At long last! It has us taken some time to get this put up on our blog (abolish modern telecommunication!) so some of this might be slightly outdated.
Attached is a digitally readable version of the first edition of the Clydeside Anarchist Zine – a collection of texts written by our collective – as well as a printable version (print at 2 pages per A4 sheet, double sided, and flip on short edge).
Accepting submissions for the next edition – feel free to email notcan@riseup.net
On 5/6/2024 the Greek state and police forced the evacuation of the squat “Zizania”. The state enforced the destruction of a safe haven once more. Zizania through its autonomous organizing was an essential part of the neighborhood. In their social actions protecting immigrant and queer communities, they were an example in creating spaces for -and by- the dispossessed.
In a reflex response, Anarchist Folk Night in Glasgow dropped a banner in a show of international solidarity. We won’t allow the state to deny our existence!
LIBERATE SPACES FROM THE STATE AND CAPITAL
SOLIDARITY WITH ZIZANIA SQUAT
This has originally been written for a series of texts on autonomous social centres in our upcoming zine.
Glasgow Autonomous Space is back. Once again the city will have an autonomous social centre, in a shiny new premises in Govanhill.
The closing of “old” GAS, that venerably DIY industrial unit on Kilburnie Street in Tradeston, was a huge blow for the radical scene in Glasgow. Gone was the movement space that was the obvious choice for where to hold meetings or events. Where else was it posible to host free talks, film screenings, etc without paying by the hour for the use of the space? Countless groups and projects suddenly found themselves without a home; scattered to the wind and forced to operate from people’s flats or spaces that didnt share our anti-capitalist principles. Gone was the hub for a whole variety of projects and people doing anti-capitalist organising in Glasgow; where people involved in different projects could meet or hear about each others events and an easy entry point for those new to the scene to find things to get involved in. It’s not easy to overstate the impact of GAS’s closure in the early months of 2023.
So, it’s no surprise that we are thrilled at the prospect of a new space opening this summer. Any movement requires spaces to organise in and an anti-capitalist, anti-hierarchical movement needs those spaces to be anti-capitalist and anti-hierarchical. This is what we hope “new” GAS will be: what it was before and perhaps even something better. And, it’s what we need it to be because we have a lot of organising to do. With the beginning of implementation of the state’s sinister Rwanda scheme and the increase in detainment and deportation of refugees this entails, state support for genocide in Palestine, the ever increasing cost of living, continual attacks on the trans community, the flailings of a tory government in its death throes and the prospect of a new conservative government wearing different coloured ties: we need to build connections and community across the anti-authoritarian left and a space like GAS could be a vital part of that.
The GAS Collective have organised an open meeting at the new space on the 8th of June (9 Hollybrook Place, G42, 14:00-17:00) and we would encourage anyone who desires to see an autonomous social centre in Glasgow again to head along and get involved if you can.
In a night of action in Glasgow’s West End, antifascists put up dozens of posters and dropped two banners; one over the M8 (FUCK NAZIS) and one on Woodlands Rd (Dinnae Be Fash).
The text on the poster reads:
Antifascist Zone – We have recently noticed increased neo-nazi activity in and around Glasgow. This includes stickering and graffiti, increased recruitment efforts, attempts to infiltrate demonstrations, and a recent assault in Erskine.
We know this represents a small minority of pathetic, hateful wee guys. We want to remind them that these are our streets, our neighbourhoods, and their shite won’t go unopposed.
We call on the antifascist comunity in Glasgow to mobilise, to support antifascist initiatives and demonstrations, to counter nazi efforts to lay claim to public spaces, and to organise your own forms of antifascist resistance.
¡No pasarán! – 161
SUPPORT ARRESTED PRO-PALESTINE ACTIVISTS!
Three activists shut down the Govan Thales factory in 2022 for their role in the production of weapons for the Israeli state, and now face years in prison.
Support those who struggle against the occupation! Freedom for Palestine! Down with Apartheid!
Court support needed at Glasgow Sheriff Court, 20th-25th of November 2023.
CAN.
Submission by pals in Dundee.
On Saturday 17th June antifascists, trade unionists, anarchists and socialists gathered from across Scotland to demonstrate against an anti-immigrant rally being held in Elgin by Hitler fanboy Alek Yerbury and his neo-nazi Highland Division.
A vigil for refugees was organised on the Plainstones by Moray TUC on one side of the church, where people started to gather from around 11am, while a handful of fascists began to gather around the other side. A self-described libertarian wandered around the vigil with his young children while filming, generally being an arse, and trying to get antifascists to debate him. Despite the clear advantage in numbers, Moray TUC were reluctant to go around the church to confront the fascists, aiming instead to focus on their own peaceful vigil – fortunately they were unable to maintain control over the situation.
Just before noon, a 17 year old punk boy upheld a glorious antifascist tradition by punching Alek Yerbury and was cautioned by police. Shortly after this, antifascists spontaneously began to pour around the side of the church, quickly surrounding Yerbury and the 7 Highland Division nazis and forcing the police to form a protective circle around them.
Susan Slater of Moray TUC made a weak attempt to stop people chanting “fascist scum off our streets” and stick to “positive slogans” – there’s always one liberal telling people how to protest. This request was promptly ignored. Susan Slater later told a Northern Scot journalist she was disappointed that the nazis were confronted directly – maybe Moray TUC needs new reps or to up its commitment to antifascism!
For two hours Highland Division were drowned out by between 200 and 300 antifascists, trade unionists and locals. There were chants of “fascist scum off our streets”, “say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here”, “when refugees are under attack what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” as well as such hit songs as “you can shove your nazi flag up your arse” and “the master race? You’re havin a laugh,” with a special shoutout to comrade vuvuzela. Several times Alek Yerbury tried to start speaking, only to be drowned out with a wall of noise and forced to give up.
