Anarchic update news all over the world - 26 December 2017

Today's Topics:

   
1.   zabalaza.net: One Year after the 2015 Grahamstown Riots
      against Foreign Traders: Attacks Hurt Working Class and Poor,
      Only Capitalists and Politicians Benefit by Lucien van der Walt
      (ZACF) (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
2.  du rerealite - Interview: A wobbly from Montreal to Rojava
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
3.  France, Alternative Libertaire AL Novembre - Twenty-four
      hours in a woman's life * (fr, it, pt) [machine translation]
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
4.  US, WSA ideas and action: Nationalism and Imperialism By
      Jake Tompkins (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
5.  US, WSM ideas and action: Elections Are Bullshit by Winter
      Jones -- The following essay was written prior to the 2016 US
      election. (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1

A year ago, starting 20 October 2015, around 75 small shops were looted, some burned down, 
in the eastern townships and downtown area of the small Eastern Cape university town of 
Grahamstown/ iRhini, South Africa. The attacks targeted Asian and African immigrants, many 
of them Muslim, and displaced 500 people. These riots were largely ignored by the media. 
---- The text below is a slightly revised revision of a briefing I was asked to write at 
the time for the local Unemployed People's Movement (UPM). The UPM played a heroic role in 
opposing the attacks and assisting the displaced. The text's general points remain 
relevant to the working class's fight against prejudice and racism. And the riots of 2015 
should not be forgotten. ---- Briefing ---- The heroic struggles for justice being waged 
today by workers, students and neighbourhoods across the country show the possibility of a 
better future, based on justice and freedom.

But casting a deep shadow over these struggles, and helping block a better future, are 
terrible, ongoing incidents like anti-immigrant / anti-foreigner attacks. They show how 
far we have to go, before we can free ourselves from the darkness of oppression.

The 2015 riots in Grahamstown were directed against foreign nationals, accused in hateful 
rumours of murdering local people to steal their body parts for ritual purposes. From such 
sparks sprang the wildfires of violence and terror. Within days over 500 people were 
displaced or in hiding.

So what is the solution? A fire needs fuel to burn; without fuel, sparks sputter away, die 
out. So what was the fuel that the sparks ignited? To fix a problem, we must know its cause.

Is it "xenophobia"?
Anti-immigrant views and violence are common in South Africa.

The most common explanation is provided by the media. And it is wrong. This explanation 
describes anti-immigrant ideas and attacks as "xenophobia." It is important to understand 
that "xenophobia" literally means an irrational (mad) fear ("phobia") of outsiders (the 
"xeno"). This approach is heavily tinged with hateful upper class beliefs that the workers 
and poor are an ignorant, foolish and dangerous mob.

The problem is presented as a mental / psychological / emotional one, like "arachnophobia" 
(irrational fear of spiders). This suggested solution is education to change attitudes.

But this does not explain where anti-immigrant attitudes - that immigrants are enemies, 
inherently unclean, dishonest, diseased, inferior etc. - come from in the first place. It 
does not explain why these sentiments appeal to many people. It does not explain why these 
views continue to reappear.

Ideas come from social conditions, not from the air. Posing the problem as "phobia" and 
bad attitudes misses the roots of the problems, in the way that our society works.

Is it "Afrophobia"?

A similar approach is the"Afrophobia" theory, popular amongst some black nationalists. 
According to this view, the cause is an irrational (mad) fear of other black Africans. The 
idea is that black African people hate themselves (because of decades of apartheid, 
colonialism and white supremacy), and take out this hatred on other blacks.

With the problem again presented as mental, the solution is again presented as better 
attitudes: have more self-pride, love Africa more, more black unity etc.

The "Afrophobia" approach is correct that anti-immigrant sentiment in South Africa focuses 
on black Africans from outside.

But it ignores the fact that the hatred focuses on some Africans - like Angolans, 
Congolese, Mozambicans, Nigerians, Somalis, and Zimbabweans - and not others - like 
Basotho, Batswana and Swazis. And South Asians are also targets. For example, victims in 
Grahamstown included many Bangladeshis and Pakistanis, besides Nigerians and Somalis.

This approach also starts from the view that races should "naturally" be united - blacks 
with blacks, whites with whites etc. - because they have shared needs and hopes.

But every "race" is divided into classes with different interests. Obviously black South 
Africans can oppress other blacks e.g. Cyril Ramaphosa is a black mine-owner who works 
with black chiefs and foreign capitalists to exploit cheap black labour from South Africa, 
Lesotho and Swaziland. This led to the 2012 Marikana massacre of 34 black strikers by 
black and white police. This is why the old syndicalist union, the black Industrial 
Workers of Africa, described black capitalists as "rich and high people ... who suck our 
blood and sell us."

Even white South Africans have oppressed other whites e.g. in 1922, Jan Smuts and white 
mine-owners used white soldiers to crush white strikers, locals and immigrants, killing 
76, arresting 4,700, and hanging three for treason.

Many of the worst conflicts in history took place largely within races: massacres, 
revolutions and wars in Europe, Africa and Asia show this clearly. And obviously, local 
black people can oppress immigrant blacks through anti-immigrant attitudes and actions, 
including violence.

If races are "naturally" united, why are they almost never united in the real world? All 
this means that the nationalist ideas that there should be racial unity across class 
divisions, or that black people cannot be racist, are incorrect. There is no doubt that 
decades of apartheid, colonialism and white supremacy damaged people's hearts and minds, 
but what keeps these ideas going today after apartheid?

Is it "criminality"?

Another explanation, by the South African government and police, blames anti-immigrant 
attacks on criminals. According to this approach, these are just ordinary criminal actions 
hiding behind the mask of "xenophobia." Therefore there is, they say, no problem of 
anti-immigrant prejudice or violence.

