zondag 22 maart 2015

Blockupy 2015: Activists from entire Europe put the banking system back in its place

How a great start of the day ended in a fizzle



The brand new 183m high and 1,3 billion (!) costing building of the European Central Bank (ECB) had its grand opening on Wednesday the 18th of march. Around a hundred politicians and economists (like ECB-president Mario Draghi, the Hessische Minister of Economy Tarek al-Wazir and the mayor of Frankfurt Peter Feldmann [SPD - socialdemocrats!]) came to see Mario Draghi cut a blue ribbon for the opening ceremony.


Outside the megalomaniac building were since approximately 6 o'clock in the morning the streets of Frankfurt-East covered in thick black smoke. 350 arrested protestors, 200 wounded, 7 burned out police cars and 94 wounded officers (!), characterized this fourth Blockupy event this day.


Hundreds of autonomen from West- and South-Europe, went into the city in small groups of 50 to a 100 man, traditionally dressed as Black Bloc (or like around 350 Italian autonomen in blue as a part of the five finger tactic this day, dressed in Viva la Commune’ shirts - "bleu autonomen" who seemed at least just as dangerous as all other militants!). Glass from tram- and bus stops and other buildings (like banks) were shattered, roadblocks were raised, through this the signal was given that the violence of the banking system towards the peoples of Europe is no longer tolerated and that this violence can only be answered with violence. The State-apparatus, consisting of around 8000 cops, could count on a rain of stones, pyro's and bottles (filled with corrosive acid) and other projectiles. 
It was even managed by German autonomen to break free their eingekesselte Italian comrades by unleashing hard attacks on the cops. 

The fire department who wanted to extinguish and clear away the burning blockades could also count on heavy resistance from militants - Let the ECB feel the discontent about their work in their own homebase!

So the message was clear: Against the Austerity politics - Against the ECB, against the Troika!


Also a Dutch delegation of activists, who are part of the European Anti Capitalist Network (ACN/AKN), traveled to Frankfurt am Main to participate in this grandly announced protest to break down the infrastructure surrounding the ECB.     

The motivations of the ACN-delegation were: 

- The ECB - as part of the larger Troika - is a ruthless oppressor of the working class worldwide;

- Stop the loans of finance capital to governments in other countries to demand liberal economic reforms;      
- Stop these demands of freezing wages, pension magnifications, social breakdown, etc.;         

- Stop this form of 'Verelendung' of the proletariat, next to the daily exploitation of surplus!

It was rightly that, for instance hundreds of Greek activists traveled to release their social discontent against the ECB (as the symbol of German aggression against the Greek people).   


A sign that not everybody falls for the 'leftwing' political trick of the bourgeoisie -  
“Fuck Syriza!”

With this short introduction about the morning the most militant part of the Blockupy protest came to an end. The militant actions of autonomen that in a destructive manner came out of "nothing" in the morning, seem to have disappeared at the beginning of the midday as fast as they started. The city guerilla had done its job. The ECB was warned. Where some small groups of militant and support still ventured in the streets of Frankfurt, they were hunted down and driven away. This way the tide of militant resistance slowly faded away from the streets. 

However, in the centre of Frankfurt am Main around 8000 protestors still peacefully demonstrated under the warm sun. There seemed to be a good atmosphere - just like the organization of Blockupy, the City Council Frankfurt / M and the cops liked to see. With passivity the discontent against the contemporary European politics was shown.     

It was easy for the cops to surround the Kundgebung and controlling everything and anyone, according to the book/program. 

Therefore the whole motley mix of Blockupy protestors was reduced immediately to a notable petit-bourgeois phenomenon again. Also this time Blockupy seemed to be a mass event (around 8000 protestors came together in the centre, 10.000 on the whole day), which was accessible for broad layers of the society. Anarchists, communists, students, LGTB, vegans, Anti-Germans, Antifa, antiglobalists, anti-imperialists, alternative subcultures, etc. - all of these groups could uncritically intertwine. Completely different ideologies constantly overlapped each other. However, how can participants with EU- and Israel-flags be reconciled with other ideologies present, such as anti-EU politics and liberation-movements politics!?  


Which direction this movement should go? 

More interesting this day was the Union-demonstration of the DGB further into town. With around 3000 protestors (10 times as much as the DGB had expected), this demo gave a more 'working class politics' to the Blockupy concept. "For us Unions it is unacceptable that the Troika scrabbles in the CAO-politics", the DGB-boss of Frankfurt, Harald Fiedler, stated. "Therefore we are solidary with our fellow workers in Greece, Italy and Spain". His remark that because of the violence this message faded is ofcourse debatable. 

