42:24

Mar 3, 2023

#91: Elections, Fascism, and Popular Resistance in Brazil

In Brazil, a three-way contest is unfolding between the far right in the streets, the institutional electoral left in the halls of power, and autonomous radical movements caught between them. When authoritarian president Jair Bolsonaro was narrowly defeated at the polls in October, a popular right-wing movement emerged to contest the election results, culminating in a protest in which Bolsonaro supporters stormed government buildings in the capital of Brasilia. In this episode, we share two articles in which Brazilian anarchists analyze these developments: the first, published in October shortly after the election, assesses the limits of electoral strategies as pathways to social transformation or checks to fascist power; the second, published just after the right-wing attack on government buildings in January, analyzes the similarities and differences between the events in the US and in Brazil, and argues for the urgent necessity of autonomous direct action to counter both the limits of the left and the threat of the right. Anarchists in the United States and beyond can learn much from our Brazilian comrades as we strategize to push back against rising fascism in our own contexts. {March 3, 2023} -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {0:36} Left Electoralism, Fascist Direct Action, and Anti-Fascist Resistance:The Brazilian Elections of 2022 {3:26} You Don’t Defeat Fascism at the Polls {5:25} Autonomous and Anti-Fascist Resistance {11:28} Shine the Light of a Dead Star {15:18} January 8, the Brazilian January 6: Tracking the Rise of Fascism from the United States to Brazil {21:59} Elections Do Not Stop Fascism {24:41} The Revolt of Those Escorted by Cops {29:59} A Local Manifestation of a Global Fascist Wave {34:35} Conclusion {41:30} This episode narrates two previously published articles: Left Electoralism, Fascist Direct Action, and Anti-Fascist Resistance:The Brazilian Elections of 2022 (November 6, 2022) and [January 8, the Brazilian January 6: Tracking the Rise of Fascism from the United States to Brazil](https://crimethinc.com/2023/01/10/january–8-the-brazilian-january–6-tracking-the-rise-of-fascism (January 10, 2023). If you or folks you know speak/read Portuguese, check out pt.crimethinc.com, where you’ll find dozens of Brazilian Portuguese translations of articles and zines. This episode makes a lot of references—here are some links to learn more about them! The articles speak of the Latin American “Pink Tide” of progressive electoral victories beginning in 2008, which itself drew on momentum from popular uprisings across the region in the preceding decades, including the 1989 Caracazo uprising in Venezuela and the reintroduction of democracy in Brazil and Chile (which didn’t make people free—see the Brazilian anarchist critique of their democracy, or our critique of democracy itself, for some insights as to why). There’s also discussion of the 2013 mass protests against the government’s effort to raise public transportation prices and the 2014 protests against the FIFA World Cup. Want to learn more about resistance in Brazil in recent years? Check out Fighting in Brazil: Three Years of Revolt, Repression, and Reaction (2017), Brazil 2016–17: The Political Crisis and Coup d’État—An Anarchist Analysis (2018), Brazil: Rivers of Blood—Peace Is War, Security Is Hazardous, and Citizens Are the Targets of the State (2018), From Punk to Indigenous Solidarity: Four Decades of Anarchism in Brazil—An Interview (2021), Brazil: Epicenter of the Virus of Populism A Year of Catastrophe and Resistance (2021), and more. You can also listen to past Ex-Worker episodes on the 2014 World Cup protests and the 2013 fare hike protests. Printable zine versions are available for many of these articles, too! To learn more about trucker strikes and blockades as a popular right-wing tactics, see our coverage of the 2022 truck blockades in Ottawa, right-wing Chilean truck blockades in opposition to indigenous Mapuche activism, and a mainstream news account about how the CIA financed trucker strikes in 1972 and 1973 to disrupt the leftist administration of Salvador Allende in Chile.

31:05

Feb 9, 2023

#90: Solidarity with Alfredo Cospito, Italian Anarchist Prisoner on Hunger Strike

Italian anarchist prisoner Alfredo Cospito has been on hunger strike for over 100 days, demanding his release from the brutal regime of solitary confinement and severe restrictions known as “41bis.” Despite the mobilization of anarchist and radical networks across Italy in solidarity, as well as actions in support across the world, the Italian state stubbornly refuses to acknowledge his protest, and Alfredo’s life is in severe danger. In this episode, we share three short pieces that introduce you to Alfredo Cospito, explain the context behind the hunger strike and the repressive prison regime in Italy, and describe anarchist efforts to challenge the state’s attempt to bury our comrade. We open with a short solidarity statement about the case, along with a translation of a statement by Italian philosopher Donatella Di Cesare titled “Release Alfredo Now—It’s a Question of Justice.” The episode concludes with an interview with a friend from Rome who locates the hunger strike and solidarity efforts in a broader context of anarchist activity in Italy and beyond. {February 9, 2023} -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Ex-Worker Introduction {0:01} Episode Introduction {0:37} Solidarity with Alfredo Cospito {2:27} Release Alfredo Now—It’s a Question of Justice {8:30} Interview with Alfredo Cospito Supporter in Rome {16:14} Conclusion {30:10} This episode includes an audio version of Solidarity with Alfredo Cospito, originally published February 3, 2023. The text includes a translation of an article by philosopher Donatella di Cesare. Learn more about Alfredo Cospito and his hunger strike through the following resources: Autonomies article from December; “Scripta Manent: a Political Trial against 20 Years of History of Revolutionary Anarchism” (about Alfredo’s trial and broader background); writings by Alfredo on The Anarchist Library, a June 2022 interview and dialogue with Alfredo, global solidarity statements, and Alfredo’s support page.

45:31

Feb 6, 2023

#89: The Battle of York, January 2002—Anti-Fascism, Then and Now

In this episode, we share an audio version of a recently published account from the history of anarchist struggles against fascism. On January 12, 2002, hundreds of neo-Nazis gathered in York, Pennsylvania to promote white supremacy. Anarchists and other opponents of fascism throughout the region mobilized to oppose them, making common cause with locals and sending the fascists packing in a clash that came to be known as “the Battle of York.” Twenty-one years later, a participant in the day’s events recounts the clashes and reflects on what has changed since then, comparing the events in York with those in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017. This account is adapted from a memoir forthcoming on PM Press, entitled The Anarchist International. {February 6, 2023} -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Ex-Worker Introduction {0:01} January 2022: The Battle of York—Anti-Fascism Then and Now {0:38} The Gathering Storm {1:52} On the Prowl: Saturday, January 12, 2002 {7:29} The Battle of York {17:44} Conclusion {44:36} This episode is an audio version of January 2002: The Battle of York: Anti-Fascism, Then and Now. Want to learn more about anarchist struggles against fascism in the past and today? Start with The Ex-Worker’s two episodes on the subject, [#11, “Never Forgive and Never Forget”](https://crimethinc.com/podcasts/the-ex-worker/episodes/11) and [#12. “Remembering Means Fighting”](https://crimethinc.com/podcasts/the-ex-worker/episodes/12). We’d also recommend CrimethInc.’s previous articles, which include “How Anti-Fascists Won the Battle of Berkeley” (2018) – don’t miss the audio version here – as well as “The Long Struggle Against Fascism in DC” (2018), our poster on the two faces of fascism and flyer on Anti-Fascism as Self-Defense (2017), “Not Your Grandmother’s Anti-Fascism” (2017), “Antifa Sisters” (2017), the point-counterpoint analyses “Does Trump Represent White Supremacy or Fascism?” and “Yes, Trump Represents Fascism” (2016), and more. The author in this episode makes reference to the 2017 fascist rally in Charlottesville which resulted in the death of Heather Heyer. To learn more, check out Ex-Worker Epsiode #56: Triumph and Tragedy in the Struggle Against Fascism, as well as the articles One Dead in Charlottesville: Why the Right Can Kill Us Now, Charlottesville and the Rise of Fascism in the USA: What We Need to Do, From J20 to Charlottesville: Repressing Dissent From Above and Below, Why We Fought in Charlottesville, and The Lessons of Charlottesville a Year Later: How the Terrain Has Changed. We’d recommend the books Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook by Mark Bray and Fascism Today: What It Is and How To End It and Why We Fight by Shane Burley. There’s also a new history of Anti-Racist Action called We Go Where They Go.

28:56

Jan 31, 2023

#88: 2022 in Review—A Year to Endure

We’ve survived 2022—and with it, the ebb tide following the upheavals of 2019 and 2020. Both in the United States and around the world, this has been a year of challenges and reversals. In this episode, we offer an audio version of 2022 in Review: A Year to Endure, in which we revisit how we got here, explore the events of the past twelve months, and review our own efforts to contribute to movements for liberation. The year began with our warehouse in ashes, and ended with the world’s richest man personally banning us from Twitter, yet we managed to continue our coverage of the year’s major developments, ranging from the surge in anti-work sentiment and action to resistance to attacks on reproductive autonomy and gender self-determination to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and anti-war movement, and much more. We go into 2023 ready for the next round—and we hope you’ll be right there beside us. {January 31, 2023}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Ex-Worker Introduction {0:01} Episode Introduction {0:36} A Year to Endure {1:14} The United States: From 2020 to 2022 {2:37} The Threat of Fascism {12:19} Reproductive Freedom and Gender Autonomy {14:07} Around the World {16:18} History {23:59} Social Media, Print Media {25:11} Facing Forward {25:48} Conclusion {46:06} This episode is an audio version of 2022 in Review: A Year to Endure.

