UK: 4 new releases from green anarchist zine Return Fire (PDFs)

Just now we’ve sent out the PDF versions of our recent releases, for downloading and printing (for past issues, see 325).

https://en-contrainfo.espiv.net/2016/06/05/uk-4-new-releases-from-green-anarchist-zine-return-fire-pdfs/ for links to the PDFs

Just now we’ve sent out the PDF versions of our recent releases, for downloading and printing (for past issues, see 325). To summarise, there’s the full length edition of Return Fire vol.3 (Winter 2015-2016), full of news, theory, poetry and antagonism (download in low-res here); a companion piece consisting of our ‘glossary’ entry for the issue, on Colonisation; an imposed and print-ready version of ‘Smarter Prison?’ as a supplement to vol.3, which we received from ‘Radical Interference’ and released for December of 2015; and lastly, we’ve uploaded one of the feature texts from vol.3, ‘The Veil Drops’, to theanarchistlibrary.org as a separate file for reading and reproduction. Also, there is both colour and black-and-white versions of the cover included, in case some comrades want to do their own printing.

Return Fire vol.3

A continuation of our project to bring incisive anarchic content from around to world to an anglophone readership. New editorial content, reprints of things we’ve found useful, artwork, action listings, foraging information, the usual.

There’s a few previously-untranslated articles in this issue. For example, one is an extract from the latest cover story of Italy’s eco-insurrectionary periodical Terra Selvaggia, on ‘The Advance of Urbanisation’ and, simultaneously, cracks opening in the concrete which we could utilise… Annie Archet meanwhile tells a life-story of evading identity, in Portrait of the Invisible Woman in Front of Her Mirror. To name some out of the texts we’ve assembled from selections of pre-existing ones, David King looks at the reductionist and patriarchal implications of modern reproductive technologies in ‘Into Her Inner Chambers’, and Nicola Gai speaks to acting within ‘The Maximum That Our Abilities Allow’ (from his contribution to the founding issue of the Croce Nera Anarchica).

The content we have harvested whole includes The Intensification of Independence in Wallmapu, John Severino’s poignant reflections on a project within an indigenous Mapuche community; The ‘Wild’ as Will and Representation, about commodified and alienated approaches in the urgent need for land reconnection, simply signed M.; and Sean Dunohoe’s harrowing (if limited) polemic against the Close Supervision Centres within the British prison system. (We note that this year the organising collective for the June 11 project of solidarity with long-term anarchist prisoners has called for a focus on such units wherever they are in the world; hence we’d like to dedicate this version in that direction.)

As for our usual columns… We take a retrospective look at some Global Flash-Points of insurgent activity in the months following our last volume. Rebels Behinds Bars covers the State’s aggressions against our comrades, and the latter’s thoughts on topics from surviving incarceration or repression to (anti-)organisation for the attack on authority. ‘To Create & Maintain Their Wealth’ and ‘Sensuality, Magic & Anarchist Violence’ address gendered and speciesist domination through reviews of Silvia Federici, Arthur Evans and Jason Hribal.

The Poems for Love, Loss & War are from Rydra Cosmo, Henry Zegarrundo, Natasha Alvarez and other appreciators of all things feral. For our Memory as a Weapon segment, we’ve used Unsettling America’s spellbinding telling of civilisation’s spread through Europe from the south and beyond, and subsequent trajectory, in The Witch’s Child.

And of course, much more! (All prisoner addresses and also some court-case news is now up to date in the PDF version.)

Colonisation

This time, we ended up printing the ‘glossary’ separately to the main body of the zine. This sizeable essay could be a stand-alone on the subject (one which we feel to be both key and misunderstood by anarchists in much of the world) and distributed as such, but is also relevant to several items in contents of vol.3.

‘Smarter Prison?’