However, some things can be better analyzed and clarified about Blockupy:    

- Not only the finance capital (read; Troika) needs to be attacked by Blockupy. This is just a part of capitalism (just as industrial capital also is);

- Not the rebellion of a vague broad substratum in society needs to be propagated: a peoples revolution. This can only lead towards a bourgeois revolution;

- There must be clear militant workers mass presence, a clear working class politics standpoint needs to be taken.   

- Only the working class can overthrow the current capitalist social relations, towards socialism;

- Also the Unions and revolutionary cells need to be more anchored in the companies and working places. Transport and construction just went through in the rest of Frankfurt / M! No work was laid down!

- A bridge from a broad-based Movement as Blockupy towards a militant working class movement can be the only way towards revolution!
  

Conclusion: 

Nothing seems to be a problem at Blockupy, everything can be mixed together. Regardless whether it excludes each other or not. Except ofcourse the presence of anticapitalist 'neo-Nazi’s', which is turned into one big drama. 

In short: 

The militant clashes between autonomen and the cops must be applauded: Class against Class! However, a mass movement which is not directed by a 'Workers Vanguard'  is not revolutionary:

Towards the General Strike!

Break down the Capitalist infrastructure!

All power to the workers!









donderdag 19 maart 2015

Militant Anticapitalist Resistance in Frankfurt


The new headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) was opened in Frankfurt am Main on the 18th of March. More than 1,3 billion euros were spend to create this new 185 meters high skyscraper with a huge fence and moat. This intimidating symbol of power emphasizes the far distance between the political, and economical elites and the people. The festivities were attended by several EU-leaders and European oligarchs.


Blockupy, an alliance of anticapitalist groups, called to disturb these festivities. In this time of crisis and unseen austerity policies there is nothing to celibrate! Therefore over 20.000 anticapitalists from the whole of Europe were present in the economic heart of Europe to turn it into a bastion of anticapitalist resistance. Activists from the Anticapitalist network (ACN/AKN) attended the protests in name of the national-revolutionary movement.


An extended actionreport about this will follow soon…      


zondag 15 maart 2015

Pegida: Hostile Take Over



In October 2014 an anti-Islam protest took place in Dresden by an initiative named 'Patriotische Europäer gegen Islamisierung des Abendlandes' (Pegida). The same goes for Pegida as for the rest of the new-right in Europa: Hate towards the Islam is the primary motive and with this it puts itself on one line with Zionism.


 Jürgen Elsässer: “Israel like each State has the right on self-defense"


Although Pegida regularly criticizes the "lügenpresse" (lies press) they detest so much, the founders of this movement remarkably all have a background in the media business. Pegida founder Lutz Bachmann is CEO at a PR agency, which has very close ties with the Axel-Springer Verlag; a strongly Zionist German media network. He supports Israel because according to him this country "confronts the worldwide war of Mohammedans." The other founder, Jürgen Elsässer, changed his leftist background for a lucrative job as the editor in chief with the rightwing populist magazine Compact. In several occasions he defended the Zionist regime and its colonist policies and he is considered to be one of the founders of the "Anti-Deutsche" (Anti-German) antifa-movement.
  
Meanwhile all over Europe demonstrations are organized based on the concept Pegida offered and based on exactly the same islamophobe and philosemetic approach. For instance, recently a Pegida-movement was founded in Belgium, in first instance led by Wim van Rooy, father of the outspoken Zionist and executive of the Vlaams Belang Sam van Rooy. Of course Pegida can also here count on the warm support of Islam haters, like the Flemish Defense League, who on their turn are of course inspired by the Zionist English Defense League. Philosemetic hate bloggers like E.J. Bron and Joost Niemöller take care of the Pegida hate campaigns.
 
The Pegida-movement does not stand on its own. In the whole of Europe Islamophobe new-right movements are on the rise.

Although the attacks on the Islam did not start on 9/11, from this day on they got a new face under the banner of the 'War on Terror'. Where in the past the radical right was characterized by its anti-Zionism, new-right movements such as Pegida can count on the warm support of Zionism. Recently a delegation of the 'Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs' (Austria), 'Sverigedemokraterna' (Sweden), 'Die Freiheit' (Germany) and the 'Vlaams Belang' (Belgium) went to Israel to sign the 'Declaration of Jerusalem'. With this some of the most influential political parties in the far right spectrum honored Zionism and signed their declaration of war against the Islam. It must be clear that this new-right fulfills the agenda of the system.  


We condemn this Zionist smear against Islam!


For a united front from the Islamic world to the Occident!


Anti-Zionist Action