CRASH THEIR PARTY!

he war effort with its American ally. It fabricated information about weapons of mass destruction. It used cluster bombs on the Iraqi population, after promising it would not do so. These bombs are even more indiscriminating than other bombs against civilians. Already evidence has come to light that British troops have tortured and abused Iraqis, whilst its American allies have fired on unarmed civilians and troops have admitted leaving the wounded to die.

Party of Lies
It lied about genetically modified crops, and is now conducting a pathetic exercise in pretending to consult people over GM crops, whilst it intends pursuing its own agenda. It continues with its attacks on the NHS and trial by jury as well as a whole raft of repressive legislation. It intends raising university fees which would exclude many working class students.
It used “moral” pressure to support “our boys” and threats by John Prescott of emergency legislation to ban strikes to stop the firefighters action. It will now be on course to introduce “modernisation” into the fire service, which will mean reduction in numbers of firefighters and the closure of fire stations. This will have the knock-on effect of there being more fires and other incidents not as effectively dealt with, and a resultant loss of life.
At the same time as this is going on, and as more and more people are seeing clearly what Labour really is, its allies in the unions are doing all they can to make sure that the Labour link is maintained and that the flow of people leaving the Party is stopped. This has been the case with Andy Gilchrist, leader of the Fire Brigades Union. He is one of those who is loyal to the Labour Party, and wants to put a stop to a widespread feeling among firefighters that any funding of Labour has to end .He called off the firefighters strike actions for weeks to allow negotiations to take place. One of the reasons he gave was the impact the war in Iraq would have on the dispute. He finally accepted the employers’ offer, despite a large number of firefighters wanting to continue the actions and to resist the “modernisation” moves.
Elsewhere in the GMB and UNISON unions, the union leaders have made noises about unhappiness with Labour. These are empty words. The union leaders are loyal to Labour and will do all they can to maintain links and to continue funding. They disguise this by talking about “reclaiming Labour”.
But whether Old Labour or New Labour, that Party is an enemy of the working class. The events of the last few years have shown more clearly than ever that the Labour Party has to be broken with on every level. Labour is a party that acts in the interests of the boss class.

Act for yourselves!
The experience of both the last term of office of Labour and the war have shown that the only meaningful action is direct action, not mediated by political parties or by the unions. More and more people are realising this. At the same time we must develop our own forms of organisation, where we decide directly through mass assemblies and a system of mandated and recallable delegates.
Tube workers in West London (see separate article in this resistance) are already organising along these lines, and they should be an example to us all, both for organising in the workplace and the neighbourhood and community.

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ANARCHIST NEWS

Surrey Anarchist Group (SAG) recently held their first public meeting, packing out the upstairs room of a pub with people seeing the inspiring “Argentinean Autonomist Project” tour. A report on the tour will be in next month’s resistance, see the back page for further dates where you can still catch it.
SAG have also launched their own bulletin “the Surrey Agitator”, available online at www.surreyanarchy.org.uk or send an SAE to SAG, PO Box 375, Knaphill, Woking, Surrey, GU21 2XL.

Wilkinson Picket
Anarchist Federation members attended the picket of the Wilkinsons store in Stratford, East London called by London Class War and the Campaign Against Prison Slavery to highlight goods sold cheaply by them are produced by prison labour (see back page for contact details). Hundreds of leaflets were handed out.

Anarchists Organising
The North East London Anarchist Alliance if forming, for class struggle anarchists in Havering, Barking and Dagenham and Redbridge. Anyone interested in building revolutionary anarchism in the far east of London get in touch via AF, c/o 84b, Whitechapel High St, London, E1 7QX.

Brighton Anarchist Federation
People are trying to set up a group of the Anarchist Federation in Brighton.
Anyone interested should contact Brighton AF, c/o 84 b, Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX

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ON THE FRONTLINE

We’ll start this month with some news on the longest running dispute in the country - the Friction Dynamex plant in Caernarfon - where workers have maintained a 24-hour picket since losing their jobs more than two years ago.
Despite the workers winning an employment tribunal, the owners have refused to recognise their claims and have drawn out the dispute by a series of petty appeals, the latest of which means the case will only be heard in November at the very earliest. If you’re in the area drop down and show some solidarity with these amazing people who refused to let the bosses walk all over them and have acted as great example to other workers in their struggles.

