This week, we’re sharing a conversation with Nina at Anarchist Black Cross Dresden to speak about the political landscape in Germany, the Antifa Ost and Budapest Komplex cases and the impacts on anti-repression work in Germany since the Trump administration’s declaration that a group they’re calling Antifa Ost be added to the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations that is kept by the US State Department.
This sits alongside the US government prosecuting the Prairieland case in Texas that was the subject of our prior episode, and could be one step further toward an official declaration of war on Antifa in the US, whatever that means exactly. We really feel that these cases are important to keep up on as the administration telegraphs it’s bizarre but frightening counterinsurgency strategies.
This week we spoke with AC and E, two members of the DFW Support Committee about the recently finished federal trial for 9 defendants in the terrorism case around the Prairieland Detention Center noise demo in July of 2025.
To recap the case, in the midst of increased racist and nativist rhetoric, ICE and CBP snatch squad deployments ripping apart communities across the US in the first year of Trump 2.0, and the buildup of immigrant rendition and imprisonment in the southwest there was a July 4th noise demonstration called for to happen outside the infamous Prairieland Detention Center outside Alvarado, Texas. During the protest, meant to be loud enough for people held there to hear that they were not forgotten, participants used bullhorns, shouted, shot off fireworks and painted slogans. In response the staff called the Alvarado police and upon arrival the cop drew his weapon and aimed at dispersing protestors. At this point the state narrative and that of the defendants diverge: on the one hand the state argues that this whole event was a planned ambush for law enforcement by a north Texas Antifa terrorist cell in black bloc meant to draw police into a fight and then liberate the prison; on the other side the defendants claim the event was escalated to targeted gunfire by defendant Song meant to deter deadly violence by the cop and allow the crowd to disperse without bloodshed.
For the hour, you’ll hear folks from DFW Defense Committee talking about what evidence and arguments were presented in court, what evidence and arguments were suppressed, the strange decisions of the judge in jury selection, venue and other elements effecting the ability of those facing decades in prison to mount and defense and where we’re at now with the case. This case cannot be disconnected from the Trump administration’s call to name Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, to tie in projects and movements they consider to be enemies (ranging from Democrats to civil liberties groups, queer folk and immigrants rights advocates to anti-fascists, communists and anarchists and everyone in between) with the goal, some speculate, of more fully capturing the federal government under a white, christian nationalist and fascist regime. More on the case at PrairielandDefendants.Com
Next week, keep an ear out for a chat we plan to release with Nina of Anarchist Black Cross Dresden about the impacts of naming German antifascists as terrorists by the Trump Regime on the ability of various leftist, anti-repression groups there to do their work, to hold bank accounts for sending money to prisoners or pay for lawyers and about the shift towards the right electorally and politically that is being experienced in that country. You may be surprised about the parallels with the situation in the US.
This week, we’re sharing our interview with Elia Ayoub, an anti-authoritarian historian and essayist originally from Lebanon, co-founder of From The Periphery media collective, co-host of The Fire These Times podcast and many more things. We spoke about the US and Israeli war on Iran, it’s escalations into the wider region of west Asia, the Axis of Resistance, nuclear weapons, motivations of the various actors involved and thoughts on where that leaves anti-authoritarians in the imperial core countries like the US.
This week, you’ll hear from Juan and Fatima, who people who’ve been organizing and thinking about the southern US border for a long time to speak about the escalations in border force violence and kidnappings by ICE and CBP around the US (including Minneapolis where Fatima resides), an explosion in proposed immigration detention (including near El Paso where Juan resides), the expansion of low intensity conflict and counter-insurgency in the southwest since the mixing in of language of the War on Crime, War on Drugs and the Global War on Terror and how autonomous mutual aid provides opportunities for scaling up community defense and prefiguring the world we want to see.
We are happy to announce that Peppy has entered a halfway house where he will finish out his remaining incarceration. You can learn more about writing to him and what he likes to talk about at his support website. His crew is still fundraising for a post-release fund there as well found at FreePeppyAndKrystal.NoBlogs.Org
Casey Goonan Moved
Palestine solidarist Casey Goonan has been transferred from Mendota in California to what is likely to be their home for the foreseeable future, FCI Allenwood – Medium. You can learn more about getting into contact, updates on their case and how to support their commissary at FreeCaseyNow.NoBlogs.Org
Hrdindu Roychowdhrury Moved
Alleged Janes Revenge prisoner and Grand Jury Resister Hrdindu Roychowdhrury has been moved to FCI Thomson in Illinois. He just had a birthday and could use some sweet words. More on the move and how to write him at ABCF.Net
Prairieland Case Updates
The Prairieland Case was declared a mistrial and has been restructured in an audacious move by the Trump appointed judge Pitman. Restrictions applied to the case will could greatly limit the ability of the 9 defendants to make their cases where decades of their lives behind bars are at stake. You can learn more, including detailed notes from each day of trial, by visiting PrairielandDefendants.Com, find the defendants new updated Tarrant County mailing addresses and followcalls for support by finding their social media.