Newly laid out in A5 imposed format, this exploration of the ‘Internet of Things’ and the technological ideology which it advances was first submitted to us during the Black December mobilisation. (We’re happy that since then, Silvia, Billy and Costa, who are referenced in ‘Smarter Prison?’, have been told they will not face trial again for their thwarted attack on the IBM facility.) The struggle against the nano-world continues…

‘The Veil Drops’

This is a reader on counter-insurgency through the lens of ‘crisis’, the social and de-civilising. It’s the longest editorial piece from vol.3, and up on The Anarchist Library for wider accessibility.

Until next time,
R.F.

French Monsanto Research Site Damaged in Suspected Arson Attack

A Monsanto research center in western France suffered heavy fire damage in a suspected arson attack early Wednesday morning, the official in charge of the site said.

October 28th, 2015

A Monsanto research center in western France suffered heavy fire damage in a suspected arson attack early Wednesday morning, the official in charge of the site said.

The official, Jakob Witten, said police investigators “strongly suspect it was a crime as no electrical or other sources were found.”

 The fire was ignited from two different places at the site, where about 10 people work and which is specialized in corn research. The smell of gasoline lingered near the building, which had heavy damage in its reception hall and offices.

“No Monsanto sites in Europe have so far been the victim of fires of criminal origin, this is unprecedented violence,” Witten said.

However, forty tons of GM sugar beets were torched in Oregon, sparking an FBI investigation, so the sentiment behind this latest arson, if it indeed was an act of violence, is not unprecedented.

The Creve Coeur-based company is the frequent target of criticism in France over concerns about genetically modified crops it has developed.

The government said last month it would use a new European opt-out scheme to ensure a ban on the cultivation of GM crops in France remains in place.

 

Brazil’s Landless Movement Destroys GMO Eucaliptus Seedlings, Occupies GMO Meeting

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March 5th, 2015

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March 5th, 2015

This morning about 300 peasants organized by La Via Campesina occupied the meeting of the Brazil National Biosafety Technical Commission (CTNBio), which was convening to discuss the release of three new varieties of transgenic plants in Brazil including genetically engineered eucalyptus trees. The meeting was interrupted and decisions were postponed. Earlier in the morning on Thursday, another 1,000 women of the Brazil Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) from the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais occupied the operations of FuturaGene Technology Brazil Ltda, a subsidiary of Suzano timber corporation, in the municipality of Itapetininga, in São Paulo.

16722801571_96f17a6a7c_bThe site occupied by women of the MST was in Itapetininga, where transgenic eucalyptus, known as H421 is being developed and tested. During the protest, the MST destroyed the seedlings of transgenic eucalyptus trees there. The action denounced the evils that a possible release of transgenic eucalyptus, which was to be voted on CTNBio today, could cause to the environment. According to Atiliana Brunetto, a member of the National MST, the historic decision of the Commission must respect the Brazilian legislation and the Biodiversity Convention to which Brazil is a signatory. Destroys Eucaliptus Seedlings The vast majority of its members are placed in favor of business interests of the large multinationals at the expense of environmental, social and public health consequences,” he says. For Brunetto all approved GMO means more pesticides in agriculture, since the packets always approved for marketing include a type of agricultural poison.

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“Brazil is the largest consumer of world’s pesticides since 2009. A recent survey by the University of Brasilia found that, in the most optimistic case, 30% of the food consumed by Brazilians are unsafe to eat only contamination by pesticides account” said Brunetto.

In the case of eucalyptus, the application of transgenic release was made by pulp and paper company Suzano.

“If approved by the committee these GE faster growing eucalyptus will mature in only 4 years, as opposed to 6-7 years presently in non-GMO eucalyptus. The water consumption will increase 25 to 30 liters / day per eucalyptus planted that it currently uses. We are again calling attention to the danger of green deserts,” said Catiane Cinelli, a member of the Rural Women’s Movement.

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More at Stop GE Trees

Earth First! Summer Gathering, August 2015

Update: see earthfirstgathering.org for an inspiring and exciting programme and more.

