Bristol: graffiti/solidarity action @ Clifton Cathedral

queers gone wild | 24.12.2013 14:39 | Gender | Policing | Repression

Early morning mass was blackened this Christmas eve for the catholic Cathedral in Bristol's wealthy Clifton neighborhood. Overnight we glued locks on their doors, spraypainted "without god", "without law", and anarchy symbols on the grand exterior and signed "queers x".

We hate the many forms of churches and priests who work to instill subservience and patriarchy with their wretched morals, when not still with the whip. The Catholic Church, especially, dug one of the deepest foundations of authority in the Western(ized) world, as well as ascribing strict gender roles and turning 'heterosexuality' from one possibility into an obligation. All in the interests of power, mass economic productivity and future reproduction of the oppressive social order, making our individual bodies and desires evermore alien to us. Neither do we forget the indigenous peoples put to the torch or converted at gunpoint once their lifeways were eroded by the marauding civilization, a missionary-aided genocide still underway today.

There's recently been 'Gender Ideology' conferences attended by former pope John Paul II gathering catholic fundamentalists, right-wing figures and bigoted scientists still trying to criminalize, pathologize or 'medicalize' queerness. There the old nationalist values of 'God, Country + Family' were explicitly arrayed against our joyful lives of love and rage - and one conference was invaded and disrupted by a contingent of our fellow gender renegades. It's indeed ironic that the catholics propagate the myth that 'homosexuals' are in fact pedophiles.

We admire the courage of anyone subverting the gender identity they've been assigned, whatever else separates us. Our everyday battles against patriarchy, the masked 'compas' who overturned a pro-life church in Chile, the women self-organizing against subjugation in Tunisia, or our queer siblings defying homophobic law in Russia, not a step back!!

To the five anarchists arrested in Barcelona (they're charged with plotting and carrying out bombings against sacred places of the monarchy, Hispanic colonization and fascist-church collusion), we send you a gesture beside the many others aiming to pierce your isolation. Our small attack was timed to tarnish one of the church's holy days, and comes slightly after the international week of solidarity. Just as well anytime is always the time for revolt!! To dignified prisoner Gabriel Pombo Da Silva, held under a harsh FIES regime like two of the arrested, we also send our warmest affection in these cold days.

"Yesterday, today, and forever... No god No master"
- Mónica Caballero

QUEERS GONE WILD!!

queers gone wild

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really

24.12.2013 16:28

what a load of self hating rubbish !!1

anon

you middle class wankers

24.12.2013 20:50

are a embarrassment to anarchism and class struggle anarchists.

working class catholic

re. Working class

25.12.2013 05:21

Every working class person loves the church. Sure, just like these lads from Spain:

http://www.churchinhistory.org/images/spanish-civil-war.jpg

Christianity is the reason my family passively and obediently accepts shitty jobs for crap pay.

And of course, Catholic dictator Franco (supported by the church) did so much for our class!

Lots of my friends take drugs to get by - doesn't mean that their dealers are working class heroes. Same goes for the church imho...

anon

Top job

25.12.2013 15:13

Let them know in no uncertain terms that their time is coming to an end.
Laughing at the haters on here, how frustrating for them.

LMF(A)O

cowards...

25.12.2013 20:51

yeah boasting about a easy target like this is very hardcore!
my problem is you would never dream of doing this against any other religious group except the catholic church when in fact if you want to find a far more homophobic religious group its not hard at all.
anyway i bet you're glad you're not the only people to graffiti over a place of worship happened a few times in the north of Ireland recently and until you aim your antics at other religious groups then i'm afraid you got a lot in common with them bastards.
anyhow its Christmas so getting pissed with the family.

working class catholic

@working class catholic

25.12.2013 23:06

Any other group? As in?

The Clncher

any other group??

26.12.2013 08:03

like the homophobic religion of Islam that executes Homosexuals.

anon

right target

26.12.2013 08:06

The Catholic church is absolute disgrace, I was bummed years ago by a Catholic priest after going in a cubicle with him at victoria station. To think the pope covered this activity up for years,

Matthew Collins

Wake up call!

26.12.2013 13:18

Conference attended by former Pope JPII? When exactly? Seems odd seeing has died over a decade ago you dimwits!