43:23

Jan 31, 2023

#87: The Twitter Ban and the End of Social Media

In November, CrimethInc. was banned from Twitter by Elon Musk, part of a concerted campaign by right wing trolls and the world’s richest man to shift global political discourse to the right. Why is this happening now, and what should we do about it? This episode collects three months of our writings and coverage of developments with social media as it enters a new phase of consolidation and cooptation. We open with an article published in October—before our ban—tracing the evolution of Twitter from a protest tool developed by anarchists for use at mass mobilizations into a corporate platform controlled by a right-wing billionaire. Next, we share the statement we issued when Twitter banned CrimethInc. from the platform, as well as a poster developed to take our response offline and into the streets. The episode concludes with Canary in the Coal Mine: Twitter and the End of Social Media, an in-depth analysis of how communications in movements for social transformation have evolved within the shifting landscape of technology, politics, and resistance in the past decades, concluding with suggestions for ways to take action beyond the nightmare of corporate social media. {January 30, 2023}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Ex-Worker Introduction {0:01} Episode Introduction {0:36} The Billionaire and the Anarchists: Tracing Twitter from Its Roots as a Protest Tool to Elon Musk’s Acquisition {1:49} Elon Musk Bans CrimethInc. from Twitter at the Urging of Far-Right Troll {14:55} Whose Tweets? Our Streets: A New Poster and Zine for an Offline Media Offensive {19:08} Canary in the Coal Mine: Twitter and the End of Social Media {23:14} Conclusion {46:06} The episode opens with The Billionaire and the Anarchists: Tracing Twitter from Its Roots as a Protest Tool to Elon Musk’s Acquisition. Next, we shared our report on the ban: Elon Musk Bans CrimethInc. from Twitter at the Urging of Far-Right Troll. We went on to share a short article introducing a new poster, Whose Tweets? Our Streets: A New Poster and Zine for an Offline Media Offensive. You can find a direct link to the poster here. Want to put some up around your town? Consult our Field Guide to Wheatpasting for how-to tips. Finally, the episode wraps up with Canary in the Coal Mine: Twitter and the End of Social Media CrimethInc. wasn’t the only radical account banned from Twitter, of course. As The Intercept, Jacobin, and others have reported, other radical outlets who’ve gotten the chop include It’s Going Down and many other anarchist, anti-fascist, and critical journalist accounts. Want to stay connected without Twitter? Follow us on Mastodon and Telegram and subscribe to our RSS feed. You can even find us on YouTube, Tumblr, and Reddit. If you want to help us continue to reach people offline, order stickers and others materials to distribute here.

47:00

Jan 29, 2023

#86: Stop Cop City / Defend Weelaunee Forest, Part II: Accounts and Solidarity

In this episode, we continue our coverage of the struggle to Stop Cop City and defend the Weelaunee Forest in Atlanta, Georgia. While Episode 85 offered a history and analysis of the first phases of the movement, today we present a series of anonymous first person narratives from participants who describe their inspiring and transformative experiences in the forest, originally published in August 2022 as “Beneath the Concrete, the Forest.” The episode opens with the text of a solidarity statement we’re encouraging all listeners to sign with groups or as individuals, in response to the police’s murder of forest defender Manuel “Tortuguita” Teran. Around the US and escalating repression of the movement. {January 29, 2023}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Ex-Worker Introduction {0:01} Episode Introduction {0:36} Solidarity with the Movement to Stop Cop City and Defend Weelaunee Forest {1:53} Beneath the Concrete, The Forest: Accounts From the Defense of the Atlanta Forest {6:40} The Forest Within Me {11:29} The Forest is a Portal {15:24} Letter from a Treesitter {16:15} When the Barriers Come Down {18:24} A Tour of the Forest {22:15} The Truck Became an Attraction {26:48} Deep into the Future {30:08} This Time, We Were There {32:22} DJing is an Extension of My Everyday Acts of Resistance {35:12} The Sweat Lodge {37:37} To Defend the Forest, Everyone Has to Fight {39:19} Appendix: Not a Music Festival {43:18} Conclusion {46:06} We opened this episode by sharing this solidarity statement to show support for the movement. If you are part of an organization, or just an interested individual, you can sign on by emailing defendweelaunee at riseup dot net. This episode includes anonymous first-person accounts written by participants in the struggle to defend the forest, originally published as Beneath the Concrete, The Forest: Accounts From the Defense of the Atlanta Forest in August 2022. For historical background to the struggle and analysis of its emergence and development, check out The City in the Forest: Reinventing Resistance for an Age of Climate Crisis and Police Militarization – which you can also listen to as Episode 85 of the Ex-Worker. Support forest defenders facing legal charges by donating to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund. To stay updated on developments in the campaign to Stop Cop City and defend the Weelaunee Forest, follow Defend the Atlanta Forest and the Atlanta Community Press Collective on Twitter. You can also access, read, and print zines related to the movement from the Defend the Atlanta Forest library. See here to read or share remembrances of murdered forest defender Manuel “Tortuguita” Teran. You can also donate to a fundraiser for Tortuguita’s family. The Stop Reeves-Young website offers info on the campaigns against the contractors and architects involved in the Cop City project. This Defend Atlanta Forest linktree will connect you to a variety of resources on social media and beyond. The Ex-Worker is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network, an English-language anarchist radio and podcast network run by radical media makers. You can find more coverage of the struggle to Stop Cop City and defend the Weelaunee Forest on other CZN projects, including The Final Straw Radio, It’s Going Down, and Kite Line, so check out those projects through the links above if you want to hear more.

