that Donald Trump is in office with GOP House and Senate majorities.

The United States is not at risk for Sharia Law.

However, our Muslim brothers and sisters throughout the world are at risk from racist and violent policies as well as rhetoric. In word and in deed, the growing alt-right movement continues to merge with neo-Nazis, Klan, Southern Confederate groups and others who advocate “free speech” to support policies that threaten Muslims worldwide.

East Shore Antifa of Harrisburg, PA therefore calls for the entirety of our community to stand together against the rising threat of fascism in our state.

This is not a protest or a rally, although those actions can be found elsewhere on this day and we fully stand in solidarity and in support with those who choose to rally or protest instead.

This event is a shut-down. We will be gathering in number, beginning at 9:30 am, and if possible, we will move as a defensive formation to physically blockade their march route and we will not allow them to pass through our city.

Bring signs, banners, medics, drummers, scouts and anything else you feel can contribute to our success and safety.

Harrisburg is not a protest playground, so if you do come, come prepared to observe and respect the autonomy of those who live in this community. Any person or group who does not respect diversity of tactics as well as group consensus and revolutionary discipline during actions should not attend this event, and will not be supported by our bloc.

No Pasaran!

[June 10 at 500 N Front St, Harrisburg PA]

Crossing Paths on a New Terrain: Militant Leftism, Antifascist Struggle, and Insurrection Under Trump

Submission
This text is in part a reply to the “Drinking From the Cup of Fascist Tears: Boston Report Back” but is generally meant to be respond to the shifting political terrain since Trump won the election in November of 2016. All unattributed quotes are from the Boston Report Back.

The social terrain been changing in Philadelphia. For the last half a year, since Trump’s election campaign through to his current presidency, I’ve seen more and different types of opposition to the political system. This opposition takes many forms; an increase in the popularity of anti-fascist organizing, a re-emergence of black blocs within larger demonstrations and as their own demonstrations, and a broadening of progressive ideology to include revolutionary perspectives in the face of the Trump administration. This change of terrain has me both excited and worried.

An influx of leftist organizations and groupings has me nervous. Since November, I’ve found myself in the street running alongside leftist militants more than I have since 2012. I’m not interested in changing minds or offering the “truth”, instead, I’m interested in clearing up some misconceptions and clarifying the positions of some anarchists in Philly. This way when tensions arise between insurrectionary and leftist perspectives, when we inevitably step on each other’s toes (as must happen when paths cross, as opposed to run parallel), they can be understood for what they are, differences in approach, perspective, and trajectory.

New Energy and Practices
With the arrival of militant leftists willing to take conflictual action, the space to act and experiment has expanded and changed. For some time insurrectionary anarchists have dismissed most marches and demonstrations, jaded and bitter, after too many bad experiences with activists (despite their often fiery rhetoric). Every now and then some of us would attend a march or rally, but for the most part those places felt unwelcoming. Seeing so many people taking to the street in black has been exciting. The spread of anonymous attendance, material preparedness, and uncompromising messaging is appealing to say the least, not to mention that many within these blocs are not showing up empty handed. Many of us are trickling back into the streets, once again donning our black masks, excited to see what new potential exists for us on this new terrain.

The spokes councils and other open ended forums that have sprung up mesh well with our informal and affinity based approach. They provide space to share information and coordinate action without taking away individual or group autonomy, or becoming decision-making bodies, that aim to steer the entirety of an action.

These changes are exciting, the space and energy have made more things feel possible. They have created more lines along which solidarity can be shown, and also more tensions between political tendencies that can hopefully complement each other rather than detract from the overall struggle against this miserable world.

Philly Before Trump
Anarchist and anti-fascist struggle here has not always looked like it does today. For a long time progressive and revolutionary forms of struggle took different and less militant forms, with Trump around this has changed, insurrectionary anarchists have and most likely will continue to share the streets and take similar action with progressive and revolutionary leftists. However things were happening before Trump. I’d like to clear up some generalizations that don’t take into account how things have been.