There’s trouble for the government in their own backyard at Holyrood where a new building project has been substantially delayed (and it was already two and half years late and an cost an extra £300 million) by a construction workers strike over lower than agreed wages, including making a gang of Romanian workers work for below the minimum wage and inadequate safety gear - as well being forced to put up with buildings plans that change on average three times each hour of the working day!

150 porters and domestic staff walked out at Bolton Royal Hospital, effectively shutting it down for the day. The dispute concerns workers who are employed by the private contractors ISS Mediclean who are paid less than their fellow workers who are employed directly by the hospital Trust - the age-old tactic bosses use to split the workforce and force them to compete with each other. Glad to see people are seeing right through this and aren’t having any of it - and there have been strikes on the same issue elsewhere.

Staff at Macmillan publishers are to strike over attempts to impose an unacceptable below inflation pay-rise (read pay-cut).

There has been chaos for the bosses in the Italian Airports as workers from Alitalia staged a number of strikes. In the days preceding official 24 hour strike action, hundreds of air crew at Alitalia pulled a mass sickie, grounding most of the airline's flights for an additional 2 days. The added mayhem caught company bosses by surprise and cost them dearly.
Yet again Italian workers show that there is no need what-so-ever to be constrained by official union actions and that their own activity and solidarity is what counts.

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TUBE WORKERS ORGANISE!

Tube workers at a West London depot have started creating their own organisations. Last February a meeting of the Workmates Collective was attended by 150 workers. It unanimously carried a proposal to set up a council composed of mandated and recallable delegates. The Collective has transformed itself into Workmates Council. Workers from various London Underground Ltd (LUL), engineering departments, including Track Installers, Track Welders, Crossing Makers, Carpenters, Ultrasonic Rail Testers, Track Vent Cleaning Gangs, along with lorry drivers. Some of these departments work alongside large numbers of subcontracted labourers, many of them not in unions, comprising 120 agency workers in all.
More than 250 workers formed the Collective originally to fight against the privatisation of London Underground through the Public-Private Partnership. Over the last 5 years of this struggle agency workers have shown utmost loyalty to their LUL workmates during a number of strikes. This was established early on by agency Track Installers and Track Welders, some of whom had been Yorkshire and Kent miners, and has been maintained ever since.
This solidarity has also been maintained in dealing with health and safety issues affecting both agency and LUL workers. This has led to some work stoppages on health and safety issues.
The various gangs have now nominated and mandated their delegates, and some meetings have been called to form the Council. This way of organising puts full power into the hands of the workers. resistance sends the warmest best wishes and solidarity to the Workmates Council.

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FRANCE GOES OFF THE RAILS!

Nationwide strikes have taken place in France in opposition to proposed pension “reforms” (read: plans to force people to retire later).
June has seen eight co-ordinated national stoppages so far. 5,000 people in Calais blockaded the A26 highway, the regional office of the employers' federation MEDEF in the port of La Rochelle was torched and other MEDEF offices across the country were attacked, workers disrupted train and bus services in Marseille and Paris cutting power lines at the Gare de Lyon station in Paris. Bus workers blockaded a depot, armed themselves with baseball bats and fought with riot police. Sanitation workers in Lyon dumped garbage in front of City Hall. Striking teachers also occupied bus depots and train tracks. In Lille workers set fire to the Coventry factory - police then fired tear gas, charged the demonstrators and beat some of them with batons.
Hundreds of dock workers, railway workers and fish merchants set up blockades at the port in Boulogne sur Mer, set them on fire and defended them against riot police tear gas attacks until 4am the next day. In Nice workers occupied the National Theatre, produced leaflets explaining their action and used the space for meetings about the social struggle.
200 people occupied Toulouse Town Hall and closed the doors to the police. The National Opera of Lyon was occupied by 200 people and the space was used to hold assemblies and plan future actions. Another action targeted the Path Cinema in Lyon, forcing it to shut. In Lille three major highways were blocked by 300 students, workers and unemployed people.
A spontaneous demonstration of more than 1,000 people marched through the streets of the city, as people surrounded businesses and government offices with trash bins and attempted to break through riot police lines. The office of the Union of the Presidential Majority (UMP) was trashed as workers dumped garbage, water and detergent inside the buildings. Major road blockades were also set up in many other cities.
The scale and ferocity of the resistance has taken the French State by surprise and there have been attempts to buy-off certain sectors by offering concessions – all of which have been flung back in their faces. The authorities hope the traditional summer break will cool off the workers but there are few signs of this happening – in fact the level of militancy is on the up.
This is a crucial battle for the European working class as a whole, if this one is lost then further “reforms” will be attempted across the continent – the French and German governments are keeping a close eye on this. We need to learn the lessons of this dispute and make autonomous links ups and plans of action now as the French workers have shown solidarity and co-ordination are our most effective weapons not union bosses dealing with state bosses.


