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2019 episodes (20)

#72: Radio Evasión—Dispatches from Chile Part 3

#72: Radio Evasión—Dispatches from Chile Part 3

DESCARGAR AQUÍ EL EPISODIO EN ESPAÑOL Has normality returned to Chile? NO! Social peace? Neither! The people don’t want peace without dignity. To borrow a phrase from the situationists, the people don’t want the peace of the graveyard. The revolt has been going on for over a month now. In this episode we have two reports about the day-to-day reality of the demonstrations in downtown Santiago, two interview with anarchists in Santiago and Valparaiso, an analysis on the April 2020 constitutional plebiscite, and a couple of strange, surprise interviews too. If you can help us with Spanish translation or transcription, please write us at podcast@crimethinc.com. {November 29th, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {0:00} November 25 report {00:02:55} November 12: A view from the streets {00:27:40} Not Falling for It: How the Uprising in Chile Has Outlasted State Repression And the Questions for Movements to Come {00:49:35} Rara Señal interview {01:01:45} Santiago anarchist interview {01:22:35} Faced with the constitutional assembly and the government’s repressive agenda: What is the anarchist proposal in the Chilean revolt? {02:06:55} Joker interview {02:15:20} Total Chaos interview {02:17:50} Trusted fundraiser to support protesters in Chile Our previous coverage/Nuestra cobertura previa: The Ex-Worker #71: Radio Evasión—dispatches from Chile Part 2 En español también! Week 2: neighborhood assemblies & daily rioting downtown The Ex-Worker #70: Radio Evasión—dispatches from Chile Part 1 Reports from fare-dodging to a week of full-blown revolt, en español también Chile: Resisting under Martial Law A Report, Interview, and Call to Action Chile: Resistiendo bajo la Ley Marcial Un reporte, una entrevista y una llamada a la acción On the Front Lines in Chile Six Accounts from the Uprising Texts included in this episode/textos y comunicados que se mencionan en este episodio: Not Falling for It: How the Uprising in Chile Has Outlasted State Repression, and the Questions for Movements to Come No nos engañarán: Como la revuelta en Chile ha sobrevivido y burlado la represión del estado y unas preguntas para los movimientos por venir La Ilegitimidad de la Violencia, la Violencia de la Legitimidad: Que quiere decir Piñera cuando habla de “la violencia” The Illegitimacy of Violence, the Violence of Legitimacy A Qué se Refieren Cuando Hablan de Paz? What They Mean when They Say Peace Frente a la asamblea constituyente y la agenda represiva del gobierno: ¿cuál es la propuesta anarquista en la revuelta de la región chilena? Pojects interviewed and mentioned in this episode/iniciativas que incluimos en este episodio: Rara Señal: Reportes del caos desde el accidente geográfico costero de Valparaíso ¡No hay vuelta atrás! LaPeste.org Anarquia.info Contra Info Keep on the look out for the full interview with Rara Señal via Anarchist Radio Berlin Movement art inspired by Negro Matapacos Documental Matapacos Galería CIMA, daily livestream of Plaza Italia Wikipedia: Camilo Catrillanca The case of Macarena Valdés Encapuchados toss a teargas canister into a police vehicle In defense of the Black Bloc: Disproving certain accusations and conspiracy theories against those who wear masks Applause for the “first line” demonstrators The case of Abel Acuña, who fell from the statue in Plaza de la Dignidad. If it hadn’t been for the police he could have lived Motorcycle demonstration rolling in to Plaza Italia the evening of November 25 The first game of professional soccer since the revolt began was cancelled due to demonstrators, and players covered their eyes in recognition of the more than 200 eyes that have been lost due to the pellets that police are shooting at demonstrators Protests fill the luxury malls of bourgeois neighborhoods When they toppled that enormous highway sign in Antofagasta The best flyer ever Washington Post story on the gringo piece of shit who shot at protesters in Reñaca/Viña del Mar. Fuck this fool. A Chilean cop confuses a videoactivist for an undercover Skaters critical mass Demonstrators in Concepción topple a statue of Spanish colonizer Pedro de Valdivida Demonstrators in Plaza de la Dignidad, Santiago, ground a police drone using lasers UPDATED Datadump de Carabineros de Chile (Pacos inculiables) A MASSIVE repository of police and military brutality recorded from individual phones and cameras Instagrams: FunaMetro Piensa Prensa - Instagram Iniciativa Pasaje Justo Evasión Masiva Chile Memes Politiqueros Ongoing movement media from around Chile: Radio Villa Francia - Instagram Radio Kurruf (Concepción) - Instagram Diario Venceremos - Instagram Radio Placeres (Valparaíso) Radio 19 de Abril (Cobertura Colectiva) Radio Humedales (Concepción) Prensa Opal Periódico Resumen (Concepción) Radio Manque (Rancagua) Rara Señal Medio Libre La Zarzamora  Radio JGM Kiwicha Comunicaciones Radio Última Frecuencia Waiwen Tv (Osorno)  RadioWilliche Mül’ütu (Melipulli – Puerto Montt) Radio Latue (Coyhaique) Revista Caminando (Temuco-Valdivia)  

#71: Radio Evasión—Dispatches from Chile Part 2

#71: Radio Evasión—Dispatches from Chile Part 2

Two weeks of revolt in Chile and there are no signs of it slowing down! In this Radio Evasión dispatch, we bring you up to speed on all the developments in the past week: the president’s attempts to quell the protests with reforms, the lifting of Martial Law, and the cancellation of the upcoming APEC trade summit. We have two communiqués translated into English from Chile, and eight interviews! This episode we tried to focus on not just the combative protests at Plaza Italia downtown, but also represent a little bit of how the neighborhoods on the periphery of the city are getting organized with cacerolazos, cultural events, barricades, and people’s assemblies.For feedback, ideas for interview questions, or to contribute material, send us an e-mail at podcast@crimethinc.com. {November 1st, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {0:00} Update since last episode {1:54} From Civil Disobedience to Popular Insurrection: A Reflection on Revolt and State Repression in the Chilean Region {10:05} Interview 26 October: Cacerolazo in Puente Alto {16:00} Interview 28 October: Downtown in the teargas with an anti-authoritarian legal worker {19:30} Interview 28 October: Coordinating Assembly of High School Students, ACES {30:35} Interview 28 October: Villa Olímpica festival of resistance with Kassandra Romanini {36:40} Interview 29 October: Colegio Paulo Freire in San Miguel {40:55} Interview 29 October: Middle school students’ anti-police demonstration {1:01:26} Interview 30 October: The People’s Assembly in Plaza Bogota {1:03:40} Report from the Olla Común at Plaza Italia {1:07:40} The Right to Live Is Not to be Begged For, It Is to Be Taken! {1:13:18} Outro {1:18:10} En Español {1:19:12} Our previous coverage/Nuestra cobertura previa: The Ex-Worker #70: Radio Evasión—dispatches from Chile Part 1 Reports from fare-dodging to a week of full-blown revolt, en español también Chile: Resisting under Martial Law A Report, Interview, and Call to Action Chile: Resistiendo bajo la Ley Marcial Un reporte, una entrevista y una llamada a la acción On the Front Lines in Chile Six Accounts from the Uprising Texts included in this episode/textos y comunicados en este episodio: The Illegitimacy of Violence, the Violence of Legitimacy De la desobediencia civil a la insurrección popular: una reflexión en torno a la revuelta y el terrorismo de estado en la región chilena Pojects interviewed in this episode/iniciativas que incluimos en este episodio: Fundraiser to support Chilean protestors  Olla Común Plaza Italia Radio Colegio Paulo Freire Radio Comunitaria Villa Olímpica Directory of Ollas Comunes in Chile La Asamblea Coordinadora de Estudiantes Secundarios de Chile - ACES Anonymous Chile hacked the police and leaked their private chats: [#PacoLeaks ~ Datadump de Carabineros de Chile (Pacos culiaos)](https://pacoleaks.rebelside.pw/) A MASSIVE repository of police and military brutality recorded from individual phones and cameras Virtual cacerola machine! Check out these texts from Seattle 1999 and Barcelona 2001, for more context on the mobilizations in the so-called “anti-globalization” movement that we compare the ongoing uprising in Chile with. FunaMetro Piensa Prensa - Instagram Iniciativa Pasaje Justo Evasión Masiva Chile Ongoing movement media from around Chile: Radio Villa Francia - Instagram Radio Kurruf (Concepción) - Instagram Diario Venceremos - Instagram Radio Placeres (Valparaíso) Radio 19 de Abril (Cobertura Colectiva) Radio Humedales (Concepción) Prensa Opal Periódico Resumen (Concepción) Radio Manque (Rancagua) Rara Señal Medio Libre La Zarzamora  Radio JGM Kiwicha Comunicaciones Radio Última Frecuencia Waiwen Tv (Osorno)  RadioWilliche Mül’ütu (Melipulli – Puerto Montt) Radio Latue (Coyhaique) Revista Caminando (Temuco-Valdivia)    

The Ex-Worker #70: Radio Evasión—dispatches from Chile Part 1

The Ex-Worker #70: Radio Evasión—dispatches from Chile Part 1

Beginning last Monday, October 14, high school students in Santiago, Chile kicked off a campaign of mass fare-dodging, or evasiones, in response to a 30 peso fare hike. The movement grew quickly and, before anyone knew it, revolt spread all across Chile. On the one hand, the government declared a State of Exception, including a military-imposed curfew. On the other hand, the president and congress have been working hard to offer trablescrap reforms to satisfy the angry and exploited. However, neither the repression nor the reforms have been able to quell the resistance, which today celebrates its anniversary of one week in the streets. To catch you up on what’s been happening, we bring you an overview timeline of the revolt, along with four interviews from the streets. We’re not sure if this will be a one-off episode or the first in a series of updates from Chile, it all depends on how things go—whether they heat up or cool down, but for feedback, ideas for interview questions, or to contribute material, send us an e-mail at podcast@crimethinc.com. {October 25th, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {:00} Timeline of the Uprising {2:23} Interview on the Streets with a Preschool Teacher {10:20} Interview about the Looting in Neighborhoods on the Outskirts {13:40} Interview in the Middle of Street Conflict During the General Strike {24:20} Interview with an Anarchist from Valparaiso {27:35} En Español {34:20} Coverage in English: -Chile: Resisting under Martial Law A Report, Interview, and Call to Action -On the Front Lines in Chile Six Accounts from the Uprising Support! Fundraiser to support Chilean protestors  Anarchist call for international solidarity  Ongoing movement media from Chile: Radio Villa Francia - Instagram Radio Kurruf - Instagram Piensa Prensa - Instagram Diario Venceremos - Instagram Radio Placeres (Valparaíso) -Radio 19 de Abril (Cobertura Colectiva) Radio Humedales (Concepción) Prensa Opal Periódico Resumen (Concepción) Radio Manque (Rancagua) Rara Señal Medio Libre La Zarzamora  Radio JGM Kiwicha Comunicaciones Radio Última Frecuencia Waiwen Tv (Osorno)  RadioWilliche Mül’ütu (Melipulli – Puerto Montt) Radio Latue (Coyhaique) Revista Caminando (Temuco-Valdivia) Posts and videos: A MASSIVE repository of police and military brutality recorded from individual phones and cameras Students practicing jumping a turnstile Student shot at the evasiones massivas The ENEL electricity company’s building on fire during the first night of riots More information on the claims of torture in Metro station Baquedano An article describing metro station damage and how long to expect for service to return Piñera declares war on social unrest “We are at war against a powerful, implacable enemy, who does not respect anything or anyone.” Decentralized dissatisfaction: protests spread to cities without Metro Virtual cacerola machine!    

#69: Defend Rojava! Part 4, More Interviews on Revolution and Solidarity

#69: Defend Rojava! Part 4, More Interviews on Revolution and Solidarity

As the news breaks of a Russian-Turkish alliance determined to stamp out Kurdish autonomy, what’s at stake in the international fight to defend Rojava? This episode continues our exploration of the embattled revolution in northeastern Syria through interviews with a variety of anarchists who have engaged in international solidarity work there. One recounts the women’s movement and the impact on gender roles of the autonomous social experiments in Rojava, while another provides an inside look at the armed forces and the struggle against ISIS. Participants in the Internationalist Commune describe their educational and ecological projects, and two anarchist combat medics serving with the SDF in the war zone describe their experiences. We hope these will deepen your understanding of this complex effort to remake society from the ground up amidst war and fascism on all sides—and strengthen your solidarity efforts, as we fight to support the resistance in Rojava. As we mentioned last time: even though we’re focusing on the crisis in Kurdistan again for this episode, let’s not forget that even as the Turkish bombs are falling, other important rebellions are taking place across the world—in Chile, in Catalunya, in Ecuador, in Haiti, in Lebanon, in Hong Kong, and beyond. We’ll have more coverage of these and other revolts through the Ex-Worker and on the CrimethInc. blog in the days and weeks to come, so stay tuned! {October 23nd, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {0:01} Interview with the Internationalist Commune {5:29} Interview with Merva {12:13} Interview with Internationalist Volunteer in the YPG {23:22} Interview with Anarchist Combat Medics in Rojava {52:04} Solidarity Song: Go on Home, Turkish Soldiers {1:02:57} Conclusion {1:04:48} This episode includes CrimethInc.’s previously published interview with the Internationalist Commune in Rojava, an excerpt from a Final Straw Radio interview with two anarchist combat medics in Rojava, and this song based on an Irish anti-colonial resistance ballad reworked for Rojava today. One of our interviewees recommends that supporters donate funds to Heyva Sor, a Kurdish medical aid organization that is helping to bring urgently needed medical supplies to the war zone. Want to learn more about the situation in Rojava? Check out podcast episodes from It’s Going Down—This is America #92 includes an interview with an Assyrian anarchist in the region—and The Final Straw. We decided not to include this letter from the PKK to the American people, but we’re including the link so you can read it if you’d like. Although we’re not aligned with all aspects of their perspective, we do think it’s important to hear how some Kurdish militants are framing their struggle to an American audience, and to offer folks here who are working to mobilize people in the US against the Turkish invasion and in solidarity with Rojava tools with which to do so. IMPORTANT: over 100 groups and individuals have signed on to the following “Call to Action: Solidarity with Rojava—Against the Turkish Invasion! An Urgent Call from a Network of Organizations”. If you or your organization agree, you can email the organizers to add your names: coordination.for.rojava at protonmail dot com. This list of demonstrations around the US in solidarity with Rojava and against the Turkish invasion will continue to be updated as we learn about more events. For further background on the radical potential of the Rojava experiment, we encourage you to listen to the two previous Ex-Worker engagements with the topic, Episode 36 and Episode 39. Want to take action? Consider organizing a boycott or direct action using this list of businesses and institutions that are complicit with the Turkish war effort.    

#68: Defend Rojava! Part 3, The So-Called “Ceasefire” and What’s at Stake

#68: Defend Rojava! Part 3, The So-Called “Ceasefire” and What’s at Stake

The revolutionary social experiments in the Kurdish territories of northeastern Syria remain under attack. As SDF forces mount fierce resistance in Sêre Kaniyê and waves of outraged protest sweep the world, the news in recent days has been full of the “ceasefire” negotiated by Turkey and US Vice President Pence. But what is really going on? And why is it so important to aspiring revolutionaries around the world? In Episode 68 of The Ex-Worker, we begin by deconstructing this so-called ceasefire, drawing on an account and analysis shared by anarchist volunteer currently in the war zone. But the bulk of this episode consists of an in-depth interview with an anarchist from the US who participated in a solidarity education delegation in Rojava this summer. She offers detailed insights into daily life amidst revolution and war, the council system and other social and political institutions, the role of military veterans and martyrs in public life, processes for absorbing criticisms and revising revolutionary praxis, and the lessons learned for organizing back in the US. We conclude with a message from another internationalist volunteer sent days ago as the bombs began to fall in Sêre Kaniyê, appealing for action. This episode continues tomorrow as we release a second installment featuring more interviews exploring armed struggle, gender roles, and daily life in Rojava. Even though we’re focusing on the crisis in Kurdistan again for this episode, let’s not forget that even as the Turkish bombs are falling, other important rebellions are taking place across the world—in Chile, in Catalunya, in Ecuador, in Haiti, in Lebanon, in Hong Kong, and beyond. We’ll have more coverage of these and other revolts through the Ex-Worker and on the CrimethInc. blog in the days and weeks to come, so stay tuned! {October 22nd, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {0:01} The “Ceasefire” Is a Deadly Fraud: Interview with an Anarchist on the Front in Rojava {6:15} Interview with Shannon, Part 1 {18:50} Solidarity Song by Sabrina Melendez {51:25} Interview with Shannon, Part 2 {52:27} Solidarity Song by Sabrina Melendez, Part 2 {1:24:18} Last Message from an Internationalist Volunteer {1:25:42} Conclusion {1:27:09} This episode draws on “The ‘Ceasefire’ Is a Deadly Fraud: Interview with an Anarchist on the Front in Rojava.” Here is the Twitter thread in which the French volunteer fighting in Sêre Kaniyê makes a final appeal for action. Want to learn more about the situation in Rojava? Check out podcast episodes from It’s Going Down—This is America #92 includes an interview with an Assyrian anarchist in the region—and The Final Straw, whose October 20th episode includes an interview with a couple of anarchists working as combat medics with the SDF in Rojava, and whose October 9th episode is titled “Rojava, War, Imperialism, and Defense: An interview with Gönül Düzer.” IMPORTANT: many groups and individuals have signed on to the following “Call to Action: Solidarity with Rojava—Against the Turkish Invasion! An Urgent Call from a Network of Organizations”. If you or your organization agree, you can email the organizers to add your names: coordination.for.rojava at protonmail dot com. This list of demonstrations around the US in solidarity with Rojava and against the Turkish invasion will continue to be updated as we learn about more events. For further background on the radical potential of the Rojava experiment, we encourage you to listen to the two previous Ex-Worker engagements with the topic, Episode 36 and Episode 39. Want to take action? Consider organizing a boycott or direct action using this list of businesses and institutions that are complicit with the Turkish war effort.    

#67: Defend Rojava! Part 2, Understanding the Kurdish Resistance

#67: Defend Rojava! Part 2, Understanding the Kurdish Resistance

As the crisis in Rojava deepens and political turmoil spreads across the world, it’s critical for us to understand how we got here. Who exactly are the Kurds, and why have so many thousands of them been willing to risk their lives fighting against ISIS and to defend their autonomy? What can we learn from their struggle? In this episode, we examine the historical background to today’s conflict by looking at the decades of militant Kurdish resistance that led up to the formation of the autonomous cantons of Rojava. You’ll hear an audio version of CrimethInc.’s detailed 2015 essay “Understanding the Kurdish Resistance: A Historical Overview and Eyewitness Report,” which tracks the emergence of the Kurdish Worker’s Party (PKK) and its conflicts with Turkish nationalism, waves of insurgency and repression, the evolution of Kurdish radical thought, the Revolutionary Patriotic Youth Movement, the Gezi Park uprising in Istanbul, the siege of Kobane, and lots more. To bring you up to date on developments since then, we also share an interview with one of the authors of the essay, in which we explore the impact of the failed 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, repression of social movements, Erdoğan’s goals with the invasion, and prospects for resistance and solidarity. Stay tuned later this week for more interviews with people who’ve participated in the social revolution in Rojava. {October 16th, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {0:01} Understanding the Kurdish Resistance {4:44} The Early Days of the PKK {5:30} Öcalan’s Prison Years and the Peace Process {14:27} Gezi {20:25} The Wild Youth of Kurdistan {23:43} The Revolution in Kurdistan {31:44} The Fighters {36:12} Kobanê {43:47} National Liberation from Borders {47:24} Elections and a Massacre {51:03} Interview on Turkey and Kurdish Resistance Today {59:19} Conclusion {1:09:30} This episode centers on the 2015 CrimethInc. article “Understanding the Kurdish Resistance: A Historical Overview and Eyewitness Report”. IMPORTANT: over 100 groups and individuals have signed on to the following “Call to Action: Solidarity with Rojava—Against the Turkish Invasion! An Urgent Call from a Network of Organizations”. If you or your organization agree, you can email the organizers to add your names: coordination.for.rojava at protonmail dot com. This list of demonstrations around the US in solidarity with Rojava and against the Turkish invasion will continue to be updated as we learn about more events. For further background on the radical potential of the Rojava experiment, we encourage you to listen to the two previous Ex-Worker engagements with the topic, Episode 36 and Episode 39. Want to take action? Consider organizing a boycott or direct action using this list of businesses and institutions that are complicit with the Turkish war effort.  

#66: Defend Rojava! Part 1, The Turkish Invasion

#66: Defend Rojava! Part 1, The Turkish Invasion

An urgent crisis is unfolding in northern Syria, with implications for global geopolitics and revolutionary possibilities for years to come. In response to US troop withdrawal and a green light from President Trump, the Turkish military has invaded Rojava, an autonomous Kurdish region within the borders of Syria, killing hundreds and displacing over 100,000 so far. Activists around the world have condemned the invasion as a boon to ISIS, a prelude to ethnic cleansing of the Kurdish population, and an effort to destroy an important experiment in self-organization by an increasingly fascist regime. The Kurdish-led Syrian Defense Forces have just struck a deal with the regime of Bashar al-Assad to bring Russian-backed Syrian government troops into Rojava in hopes of halting the Turkish advance. The experiments in autonomy and democratic confederalism enacted in the cantons of Rojava have been inspiring to many anarchists; but the combination of the dire threat of annihilation by the Turkish military and the painful compromises necessary for survival have put this radical legacy in question. How did this happen? And what can we do? This is the first episode in a series The Ex-Worker will release this week exploring the current crisis. We bring you up to date on the circumstances surrounding the invasion with first-hand reports, analysis, responses to criticisms of solidarity efforts, and more. We conclude with a call to action and info on how to plug in to the global wave of resistance against the invasion. Stay tuned later this week for more historical background, interviews, and more! {October 14th, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {0:01} “The Threat to Rojava: An Anarchist in Syria Speaks on the Real Meaning of Trump’s Withdrawal” {4:44} About the Experiment in Rojava {13:10} The Factions {15:40} What Does the Troop Withdrawal Mean? {27:58} What Will Happen Next? {31:04} Looking Forward {35:29} In Search of a Third Way {39:02} Why the Turkish Invasion Matters {43:44} Call to Action: Solidarity with Rojava Against the Turkish Invasion {1:04:08} Conclusion {1:07:53} This episode contains excerpts from a variety of texts published by CrimethInc. on Rojava and the developing crisis there: “The Threat to Rojava: An Anarchist in Syria Speaks on the Real Meaning of Trump’s Withdrawal” (December 2018); “The Nationalists and the Jihadists Together—And Against Them, Only Autonomous Resistance” (October 2019); “The Borders Won’t Protect You But They Might Get You Killed (November 2015); “Why the Turkish Invasion Matters: Addressing the Hard Questions about Imperialism and Solidarity” (October 2019). IMPORTANT: over 100 groups and individuals have signed on to the following “Call to Action: Solidarity with Rojava—Against the Turkish Invasion! An Urgent Call from a Network of Organizations”. If you or your organization agree, you can email the organizers to add your names: coordination.for.rojava at protonmail dot com. This list of demonstrations around the US in solidarity with Rojava and against the Turkish invasion will continue to be updated as we learn about more events. For further background on the radical potential of the Rojava experiment, we encourage you to listen to the two previous Ex-Worker engagements with the topic, Episode 36 and Episode 39. Want to take action? Consider organizing a boycott or direct action using this list of businesses and institutions that are complicit with the Turkish war effort.    

#65: Greek Anarchists Fight Back in Exarchia

#65: Greek Anarchists Fight Back in Exarchia

On August 26th, riot police under orders from the newly elected right-wing government stormed and evicted four squatted social centers in the Exarchia neighborhood of Athens, Greece, in a serious attack on both precarious migrants and the anarchist and anti-authoritarian movements. In response, Greek anarchists have organized assemblies and demonstrations, while solidarity efforts have poured out from across the world. Both shaken and inspired by these events, the Ex-Worker podcast has emerged from hibernation to ask anarchists in Exarchia what’s going on and what needs to be done. This episode explores the situation in Exarchia through three interviews with anarchist residents of the renowned radical neighborhood. The first is an audio version of “The New War on Immigrants and Anarchists in Greece,” published on the CrimethInc. blog on August 28th, which gives an in-depth analysis of the evictions with historical context and insight into the dynamics of the Greek anarchist movement, supplemented by an excerpt from the 2015 piece “Syriza Can’t Save Greece.” The second is a long discussion with a squatter from the Lelas Karagianni 37 squat in Exarchia, the oldest squat in Greece and a central hub for assemblies and anarchist organizing in Athens; it touches on the role of the media and the previous Syriza regime in paving the way to this wave of attacks; the anarchist movement’s strategy for regaining the initiative from the state; and the significance of international solidarity. The third and shortest interview with the Void Network reports back on the September 14th anti-repression demonstration in Athens and reflects on the prospects for ongoing resistance. Tune in to learn more about this critical struggle to defend freedom and autonomy in an inspiring enclave of radical experimentation. {September 18th, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {0:01} The New War on Immigrants and Anarchists in Greece: Intro {4:25} Syriza Can’t Save Greece (2015) {6:08} The New War on Immigrants and Anarchists in Greece: Interview {17:17} Lelas Karagianni 37 Squat: Interview {41:21} Athens Indymedia Call for September 14 Demonstration {1:23:02} Void Network Interview {1:24:04} Clara’s Closing Motivational Speech {1:35:00} Conclusion {1:37:36} In this episode, we present an audio version of “The New War on Immigrants and Anarchists in Greece: An Interview with an Anarchist in Exarchia” and an excerpt from “Syriza Can’t Save Greece: Why There’s No Electoral Exit From the Crisis”, both which originally appeared on the CrimethInc. blog. We interview a participant from the Lelas Karagianni 37 squat in Exarchia. Here is their “Solidarity Will Win” statement; a video promoting the September 14th demonstration in Athens; some photos from the September 14th demo; the Statement of the Anarchist Political Organization Against the Repressive Campaign of the State, and the No Pasarán! poster. We also interview a participant from the Void Network in Athens; you can read the “Solidarity to squats and all spaces of struggle- ASSEMBLY Announcement” from their website. To stay up to date on developments in Exarchia, consult Athens Indymedia or (although we at the Ex-Worker stubbornly insist on discouraging you from using Facebook) this public “Exarchia” Facebook group. Check out this long interview with another anarchist from Exarchia released through the It’s Going Down podcast, which offers more in-depth history and contemporary analysis of the neighborhood and the Greek anarchist movement.    

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 11: From East to West, Part II: Solidarity, and Home

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 11: From East to West, Part II: Solidarity, and Home

Welcome to Episode 11, the final installment of No Wall They Can Build, the Ex-Worker Podcast’s serialized audiobook exploring borders and migration across North America. This episode concludes the book with personal reflections about the author’s own journey in and out of the desert and the unavoidable links that bind all of us across all borders. To become a real force for change, those who would act in solidarity must overcome the limits of privilege politics and guilt, understanding our activities as fighting for our own lives and dismantling the illusion of separation between ourselves and others. What links migrants, solidarity workers, and all people struggling to survive amidst the disorienting nightmare of postmodern civilization is the pursuit of dignity—a sentiment beautifully expressed in a message sent by Rachel Corrie, an American solidarity worker in occupied Palestine, to her mother in 2003 just weeks before she was murdered by an Israeli bulldozer while attempting to stop a home demolition. Two final stories—one chilling and one touching—illustrate the astonishing peril of the desert even for experienced travelers, and the solace that unexpected alliances with creatures of the desert can provide for migrants and solidarity workers alike. Ultimately, the book concludes, to end death in the desert, to rediscover our own humanity, and to have any hope of our survival on this planet, there is one thing in common that we all must do—find our way back home. {June 13th, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Who Will Tear Down That Second Border With You? {0:01} Introduction {0:54} Solidarity {1:12} Story #1: Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death {3:38} Dignity {7:18} Rachel Corrie on Dignity {10:52} Story #2: Luther the Tomcat {11:14} Home {16:07} All Our Relations {19:46} Dedication {21:20} In Memoriam {21:36} Conclusion {21:48} Breaking News: the felony trial of No More Deaths volunteer Scott Warren has ended in a hung jury. While this means that the government can still bring new charges against him, for the time being it is a strong victory against the state’s effort to criminalize humanitarian aid for migrants. Read statements by Scott and his lawyer here. Content advisory: this episode includes a discussion of sexual violence from 4:48–5:25. Note: For this audiobook, we will not provide full transcripts of the text of each episode as we do for The Ex-Worker or The Hotwire. If you want to read along, you can find the book in PDF. This week’s episode covers pages 197 to 208. You can check out our poster diagramming the North American border regime and immigrant solidarity stickers. Over the summer, the Ex-Worker Podcast collective will begin work on our next audio book project, which will begin to appear in the months to come—stay tuned! If you have any suggestions or feedback about this audiobook or other Ex-Worker projects, get in touch at podcast[at]crimethinc[dot]com. Thank you for listening!  

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 10: From East to West, Part I - Chaos and Order, and Transformation

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 10: From East to West, Part I - Chaos and Order, and Transformation

Welcome to Episode 10 of No Wall They Can Build, the Ex-Worker Podcast’s serialized audiobook exploring borders and migration across North America. Over the past two months, we’ve explored the ins and outs of irregular migration across the US/Mexico border. Where does it leave us? As the crises produced by climate change and economic exploitations intensify across the world, revolutions turn in to wars, which beget tyranny, which in turn provoke revolutions. In this climate of escalating chaos, what can we do? This episode explores the meaning of revolution in the twenty-first century, looking at the forms it has taken and assessing what it would take to defend it today. The Zapatista struggle offers one of the most durable and promising models of autonomy we’ve seen in recent decades—yet the limits it has encountered point towards unavoidable contradictions facing those who wish to avoid warfare and bloodshed but also cannot defend their achievements against remorseless foes without the force of arms. A harrowing story about the siege of San Juan Copala, an indigenous community whose effort to secure autonomy from the Mexican state was brutally crushed, illustrates the agonizing dilemma that faces would-be revolutionaries today. This episode offers an unflinching look at the perils confronting those who would defy these global systems driving displacement and death, setting the stage for our final installment next week on solidarity and coming home. {June 6th, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {0:01} From East to West {0:14} Chaos and Order {6:25} Story 1: The Parable of the River {10:35} Transformation {16:25} Frederick Douglass on Struggle {16:35} Revolution {17:42} A Hard Lesson {20:40} Story 2: The Siege of San Juan Copala {27:10} A Last Word From Malcolm X {39:50} Conclusion {40:04} Note: For this audiobook, we will not provide full transcripts of the text of each episode as we do for The Ex-Worker or The Hotwire. If you want to read along, you can find the book in PDF. This week’s episode covers pages 174 to 196. You can check out our poster diagramming the North American border regime and immigrant solidarity stickers. Stay tuned next week for the final episode in the series—Episode 11: From East to West, Part II: Solidarity, and Home.  

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 9: The North

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 9: The North

Welcome to Episode 9 of No Wall They Can Build, the Ex-Worker Podcast’s serialized audiobook exploring borders and migration across North America. The border doesn’t end at the border: the violent regime of citizenship constrains and ruins lives throughout the north, as a chilling story of a narrow escape from death makes clear. Yet this ongoing migration constitutes, against all odds, a powerful form of resistance that is changing the United States in unpredictable ways. This installment begins to explore what it might take to actually end death in the desert—which would also mean dismantling the global systems of exploitation, colonialism, white supremacy, and state power that lie at its roots. We can take inspiration and strategic guidance from some of the stories that appear in this episode, ranging from an extraordinary migrant whose ingenuity and determination helped him to survive multiple crossings against unthinkable odds to a team of civil disobedience activists whose simple action managed to briefly grind part of the migrant detention industrial complex to a halt. Listening won’t offer a single path, program, or tactic that’s guaranteed to work, but rather a way of thinking about resistance at multiple points of intervention that can start wherever you are. Whatever action you take, it’s time to take sides.   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {0:01} Immigrants {0:43} Story #1: A Solidarity Offering {2:04} Migration as Resistance {3:42} Story #2: The Fragility of a Life {7:53} John Brown’s Prophecy {11:33} Choosing Sides {12:00} Where to Start {17:41} Story 3: A Real American Hero {20:17} Resistance: Points of Intervention {28:35} Story 4: Shutting Down Operation Streamline {31:14} “Live to be Free…” {37:55} Conclusion {38.35} Note: For this audiobook, we will not provide full transcripts of the text of each episode as we do for The Ex-Worker or The Hotwire. If you want to read along, you can find the book in PDF. This week’s episode covers pages 153 to 173. You can check out our poster diagramming the North American border regime and immigrant solidarity stickers. Stay tuned next week for Episode 10: From East to West, Part I - Chaos and Order, and Transformation.  

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 8: Designed to Kill, Part II – The Border Patrol, The Game, and The Desert

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 8: Designed to Kill, Part II – The Border Patrol, The Game, and The Desert

Welcome to Episode 8 of No Wall They Can Build, the Ex-Worker Podcast’s serialized audiobook exploring borders and migration across North America. This installment continues to explore the reality of border policy by taking a closer look at the agency that enforces it, describing the atrocities that its agents perpetrate and their mindsets to justify it. The Border Patrol is merely one of the largest and most vicious players in a game that brings lucrative profits to a host of players on both sides of the border, at the expense of the vulnerable migrants who are driven into the desert. The episode concludes with a discussion of the environmental landscape of the desert itself and a poignant reflection on its harsh beauty, envisioning the healing of the land when one day it will no longer be scarred by borders. {May 22, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {0:01} Story #1: Fleeing the Dogs {0:46} Assata Shakur: On Morality and Power {4:32} The Border Patrol {4:49} Story #2: The Hills Have Eyes {10:30} The Game {12:25} The Desert {14:27} Story #3: Under the Blue Sky and the Merciless Sun {16:02} Conclusion {18:52} Important Action Alert: No More Deaths is asking that supporters around the US take a moment this week through May 24th to call the US Attorney’s office in Arizona to demand that the government drop all charges against volunteer Scott Warren, who faces felony charges for humanitarian aid work in the desert. Please follow this link for contact information and a script to follow when you call. It will only take a moment, but will be an important gesture of solidarity. Please do it! For this audiobook, we will not provide full transcripts of the text of each episode as we do for The Ex-Worker or The Hotwire. If you want to read along, you can find the book in PDF. This week’s episode covers pages 140 to 152. Episodes 7 and 8 comprise Designed to Kill, which was originally released as a ‘zine in 2011. You can read or print the zine version here. You can check out our poster diagramming the North American border regime and immigrant solidarity stickers. Stay tuned next week for Episode 9: The North.    

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 7: Designed to Kill, Part I – Who Benefits?

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 7: Designed to Kill, Part I – Who Benefits?

Welcome to Episode 7 of No Wall They Can Build, the Ex-Worker Podcast’s serialized audiobook exploring borders and migration across North America. The Border Patrol, with its swollen budget and lavish technologies, clearly has the technical capacity to stop most, if not all, traffic across the border, yet their behavior seems to be at odds with their stated objective. This installment investigates the actual goal of border policy—which is not to end “illegal immigration,” but to control and manage it. While preventing this migration altogether would have catastrophic effects on the US economy, using selective enforcement to funnel traffic into increasingly remote areas while militarizing and hyper-policing certain areas maintains the labor supply while ratcheting up the profits to be made at every step in the process. A variety of stories—some heartbreaking, some hilarious—illustrate how this approach to enforcement impacts the lives of everyday people as they attempt to travel north into the United States. This episode identifies the various parties—both Republicans and Democrats, private prison and tech corporations, Mexican officials and cartels—who benefit from this counter-intuitive and cruel border policy… while reminding us of its horrific cost in human lives. {May 15, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: “Answer the Question of Who Benefits or Profits Most…” {0:01} Introduction {0:24} Designed to Kill: Who Benefits? {0:53} Story #1: Lost in the Desert {3:01} The Real Objective of the Border Patrol {4:27} Why No One Really Wants to Stop “Illegal Immigration” {6:20} The Politics and Economics of Border Policy {10:03} Story #2: Desperation {20:00} The Profits of Border Militarization {23:35} Dangers Along the Trail {28:00} Story #3: Good Guides and Bad Guides {30:59} The Unholy Trinity: Governments, Corporations, Cartels {33:07} Story #3: Nacho, Chucho, and Don Bigotes {35:32} Conclusion {42:54} Important Action Alert: No More Deaths is asking that supporters around the US take a moment this week and next week to call the US Attorney’s office in Arizona to demand that the government drop all charges against volunteer Scott Warren, who faces felony charges for humanitarian aid work in the desert. Please follow this link for contact information and a script to follow when you call. It will only take a moment, but will be an important gesture of solidarity. Please do it! Content advisory: in the section “Dangers Along the Trail,” beginning around 28:00, there is a brief discussion of the forms of violence, including sexual assault, to which migrants are vulnerable when crossing through the desert. For this audiobook, we will not provide full transcripts of the text of each episode as we do for The Ex-Worker or The Hotwire. If you want to read along, you can find the book in PDF. This week’s episode covers pages 115 to 140. Episodes 7 and 8 comprise Designed to Kill, which was originally released as a ‘zine in 2011. You can read or print the zine version here. You can check out our poster diagramming the North American border regime and immigrant solidarity stickers. Stay tuned next week for Episode 8: Designed to Kill, Part II – The Border Patrol, The Game, and The Desert.  

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 6: The Border

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 6: The Border

Welcome to Episode 6 of No Wall They Can Build, the Ex-Worker Podcast’s serialized audiobook exploring borders and migration across North America. This installment investigates the three-tiered border and the process of crossing it, focusing on the places where the most deaths occur—southern Arizona and South Texas. The story of Arivaca, a small community of ranchers and hippies, shows how state arrogance and vigilante brutality turned the population towards solidarity with migrants. The complex politics of the Tohono O’odham reservation at Komkch’ed e Wah ‘osithk (Sells) reflect the fraught relationship between migration, colonialism, and the challenges facing indigenous communities today. The barren deserts and army base lands around Ajo mark some of the most grim and hazardous terrain of the entire border, while the recent surge in deaths around Falfurrias indicates the urgent need for further solidarity. Explanation of the actual mechanics of crossing the border, and the terrible perils faced by vulnerable migrants along the way, is supplemented by a poignant story about two flawed heroes of the desert. This episode paints a vivid picture of where and how migration into the United States actually happens, and the dangers stalking every step across the harsh landscape of the borderlands. {May 8, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: If You Hear the Dogs, Keep Going {0:01} Introduction {0:52} The Border {1:11} Arivaca {6:26} Story 1: El Pelón and Crazy Mark {14:05} Komkch’ed e Wah ‘osithk (Sells) {19:22} Ajo {24:05} Falfurrias {26:40} Story 2: Calling 911 {34:08} The Crossing {36:23} Conclusion {39:55} Please take a moment to read this powerful article from the Intercept on the prosecution of No More Deaths volunteer Scott Warren: “Bodies in the Borderlands”. Note: For this audiobook, we will not provide full transcripts of the text of each episode as we do for The Ex-Worker or The Hotwire. If you want to read along, you can find the book in PDF. This week’s episode covers pages 90 to 113. You can check out our poster diagramming the North American border regime and immigrant solidarity stickers. Stay tuned next week for Episode 7: Designed to Kill, Part I – Who Benefits?.    