Exciting plans are taking shape.  Get involved by coming along to the EF! Winter Moot in Bristol.

Email: summergathering AT earthfirst.org.uk

Update: see earthfirstgathering.org for an inspiring and exciting programme and more.

Exciting plans are taking shape.  Get involved by coming along to the EF! Winter Moot in Bristol.

Email: summergathering AT earthfirst.org.uk

Earth First! Winter Moot (Bristol): 20th-22nd February 2015 /full programme

A weekend gathering for people involved or wanting to know more about ecological direct action around the UK including fighting opencast coal, fracking, GM, nuclear power, new road building and quarries with discussions and campaign planning – emphasis on the tactics and strategies, community solidarity and sustainable activism.

Sharing stories, skills, tactics, updates & analyses of the radical ecological movement

Cost scale £20 to £30 . This includes full vegan meals and accommodation. Arrive Friday evening (programme starts at 7pm), leave Sunday (ends by 4pm). It will be an indoor floor sleeping space so bring a warm sleeping bag and mat to

Kebele Community Centre 14 Robertson Road Easton Bristol BS5 6JY
TrainTo Stapleton rd , two stops from Bristol TM then 7min walk —

Earth First! is a network of people and campaigns who fight ecological destruction and the forces driving it. We believe in non-hierarchical organising of Direct Action, to confront, stop and eventually reverse the forces that are responsible for the destruction of the Earth and its inhabitants. EF! is not a cohesive group or campaign, but a convenient banner for people who share similar philosophies to work under and doing it ourselves rather than relying on governments or industry.

For info or offers southwest.earthfirst@riseup.net www.earthfirst.org.uk

Download the (ready-to-print) flyer

 

Programme subject to change:

Starts 7pm Friday with dinner, followed by films & an intro to EF!

On Saturday, breakfast is before the 9:30am start with campaigns round-ups and legal & security workshops.  After lunch we'll be looking at strategic thinking (see below) and at 5 exploring the relationship between Reclaim the Power and EF!

On Sunday we'll continue those explorations from 10am.  After lunch, there'll be a workshop on sustainable activism, and a chance to get involved in organising the EF! Summer Gathering.  Please stay for that if you can and get involved. 

 

Workshops include:

Intelligent Resistance: strategy and its implementation in the modern world

Summary: Strong strategy has always been a key element of successful resistance movements. Whether it be the anarchist movements of revolutionary Spain, or the contemporary fight against fracking, a solid strategy is proven to be indispensable.‘Intelligent Resistance’ is a basic introduction to strategic thought and action and looks to provide those in attendance with a practical set of theoretical tools to take away and apply to their own movements and practice.

Sustaining Resistance: avoiding ‘Burn out”

This is a taster workshop from a much longer ten day workshop and offers a range of tools, collective and personal, which can make our activism more effective and help us avoid burn out staying in for the long haul.

Reclaim the Power meets Earth First!”

How can Earth First! and Reclaim the power coexist in the future struggles and is there a need for collaboration between other camps or a consolidation of resources?

Legal Defence Monitoring:

A taster session in how to be an effective LDM on actions and demos.

Campaigns go-round:

Dates for your diary and what resistance is going on around the world and your back yard..

A Sabotage Report on Biotech Labs from Chile

Activists prepare themselves for more waves of direct action against biotech labs. (photo credit: Icky Pelaez)

November 7th, 2014

Activists prepare themselves for more waves of direct action against biotech labs. (photo credit: Icky Pelaez)

November 7th, 2014

[from Earth First! Newswire: Editor's Note: The following piece is a loose and expanded translation of an article posted by 325 on October 28th.]

The evolution of science, as a dominative means of objectification, has solidified into a self-proving entity that is intervening with the very cyclical networks of nature.  We, as sentient people, are in revolt against its confining movement and role as a facilitator of militarization, psychiatry, specism, anthropocentrism, and heteronormativity within this current patriarchal era.

