“CHICAGO, IL — Friday night, January 20th, Chicago abolitionists in solidarity with the movement to Stop Cop City and Defend the Atlanta Forest glued shut the card reader and keyhole at a Bank of America ATM and “Virtual Banking” facility in Chicago’s affluent Lincoln Park neighborhood (2428 N Lincoln Ave). They also left messages, including STOP COP CITY, DEFEND THE ATLANTA FOREST, and ACAB on the ATM windows and door. The incident was in response to the murder of a forest defender by police in Atlanta on January 18th, 2023.
Bank of America is a top funder of police foundations across the US, in particular the Atlanta Police Foundation, which is funding the destruction of Weelaunee Forest in “Atlanta” to build “Cop City.” The intended facility would be a militarized police training compound, including a mock city for cops to practice urban warfare on Atlanta’s residents, particularly the Black and Brown and poor communities adjacent to the forest. In 2020, BOA gave at least $50,000 to the foundation; tax data from 2021-22 is not yet available.
Bank of America also bankrolls the Chicago Police Foundation, with BoA Senior Vice President Patricia Provenzano sitting on its board.
On January 18th, police in Atlanta murdered a forest defender, Manuel “Tortuguita” Teran, as they attempted to force people out of the forest to allow the destruction to proceed. This violence is further proof that police only serve and protect the interests of the wealthy and powerful – bankers and capitalists who will happily have people murdered and ecosystems destroyed to continue hoarding wealth.
From @defendtheatlantaforest @stopcopcity on Instagram, friends said: “Tortuguita was a kind, passionate, loving person cherished by their community. They spent their time between Atlanta, defending the forests from destruction and coordinating mutual aid, and Florida where they helped build housing in low income communities hit hardest by the hurricane. They were a medic, a loving partner, a dear friend, a brave soul, and so much more.”
Chicago activists echo the calls of Atlanta forest defenders to immediately stop the attacks on the forest and abandon plans to build Cop City.”
“It looks like Atlas received a visit from some disgruntled little forest bunnies and had to close down shop for the weekend. We wonder what possibly could have happened to their glass front doors…
Atlas isn’t safe even in the center of the so-called police state of NYC. They aren’t safe anywhere. We do this so comrades everywhere feel empowered to act with swiftness, creativity, and freedom. We are taking our revenge for the life that was stolen from us.
Atlas Engineering – drop the contract now. This is only the beginning. We are coming for you …
“The Strabag construction group runs a dirty business: highway and jail construction. In addition, the company cooperates intensively with the energy company RWE on the opencast mines in the Rhenish lignite mining area, also directly near Lützerath. Now we have joined the action campaign against Strabag and continue the fight against the mining of the extremely climate-damaging lignite in a decentralized way! Lützerath is everywhere and wherever we are, our resistance can unfold in many ways!
The small hamlet of Lützerath has made it to worldwide fame after its occupation, although this place had been doomed for a long time. The fight against the eviction and the brutally enforced capital interests of RWE, Strabag and Co. was magnificent, although the destruction of the place could not be prevented. Lützerath is currently the symbol of resistance against the deadly energy policy of the government at the federal level and in NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia). Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, have made it clear that something has to change fundamentally and that the state and its police do not bring justice, but rather help capital achieve its objectives in the most brutal way.
Lützerath is lost, but the battle can now be fought with renewed fires! In any place!
With our small contribution and very simple means, we see ourselves as part of an alliance with all forms of struggle of the anti-capitalist climate movement. Demonstrations, sit-ins, discussions, attacks, gluing, sabotage, lock-ons, occupations and tunnels – anything that helps in our counterattack for the good of all life!
Much love to all the injured and the prisoners. source: https://de.indymedia.org/node/252737 translated by Nae Midion Note: photo not associated with action.”
“On the night of January 20th 2023, 30 mournful anarchists took vengeful action against our enemies for the murder of Cami/Tortuguita in the Atlanta Forest two days prior. We shattered dozens of windows along the glass facade of a Bank of America building in downtown Oakland, destroyed the ATM’s, and repainted the walls with people’s messages of love, memory, solidarity, and rage at the assassination of our comrade before lighting the place up with molotov cocktails.
