Anarchism

Red & Black Forum, April 2014

Future Perspectives for Sydney Anarchism: An Open Discussion

​2pm, Sunday 27 April at Jura.

The success of the bookfair demonstrated how great an interest in anarchism there is among many people in this city. As a follow-up to the bookfair, Red & Black Forum is holding an open discussion​ at Jura for people to contribute their views and discuss ways forward for future anarchist action and activities.​

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In association with Jura Books, Black Rose, and other anarchists, the Sydney Anarchist Bookfair collective is organising Sydney's first ever Anarchist Bookfair.

We aim to have over 50 stalls on the day including publishers, zine producers, radical t shirt designers, anarchist groups, and various campaign groups distributing free information on everything from community gardens to indigenous rights.

Several keynote speakers will discuss various topics of interest in our speaker’s corner, held in the garden outside the main hall, and several workshops will be held throughout the day on anarchist politics.

There will also be food stalls cook up some tasty treats and a childcare corner to help make it possible for families to come along.

Anarchist Bookfairs began in London over 30 years ago and have since spread across the globe, including Australia’s shores with our comrades in Melbourne now planning their fourth annual event. Anarchist Bookfairs are a chance to find out about and discuss libertarian ideas, attend workshops and hear speeches on anarchist history and politics, discover new, local campaigns on wide range of issues, and of course, buy books.

The Sydney Anarchist Bookfair will take place on Saturday 22nd March, between 10.30am and 5pm, at the main hall of Addison Road Community Centre. We hope you can come along!

Stay tuned for more details - please like us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/sydneyanarchistbookfair and check out the website: http://sydneyanarchistbookfair.com/

If you would like more information, or to enquire about booking a stall or holding a workshop, please email sydneyanarchistbookfair at riseup.net

Presentation by members of the Seattle Solidarity Network (USA)

Ever been ripped off or abused by a boss or landlord and wanted to do something about it? Come to this event to learn a bit more about Solidarity Networks. There will be a presentation by former and current members of the Seattle Solidarity Network ('SeaSol'), followed by a discussion about attempts to organise using a Solidarity Network model in Sydney.

SeaSol is an all-volunteer, mutual aid group that organises direct action campaigns to make bosses, landlords and other authority figures 'pay what they owe.' The goal is to support fellow workers' strikes and struggles, build solidarity, and organise to deal with specific job, housing, and other problems caused by the greed of the rich and powerful. Come hear about two members personal experiences, views and lessons. 

Sydney Solidarity Network ('SydSol') is a new  all-volunteer group of workers, students and unemployed people in Sydney. We have formed this network to respond to problems people like us face when bosses treat us unfairly or take advantage of us. We hope to solve these issues ourselves using solidarity - meaning that we stand up for each other and have each other’s backs. We believe that our solidarity network can be a tool to fight against many of the problems that we face in our everyday lives.

MORE ABOUT SEASOL:

"SeaSol is a volunteer network of working people who believe in standing up for our rights. Our goal is to support our fellow workers' strikes and struggles, build solidarity, and organize to deal with specific job, housing, and other problems caused by the greed of the rich and powerful.  We see our efforts as helping to build a powerful and democratic working class movement.  One day we will be strong enough to  take full control over our lives.

A few examples of what we do.

➢ Bert got his rental deposit stolen. He and a group of Solidarity Network supporters visited the property manager at her home one morning, and within a few days she paid up.

➢ Jorge was owed $892 of wages, and the boss adamantly refused to pay. Jorge and a group of other workers visited the boss’s house, then leafleted the boss's church twice on Sunday mornings. After that, the boss agreed to pay Jorge every cent.

➢ Stephanie, Yvette and other long-term motel residents demanded relocation assistance when they were ordered out of their homes at short notice. Organized with the Solidarity Network, motel tenants and  supporters defied eviction threats, visited the landlords’ neighborhood and launched an online and on-the-streets boycott campaign. Within a  month the landlords met all our demands, paying 3-months’ rent per  household to all residents who got involved.

MORE INFO AT WWW.SEASOL.NET

"Ours is not a message of resignation.
It is not one of war, death, or destruction.
Our message is one of struggle and resistance."

Musica De Fuego in association with Schools for Chiapas / Escuelas para Chiapas present "An Evening with Peter Brown" at two Inner West venues.....

1. Jura Books - Sunday 3rd November @ 3pm
440 Parramatta Road, Petersham

2. The Red Rattler Theatre - Wed 13th November 7.30pm
6 Faversham Street Marrickville

Schools for Chiapas founding member Peter Brown is coming to Sydney, armed with a wealth of knowledge and experience of working with the Zapatista communities of Chiapas, Mexico since their uprising in 1994. He is coming to Australia to garner support for Zapatista education including schools, ecological agriculture, heath, and producers' cooperatives.

Brown's immersion in and involvement with the Zapatista movement has allowed him to bear witness to incredible stories of resistance. Some inspirational developments are currently occurring in Chiapas, as the Zapatistas cement their autonomous existence within the international community. This is a rare opportunity to hear about the Zapatista struggle and liberation throughout the last two decades from a man who has been involved with the movement from a grassroots level for many years.

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT PETER BROWN and his work in Chiapas;

Read this one page document -

http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/HCR_Award_Winner_Bio_Sheet_Brown.pdf

or this short video clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQiZczilWv4

Entry to both nights is by donation to Schools for Chiapas. All funds will go directly to the Zapatista communities in resistance in Chiapas, Mexico.

Gracias, compas! See you at one of these venues for this rare opportunity to hear, discuss and ask questions about what is happening with our hermanos y hermanas in Chiapas :)

Election campaigns and voting allow people to participate in politics, but only to a very limited extent. Various participatory options exist, including referenda, self-managing collectives, consensus decision-making, small-scale government units, and randomly selected decision-makers.

We are starting at 4pm sharp, so that those who want to, can go to the rally in Blacktown afterwards. Merata Mita’s classic 1983 Patu! is an amazing and inspiring documentary film. It is a record of the mass direct action that took place in Aotearoa New Zealand in 1981, in protest against a South African rugby tour and the apartheid it represented.