Category Archives: Anarchist

activism, Anarchist, General, Hacking, Micah Lee, Security Culture, Technology, William Budington

NSA leaks and computer security

nsa_leak
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This week’s episode features two conversations. The first is with Micah Lee of the Electronic Frontier Foundation about the NSA leaks and what information that came out of it (at the time of this show’s airing) was actually new and a general overview of what government surveillance in the U.S. looks like over computers.

The second conversation is with the Bay Area-based hacker, Bill Silverfox. Bill works with Hackmeet.org. We spend most of the hour discussing different communication technologies that most of us take for granted and talk about what can be done to use those mediums more safely.

Here’s a short list of projects worth checking out:

https://ssd.eff.org : The Surviellance Self-Defense project by the EFF has tons of information about technology and what’s known about tracking over those mediums. Also, check out https://www.eff.org for more general information, links to the https everywhere add-on for Mozilla Firefox.

https://optin.stopwatching.us/?r=eff : a petition site set up in response to the NSA spying revelations.

https://torproject.org : Information and tools developed for freer and more secure use of the web. This project helps provide and protect anonymity of activists, journalists and other folks around the world, including in countries with strict internet censorship. You can download a more secure web-browser from them, too! It’s pretty rad. But, as their website points out, it’s not just your browser but how you traverse the web that can be a dealbreaker. This project has helped to secure communications among activists struggle against the state worldwide.

https://www.riseup.net : An amazing resource for anti-state, anti-capitalist, anti-oppression activists. They provide social-networking (via crabgrass), email, lists, information on web security, document sharing (via etherpad), news, chat, vpn and MORE! This project is pretty darn internally secure AND has refused to hand over information before. Plus, these little birds need some funds.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/the-nsa-files : Check out the ever-growing and increasingly embarassing (for the U.S. security apparatus, that is) scandal from the paper that’s releasing Snowden’s reports.

http://hackmeet.org/ : A project created to facilitate the spreading of hacker awareness and skills on the (post)left coast.

http://zinelibrary.info/files/savethecellphonesforthesnitches.pdf : “London Calling: a cellphone and internet security primer for the criminally-minded anarchist” is quite a good read, explaining some of the case histories that are the bases for our knowledge of surveillance and safer operations.

http://www.enigmail.net/ : is one of the better and more accessible pgp (pretty good protection) email interfaces. Works great with Mozilla Thunderbird email.

https://www.noblogs.org This italian-based blog-hoster for political websites. They host OUR archives @ https://thefinalstrawradio.noblogs.org

A-Radio Berlin, activism, Anarchist, Antifa, Feminism, gender, General, Germany, History, Labor, Marxism, May Day, Nazis

Black Bloc: The legacy of the Kreuzberg Riots of 1987

May Day in Kreutzburg, 1987
May Day in Kreutzburg, 1987
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This week’s episode of the Final Straw features a conversation on a divisive and spectacular tactic that for many outside of the movement defines what an anarchist is: the black bloc. We speak to a comrade who was present in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin on May Day of 1987 when thousands of autonomous activists (of the Autonomen movement of which our guest was and is a member) and erected burning barricades while physically resisting the state. This date is pointed to by many as the beginning of the tactic as it’s practiced in it’s modern form. We also talk about beginnings of the Autonomen, how it differed from other movements before and after, gender and class in the inflammatory May Day riots in Berlin and more.

This episode was made possible by the comrades at A-Radio Berlin who translated our questions, conducted the interview and sent us transcripts and even overdubbed the audio. Much thanks. Check out their project, as they do at times produce content in English, Spanish and French in addition to their work in German.

The playlist for this episode can be found here

activism, Anarchist, Antifa, Feminism, gender, General, Nazis, Police, Prisons, Queer, repression, Russia

The Struggle Against Fascism in Russia, pt 2

Free Alexey Gaskarov
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This week’s show features the second half of the conversation with Ukrop. Ukrop is a longtime anarchist, antifascist activist and documentarian from Moscow. This show features conversations about the rise of the new “Cossacks” movement in Russia, a rural militia with anti-Semitic and xenophobic perspectives receiving support from the government. We also talk about who participates in Antifa in Russia, specifically relationships between the Antifa movement and Feminist movements, LGBTQ movements and Immigrant populations.

