At approximately 1:30 AM on Monday, November 8, five masked individuals invaded the home of Bonnie and Jason Devine, long-time anti-racist campaigners in Alberta, Canada. The intruders, armed with bats and hammers, overwhelmed Jason Devine and a friend who was visiting. Jason’s friend was beaten over the head and had his arm broken, while Jason Devine was badly beaten by all five intruders, sustaining a concussion and also requiring stitches at the hospital where both the injured were brought. Nothing was stolen from the Devine family home during this incident, although the family car, laptop computer, and other property was damaged; initial reports of a “home invasion robbery” are clearly unfounded. The Devine’s four children were asleep at the time of the attack. The five attackers—believed to be neo-Nazis—fled in a dark SUV. Preceding the attack on the Devine household, Anti-Racist Action Calgary had distributed flyers in an area where neo-Nazis affiliated with Blood & Honour/Aryan Guard currently live. (Note: the Aryan Guard seems to have merged into the Blood & Honour/Combat 18 neo-Nazi network, not to be confused with the rival Blood & Honour network linked to Volksfront International.) Jason and Bonnie Devine are the only members of Anti-Racist Action Calgary who have a public presence in their own names, and Jason Devine has been targeted by neo-Nazis four previous times, including a February 2008 firebomb attack against a previous residence. Calgary Police responded to this brutal attack by calling Children and Youth Services regarding the Devines’ children, due to the violence suffered by Jason Devine. These children have been allowed to return home. The attitude of the Calgary Police is unfortunately all too common when anti-racists are targeted by white supremacists. Rose City Antifascists believe that solidarity is essential in any successful antifascist movement, and urge a maximum of support for Calgary antifascists in the aftermath of this attack. We do not share all the politics of the Devines (who are also activists within the Communist Party of Canada) but continue to agree with the Anti-Racist Action Network’s Points of Unity: “In this movement an attack on one is an attack on us all. We stand behind each other.” It is now time to stand by the Devine family and our antifascist comrades in Calgary. The ARA Network set up a Paypal account to aid the Devine’s with expenses in the aftermath of the attack. Donations can be sent via Paypal to: support [ at ] antiracistaction [ dot ] org. For those interested in reading about Anti-Racist Action Calgary, their website is here. Add Comment ARA Conference Update 07/23/2010
Cecil Prescod will not be speaking tomorrow evening during the Portland History Panel. M. Treloar is still on to begin presenting at 6:00 PM. ARA Conference Workshops Begin Tomorrow! 07/22/2010
Rose City Antifa is excited to bring you eight presentations related to antifascist and anti-racist struggle, beginning this Friday, July 23, 2010. We would like to answer a few common questions here on the site. All presentations are free of charge! If you are able to make a donation, we would gladly accept it, but there is no fee to hear our speakers. No cameras, video, or audio recording devices. Out of respect for our audience and presenters, there will be no photos or recording without permission from organizers and speakers. No weapons. You will be turned away if you bring any illegal weapon or firearm. We welcome all ARA Network members and allies to the events listed below. Individuals who have organized with fascists or engage in sexist, racist, homophobic, etc. behavior will not be tolerated. Workshops and panels will take place at Portland State University's Smith Memorial Union, at 1825 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97201. Presentation information and speaker biographies can be found here. Guide to Racist Symbols 06/26/2010
We frequently update this website, but do not always post the changes here on the front page. This is just a reminder to keep an eye on the 2010 ARA Conference page and the Resources pages--in particular--for updates. We have added a few downloadable files to our Literature page, including the following short guide to racist symbols. Soon we will be adding speaker bios and presentation information for our conference! And, as always, give our tip line a call at 971.533.7832 or write us at fight_them_back [at] riseup [dot] net if you see any of the following symbols in the area. It is helpful to include information about "who, what, when, where, why" in your tip. During the early morning hours of March 27th, a Portland, Oregon anti-racist activist was shot in what appears to be a