With such motivation, we are currently focusing our actions on biotech labs that are leading studies in genetic intervention, and fertilizing a branch of science that manipulates the very fibers of life.  Not only are humans regenerating stem cells, meddling with plant properties, and experimenting on animals, but are doing so with the sole intention of “improving” our existence.  Such a mentality is a societal construct based upon the notion that humanity cradles the authority to transgress fellow beings.

In raw defiance, we chose specific locations in which there is a concentration of genetic research and, on the morning of October 28th, painted the façades with green and yellow to portray our solidarity with nature and our dedication to active rebellion from here on out.

 

Lema, one of these labs, concentrates on biochemical research in the fields of endocrinology and nefrology, and is heavily involved in remolding human genetics;  hormonal experiments, adjustment of the body’s chemical make-up, and nuclear medicine are all unraveling within its walls.

We also arrived at the corner of San Pablo to smear the windows of Campus Lab, a building whose activity also revolves around invading the body with technology called PCR.  This instrument was designed to play with our molecular design in hopes of preventing infection and postponing the beautiful and inevitable descent of mortality.

We are fabricating artificial purity, a permeating image of the human body that redefines our ecological relations and the concept of ‘health’ and ‘natural movement’—although disassociating ourselves from our surroundings is rather impossible.  Furthermore, the equipment of Campus Lab serves to identify individuals with the intention of lubricating the judicial machine and increasing incarceration rates.

In Nunoa, GeneXpress operates as another company dedicated to supplying the biotech industry with more data, funding, and progressive materials.  It aims to infuse the medical field with genetically modifying innovations, while avoiding public scrutiny.  We proceeded to smear their walls as well.

We realize that our action was a small gesture; however, we are being called to exercise our resources from an array of perches, and are prepared for more elaborate forms of destruction.  And so, today we have decided to organize and resist the very structures of science, a perceptual approach that is fostering tension not only on the economic level, but also at the roots of how we perceive ourselves and, consequently, how we project and interact with the environment.

We don’t simply seek to generate ‘alternative’ practices, but rather to destroy the shadowing pillars through direct action.  Nor do we believe that someone who chooses to ingest tapsin to alleviate the flu is a mere conformant; we move to question impeding paradigms, as well as the very ideological strands and everyday actions that maintain them. To our bodies being explosions of thought and sensations of creative retaliation!

Earth First! Summer Gathering 2014 – exact location & other practicalities added

Updates: Exact location has been releases – see here

Travel – book your travel to Castle Cary or Bruton train station, then it's a bus journey and 20 minute walk.

Updates: Exact location has been releases – see here

Travel – book your travel to Castle Cary or Bruton train station, then it's a bus journey and 20 minute walk.

Bus times are : 8.14am – 9.44am – 11.44am – 12.33pm – 2.14pm – 4.33pm (last bus).  There's no Sunday service so we will timetable a shuttle bus to return.

Cycling: Bruton is better if you are cycling as it is a mile shorter, and there is also a bus from there too. The last bus from here leaves later.  (Bus times from Bruton are: 9:09am – 10:39am – 12:12pm – 1:39pm – 3:54pm – 5:39pm)

We will post the exact address three weeks before the gathering.

Refreshments – ‘This year there is no bar on site. People are welcome to bring their own but we ask that there's no drinking before dinner/7pm. Anyone causing a nuisance or breaking our Safer Spaces policy will be asked to stop and/or leave. There will be a cafe & snack bar on site.’

Dogs – ‘This year dogs are welcome, but please get in touch in advance, and keep them on a lead at all times on the site.’  Further info

—————-

28th-31st August 2014, in the South West….

A place for people involved in radical green direct action to come together….
to talk….share skills….learn….listen….play….rant…. find out whats going on….
scheme….live outdoors….hang out….laugh….
experience non hierarchical, low impact, family friendly living.

An activist camp that spans 5 days and consists of a programme of workshops throughout each day facilitated by people like you and me who think they have a skill or a level of knowledge in a subject that is valuable to share with others to improve their activism.