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BEAT THE CHEATS - GET RID OF CAPITALISM!Torfaen Council and Job Centre Plus (JCP) have teamed up and launched a campaign against “fraud”. By grassing-up fellow members of our class we can help them “beat the cheats”. An emergency hotline is provided on glossy posters together with idiotic fluffy toys with a phone number tag attached! Presumably this is aimed at children who no doubt will be honoured to serve the state by telling on their “criminal” parents? That such a spying campaign was used by the Hitler Youth under the Nazi regime shows how low Torfaen Council and JCP have stooped.
By sneakily making a phone call we can sink to the level of a quisling against our class! If Torfaen Council and JCP actually used their rather warped brain cells they would realise that for many people in Torfaen existing on or below the poverty line is a way of life! The “choice” is to try and exist on the pittance of unemployment benefit or a crap state pension or you can “work for your dole” in a low paid job! Therefore it comes as no surprise that some people choose to “cheat” the system to make ends meet by for example doing the odd job on the side.
By supplementing their meagre benefits they can actually try to enjoy life without relying on the misery of debt through plastic or loan sharks! So why doesn’t Torfaen Council and JCP actually target the real cheats and fraudsters who create unemployment and mass poverty? They conveniently ignore the fact that the capitalist system is based on the daily exploitation of working class people by the ruling boss-class elite who own the means of production, distribution and wealth!
In their work, workers make the goods which are part of everyday life and provide services. However the rewards the workers receive in the form of wages are less than the value of the products and services they create. The difference in value between what the workers produce and what they earn is the basis for profit which goes to the capitalist boss-class!
In this way workers are robbed on a daily basis. When profits fall workers are sacked. Capitalists survive at the expense of laid off workers. Unemployment also helps to keep wages low and profits high! It is unemployed people who are the victims of a system based on greed for a few over the needs of all.
If we as a class are to “beat the cheats” that are ripping us off on a daily basis through the capitalist system of wage slavery we should take collective action to get rid of this parasitical class once and for all! That a Labour controlled Torfaen Council and JCP fall over themselves to do the bosses’ bidding comes as no surprise as they are part of the same rotten state edifice.
Lletters of protest to Cllr. Brian Smith, Leaders Challenge, Freepost, SWC3348, Pontypool, NP4 6ZZ. For more info: AF, PO Box 7, Pont-y-pwl, Gwent, NP4 8YB www.geocities.com/afedcymru.

