23rd of June at Bank Street Arts, Bank Street, Sheffield S1 2DS

10:00 – 18:00

In April of this year it was announced that the UK had entered a “double-dip” recession. This cannot be disconnected from a much wider global crisis for capitalism, but in an immediate sense this means more cuts in pay, more unemployment, more repossessions, ever higher living costs – even greater austerity. This austerity, however, has a double-standard. While the government tells us that we must sacrifice our public services, financial security and access to education – putting the most vulnerable at ever greater risk – they are pursuing tax cuts for big business and handing over institutions like the NHS to private companies at huge expense. As always it is the needs of elites that come before those of working people.

On the 11th of May Roberto Adinolfi, CEO of an Italian state controlled nuclear engineering company, was shot and wounded. A cell of the insurrectionist Informal Anarchist Federation have claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, saying that it was an act of vengeance for deaths and environmental damage caused by the nuclear industry.

As anarchists, we want an end to all forms of oppression, including (but not limited to) economic oppression and the oppression of women under patriarchy. As workers, we must work to earn a wage to live on, or else rely on meagre state benefits. We do not choose whether or not we work; we do so out of necessity and in this way we are essentially slaves to the ruling class, who get rich from our labour while leaving us just enough to get by.

140 years ago, anarchists were kicked out of the First International by Marx and his allies and started their own International. Donnacha DeLong talks to Nick Heath from the Anarchist Federation about what happened 140 years ago and how anarchists have created a number of internationals in the years since. Nick also talks about the anniversary commemorations in St-Imier, Switzerland, planned for August this year. More details about the commemorations: http://www.anarchisme2012.ch/index.php?lang=en . More details about the Anarchist Federation: http://www.afed.org.uk/

Click on the Image for the interview

Taken from http://thecircleda.com/

The Black Rose Centre is a new social centre project at 268 Verdon Street S3 9QS, established by the Sheffield Social Centre Collective. Like Social Centres in other towns this is an anti-capitalist space for people to get together to discuss ideas and take action for social change. It is also a space to share skills and food, run events and watch films in a non-commercial setting.

Pizza Huts across the U.K and the world were hit yesterday (Saturday 4th February) with pickets by the militant fightin' union the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World). The pickets in solidarity with workers at a Sheffield branch who've been in dispute with their management since last April.

SYMBOLIC PROTEST OR FIGHT TO WIN?

Today is undoubtedly the most widespread strike action for years. With 24 public sector unions all striking on the same day, it is very welcome to see unions finally taking concerted action in this way.

However, it's also worth remembering that it will require much more than one day strikes to be sure of a real victory and today’s action will definitely need to be built on. But whether the trade unions are capable of doing this, especially given the weak, legalistic tactics unions are so entrenched in, is doubtful.

But aren’t the unions’ tactics already having an effect?
True, there has been some movement from the government and employers in response to positive strike ballots but this is just conciliatory noises, a ploy to make the unions look inflexible while obscuring the fact that the government and employers are actually offering us nothing. The trade unions long ago surrendered to anti-union legislation and other oppressive employment laws and have got so used to doing everything ‘through the proper legal channels’ that they are now incapable of properly fighting to win.

This article is about the 48-hour general strike demonstrations of 19-20 October in Greece. It comments on the change of the police doctrine towards a “softer management of demonstrations” and the role of the Stalinists in “self-policing” the protests. This is a translation of an article written by TPTG (Ta Paidia Tis Galarias – ” The children of the gallery”). TPTG are an anti-authoritarian communist group from Athens who see communism not as a political ideology or dogma, but as a practical necessity stemming from the concrete, daily struggles of the proletariat within and against it.

Down with the Stalinists! Down with the Bureaucrats!

We all experienced the nightmare that the Greek stalinists in co-operation with other leftist trade unionists and the cops created during the 48-hour strike in Greece on October 19 and 20 and some comrades in the anti-authoritarian milieu are badly wounded. We refer to the policing role of the KKE members: they were stationed in military formation in the area around the parliament, armed with helmets and sticks, facing the demonstrators with the riot squads behind them, preventing anyone from approaching, even asking for reporters’ identities and attacking fiercely later those in the crowd who defied their cordons.

Issue 1 you never know it could be the first of millions

VAMPIRE ALERT