All posts by The Final Straw Radio

The Final Straw Radio is a terrestrial radio show and podcast started in 2009 featuring information by, for and about anarchists and other anti-authoritarians. The show airs weekly on Sundays from 2-3pm EST out of Asheville, NC, USA.
A-Radio Network, Anarchist, games, General, Israel, Palestine, repression, United States, war

Assessing The Israeli Ceasefire (with Abdaljawad Omar)

photo of Abdaljawad Omar in front a view of Bethlehem and “TFSR 11-09-25 | Assessing the Israeli Ceasefire (with Abdaljawad Omar)”
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This week, we’re sharing two segments: a chat with Palestinian writer and assistant professor Abdaljawad Omar and a segment of the October 2025 B(A)D News with network participants discussing thinking through resisting the rise of fascism.

Assessing The Israeli Ceasefire

First up, an interview with Abdaljawad Omar, a writer, analyst and an Assistant Professor at Birzeit University in Bethlehem in the West Bank in Palestine. For the hour we speak about the status of the ceasefire, the continued killing by the Israeli state and the lack of significant humanitarian supplies of food and medicine in Gaza, ongoing violence in the West Bank and settlement expansion and settler impunity, representation of Palestinian resistance in Western media and meaningful solidarity from abroad.

Mr Omar’s writing is frequently featured on Mondoweiss and the newly launched Equator Journal and other journals listed in our show notes. He can be found on X and Bluesky and has a couple of books due out in the near future.

Appearances in:

Playing Out Resistance

The next segment was recorded at the annual A-Radio Network gathering that happened in Freiberg, Germany, by participants in the network in attendance. For this segment, you’ll hear people discuss a workshop they participated in about thinking through preparation for rising authoritarianism, keeping safe while preparing for social revolution. Feel free to reach out to projects on the participants page for the A-Radio Network website (we suggest you first try A-Radio Berlin as they’re quite good at answering their email) if you would like the materials used in the workshop to host one with your community.

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Featured Track:

Police, repression, Security Culture, Surveillance, Technology, U.S. South, United States

Southerners Against Surveillance Systems and Infrastructure (with Ed)

black and white drawing of a cat wearing a balaclava with the word "SASSI" near the bottom + "TFSR 11-2-25 | Southerners Against Surveillance Systems & Infrastructure (with Ed)"
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Ed, co-founder of SASSI (Southerners Against Surveillance Systems & Infrastructure), speaks to The Final Straw Radio about the proliferation of surveillance infrastructure in the South (and more broadly in United States).

We speak about topics such as the increasing cooperation between the state and corporate surveillance companies, the desire of these companies to extract ever-increasing amounts of data from the public, the way the state uses private databases to sidestep traditional warrant processes, some of the specific technologies that cities in the south have contracts with and their efficacy. We also touch on how folks at SASSI investigate these topics, and what can be done to help with this effort and ways to think about individual and community safety.

Also of interest to listeners may be our prior episode, Pushing Back On Flock Cameras with Kate Bertash, which Ed references during the chat.

The following links provide more information about topics we briefly touch on in the chat.

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Featured Track:

  • Push by Liquid Liquid from Discography (1981-1984)
activism, Labor, Palestine, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh

Palestine Solidarity at East End Co-Op (with Iris and Fritz of UE 667)

East End Co-Op Union + BDS

photo of members of UE667 next to a table with a sign reading Feed Gaza
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This week, Ian spoke with member of UE local 667, organized workers at the East End Co-Op in Pittsburgh about the origins and goals of their organization and their divestment campaign to remove products from occupied Palestine from the shelves of their co-op.

Announcement

Shine White on Hunger Strike

White antiracist prisoner in North Carolina, Shine White, was transferred to a new facility and brutally beaten by guards as punishment for his organizing behind bars. Supporters have released this statement:

On October 7, Joseph “Shine White” Stewart was transferred from Foothills CI to Marion CI as punishment for his organizing efforts. Upon arrival, he was restrained, maced, tased on his face, and beaten by guards, sustaining injuries to his shoulder and ribs. This compounds existing injuries inflicted by guards at Foothills CI, for which he has been denied medical attention, in addition to ongoing medical neglect for preexisting chronic health conditions. In response to this ongoing repression, Shine went on a hunger strike after arriving at Marion CI. He is demanding proper medical treatment and to be transferred outside the jurisdiction of Western Regional Director, LaDonna Browning.