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REPORT FROM ANTI G8 PROTEST

“Just got back from the anti-G8
protests in Evian. Overall it was good, the anarchist village was very interesting, several thousand people stayed there and it was well organised. We were organised as a federation of groups which held assemblies in the mornings to decide tasks (cooking, cleaning, building, etc.) and actions.
For the first few days we went to some debates (on Latin American anarchism, the general strike in France) and concerts, small demonstrations in Annemasse and Geneva. We met other anarchists from around the world.
On Sunday the big demonstrations started. We chose to go on the blockade of the road between Annemasse and Evian (other blockades occurred in Geneva and Lausanne) rather than the large but fairly pointless big march to Geneva (which had a sizeable anarchist bloc). After a few kilometres we were confronted by the police, built barricades and fought against eight hours of tear gas. The villagers in this area were friendly, offering us tea and bits of timber to build barricades with. The various blockades delayed the arrival of G8 staff and several meetings had to be cancelled.
The next day we took a train to Geneva for a demonstration against water privatisation, but the train was delayed by the riot police coming on board and searching everyone. In Geneva we took a tram en masse and then tried to rejoin the other demonstrators, but were blocked by lines of German police with water cannons . . .”
June also saw days of action, occupations and streetfighting in Thessalonica against the EU summit ending in heavy repression – see the back page and visit
 http://thessaloniki.indymedia.org/?lang=en

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LOCAL RESISTANCE

Bristol Housing action movement (BHAM) collective successfully defended number 58/60 Ashley Rd, St. Paul's, Bristol against the bailiffs on 6th of June. Bristol Churches Housing Association sought an eviction after refusing to enter into dialogue. The squatters made several improvements to the property, cleaning out massive amounts of rubbish, painting and securing the property against junkies and the areas criminal gangs who made several attempts to take back the turf they previously used as a crack den/members club and base for prostitution.
The barricade was the first successful resistance in the twenty years of BHAM’s history. Activists came from all over the city to block the basements and front hallway with anything to hand. Some affixing grills to windows as the last possessions left the building. The scene was set with die hard resisters holed up in top flats with the stairway blocked and access only by crawling through a precarious collection of furniture and surprises for those nice bailiffs!

Kebele Social centre has also been under pressure from both the council health inspectors following malicious and untrue anonymous calls to the council. The centre will be closed until the end of June whilst this is dealt with. A questionnaire has also been produced for the local community to see how they think the centre could better meet their needs.

A successful Community Media Day, was held on the 14th June at the Cube Cinema, and brought together a range of local and national media groups such as The Spark, i-Contact Video, Talkaoke, Undercurrents, Bristle, plugincinema.com.

Romford/Harold Wood: Tory “heavies” are trying to intimidate opposition in London borough of Havering because of the corruption surrounding property development in the Romford/Harold Wood area.
They have targeted environmentalists in order to quieten them over planning permission backhanders and scandals. The Tory MP for Romford is Andrew Rosindell and his heavies come from Copsey Ltd. 178 Crow Lane Romford – a big company owned by Alby and Barry Tebburt.
Both are councillors – they use mates from building companies or bailiffs to intimidate people. They also think they run Havering because they scare people. Rosindell has links to far-right groups in the UK and abroad.

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INSIDE INFORMATION

British activist arrested
As we go to press news has come in of Simon, a London based activist, being arrested at a demonstration in Greece. He has very bad charges against him which are: riot, resisting authority and possession of explosives. If found guilty he’s looking to between 7 – 25 yrs in prison. Other people have been charged with use and/or possession of explosives [molotovs].
He can appeal the decision to refuse bail but it means he’ll have to spend a further three months in a prison awaiting the appeal hearing. Beyond that he’s looking at least 12 months inside before his case comes to trial.
Not only has this been one big stitch-up (there was footage on Greek national TV showing undercover coppers planting bags of molotov cocktails on arrested people) but it seems the people arrested are looking at a pretty rough ride in prison. The British guy has already been beaten up in custody, plus he was denied medical treatment for over 24hrs despite having a serious head injury.
Send complaints about this repression to the Greek Embassy in London at:
1a Holland Park, London W11 3TP Tel: 020 7221 6467 Fax: 020 7243 3202
Email:
 consulategeneral@greekembassy.org.uk
The UK support group can be Emailed at:  thessalonikiprisoners@yahoo.co.uk

Gary Mills and Tony Poole Freed!
Gary Mills and Tony Poole, two Bristol men who were jailed for life for murder, have been released pending a legal judgment of their case. As the two have maintained their innocence. They would have already been released had they complied with the prison regime and admitted their guilt, but Tony and Gary are innocent and have so suffered further for their stance. Their lawyers claimed there was a “permeating corruption” in the conduct of police officers involved in the investigation. More information on the case can be found on the Miscarriages of Justice Website.  http://www.mojuk.org.uk/eddie/tonygary.html
Campaign Against Prison Slavery
Contact Wilkinsons to register your disgust at them for their use of prison slave labour to their profits. Prisoners get £10 for 30 hours work, which as well as being shit for them, helps keep wages low for people not in prison.
You can Email the company at:  communications@wilko.co.uk and  sarah.taylor@wilko.co.uk or if you prefer you can ring them on 01909 505505.

