notes on the greek december

Subcomandante Marcos of EZLN, MESSAGE to revolted Greece:
Compañera, compañero. Grecia rebelde.
Nosotros, los mas pequeños, de esta rincon del mundo, te saludamos.
Recibe nuestro respecto y nuestra admiración por lo que piensas y haces.
Desde lejos aprendemos de ti.
Gracias.

Comrade woman, comrade man. Revolted Greece.
We, the smallest, from this corner of world, salute you.
Accept our respect and our admiration
for what you think and do.
From far away, we learn from you. We thank you.

Subcomandante Marcos / December 2008
1st World Festival of Dignified Rage.
MEXICO, December 2008



NOTES ON THE EVENTS OF THE GREEK DECEMBER 2008

December 2008 has been a transition point for Greece. A lot of people positioned in the radical left, autonomy and anarchism say that politics in Greece –and by politics I mean the independent grass root political movement rather than the governmental political parties– will not be the same any more after the youth uprising that took place in December. The murdering of the 16-year-old student, Alexis Grigoropoulos, in the area of Eksarxia in Athens by a special force policeman triggered a spontaneous massive youth revolt in every Greek city and lasted for one month. What was so special about this revolt? And why is the international solidarity towards this movement so crucial in our understanding of its character?

The youth revolt of December 2008 is related with the deep economic crisis and the neoliberal education and labor policies. For the first time in Greece high school and university students together with young workers, unemployed people and immigrants participated in the same protests in the streets of Athens, Thessaloniki and many other Greek cities. The protesters expressed their opposition to the whole political system and the state aiming at the subversion of the government and fore grounding their needs and rights concerning education and labor. The people who participated in this revolt expressed their need to do politics for themselves instead of being represented by a single official political party and they developed various practices of self-organization and action; they occupied public buildings which were transformed to information centers and they did open grass root assemblies functioning in a direct democratic way. These assemblies have been the ‘lab’ of developing and deepening the content of this revolt. The protesters have used massive practices of violence as a sort of ‘counter-violence’ against the institutionalized multilayered violence of bourgeois power. These were practices of symbolic violence against the state and its institutions, such as attacking police stations, banks and multinational companies and burning the Christmas tree in the centre of Athens.


Contextualizing the December revolt

The December revolt is linked with the local and global context of the contemporary economic crisis and this is the reason why it has caused such a great interest internationally. Besides the great number of protests of solidarity that took place in different cities of the world, there has been a high interest on behalf of the international media concerning this revolt. Many newspapers characterized this revolt as the first one to be followed by many others in the metropolises of capitalism within the context of the crisis of the free market causing a rise of unemployment and poverty. In order to understand the reasons that caused this revolt and why so many young heterogeneous people participated in it we need to understand the role of this crisis and its possible consequences.

The economic crisis is actually a deep crisis of the capitalist production relations and it is taking place in the heart of the capitalist world (USA, Great Britain, EU) and the developing capitalist countries (China, Russia). It appears to be a crisis of the symbols of capitalism’s superiority (Wall Street, banks, insurance companies, etc) which were supposed to cover every human need (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were supposed to give loans to the lower classes and help them find a house…). This crisis involves all domains of capitalist economy (decrease of sales regarding cars, goods and houses, decrease of industrial production, increase of unemployment). Apart from the economic aspect, this crisis has particular ideological and political consequences (maybe this is why some people have talked about this crisis as the “1989 of neoliberalism”). It seems that capitalism is not the inevitable destiny of humanity and the history isn’t over as Fukujama would like to believe. For this reason the contemporary crisis constitutes a crucial transition point. The direction that this transition will take is still unclear.

