Category: Reading Material

[Editor’s note: We received this text a couple of weeks back and had not had time to translate it properly. Thanks to Act For Free! for providing.]

Faced with devastation: sabotage and war!

As the comrades who have raised and formed part of the campaign have understood it, “Switch Off! The system of destruction” consists of the “attack against companies and infrastructures that feed the ecological catastrophe across the world”. Here also, in Abya Yala (ancestral name for the territory known as America), multiple struggles for the defense of the earth have been developed, from the precolonial peoples who continue fighting, to new anarchic perspectives that tip more and more into the struggle for the earth. While we haven’t been able to stop the ecological catastrophe entirely, we can find concrete examples of territorial victories that have managed to stop, expel or at least considerably push back the materialization of extractivist projects, like the resistance and armed offensive of diverse mapuche organizations in Wallmapu.

The struggles in different latitudes aren’t detached form one another and they aim at the same enemies. This is why we believe it favorable to make the “Switch Off!” campaign our own, endowing it with our own territorial circumstances to avoid overlooking our particularities.

The history of Abya Yala has been characterized by pillage and assault by various imperialist hands and powerful economic groups, both local and transcontinental, belonging to the same machinery of exploitation and theft. Today we continue to be the cornerstone of capitalism and its new twist “green capitalism”, the supposed “sustainable” version, finding ourselves with new interests perpetuating ecocide. One of these is lithium extraction that today plays a fundamental role for the reformulation of the system of depredation as was once the case with oil, whose disastrous consequences we already know all too well. This is how the parasitic logics continue over the territories called “developing” or “third world”, that at the cost of destruction make possible and sustain the status and quality of life of the “first world”.

But faced with the manifold forms of exploitation, the expressions of combat and resistence carried out in different territories are also manifold. This is demonstrated by the communities inhabiting the amazon jungle that confront deforestation, displacement and the destruction of ecosystems, a situation that is repeated across the continent. Also the various environmental struggles, especially pursued by state intelligence, its armed wing and the corporate hitmen, showing the discomfort and annoyance that these conflicts generate in power even when they are partial or even addressed only by legal means. Likewise, there is the anarchic offensive that is part of these conflicts, as in the north of the continent where the comrades of the “Coordinadora de mujeres anarquistas por la defensa de nuestro cuerpo-territorio” [Coordination of anarchist women for the defense of our body-territory”] sabotaged the works of the ecocidal “Tren Maya”[2] project, or the resistance in the defense camp in the “Atlanta Forest” where a police training center is being built, and where anarchist comrade Tortuguita was killed in the course of the clashes. [3] On the other hand, the situation in the south of the continent is very similar, in the territory dominated by the chilean state, where these attacks spread and expand: in the Maule region, the “Grupo Autónomo Revolucionario del Maule” [Maule Autonomous Revolutionary Group] attacked machinery of a concrete and asphalt factory [4]; in the Metropolitan Region the “Célula Anárkika Boske Negro” [Black Forest Anarchic Cell” attacked a telecommunications antenna located on an urban hill [5], the “Célula Insurreccional por el Maipo – Nueva Subversión” [Insurrectional Cell for the Maipo – New Subversion] attacked a concrete factory [6] and a refrigeration factory and slaughterhouse [7], both located along the same river, and the “Nuevas Subversiones Anárquicas – Célula Alex Nuñez – FAI” [New Anarchic Subversions – Alex Nuñez Cell – FAI] attack
ed the “Oxiquim” [8] factory with explosives, just to name a few of the claimed actions of the last period. This is not to leave aside or devalue other attacks that, without being explicitly for the earth, target and attack the same power that degrades the planet.

Considering our similarities and particularities, as well as the urgencies and necessities that bring us together, we find it relevant to adhere actions against the machine of degradation on this continent and the world to the campaign “Switch Off!, with the goal of strengthening our struggles and deepening the combat against the existent and its historically internationalist character, visibilizing on a global level the urgency of negating this reality in practice with everything we have at hand, demonstrating through action that its possible to fight, returning the pain to those responsible, the creators of these conditions, and that it’s possible to embrace a dignified life that breaks with the misery in which they want to suffocate and bury us.