Make calls to the following officials on their direct lines Monday-Friday between 9am – 5pm EST:

  • Peter Richard Buchholtz – Deputy Secretary for Institutions (910) 916-0155
    • peter.buchholtz@dac.nc.gov
  • Josh Painter – Director of Prison Operations (910) 578-0215
  • Marquette Alexandra Frierson – Clinical Support Director (919) 828-4000
  • Valerie Langley – Chief Nursing Officer (252) 916-5645

Sample Script: “Hello. I am calling with regard to Joseph Stewart, OPUS number 0802041, who is currently on hunger strike after being brutally beaten by guards upon transfer to Marion CI and being denied medical care in retaliation for his organizing for prisoners. We are contacting you to demand that he receive immediate medical attention and be transferred outside the jurisdiction of Western Regional Director, LaDonna Browning. Joseph has made it clear that he will not end his hunger strike until he is transferred. Each day that goes by increases existing risks to his health. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.”

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Featured Track:

  • The Girl With The Sun In Her Brain by Orbital from In Sides
activism, Anarchist, Asia, Bookfair, General, Nepal, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Prisons, United States

The “Gen Z” Uprising That Rocked The Nepalese State + 1st PGH Anarchist Book Fair

This week, the show has two segments.

Pittsburgh Anarchist Book Fair

"TFSR 10-19-2025 | Anarcho of Movement in Nepal and The Gen Z Uprising That Rocked The State" and a photo of someone climbing the gilded gates of the Nepalese parliament building, hanging a flag with a skull and crossbones and wearing a straw hat, with the parliament burning in the background
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First up, you’ll hear a brief interview with M, an organizer of the first Pittsburgh anarchist book fair, happening October 24-26 across a few venues in the Steel City

As is anarchist book fair tradition, everything will be free.
We’re renting a few spaces, and expecting a few other costs. Sharing that info here so folks can get a sense of what that looks like. If you/others are inclined and able to support, would be grateful for that.
Attached is an image of the break down as of today, and below is a link we’ll update live time as to what costs look like.
https://pad.riseup.net/p/r.ca0a70f3bd595bb58b9daab4e6d9a576
You can buy a beautiful book fair shirt (design by the illustrious N.O. Bonzo), or simply donate. Venmo: @pghbookfair. (If you’d like a shirt, indicate size in the note – S-3XL; if yr just donating, any emoji or strange note is fine!) Feel free to message for other ways to donate.

“Gen Z” Uprising In Nepal

Then, an interview that I conducted with Anarcho, a member of the Black Book Distro collective out of Kathmandu, Nepal, about the protests and aftermath of the September 2025 “Gen Z” anti-corruption protests that ousted the prime minister, released prisoners and left the parliament in smoldering ruins.

Because we don’t follow a strict chronology of events, we’re including a few articles linked in our show notes for further study. We worked heavily off the interview with members of the Black Book Distro and CrimethInc, which is among those in our show notes.

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Featured Track:

Anarchist, Antifa, Author, Communism, fascism, General, History, Race, Racism, repression, United States

Tariq D. Khan on Americanism and Red Scares

book cover of "The Republic Shall Be Kept Clean" featuring the text "TFSR 10-12-25 | Tariq D. Khan on Americanism & Red Scares" over a political comic of a greek soldier labeled civilization attacking a woman with serpentine qualities labeled Anarchy
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A conversation with Tariq D. Khan, author of The Republic Shall Be Kept Clean: How Settler Colonial Violence Shaped Antileft Repression, out from University of Illinois Press in 2023. In this conversation we talk about the connections between the anti-Indigenous motivations of the genocidal frontier wars in the US and the inward turn to heretical movements pushing for freedom for the laboring classes through the great upheavals of the period known as the Nadir, between the end of post-Civil War Reconstruction and the 1920’s. We talk about the roots of anti-Leftist violence of the various Red Scares and intersections with the institutions and psychology of white supremacy settler colonialism as well as the importance of resistance and education.