Bank of America is an enemy of the people and life itself. They currently fund the construction of cop city in Atlanta, the same project that threatens the forest that Tortuguita died defending. They deserve no place in our landscape. We destroyed quickly but tirelessly. Like the peasants in the Jacquerie, the Luddite wreckers, or the Haitian revolutionaries, we seek liberation in the most obvious way: the destruction of what we know is the cause of our suffering. And if we destroy much, it is because we have suffered much. “Vengeance! Vengeance!” is our war-cry.
To our enemies who seek to liquidate our lives and the earth: you will not murder us with impunity! We will strike back, each time more fiercely than before. The more you take from us, the more we have to fight for—the less we have to lose.
To our fallen comrades: your deaths will never be in vain! We will avenge you one thousand times over! Your blood is our blood. Your lives light the path of our struggle, and this is only the beginning.
We support Tortuguita whether they shot at the pigs or not. A shot fired at police is an act of liberation.
According to local press, unknown people set on fire a hunting tower in the middle of a meadow in Longkamp, using the darkness of the night as a disguise.
The damage was valued at 1500 EUR. This is the second time in nine months that a tower is set alight near Longkamp. The police says they have no clues to pursue an investigation.
Mel has been held on remand at Peterborough Prison since November. His conditions have improved, after a difficult start with little to no medication or vegan food available.
Mel is receiving regular letters, but keeping in touch with news from the outside world is a great way to support and keep him busy. He really could do with uplifting letters to remind him we are all thinking about him!
Please do not discuss any details about his case. He has got very into analysing the football and watching Dogs In the Wild on the BBC, and he likes talking about nature and animals, so maybe you can describe your last walk in the forest!
Books can also be sent to Mel via Waterstones. Books about nature, fungi, animals and plants and about positive historical change in the world are preferred over fictional stuff.
Books and letters to the address below, include a stamped addressed envelope for a reply.
We have received a submission about Punk Aid, a project raising funds for Free the MBR Beagles after producing a collaborative song that you can download (and donate for) on Bandcamp. Hear them out!
“I’m sure readers to the page are no strangers to the Free the MBR Beagles campaign. Activists fighting for the closure of the American multinational Marshall Biosciences in Cambridgeshire, and the liberation of the 2000 odd puppies they hold captive there.
Many methods have been used to bring the fight to them; most famously the Camp Beagle established directly out side the puppy farm that maintains a constant vigilance. Also the actions of Animal Rebellion and their incredible day light liberations of around twenty innocent puppies!
Well now it’s the turn of the punks! Working remotely, we thought “What can we do to help the campaign?” We brought together a collective of pro-animal liberation activist punks and have produced a song in support of the MBR beagles and the activists that fight for them in the true spirit of DIY anarcho punk!
It features contributions from over 12 bands, members of which have for many years been involved in animal rights campaigns such as hunt sabbing and protests against Huntingdon Life Sciences.
According to local hunting press, on the night of the 6th of December a hunting hide in Darmstadt was found on fire by the local hunter. The hunter and owner of the hide says that he estimates the costs at around 800 EUR and insists that “hunting hides don’t spontaneously combust”.
The police is begging for clues and so far they have no suspects.
“With this earworm in mind and inspired by the prisoners in Hamburg, in Rome and in Athens, we attacked Hertz with fire on the night of January 12. Hertz cooperates with the enemies of our freedom and must pay for it.
In solidarity with the prisoners on hunger strike, Alfredo, Ivan, Thanos, and with the 11 prisoners from Turkey. For all the anarchist prisoners imprisoned by the state and for all the others who continue to fight outside.
Greetings go to the people who militantly defend Lützerath
For an international solidarity full of hate and passion!
Until the next parking lot. Anarchists
Cheap thrills
Come on, come on, put the mask on It’s wednesday night and I won’t be long Gotta do my hair, put my gloves on It’s wednesday night and I won’t be long ‘Til I hit the target, hit the targetI got all I need No, I ain’t got cash, I ain’t got cash But I got you, baby Baby, I don’t need dollar bills to have fun tonight (I love cheap thrills) Baby, I don’t need dollar bills to have fun tonight (I love cheap thrills) But I don’t need no money As long as I can feel the heat I don’t need no money As long as it keeps burning (Cheap Thrills, Sia & Sean Paul)”
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