statements

Brighton Solfed statement on disaffiliation of a member

CN: Sexual assault

Brighton Solfed have taken a collective decision to permanently exclude a member due to allegations of sexual assault made against them. The member was formally suspended at the end of April, after we were informed that they had been excluded from two other groups, and since then attempts were made to try and start a process whereby this member could be held accountable for their actions. However, due to the survivors’ wishes for space and privacy, this was not possible in any transformative sense without going against the survivors’ autonomy.

In light of this, the Brighton local of Solidarity Federation has taken the decision to permanently exclude the member from the group. Our reasons for this are:

Calderdale SF on Catalonia: against police violence, against new states

Calderdale SF/IWA condemns the police violence against Catalan citizens on the 1st October 2017 who went to vote on what the Spanish state has declared to be an illegal referendum on independence. While, as anarchosyndicalists, we don't support the creation of a new state, which reflects mainly the interests of the Catalan bourgeoisie, we do condemn all police violence and intimidation against men, women and children. Instead of the creation of new states with warring police and capitalist factions pitted against one another, we favour the deeply embedded solution of libertarian federalism - free, self-managed communities that are plural, open and tolerant.

Voting and the General Election, Calderdale-SolFed statement

We all know the old saying ‘if you don't vote, you can't complain’. A better one would be ‘ if all you do is vote, you can't complain’.

Dig a little deeper into the history books and what you find at the heart of change is direct action and organisation at a grassroots level. Everything from workers rights, women's rights, decent wages and even the right to vote itself have been gained this way, rulers typically resist change until they know they have no choice but to throw a few more crumbs to the people below.

10 years of ASI: it's not a time for celebration, but for struggle

Reflections by ASI-IWA, our Serbian sister section, at the occasion of their tenth anniversary.

In previous ten years ASI has intensively supported the organizing of revolutionary libertarian workers' movement. Apart from direct participation in workers' and student strikes and protests, we are regularly publishing our weekly bulletin “Direktna akcija” (Direct Action) and sustain active publishing activities. This year, as it has for the past eight years, our publishing-research body — Center for Libertarian Studies (CLS) will be participating in The Belgrade Bookfare with the intention to make the theory and history of the workers' movement accessible to people, as well as to confront commercialization of culture, and support spreading and strengthening of progressive thought and radical social critique.

Statement from South London, North London and Brighton Solidarity Federation about sexual assault within the anarchist/activist community

This statement comes from recent discussions within South London and North London Solidarity Federation locals, and in response to a recent case of sexual assault which took place in the wider activist community. Following the actions taken by North London, South London and Brighton Solidarity Federation locals, this statement was written by the South London Gender Working Group.

We want to state clearly a number of things.

The CNT calls a General Strike for March 29

Our Spanish sister section decided to call a 24-hour general strike for March 29, against the Labor Reform, the cuts, and the assaults on the working class. The CNT rejects any kind of negotiation over the rights conquered by the working class and demands the repeal of the Labor Reform. The strike call extends the call that has already been made for Galicia and the Basque Country. This call will be formalized in the coming days.

Solidarity with Queen Mary's Staff and Students

The North and South London Locals of the Solidarity Federation extend our solidarity to the workers at Queen Mary University. With the threat of redundancies across campus, workers have become energised, linked up with students, and exhibited a growing degree of organisation. In response, university management have suspended the Queen Mary UNISON branch secretary on trumped up disciplinary charges.

While the Solidarity Federation recognises the power of the union rests not in its officials, but in an active and self-organised membership, management clearly believe they can defeat their workforce by 'beheading' the union. Such attacks must be resisted.

International Day of Action against Ford-Visteon on October 14

IWA statement regarding the struggle of our Spanish sister section against the closure of a factory owned by Ford-Visteon. (please find aposter attached to this post)

With reference to initiatives taken by the CNT union section at Cadiz Electrónica S.A. Ford-Visteon and the CNT of Jerez, there will be a new International Day of Struggle against Ford-Visteon on October 14.

Solidarity with the COB - IWA

North London Solidarity Federation have written a statement sending our solidarity to comrades in Brazil.

 

A secção do norte de Londres (Reino Unido) do sindicato Associação Internacional de Trabalhadores envia a sua solidariedade para com a luta dos seus companheiros pertencentes ao Sindicato de Artes e Ofícios Vários de Araxá em Minas Gerais, Brasil.


Estes trabalhadores tem sido sujeitos a várias situações inaceitáveis, inclusive baixos salários e demissões injustificadas praticados pelo seu empregador FF Comercial (marcas Lotto e Finta). Eles contam agora com o nosso total apoio para com a sua luta que passa também a ser a nossa luta.

 

-------------------------------------------------

CNT-AIT: Reviving the spirit of the people

Below is a statement by our Spanish sister section on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the Spanish Revolution (Spanish original)

This 19th of July is the 75 anniversary of the 1936 Spanish Revolution. 75 years since that Summer when the workers took to the streets, not just to defend themselves from the coup d’etat started by the fascists, but also to fight for their future, where they saw a different society based on equality, solidarity and mutual support. Despite the time elapsed between then and now we can point out two similarities and one fundamental difference.