There are two crucial issues at stake here which I want to address from a feminist point of view. First, this economic crisis is followed by a strong ethical crisis of neoliberalism which makes it necessary for us to rethink ourselves and our future(s) and second it raises serious questions about its possible outcomes and the way we, women, will deal with them. Regarding the first aspect, the economic crisis signifies the end of capitalism’s ethical basis; the two basic ethical values for survival and self-progress in the free market world, individualism and utilitarianism, have failed. There is no future of social prosperity any more and social inequalities are getting worse. There is a Fourth World of dominated and repressed others, women, illiterate people, immigrants, refugees and all kinds of sexual, ethnic, racial and class minorities living in the global capitalist metropolises. Regarding the second aspect, one could say that a new social order of horror is arising at an international level. Many national economies are already in recession, announcing a period of increased numbers of poverty, unemployment and homeless people. How will the states deal with this situation? They will probably need to use more repression and adopt more anti-terrorist measures in order to face inside social tensions and conflicts or internal enemies (there is an attempt by the Greek state and the media to categorize anarchists as terrorists). There is always the fear of the development of new forms of totalitarian neofascist regimes, nationalism and patriotism (see for example the high numbers of extreme right wing parties in the elections all over Europe or the rise of neo-nazist movements in Russia). I believe that in this context gender, class and ethnicity differences will be foregrounded as negative categories and they will be colonized and defined in exclusionary terms, following Braidotti’s (2002) analysis. Difference will be a crucial notion in the years to come. Women are expected to be the first victims of this economic crisis since they already constitute the majority of poor people globally.

It is not certain that the defeat of what has been called postmodern capitalism will be followed by a society of equality and fairy tales. It is historically urgent that we, women, start building new narratives about our needs and rights and work on our ‘outopias’ of equality and freedom which seem to be more rational and justified than over. There are no easy answers on how to do this but what the Greek December has taught us, who have participated in the events, is that this is a period of great potential and hope for a different future to emerge. But it will only emerge from us, from the people who do politics for themselves and develop new practices of social organization and relations.


Angeliki

Activist brutally raped and murdered in Oaxaca earlier this fall

A piece of news a couple of months late.

Activist brutally raped and murdered

Version en espanol sigue despues del link.


Please read and sign the below call to action. The Spanish version follows my translation. This event is beyond tragic.

Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca.

Thursday, September 25

Justice for our sister Marcella Sali Grace!

Brother and sisters,

Our hearts are full of sadness and rage because our sister Sali was brutally raped and murdered 20 minutes from San Jose del Pacifico and up to this moment the Oaxacan Attorney General's Office, as is its custom, is not doing anything regarding the fact that there exist witnesses who have information to identify those responsible.

Marcella Sali Grace was born in the United States, with a big heart in solidarity with just causes. She had many friends because she was always inclined to help, using her artistic talents to paint a banner or a wall or doing Arabic dance to raise funds for the struggle, or putting on punk shows, or giving self-defense courses for women because she knew very well how the men accosted them. This was one of her struggles, that women were free and respected. Sali was so involved in the struggle that she was an international accompanier of brothers and sisters who felt harassed by the bad government of Ulises Ruiz Ortiz.

Unfortunately, on September 24, a woman's body was found with the physical characteristics of Sali, in a deserted cabin twenty minutes from the village of San Jose del Pacifico and at the moment when a village member went to feed some dogs around that area, he was struck by a fetid odor coming from this cabin and notified the municipal authorities of the village, who proceeded to remove the body which was already in a state of decay, and after these events, they did not give any more information to the people in the village.

Yesterday, companera Julieta Cruz (who knew Sali was headed for San Jose del Pacifico) was informed that a young, foreign woman was at in the Miahuatlan amphitheatre, where she went, and where she recognized the body of Sali because of the tattoos she had, as her face was unrecognizable. Julieta thinks it is because of burns, but it doesn't explain why the rest of her body has less visible damage. When we asked for the case number we were denied as well from seeing the results of the autopsy, as they argued with us that because we weren't relatives they couldn't give us any information.

Due to her solidarity work with the popular struggle of the people of Oaxaca, in other struggles in the world and against the racism on Mexico's border with the U.S., on different occasions and to different people, Sali mentioned that recently in Oaxaca she had suffered political persecution and surveillance. This makes us think that her cowardly murder is related to the widespread repression against the social movement and directed particularly at international observers. Because of this, we don't dismiss that the intellectual authors are the same who ordered the repression against the people of Oaxaca in their struggle for justice and freedom.