This claim has serious problems. It completely ignores the fact that attacks like those 
seen in Grahamstown are located in a huge reservoir of anti-immigrant sentiment in South 
Africa. It cannot explain why immigrants are targeted in these attacks. Looting and 
violence like that in Grahamstown in 2015 specifically targeted African and South Asian 
immigrants.

Class forces at work

The reality is that the problem cannot be explained in terms of individual madness, lack 
of self-love, the wounds of South African history, or criminality.

There are very powerful forces in our society that systematically promote anti-immigrant 
ideas and violence. And the social conditions of our unjust society are the harsh soil 
that nourishes the bitter fruit of anti-immigrant hatred and violence.

Close attention must be paid to the role of the small ruling class - the bosses and 
politicians, black and white - that controls the country's government and a large part of 
its economy. They work happily with foreign capitalists, but meanwhile do their best to 
divide South African workers from foreign workers, as well as from each other.

As Govan "Oom Gov" Mbeki wrote in his "Prison Writings," the"capitalist class" is locked 
into "class conflict" with the working and poor masses. Its weapons are not just the army 
and police: they include methods to divide and mislead. The system also generates "other 
forms of oppression." Oom Gov was writing years ago, but as we will see, the system helps 
generate the oppression of immigrants/ foreigners today.

"South Africa first" politics

First, the South African government / state and the media continually promote the idea of 
South Africans uniting against everyone else. Promoting "South Africa first" from 1994 
onwards is meant to unite South Africans across racial and ethnic and class lines.

This is done in a way that presents immigrants as threats. The media e.g. newspapers, 
radio, TV, is run by the ruling class. It continually presents immigrants as taking away 
jobs and business, as promoting drugs and prostitution and spreading disease. It draws on 
a South African political culture poisoned by decades of racist, nationalist and ethnic 
politics.

Police raids round up immigrants without papers, presenting immigrants as criminals to be 
deported. State departments and services, like hospitals, actively discriminate against 
immigrants, presenting immigrants as a drain on resources.

Politicians, black and white, actively stir up ideas that there are "too many" immigrants, 
presenting them as threatening "our people." For example, at least one Democratic Alliance 
(DA) town councillor and one African National Congress (ANC) town councillor in 
Grahamstown made anti-immigrant statements during the 2015 riots. This come against the 
backdrop of figures like Goodwill Zwelithini, the Zulu king, and Edward Zuma, the son of 
the state President, making inflammatory statements.

Know the real enemy

Second, it is the rich and powerful ruling class, black as well as white, which actually 
oppress the working class and poor masses. No Nigerian or Somalian "spaza" shop-owner 
pulled the triggers at Marikana. No immigrant running a small clothes or electronics store 
fired you from the car factory or the local municipality, or outsourced you at the 
university. No Malawian gardener or Mozambican builder or Zimbabwean waiter pushed up 
university fees.

Blaming immigrants who run small businesses, or who do piecework jobs and casual labour, 
for the big problems in South Africa, like no jobs, low wages and bad services is like 
blaming the moon for hot days. It keeps the working class and poor from seeing where the 
problems really arise.

In fact, attacks on these immigrants actually HARM local working class and poor people. 
Jobs in small foreign shops, and in the companies that supply them, are lost when these 
shops close. Local people then have to buy at more expensive local shops, with less 
credit. Fighting immigrants for access to low-wage jobs does not raise wages or create 
jobs: it weakens the fight for more, better work and cuts wages by dividing the working class.

The big problems in the country are caused by bosses and politicians, most of which are 
our fellow South Africans. We should fight the real enemy, the ruling class, whether black 
or white, South African or foreign.

South African imperialism

Third, South Africa is the most powerful country in Africa, with the most advanced 
capitalist economy. Its rulers - the big bosses and politicians - have long engaged in 
imperialist actions in neighbouring countries. These include military interventions e.g. 
in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and economic expansion e.g. into mines in 
Swaziland - all to ensure profits and power for elites.

It is true that South Africa has long suffered from Western imperialism. But this does not 
mean that South Africa is not a small, independent imperialist power in southern and 
central Africa. South African private companies (e.g. Shoprite), state companies (e.g. 
ESKOM) and political party companies (e.g. Chancellor House) are all heavily involved.

As Mikhail Bakunin noted, every state has a double-nature: inside its borders, it is 
ruling class "domination and ... exploitation, well-regulated and systematised"; outside, 
it is "ferocious inhumanity toward all foreign populations" ("Federalism, Socialism, 
Anti-Theologism," 1867, online). Our South African republic is no exception.

South African imperialism goes hand-in-hand with contempt for other African countries and 
people, and pride in South African economic and political power. South Africa's 
imperialist actions play a key role in creating and perpetuating the miserable conditions 
that drive millions to immigrate to South Africa for security and opportunity. And whole 
countries - like Lesotho, Mozambique and Swaziland- have long had economies geared to 
supplying labour to South Africa.

Township-based businesses' role

Fourth, an important social layer in black townships relies on small businesses, such as 
"spaza" shops (micro-convenience stores), and on larger ones, like the taxi industry, for 
wealth accumulation.

 From the 1990s, these black capitalists - mostly small capitalists or "petty bourgeoisie" 
- faced competition from giant, historically white-owned shopping chains (now entering the 
townships after years outside), and from small businesses run by foreign nationals (now 
migrating to South Africa: mainly African, sometimes Asian). Like small white businesses 
in the towns, they deeply resent the competition.

This is why anti-immigrant hatred is often driven by black and white South African petty 
bourgeois owners of small businesses. They are threatened from above by big monopoly 
capital, and from below by foreign petty bourgeoisie. For example, much of the "spaza" 
trade in the Grahamstown townships, and many of the shops in the black downtown business 
district, are controlled by foreigners.

This is the competition this black petty bourgeoisie wants to crush. Unable to match the 
low prices of the immigrant shops, and fighting for space in the tiny market provided by 
the impoverished black working class, it wants to have its cheaper rivals chased out. Good 
for its own businesses, bad for the local workers and poor, who end up paying higher prices.