Prison Protest
A rooftop protest at a jail came to a peaceful end after the remaining inmates ended their demonstration. Twenty prisoners occupied the roof at Wealstun prison, near Wetherby, on the first of June, breaking windows and climbing up drainpipes and ledges to the roof.
The final inmates came down in small groups through the night until the final six surrendered peacefully at in the morning – more than 30 hours after their protest started.
The prisoners were protesting about overcrowing and changes to the jail’s exercise regime.

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Subvert and resist

Take precautions when going on demonstrations and don’t take cameras, booze or drugs. If you’re nicked give your name and address then say ‘no comment’ to any other questions.


JULY: Argentinean Autonomist Project tour: Glasgow 1st July: 7.30pm, A. Thompson Hotel, 320 Argyle St., Edinburgh 2nd July: 2pm, Slide Show at Forest Café, Westport, 7.30pm, Millennium Centre, 7 Muirhouse, Medway EH4, 3rd July: 7.30pm, CWU, 15 Brunswick St, Lancaster 5th July : 8.30pm, Gregson Centre, Moor Lane, Bradford 7th July: 7pm, 1in12 Club, 21-23 Albion St., Leeds 8th July: 7pm, Woodhouse Community Centre, Manchester 9th July: Venue TBC, Liverpool 10th July: 7.30pm, Trade Union Centre, Hardman St, Cardiff 11th July: Venue TBC, Bristol 12th July: time TBC, Kebele, 14 Robertson Rd, Easton, Belfast & Dublin: TBC. For more info contact the Anarchist Federation – details on the right.
3rd: Planning meeting against a weapons fair in London. More info: www.dsei.org
4th: Independence from America day - demo at Menwith Hill spy base 12-4pm Tel: 01943 466 405 Visit: www.caab.org.uk and at Fairford USAF base, Gloucester.
20th: Ambient Green picnic (free festival), Shalford Park, Guildford. Watch out for the AF and Surrey Anarchist Group stall.
AUGUST: 2nd: Radical Bookfair, 1 in 12 Club, Bradford.
SEPTEMBER: 10th – Destroy DSEi! - Shut down Europe’s largest Weapons Fair! Day of direct action blocades. To get involved Email:  dsei_da@london.com, Tel: 07887 620 379 or write to: PO Box 8, 84b Whitechapel High St., London E1 7QX

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Join the resistance

The Anarchist Federation is an organisation of class struggle anarchists aiming to
abolish capitalism and all oppression to
create a free and equal society. This is
Anarchist Communism.
We see today’s society as being divided into two main opposing classes: the ruling class which controls all the power and wealth, and the working class which the rulers exploit to maintain this. By racism, sexism and other forms of oppression, as well as war and environmental destruction the rulers weaken and divide us. Only the direct action of working class people can defeat these attacks and ultimately overthrow capitalism.
As the capitalist system rules the whole world, its destruction must be complete and world wide. We reject attempts to reform it, such as working through parliament and
national liberation movements, as they fail to challenge capitalism itself. Unions also work as a part of the capitalist system, so although workers struggle within them they will be unable to bring about capitalism’s destruction unless they go beyond these limits.
Organisation is vital if we’re to beat
the bosses, so we work for a united
anarchist movement and are affiliated to the International of Anarchist Federations.
The Anarchist Federation has members across Britain and Ireland fighting for the kind of world outlined above. Contact us at:

Anarchist Federation,
84B, Whitechapel High Street,
London, E1 7QX. Tel: 07946 214 590
Visit: www.afed.org.uk
Email:  anarchistfederation@bigfoot.com