well orchestrated attack. It is suspected that the attackers were members of the neo-Nazi movement. The victim is a member of the anti-racist skinhead movement, a son, a friend and has dedicated the past ten years of his life to fighting white supremacist organizing. The Portland Police Department has suggested that the shooting is “gang related.” Already facing mass protests over numerous recent cases of police brutality and murder, the police treatment of this case is not surprising, and fits into a pattern of downplaying racist violence while targeting anti-racist activists. Although police and politicians attempt to portray cities like Portland as welcoming safe places, Portland and the Pacific Northwest has a violent and dangerous history. For 30 years Portland and the surrounding region has been targeted by white supremacist and neo-Nazi movements. Groups like White Aryan Resistance (WAR) and Aryan Nations waged an ongoing and underground campaign to both recruit young whites and to terrorize people of color, GLBTQ people, and others who were seen as enemies of their racist order. The 1980’s were an especially violent period in which neo-Nazi skinheads with ties to WAR beat Ethiopian immigrant Mulugeta Seraw to death. But this racist terror has not gone unopposed. Coalitions of anti-racist youths, militants from the GLBTQ communities, and individuals fighting for justice and dignity organized to beat back the racists and neo-Nazis. This organizing was often opposed and criminalized by the authorities who sought to disrupt independent antifascist organizing. This situation led organizers to rely on themselves and their own communities. The organizing by anti-fascists in Portland was a positive example and has been part of a broader, longterm campaign across the country. From NYC to LA, from Minneapolis to New Orleans, there is a history of peoples organizing to both defend themselves against racist terror, as well as come together to build multi-racial coalitions to discuss and plan forms of action to address conflicts and crisis in our various communities. The shooting in the context of growing reaction The March 27th shooting occurred within a backdrop of growing Right wing, racist, and emerging fascist organizing and activity. There has been a dramatic escalation of rhetoric and action from the broad Right. While all sectors of the working classes and poor face economic and social uncertainty, the racists, the Right wing, and the smaller but significant sections of the neo-Nazi and fascist movements are looking to divide our class and peoples. Where there should be united class anger against a system that is continually grinding people down, the Right openly demonstrates its contempt and hatred for our people. Fascists and neo-Nazis are looking for these moments of division in which they can move in, recruit, and carry out their own organizing. Call to Action We propose Saturday July 31, 2010 as a Call to Action Against Racism and Fascism. We want to use the CA to both engage the broad, independent, and radical antiracist/anti-fascist movements. We want mass and varied forms of protest and action. These actions can range from: music and DJ shows; educational events; outings of known Right and fascist organizers; street protest; immigrant solidarity and anti-minuteman action; and so on. While we want collaboration and coordination when possible, we also want to maximize the impact of this CA and thus argue for the greatest degree of creativity and initiative. We encourage individuals and organizations to determine what best works in their localities. We support the incorporation of any existing and ongoing anti-racist/anti-fascist action into this CA and imagine the CA as a way to bolster already active organizing. To reiterate, we argue for a maximum of creative and independent initiative and ask only that a) individuals and organizations endorse the call b) any public actions and events be promoted. We would not necessarily seek to publish details of planned actions unless requested to do so. We want to use the CA as a means to increase collaboration between our forces and work in a popular manner to highlight the need for a mass, radical response to racist and fascist organizing. Endorsers: Anti Racist Action - Central Texas Anti Racist Action - Los Angeles, CA Anti Racist Action - Portland/Rose City Antifascists Anti-Racist Action - Kent, OH Anti-Racist Action - Trenton, NJ Bring the Ruckus! Common Cause - Ontario, Canada First of May Anarchist Alliance Four Star Anarchist Organization Iron Rail Infoshop Kersplebedeb Red & Anarchist Skinheads – Northeast Solidarity & Defense Wild Rose Collective Workers Solidarity Alliance Endorse the Call! