Today's Topics:
1. France, Alternative Libertaire AL Novembre - Sexual violence
(fr, it, pt) [machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
2. France, Alternative Libertaire AL Decembre - Content +
Édito (fr, it, pt) [machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
3. US, Workers Solidarity Alliance WSA - ideas and action: An
Electoral Extravaganza By Bryer Sousa (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
4. Britain, freedomnews: All for the sisterhood: Sisters Uncut
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
5. Britain, Class War: Victory to the Weetabix workers!
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
This text speaks only of the violence here, and surely forgets it. Violence is divided
into two categories: violence against male sexuality, which is only a sign of violence and
domination, and violence against women for other reasons. ---- Violence carried out under
the pretext of the sexuality of men ---- Rape and sexual assault are condemned by law,
little by the courts. ---- Rape, with or without violence, is any act of penetration
without consent. Rape in France is at least 84,000 women victims of rape or attempts each
year, 1 complaint for 10 assaults and 1 conviction for 10 complaints. The testimonies of
the women having dared to face police, justice and "public opinion" explain well the
weakness of these figures. Even today, it is the responsibility of the woman who is wanted
in case of rape. At worst it was provocative, at best it was imprudent.
In 90% of cases the aggressor is known to the victim. More than half of the women victims
do not take any steps (police, psych, associations ...).
The sexual assaults are the man who places his hands on a woman who is not consenting, it
is the kiss extorted, forced masturbation ... There are fewer than 10,000 convictions per
year. The recent campaign on the social networks, the testimonies that emerge each time an
attack is denounced, the experience lived by each one of us testify that these aggressions
are the standard more than the exception.
And what allows them is social tolerance for violence against women, and even beyond the
image of the body of women as the public good of men. Sexual assaults are presented by the
pub as aesthetic and exciting, newspapers minimize by titling "news items" and by
apologizing to the attackers, politicians use among the women who surround them and almost
all their friends find it normal. Men-led society minimizes sexual violence and protects
its perpetrators.
Other violence against women
Sexual violence may include physical excision (which falls under the law on mutilation)
and mental excision.
Physical excision is the ablation of the clitoris, more or less complete, more or less
extended to neighboring areas. In 2004, there were more than 50,000 adult women
circumcised in France. It is a practice that recedes, both in France (where it is
condemned by the law and the courts, probably because the women are women) and in the
countries of origin of migrant women. It remains a threat to hundreds of young girls in
case of "returning home".
Mental excision is the fact that many girls, girls and women have no access to pleasure
because they do not know that they have a clitoris, what it serves and that is the button
Including sexual intercourse with a man. The cinema, literature, sex education books for
young people, the sexo advice of printed cloths for women do not mention (or so little)
the clitoris and its functioning. Every little boy knows how men have fun while many adult
women have no idea how to get theirs, or believe that two must forget what they know by
masturbating.
The sex education courses provided during schooling do not take place, and when they take
place, they rarely involve associations able to speak respecting the consent and the body
of the girls as well as the pleasure.
For a woman, knowing her body and clitoris means knowing that access to pleasure, alone or
in pairs, does not require the intervention of a penis. Could it be the cause of ignorance
maintained?
The law of porn and united capitalism also encourages the physical transformation of the
sex of women, by convincing them that a natural female sex is ugly (besides being dirty).
Mutilations are done legally by doctors: normalization of the size of the lips, small and
large to get closer to the sexes-slots promoted by porn, tightening of the vagina (or
rejuvenation) so that men "feel better", facelift Pubis, liposuction of the pubis and the
lips ... Except for exception, these interventions have no medical justification. The only
intervention (which appeared relatively recently, at the end of the 90s) that is really
useful is the reconstruction of the clitoris.
Wall of vulva, one of the panels of the "Great Wall of Vagina" by Jamie Mc Cartney
Medical maltreatment has also recently been denounced: vaginal touch training on sleeping
patients who are unaware of it, unnecessary episiotomies, sewing of the same episiotomies
a little too tight (the "point of the husband"), abusive gynecological examination Neither
explained nor necessary ...
http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Les-violences-sexuelles
------------------------------
Message: 2
Police Antiterrorism Fern euromediterranean Dating, Grégory Chambat Véronique Decker,
transgender, anarchism in Belgium, Brazil, COP21 , Pesticides, Children's Books Selection,
René Berthier, 1995 railway movement ---- Editorial: The police ideology ---- Full-Lights:
Cops tired of this company?! We also ---- Police hate (almost) everyone. ---- From the
class to the race, tame the anger of opprimé.es ---- Antiterrorism: The intrusion of
security in schools ---- Social ---- Fern: Open and solidarity ---- Dating
euromediterranean: self-managed companies of all countries, unite! ---- Education ----
Interview with Gregory Chambat: "Do not let the reactionaries-publicans monopoly on school
challenge" ---- Interview with Véronique Decker: "The aim of the school is emancipation"
---- Antipatriarcat ---- Genres: The transgender feminism prism
Politics
Anarchism in Belgium: A memory problem
International
Brazil: 2016: a circus of horrors
Ecology
COP21, one year after: Resist the gravediggers of the planet
Pesticides: The state serving lobbies poison
Culture - Children's Books Selection: For Christmas, subvertissez children!