As for Church vandalism? There's no difference between yourselves and the EDL louts that smash up mosques and Islamic community centers!

Also, I highly suggest that people impartially research the Spanish civil war for once. Any fucking historian that denies the rape, pillage and murder of hundreds (if not thousands) of defenceless Catholic nuns is a LIAR! Not to mention the thousands of male clergy (priests, monks, bishops) and far higher number of predominantly working class Catholic laity that were slaightered too! All Iin the name of the glorious revolution. This was all happening WAY before Franco flew over to organise the Nationalists! He was sunning it up in the Canaries basically enjoying partial retirement!

Catholic

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great aktion

26.12.2013 16:49

great aktion ... next time bomb the fukers keep up the aktions

So...

29.12.2013 15:27

IHTF

@IHTF

29.12.2013 23:26

Read some Chesterton, Fahey, Penty, Belloc and McNabb etc and get it through your thick skull that "class war" is an utter sham. Always has been and always will be! Especially given the prevalent confusion so apparent re: class identity of most of the so called "warriors" I.e Birckbeck students. There is however, a genuine alternative to anti humanistic capitalism or communism and that's the Social teaching of Popes such as Pius X!

You by default support thickoes such as the EDL with your brash statement re: all groups fighting "organised religion" as being good ones! I almost bet that you openly support that absolute attempted genocide of Catholics in Spain in the name of "proletariat dictatorship" though! Far more of a dangerous attitude of some drunken pub dwellers whining about "Izlamifucation"!

Read some Distributist writings, Belloc and Chesterton and THEN come back to me! I've read Marx, Engels, Bakunin etc so lets have some bloody consistency for once! Distributism is a perfected and proven version of Anarchy anyway! Even great Catholics such as Tolkien referred to themselves as "Catholic Anarchists".

Catholic

idiot

30.12.2013 13:16

The initial criticism of this action claims to be from a working class person, uses the terms "Middle class wankers" and who, after gentle probing, turn out to be virulently Islamophobic.
I smell a big fat EDL/nazi/fascist rat masquerading as a "Working Class Catholic".

so there we have it. ANY criticism of Islam makes you a edl/Nazi but graffiting over a catholic place of worship makes you a hero?!?!?! my own life experiences are that there is no more homophobia within the Catholic church then there is within society in general and almost definitely less. This I cannot say about Islam and some protestant sects where I've witnessed street preaching of the most disgusting sort. I don't say their all like that I just wonder why the RC church is being singled out. I notice you ignore my comparing of this to the hundreds of similar attacks by Orange bastards in Ireland and Scotland.
as for the use of the phrase 'middle class wankers' I stand by it. if you really think that they're aren't people in the anarchist movement who despise the influence of middle class wevolutionaries within it then you don't know the anarchist movement.

WORKING CLASS CATHOLIC

Definitly EDL

30.12.2013 17:53

"no more homophobia within the Catholic church then there is within society in general and almost definitely less. "
You blatantly know nothing about Catholicism if you think this is correct. If this is your experience of life within the Catholic church you really know nothing. Like most EDLers in fact.
Oh, and I know the Orange lot are full on homophobic, blatantly so and I despise them for it. As much as I despise them for their support of the monarchy, the Britsh state and mindless loyalty to the rich and powerful.

IHTF

Eeeeeek

31.12.2013 04:22

I bet the Catholic Martyrs of England are shaking in their heavenly boots.

Looking forward to laughing at the next atheist leftie wearing a Guy Fawkes mask. What do they teach you at Uni these days?

Robert Southwell

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Thoughts

01.01.2014 20:19

Wow, just think that this action was performed to frustrate the rich people of Clifton. However, it is worth noting that they are much more hateful against homosexuals/ freethinkers/ liberties in the muslim houses of the "God". Christianity is finished in England, while the latter is growing powerful, AND you wouldn't dare to say a thing, because you are afraid of the real threat, and have no "balls" to stand up against it.