The first show can be found linked here

http://avtonom.org/en
http://en.gaskarov.info/

activism, Anarchist, Antifa, Environment, Feminism, gender, General, Immigration, May Day, Nazis, Prisons, Queer, Racism, repression, Russia

The Struggle Against Fascism in Russia, pt 1

Antifascist Attitude
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This week we speak with Ukrop, an anarchist, antifascist activist, and maker of the documentaries “Antifascist Attitude” & “Actions vs. Repressions”. This is part 1 of a two part interview, in which they talk about the history and context of Nazi influence in formerly-Soviet Russia and the rise of radical anti-fascism. Ukrop also discusses how the internet effected punk and anarchist subculture in Russia in the 1990’s and the first decade of the 21st century. In the conversation we cover overlaps between police and prisons and nazi’s as well as how the education system in that country feeds into nationalism and capitalism.

To keep updated about ongoing things in Russia, check out the following websites:

http://avtonom.org/en
http://khimkibattle.org/?lang=en

Stay tuned for part 2 next week!

The playlist for this episode can be found here

activism, Anarchist, Anti-Civ, conspiracy, Earth & Animal Liberation, Earth First!, Environment, Eric McDavid, General, June 11, repression

Eric McDavid’s Thoughtcrime

Eric McDavid
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This week’s show features a conversation with Jenny, who works with Sacramento Prisoner Support. Jenny and Bursts discuss the case of Eric McDavid, a Green Anarchist prisoner in the U.S., in terms of the green scare and the upcoming June 11 Day of Solidarity with Long-Term Anarchist Prisoners.

Briefly, Eric and two other activists were entrapped by a government informant who went by the name, Anna. Anna, over a series of months, attempted to pressure the 3 to plan and execute radical actions to save the earth, paid for all of the means, even plied Eric with romance. Despite the fact that the 3 kept walking away from actions proposed by Anna, the FBI raided them and convicted Eric of conspiracy (the younger Lauren Weiner and Zach Jensen took a plea and turned on Eric).

We discuss Eric’s health, how to support Eric and other prisoners, increased use of conspiracy and terrorism charges by the State, how to support each other when repression happens and how to resist bullies pushing bad ideas!

http://www.supporteric.org
http://june11.org

The Never Alone Tour prior to June 11 last year
http://vimeo.com/43202213

The playlist can be found here.

activism, Anarchist, Anti-Civ, Cleveland 4, conspiracy, Earth & Animal Liberation, Earth First!, Environment, General, Grand Jury, June 11, Marius Mason, NATO 5, NATO5, Prisons, repression, Security Culture

Grand Jury in NYC; also, Marius Mason and June11

Marius Mason
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This week, William speaks to Dave about Jerry Koch. Jerry is a New York Anarchist resisting (for the 2nd time) a GJ in NYC.

JerryResists.net

Also, Bursts speaks to Bella about Marius Mason, long term ecological, animal rights, labor and anarchist activist. Marius is also serving a 22 year sentence. Bella also talks about the upcoming day of Solidarity with Marius Mason, Eric McDavid and Other Longterm Anarchist Prisoners on June 11th. We also talk about the despicable snitch, Frank Ambrose (more info on the below sites).

supportmariusmason.org
june11.org

Playlist can be found here.

(Also, the song after the Jerry Koch portion is Arianna Staiger’s song for her parent, Marius Mason)

Anarchist, gender, History, Kristian Williams, Prisons, Queer, repression

Oscar Wilde an Anarchist?: An interview with Kristian Williams

Oscar Wilde
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(This Episode Aired on January 29, 2012)

This week’s show features an interview with Kristian Williams, author of the books, “Our Enemies in Blue,” “American Methods” and numerous articles on policing, torture, anarchism, cartoons and much more. Kristian speaks about his in-progress book on the Anarchism of Oscar Wilde, Wilde’s experiences in prisons and his sexual politics.

