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* From Madrid the anarchist group Star, linked to the Iberian Federation of Anarchists Youths (Federación Ibérica de Juventudes Anarquistas-FIJA-), has raised questions whose answers will let us know today and in detail what is doing and saying the known Venezuelan anarchist newspaper.

- Anarchist group Star (GS) - Could you start talking about your project?

º El Libertario is a newspaper published since 1995 (56 issues from then to June-2009). We try to report on anarchist theory and practice in Latin America and the world, as well as support any libertarian aspect within the social movements we find in our field. We do not receive, nor do we want to receive, any subsidy from the State or other instance of hierarchical power. Our activity is 110% self-managed. This spokesman is based on the anti-authoritarian ideal of anarchism and is promoted by the Collective Editor of El Libertario, an affinity group open to participation and collaboration of people with libertarian principles and attitudes, in an atmosphere of mutual respect and non-dogmatism. The central criterion of affinity is to share the anarchist ideal for building a society based on direct democracy, social justice, self-management, mutual support and self-contract without the authoritarian imposition of the law or force; between other values. Apart from being a propaganda group, we try to promote the existence of a libertarian movement in our country, but for this we presupposes that there must be a number of grass-roots social movements, autonomous and belligerent, as a requisite for the expansion of libertarian ideas and practices in our environment. For that reason we linked to various grass-roots social organizations, accompanied them in their struggle against hierarchical power, and for the human rights. Also, some of us do research work and theoretical reflection. We also encourage tasks to promote a culture of self-management, such as audio-visual samples and talks, and the First Libertarian Book and Video Fair, scheduled for November 2009. Finally, to the extent of our affinities and possibilities, we get involved in campaigns like the one held last year for the 20 years of the slaughter in El Amparo. More details on us, how we act and what we think, in our web: www.nodo50.org/ellibertario (in Spanish, English & other languages), and in the print editions of the newspaper.

Tehran, Saturday june 20 2009 - 4.30 local time, Enghelab Street:

I meet with my students on Saturdays for a private class. We cook and eat together, then talk of philosophy. This time there is no class. We only try to keep up our morale. We are very determined but scared. That is how I can describe most of the people who came out to attend the demonstration today. After the Supreme Leader’s fierce speech at the Friday prayers, we knew that today we would be different. We feel so vulnerable, more than ever, but at the same time are aware of our power. No matter how strong it is collectively, it will do little to protect us today. We could only take our bones and flesh to the streets and expose them to batons and bullets. Two different feelings fight inside me without mixing with one another. To live or to just be alive, that’s the question.

The 4th Musta Pispala will offer practical and theoretical workshops, parties, sauna, book fair and children's activities in the unique setting of Pispala.

For us anarchism means for example the critique of all forms of domination and hierarchy and on the other hand creating non-oppressive, egalitarian culture. We see domination not only in large structures of society, but also in oppressive customs among ourselves. Our analysis is not limited only to human relations. It also includes our relationships with non-human beings. Our aim is to strengthen critical views and empowerment in the form of taking control of our lives. Kill the police within!

This past May 5 union leader Argenis Vasquez, organizing secretary in the union at Toyota’s plant in Cumana, was gunned down by thugs as he left his house. This assassination occurred just after a month-long strike demanding improvements. The murdered worker was a leader of the protest and key in confrontations with the company and the management. It all looks like the unofficial “answer” by a company unable to impose its will on the strikers.

However, not even three months have passed since the deaths of workers Pedro Suarez and Javier Marcano in Anzoategui, in the eastern part of the country, during a violent repression by the regional police ordered by Governor Tarek William Saab as they tried to evict workers from that other Japanese transnational Mitsubishi Motors. The workers were occupying the factory as protest against the firing of 135 workers and for their demands.

These killings come on top of the horrible assassination of the three main leaders of the Union Nacional de Trabajadores –UNT (National Workers Union) in the state of Aragua, also at the hand of thugs who gunned them down this past November 27 in the vicinity of La Encrucijada. They were Richard Gallego, president of UNT’s regional section, Luis Hernandez, union leader at Pepsi-Cola and Carlos Requena, union delegate at Produvisa, all members of political party Unidad Socialista de Izquierda – USI (Left Socialist Union). These labor leaders were at the head of the union in a state with one of the largest rates of labor conflict in the country, leading the struggle in solidarity with workers who occupied the
Colombian transnational Lacteos Alpina due to threats of lock-down and facing harsh repression by the regional police (then under the direction of Governor Didalco Bolivar).

