Monday, October 27, 2008

EYFA NETWORK NEWS! October 2008

EYFA newsletter is a tool to spread information on campaigns, actions,
meetings and convergence happening around Europe and beyond. Info is
forwarded to our network e-list and to network partners and contacts.
Please send us info <eyfaATeyfa.org> if you have news to be spread.
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. on Antifascism

With queer festivals in Belgrade and Sarajevo getting attacked by
fascist hooligans, nazi scum murdering people in the streets of
Russia, and the Italian government forcing Roma kids to give their
fingerprints while the new mayor of Rome gets a Sieg Heil salute from
a full square of people... it is time for a newsletter on
antifascism!!

**Contents
1. Fascist murders in Russia
2. Queer festivals under attack (but fight back)
3. Antifa conference Berlin
4. Persecution Roma and Sinti in cryptofascist Italy
5. International day against Fascism and Antisemitism
6. more links
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1. Fascist murders in Russia

October 8th, 2008, 16 year-old Olga Rukosyla was kicked to death by
three well-known nazi skin-heads in Irkutsk. Olga was not a member of
any political movement but she dressed like a punk. The red laces in
her boots, a symbol of the antifa subculture, might have provoked the
aggression on the part of the nazis.
http://ru.indymedia.org/newswire/display/21056/index.php

October 10th, 2008, 27 year-old Filatov «Fedjay» Feodor Vasilevich
died in a Moscow hospital from plural knife wounds. Fedjay was one of
the people that stood at the foundation of the Moscow Trojan
Skinheads, a community of anti-racist skinheads. He was attacked by
four unknown people on his doorstep. There is no doubt that he was
murdered for his conviction.
http://www.indymedia.nl/nl/2008/10/55068.shtml

Over the last two years the antifascist movement in Russia has been
growing. A response was needed to the daily violence by neo-nazis in
the streets against migrants, foreign students, gays & lesbians, and
'alternative' looking youth. Antifascists are taking the streets back
but in this struggle many get injured, imprisoned or even killed.
Groups like Anarchist Black Cross Moscow provide legal and material
support such as medical aid and food parcels for prisoners. ABC Moscow
is always in need of money and could use the international support.
http://avtonom.org/index.php?nid=1912 & http://www.myspace.com/abcmsc
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2. Queer festivals under attack (but fight back)

Two queer festivals in Serbia and Bosnia got attacked last month by
fascists. The theme of the 5th Queerbeograd festival in Belgrade was
"Direct-action & Antifascism". The topic antifascism lies at the roots
of the festival, as it came into being as a response to the attack by
homophobic hooligans on the Belgrade Pride parade in 2001. The
importance of explicitly focusing on this issue became clear again
when on the 2nd day of the festival a small group leaving the venue
got attacked by fascists. Several people were seriously injured before
the police arrived. One member of clerical fascist organization
'Obraz' (responsible also for the Pride attack in 2001) was arrested.

Five days later the Queer Sarajevo festival had its opening with 300
people attending. Outside the venue gathered a group of 150 religious
extremists holding stones, carrying knives, and even some guns. In the
attack that followed seven activists and participants of the festival
were injured. The police had failed to see this festival as a high
risk and were not prepared for the attack.

During the Queerbeograd-festival people expressed their need to take
action themselves. More than just a re- sponse in the media they also
wanted to take the streets. On October the 11th they did. Together
with fellow anarchists and antiauthoritarians they marched through
Belgrade holding a banner "Antifascism – A fight for freedom. Against
racism, sexism, capitalism and power."

A second banner was taken on the march. The year before in an antifa
demo in Novi Sad, two female participants were asked by antifa
football supporters to take down their rainbow flag. This second
banner therefore stated: "You don't talk about homophobia? Then shut
up about anti- fascism!"

For reports on both attacks and the October 11th march see:
http://www.eng.queerbeograd.org
Belgrade Pride attack 2001:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=h8OKLHFlh2w&feature=channel
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3. Antifa conference Berlin, November 11-15

Counterstrategies will be discussed by antifascists from Germany,
Russia, Spain, Tsjech, Italy and Poland at the international
Antifa-Konferenz on November 14. In the days before and after the
conference there will be a festival with bands, a demonstration, plus
a day of action in commemoration of those who have died due to fascist
violence.
http://siempre.red-skins.de
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4. Persecution Roma and Sinti in cryptofascist Italy

Activists in need of a break are leaving the country to settle
elsewhere. A coaltion of nationalist and neo-fascist parties are
ruling the country and the army is patrolling the streets of Rome.
After his election Rome's new mayor Alemanno, former youth leader of
the Italian fascist social movement, was saluted by a square of
supporters raising their right arm while shouting "Duce! Duce!" (after
Mussolini). This was followed by prime minister Berlusconi declaring
"We are the new falange!," in reference to the original Falange, being
the Spanish fascist party. Founded in the 1930s, the Falange's
doctrine was adopted by General Franco.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/30/italy

This is Italy 2008 but the same old scapegoats are still subject to
persecution. Alemanno promised his followers to raze (destroy or wipe
out) Rome's gypsy camps. Since the end of 2006 the Roma and Sinti
communities in Italy have been under severe pressure. Under the eye of
local authorities their settlements have been attacked by local
citizens and in a couple of cases burned down. Just recently the
European Commission gave the green light to fingerprint Roma and Sinti
of all ages in Italy – a procedure to be applied exclusively to this
group. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7476413.stm

More background articles on the current situation of Roma in Italy at
http://www.everyonegroup.com

Report Roma solidarity demo Manchester, September 19:
http://www.ainfos.ca/en/ainfos21424.html
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5. International day against Fascism and Antisemitism

On 9 November each year the UNITED for Intercultural Action network
organises a European-wide campaign to commemorate the past and to
protest against contemporary forms of fascism and antisemitism. They
call upon all organisations to take part in the campaign. Your group
can organise concerts or conferences, send protest letters to
policy-makers or find other ways of voicing your opinion.

If you want to start up something in your locality and you need
materials go to http://www.unitedagainstracism.org/pages/campnov.htm
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6. More links

Not always accurate but still a good source to a whole lot of information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifascism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militant_anti-fascism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifascistisk_Aktion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skinheads_Against_Racial_Prejudice
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_and_Anarchist_Skinheads

Antifa-Net
International Antifascist network for research and action:

Searchlight magazine (UK): http://www.searchlightmagazine.com
Nigdy Wiecej (Poland): http://www.nigdywiecej.org
Demos (Denmark): http://www.demos.dk
Antifa info blatt (Germany): http://www.nadir.org/nadir/periodika/aib
Enough is Enough (Germany): http://www.nadir.org/nadir/periodika/enough
Antifaschistisches Pressearchiv (Germany): http://www.apabiz.de
Alert (Netherlands): http://www.alertafa.nl
Antifascist researchgroup Kafka: http://kafka.antifa.net
(their link to English articles is pretty outdated)
Reflex (France): http://reflexes.samizdat.net
Antifascist Motive (Russia): http://tumbalalaika.memo.ru

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Published electronically by EYFA
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