Category Archives: Feminism

activism, Anarchist, Antifa, Euromaidan, European Union, Feminism, General, History, Nazis, Racism, Russia, Ukraine

Euromaidan: An Ukrainian Anarchosyndicalist perspective on these protests

Image of nationalists and pro-Euro activists in Kiev in early December
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In late November of 2013, Kiev and other parts of Ukraine saw the building of spontaneous plaza occupations and street demonstrations against President Yanukovych apparent decision to stall steps towards integrating Ukraine into the European Union. The protests, known as Euromaidan or EuroPlaza in Ukrainian, called on the ruling government to move forward with the integration, fearing that the stalling was a sign that the Ukraine was giving in to pressure from the competing Customs Union (made up of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan) which had been courting Ukrainian participation. The protests are ongoing, despite the signature of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych into a deal with Russia for promised purchases of billions of dollars of Ukrainian products and a 30% discount on Russian Natural Gas. Euromaidan have been compared in scale, and sadly in lack of critical debate about issues among the populace, to the 2004 Ukrainian Orange revolution which saw the rising to power of those who would become the status quo today.

This week on the Final Straw, we’ll be speaking with Denys. Denys is an organizer and activist with the Kiev Local of the Autonomous Worker’s Union, a Revolutionary Syndicalist turned Anarchosyndicalist organizing and propaganda group in the capital of the Ukraine. We’ll spend the hour discussing the political system in that country, the spectrum of parties, influence of media and oligarchs and radical groups on the far left and far right. Later on in the hour, Denys will address his philosophy, Anarchosyndicalism via Synthesist Anarchism, and what the AWU in Kiev and elsewhere has been able to achieve. More on the AWU can be found at avtonomia.net .

We’ll also speak briefly about a protest in Kiev in solidarity with struggling workers in Kazakhstan on the anniversary of the Zhanaozen Massacre of December 16, 2011.

A partial transcript is now available for this episode thanks to folks at Rev-News & Nihilist.li

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, Asheville, Feminism, gender, North Carolina, Police, Queer, repression

Survivors of Bashings Speak Out in Exclusive Interview (May 09, 2010)

organize-tshirt
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A resurfaced archive of our first show on May 09, 2010. From the blog post:
We were lucky enough to be allowed to interview two folks from the LGBTQI communities this week directly effected by the spate of bashings in Asheville. We’ll talk about their and others’ attempts to organize for more safety in the streets of our city, the March taking place on Wednesday (5/12) in the Montford neighborhood, and their experiences of being female assigned and LGBTQI/LGBTQI-perceived. We’ll also talk about concerns about going to the police and the mainstream media with reports.

For more info on the march, check out the facebook and myspace pages for Safe Streets Asheville. Also, see the newly published article in the Mountain Xpress

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

Anarchist, Antifa, Author, communization, Feminism, gender, General, Marxism, Nazis, Queer

Anarcha-Feminism: A conversation with J. Rogue and Abbey Volcano

fem_07
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This week features a conversation with J. Rogue and Abbey Volcano, contributors to the 3rd Edition of “Quiet Rumors: An Anarcha-Feminist Reader” and contributors to and editors of the 2012 book, “Queering Anarchism”, both published by AK Press.

Firstly, though, a few announcements about the speaking tour on the East Coast of 3 Greek Antifa which’ll be coming to Eastern/Central NC on March 17, the March 30th anti-Klan rally planned for Memphis, TN, and the repression facing Lorenzo Komboa Ervin in TN due to his organizing work around this and police brutality.

The conversation flows from an intro to Anarcha-Feminism and what differs with and what’s common with other forms of Feminism, gender in Communization Problematic, Transfeminism, Intersectionality, Queer, BDSM and the placement of this year’s Bay Area Anarchist Bookfair in a community center owned by Kink.com, and anti-capitalist analyses of sex work.

The playlist can be found here

activism, Anarchist, Feminism, gender, General, harm reduction, Health, History, Marxism, Police, Prisons, Queer, Racism, repression, Spain, Spanish Civil War

Anarchism in Post-Revolutionary Spain, pt2

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This week’s episode of the final straw picks up where last week’s left off. The features speakers are Ana and Pablo, two anarchists living in Barcelona, and they’ll be discussing the rise and struggle of Anarcha-Feminism in Spain since the social revolution of the 1930’s through to current times. We’ll also be discussing intersections of anarchist struggle and healthcare in the age of austerity and visions of autonomous and anarchist forms of health care. This show also features a scene report of Anarchists in Spain today by Pablo and Ana presents some closing thoughts on struggles to engage in.

Following the discussion, you’ll be hearing some new metal tracks from Brighton’s own Light Bearer. Light Bearer is a 4 album project themed around the fall of Lucifer. Light Bearer shares members with the band, Fall of Efrafa, an epic crust band themed around the novel Watership Down. The 2nd album in the series, Silver Tongue, has just been released by the band to a mediafire file.

We’ll also hear a metal track posthumously released from the Austin Texas anti-civ anarchist sludge project, Ecocide. For archives of this and other episodes of the Final Straw, check out radio4all.net and search the show title.

The playlist can be found here