Occupy Atlanta: An Insight into the Occupy Movement

(This article was written by a nucleus of anarchists about their experiences with the Occupy Wall-Street movement. The context is Atlanta, Georgia, one of the largest and most economically important cities in the southern U.S. Even though the article delves into issues that are specific to Atlanta, the descriptions of the political orientation and organizational structure of Atlanta's “Occupy” movement has striking similarities to other “Occupy” movements throughout the world. · As communists, we obviously have a bone to pick with the emphasis on “direct-democracy” and “self-management.” Speaking of direct-democracy (of whom?) and workers' self-management without clarifying the context one is speaking of them in can be politically dangerous.

1917 - The Proletariat Takes Power

"On the evening of October 24th the Provisional Government had at its disposal little more than 25,000 men. On the evening of October 25th, when preparations were underway for the storming of the Winter Palace, the Bolsheviks assembled about 20,000 Red Guards, sailors and soldiers before that last refuge of the Provisional Government. But within the palace there were not more than 3000 defenders, and many of those left their posts during the night. Thanks to the Bolsheviks’ overwhelming superiority there were no serious battles in the capital from October 24th to October 26th, and the total number of those killed on both sides was no more than 15, with no more than 60 wounded.

The Kornilov Affair Mobilises the Masses

As we saw when looking at the July Days the Bolsheviks were able to survive the post-July repression because of their firm roots within the working class. However, for those looking for easy lessons for today, a warning. It has to be remembered that this would not have been worth anything if it was not for the relative strength of the Petersburg workers in their own concentrations in the Vyborg and Petrogradsky districts. This turned these areas into proletarian fortresses which could not easily be entered by the State. · Added to this was the chronic weakness of the Russian bourgeoisie which had failed at every turn to overthrow Tsarism. After the February Revolution it was trying to build a state which depended entirely on the whim of the working class for its continued existence.

Solidarity with the Kazakh Working Class!

On the massacre of the Zhanaozen strikers · For decades the working class has been largely ignored by the media as a fringe element in society. However, it still frightens the ruling class, so much so it speaks of its existence and its struggles as little as possible. When it does acknowledge its existence it does so in ways that reduce our "subversive", ie, anti-capitalist potential, to harmless short bursts confined to world of the working class. The "cordon sanitaire" out around this world is so tight that at times it becomes almost unbreachable. · And this is what happened on Friday, December 16th in one of the territories of the former "evil empire", in Kazakhstan and more precisely in the oil city of Zhanaozen, in the western part of the country.

The Russia We Love and Defend

(From Prometeo 2 (December 1943) - This article was the first Onorato Damen wrote in Prometeo the still clandestine publication of the newly-formed Internationalist Communist Party. Its context is the opposition to the wartime Allies of the USSR, the USA and the UK in the imperialist war against the Axis powers. After the fall of Mussolini all sectors of the Italian bourgeoisie were flocking to support the Allies. The newly formed Italian Communist Party of Togliatti actively encouraged this as it took on the mantle of “defending democracy”. The article here was intended to emphasise the need for the working class to fight for its own revolutionary programme like that of the early years of the Russian Revolution after 1917 and against the degeneration that had occurred under Stalin.

Some Reflections on the Attacks on the Euro

We have analysed elsewhere the underlying cause of the exponential growth in sovereign debt over recent years, whilst most recently focussing in particular on the financial crisis. Now let's concentrate on the underlying causes of the attack on the sovereign debt of euro zone countries. · According to the "received wisdom" this is due to the so-called financial markets getting rid of (selling) government securities of the euro zone countries in the wake of their own speculative activities. Now these markets are set on disengaging from economically weak countries they do not trust, those which are in danger of defaulting, which are unable to guarantee their debts or the interest to be paid to the speculators. It all began with the bonds of Ireland, Portugal and Greece.

Class Solidarity with Senegalese Immigrants!

(The following leaflet was produced by the Florence comrades of Battaglia Comunista for a demonstration against increasing racist attacks incited by the “official” political parties in Italy.) · On 13 December a fascist in Florence killed two Senegalese immigrants and wounded 3 others. The hand on the gun that killed may have been fascist but the order was given by Capitalism! · The local and national bourgeois institutions have tried to put the responsibility down to the act of a single fascist who in the isolation of his madness has put into practice his odious racism and xenophobia. · The Florence massacres happened a few days after fascists set fire to a Roma camp in Turin.

Eurozone Deal and the Isolation of the British Bourgeoisie is No Affair of the Working Class

9 December was the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the Maastricht agreement which eventually paved the way for the single currency. We were already discussing re-publishing the document Maastricht - A Squabble Between Capitalists which we issued in Workers’ Voice 63 (Second Series) in Nov-Dec 1992 before the latest news from Brussels to record what the issue was for workers at the time. In fact it is the same as now. · At one level the European project is part of the competitive global struggle of imperialist interests but on another it is a fight amongst our masters about how to best exploit us.

Unilever Workers Isolated by Unions

From 7pm on Thursday until 7am on Saturday over 2,500 Unilever workers at various sites from Port Sunlight on Merseyside to Purfleet in Essex manned picket lines as they mounted the first ever all-out strike over plans to axe the company's final salary pension scheme. · Only two days before the N30 public sector workers’ ‘day of action’ against monstrous changes to pension schemes and the biggest strike in Britain for a generation 85% of Unilever’s 7,000 workers had also voted for strike action over precisely the same issue. Unilever has announced its intention to axe the final salary pension scheme which in any case has been closed to new members since 2008. Back then the bosses promised the old scheme would be secure for existing members.

Two Texts from the Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty

(We have no direct connection with Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty which seems to be supported by a mixture of political tendencies including anarchists, anarcho-syndicalists, libertarian and left communists etc. However what we like about these two documents is not only that they explain the way the capitalist system is operating in terms almost identical to our own but they also reject any notion that it can be reformed. This sets them apart from the various other coalitions whose main aim seems to be to get the current government out (presumably to bring the last government back!). They understand that to really deal with poverty you have to deal with the system that causes it.

To Really Fight We Have to Unite

In 90 countries round the world the “Occupy” and “Indignados” movements have posed the question. Things cannot go on as before. We need an alternative to capitalism. Perhaps that’s why the state in many countries has attacked the peaceful occupations? As it happened coordinated repression in the US only came AFTER they linked up with the workers in Oakland, California. They created a general strike across the city from the port to the pizza shop. This really does frighten the ruling class. When those who create the wealth say “enough is enough” capitalism cannot function. This is why we need to recognise our struggle goes beyond the fight for jobs, defending pensions or benefits. It is a fight for a different way of organising how we live.

November 30: Unions Follow the Rules while the Bosses and Government Tear up the Rule Book

While the government’s arbitrary changes mean that everyone has to work longer to get a state pension, while the capitalist crisis is wiping out private pensions, when every day brings news of more job losses, when workers in general are facing wage cuts and harder working conditions the public sector unions are doing their best to limit 30 November to a single ‘day of action’ over a single issue - pensions - by workers in a single sector [state employees]. · The truth is the unions do not want a serious fight by a unified working class: that might cause problems for the system which might lead to something they cannot control. Whatever power the unions still have today is due to their ability to contain any response by the workers they represent to safe ground for capital.

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