For example, just before the 2015 riots in Grahamstown, local taxi owners mobilised their 
drivers to paint slogans like"They Must Burn" and "They Must Go" on the mini-buses. The 
owners claimed that immigrants were moving into the taxi industry, and that drivers would 
lose their jobs. The taxi owners' association is allied to other local traders, 
represented by the hawkers' association.

But the problems that workers like the Grahamstown taxi drivers face - low incomes, no 
unions, long hours, illegal deductions etc. - are not caused by the foreign shopkeepers. 
South African taxi owners exploit them now; foreign ones might exploit them in future; in 
either case, the problem is the same.

Bitter fruit of suffering

The South African ruling class benefits from anti-immigrant ideas and actions. These 
attitudes and actions divide and confuse the masses, hide class divisions and capitalism, 
and justify imperialism. Sections of the South African petty bourgeoisie also benefit, if 
they can use these ideas and actions to drive out foreign rivals.

But the South African working class and poor do not benefit at all from anti-immigrant 
attitudes and actions.

So WHY do these attitudes and actions take root among ordinary people?

Hatred for immigrants grows in the harsh soil of an unjust and unequal country, thrives in 
the land of suffering, of massive unemployment, low wage jobs, inadequate state schools, 
hospitals, services, housing and grants. The South African working class has faced major 
attacks over the last 30 years. And the apartheid legacy of massive black poverty is 
everywhere.

In black working class townships and rural areas, wages (including wage remittances, and 
the "social wage" of state welfare) remain the main source of income. But jobs are more 
and more insecure, and fewer and fewer; wages are generally low, and state services are 
appalling.

Harsh competition for jobs and state services is often seen by people as a competition 
between races, ethnic groups, men and women, employed and unemployed, established township 
residents and new arrivals - and between South Africans and immigrants. These are often 
deliberately pitted against each other by employers e.g. by the white petty bourgeoisie, 
which often prefers non-union immigrant labour in small construction firms and restaurants.

Nothing to gain

The problems of high unemployment, low wages and inadequate services are, in fact, mainly 
caused by the ruling class - and its capitalist system. Attacks on immigrants do not take 
us forward. They show that our minds shackled by the rich and powerful, the bosses and 
politicians, the ruling class - the very people who cause our suffering. Attacking the 
immigrants is, simply, attacking our own struggles.

The problem is not the nationality of the small or big politician who loots, or the small 
or big capitalist who exploits. The problem is the ruling class domination and 
exploitation, through the state and capitalism. The solution is not to support one 
politician or capitalist against another, but to unite.

The enemy is the ruling class, the big bosses and politicians, including South Africans, 
both black and white. The ruling class is anti-working class, no matter the racial origin 
of its members, the colour of their skin, or their political party. It is this ruling 
class that divides the masses, to entrench its power and maintain its exploitation.

Everything to win

That is why we must build a conscious working class movement that can shake the ruling 
class in its seats of wealth and power. This means uniting working class and poor South 
Africans across the racial and ethnic spectrum, and uniting working class and poor South 
Africans with working class and poor immigrants. It means fighting against anti-immigrant 
ideas and actions, championing equality and full rights for everyone, no matter their 
origins, culture or religion. This is internationalism.

Only working class movements - like the UPM, the unions and the left, including the 
anarchists and syndicalists - can take the axe to the root of the tree of hatred. But we 
can only do so, if we understand the problems, build democratically from below, shoulder 
the burdens of struggle and present a strategy and vision for real change.

*Text commissioned by Unemployed People's Movement, Grahamstown, October 2015.

https://zabalaza.net/2016/12/16/

------------------------------

Message: 2


While there has been much talk about the war in Syria and Iraq over the past few years in 
the media and especially in the last days of the resumption of the city of Aleppo by the 
regime of Bashar al-Assad, Thought it would be a good idea to set a record straight by 
interviewing a Montrealer who decided to put his shoulder to the wheel in Syrian 
Kurdistan. Revolutionary syndicalist, IWW-Montreal member, long-time anarchist and 
anti-fascist, G. decided to give concrete support to the Kurdish revolution in Rojava. 
---- The Syrian government, rebel groups, the Islamic state, the Iraqi government, Turkey, 
Russia, Iran, Europe, the United States and even Canada are trying to shoot The cover of 
their edge. In this chaos, a group is playing well, it is the Rojava Kurds who decided to 
organize themselves differently and to make emerge a social revolution, based on communist 
and anarchist ideas, from the chaos surrounding. Background interview on the theme of the 
Kurdish revolution

Hello! What drove you to leave everything, employment, apartment, job to go to fight 
alongside the YPG (Units of protection of the people)?

I left everything mainly for the current revolution down. Fighting DAECH (Islamic State) 
is important, but it's not my main motivation. The revolution that the Kurds have begun is 
based mainly on three principles: feminism, direct democracy and ecology. It is indeed an 
anarchist revolution. This can be compared to the Spanish Revolution of 1936 , but in a 
more complex context, with different fronts and alliances which are constantly changing. I 
have been an anarchist for over 10 years and have always told myself that if I had lived 
in 1936 I would have been fighting in Spain, so it was natural for me to come to Rojava 
and join the YPG / J.

How did you organize your departure?