First up, a chat with Cooper Quintin, a senior staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and developer of the Rayhunter. Rayhunter is open-source firmware to turn specific hotspots into IMSI-catcher, effectively scanning for and logging any signs of fake cell towers (often known under the brand-name of Stingrays) in the area. Law enforcement has at times deployed these as a way of collecting information about phones in the area and could use it to intercept some communications like sms or phone calls. Cooper talks about what’s known of law enforcement use of IMSI-catchers, what has been observed of the data collected by deployed Rayhunters, phone security at demonstrations and related topics.
Then you’ll hear Radio Ausbruch from Frieberg from this month’s B(A)D News podcast from the A-Radio Network talking about the repression and deBanking of anti-repression projects like ABC Dresden and Rote Hilfe in Germany based on pressure from the US government related to the so-called Antifa Ost case. This carries heavy implications for prisoner support, anti-racist and other social struggles.
This week, an interview with Aryanum, a member of the Persian-language anarchist group Anarchism Perspective, based in Iran and Afghanistan. Anarchism Perspective is a synthesist anarchist group based mostly in the region that organizes solidarity and resistance as well as publishing writings at Anarshism.com . For this episode, we speak about the recent uprising in Iran that was met with bloody repression by the regime, with internet blackouts and low-ball estimates of 30,000 dead at government hands from January 8th and 9th 2026 alone. Aryanum speaks about the posturing by monarchists supporting the return and enthroning of Reza Pahlavi II, the son of the last Shah, and the weaponization of Islam by the Mullahs of the regime and other topics.
Thread on mastodon about the usefulness of Delta Chat via locally run servers when the internet (and therefore connection to Signal) was cut off: https://archive.ph/GBR6A
We’re sharing this episode a little early so it’s still timely as relates to the threats faced by the Rojava revolution in north and east Syria.
First up, we’ll hear some updates and assessments from Garzan, a member of Tekoşîna Anarşîst, an internationalist anarchist structure based in Rojava and aligned with the Syrian Defense Forces. Garzan’s voice has been re-recorded for anonymity and a transcript of their audio is available in the show notes.
Then, we hear from Jînda a western activist engaged in solidarity with the Rojava Revolution to speak about what the spread of Syrian transitional government and the Turkish-backed so-called Syrian National Army militia into areas formerly under control of the Syrian Defense Forces means for women and different ethnic and religious minorities.
For the hour we talk about the so-called Science Wars of the 1990’s, debates involving scientific approaches and shared understandings of a a measurable physical reality, post-modernism, the roles leftists and anarchists played in the debates and how cults and authoritarians employ anti-realist explanations of the world to limit their subjects’ moves toward liberation.
This week on The Final Straw Radio, we’re featuring a conversation with our guest, Ketino, to speak about Especifist anarchism and anarchist approaches at anti-Imperialism. Ketino is a member in Florida of the Black Rose / Rosa Negra Anarchist Federation and they grew up in Cuba. You can learn more about Black Rosa, or BRRN, at BlackRoseFed.Org
First up, here are a few prisoner struggle updates
Announcements
Prisoners For Palestine
It was announced on January 14th that members fo the Prisoners For Palestine hunger strike, from the Palestine Action case in the so-called UK, ended their strike after 73 days without food after a key demand was met with Elbit Systems being denied an important government contract. You can read their statements at PrisonersForPalestine.org and check out our November 30, 2025 episode for some background on the cases.
On January 1, Xinachtli (state name Alvaro Luna Hernandez) was transferred to the Carol Young Medical Facility. In the moment, this was a major victory getting him moved from McConnell, and Xinachtli shared that he felt the power of the people!
However this victory was short-lived. The transfer was carried out without any notice to his attorney, and made Xinachtli unable to communicate with them before his latest court hearing on January 6, effectively blocking his right to counsel.
Within days of the transfer, we also learned that Xinachtli had been placed in a cell with no running water, and a broken sink and toilet.
In Xinachtli’s words: “They bring me a bowl of water. I first use it to drink, and then I use the rest for hygiene for the remainder of the day. I also have not been able to flush the toilet in days.
Prison conditions in the U.S. are deeply dehumanizing. For Xinachtli, who is attempting to recover after months of medical neglect, these conditions risk further delaying his recovery and compounding the harm he has already endured.
We know that applying pressure works. A director of TDCJ called organizers earlier this month begging for an end to the “hundreds of calls.” Contrary to their request, we will not stop until Xinachtli is FREE.
Xinachtli’s current demands are:
That he be moved to a cell with running water and functioning plumbing.
That he receive his ID card so he can purchase needed items and receive his commissary order from January 2.
That he receive all of his personal property from the McConnell Unit.