* El Libertario www.nodo50.org/ellibertario has joined this campaign and we’re trying to divulge this initiative in an attempt to confront the hired killers that are taking the lives of labor activists in this country.

Enough killings and repression of workers in struggle!

This past May 5 union leader Argenis Vasquez, organizing secretary in the union at Toyota’s plant in Cumana, was gunned down by thugs as he left his house. This assassination occurred just after a month-long strike demanding improvements. The murdered worker was a leader of the protest and key in confrontations with the company and the management. It all looks like the unofficial “answer” by a company unable to impose its will on the strikers.

However, not even three months have passed since the deaths of workers Pedro Suarez and Javier Marcano in Anzoategui, in the eastern part of the country, during a violent repression by the regional police ordered by Governor Tarek William Saab as they tried to evict workers from that other Japanese transnational Mitsubishi Motors. The workers were occupying the factory as protest against the firing of 135 workers and for their demands.

These killings come on top of the horrible assassination of the three main leaders of the Union Nacional de Trabajadores –UNT (National Workers Union) in the state of Aragua, also at the hand of thugs who gunned them down this past November 27 in the vicinity of La Encrucijada. They were Richard Gallego, president of UNT’s regional section, Luis Hernandez, union leader at Pepsi-Cola and Carlos Requena, union delegate at Produvisa, all members of political party Unidad Socialista de Izquierda –USI (Left Socialist Union). These labor leaders were at the head of the union in a state with one of the largest rates of labor conflict in the country, leading the struggle in solidarity with workers who occupied the Colombian transnational Lacteos Alpina due to threats of lock-down and facing harsh repression by the regional police (then under the direction of Governor Didalco Bolivar).

There have been six workers killed during the struggle in barely five months. In most cases we’re talking about a policy of “Columbization” of labor conflicts: pay assassins to kill labor leaders and thus intimidate the working class and break up their organizations. Let’s not forget that workers at Sanitarios de Maracai (in Aragua) have been the target of various threats and selective prosecutions throughout the struggle, that the workers at Mitsubishi Motors complained that a car in which some workers were traveling was shot up when they were engaged in an information campaign about the filming of the killing of the two [Mitsubishi] workers, and that in June 2008 Gloria Palomino, labor leader at fan manufacturer FM (Fundimeca) in Carabobo, was wounded by a bullet in her leg during a drive by shooting while she was at the front of an occupation at the gates of the company demanding the enforcement of an order to rehire.

These killings (and attempts) of workers in struggle seem to define a method of conflict “resolution” in the midst of reigning impunity, since to date there has not been anybody politically or intellectually responsible for the killings and attempts found, tried or condemned. On the contrary, there is a process to criminalize worker’s protest, there are close to one hundred workers on trial or under orders to appear in front of tribunals for having taken part in protests.

Therefore the organizations and persons whose signatures appear below strongly condemn this situation, we loudly raise our voice in repudiation of the assassination of workers in struggle, by thugs paid by the bosses as well as by the official security forces, we protest against the rampant impunity and demand prosecution and exemplary punishment for those politically and intellectually responsible.

We are convinced that if these crimes go unpunished we slide dangerously towards a national situation of outlawing and silencing by force the worker’s legitimate protest and struggle.

Enough deaths of workers for fighting for their rights!

We demand of all the State powers the prosecution and punishment of those responsible for these crimes, to that end we propose the formation of an Independent Investigative Commission, made up of workers organizations, human rights organizations and relatives of the victims, with access to all the information and freedom to act on a real investigation of the whole problem!

We demand a stop to the prosecution of the workers on trial or under orders to present themselves to the tribunals for struggling for their rights!

We call for the widest coordination and mobilization of workers, students and human rights organizations, truly democratic intellectuals and artists to unite our efforts in a large national and international campaign against these crimes!