Eventually the nazis had enough and the police line fell back to try and offer them an escape route, which was met by antifascists immediately surging forwards and pushing the tightly protected nazis into an alleyway while victoriously chanting “who’s streets? Our streets!”
Some antifascists then broke off and ran down a parallel street to cut the nazis off at the other side, sandwiching them in. After some halfhearted threats to charge the antifascists blocking the other side of the alleyway with participating in an illegal moving protest, the police let the nazis out of a side entrance. Yerbury and Highland Division were then pursued all the way back to their minibus, with police forming a defensive line across the entrance to the car park.
Other than the boy who was cautioned there were 0 arrests, the fascists were outnumbered at least 20 to 1, and they were driven out of Elgin in one of the most humiliating defeats anyone could expect.
We’ll never let nazis have a platform in Scotland, nae pasaran!
ANTIFASCIST ACTION DUNDEE
Submission by comrades in Edinburgh.
Attention all anti-monarchists and opponents of capitalism and the state!
On May 6th, 2023, we are calling for an anti-capitalist and anti-state bloc at Edinburgh’s May Day rally at 12pm, as well as the anti-monarchy rally on Calton Hill at 3pm.
This will be a demonstration against the coronation of Charles and the entire institution of monarchy, as well as the state and capitalism.
We refuse to stand idly be as this archaic system of oppression is celebrated and perpetuated. The UK capitalist state is based on dispossession of the commons and colonial plunder, with the monarchy being the most egregious and obvious example. In Scotland, half of rural land is owned by 432 landowners, whilst everyone else spends most of their working lives exploited at work, paying off a debt on a small patch of land which is barely enough to accommodate a dwelling, if they can even get a mortgage at all. The capitalist state system is driving us towards extinction due to ecological collapse – we must radically transform our social and economic system before it’s too late.
We call on all those who yearn for a world free from domination to join us on May 6th. Let us take to the streets, make our voices heard, and demonstrate our collective power. Let us show the world that another world is not only possible, but necessary.
We stand as part of a long and proud history of revolt, from the Paris Commune of 1871 and the Spanish revolution of 1936 to the on-going revolutions of the Zapatistas and Rojava who are showing that a world beyond the state and capitalism is possible.
An elected head of state will not change anything, just simply give the capitalist state a more liberal image. Its neocolonial plunder will continue, it will continue to protect the interests of capital against the working class.
We propose smashing the state and replacing it with a confederation of autonomous participatory councils, communes and assemblies. Workers should take control of their workplaces, abolish bosses and place them under workers-self management. This federated grassroots participatory polity using recallable delegates and confederation should encompass the whole world into an international “commune of communes”. This would give power back to communities, and allow us to take back control of our lives. It’s been done before, from the Spanish revolution, to Rojava and the Zapatistas. We can do it here too.
Fire to the monarchy! Fire to the state! Take back the commons – for an international Democratic Confederalism and the commune of communes!
For contact: edinburghlibertariansocialists@proton.me
P.S. Clydeside Anarchist Noise is in a period of self-reflection, meaning we have taken a short break from outward-facing action. Meanwhile, we have been supporting local struggles and building networks of solidarity. Stay tuned, and see you soon on the streets…
On 04/12, as part of the International Week in Solidarity with hunger striker Alfredo Cospito (https://enoughisenough14.org/2022/11/28/we-wont-allow-the-murder-of-alfredo-cospito-on-hunger-strike-sive-october-20-2022-call-for-a-week-of-action-from-november-28-until-december-5/), anarchists intervened at a free screening at the Glasgow Autonomous Space to inform those attending of Alfredo’s hunger strike and struggle against the 41bis prison regime. Some of the comrades attending helped drop a solidarity banner in the South Side.
WE WILL NOT LET OUR COMRADE DIE AT THE HANDS OF THE ITALIAN STATE
41BIS IS TORTURE – FIRE TO THE PRISONS
The historic Prosfygika buildings in central Athens have been occupied for years, housing, among others, refugees, militants, and various collective bodies. In the early hours of 22/11, cops raided the prosfygika, in the targeted kidnapping of one comrade. In the afternoon, they raided two blocks of the Prosfygika, while an urgent assembly was happening, arresting a total of 79 people. Throughout these two raids, militants defended the occupied neighbourhood with tooth and nail (and rocks, fireworks and doors,) using their own bodies as barricades in the defence of the homes of the struggle. The comrade who was initially kidnapped remains a hostage of the state.
As a minimal act of international solidarity, on 24/11, we dropped a banner stating “Solidarity to Prosfygika – 10, 100, 1000 Squats all over the World”. Our choice of spot was not random; we symbolically chose the gate of the site which housed the Baile Hoose squat for a month in 2021, defying the militarisation of our neighbourhoods and lives during COP26.
SOLIDARITY TO THE COMRADE ACCUSED OF PARTICIPATION IN THE REVOLUTIONARY ORGANISATION “THOUSANDS SUNS OF NIGHT”
SOLIDARITY TO ALL ARRESTEES
DEFEND PROSFYGIKA – DEFEND THE HOUSES OF THE STRUGGLE
Come along to the second monthly screening of the Glasgow Anarchist Film Club, where we will be screening French film La Haine (1995), and fundraising for the Anarchist Black Cross Bristol.
Come along at 17:00 for an open organising meeting, and at 18:00 for the screening + discussion on revolt!
Bring snacks and drinks (to share if you like).
All funds raised will go to ABC Bristol in their struggle to support Kill the Bill prisoners.
Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, disableism, and bigotry of all kinds will not be tolerated and will be challenged.