Contacts:
• Carol Young Medical Facility TDC): (409) 948-0001
◦ WARDEN: (**129)
• Region III Director Jerry Sanchez: (281) 369-3736
• TDC) Executive Director: (936) 437-2101
You can sign up for slots and find tips for making calls, including scripts, at https://bit.ly/xphoneblast
Repression in Alabama Prisons
In the last few days, according to supporters of the Free Alabama Movement as we approach the February 8th call for a statewide work stoppage Kinetic Justice, Hannibal Ra Sun and Raoul Poole have been transferred to another prison and prisoners across the ADOC have had food rations cut. To learn how to advocate for these three FAM leaders now at Kilby CI and read the press release announcing the upcoming strike actions, check our shownotes :
followingtheir announcement of an upcoming labor strike, Melvin Ray, Robert Earl Council (Kinetik Justice), and Raoul Poole — three prominent voices in the film “The Alabama Solution” — were taken to Kilby Prison.
In anticipation of the strike, the AL Dept. of Corrections has also reduced access to food in its prisons. This is a dangerous violation of [prisoners] constitutional rights.
Call Kilby: (534) 215-6600
Demand they keep these men — and all those in state custody —safe.
The Press Release announcing the strike is here:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 2, 2025
FREE ALABAMA MOVEMENT (FAM)
ANNOUNCES STATEWIDE SHUTDOWN ADOC 2026
Effective February 8, 2026
Alabama — The Free Alabama Movement (FAM) announces a coordinated, statewide shutdown of Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) facilities beginning February 8, 2026. This nonviolent action comes in response to decades of unconstitutional sentencing practices, forced prison labor, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis throughout Alabama’s prison system.
With the release of the documentary The Alabama Solution, state officials can no longer deny or ignore the overwhelming evidence that Alabama’s prison system is in catastrophic failure and requires immediate, sweeping reform. The documentary exposes systemic corruption, violence, and deliberate neglect that incarcerated people have endured for generations. The truth is no longer hidden behind prison walls — it is publicly available, undeniable, and morally urgent.
Despite federal investigations, DOJ findings, and repeated warnings, the State of Alabama has failed to enact meaningful change. Therefore, incarcerated people across the state are exercising their lawful right to peaceful protest through a statewide shutdown and work stoppage.
LIST OF DEMANDS
Repeal Alabama’s Habitual Felony Offender Act (HFOA)
Abolish the outdated and excessively punitive enhancement statute that has produced life and virtual-life sentences far beyond any rehabilitative purpose and out of step with modern standards of justice.
Make the Presumptive Sentencing Guidelines Retroactive
Apply current presumptive sentencing standards to all eligible prior convictions so that people sentenced under older, harsher laws can receive the same fair and consistent treatment as those sentenced today.
Make HJR 575 Retroactive (Drive-By Shooting Statute Reform)
Apply the legislative clarification of Alabama’s drive-by shooting statute retroactively so that individuals who were improperly charged or enhanced under the statute can receive review and relief.
First-Time Offender / Capital Murder Reform Bill
Create revised sentencing options for first-time offenders and end Juvenile Life Without Parole by providing parole eligibility after 20 years, recognizing the capacity for growth, change, and rehabilitation.
Parole Board Reform and Clear, Objective Criteria
Mandate transparent written standards, meaningful hearings, and review procedures that ensure fair, non-arbitrary parole decisions for every eligible incarcerated person.
Medical Furlough & Compassionate Release Expansion Expand and enforce mechanisms for the release of elderly, terminally ill, severely disabled, and medically fragile individuals so they can receive appropriate care in the community instead of dying in prison.
Establish a Statewide Conviction Review Unit
Create an independent conviction review body with the authority and resources to investigate wrongful convictions, excessive sentences, and cases involving prosecutorial or judicial misconduct.
Abolish Forced Prison Labor
End uncompensated and coerced prison labor by guaranteeing fair wages, voluntary participation, safe working conditions, and basic labor protections for incarcerated workers.
Strengthening Families Act (Including Conjugal Visits)
Implement policies that protect and strengthen family bonds, including conjugal and overnight family visits, expanded contact visitation, increased access to phone and video communication, and parenting and family-support programs.
STATEMENT FROM FAM
“For decades, incarcerated men and women in Alabama have lived in conditions that violate human rights, constitutional protections, and basic dignity. With the undeniable evidence now in the open, we are left with no alternative but to demand justice through collective, peaceful action. This shutdown is not an act of hostility — it is an act of survival, truth, and human rights.”
Bennu Hannibal Ra-Sun
Kinetic Justice Amun
CALL TO ACTION
We call upon:
Civil rights and justice organizations
Faith-based institutions
National human rights observers
State and federal officials
Families, supporters, and the public to stand in solidarity and demand immediate reform of Alabama’s prison system.
This week, an interview with James Stout on his upcoming AK Press book: Against The State: Anarchists and Comrades at War in Spain, Myanmar, and Rojava, due out early January. You may recognize James as a contributor to the Cool Zone podcast It Could Happen Here (including the recent four parter, “Darién Gap: One Year Later” December 1-4th episodes, 2025), distributed by IheartMedia. For this episode, we talk about the idea of anarchist armies, discuss those three conflicts, left libertarian approaches to formalized armed resistance beyond a guerrilla unit, some of the novel technologies and international solidarities that have developed and a lot more.