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 5: The Trip and The Product

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 5: The Trip and The Product

Happy May Day, everyone! Welcome to Episode 5 of No Wall They Can Build, the Ex-Worker Podcast’s serialized audiobook exploring borders and migration across North America. Having discussed the political and economic forces that drive migration north, this week’s installment examines how people get from Central America to the US/Mexico border. The routes vary in risk and cost, and are stratified depending on a traveler’s wealth and nationality, from navigating the expensive and infuriating process of attempting to secure a visa to braving La Bestia, the notoriously dangerous freight trains heading north. Some hazard the northeastern route to Reynosa through Zetas cartel territory, while many traverse the northwestern route to Altar through Sinaloa cartel lands and towards the Sonoran desert. The “unaccompanied minors crisis” of 2013–2014 serves as a case study for how the machinations of powerful states, cartels, and corporations can impact the lives of migrants. Understanding the dynamics of border crossing requires an in-depth look at the economics of the marijuana trade, concluding with a thought-provoking analysis of politics of drug legalization and an unflinching look at the customs and border patrol corruption that makes the trade possible. This episode reframes our understanding of the multi-stage process of migrating north and the power relations and economic imperatives that shape the experiences of migrants as they set off into the desert towards the United States. {May 1, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {0:01} L.A. Onda, “How To Stop a Wound From Bleeding” {0:13} The Trip {1:13} Story #1: Rethinking the “Unaccompanied Minors Crisis” {12:55} The Product: Capital {16:54} The Product: Labor {25:10} Conclusion {30:21} Note: For this audiobook, we will not provide full transcripts of the text of each episode as we do for The Ex-Worker or The Hotwire. If you want to read along, you can find the book in PDF. This week’s episode covers pages 69 to 89. You can check out our poster diagramming the North American border regime and immigrant solidarity stickers. Stay tuned next week for Episode 6: The Border.    

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 4: The South, Part II – Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 4: The South, Part II – Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras

Welcome to Episode 4 of No Wall They Can Build, the Ex-Worker Podcast’s serialized audiobook exploring borders and migration across North America. This week’s installment continues the previous episode’s exploration of the conditions south of the border that drive migration north by surveying the situation in the three countries of the “Northern Triangle.” Guatemala’s malnourished, heavily indigenous population languishes in poverty under oligarchic rule, the legacy of centuries of colonialism and a devastating civil war. Our narrator analyzes the numerous problems plaguing the country and examines the unfinished struggle for freedom and dignity that prompted the war, including its impact on global revolutionary imagination through its influence on the Zapatistas. The horrifying levels of violence in El Salvador trace their roots both to economic pressures and to US support for the former reactionary military regime during a bloody civil war. The section concludes with a hair-raising anecdote about the guerrilla movement’s creative revenge against a genocidal army officer. A brief note on the profound dysfunction of Honduras, stemming from the structure of North American economy, is followed by a discussion of the tensions between these four Central American nations and their inhabitants. This episode rounds out our picture of the recent history of the region and the dynamics that push people from their homelands on the perilous trip towards the US/Mexico border. {April 24, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {0:01} Guatemala {0:35} Story #1: The Influence of the Guerrilla Movement {16:30} El Salvador {17:40} Story #2: Revenge at El Mozote {25:05} Honduras {28:07} Story #3: A Souvenir {30:52} Tensions {31:22} Conclusion {34:51} Note: For this audiobook, we will not provide full transcripts of the text of each episode as we do for The Ex-Worker or The Hotwire. If you want to read along, you can find the book in PDF. You can check out our poster diagramming the North American border regime and immigrant solidarity stickers. Stay tuned next week for Episode 5: The Trip and The Product.    

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 3: Mexico, Part I – The South

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 3: Mexico, Part I – The South

Welcome to Episode 3 of No Wall They Can Build, the Ex-Worker Podcast’s serialized audiobook exploring borders and migration across North America. This installment begins exploring the conditions south of the border that drive migration north by exploring the recent history and economy of Mexico. As NAFTA’s “free trade” policies impoverished and displaced millions, border militarization altered previous patterns of seasonal migration and established a permanent undocumented underclass of millions in the United States. The author cuts through myths around the “drug war,” helping to explain the complex web of players from the Sinaloa and Zetas cartels to the Mexican state and the social movements that contest them both—and how the situation might be transformed, if US drug and immigration policies changed. The episode concludes with an inspiring story of the determined and colorful resistance to state violence by the community of San Salvador Atenco. This episode provides a brief introduction to the fierce, many-sided conflicts across Mexico resulting from the actions of the US government and exacerbated by the Mexican state and cartels, but always contested by popular forces. {April 17, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {0:01} The South {0:25} Mexico: Labor, “Free Trade,” and the Roots of Migration {1:25} Mexico: Cartels, the State, and the “Drug War” {9:24} Story #1: San Salvador Atenco {23:21} Conclusion {26:34} Note: For this audiobook, we will not provide full transcripts of the text of each episode as we do for The Ex-Worker or The Hotwire. If you want to read along, you can find the book in PDF. You can check out our poster diagramming the North American border regime and immigrant solidarity stickers. Stay tuned next week for Episode 4: The South, Part 2 – Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.  