“Remember that the mechanisms of subjugation and control surround us. Wherever you are, you don’t need to venture very far to find the veins of industry; go and cut them”.

We redeem the memory of the comrade Emilia Bau, who was assassinated in a conflict for the defense of the water in Mapuche territory, the comrade Santiago Maldonado who became part of the Mapuche struggle and who was disappeared by the Argentinean state in the course of confrontations with police, and later found dead. Also the weichafes Matías Catrileo and Pablo Marchant, who were assassinated by the police in Wallmapu while exercising territorial control and sabotage, respectively, against colonizers and loggers.

Freedom to anarchist, subversive and mapuche prisoners!!

For anarchy, for the earth, for our lives.

Célula Insurreccional por el Maipo – Nueva Subversión
[Insurrectional Cell for the Maipo – New Subversion]

[1] https://informativoanarquista.noblogs.org/post/2024/01/17/acerca-de-la-campana-de-ataque-switch-off/
[2] https://es-contrainfo.espiv.net/2023/09/20/estado-mexicano-adjudicacion-de-atentado-explosivo-contra-camion-de-carga/
[3] https://informativoanarquista.noblogs.org/post/2024/01/30/ee-uu-y-paises-bajos-en-memoria-de-tortuguita/
[4] https://es-contrainfo.espiv.net/2021/12/14/estado-chileno-adjudicacion-de-atentado-incendiario-contra-la-empresa-aridos-bullileo-y-asfaltos-maule/
[5] https://es-contrainfo.espiv.net/2022/06/13/santiago-chile-adjudicacion-de-atentado-incendiario-contra-antena-de-telecomunicaciones/
[6] https://informativoanarquista.noblogs.org/post/2022/10/03/atentado-incendiario-contra-5-camiones-de-la-empresa-de-aridos-baeza-reivindicado-por-celula-insurrecional-del-maipo-nueva-subversion/
[7] https://informativoanarquista.noblogs.org/post/2023/10/02/chile-adjudicacion-de-ataque-incendiario-a-faenadora-y-frigorifico-cordillera-del-holding-dinacar/
[8] https://informativoanarquista.noblogs.org/post/2022/11/29/intento-de-atentado-explosivo-contra-oxiquim-s-a-reivindicado-por-nuevas-subversiones-anarquicas-celula-alex-nunez-federacion-anarquista-informal/

We’ve been sent quite a nice resource on how to develop into an action group which we believe is worth reading. below is a little excerpt as well as links to the zine on print form and on read only form.

PRINT READY ZINE

READ ONLY ZINE

“We are not special. Our skills are not overly technical or advanced, and our tools are simple to acquire. If you are reading this, you are capable of doing what we do.”

– APD Patrol Car Torched in Lakewood

“While I agree with this sentiment, the reader is left with many questions about how to develop such a capacity for action, even if they are motivated. What exactly does it take to not get caught carrying out heavy actions like arson? This is especially important in the long run; not getting caught for a single arson is one thing, but being able to continue carrying out attacks in the face of heightened repressive attention is quite another.

For anyone who wants to carry out actions like this, but isn’t doing so yet, I’ve sketched an outline of the steps I think are necessary to sustain hard-hitting attacks on domination (limited to the topic of “operational” considerations, i.e., acquiring skills). This brief outline is intended to orient you and provide a “learning path” — each step has recommended reading that actually goes into the appropriate amount of depth on the subject. Use the Tails operating system to visit these links, which runs from a USB drive and leaves no trace on your computer. What I’ve written here is by no means definitive, and I hope to spark a dialogue about any operational aspects I may have neglected, as well as anything outside this scope that is important for sustaining and intensifying the capacity for action.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: This short book was originally published with ilustrations and explanations on how to hunt and dismember non-human animals. We found the rest of the content interesting enough for those wanting to live in the wild and fight the capitalist machine, but we were unwilling to share it due to its links to hunting. Some folks created a slightly more anti-speciesist version, which is the one we have linked. They decided to leave some of the traps, we can only guess because they are intended to be used towards bigger animals, and in the fight to protect the wild those traps could be useful tools on fighting those who destroy the planet alongside wildlife and other comrades. It is not ideal, but it contains interesting and useful information, so have a read!