We hope you enjoy, and thank you for supporting this project!

A couple of podcasts we like (that have patreons where you get extra goodies) that have with related episodes:

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Featured Track:

Written In Red by UNWOMAN (written by Voltairine DeCleyre)

activism, Autonomy, General, Radio, Technology, United States

Signals Rising On DIY Radio Infrastructure

logo of signals rising featuring a radio tower with 7 radio bolts emanating from it
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This week, an interview with members of Signals Rising, who provide education and support around radio technologies including meshtastic networks as alternative communications or in disaster relief scenarios. Check out their website for resources and ways to get in touch.

A project Signals Rising is collaborating with:

Anarchist, Antifa, General, Law, repression, Transcribed, zine

The Implications of Trumps War On “Antifa” (with Moira Meltzer-Cohen)

photo of Trump signing a bunch of orders at his desk in the oval office
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This week, we’re featuring two segments. First up, Moira Meltzer-Cohen, a lawyer with the National Lawyers Guild, speaks about the recent declarations of war by the Trump administration on anteefah, what has changed legally, what they might be telegraphing and smart ways to move forward in this tense atmosphere. Check out our recent chat with Mo about Knowing your Rights and Risks with the police, linked in our show notes, or learn more about their work at NLG.ORG

Then, A speaks briefly about supporting mutual aid efforts in Gaza. For more information, check out the recommended article on ItsGoingDown.org and some links in our show notes

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Featured Track:

Continue reading The Implications of Trumps War On “Antifa” (with Moira Meltzer-Cohen) →

Art, Author, Cartoons, Comics, Transcribed, zine

Aaron Losty on Comics Composition and the Cartoonist Cooperative

Book cover of "The Hanging" showing two adults looking confused and one child looking up toward the viewer
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This week, Ian talks with Cartoonist Aaron Losty about his new graphic novel, The Hanging, out now from Strangers Publishing. Among other topics, they discuss formative works, collaboration, and making genre comics for a small press audience. In the back half, they talk about Aaron’s experience as a co-founder of Cartoonist Cooperative, the state of the organization three years after its inception, decision-making processes, and recent campaigns. Apologies for the audio quality of the interview.

Aaron Losty

  • Bluesky: @aaronlosty.bsky.social
  • Instagram: @aaronlosty
  • Patreon: patreon.com/aaronlosty
  • Website: aaronlosty.com

Cartoonist Cooperative

  • Bluesky: @cartoonist.coop
  • email: hello@cartoonist.coop
  • Instagram: @cartoonistcoop
  • Mastodon.art: @cartoonist.coop
  • Tumblr: @cartoonistcoop
  • Website: cartoonist.coop
  • YouTube: @cartoonistcoop

Strangers Publishing

Then we share a portion of an interview from September of 2024 about the case of the H5, 5 people who were facing criminal criminal charges of human trafficking for providing humanitarian aid to refugees crossing the Polish and Belarusian border through the ancient Bieloweza forest. In this interview, we spoke with a member of Szpilla anti-repression collective. The members of the H5 case were acquitted this month in a legal victory, though the state might renew it’s accusation. Meanwhile, with fly-overs by Russian drones and planes in Estonia and Poland, we see an increasing militarization of the border from states on both sides.

Continue reading Aaron Losty on Comics Composition and the Cartoonist Cooperative →

Anarchist, Atlanta, Georgia, Protest, repression, StopCopCity, Transcribed, United States, zine

The End of the Atlanta Stop Cop City RICO 61 Case? (with Nolan Huber)

“TFSR 9-14-25 | The End of the Stop Cop City RICO 61 Case? (with Nolan Huber)” over a picture of people protesting in front of a courthouse in Atlanta holding signs to drop the charges
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This week, we spoke with Nolan Huber of the Atlanta Community Press Collective about recent developments in the case of 61 people facing RICO indictments and other charges in relation to the movement to Stop Cop City, an urban police training center built in south Atlanta’s Weelaunee forest. For the hour we talk about the case, last week’s dismissal of racketeering and arson indictments and other recent victories for the Defend The Forest movement.