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 2: Defining Terms, The Aftermath, and The Travelers

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 2: Defining Terms, The Aftermath, and The Travelers

Welcome to Episode 2 of No Wall They Can Build, the Ex-Worker Podcast’s serialized audiobook exploring borders and migration across North America. This installment continues last week’s introduction by Defining Terms—just what do we mean by the border, migrants, refugees, solidarity workers, and other key phrases? To begin the long section describing movement From South to North, The Aftermath lays out an unflinching view of the 500-year history of colonization, slavery, and genocide on which today’s capitalist economy and border regimes are based, followed by a harrowing tale of survival by a desert migrant. The Travelers lays out the forces pushing migrants from Mexico and the Northern Triangle (Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras) north towards the United States, illustrating the economics of the situation through a moving story in which migrants and solidarity workers work out the mathematics of international exploitation together. This chapter demystifies the basic dynamics at play in North American migration and evocatively illustrates their human cost. {April 10, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: The United States Is War {0:01} Introduction {0:22} Defining Terms {0:42} The Aftermath {4:24} Story #1 {7:45} The Travelers {10:06} Story #2 {17:11} Conclusion {20:56} Note: For this audiobook, we will not provide full transcripts of the text of each episode as we do for The Ex-Worker or The Hotwire. If you want to read along, you can find the book in PDF. This week we heard discussion about intervention in a Border Patrol stop in Tucson, AZ and a roundup of resistance to border wall construction and ICE around the country. You can check out our poster diagramming the North American border regime and immigrant solidarity stickers. Stay tuned next week for Episode 3: The South, Part 1 - Mexico.      

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 1: Introduction

No Wall They Can Build, Episode 1: Introduction

The Ex-Worker Podcast Collective is kicking off the serialized release of our first full audiobook, No Wall They Can Build: A Guide to Borders and Migration Across North America. We’ve divided this riveting first person account of life and death in the borderlands into eleven chapters, and over the next three months, we’ll be releasing them in weekly installments each Wednesday. Today, you’ll hear Episode 1: Introduction, which describes how the book was written by a solidarity worker along the US/Mexico border over years of trials and tribulations, and lays out a basic framework for understanding the global apartheid enforced by the border regime. You’ll hear a heartbreaking story about the brutality of migrant detention, and an inspiring one about surviving the journey north against all odds. This episode sets the stage for the in-depth analysis and longer stories of the chapters to come. {April 3, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introducing the Border {0:01} Title and Front Matter {1:18} Dedication {2:02} Preface {2:11} Epigraph, from Mojado by Ricardo Arjona {3:37} Story #1 {4:35} Introduction {11:17} Story #2 {18:43} Epigraph, from Edward Abbey {20:44} Conclusion {21:08} Note: For this audiobook, we will not provide full transcripts of the text of each episode as we do for The Ex-Worker or The Hotwire. If you want to read along, you can find the book in PDF. Also, you can check out our poster diagramming the North American border regime and immigrant solidarity stickers. As we mentioned in our episode announcing the audiobook launch, the claim made in this episode that no volunteer with No More Deaths has ever been convicted of a crime for their humanitarian work in the desert, while true at the time the book was published, is no longer accurate. For the latest updates on the legal charges facing solidarity workers along the border, keep an eye on the No More Deaths legal defense campaign. If you’re feeling inspired to take action, follow the latest from the #BlockTheWall network. You can also check out this interview by the Final Straw with Comunidad Colectiva, a North Carolina-based group doing rapid response anti-ICE organizing. Stay tuned next week for Episode 2: Defining Terms, The Aftermath, and The Travelers.    

#64: Announcing Our First Audiobook! No Wall They Can Build

#64: Announcing Our First Audiobook! No Wall They Can Build

The Ex-Worker is back! Over the next three months, we will be releasing an audio version of CrimethInc.’s 2018 book, No Wall They Can Build: A Guide to Borders and Migration in North America, divided into eleven episodes released every week. In this short episode, we reflect on the evolution of the Ex-Worker podcast as a project, and set the scene for the forthcoming audiobook. In the year and a half since the book was released, much attention has focused on the US/Mexico border, and Trump’s anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric have prompted widespread resistance. However, the crisis of raids, family separations, inhumane detention, and death and disappearance in the borderlands was in full swing during the Obama administration, and has roots stretching far back in the history of the United States. To provide context for what’s been going on around the border since the book was published, a volunteer from the solidarity group No More Deaths joins us to talk about changes and continuities between the Obama and Trump eras, the impact of the administration’s efforts to build a wall on communities around the border, updates on state repression against the group’s volunteers, and the wave of resistance and solidarity building towards a world of free movement. Want to learn more? We’ll be releasing the first installment of No Wall They Can Build later this week—stay tuned! {April 1, 2019}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: The Ex-Worker is Back! {0:01} Migration, Borders, and Resistance in the Trump Era {4:05} Interview with No More Deaths Volunteer {10:29} Conclusion {27:30} We’ll be releasing an audiobook of No Wall They Can Build: A Guide to Borders and Migration in North America through eleven weekly episodes over the next three months. You can read the book in PDF or see the Spanish translation; also check out our poster diagramming the North American border regime and immigrant solidarity stickers. Take a moment to learn more about No More Deaths, including their legal defense campaign demanding that the charges be dropped against their volunteers and the [#WaterNotWalls campaign](http://forms.nomoredeaths.org/legal-defense-campaign/waternotwalls/) to ensure their ability to continue to provide humanitarian aid in the desert. Other organizations working to support migrants include Aguilas del Desierto (San Diego, CA), Florence Project, Mariposas Sin Fronteras (Tucson, AZ), People Helping People in the Border Zone (Arivaca, AZ), Protection Network Action Fund, Southside Workers Center (Tucson, AZ), South Texas Human Rights Center, and the Tohono O’odham Hemajkam Rights Network](https://www.facebook.com/tohrn520/). Some useful general resources about the border include the Radiolab podcast “Border Trilogy”, the books Storming the Wall by Todd Miller and The Land of Open Graves by Jason DeLeon, and the Telemundo/Weather Channel documentary “The Real Death Valley”. On “The Wall” and border militarization, see “America’s Virtual Border Wall Is a 1,954-Mile-Long Money Pit”, Tohono O’odham elder Ofelia Rivas’s Censored News Live Video interview “Welcome to Honduras Migrant Caravan”, and the books Operation Gatekeeper by Joseph Nevins and Border Games by Peter Andreas. - On conceptualizing interior checkpoints as an extension of The Wall, see “The 100 Mile Border Zone” by the ACLU, “Checkpoint America” by the Cato Institute, and “The Cost of Crossing” from the New York Times. On anti-immigrant border militias, see the Al-Jazeera article “Desert Hawks”, the Southern Poverty Law Center Report “Investigating Deaths of Undocumented Migrants on the Border”, and David Neiwart’s book And Hell Followed with Her. On the Border Patrol, see the books Migra! by Kelly Lytle Hernandez and Border Patrol Nation by Todd Miller, and the documentary Disappeared: How US Border Patrol is Fueling a Missing Person’s Crisis at the Border, part 1 and part 2.