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Libcom.org Mar 11 2010
More than 150,000 people took to the streets of Athens against the
austerity measures in a mass protest marches that have led to extended
battles in the greek capital.

On Thursday March 11 all Greece came to a 24h standstill as a result of
the second general strike to be called within less than a month (not the
third as reported by foreign media, as the first strike in February only
concerned the public sector). As a result of the strike called by GSEE
(private sector union umbrella) and ADEDY (public sector union umbrella)
as well as PAME (the Communist Party union umbrella) no buses, trams,
metros, trolley buses or suburban trains exited their stations, while due
to air-traffic control workers’ strike no flights are being realised
within or in and out of the country. Only the electric train will function
for 4h in Athens in order to facilitate people’s participation in the mass
demo at noon. In the health sector, all hospitals are functioning with
emergency personnel only, as all doctors, ambulance drivers and nurses are
striking. All banks are closed to the public, and all public and municipal
offices and services have been shut by the strike. The Corinth Canal has
also been shut by the workers controling it, allowing no ships to make the
vital crossing. All boats have been immobilised in the harbours and no
inter-city trains are running. Post offices remain closed, while National
Electricity, National Waters and National Telecoms workers are taking part
in the strike with all offices and factories of the above industries
closed for the day. All schools and universities remain also closed as
teachers and academics are partcipating in the strike. Office workers,
factory workers and contruction workers are also participating en mass in
the strike. Firemen and policemen are also performing walk-outs, with a
policemen demo at the National Police HQ planned for the afternoon. Due to
the participation of the TV, radio, electronic news websites, and the
press in the strike, there are no news broadcasts for 24h. Thus the
information gathered here will be completed by means of Comments after the
end of the General Strike when more information become available. In total
more than 3 million people (out of a total population of 11 million) are
expected to having taken part in the general strike today.

Background:
The General Strike comes as a new climax to labour struggle against the
new austerity measures the greek government has announced in response to
its notorious credit crisis. In the days before the General Strike, stage
workers have occupied the Ministry of Labour on Peiraeos street, while the
continuing occupation of the General State Accountancy by layed-off
Olympic Airways workers has caused the intervention of the state
persecutor who has demanded their arrest. No such move of repression has
been made yet by the police, and Panepistimiou street remains cut in two
by the protesters for more than a week now. In Salonica, the General
Industrialists Bureau was occupied yesterday by workers, while radicals
from the left dropped a huge banner in the Acropolis reading “take the
measures back”. Troughout the week, tax officers performed a 48h strike,
school traffic wardens in Northern Greece performed a 3-day strike, while
judges and other judicial officers performed 4-h work daily stoppages. No
garbage has been collected since last Saturday in Athens, Patras and
Salonica as refuse collectors have blockaded the great garbage depot of
the three major cities. Finally, in the city of Komitini ENKLO textile
workers are mounting an ever more intense labour struggle, with protest
marches and strikes: two banks were occupied by the workers last Monday.

The Demos:

The first demo in Athens was performed by PAME, the Communist Party union
umbrella, just before noon. PAME allied workers first formed small demos
across Athens, then marched to Omonoia square and all together in a 50,000
strong march to the Parliament. At the same time, people started gathering
at Patision and Alexandras junction for the demo called by GSEE and ADEDY.
The demo which soon gathered over 100,000 people set to march to the
Parliament at 12:30 when just outside the Polytechnic riot police forces
tried to cut-off a large anarchist block from the march by brutal force.
Clashes ensued with extended use of tear gas and molotov cocktails.
Despite the air being thick with smoke and CS gas, the march continued its
way along Patision avenue and on to Stadiou street where many corporate
shops came under attack. After reaching the Parliament, the march turned
to Panepistimiou street where renewed clashes erupted at the height of
Propylea. With the march coming to its final distination, protesters who
continued their way to Omonoia where attacked by Delta team motorised
forces. The Delta-team thugs tried to hit the protesters in full speed
sparking more pitched battles with police squads encircled and beaten by
the angry crowd and several Delta-team motorbikes destroyed. At the time
of writing, the battles have moved to Exarcheia where protesters have
erected flaming baricades and are confronting riot police and Delta force
cops by means of rocks and molotov cocktails. Many protesters have sought
refuge at the Polytechnic from which they are confronting police forces on
both Patision and Stournari street. During the clashes many protesters
have been wounded with one reported to be in intensive care with heavy
wounds on the chest. The number of people arrested remains unclear but
there are about 16 people detained and 13 cops hospitalised.