Is this camp for you?  Whether you're just starting out in the world of direct action or you're an old (glued and paint-stained) hand at it, you're welcome here.

More info here

Action dates & gatherings now working again!

The action dates and protest gatherings page is once again working!  Apologies, we accidentally deleted it!

If there's any ecological actions that are openly advertised, protest camps or campaign gatherings, that you want to add to it, do it through the submit report link and in the subject, make it clear it's to add to the calendar.  Thanks.

The action dates and protest gatherings page is once again working!  Apologies, we accidentally deleted it!

If there's any ecological actions that are openly advertised, protest camps or campaign gatherings, that you want to add to it, do it through the submit report link and in the subject, make it clear it's to add to the calendar.  Thanks.

Argentina: Activists Arrested & Brutal Police Repression After Monsanto Law is Approved

14th June The legislature of Cordoba approved a controversial Monsanto Law yesterday. Protesters from Malvinas Lucha por la Vida, Madres de Itzuzaingó, and other social organizations held a peaceful protest to contest the law.

14th June The legislature of Cordoba approved a controversial Monsanto Law yesterday. Protesters from Malvinas Lucha por la Vida, Madres de Itzuzaingó, and other social organizations held a peaceful protest to contest the law.

The police intervened violently repressing the protesters and arbitrarily detaining anyone who looked like a protester. 26 people total were arrested including Sofia Gatica and many were injured. Sofia Gatica told Argentina Independent the law was created so Monsanto can legally move into the province.

The new law has been passed after a 9 month blockade on construction of a new GMO seed processing plant. You can read archives of coverage from Revolution News of this epic battle against the multinational corporation here.

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BREAKING THE FRAME

A GATHERING ON THE POLITICS OF TECHNOLOGY

2nd – 5th May 2014

Unstone Grange, Derbyshire

YOU NEED TO BOOK -SEE BELOW

Organised by Luddites 200, Corporate Watch, and Scientists for Global Responsibility

A GATHERING ON THE POLITICS OF TECHNOLOGY

2nd – 5th May 2014

Unstone Grange, Derbyshire

YOU NEED TO BOOK -SEE BELOW

Organised by Luddites 200, Corporate Watch, and Scientists for Global Responsibility

Technology can bring some benefits for ordinary people, but its development is almost entirely conmtrolled by corporate, military and technocratic elites, so it usually serves their interests and reinforces their power.

The politics of food, energy, work, gender, peace, economics, health, etc are all shaped by choices about technology made by those elites. The whole way our society develops is massively influenced by technology, yet ordinary people never have a proper say in it.  We're always left reacting to the technocrats' latest plan, whether it's drones, internet surveillance, GM food, fracking, designer babies or nuclear power.

We think all these issues are linked. So it's time for a more joined up and more proactive approach, one which addresses the root causes of problems and is not limited by the dogma that technology equals progress.

  • We want to create a new politics of technology based on bringing together the insights of different movements and learning from each other.
  • We want a human-scale technology that serves real human needs, not corporate bottom lines.
  • We want democratic control of technology.

An world facing environmental meltdown and massive inequality -both caused byb 200 years ofn industrial capitalism- needs better solutions than more dangerous techno-fixes such as climate engineering.

Whether you're a technology politics campaigner, trade unionist, environmentalist. altech developer, artist or just plain concerned, BREAKING THE FRAME IS NOT TO BE MISSED.

YOU NEED TO BOOK

www.breakingtheframe.org.uk      

email: luddites200@yahoo.co.uk

(020) 7426 0005

Accommodation is either in the conference centre OR camping (which is cheaper).  The concessionary rate for camping is £36, which includes all meals for 4 days (it's a bank holiday weekend).

BUT if £36 is more than you can manage, we're committed to making sure nobody is left out for lack of money.  So get in touch now.  Rich people can make extra donations, of course!