Find articles by Williams on this and many other topics at www.kristianwilliams.com

activism, Anarchist, Cleveland 4, conspiracy, CounterInsurgency, General, NATO 5, NATO5, Occupy, Police, Prisons, repression, Security Culture

The NATO5: Resistance and Repression in the Windy City

CPD undercovers, Mo and Gloves
CPD undercovers, Mo and Gloves
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This week’s show features an interview with Adesina, Jude and Emily, three folks doing support work for the NATO5. The NATO3 consist of Brent Betterly, Jared Chase, and Brian Church who were arrested in a house raid orchestrated by Chicago PD and with the use of two undercover infiltrators known as Mo and Gloves, during May of 2012 as Chicago prepared for the protests against the NATO Summit. The 3 are being charged with 11 felony counts including terrorism. With the addition of Sebastian Senakiewicz (Sabi) and Mark Neiweem (Miggs) who were picked up seperately, they are collectively known as the NATO5.

The conversation with support people introduces the case to listeners, talks about the ongoing use of conspiracy and infiltration in the United States of movements of dissent and the creation of the threats by the U.S. government that it simultaneously claims to be protecting the population from as it further expands the prison culture that is America. We talk a bit about the Gulf Port 7, Eric McDavid and the Cleveland 4, cases over the last decade focusing on Anarchists in the U.S. that included police infiltration and false imprisonment on terror-related charges.

More info on the case can be found at http://nato5support.wordpress.com/.
Also, check out:

The video of the NATO 3 being pulled over by police (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TudIyxxAboA)

A useful Daily KOS article relating to someones experience of arrest during the

NATO protests (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/06/07/1098235/-My-Experience-Being-Detained-Prior-to-the-NATO-Summit)

An NYT article about the Federal investigation of the Cook County Jail (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/us/18cook.html?_r=0)

The playlist for this show can be found here

activism, Anarchist, Feminism, gender, General, Occupy, Police, Prisons, repression, Slovenia

Hannah Dobbz on squatting

Cover of Nine Tenths of the Law by Hannah Dobbz
Cover of Nine Tenths of the Law by Hannah Dobbz
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This week’s show features a conversation with Hannah Dobbz about their new book, Nine-Tenths of the Law: Property and Resistance in the United States. Hannah was also the creator of the documentary “Shelter: A Squatumentary”. We talk about squatting in the U.S., homesteading, market values, views on squat resistance in other countries from the U.S. and more. The latter half of the show features a musical selection from the metal and gothy end of the spectrum.

About

The playlist can be found here

activism, Anarchist, Anonymous, Belarus, General, Hacking, Neoliberalism, Police, Prisons, repression

Support Jeremy Hammond + Updates from Belarus (March 24, 2013)

Jeremy Hammond, a year in prison without trial
Jeremy Hammond, a year in prison without trial
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This week’s show features a conversation with the anarchist, Jason Hammonds, about his brother, Jeremy, who’s been imprisoned over a year without trial for allegedly leaking information to Wikileaks. The second conversation is an interview with a member of the Belarus Anarchist Black Cross about recent history and repression in Belarus.

First things first: Jeremy Hammond. The first half of this week’s show will be a discussion with Jason Hammonds, brother of imprisoned anarchist hacker and freedom of information activist Jeremy Hammond. Jeremy has been imprisoned for a year as the government builds it’s case
against him. Jeremy Hammond is accused of working with the hacker group, Anonymous, and for leaking information liberated from Strategic Forecasting, or Stratfor, and giving it to WikiLeaks. Much of the information in the so-called Stratfor Files indicate spying by company for the Federal Government on foreign leaders, Occupy Wall St, activists in Bhopal India and the hidden indictment against wikileaks-founder Julian Assange, among other things. More info on the case can be found at http://freehammond.com and http://freeanons.org

The second half of this week’s show features content gleaned from a friendly project out of Berlin, Germany. Anarchistisches Radio Berlin is a project that produces content for pirate radio around Germany and has been featuring interviews of recent in English when that is the common language between host and interviewee. The following segments features a conversation with a member of the Belarus Anarchist Black Cross on the subject of repression in their country. For the security of the guest, their voice was replaced by that of a German comrade. In order to translate into American radio a little better, we’ve overdubbed the interviewers voice as well. To learn more about the situation in Belarus, check out http://abc-belarus.org

To find out more about this project, check out their website at http://aradio.blogsport.de/

Playlist