Tratatatatata

your eyes are open but no ones at home

03.01.2014 19:00

I don't expect you to know but this but I am, like probably 90% of my generation of english born Catholics, Irish decent and proud of it. most people would have got that from my references to orange bastards above but not you. anyway I'm done with this you can sit there wailing edl or Nazi at anyone who doesn't fit your leftie (a perfectly trivial word for the kind of middle class adventurer who inhabit left wing circles who only seem to put off w/c people from having anything to do with us) viewpoint. anyway i'll come back in a week just to see if you answer this question why is it brilliant and heroic and so so revolutionary to desecrate a Catholic place of worship while a (pretty mild) criticism of Islam is somehow fascistic? Those of us who are left-wing and RC suspect we know the answer but we ask anyway.
by the way one of the comments above is from a fascist but with his anti-Catholic views you got more in common with him than me!
why not get upset about this

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/01/02/football-associations-new-equality-advisor-apologises-for-calling-gays-detestable/
all yours now...go to fucking town on me!

working class catholic

Fascist?

04.01.2014 05:54

Which comment is Fascist in nature Mr Working Class Catholic? I really hope you don't mean mine?

As for being left wing/liberal and RC, well it doesn't really fit does it. If you're honestly sincere about your politics AND faith, there's a rearing contridiction somewhere. So what comes first? Catholic politics = Social Reign of Christ the King minus any "left" or "right" constraints. Anti Capitalist AND Anti Communist.

Are you just another plastic paddy that gets pissed up on St. Patrick's day and then calls themselves "Catholic"? Bollocks about 90% of Catholics being Irish by the way. The Prods didn't get all of us in the reformation you know! Catholicism is more than a cultural identity pal, but most seem to have forgotten that since the Satanic second Vatican Council!

Catholic

interesting

05.01.2014 21:55

firstly, well done for the action...and, putting the EDL stuff aside, and the northern irish stuff, for various reasons that i cant be bothered to go into (mostly because its troll feeding in many ways)...

...it is quite an interesting idea about which churches are being targeted. is it not true, that synagogues, mosques and christian churches should be attacked and not just christian churches? Islam is an inherently sexist, homophobic and patriarchal religion, same as judaism and christianity. anyone who has studied them a little, even a little, can see that. so if we, as anarchos, are attacking churches, then there is a decent argument to include mosques and synagogues,,,isnt there? Judaism is the cornerstone of zionism, a mutated (note the use of the word 'mutated' trolls, to avoid any confusion with escaping hitler) ideal that is contributing to the awful persecuting of palestinians right this second. Each of these religions has caused wars for land and power and greed, each of them has subjected women to slavery and gay people to persecution, and each of them are skilled in brain washing people. if the slogan 'no gods' is true, then all churches of any denomination of ANY global religion is surely up for attack??

i think this is an interesting question and value and will respond to 'on topic' comments if people are gonna come to this question sensibly and not just troll.

and personally, in my opinion, all religions are shite, especially the big three abrahamic ones (judaism, islam and chrsitianity) which come from the same or similar lines of dogma stretching back a couple of thousand years or a bit more in Judaism's case, and less for islam.

so the ultimate question could be, is one religion more of a legitimate target than another? if so, why is it and why is another not?

these are good questions that we, as anarchists, particularly insurrectionary minded ones, could take some time and thought to answer honestly. if we dont face these questions each day and try to be the 'best' anarchists we can be, then are we not failing in our mission to be the 'best' anarchists we can be each day of the struggle? and by best i mean best for ourselves as individuals, not best as in the best 'ism' among many isms.

francesca

@francesca

06.01.2014 08:42

I agree that all religions are evil and bigoted for may reasons, though of course it doesn't follow that all religious people are evil.

I would never criticise anyone for the act of destroying a religious institution, but you have to see things in a wider social context. For example if fascists burn a mosque or synagogue, it is the intent that matters - the criticism is for them trying to fuel racial hatred,and maybe to promote their own religion. i.e. the social disharmony caused by such an action far outweighs the benefit of attacking the religion.

Also, in the context of the UK, the Church of England is the establishment religion with massive wealth and political power, so that deserves the most criticism. In a different geographical context, other religions like Catholicism, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. are more dominant.

And it's not as easy as just burn all the churches/temples and the problem goes away, you could get a backlash that could actually strengthen religion as the supporters unite against a common enemy.