In the face of these bloody events, and for the brutal cruelty used against companera Sali, we don't disregard that this could be a clear message directed at all the people of Oaxaca, as well as the companeros in solidarity from different parts of the world; we say this based on the recent national and international news which says that "APPO members were the ones who killed U.S. journalist Bradley Roland Will" and as there is no justice in Oaxaca, we worry that the distortion of information could interfere in procuring true justice for our companera and the clear bureaucratic slowness with which the involved authorities are already treating this investigation.

In the face of these lamentable events, WE DEMAND:

..The immediate speeding up of the investigations.


The immediate clarification of the facts.


Punishment for the intellectual and material murderers.


Justice for our sister Marcella Sali Grace!

Enough is enough with of the murders, violence and hatred against women who fight for justice!


We ask you to sign on (at the email indicated) to this demand for justice and to become a part of the urgent activities to demand the clarification of these cowardly acts.


rebeldiasentrelazadas@yahoo. com
Information: (01 951) 5178190 CIPO
..
..FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 25

..

9:00 am Presence at the U.S.
Consulate in Oaxaca
(Santo Domingo Plaza, Col.
Centro, Oaxaca)

12:00 noon Rally at the State Attorney General's Office: To demand the case is brought to Oaxaca and to speed up the bureaucratic procedures for the administration of justice.

(Domicilio conocido, San Antonio de la Cal, Col. Experimental).

..Signed:
Encuentro de Mujeres Oaxaquenas "Compartiendo Voces de Esperanza"
Colectivo Mujer Nueva
Consejo Indigena Popular de Oaxaca Ricardo Flores Magon
Voces Oaxaquenas Construyendo Autonomia y Libertad
Colectivo Tod@s Somos Pres@s
Encuentro de Jovenes en el Movimiento Social Oaxaqueno
(...)
..


..

..

Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca.

Jueves 25 de septiembre.

..!Justicia para nuestra hermana Marcella Sali Grace!
..

Hermanos y hermanas.

Nuestros corazones estan llenos de tristeza y rabia porque nuestra hermana Sali fue violada y asesinada brutalmente a 20 minutos de San Jose del Pacifico y hasta este momento la procuraduria de Oaxaca como es su costumbre no esta haciendo nada a pesar que existen testigos que dan indicios para identificar a los responsables.

Marcella Sali Grace nacio en los Estados Unidos, con un corazon grande y solidario con las causas justas quien tenia muchas amigas y amigos porque siempre estaba dispuesta a ayudar, asi con sus dotes de artista pintaba una manta o una pared o bailaba su danza arabe para sacar fondos para la lucha, o hacia sus conciertos con bandas de punks, o daba sus cursos de defensa personal a las mujeres pues conocia muy bien como los hombres las acosan, esta era una de sus luchas, el que las mujeres fueramos libres y respetadas, Sali estaba tan comprometida en la lucha que fue acompanante internacional de hermanos y hermanas que estan siendo hostigadas por el mal gobierno de Ulises Ruiz Ortiz.

Desgraciadamente este 24 de septiembre fue encontrado el cuerpo de una mujer con las caracteristicas fisicas de Sali, en una cabana deshabitada a veinte minutos de la poblacion de San Jose del Pacifico y al momento en que un poblador fue a alimentar a unos perros que se encontraban por ahi, lo impresiono un olor fetido que provenia de dicha cabana y dio aviso a las autoridades municipales de dicha poblacion, los cuales procedieron a hacer el levantamiento del cuerpo que se encontraba ya en estado de putrefaccion, y despues de dichos sucesos, no se dio mas informacion a los pobladores.

El dia de ayer se le dio aviso a la companera Julieta Cruz (quien tenia conocimiento de que Sali se dirigia para dicho lugar), que una joven extranjera se encontraba en el anfiteatro de Miahuatlan, a donde ella se dirigio, en donde reconocio el cuerpo de Sali debido a los tatuajes que tenia, ya que su rostro estaba irreconocible, la companera supone que es debido a quemaduras, pues no se explica por que el resto del cuerpo tiene danos visiblemente menores. Al momento en que pedimos el numero de averiguacion se nos fue negado al igual que los resultados de la necropsia, argumentandonos que debido a que no eramos familiares de la persona no se nos podria facilitar ningun dato.