In Salonica 6 different marches took place by different unions and
umbrella unions. Protesters of the Worker’s Centre march, which numbered
7,000 people in total, attacked corporate and church-owned shops on
Egnatia avenue, while two super-markets were looted with the commodities
distributed to the people. Despite the police firing tear-gas, the march
continued and attacked the Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace with paint and
rocks before reaching the Worker’s Centre.

In Ioannina despite the pouring rain around 1.500 people marched against
the measures with no news of clashes. Similar protest marches took place
in Sitia, Naxos, Veroia, Patras and other cities. In Heracleion, Crete,
shops that did not allow their workers to strike were blockaded and
several banks came under attack by protesters. In Volos, protesters
blockaded the gates of the METKA factory not allowing security-staff (i.e.
scabs) to enter the premises, with many more corporate chain shops that
did not allow their workers to strike blockaded and shut by the
protesters. The official union-bosses of Volos were forced to leave the
march after mass heckling by the workers.

Despite anti-strike war waged by the bourgeois media, amongst which the
more bloodthirty ones like Kathimerini is urging the government to crush
the protests “even if some protesters die”, the Athens march is estimated
to be the largest in 15 years, and has demonstrated the resolve of the
working class to fight back against the capitalist onslaught.

Update:

According to all information available 9 people appear to be arrested in
Athens during the protest march. They will appear tomorrow before the
state interrogator.

27.02.10 - BIL'IN, MA'SARA, NI'ILIN, NABI-SALEH, TEL AVIV, HEBRON, SHEIKH JARRAH: Durante la settimana, i media hanno parlato in continuazione dell'allargamento della lotta palestinese non-armata e del ruolo degli Anarchici Contro il Muro e di altri radicali israeliani (quasi sempre con riferimento al quinto anniversario di Bil'in). Sono stati criticati i tentativi delle forze di Stato nell'impedire agli israeliani di unirsi alla lotta unitaria; forse è questa la ragione del fatto che questo venerdì non ci hanno fermato. Sebbene alcuni attivisti attesi non siano potuti arrivare a causa delle piogge torrenziali (Ma'sara, Beit Umar) altri non si sono arresi alla pioggia a Bil'in, Hebron, Nabi Saleh, Ni'ilin, Tel Aviv. Alcuni hanno ...

FESTA DI PRIMAVERA PER I PRIMI 90 ANNI DI UMANITA' NOVA presso l'ATENEO LIBERTARIO viale Monza 255- Milano *********************** Venerdi' 19 Marzo Ore 21 - Federico Premi presenta il suo libro "Fabrizio De Andrè, un'ombra inquieta" Viaggio alla scoperta del pensiero anarchico di De Andrè. Introduce Paolo Finzi della redazione di A-Rivista Durante la serata verranno eseguiti dal vivo brani del repertorio di Faber ...

P R I M O M A R Z O 2 0 1 0 la solidarietà è un'arma: Il centro di documentazione "Fuori Controllo" ha aderito al comitato primomarzo2010 in solidarietà con tutti i migranti e con le politiche repressive e razziste a cui queste persone vengono condannate. Il Governo italiano nel 2009 ha varato il cosiddetto Pacchetto Sicurezza, dove tra le altre cose viene inserito il reato di clandestinità. Ma questo nuovo decreto legge sulla sicurezza, voluto fortemente dal leghista Maroni, non riguarda solo i cittadini extracomunitari, bensì colpisce ad ampio raggio tutti noi aumentando il controllo sociale e la repressione. ...

