On Saturday 7 December, Clydeside Anarchist Noise sent a delegation of rabble-rousers to the Glasgow Radical Bookfair, at the Quaker House. We handed out loads of our zines (and ran out – possibly slightly too early!), participated in the discussions, chatted to comrades from across the anarchist scene in Scotland, and made loads of new pals! Additionally, we were able to raise some money for legal fees and to help a single mother pay her rent this month – thank you to everyone who contributed to these efforts.
Overall, we had a grand time – thank you to Red & Black Clydeside for putting it on and thanks to Food Not Bombs Govanhill for feeding us throughout the day!
Finally, attendants at the Bookfair were (un)lucky enough to be the first to see the 2nd issue of the Clydeside Anarchist Zine. This new issue is more colourful and prettier (if we dare say so ourselves), and contains a number of (not-so) theoretical texts, poems and how-to guides for local extremists. There’s a digitally readable version available below, as well as a link to Zine #1.
We are always looking for stuff to go on our blog / in our next zine – email us at notcan@riseup.net
On Saturday, 7 December, Clydeside Anarchist Noise will have a stall at the Radical Bookfair by Red & Black Clydeside, from 12 onwards at the Quaker House (G2 4PS).
Come say hi to us and our pals, grab copies of zines, books, posters and stickers new and old, and help cover some of our collective costs and legal fees!
For the occasion, we shall have, for the first time, copies of our second zine (see the charming first issue here), which include various radical texts, fresh poems in English and Gaelic, and even some handy how-to guides for local extremists.
There will be stalls by other groups, free vegan food from Govanhill Food not Bombs, as well as a number of interesting discussions. More information on the Radical Bookfair on the Red & Black Clydeside website, as well as in the images below:
On the morning of 27/11, state forces in London attacked the Kurdish Community Centre, and violently abducted six activists from their homes. Several other people have been arrested since during clashes outside the Centre, which remains occupied by the police.
On the same night, anarchists in Glasgow put up a banner in Govanhill reading:
Solidarity with Kurdish refugees targeted by UK State in London – Resistance is not Terror!
(an earlier version of this post, with only the Glasgow action, was taken down when BlackBlogs went down for a wee while earlier this month – since then, comrades from London sent us their banner drop – cheers!)
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!
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.
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.
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!
