Surrey & Hampshire Anarchist Federation

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#1
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Comrade Phil's picture
Comrade Phil
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Joined: 4-03-15
Jun 23 2017 00:18
Surrey & Hampshire Anarchist Federation

Hi all!

We are the Surrey and Hampshire group of the Anarchist Federation, we`re currently involved in Anti-Fracking campaigns and occupations at Leith Hill Protection camp, which has since been evicted on Wednesday but the fight has only just began you could say.

We also often do distros of Resistance outside train stations and in city centres as well, we are linked up with Brighton Solidarity Federation and working on creating a anti-Fracking leaflet which will be coming from an Anarchist perspective.

Thanks.
In Solidarity.

#2
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Comrade Phil's picture
Comrade Phil
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Jun 23 2017 00:21

You can get in contact with us via our email or Facebook page.

We also have a word press as well.

surreyhants@afed.org.uk

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VINDICTA
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Jul 13 2019 22:52

sent email to surreyhantsafed mentioned comrade phil

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VINDICTA
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Jul 13 2019 22:52

sent email to surreyhantsafed mentioned comrade phil

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rat's picture
rat
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Joined: 16-10-03
Jul 19 2019 17:34

The Anarchist Communist Group have a small group in Surrey.

For more info, contact the ACG via the "Join" tab on the website:
https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/join/

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rat's picture
rat
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Jul 28 2019 11:03

Just to add, Surrey ACG meet about once a month in East Surrey.

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radicalgraffiti
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Jul 29 2019 00:04

just to add, the acg left the afed because they were hostile to solidarity to trans people shown by anarchist federation groups, they chose to defend people distributing transphobic propaganda rather than there trans comrades, and when it became apparent that this wasn't acceptable to the rest of afed they left to form their own group

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Battlescarred
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Jul 29 2019 09:46

"they chose to defend people distributing transphobic propaganda "
No we didn't , you will find no evidence of that.
Some people are spreading lies that we are transphobic. This is categorically not the case.

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radicalgraffiti
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Jul 29 2019 16:46
Battlescarred wrote:
"they chose to defend people distributing transphobic propaganda "
No we didn't , you will find no evidence of that.
Some people are spreading lies that we are transphobic. This is categorically not the case.

that statement is still on the acg website you know

it can be found here second from botom of the page https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/statements/

i
these are the two statements that the statment by the acg was written in response to
by afed groups/members
http://afed.org.uk/afed-trans-action-faction-statement-in-response-to-ev...

http://www.ainfos.ca/en/ainfos35997.html

this is the open letter that some other individuals produced https://londonbookfairopenletter.wordpress.com/
this also contains links to copies of the leaflets distributed and information on a previous incident

this statement was also this on facebook http://afed.org.uk/statement-following-london-anarchist-bookfair-of-octo...

so looking at the acg statement
its hard to know which bits to pick, its really all of it

Quote:
In recent years, within the anarchist and general activist movement, there has been an increasing amount of people called to account for their actions and beliefs. This could be seen as a positive thing- oppressed groups are gaining confidence to speak out and not willing to put up with unacceptable behaviours from those they are working with. However, what could be seen as positive has now become a hindrance to positive engagement with people whose actions are unacceptable in some way.

....

The intentions behind the various policies that have been put in place are usually based on a sincere desire to try and eradicate oppressive behaviours in the movement. But the end result has become an oppressive, authoritarian system in itself, resembling the Cultural Revolution in China in which Red Guards (guardians of the revolution) set out to expose ‘reactionary elements’. The way they went about it involved humiliation, emotional and physical abuse and even death for the accused. People were afraid to speak out and people denounced their neighbours and workmates and even their own family. This is certainly not something that is compatible with the way we envisage an anarchist communist society.

here you try to trivialise actual problems with bigotory and abuse and paint the reacton to it as being oppressive

Quote:
The women who came to the Bookfair to distribute leaflets against the Gender Recognition Act certainly came to provoke a debate and ended up negatively disrupting the Bookfair. Helen Steel in her support of their giving out the leaflet (though she herself did not write it or hand it out) has been criticised. However, the reaction of what can only be described as a mob is completely unacceptable. Keeping in line with what we argue above, no one of our comrades should be treated as the class enemy and be intimidated physically or emotionally
.....
This does not mean that she was right but she should not be challenged by a mob. If people disagree with her views on transgender issues, then there are other ways of expressing them. And this leads on to the next question. What exactly is a correct line on transgender?

this clearly condemns people taking action against transphobia

Quote:
The statement written by Edinburgh AF and also the Open Letter signed by a number of other groups not only supported the actions of those who sought to physically evict Helen. In fact, its main purpose seemed to attack the Bookfair organisers. There are many serious problems with these statements.

the reason that there was criticism of the book fair organisers, was their response both sidesing the issue and the fact that incidents kept happening and their continued refusal to engage with the problem, ignoring this history to paint the people raising the issue as unreasonable is dishonist

Quote:
Oppressions have their basis in a whole system, within structures and institutions. Adopting a wider perspective is important within the political movements themselves. Your male comrade may be acting in a sexist way, the white activist may not appreciate the impact of colonialism and racism on struggles and feminists may not understand the issues facing trans people but ultimately they are struggling for the same thing you are. In this way we can perhaps find less aggressive and authoritarian ways of dealing with oppressive behaviour and ideas within the movement itself. Keep in mind how you would handle unacceptable behaviour amongst workmates or in a residents association. An aggressive, ‘call-out’ approach, humiliating a person on Facebook or banning them from spaces, would not be acceptable and could completely destroy any chance of your struggles succeeding

this starts with something true then turns it into "dont be mean to bigots" and bearing in mind that the incidence that prompted this was at a specifically anarchist event, where certain principles should be a given

promoting the liberal idea that we should deal with oppression by reasoning with the oppressors is maybe a bit embarrassing for a self proclaimed anarchist communist organisation?

#10
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Spikymike
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Joined: 6-01-07
Jul 29 2019 17:33

Since the Surrey and Hants AF group is still active rat's interceding with an ad for the other local ACG group was perhaps inviting an irritated response from an AF member. But given the ACG advertises the AF at the top of it's 'other contacts list' and the London members of both groups continue to share some common activity and, dare I say it as an outsider, some common politics, it seems a bad idea to re-energise the whole long debate about the former London Anarchist Bookfair that took up a good deal of space elsewhere on the libcom discussion threads.

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Serge Forward
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Jul 29 2019 18:37

Nice to see Radical Graffiti isn't bitter. And still in the lies and misinformation business, I see. Spikymike is correct, we in the ACG have a non sectarian approach to the AF, some of whom we still consider comrades. Sadly, Radical Graffiti is unable to see past their own poisonous mindset. But hopefully one day they will be able to move on.

And that's me out.

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rat's picture
rat
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Jul 29 2019 19:03

Hi Spikymike,
I can see how my post does seem like a bit of an encroucment into AF business but as there is no longer an AF group oprating in the Surrey area, I just wanted to give the poster above, info about the Surrey ACG group incase they were interested. Maybe they have been able to contact the AF and join them.