“In Philly, blocs work closely in a sphere of mutual respect with local Left organizations to make sure that everyone is on the same page when actions combine the interests of multiple groups.”
The statement that Philly black blocs work closely and in a sphere of mutual respect with left organizations erases years of activity in Philadelphia. Black bloc is a tactic, not a group. No political tendency has a monopoly on it, nor can it be spoken for as though it was a formal group. It might look like black blocs have mutual respect for the left if we only look at blocs that have taken place since Donald Trump’s election, but even then when we squint we see blocs that don’t fit that narrative. The recent past has seen more black blocs within larger demonstrations, or as demonstrations of their own, many of these have been organized in coordination with left groups, but again not all. When looking into the past one can see the use of black bloc being upsetting to leftists. Whether organizing autonomous blocs to clash with police and disrupt civil society in solidarity with rebels in Ferguson in 2014, or the various attempts to escalate conflict during more Black Lives Matter protests than we care to count, to organizing against prisons as part of the nation-wide prison strike, to attacking police and business from within recent anti-Trump and anti-fascist protests, use of black bloc has mostly received mixed reviews until recently. This may be because for many insurrectionary anarchists, the black bloc was never meant to be a symbolic or spectacular display. For most of us black bloc is a way to hide our identities while we engage in forms of struggle we expect will bring about repression from the state or other groups intent on protecting the social order. Black bloc is a tactic we use to further our goals, not a representation of struggle we sacrifice and delay our desires for.

“Philly anti-fascist groups have moderated our own political urgencies to smash fascists and the state for the sake of building these relationships due to the advantages that strategic alliances with sympathetic noncombatants can provide.”
The above statement (like the one about black blocs in Philly) skips over the anti-fascist and anti-state activity here that has, and continues to take, an uncompromising position. The injured fascists, the damaged cars, the doxxing, and the hours of research were not the results of moderation. Before Trump won the election, a lot of anti-fascist activity here took place in a less spectacular context. White supremacists were confronted by occasional demonstrations, like Lief Erikson day for example, but mostly a less visible opposition did the job. Efforts to expose, sabotage, or otherwise disrupt fascist organizing were uncompromising whenever they could be. Potential alliances were not dismissed completely, but the times when they were prioritized over directly striking at white supremacy left us feeling disappointed.

Watering Down Of Struggle
It’s not hard to find someone opposed to neo-nazis; only the most conflict avoidant liberals wring their hands when a self-described white supremacist gets punched in the face. It’s harder to come across people who are in opposition to society and all the racist trappings that hold it together: work, police, gender, colonialism, government, prisons, etc. While not so distant memory reminds me that whole cities burned in response to unexceptional policing, and that prisoners across the country attempted to destroy the prisoner labor economy, it leaves me concerned to see the so much of the struggle against white supremacy retreat into a defensive one focused on a specific administration and a specific brand of overt racism. For me it’s not enough to want to defend myself and my friends from Trump and the white supremacists he has emboldened, I need to struggle against the society, the civilization, that created them. To sound cliche, radical for me means grabbing a hold of problems by the root.

I’m worried that the new wave of antifa oriented struggle will leave behind the wider fight against white supremacy, and the state (which necessarily includes anti-fascism anyway). While as an anarchist I am against the existence of fascism and fascists, I am also convinced that white supremacy and authoritarianism are much more powerful and popular in the form of the state and society. Police and snitches are a much bigger threat to my existence than self-described white supremacists or nationalists. I’m not going to dismiss them as non-enemies (I’ve connected a pole to a skull, a rock to a racist, surely not for the last time). The rioting across the U$A against police and race (aka anti-blackness, aka white supremacy aka…) was more interesting to me than the more narrow, “most common denominator” focus on overt and/or self-described white supremacists. Additionally, these riots confronted many of the same white supremacists, while continuing to fight forward on their own terms. Angry crowds confronted Oath Keepers, right-wing militias, and other organized racists bent on policing the joyful chaos, without having to seek them out or deviate too far from their attack on society at large. The antifa struggle seems to be an entirely defensive one, focusing only on the most socially unpopular forms of white supremacy while leaving the rest of society mostly unchallenged. As a defensive struggle it doesn’t push toward an anarchic unknown, but toward a moment that many can agree was better, the moment before Trump’s election, or the moment before he ran for office, as though he didn’t emerge from a racist society that will continue to exist for as long as we do not to destroy it, whether he remains in office or not.