“Originally intended to be a zine, expanding to a short book, How To Survive The 9 To 5 focuses on direct action in wilderness and woodland areas and Land defense – specifically in North “georgia”. Deeply influenced by the movement to Stop Cop City and Defend the Atlanta Forest, this writing aims to aid in compiling information useful to this fight; covering topics on basic camping know-how, the local flora and fauna, natural building and skills, security and defense, and some useful tips and tactics for direct action.

In the fight for the defense of the Land, the compilation, sharing, and study of knowledge here is necessary, not only for our own safety as a movement but also for the very safety of the Land itself. We must dedicated ourselves daily to knowing and understanding the Land and how we can establish our relationship with it, which in turn means we will be able to work with it for its defense. The Forest and the Land will defend itself and we must work in solidarity with each other and it in this struggle.”

Some of the words from the anti-speciesist editing team:

“These edits were made by admirers of the original text and are overjoyed by the intentions of the original authors

These edits remove pages and text that involves hunting and trapping

It does not remove suggestions of shooting animals in “self-defense”, or edited other areas where we may have of liked, but we wanted to maintain the integrity of the text as much as possible

Yes, killing animals is murder.
No, it is not “more ethical” because you do it yourself
No, it is not “respectful” to hang an animal by their neck from a tree lined up next to the other victims, nor by bullet, nor by putting a hook in them and suffocating them in air

Yes, we are animals . Animals with the capability of agency, control, stewardship, careful relationships, observation, reflection, responsibility, and insight among many other traits that allow us to choose to live varying lives in different relationships to the earth we live in.”

READ THE SHORT BOOK HERE

We have updated our prisoner support list to include addresses for the Atlanta Forest Defenders currently in prison. A vast majority of them are locked up at a jail that only allows for USPS pre stamped postcards, which makes difficult ending letters from outside of the USA. We have uploaded a list with a separation between those prisoners who can receive plain paper letters and those who can only receive postcards, so please chose a couple of folks to write to and send them warmth and love.

Everybody on that list has charges under Domestic Terrorism, a clear tactic by the institutions to scare and quiet down the resistance against the complete destruction of the Atlanta Forest to build a mock city for cops to practice how to kill people on the streets. The level of corruption is tangible, with the judge’s partner being involved within the main funding body for the Atlanta Police Foundation. The defendants need as much love and support as you possibly can send them, so write to them, maybe tell them about a recent walk in the woods that you think they’d like to hear!

Please don’t discuss any topics related to their case, and don’t include anything that could seem illegal. Understand that all mail is monitored (even more when defendants are facing terrorism charges), and keep it light, writing about good news or experiences!

If you want to support them financially, Atlanta Solidarity Fund is managing cases, bail and legal support, you can donate here:

https://atlsolidarity.org

Find the addresses of the defendants on our website:

THE FOREST FIGHTS BACK!

art: @gadzooksB

In a world with no centre of power, where can we as anarchists direct our rage? Previously there have been kings, lords or factory bosses who we could identify as the enemy. But in this nebulous world of capital, our enemy is an entire system and an internalised psychology that needs new strategies to resist. This is the quandary that Total Liberation, published anonymously in 2019, confronts.

To bring us up to speed Total Liberation provides a brief history of radical ideology. An anarchist critique of Marxism as narrow-mindedly focussing on class is easy, and turns over no new stones. However it also provides a valuable critique of more modern identity politics and its obsession with atomising and itemising oppressions, that have won mostly liberal reformist victories.