Lunedì 8 marzo, tra l'una e le due di notte. Al buio, accompagnata da poliziotti e carabinieri, è arrivata a Rosta una trivella per il sondaggio 55. L'hanno piazzata in mezzo ad un prato, hanno chiuso tutte le strade di accesso, piazzando check point persino davanti a S. Antonio di Ranverso. Sin dalla notte i No Tav si sono dati il cambio a presidiare, informando la popolazione, sostando nei pressi della rotonda di fronte agli impianti sportivi. Intorno alle sei del pomeriggio l'assemblea di piazza si trasforma in blocco: il cambio della guardia viene ostacolato per oltre un'ora. Le decine di blindati di polizia e carabinieri posti a guardia della trivella ...

The 2nd issue of "El Amigo del Pueblo" is now available. "El Amigo del Pueblo" is the free, bi-monthly newspaper of the Hijos del Pueblo, a mouthpiece for our ideas and Anarchist Communist (or Revolutionary Anarchist) tendency.

thu mar 11th 2010 ::: AirCascadia :.Education In Corporate Crosshairs segue flashpoints.net | NEW WORLD NEXT WEEK MediaMonarchy.com Corbettreport.com | PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS on Lendman | BETSY METZ Treason in America INNworldReport | WhatReallyHappened.com

thu mar 11th 2010 ::: AirCascadia :.Education In Corporate Crosshairs segue flashpoints.net | NEW WORLD NEXT WEEK MediaMonarchy.com Corbettreport.com | PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS on Lendman | BETSY METZ Treason in America INNworldReport | WhatReallyHappened.com

thu mar 11th 2010 ::: AirCascadia :.Education In Corporate Crosshairs segue flashpoints.net | NEW WORLD NEXT WEEK MediaMonarchy.com Corbettreport.com | PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS on Lendman | BETSY METZ Treason in America INNworldReport | WhatReallyHappened.com

thu mar 11th 2010 ::: AirCascadia :.Education In Corporate Crosshairs segue flashpoints.net | NEW WORLD NEXT WEEK MediaMonarchy.com Corbettreport.com | PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS on Lendman | BETSY METZ Treason in America INNworldReport | WhatReallyHappened.com

thu mar 11th 2010 ::: AirCascadia :.Education In Corporate Crosshairs segue flashpoints.net | NEW WORLD NEXT WEEK MediaMonarchy.com Corbettreport.com | PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS on Lendman | BETSY METZ Treason in America INNworldReport | WhatReallyHappened.com

thu mar 11th 2010 ::: AirCascadia :.Education In Corporate Crosshairs segue flashpoints.net | NEW WORLD NEXT WEEK MediaMonarchy.com Corbettreport.com | PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS on Lendman | BETSY METZ Treason in America INNworldReport | WhatReallyHappened.com

Voceo de Hijos del Pueblo
El Amigo del Pueblo, voceo de Hijos del Pueblo, en su número 2 y de periodicidad bimensual está disponible en forma gratuita, mostrando nuestra propuesta y tendencia Comunista Anárquica –o Anarquista Revolucionaria.

By Eva Golinger - February 15th 2010

In 1983, the strategy of overthrowing inconvenient governments and calling it "democracy promotion" was born...Through the creation of a series of quasi-private "foundations"...Washington began to filter funding and strategic aid to political parties and groups abroad that promoted the US agenda in nations with insubordinate governments.

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At Angola, eighty per cent of the prisoners are African-Americans and, under the watchful eye of armed guards on horseback, they still work fields of sugar cane, cotton and corn, for up to 16 hours a day. "You've got to keep the inmates working all day so they're tired at night," says Warden Burl Cain, a committed evangelist who believes that the rehabilitation of convicts is only possible through Christian redemption.

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Hi,
Genea here from Brighton ABC in the UK. I've been corresponding with Jerome
White-Bey for many years, I'm sure you've probably heard of him, he started up
the MPLU, Missouri Prisoners Labor Union. I've had several letters over the
last few months where he's been talking about his on going kidney infection
from having diabetes, which the prison has so far not treated. I asked him if
he'd like me to write an appeal for people to write letters of complaint which
he said yes to. The letter appeal is at the bottom of this mail.