Hierarchy Rears Its Head
“Would-be bloc participants need organizers to let them know how they’re going to win the day rather than resigning themselves to a loss.”
“Boston bloc leaders…”
“…our troops…”
“Being a militant vanguard against the fascist tide means simultaneously moderating two fronts – the enemy front, against which we must stand strong and push hard – and the allied front, to which we must stay close enough to encourage support for our militancy.”

I am against hierarchy. I don’t want to lead or be led. I want to organize with friends, not organize “the struggle”. It’s up to each individual to make their own path, without coercion or outside authority. Being against hierarchy means being against any sort of vanguard, bloc leaders, or acquiescence to being someone’s troop. Everyone who attends an action or demonstration has their own idea of what winning the day is (let’s not even get into a critique of the idea of winning). No one needs an organizer to tell them how to win, since there are at as least many ways to win as there are people present. The notion that someone needs an organizer to let them know how to win, is paternalistic at best and authoritarian at worst, it assumes that individuals can’t make their own agenda of how they want to struggle, that it’s possible for an action feel like a victory to everyone.

My Idea Of Freedom
“Anarchy cannot exist when individuals or social groups are dominated — whether that domination is facilitated and enforced by outside forces or by their own organization.”
Post-Left Anarchy: Leaving the Left Behind

As insurrectionary anarchists our goal is insurrection, this much should be obvious. What that means is less simple and will differ from person to person. Broadly it can mean we are interested in moments of rising up against authority and social relations of domination. Some of us include revolution in this trajectory, many of us do not. Revolt is its own reward. Each of our experimentations with insurrection look different, for some it tends toward the personal, individual pursuit of fulfilling anti-authoritarian desire, for others it tends to be a social and even communal path, shared with others in revolt against this world.

I organize with others informally, along lines of affinity. This means I don’t try to build mass organizations tasked with taking on every aspect of struggle, instead I act with others to accomplish specific tasks without forming a permanent organization. This informal organizations are made up of people who feel drawn to both each other and the group’s intended project.

I’m not against working with leftists when our paths run parallel, I don’t expect a pure struggle of only isolated anarchists. I decide who I act with based on the affinity I feel toward someone. As any two people get to know each other, the appeal of doing certain things together goes up or down. The deepening of affinity — through conversations, shared experiences — can lead to taking action together. I’m open to working with anyone whose long, medium, or short term goals line up with mine, whether leftist, anarchist, or otherwise.

“What organization are you in?” “What group is doing this?” These questions and others like them point toward the sometimes confusing nature of an informal approach. Informal means not building membership organizations, instead coming together around specific projects (writing a text, planning a demonstration, carrying out an attack, etc) then disbanding. An informal organization exists for only as long as it takes to complete a project or until it is abandoned. There’s no membership lists, whoever takes part is in. Permanent organizations get bogged down by the task of maintaining themselves, are more susceptible to repression, and tend toward bureaucracy.

I am for the attack. I don’t believe the powers that be will step down, and I can’t just walk away from society. As anarchists there are so many aspects of this world that we are against, what better way to get rid of them than to strike at them? Besides the material damages, attacking heals the attacker, reminds them that they’re not completely domesticated, allows them to leave behind the obedience and compromise of daily life, and sharpens their daggers for when they find ourselves in larger revolts.

I am for revolt pointing toward rupture with society, not revolt as a means of social progression. I don’t believe that progress is good, or that things are getting better over time. Rupture means as complete a break with the existing order as possible, whether for a minute or a month, alone or across the whole city. There’s no clear path toward it, only constantly experimentation with what might bring it about. Some believe that when ruptures are taking place closer and closer to each other in both time and space, this can lead to revolution. Others feel that rupture is a good time in itself and needs no justification.

Philly, Spring 2017