INITIAL SIGNATURES

Asamblea de Trabajadores de la Toyota 15/5, Cumaná; Carlos Farías,Secretario de Prensa y Propaganda de SINTRATOYOTA; Sindicato de Trabajadores de la NESTLÉ, Sindicato Bolivariano de Trabajadores de CATIVEN; Sindicato Único de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras de MANPA; Sindicato de Trabajadores de SANITARIOS MARACAY; Sindicato de Trabajadores de GENERAL MILLS de Venezuela (DIABLITOS UNDER WOOD); Sindicato de Trabajadores Bolivarianos Inversiones SEABOOCS C.A.; Sindicato Único de Trabajadores de la Universidad Central de Venezuela (SUTRA-UCV); Sindicato de Obreros del Comedor Estudiantil de la Universidad Central de Venezuela (SOCE-UCV); Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la UCV (SINATRA-UCV); Emilio Bastida y Marcos Guzmán, Coordinadores Regionales de la UNION NACIONAL DE TRABAJADORES (UNT) de Aragua; Orlando Chirino, Coordinador Nacional de la UNT y por la Corriente Clasista, Unitaria, Revolucionaria y Autónoma (CCURA); Sindicato Profesional de Insecticidas y Conexos del estado Aragua; José Bodas, Secretario General del FEDEPETROL (Anzoátegui); Frank Hernández del Sindicato de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras de la PEPSICOLA; Cristhian Pereira, secretario del Sindicato de Trabajadores de CHRYLER AUTOMOTRIZ; Stalin Pérez Borges, Coordinador Nacional de la UNT; Tendencia Clasista Revolucionaria (TCR), SIDOR (Guayana); Centro de Estudiantes de Sociología de la Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV); Consejeros Estudiantiles de la Escuela de Sociología de la Universidad Central de Venezuela; Frente Unido de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras por la Vida, la Salud y el Empleo (FUTRAVISEM); Sismely Carrillo, Secretario General de SINUTRASUFAR; Juan Caracas, Secretario de Seguridad y Vigilancia de SIMBOTRAS BAN HEEL; Lisandro Noguera, Secretario de Finanzas de SINTRACORSUCA; Héctor Ríos, Secretario de SINTRASELVA; José Salcedo, Secretario de Organización de SINUTRAFORJARAGUA; Álvaro Ramos, Secretario de SINUTRAFORJARAGUA; Roberto Bolívar, Secretario de Reclamos de SINTRAEMPROQUI; Héctor Bolívar y Andrés Arriaza, Secretarios del Sindicato Único de LA GIRALDA; Pedro Garrido. Secretario de Organización del Sindicato de ALUCENCA; David Hernández, Secretario General del Sindicato VASOS VENEZOLANOS; José Contreras, Secretario de Actas del Sindicato de VASOS SELVA; Luis Jiménez. Secretario de Organización de SUNTRACALIPEIMA; Luis Hernández. Secretario de Organización de TONOROGAS; Rafael Figueroa, Secretario de SINTRASOBIA; Simón Mollejón, Secretario General de SINCROSOMA, Rafael Correa, Vocal de SINCROSOMA; Luis Torrealba, Delegado de Trabajadores de CATIVEN (Anzoátegui); Periódico PROCESO; Asociación Latinoamericana de Economistas Marxistas (ALEM); Patricio Silva, Coordinador Regional de Misión Sucre, estado Aragua; Radio Comunitaria ECOS 93.9 FM (Mérida), Colectivo Editor de El Libertario; ...
(more signatures)

Send your signature to v.contrarepresionobrera@yahoo.com with your name, the name of your organization (labor, student, political, human rights, community, artist, intellectual etc.) if you belong to any, your city and country.

[For more info - in Spanish, English & other languages - about Venezuelan situation, see www.nodo50.org/ellibertario.]

Yesterday the 8th LGBTIQ (lesbiangaytransintersexualqueer) pride took
place with around 500 people in zagreb, the capital of croatia. Beforhand
the pride organisers made clear with their call that public visibility is
very important from their point of view to make the choice of
non-heteronormal ways of life possible:

"Pride events serve as a public gathering of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, transexual and intersex (LGBTIQ) persons, and as such
represent a gathering of utmost political and social importance. Your
presence would encourage South-Eastern European LGBTIQ community to fight
for our rights and as well give a strong impact to Croatian institutions,
political organizations and public to advocate and/or support LGBTIQ
rights."
( from: www.zagreb-pride.net )

On June 6 a conference was held in Warsaw entitled "the Bologna Process: Adjusting Education to the Needs to Capital". The conference was quite a rare event in a country where, as participants in the conference noted, widespread commercialization of higher education went on without the social reaction which accompanied such changes in so many countries in Europe and around the world.

(27-31 May 2009)

a report from Thessaloniki

As decided at the general assembly of the participants at the 3rd Balkan Anarchist Bookfair in Sofia, the 4th Balkan Anarchist Bookfair was held in Greece. Below is a short report of the first two days in Thessaloniki, where the bookfair was a self-standing event at a public square. (In Athens the bookfair was hosted by the B-Fest, a huge international festival organized by Babylonia newspaper – a report on the bookfair there would be very welcome!)