I began by asking myself as much as possible to be certain of my choice. Once decided, I 
worked without taking a vacation for about a year and a half to have peace of mind there. 
I had indeed debts of studies to settle and I obviously needed money to get here. It is at 
our expense and we are volunteers here. I also learned about the possible consequences. 
Finally, for a Canadian is entirely legal, as long as we respect the Geneva Convention (we 
could say that it is the wars Act for signatory countries). I also advised the RCMP to be 
certain that it was not mistaken for a DAECH fighter. The most difficult part was 
contacting an organization that could get me back to Rojava, which took several months. I 
finally contacted the YPG International which was new and from there, it was simple and 
very fast, less than 3 weeks. In addition to these steps, I studied a little Kurdish ( 
Kurmanji ), I trained physically and I prepared my legal papers. I had to make sure that 
someone could take care of the normal paperwork ... Taxes, correspondence, etc. I wanted 
to leave everything in order in Canada to have peace of mind here and not have a lot of 
stuff to settle on my return. If it were to be done again, I would add the purchase of 
various tricks and not bulky: sights, sewing kit to repair my equipment, gun cleaning kit, 
good knife, gloves, medical and survival medical kit, Etc.

What is Kurdistan exactly? What's that, YPG / YPJ?

Kurdistan is the region where historically there are many Kurds, but not that. It is 
divided into 4 sub-regions: Turkish Kurdistan, Iraq, Iran and Syria (respectively Bakur , 
Basur , Rojilat and Rojava to north, south, east and west). Only the Iraqi side has a 
recognition, therefore a political autonomy. I do not know much about the situation in 
Iran, but it is currently the war between the Kurds and the government. In Iraq, the 
peshmerga are allies, not by choice, against the government DAECH. In Turkey, the PKK 
(Kurdistan Workers' Party) is at war against the government for thirty years. They are 
also opposed to DAECH while Turkey has greatly helped the Islamic state. And Rojava, 
Syrian Kurdistan. The relationship between YPG / J and the government of Bashar Assad are 
tense, but generally they are not fighting against one another. I say generally, it 
happens and it is not always sweet. For now, the government has suffered great defeats. I 
will not go into the history of Kurdistan any more because it is very complex.

The YPG / YPJ are the People's / Women's Protection Units. Kurdish: Yekîneyên Parastina 
Gel / Jin . They were created in 2004, underground, following a massacre by the al-Assad 
regime, which is also one of the different protagonists here. Their purpose was to ensure 
the defense of the Kurds in Syria when necessary, as has often been the case. Finally, 
when DAECH began to invade Kurdish territory and the regime escaped from these areas 
leaving them free, they went out of hiding and began to fight the jihadists of the Islamic 
state. The first real defeat of DAECH was imposed mainly by YPG / J Kobanî is what helped 
destroy the myth of invincibility that surrounded the jihadist group to halt its advance 
across by showing that it was Possible to defeat them, even with an irregular army. The 
siege of Kobane was a bitter fight of 3 months. In the end, there were only 150 meters of 
ground and about 150 combatants when DAECH began to retreat. This victory changed 
everything, today DAECH would certainly not be on the eve of the defeat if it was not YPG 
/ J. At present, it is the main army of the Rojava, the revolutionary army. She is the 
instigator and main member of SDS (Syrian Democratic Forces) , a coalition of local forces 
to defend the Syrian revolution.

How did you arrive and how were you integrated into a unit?

On arrival there is a one-month training at the academy for international volunteers. We 
have courses of Kurdish, ideological (feminism especially), history and military. At the 
academy, we are also familiar with life in tabur (unit) operation for meals, care, time, 
training, etc. Subsequently, for integration into a unit, it is a bit according to our 
preferences and according to the kind of front on which we want to fight.

What can you tell us about the Kurdish revolution? What happens on the ground every day?

The revolution is based on three main values: direct democracy, ecology and equality for all.

For the civilian world, it is difficult to say in relation to my direct observations 
because I had very little contact with life outside the combat units. However, the little 
I could observe is impressive. For example, I went to the hospital and the care I received 
was superior to what I would have received in Quebec. All seemed to receive the same 
quality of care, without special treatment because I was from abroad. Very fast, in one 
hour it was over and I had x-rays in that time frame. The diagnosis was one of the most 
accurate I received and clearly the best on the treatment to follow. In a few days, 
already a lot of progress ... And all this in the middle of the war and under embargo.

Otherwise, what people outside the military have told me to observe, these are enormous 
advances in the organization of civilian life. There are two forms of "government" 
currently. One in the form of decentralized committees whose decisions come from the 
bottom, clearly anarchist, and the other in the form of an elected government. This 
government is dealing with the tricks that the committees have not been able to take care 
of right now, generally those who are asking for a big infrastructure. Gradually, sectors 
of civilian life are transferred from the government to the committees and it seems to be 
done quite quickly, considering the context. Justice, for example, is in the hands of the 
committees. From what I have heard, the government is seen as a temporary evil and 
committees are highly respected. Our international history professors came from the 
committees and said that it worked very well.

For the soldier, it really depends on the unity in which you are and / or the place where 
you are located. In my case, for my first two months, it was almost constantly waiting. In 
other units, there is often training when not deployed. Some units are in defense and 
others are attacking. On a daily basis, we do a lot of guarding, we prepare the food, we 
maintain the camp, this kind of stuff and the rest of the time is waiting and protecting 
the immediate surroundings. Behind the fronts, security is done mainly by asayis , is what 
comes closest to the police. Their main role, in fact, is almost just that, it's 
protection against DAECH (suicide bombings most of the time) and foreign powers by the 
time the YPG / J arrive there. The will is that eventually, all have received military 
training and there are more professionals in asayis . For DAECH, this protection is still 
necessary, it is 30 or 40 km from the front and in a few weeks, a guy DAECH tried to force 
a barrage of asayis (it was neutralized by a heavy weapons unit YPG / J who caught up) and 
two suicide bombings at the explosive car took place in one day in the city 1 km from our 
base. With asayis , there has been no death from what I know, except of course the two 
conductors. They have a clearly different role from our police. For example, to resolve 
conflicts, they often intervene with respected civilians to calm the situation.

