Black Flag 209 (1996)

With thanks to Kate Sharpley Library for providing a physical copy to scan.

Contents

• Editorial
• SPUC Anti-abortionists
• Metropolitan Police murdering Londoners
• Job Seekers Allowance resistance
• Middle class black homophobia at Hackney Council
• GandALF trial
• International anti-fascist news
• Italy's social centres
• International news
• Liverpool Dockers: Women of the Waterfront interview
• The story of MOVE (Philadelphia)
• Websites / online censorship
• A Class Act: Anarchism and who we really want to talk to
• Book review: The struggle against the state and other essays by Nestor Makhno
• Book review: Eco-fascism by Janet Biehl and Peter Staudenmaier
• Book review: The Unabomber manifesto
• Obituaries: Robert Lynn, Tony Briggs, Mickey Fenn
• Humanist funerals
• Albert Meltzer funeral
• The Christie Carballo committee and the rewriting of history
• Quiz
• Letters
• Contacts
• 125 years after the Paris Commune

Editorial

As we go to press, quite a few interesting things are starting to happen. Most promising is the Reclaim the Future weekend in Liverpool, Where the dockers mark the first anniversary of their lockout. They are being joined by anti-Criminal Justice Act campaigners, road protesters, Reclaim the Streets and other grassroots prolesters. As well as the normal demo-type parade, the event promises a mass action at Seaforth dock. Unlike the dim lefties who call for mass picketing on a site with over 30 entrances spread out over a large area, the Reclaim the Streets, Shoreham and Newbury tactics show potential for a real blockade. By the time you read this, you'll know Whethe it succeeded or not. But at least they're trying. And more importantly the people inyolyed are seeing each other as allies outside of “official“ structures.

This can also happen with the Job Seekers Alliance. Groundswell, the only claimants' groups run by claimants, working with grass roots CPSA members can make this new attack on our class unworkable.You may find your copy of Black Flag delayed by the postal workers strike, a small price to pay.

When we began publishing as a magazine, our target was to come out quarterly. We are now doing so. Our next aim is to consolidate and expand. To this end we are looking at internet sites, and are pleased to offer Black Flag on tape if anyone requests it. To continue putting out what we feel is an improving publication, we need more money. If thirty people took out a standing order of £10 a month we would cover our day to day costs. Write to us and we'll send you a form. If you can“t afford that much, every little helps, as do donations in stamps, envelopes and so on.