Instead Total Liberation draws its inspiration from Murray Bookchin’s social ecology. However while Bookchin was unfairly dismissive of anarchism, and particularly antispeciesism, the author distils from these polemics a holistic understanding of the existential threats to the planet, and goes a step further by applying it to anti-speciesism and biocentrism. It therefore straddles a complex understanding of hierarchy to show that not only are all fights interconnected, they also ultimately have a common enemy.

However just as there is no central focal oppression, there is also no focus of power against which to direct our efforts. Our fight must therefore be similarly decentralised, comprised of autonomous affinity groups and rather than the large unions and political parties of the early 20th century. Total Liberation therefore provides hope to anarchists – these tactics are our bread and butter and should come naturally. Indeed, it often uses the examples of the ALF and ELF to illustrate how cells of individuals have inflicted millions of pounds of costs to heavy industry. Total Liberation does perhaps overstate the revolutionary potential of sabotage actions. That is, however much money such actions cost ecocidal industries, these industries do still exist and are constantly expanding. We need to recognise that either these actions need to be overwhelmingly more widespread, or massively more destructive.

The biggest challenge it provides to anarchism, however, is that in the face of the climate crisis, we really are fighting for our lives. No matter how insulated we are from it, almost everyone’s lives will be radically altered by global warming. It predicts a future not too far away when capitalism will not be able to put food on the shelves, a rather prescient observation considering the pandemic that was to come less than a year after this book was published. We must therefore work to build alternatives to live by, that will provide for the material and social needs of people by providing food, shelter and care without the state. As much promise we can find in our social centres and autonomous zones, the author identifies the need for such spaces to not just be refuges for radicals, but bases from which to organise and create our alternatives outside the state.

At this point Total Liberation draws inspiration from the seminal eco-anarchist book Desert, and calls for recognition that for better or worse, catastrophic climate change has already begun and is irreversible – a terrifying opportunity for us. Although it will likely create space for fascism to flourish and industry to develop into previously frozen landscapes, it will also create the space for anarchist revolution. The author highlights the success of the Rojava revolution in doing so – undoubtedly inspirational but does gloss over the terrible cost of the Syrian civil war, and also the revolution’s dependence western state power. This criticism is a nitpick, however. The point is revolutions never fit a perfect plan and nor should they. We should be dynamic and adapt to our local needs. It is an intimidating realisation that everything we want really is in our reach. The question is whether we have the courage to organise now and seize the opportunities as they arise.

Total liberation sums it up best with this passage:
“Within such an unforgiving context, it is necessary to take a side. That can be done with courage and purpose, or we could resign ourselves to getting swept up yet again, only this time by the most genocidal of centuries… Waging war with the system of death, far from being a matter of declaration, merely faces up to the reality that already engulfs us.”

A Burning Rage Of A Dying Planet, by Craig Rosebraugh, is a book that features the experiences of Craig as the Earth Liberation Front Press Officer, from the moment on which they receive the first ALF communique and realise they need to put it forward towards the press to the subsequent ELF actions throughout the USA and the work that the press office does to try to give a voice to anonymous activists.

It gives a good insight into how the government and the police spend resources to prosecute those who release direct action news to the public and try to silence folks who believe that those news are worthy of press and conversation. It also explains the experiences of facing a grand jury and being forced to talk in front of them with the threat of prison.

All in all, it is a good book for those who want to understand how the ALF and ELF evolved through the 90s, how those direct actions taken by the forest elves were intrinsically connected to pressure campaigns and how the authorities will try to control the narrative about what is deemed newsworthy and what is understood as “promoting terrorist actions”.

It is also interesting as an analysis of how 9/11 revolutionised the concept of “domestic terrorism” pointing at completely non violent actions taken by earth and animal liberation activists.

At the end of the book there is an interesting thought process that many press officers have mentioned in the past as the main reason for their cease as PO. The acceptance of ALF and ELF activists to remain completely non violent, and the possible need to expand the toolbox away from non-violence if the world has to be changed.

Email your nearest radical bookstore and ask them if they have a copy. Amazon probably carries it but Jeffrey Preston Bezos is a piece of shit that does not deserve more money, so if you can, avoid it.