The problems now ... It must be understood that before the revolution, Rojava was the most 
conservative Kurdistan region, especially outside the cities. Crimes of honor, polygamy 
for men, forced marriages were commonplace. It's now illegal, but it still happens. Women, 
for the most part, have the choice between getting married and staying at home or joining 
YPJs. Also, sexism is not seen publicly, but feminism is far from being acquired for 
individuals. Much progress remains to be made, but it is to change mentalities that is the 
longest. At least, women now have the means to defend themselves with the YPJ and parity 
at all levels. Publicly, it is a given. Also, a man can not give an order to a woman in 
the YPG / J.

Otherwise, for the ecology, I do not know how it happens in the civilian, but in the army, 
everything has to be done. It is however almost impossible given the current conditions 
due to the war and the embargo.

Many anti-fascist militants fight in Rojava. What are the links between the anti-fascist 
struggle in the West (or in Canada) and the revolutionary Kurdish struggle?

DAECH is surely the most extreme form of fascism in modern history, so it is not 
surprising that many antifascists join the struggle. And then, in the region, it is not 
the fachos that are missing, between DAECH, the al-Assad regime that made Syrian Kurds 
undocumented by removing their identity (no passport, etc.) For example, rebels who are 
mainly formed of Islamist fronts, just less brutal than DAECH and Turkey who wants the 
annihilation of the Kurds. And here I speak only of the Kurds, but the situation is very 
similar, now or historically, to the other minority peoples of Syria: Armenians, 
Assyrians, Turkmen, Yezidis, and so on. All countries, here, try more or less strongly to 
exterminate / assimilate them. Racism and religious hatred are more than inviting in the 
region. The open and brutal dictatorship is, not badly, the only kind of official 
government too. Rojava embodies opposition to all this and a possible solution for the 
region, but also an example for the whole world: if it works in the most chaotic region of 
the world, I do not see why it would not work elsewhere.

Besides a tabur (unit) clearly displayed antifascist is being created and should be up 
within 2 or 3 weeks.

You were (is) a member of the IWW-Montreal . What link (s) do you make between your 
commitment to Rojava and revolutionary trade union militancy?

To begin, I would like a member of the IWW recently died in Rojava , when an aircraft of 
the Turkish army bombed his position. I lost two friends during this bombing. Robin 
(Michael Israel) was a member of the IWW and was one of the founders of the Union's 
Sacramento branch.

Considering that the economic form put forward in Rojava is the establishment of 
cooperatives and the collectivization of the means of production, I see in it only a 
continuity. I chose to come here because I saw in it the greatest revolutionary hope and 
that it was necessary for me to come to defend Rojava to the extent of my means. The 
current revolution, here, is aimed at goals very similar to those of the IWW, if not the 
same. Rojava and the IWW are, in my view, natural allies and I hope that links will 
develop between the two. Currently, it is quite difficult given the immediate work to be 
done, but realistic in the short / medium term, depending on how the situation evolves.

Donald Trump has just been elected President of the United States. Is this likely to 
affect the revolution? How?

Yes, this may (affect?) Affect us. How? I do not know yet. This question is very much 
related to the following. Trump said he would now help al-Assad. Far from being our ally, 
we are not in open war with him. There, it can go in either direction:
1- The regime of Assad decides to try and regain his self Rojava Allied territory: war 
breaks out without US air cover.
2- The al-Assad regime declares war on Turkey for violating territory by attacking Rojava. 
The al-Assad regime has already declared that it was a violation of territory.

Two totally opposite extreme situations, one has no idea what it will give here, but it 
puts the United States in a position internationally to block Turkey which is allied only 
on paper.

Shaking with many in Turkey Erdogan who constantly attack the Kurdish community. What can 
you tell us about that?

As I mentioned earlier, the Turkish army bombarded a YPG / J position on November 24, 
killing several fighters, including Heval Zana Ciwan (Anton Leschek) and Heval Robin Agiri 
(Michael Israel), two people that I 've known to the academy, Heval Zana who trained at 
the same time as me. The first was German and the second, American. They were two great 
and highly motivated anarchists. They were assassinated by a fascist regime as they tried 
to keep closed the last supply corridor of DAECH to Turkey.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey

So the problem is obviously present here as well. The fascist regime of Erdogan is the 
greatest opposition to Rojava at present. The Rojava extends over the entire southern land 
border of Turkey. One of the first military goals of the YPG / J is to join the three 
cantons of Rojava, which Turkey seeks to avoid at all costs. She already sees the YPG / J 
as terrorists. There are a few weeks, a French of Kurdish origin, who fought for the YPJ, 
was arrested in Turkey on his way back to France and sentenced to 5 years in prison . All 
this, in the end, for fighting DAECH ... A few days ago, two Czechs were arrested in the 
same context and for the same reasons.

For the fascist Turkey dreaming of recreating the Ottoman Empire , Rojava embodies 
everything she hates. It has greatly helped DAECH in many ways: supplying weapons, buying 
resources that DAECH sold, mainly oil. It also served as an entry point for people who 
joined the Islamic state, as well as an exit point for wounded fighters from the 
"Caliphate" (doctors testified that they had to look after DAECH fighters who still had a 
belt Explosive). Turkey is therefore responsible for financing and, in part, for having 
armed DAECH, or at least for allowing it to acquire weapons. All this by blocking all 
resources for Rojava, knowing that this is the main opposition to the Islamic state. The 
YPG / J had closed the corridor connecting Turkey with DAECH, a few days later, Turkey 
invaded Syria and took over this land, it is no coincidence. The supposed war against 
DAECH of Turkey is, in fact, a war against the Rojava and the Kurds, it frequently 
bombards the cities on our side of the border.

