On November 4, 2011 two men robbed a bank in Eisenach, Germany. When the recreational vehicle in which they hid in the immediate aftermath was surrounded by police, they set fire to the vehicle and shot themselves. Simultaneously, a woman in Zwickau set her apartment on fire before turning herself in to the police.

The details about that day’s events and the cascade of connections that followed are harrowing. The men, Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Böhnhardt, and woman, Beate Zschäpe, constituted a trio of committed neo-Nazi terrorists that had been underground for 13 years. Wanted for depositing several dummy bombs in public places as well as possessing four live bombs in 1998, the three went underground and formed what has come to be known as the National Socialist Underground (NSU). Throughout its 13 year history this group has most likely been responsible for the shooting of nine migrants of Turkish and Greek descent, the shooting of two police officers, one of which lived, the bombing of a busy street in Cologne in a district primarily inhabited by immigrants, and fourteen bank robberies. (1)

In the month since November 5th, several suspected above-ground helpers of the group have been arrested, detained, or investigated. (2) German antifascists have reacted by staging demonstrations and direct actions throughout the country calling to actively fight and defeat all neo-Nazi structures. (3)

Rose City Antifa believes that the despicable actions of the NSU sadly prove, once again, the capacity of small dedicated groups of neo-Nazis to inflict terror and violence against people despite their relative failure to gain large-scale support. Our solidarity goes out to the families of the victims of the NSU as well as German antifascists confronting the structures of the far-Right.

(1) See: Neo-Nazis Suspected in Long Wave of Crimes, Including Murders, in Germany_
(2) See: New Suspect Arrested in Neo-Nazi Investigation
(3) See: Aufruf: Jetzt auf die Straße gehen! (Translated using translate.google.com)
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_In support of building a classless, free society Rose City Antifascists is endorsing the December 12 shutdown of the west coast ports. It is paramount that issues of anti-racism are at the forefront of building social and economic equality. Economic policies place a disproportionate burden on people of color.

Locally you can participate in this action by following this link.

Rose City Antifa stands in solidarity with rank and file workers in the quest for economic justice.
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___On Thursday, December 8, the Portland State University Women’s Resource Center is scheduled to host an event that promotes bigoted narratives under the guise of environmentalism. “The Earth at 7 Billion: Population and the Future of Life on Earth,” is co-sponsored by the Sierra Club and Population Connection, and will feature the films Mother: Caring for 7 Billion, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, and a talk by John Seager, president and CEO of Population Connection.

GrowthBusters is a prime example of the greening of bigotry. Filmmaker Dave Gardner features several speakers associated with the white nationalist John Tanton (who founded or funds many groups which are featured in the film and promoted on the film’s website). These organizations scapegoat immigrants and people of color for problems as vast and diverse as social strife and pollution, and attempt to inject racist and nativist ideas into the mainstream environmental movement using the frame of “overpopulation.”

As this film aptly demonstrates, it is important to lend a critical eye to pseudo-environmentalist narratives that focus on “overpopulation” as a chief causative factor in environmental degradation as it is a place where far-right, racist groups are finding an ideological toehold. A false assumption underpinning the population myth is that the primary cause of resource scarcity and environmental destruction is that too many poor people, people of color, immigrants, and people in non-industrialized nations are having too many babies. This places blame squarely on the shoulders of those suffering the most devastating effects of white supremacy, colonialism, patriarchy, and other oppressive policies, rather than focusing on the unjust allocation of resources and who actually profits from the systems driving environmental collapse.

Rose City Antifascists believes that screening a film that places the burden of environmental degradation on the poorest, most marginalized communities is in direct contradiction with the PSU Women’s Resource Center’s mission of “advancing social justice” and demonstrates an appalling lack of analysis around the intersectionality of oppression. The WRC was made aware of the information in this article and asked to cancel the event, but they have chosen to move forward with it despite their knowledge of GrowthBusters’ ties to racist groups and promotion of anti-immigrant and neo-Malthusian narratives. Call the PSU Women’s Resource Center events coordinator, Kari McDonald, with concerns at 503-725-2792 or the WRC general line at 503-725-5672.

For more information about GrowthBusters and Dave Gardner, click here.

For a report on bigotry and the environmental movement (Population Connection can be found on page 14 and 15), click here for a PDF.

UPDATE: As of Wednesday, December 7, the WRC has indicated that they have withdrawn their support from the "Earth at 7 Billion" event and will issue a position statement shortly. A brief explanation of their decision can be found in the comments section of this article and on the WRC events page. It is unclear if the event will still happen without a student group's sponsorship.
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_White supremacists David Pedersen and Holly Grigsby recently made headlines in the Pacific Northwest as suspected perpetrators of a killing spree across Washington, Oregon, and California. Pedersen is easily recognizable by the SWP (Supreme White Power) tattoo across his throat, as seen in his mugshots and court photos. Grigsby and Pedersen have been extradited from Northern California back to Washington state, where the murder spree began.

Though entering not guilty pleas at their October 19 arraignment, the couple has confessed to 4 murders total, including the murder of a 19 year old man, Cody Myers, who they believed to be Jewish, and Reginald Alan Clark, a 54 year old black man from Eureka, CA.  

During her confession, Holly Grigsby told Washington State prosecutors that she and Pedersen were on their way to Sacramento to “kill more Jews” when they were arrested for the murders on October 5 in Yuba City.

In 2001, David Pedersen was convicted of threatening the life of Edward Lodge, the federal judge who presided over the trial of Randy Weaver, a white nationalist who shot and killed a U.S. marshal during the infamous standoff at Ruby Ridge in 1992. The Ruby Ridge standoff remains a hot issue for white supremacists.

A condition of Pedersen’s supervised release from prison earlier this year was that he “not associate with current or past members of the Aryan Death Squad or any other criminal group.”
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