1:22:29

Jan 27, 2023

#85: Stop Cop City / Defend Weelaunee Forest, Part I: History and Analysis

The Ex-Worker is back! Episode 85 introduces the history behind the struggle to Stop Cop City and defend the Weelaunee Forest in Atlanta, Georgia. For nearly two years, a coalition of anarchists, abolitionists, environmental activists, indigenous communities, local residents, and supporters from all over has faced off against police, entertainment and construction companies, politicians, and media intent on destroying a beloved forest to build a police training compound and a film industry sound stage. Recently, the state has arrested over a dozen activists on absurd charges of “domestic terrorism,” and on January 18th, police murdered forest defender Manuel “Tortuguita” Teran. Around the US and beyond, folks are mobilizing in outrage against the killer police and the corporate and political power structures responsible for their murderous repression. In this episode, we present a long article first published in April 2022, titled The City in the Forest: Reinventing Resistance for an Age of Climate Crisis and Police Militarization, which combines a comprehensive history of the campaign to defend the forest with a strategic analysis that locates it in reference to the broader political context and other similar campaigns. Stay tuned for more coverage in Episode 86, including accounts from the forest and a solidarity statement you can sign to show support. {January 27, 2023}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Ex-Worker Introduction {0:01} Episode Introduction {0:35} The City in the Forest: Reinventing Resistance for an Age of Climate Crisis and Police Militarization {3:45} Defending the Forest in the City {4:39} Background {7:40} The George Floyd Protests {12:01} “Institute for Social Justice” {17:24} Timeline {19:57} Coming out with a bang {28:43} First, Attack their Strategy {31:10} Names and Addresses {34:08} First Week of Action {36:51} When Dissent is Not Enough {39:20} The Fight is On {41:35} Second Week of Action {42:54} Taking the Fight to Them {45:47} Stomp dance {47:17} Moves and Counter moves {49:19} The Stakes Go Up {51:22} The Best Defense is a Good Offense {53:24} Defense {53:52} Offense {57:02} Movement Diversity is an Asset {58:22} The SHAC Model {1:00:45} Limits of the SHAC Strategy {1:03:54} Learning Lessons: I–69 and NODAPL {1:06:02} The Shock of Victory {1:09:30} Appendix: The Atlanta City Prison Farm and the Legacy of Carceral Reformism {1:14:49} Do Not Let Them Re-Form {1:19:55} Conclusion {1:21:36} Here’s the original April 2022 article we narrate in this episode: The City in the Forest: Reinventing Resistance for an Age of Climate Crisis and Police Militarization If you are part of an organization, or just an interested individual, you can sign on to this solidarity statement to show your support for the movement. You’ll hear an audio version in our forthcoming Episode 86, too. Support forest defenders facing legal charges by donating to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund. To stay updated on developments in the campaign to Stop Cop City and defend the Weelaunee Forest, follow Defend the Atlanta Forest and the Atlanta Community Press Collective on Twitter. You can also access, read, and print zines related to the movement from the Defend the Atlanta Forest library. See here to read or share remembrances of murdered forest defender Manuel “Tortuguita” Teran. You can also donate to a fundraiser for Tortuguita’s family. The Stop Reeves-Young website offers info on the campaigns against the contractors and architects involved in the Cop City project. This Defend Atlanta Forest linktree will connect you to a variety of resources on social media and beyond. The Ex-Worker is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network, an English-language anarchist radio and podcast network run by radical media makers. You can find more coverage of the struggle to Stop Cop City and defend the Weelaunee Forest on other CZN projects, including The Final Straw Radio, It’s Going Down, and Kite Line, so check out those projects through the links above if you want to hear more.