The international coalition against DAECH formed a large part of NATO, including Turkey. 
As the second largest NATO army, it is DAECH's biggest ally. If this coalition was 
sincere, it would land in Turkey, arrest Erdogan and put him under trial for crimes 
against humanity even Hitler would be jealous and that is not a Goldwin point! The Third 
Reich can get dressed if compared with what Turkey and DAECH have done and this is 
unfortunately not finished. However, internationally, it is the PKK that is considered 
terrorist and Turkey is a member of NATO ... On almost every offensive against DAECH, 
organizations considered as terrorist by Turkey were there, without asking anything in 
return. Erdogan bluntly declared in the past that the main terrorist threat was not DAECH, 
but the Kurdish groups. Turkey does not just bombard its territory or in Syria, but also 
in Iraq. We begin the operation to take Raqqa, the capital of the Islamic state, and yet 
this city is not part of Rojava and we will not control it. For the purpose of this 
battle, the YPG / J will not receive weapons from the coalition because Erdogan opposes 
it. Who is a terrorist here?

Now that DAECH is being defeated, Turkey has turned its back on the so-called moderate 
rebels, but at ease with chemical weapons and the use of artillery on civilian targets, 
especially hospitals. When the rebels attack us, it is also Turkey that does it in an 
interposed way.

I want to point out that when I speak about Turkey, I am not targeting its citizens who 
are dealing with a military dictatorship.

There is much talk today about a major offensive on Mosul and Raqqa. What can you tell us 
about that?

We do not talk less, but there is also Al Bab. For Raqqa, capital of DAECH, it is the 
Syrian Democratic Forces (FDS) assisted by the coalition aviation who do it.

Al Bab: fronts of the Rojava and rebels rush towards this city to take it back to DAECH, 
it is a race between the two. For the Rojava, this would unite the cantons.

In Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, Iraqi Kurdish forces ( Peshmerga ) and the 
Iraqi army form the bulk of the offensive. A lot of other groups are also involved, as far 
as I know.

There is also the front of Sinjar. DAECH attacked on this front lately, we had to send 
reinforcements there, but I have no more information. Maybe we advance against DAECH there 
too.

In the end, by losing these three cities, the Islamic state is virtually annihilated. They 
will only have Deir ez-Zor as a big city, full of villages and a large desert territory, 
so not much opposition. However, it is a good three months of fighting planned for Raqqa, 
for example. That's where I might go.

Demonstration in support of Kobané, October 12, 2014, in Montreal.

What would you say to a Canadian who wants to be supportive of the Kurdish revolution?
If the person is motivated to come here, I would tell him to prepare properly. Primordial 
to discuss with someone on the spot or who was there recently, I think, and not expect a 
part of fun, quite the opposite. Our daily life varies between two situations: super 
charged, little sleep or just waiting and it is very, very long. However, after the 
current fronts, I have no idea whether we will need combatants and it is quite complicated 
to return to the area for civilian service.

Otherwise, from abroad, aid is also greatly needed. Propaganda - Issue: People have heard 
about Rojava for the fight against DAECH, but not for the current revolution. People need 
to know what revolution is here, and how Turkey works. Every effort must be made to 
prevent the international coalition from turning its back on us completely. Demonstrations 
in front of the Turkish consulates or embassies, it would be nice, too, to draw the 
attention of the media to the shits that Turkey is doing. There is also the PKK: it is 
considered a terrorist in Canada, but what I see here is that it is fighting against a 
fascist regime that helps DAECH and the rebels and has a passion for genocide and Crimes 
against humanity. I do not have any links with the PKK here, but the Kurds are obviously 
talking a lot about it, so it allows me to learn a little bit about the subject.

How do you see the future?

Difficult to say, considering the complexity of the situation here and the multitude of 
enemies, but when you see the YPG / J fighters, you really wonder what can get over such 
an army ... Then the situation on the civil side seems to progress fairly well. The 
biggest challenge in the medium term is Turkey, but in 30 years they have failed to 
eliminate the PKK. The problem is that here they can bomb the cities, it is not hidden in 
the mountains. I hope that will not happen, thanks to the international supporters who can 
force their government to prevent this type of air strikes.

A word of the end?

One last thought for my first two dead friends, Heval Zana and Heval Robin.

Here people have weapons in hand, but they rely on you for international support, this is 
more than necessary.

Serkerftin! (Victory)
https://durerealite.wordpress.com/2016/12/16/entrevue-un-wobbly-de-montreal-au-rojava/

------------------------------

Message: 3


In the lives of women, violence is commonplace. They are commonplace since they happen to 
all women wherever they live, their skin colors, their sexual identities, and the social 
class to which they belong. They occur every day, every hour, in every place and every 
sphere of their lives. In the family, at work, between friends, in the street, this 
violence against women is committed at different intensities, but whatever happens they 
happen. Angular stones of the patriarchy, they seem "normal". It is this banalization of 
deeply discriminating, unjust and degrading facts that must be combated by highlighting 
what happens systematically in the lives of women. To do this, here are some examples of 
what can happen in a week. They are all authentic. It is a shared experience. Nothing 
happened from "private" this week, I have not experienced physical aggression. But it has 
happened to me several times. And it happened to all my friends. This week was a normal week.

Monday, 9:55 p.m.:
I leave the municipal swimming pool. In the hall, a man who works there says to his 
colleague, examining me from top to bottom: "it's always nice to look at the pretty 
girls." By force, one feels object and denied in its quality of being thinking and acting. 
It makes you angry.

Tuesday, 6:50 p.m.:
I accompany internal college where I work at the self. I realize that I forgot to bring 
back trays. I apologize to the chef who I meet for the second time. "I'm going to have to 
give you spanking," he said, laughing, in the middle of the self and the students. 
Displaced allusion to sexual practice or unhealthy infantilization, this kind of 
reflection is inferior. It makes you angry.

Wednesday, 11:30:
A new colleague office says "I'm not macho, finally, I am a feminist for the whole women, 
macho but for mine, it's like a doll." Infantilization, objectivization and even the claim 
of the inferiorization of women. Really, by force, it makes us angry.