Children's Album: Hush! We have a plan Chris Haughton
Book: My love Astrid Desbordes illustrated by Pauline Martin
Book Object: Little Man Antoine Guilloppé
Series: Ernest & Celestine Gabrielle Vincent
Culture
test: non Elective Affinities of René Berthier
Book: Batons shit! Shoe of the trader, investigates the usefulness and social nuisance
trades Julien and Olivier Cyran Brygo
Book: The Year 501. The continuous conquest of Noam Chomsky
History
France, 30 years ago: A spring in winter
railroad Movement 1995: The longest rail strike
Editorial: The police ideology
When police demonstrations in recent weeks, the media were quick to unsheathe polls
showing strong support. Thus, despite the killings, despite the violence, despite the
business, the police seem to benefit from a surprisingly strong support. Putting aside the
issue of questionable reliability of these polls (that would invite to relativize the
importance of these figures), this fact is no less surprising.
But that would be forgetting that police activity is "segmented". Daily harassment,
violence or bullying is always targeted: preferably on popular classes, preferably on
racisé.es. Neighborhoods, whole sections of the population are not faced with the reality
of the police or while in a timely manner during mobilizations.
It would also forget that the image of the police is largely distorted: to length of cop
shows, overwhelmingly complacent at length reports, in which the police control his image,
that of a profession in the service of population . The reality is obviously different and
this is the challenge the ideological battle to fight: to show and disseminate, by all
means, what the police and demonstrate its policing function in the service of the
bourgeoisie .
Alternative Libertaire, November 26, 2016
http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Edito-L-ideologie-policiere
------------------------------
Message: 3
Within the confines of preparation surrounding the development of a hopefully crisp,
concise, and thoughtful series of regular columns and commentaries for Ideas & Action, I
intend to focus my literary efforts upon the way, in which, the working-class is purposely
set against one another at home and abroad. Due to the fact that the US is a Really
Existing Capitalist Democracy (RECD), or RECD society (1,2), whereas the globalized
neoliberal (3) forces that of the world-over compliment an international plutocracy (4)
various modes of thought ought to be considered if one hopes to garner a coherent as well
as entire deconstruction of the current atmosphere of hopelessness, despair, and
atomization that has decimated worker-solidarity (5).
More specifically, the modes that are also centrally concerned with the medium of worker
self-managed struggle will be explored throughout the duration of this series of
commentaries. In other words, an anarcho-syndicalist (6) and libertarian socialist (7,8)
based critique will, in many cases, remain implicit, while the material will be explicitly
considered. In the tradition of transparency and clarity, the positioning of the global
labor-force will be thoroughly considered. However, to begin, let us delve into our own
social, political, and economic, impurities.
An Electoral Extravaganza
From the age that we are old enough to do so, we are told to vote, for “freedom isn’t
free” and so forth. Yet, underpinning said ideological clap-trap of the fashionable
American partisan ambiance exists the unspoken supposition that what is meant by “go vote”
is exclusively fretful with the US Presidential Election – the most alien form of civic
commitment that we “democratically” attend to as a constituency.
In other words, the zealous flag swaying that ever more resembles theological techniques
every four years via a national election is treated as though it is the sole activity one
should consider if they care about having their declarations accounted for. Instead of
fostering a sense of community within our youth, and young adults – the authors of this
piece not excluded – we are teased with an “I voted” decal and to return to normality
after the Presidential Inauguration.
To evoke the radical spirit of historian Howard Zinn, let us recall that “voting is easy
and marginally useful, but it is a poor substitute for democracy, which requires direct
action by concerned citizens.”
The notion that “our vote counts” is also espoused by those in positions of power. But
does it? Does it count if we vote and we have no idea why or for who? To reiterate, does
it count if we vote based solely off of the information we are fed by the mass media,
popular news stations and podcasts discussing everything but the issues that need
changing, the progression that needs a swift kick into motion and instead, on the personal
lives and affairs of the individuals running?
To answer such a profound question, we could easily turn to Professor Noam Chomsky and
Professor Edward S. Herman (9) as a means of highlighting the arrangement and
undercurrents of the way in which propaganda, or commercialized as well as
state-sanctioned illusions are used to pacify the American populace. Of greater historical
interest, we could even tend to the anarchist thinker Emma Goldman, who keenly observed
that “the right to vote, or equal civil rights, may be good demands, but true emancipation
begins neither at the polls nor in courts,” (10).