Since a few of us here have written complaints a couple of weeks ago I then
received a letter from him yesterday saying, "Here is the latest on my medical
treatment, one day the mental health docter called me to his office, he said
that the prison wanted him to see him first before they can start me on any
medication for the kidney infection that I have because the medication they are
going to give me has the side effects of depression, moody and angrier, I was
asked to sign some papers saying that I would not sue the State if something
goes wrong, but I refused to sign the papers and the docter then refused to
treat me for the kidney infection. Now correct me if I am wrong, but just being
in prison has me moody, angry and depressed so why would I agree to take
medication to make me even more so, plus what does a mental health docter have
to do with me and my kidney infection. Something about this doesn't sit right
with me and now the prison docter has not called me to his office again".

He then asked what I thought he should do and if I could help find out about
his treatment. But I'm in England, don't know how the medical systems work in
the US or what the standard treatment for a kidney infection from having
diabetes would be. Because there is also a time delay between us sending each
other letters overseas as well which isn't good with this being a problem with
his health I thought I would send out an e-mail to groups in the US to see if
anyone else had any ideas about what could be done to help him?

Thanks
Genea.

Urgent Letter Appeal For Medical Treatment Of Jerome White-Bey


Jerome White-Bey is the founder and president of the Missouri Prisoner Labour
Union, an organization of Missouri prisoners and their outside supporters who
are organizing around labour and other prison conditions. Since the founding of
the MPLU, Jerome has been subject to administrative harassment and retaliation.
He was in the "hole" (administrative segregation) for two years following the
formation of the MPLU and has constantly been moved in and out of segregation
since.

Jerome is now appealing for help with a letter campaign. He has diabetes which
has caused a kidney infection that has lasted for several months now. Despite
several requests made by him to the doctors there the prison officials are
denying him any medical treatment for the kidney infection. He has had no
treatment, no tests, no medication and he is very worried about his health and
the effect the long lasting infection will have on him. In his own words:

"There is a plot against my well being. It is clear to me now, so the only sure
way to protect myself from ill willed people is to build a wall of security
around me, because when people on the outside show an overwhelming concern
about our well being, then that stills the hand of the evil doers. So anyone
that would like to write, call the prison or visit me is welcome to do so."

Please write letters of complaint to:

The Governor
ERDCC
2727 Highway K
Bonne Terre, MO 63628
USA
+001 573 358-5516

Write letters of support to:

Jerome White-Bey
#37479
ERDCC
5A-118
2727 Highway K
Bonne Terre, MO 63628
USA

Sample letter:

Your name and address here:

Dear Governor of ERDCC,

I am writing to you to express my extreme concern for a prisoner currently held
in your prison. His name is Jerome White-Bey #37479. Mr White-Bey has diabetes
which has caused a kidney infection that has lasted for several months now.

Despite several attempts by himself to get his condition treated he has had no
treatment, no tests, no medication and is now very worried about his health and
the effect such a long term untreated infection will have upon it.

I am writing to you in the hope that you can look into this matter and ensure
that Mr White-Bey gets the treatment that a prison has the duty of care to
provide for the prisoners held with-in it.

Yours faithfully

Libcom.org Mar 11 2010
The legal aftermaths of Iceland’s last winter revolt are now being
determined. Nine individuals - including several anarchists - have been
accused of breaking several laws, including one, which violation is
supposed to be punished with a minimum one year’s jail sentence, maximum
lifetime. The court case was originally set in February and heavily
responded to by a lot of people, but was dismissed because of family
relations between the state prosecutor and one of the parliament’s
security guards. The filing of the case took place Thursday March 11th and
will be continued Friday April 9th.

“Attacking” the Parliament
The accusations center upon an event that took place December 8th, 2008
where c.a. 30 people entered the parliament, planning to go up to a
balcony where people are, according to Icelandic laws, allowed to stay and
watch general parliament meetings. When the people came into the
parliament they were met with the building’s security guards who instantly
tried to prevent the people from entering. Most of the people managed to
get to the stairs that lead up to the balcony, but were again met with
security guards, and this time also a police officer who threatened them
with pepper spray. At this point the crowd was stuck in the staircase,
surrounded by security guards and policemen, but two individuals got to
the balcony where they shouted at the Members of Parliament to "fuck off
and get out of the building". A policeman from the parliament threw them
out and down the staircase, on top of each other.