Thursday, 0:40:
I hear male voices and drunken my windows singing loudly "put your dick on my shoulder 
violates your mother, you'll have a brother." Evening jokes that contribute to the culture 
of rape. It makes you angry.

Friday 15.30:
Ongoing, Prof. presents "A researcher ...". Researchers also exist. By force the 
invisibilisation of the women, it anger.

By force, this kind of little reflections seeming innocent, even funny, distills a sexist 
culture that habitues the women to this feel object, inferior and insignificant. By these 
"small" ordinary humiliations, they learn to perceive themselves as subordinates and to 
muzzle their anger. This devaluation is one of the wheels of the patriarchal system that 
prepares women to fear and suffer even more violent aggression and humiliation. That is 
why our anger is legitimate and must become the fuel of the struggle against patriarchy!

* Reference to a novel by Stefan Zweig which tells twenty-four hours in the life of two 
women. One of them is at the heart of a scandal because she left her husband for another. 
The second reveals his feelings for a younger man. They are both overwhelmed by a society 
reproving their desires, actions and behaviors and freeing themselves from such a judgment 
towards men. This social system is patriarchy.

http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Vingt-quatre-heures-dans-la-vie-d

------------------------------

Message: 4


We are submitting this as “discussion piece”. The author expresses our broad stroke views 
on nationalism and imperialism. We welcome readers comments are invited. Those interested 
in the official W.S.A. views on these topics are welcome to view the appropriate sections 
of our “Where We Stand” statement. We welcome readers comments. ---- This article will be 
aimed at laying out a general Anarcho-syndicalist position on the “national question”, 
colonialism and imperialism, and national liberation. This will not be an original 
theoretical contribution, but will be a loose tying together of the general Anarchist 
praxis and theory on these subjects into one coherent position. Anarcho-syndicalists are 
revolutionary unionists and anti-authoritarian socialists and as such the 
Anarcho-syndicalist approach to this question will be an approach that comes out of these 
traditions.

Imperialism and Colonialism

We will start with definitions of both these terms. Imperialism as Lenin defines it is the 
international order of nation states that forms the international capitalist system. This 
baseline definition offered in the first pages of “Imperialism: The highest Stage of 
Capitalism” is essentially correct, though much of Lenin’s specific ideas on how 
imperialism forms and the state of imperialism at the time he was writing his pamphlet are 
incorrect. Imperialism is essentially the hierarchy of nation states that form the 
international capitalist system in which nation states are used as tools for national 
capitals and thus national bourgeoisies to compete with each other. Imperialism in essence 
is the competition between capitalists on a world scale and thus capitalism is intimately 
connected to imperialism.

Colonialism is much harder to give a short, concrete definition for as it doesn’t refer to 
one specific thing, or facet, but a historical phenomena. Here we must deal with two 
concepts; settler colonialism and neocolonialism. Colonialism as a project and historical 
phenomena started with settler colonialism where capitalism, in it’s need to expand out of 
Europe and feed the cities in Europe who at that time did not have enough resources to 
sustain their own local capitalist economies sent large fleets of sailors, settlers, and 
soldiers to take over land already occupied by indigenous peoples and turn in into a space 
for capital to operate. In this process native populations were brutally exterminated, in 
some cases completely wiped out and subject to genocide in ways that prefigured the 
holocaust concentration camps. As such colonial regimes were established that produced 
commodities locally and then exported them back the country that owned the colony. Leading 
up the second world war there was a process of “decolonisation” where the former colonies 
gained political independence, however WW2 established a global power relation that 
retained the same basic aspects of western domination as outright colonialism. While 
colonies no longer existed the west still controlled the world through intra economic and 
world power means.

It should be noted that “settler colonialism” isn’t over. We have just passed into a 
neo-colonial stage of it. Settler colonialism still exists in that in the former colonies 
(such as the United States) in the form of the marginalization of indigenous groups and 
the separation of them from their sacred lands.

Anarcho-syndicalists are against capitalism and have no horse in the race of the 
capitalist class to the bottom. We are against the capitalist system and its exploitation 
of the working class and as such are against the international capitalist system. As we 
are Anarchists, we are against the state. The state is an institution which dominates 
society in the interests of the minority that controls it. The imperialist system is the 
competition between the capitalist class and their states and as such we oppose the whole 
thing, along with colonialism that is one manifestation of the imperialist system. We are 
for the struggle of indigenous people against neo-colonialism and on the side of the 
working class people that are killed and dominated by imperialism.We want to destroy these 
systems and replace them with a world Anarchist federation, or syndicate, that allows for 
the free-organization of human activity, by all of humanity collectively, across the world.

The National Question and National Liberation

For second international Marxism the “national question” was one of the most important 
questions of the day as a result of huge national conflicts that were unfolding in the 
places that the second international was present in. As such the Second International 
Marxists had to theorise about “nations”, what they were, and what was to be social 
democracy’s (second international Marxism) policy toward them. This is where the debate 
between Rosa Luxemburg and Vladimir Lenin manifested. Luxemburg for her part argued that 
the nation was a construction of capitalism and a cultural institution through which the 
capitalist class ruled. Lenin argued that the nation was a grouping of people with common 
heritage, economic situations, and geographic placement. Lenin’s definition of what a 
nation is came from the common social democratic understanding of it. Generally Second 
International Marxism argued that the nation was based on some sense of community and 
commonality. The historic problem with this is that nations were largely constructed by 
destroying organic communities, dividing them up, and fracturing them. Luxemburg, was 
essentially correct in stating that nations constituted a cultural form through which the 
bourgeoisie ruled the working class.