In any case, the exploration conjured herein ought not be interpreted such that a complete
sense of apathy towards civic engagement necessarily follows. Rather, we so direly need to
think deeply in regards to the forms of political activity that we dedicate our limited
time towards and evaluate its impact. Instead of countlessly rehashing a presidential
election, which is staged by the same public relations firms that sell cars and laundry
(11), we should survey the local landscape, tend to matters of town and regional politics,
where small collections of concerned individuals can work to garner true change from the
bottom-up.
There is indeed a level of hopelessness and discouragement going into this election
knowing that the last hasn’t worked the way most millennials had thought it would and the
country has not made the progress that we have all dreamed of.
By way of returning to Zinn, note that “what matters most is not who is sitting in the
White House, but ‘who is sitting in’ — and who is marching outside the White House,
pushing for change.”
References:
(1) Bryer Sousa, “An Exploration of Anarcho-syndicalism as an Environmentally Sustainable
Solution to the Current Anthropogenic Ecological Crisis,” Maine Sustainability & Water
Conference, 2015.
(2) Noam Chomsky, “Can Civilization Survive Capitalism?”
(3) Wendy Larner, “Neo-liberalism: Policy, Ideology, Governmentality,” Studies in
Political Economy, 2000.
(4) “Plutocracy,” Wikipedia.
(5) George Monbiot, “Neoliberalism is Creating Loneliness. That’s what’s Wrenching Society
Apart,” The Guardian, 2016.
(6) Rudolf Rocker, “Anarchosyndicalism.”
(7) Daniel Guérin, “Anarchism.”
(8) Peter Marshall, “Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism,” PM Press, 1992.
(9) Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman, “Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of
the Mass Media,” 2002.
(10) Emma Goldman, “Anarchism and Other Essays,” 1911.
(11) Matthew Creamer, “Obama Wins! … Ad Age’s Marketer of the Year,” Ad Age, 2008.
http://ideasandaction.info/2016/11/electoral-extravaganza/
------------------------------
Message: 4
This summer Sisters Uncut opened up an empty flat on an estate in East London as part of
their ongoing campaign against cuts in domestic violence services. The flat stayed open
for months and was full of activity and people, and the action resulted in some serious
changes to Hackney official policy - not least getting a kid's playground reopened. ----
Sisters Uncut started in response to massive cuts to women's refuges and other crucial
services which have happened during a rise in domestic violence and this has led to an
increase in deaths due to domestic violence for the first time in decades. ---- In Hackney
they have been campaigning about housing policy including stopping the loss of social
housing and people in desperate circumstances being turned away by the council, and
calling for more empty flats to be used for temporary accommodation. This summer they made
that call a reality for one flat in Marian Court in the E9 area.
As soon as the flat was opened up the group made a massive effort to reach out and connect
with people in the block and the surrounding estates. One of the first activities was a
kids' breakfast club, providing free food and a cup of tea and a chat.
The flat was on a block which had many empty flats and was being used to house families on
a short-term basis and many of them got involved in the activities. When the weather was
hot the kids made a demand for a paddling pool and soon the lawn outside the flat was the
scene for a lot of splashing.
The action worked due to a big effort to reach out and talk to people, to make the flat
comfortable and welcoming and simultaneously pushing for concrete changes to local policy
through lively direct actions. The campaign tied together many Issues that are having a
serious impact on people including loss of social housing, homelessness, domestic
violence, racism and worsening conditions for children in poor areas.
The campaign also worked because it was very serious and at the same time really good fun.
Families were constantly in and out of the flat and felt welcomed and they were on the
demos joining in. Kids from the block looked like they were having the time of their lives.
Sisters Uncut currently have groups in north, east and south east London, Portsmouth,
Doncaster, Bristol and Newcastle. Find out more at www.sistersuncut.org.
This article first appeared in the Winter 2016 edition of Freedom anarchist journal
https://freedomnews.org.uk/all-for-the-sisterhood/
------------------------------
Message: 5
from Evening Standard: Weetabix workers have voted to go on strike in the new year in a
dispute over a new 24/7 shift pattern. Members of trade union USDAW backed industrial
action by 9-1 on a turnout of almost 70 per cent. ---- The union said action will affect
workplaces in Corby and Kettering, with the first strike taking place in the new year.
---- Each strike will run for 24 hours, with no more than one stoppage in a single week.
---- Ed Leach of Usdaw said: "Despite long and detailed discussions, the company has so
far refused to offer a suitable financial incentives for employees who have moved shift or
will be expected to move onto the new 24/7 shift pattern. ---- Full article here
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/weetabix-workers-to-strike-in-new-year-in-dispute-over-shift-patterns-a3424066.html
---- http://www.classwarparty.org.uk/victory-weetabix-workers/
------------------------------
Home »
» Anarchic update news all over the world - part 2 - 26 December 2016