I'm really just stating the obvious here I suppose.

Hopefully religion will die out naturally - it does seem too be going that way in the developed world (with the possible exception of the USA - I'm not sure why). But the odd bit of direct action to help it on its way can't be a bad thing, as long as it isn't the only tactic, which it isn't.

If anarchists in the UK burnt down a mosque or synagogue, it wouldn't in itself be a bad thing, as an attack on the sexism/homophobia they preach. But the overall effect might be a lot more harm than good. You have to pick your battles strategically.

anon

By logic

06.01.2014 15:45

You people really believe a supposedly symbolic act of vandalism against mere property, could in anyway dent the one holy and apostolic Catholic church? Clifton Cathedral probably deserved it as a shocking piece of Post Vatican II architecture, anyway.
Unless incredibly naive, I honestly don't think you're that stupid? So what else could there be to the argument?

By the logic implied, albeit you haven't said as much, you believe in killing the beliefs themselves right? Well in religious terminology, I suppose one could assume that you'd try and "convert" me away from the church in the direction of some Anarcho Utopia on Earth? Well what if that didn't work and I held firm to my "archaic" dogmas and swore I'd do all I could to defend my faith and others of my persuasion? History shows from the depths of time (and no, Catholics of course haven't been the only victims! Admittedly, we were often the perpetrators although I doubt many of you have read any truly unbiased accounts of such events) that Catholics opposed to Reformation and Revolution, right through to the downright Satanic persecution in the Spanish civil war (read Warren Carroll's "The Last Crusade" as a real eye opener for that one) to the attempted genocide at the hands of Islamists today across the world (Africa and The Middle East in particular) have always been put to death for refusal to compromise or convert! What would you do that's any different?

Once we're all gone? Who or what would be next? The oppresive and nuclear family that contravenes the idea of "Anarchy" being the only possible form of "order"? Are you going to start attacking their households too? When that fails to work, who dies first? Mother, Father or maybe the children?

Not sure if you'll reply to this but will happily expand on points when time permits. For the record, I'm speaking purely from a traditionalist Catholic perspective. I'm not too interested in the rights of erroneous religions per se although from a worldly perspective, I don't want to see their holy places burnt out of wanton mallice or their followers attacked by political thugs.

Tyburn

@anon

08.01.2014 15:29

I do think some of what your saying is interesting - and respect the view - and with good reasoning attached to it, especially about geographical context, although I do personally believe that all major churches and religions are legitimate targets, in some ways, BECAUSE of the geographical context. so if an islamic leader kills in the name of islam, or beheads a woman for adultery in teh middle east, then an islamic centre here could be targeted if it supports sharia law, for example. Synagogues/israeli organisations could also be targeted in retaliation for israeli actions against palestine, another example of how geographical context can leak into our reasoning for attack on this island.

Francesca

@Tyburn

13.01.2014 08:30

You can believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy for all I care, it makes as much sense as mainstream religion.

The problem comes when religion starts causing problems for other people e.g. paedophile priests and the cover-ups, opposing condoms and helping spread AIDS, promoting sexism, racism and homophobia. For all those crimes the institutions of religion deserve attacking.

I'm sure most religious people are very nice in many ways - some of my best friends are religious and they have many good points, as I'm sure you do too. Catholics who smash up military property are doing a great job. But religious belief does discourage free thinking - it is a mild form of mental illness in a sense. I believe in hate the sin, not the sinner, so I don't hate people who have been suckered in to falling for religious bullshit. But I do hate religion as a concept - it is evil - and anything that helps to reduce its power is a good thing.

The only reason you are Catholic rather than Hindu or Muslim or Buddhist is accident of birth (unless you are a convert, which is a tiny minority). What coincidence that you happened to be born into the "one true religion". You obviously think Hindu gods and beliefs are bullshit, just like me. The only difference is instead of thinking dozens of religions are bullshit, like you do, I think dozens plus one religions are bullshit.

Just face it - gods don't exist, and when you die, you just rot down into the earth, and there is no heaven or hell. Is that really so difficult to accept?

anon

lol

13.01.2014 15:56

But this fake action never happened so why are you chatting shit about it?

IMC'sta

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