Debido al trabajo solidario con la lucha popular del pueblo de Oaxaca, de otras luchas del mundo y contra el racismo en la frontera de Mexico con Estados Unidos, en diversas ocasiones y a diferentes personas, Sali comento que en Oaxaca, en fechas recientes sufria de persecucion politica y vigilancia. Esto nos hace pensar que su cobarde asesinato tiene relacion con la represion generalizada a los movimientos sociales y dirigida particularmente a los observadores internacionales. Por esto mismo no descartamos que los actores intelectuales sean los mismos que ordenan la represion contra el pueblo de Oaxaca que lucha por justicia y libertad.

Ante estos hechos sangrientos, y por la brutal crueldad que ejercen sobre la companera Sali, no dejamos de lado que puede ser un claro mensaje dirigido a todo el pueblo de Oaxaca, asi como a los companeros solidarios de diferentes partes del mundo; esto lo decimos basado en las recientes noticias que estan circulando a nivel nacional e internacional, de que "los appistas son los que mataron al periodista norteamericano Bradley Roland Will" y como no hay justicia en Oaxaca, nos preocupa la distorsion de la informacion que pudiera interferir en la procuracion de una verdadera justicia para nuestra companera y la ya evidente lentitud burocratica con la que estan tratando el caso las autoridades actualmente implicadas en la investigacion.

Ante estos hechos lamentables EXIGIMOS:

.. La inmediata agilizacion de las investigaciones.


El esclarecimiento inmediato de los hechos.


El castigo a los asesinos intelectuales y materiales.


!Justicia para nuestra hermana Marcella Sali Grace!

!Basta de asesinatos, violencia y odio contra las mujeres que luchan por justicia!


Pedimos su adhesion (en el correo que se indica) a esta exigencia de justicia y a formar parte de las actividades urgentes para demandar el esclarecimiento de estos hechos cobardes.


rebeldiasentrelazadas@yahoo. com
Informacion: (01 951) 5178190 CIPO

VIERNES 25 DE SEPTIEMBRE
..

9:00 am Presencia en el Consulado de los Estados Unidos en Oaxaca
(Plaza Santo Domingo, Col. Centro.
Oaxaca)

12:00 del medio dia Mitin en la Procuraduria de Justicia del estado de Oaxaca: Para la exigencia de atraer el caso a la ciudad de Oaxaca y agilicen su tramite burocratico para la imparticion de justicia
(Domicilio conocido, San Antonio de la Cal, Col. Experimental).

..Firmas:
Encuentro de Mujeres Oaxaquenas "Compartiendo Voces de Esperanza"
Colectivo Mujer Nueva
Consejo Indigena Popular de Oaxaca Ricardo Flores Magon
Voces Oaxaquenas Construyendo Autonomia y Libertad
Colectivo Tod@s Somos Pres@s
Encuentro de Jovenes en el Movimiento Social Oaxaqueno
(...)




Apparently the rape and murder did not follow any political activities as is suggested above; it didn't happen because Marcella Sali Grace was a foreign activist. But of course it is still a terrible act of patriarchal violence and is in itself political. It is reinforcing the power men have over women. The rapist and murderer was identified. Here's an article about it in national newspaper la Jornada (in Spanish).

http://www.jornada.unam.mx/ultimas/2008/09/28/artesano-del-df-presunto-asesino-de-activista-grace-1

and one in English from narconews

http://narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/kristin-bricker/2008/09/mexican-activists-turn-over-mexico-city-man-police-sally-grace-eile

fuel for fury - blogging on the way to a website

Here's an introduction to the Fuel for Fury Collective.

Fuel is a DIY feminist collective based in Stockholm, Åbo/Turku and Helsinki working to make women's lives, stories and political struggle visible through art, movies, music and writing.

We speak about ladies. With lady we refer to people who have experience of or define themselves as the gender historically defined as "woman" or would like to define themselves through these terms. We do however recognize gender as a doing and not a being.

Our aim is to support and bring forward people or groups that are questioning traditional gender norms. We put an emphasis on women and their activities, as less privileged in heterosexist patriarchal society.

We organize shows and events with and especially for ladies. We also have a distro with books, fanzines, mooncups, movies, music and other items. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions!

fuelforfury@gmail.com www.myspace.com/fuelforfury