From this point the police became even more aggressive then before and
made repeated attempts to push the people upper in the stair on those who
stood lower. There was no way for the people to get out at this point
since all possible entrances were closed. The police noted down some names
and social security numbers, while arresting few people for uncertain
reasons. After a while people were allowed to leave the building, which at
this point was surrounded by media, random by-passers and the protester’s
supporters. Outside, few other people were arrested for de-arresting
attempts and disobeying police orders. Most people were released later
that evening.

This event received a vast media attention since it is not everyday that
conflicts take place inside the parliament. It was also only the beginning
sign of a public uprising that continued to grow throughout the winter,
reaching it climax in January 2009. Then, thousands of people took to the
streets of Reykjavík, stopped the parliament from coming together after
christmas vacation, lit fires, banged pots and pans, attacked politicians,
policemen and the society’s most important institutions, and in the end
toppled the government.

Fingerprints and Personal Acts of Revenge
In January that same year, eleven people were brought to the police
station and interviewed because of the so-called “attack” on the
parliament. Ten of them had actually been inside the building but the
eleventh person was only known by the police as a “protester”, which was a
reason enough for them to interview him. After being interviewed, the
people were brought to the basement of the police station were they were
forced to give their fingerprints as well as being measured, weighted and
photographed. Asked for a written permission, the police refused and said
this was a part of the “normal procedure”. A lawyer who is now defending
some of the accused says that this can only have been act of revenge,
based on police officers’ personal opinions on the people.

Of the ten people interviewed and who actually were inside the parliament,
one of them has not been accused. He works as a nurse aid on a hospital’s
emergency center where policemen come all the time and cooperate with the
workers. Photos from the parliament’s surveillance cameras also show the
faces of many of the other twenty people who also entered the parliament
but have not been accused of anything. This clearly shows on what kind of
a personal level the accusations are built, where only one third of the
people is brought to court.

Minimum One Year’s Prison Sentence
The nine people have all being accused of having broken the same law
paragraphs, which are: (1) Having attacked the parliament in a manner that
it or its discretion is in considered to be in danger. This paragraph also
includes those who call for an attack or comply that call. (2) Having
attacked with violence or threats of violence, an official worker doing
his or her duties and/or having tried to hinder these duties to be done.
(3) A paragraph including that leaders of big groups who have broken the
aforementioned paragraph should be punished with a higher sentence. (4)
Having stopped a legal meeting from taking place. (5) Housebreaking.

The violation of all these paragraphs is supposed to be punished with
prison sentences or fines, many of them with very high maximum sentences.
The first mentioned paragraph - the 100th article of the penal laws, which
demands at least one years prison sentence - has not been used since 1949
when Iceland’s parliament approved the country’s entry into NATO. Protests
turned into riots, where the parliament was attacked with stones and the
police and right wing supporters beat up the protesters. Following that,
some of the protesters lost their “democratic” rights.

Of course, all the mainstream - and therefor the only - media in Iceland
have given extremely one-sided view of the court case and the accusations,
claiming all of them to be true. TV news-shows have broadcasted their most
action-type footage concerning the case and not made any attempt to talk
to any of the accused. Once again the media reveals its true nature:
manipulating the truth for the benefits of those in power.

More detailed information about the current situation in Iceland,
regarding this particular court case as well as other general information
will appear on various international sites in the coming future.

Against all state and police repression!

Solidarity with the Reykjavík Nine!

Please spread this article far and wide. A list of Icelandic embassies
around the world can be found by clicking here.

Honoring the Student Protesters from this week's national day of action against funding cuts and other structural adjustment policies...

Honoring the Student Protesters from this week's national day of action against funding cuts and other structural adjustment policies...

Abeer Alzinaty is a Hip-Hop artist, Writer and storyteller. Born to a Palestinian family inside the Israeli borders Abeer learned to express herself through art. Performing R&B in Arabic and English. Since 2000 Abeer has participated in various initiatives to support Palestinian children. With two other local Arab Guerilla ladies she founded a youth club;“Future Seekers," in their hometown of Lyd to provide children with a place to play and grow. She has also worked in east Jerusalem in the Israeli women's Lobby, as a mentor to young women.