On June 4 1989, Poland held elections which marked the end of the era of the People's Republic of Poland. Grand ceremonies were held in many cities. Prime Minister Donald Tusk had wanted to hold a large international event in Gdansk but was afraid of massive (and perhaps violent) demonstrations by shipvard workers who lost their job due to an EU decision. They had demonstration recently in Warsaw and there were violent clashes with the police. Tusk decided instead to hold the event, attended by many foreign heads of state, in Wawel Palace in Krakow. Anarchists went there to show him that he could run, but he can't hide.

Besides the anarchists, a group of tenants showed up. They have been protesting and organizing in Krakow for more than a year now. The night before, they had a picket at the Sheraton hotel where VIP guests were staying. They also picketed on the main square in Krakow before the demo.

Anarchists had slogans like "Without Us Their is No Democracy" and "Enough Compromises - the Class War Continues". They marched though the city to Wawel where there were some speeches. In newspapers given out, anarchists called for a boycott of elections and for direct democracy.

Some photos are below. There are also nice ones here and here.
The mainstream paper published some short films (not too good) here. (You have to scroll down a bit.)

Today (2009.04.06) a small group protested in front of the Polish Embassy in Budapest, showing the letters "Save Rozbrat" in a hopefully not so bad Polish. They gave a letter addressed to the ambassador and the city council of Poznan, which was received by the housekeeper and her small child. Rozbrat is one of the oldest squats in Europe and under threat of eviction these days because of an imminent auction. The squat called for an international day of action for May 6th.Today (2009.04.06) a small group protested in front of the Polish Embassy in Budapest, showing the letters „Save Rozbrat” in a hopefully not so bad Polish. They gave a letter addressed to the ambassador and the city council of Poznan, which was received by the housekeeper and her small child. Rozbrat is one of the oldest squats in Europe and under threat of eviction these days because of an imminent auction. The squat called for an international day of action for May 6th.

* After taking part in a demonstration for lack of job security in 2006, 14 workers of contractor “Transportes Camila de SIDOR” could be sentenced to 5 to 10 years in jail.

In 05 September 2006 a group of workers and union leaders staged a protest against the carrier Camila, a contractor to SIDOR (Siderurgic of the Orinoco), the principal steel core business located in Puerto Ordaz, Bolivar state, in Venezuela. The workers were protesting the failure to pay wages, and maintain health and safety, as well as the lack of tools to accomplish their work. The protest was endorsed by Readers of the “Sindicato Único de Trabajadores Siderúrgicos y Similares" (Sutiss, the SIDOR`s union), stopping the equipment whose breakdowns and lack of maintenance represented a threat to the integrity of the workers, following the safety procedures in the labor standards. The employers turned to the regional authorities, getting the Public Ministry to issue an arrest warrant against three syndical leaders and a group of workers by the National Guard, which resulted in a protest by workers of the steel mill.

The Director of the Balicki Hospital in Lodz has fired four nurses and union leaders who participating in a strike last Septmber. The strike lasted 11 days. Nurses were demanding pay raises to brings their salaries up to 2000 - 3500 zloties per month (450 -800 euro) depending on position and seniority. At the time the strike began, the director of the hospital, Piotr Kuna, filed a letter with the prosecutor's office claiming that the strike was illegal.

Such letters are to be expected nowadays in most strike situations in Poland. Bosses look for any infraction of the Act on Collective Bargaining to claim a strike is illegal. In addition, more and more workplaces are brining civil suits against workers who took part in strikes. Kuna also threatened to sue the union, the All-Poland Union of Nurses and Midwives, for "damages" incurred during the strike. He claimed that he wanted to get this money and give it to the nurses who didn't strike.

On April 20, tenants from all over Warsaw protested in front of City Hall against dramatic rent increases. The increases, which come into effect as of May 1, will raise rents in municipal housing, often as high as 200-300%. The increases will effect over 100,000 families in Warsaw which live in public housing.

Tenant protests have been going on frequently over the last two months in this city. Some tenants are protesting against the reprivatization of public housing. In many cases, heirs of pre-war owners of property or other claimants have be awarded ownership of buildings with tenants, many who have live their all their lives. Many of these new owners begin to engage in typical slumlord behaviour, raising rents to extreme levels, cutting off heat and water to the tenants and trying to evict them. In the Prague district alone there are over 200 claims to such buildings and 40 buildings have been privatized. In a response to protests in Praga, the city proudly announced it is "doing something" by building new public housing - 39 new flats in Praga North. In the meanwhile, over 700 families are already waiting for housing and, as reprivatization is increasing, this number is growing rapidly.