You can hear past interviews in our archives by clicking the tag for Stop Cop City and see ACPC’s coverage of the case and other local topics at ATLPressCollective.com. You can learn more about A City In The Forest, the film Nolan’s working on, at https://levomel.com/acitf or following @ACityInTheForest on Instagram. We also brought up support for Jack Mazurek, more info can be found at FreeJack.Co

Also, if you haven’t checked out Outlaw Podcast, they had a recent interview with NLG lawyer Xavier de Janon & defendant Peatmoss on the Stop Cop City RICO 61. Check out this and past episodes of this great, anti-repression podcast. Here are some notes for following up from this episode:

Follow Fire Ant Movement Defense on Instagram @fireantmovementdefense for updates and info on showing up to support in person in Atlanta.

Watch the live stream of the hearings on Youtube via Atlanta Community Press Collective: https://www.youtube.com/ The hearings begin at 9:30am ET and go through the afternoon.

PHONE ZAP: With an important motion hearing for 4 #stopcopcity defendants approaching on September 8th, call & email to demand Georgia AG Chris Carr drop ALL charges!

404-458-3600
FAX: 404-657-8733
EMAIL: AGCarr@law.ga.gov

Pre-Trial Motion Press Release

Donate to support the RICO 61

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Featured Track:

  • My Favorite Mutiny (instrumental) by The Coup from My Favorite Mutiny (Single)

Continue reading The End of the Atlanta Stop Cop City RICO 61 Case? (with Nolan Huber) →

activism, Anarchist, General, Homelessness, Immigration, Mutual Aid, Police, repression, Transcribed, Washington DC, zine

Strengthening Resistance To DC Cop Surge Through Mutual Aid + Manufacturing Consent in Greece

ground-level photo of ATF with a dog, FBI in tactical gear in a park in Washington DC
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This week, we’re featuring an interview with Shannon, one half of the mutual aid project operating in Washington DC known as Remora House. For the hour we talk about Remora House, the impact on houseless and non-citizen communities has been impacted by the Trump Administration’s crack down and sending in of troops to DC and some ideas on strengthening the resistance as the feds and national guard are deployed into our neighborhoods to break up our communities and our resolve

Links from Shannon:

Links from Sima Lee:

Then you’ll hear Parias of Athens from the June 2025 episode of B(A)DNews podcast. It’s a chat with participants in a project called Research Critique about the distraction of the Greek public from media coverage of the deadly Tempi train disaster by a heavy dose of culture war discourse about lawlessness on University campuses and social decay. The rail accident was caused by negligence and understaffing under the neoliberal New Democracy regime, killing 57 and injuring nearly 200 and led to heated demonstrations for months more than a year to follow. You can hear the full interview by finding B(A)D News #92 on the website a-radio-network.org or in our shownotes.

Announcement

Update on T. Hoxha Hunger Strike

In a brief update to last week’s announcement of Casey Goonan’s solidarity hunger strike with T. Hoxha in the UK of the Filton24. Casey has ended their participation after 12 days, but as T. Hoxha continues, she has been joined by the anarchist prisoner we spoke to a few episodes ago, Malik Muhammad (currently held in the Oregon prison system). As of Sunday September 7th, Casey is on their 11th day of hunger strike and T. Hoxha is on her 28th against the conditions of her confinement. You can read more and find how you can offer support at https://calla.substack.com/p/international-hunger-strike-grows

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Featured Track:

  • March On la Migra by Guerrillaton from Made in Mexico

Continue reading Strengthening Resistance To DC Cop Surge Through Mutual Aid + Manufacturing Consent in Greece →