Nations are a carved out slice of territory where the native capitalist class exploits the 
native working class. Nation states are the organs of power that allow the bourgeoisies of 
each nation to rule in said nations and compete with other national bourgeoisies. 
Nationalism is the ideology of these national bourgeoisies and their interests. This means 
that as Anarchists are opposed every bourgeoisie and every state, we are opposed to 
nationalism. Many sects of Stalinism insist that there is something called “the 
nationalism of the oppressed”. To them this refers to nationalism which can empower people 
dominated by the structures of imperialism and neo-colonialism. As Anarchists we contend 
that there is no such nationalism. Nationalism is the ideology of a native capitalist 
class which by its nature seeks to dominate and exploit the native working class and build 
its own global power in the international system of imperialism.

Since we are against nationalism we also oppose Stalinist Socialism in One Country 
theory.This theory was developed by Stalin who up until 1935 agreed with the Bolshevik 
view that socialism would have to be achieved by an international movement of the working 
class. Stalin declared in 1935 that as a result of the complete nationalisation of 
industry, Russia under his control had achieved socialism. While this may be socialism by 
the Stalinist definition, Anarchism comes out of a completely different tradition of 
“socialism”. Our socialism is our desire for a world wide society without oppression and 
collective administration of production rather than control of it by a state ruling class.

National liberation can be viewed in two different ways. One is the liberating of people 
from oppression by the international system of imperialism and the other is 
anti-imperialist nationalism which sees the development of a new nation state with it’s 
own bourgeoisie as an alternative to imperialism. There is no anti-imperialist 
nationalism. This can only amount to anti-imperialist imperialism. Nations are what form 
the international system of imperialism and nation states are what enforce it. As 
opponents of the imperialist system, capitalism, and the state, we oppose any kind of 
nationalism and opt for national liberation on the basis of the destruction of all nation 
states and the whole imperialist system.

Strategy of Anarcho-Syndicalists

Anarcho-syndicalists want to see the abolition of imperialism, capitalism, 
neo-colonialism, and nationalism. We aim to do this by carrying out a general social 
revolution where the oppressed of all sectors of global society construct power and begin 
to re-organize society to eliminate oppressive systems of power with it. This will involve 
completely disarming the ruling class and reactionary forces and being on the side, 
concretely, in all situations, of the oppressed majority of society, rather than on the 
side of the capitalist class and states of the world. We oppose both the US, Qatari, and 
Saudi imperialist campaign in the middle east and the counter imperialism of Iran, 
Hezbollah, Assad, and Russia. For a world without classes, nations, states, and capitalism.

http://ideasandaction.info/2016/12/nationalism-imperialism/

------------------------------

Message: 5


In case you are reading this well past October 2016, let me fill you in on how society was 
going. We had an upcoming presidential election here in the nation known as the United 
States of America. While it has always been clear to me that elections are total bullshit, 
I don’t think it was very clear for most people. The keyword here is “was”. As of at least 
mid-2016, it was clear to absolutely everyone that the government was far from democratic. 
We were being bombarded with messages telling us to vote for either Hillary Clinton or 
Donald Trump. ---- Clinton was an established, calculating, clearly corrupt, neoliberal 
warmonger belonging to the party known as the Democratic Party. She was the secretary of 
state for part of the Obama administration. So add drone strikes, the NSA, and tons more 
war crimes to the list. I guess that means she isn’t an option right off the bat, cross 
option number one off the list.

Donald Trump was a far-right, ultranationalist, racist and all around bigot. It was 
recently revealed that this man’s vile sexism had manifested in a shocking way. He talked 
about having the right to sexually assault any woman he wanted to, and having it be 
acceptable due to his social status. This came out after countless horrific statements 
were already made by him. For example, he said at a speech:

When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. 
They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re 
bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re 
rapists.

So he is DEFINITELY off the table as well.

Well shit, I guess that leaves us … no options. We are basically completely fucked. This 
is ignoring the fact that capitalist democracy is completely illegitimate in the first place.

Having the choice to choose a ruler every four years is a horrible choice. Instead, why 
not have no rulers. We don’t need government or capitalism. We don’t need racism, sexism, 
transphobia or homophobia. We don’t need bosses, police, currency, wars, or environmental 
destruction. We don’t need to do any of this bullshit.

But what do we need? That’s a simple one actually. The answer is total and complete 
revolution. This means completely and totally destroying the existing social order and 
establishing a new one. The new social order that must be established is anarchist 
communism. That is a classless, stateless, currency-free society. That means that there 
would be no more wage labor, no more police, no more private property, no more bosses, no 
more wars, no more politicians, no more governments, and most importantly no more 
hierarchy. Society would be run collectively by everyone. From each according to their 
ability, to each according to their need. A system of local councils that federate across 
society that are run via consensus or direct democracy would be the instrument of social 
organization. Production of goods would be done for human needs instead of private profits.

It will involve building revolutionary unions, mass strikes, seizing of workplaces by the 
workers, the formation of councils to run the local area, the formation of workers’ 
militias, and the defense of the revolution. Above all, it will be unpredictable.

This revolution will not happen in day, a month, or even a year. But it would begin 
changed the very structure and fabric of our society at the very start. And the end of the 
revolution will be when we no longer have social hierarchy. It won’t be easy and it 
certainly won’t be without a fair share of violence. But nothing good ever comes without a 
fight. And at the end of it all, it will certainly be worth it.

The following was written after the election results were in.

So Donald Trump is now the president of the United States. This doesn’t particularly 
surprise me. What does surprise me is that both the House of Representatives and the 
Senate are both firmly Republican Party, meaning that Trump will get his way on every 
single issue. This means his wall and the mass deportation of Mexicans and Muslims is a 
real possibility. But let’s not pretend that Clinton would be much better. Elections are a 
sham, and this one was an especially big sham. Don’t blame the people who didn’t vote or 
voted for third parties. They are the people who at least have the moral high ground. The 
real enemy here is not Trump or Hillary, but the very system they are a part of. By merely 
voting and allowing the status quo to perpetuate, you are part of the problem. The only 
solution is a libertarian socialist revolution.

http://ideasandaction.info/2016/12/elections-bullshit/

------------------------------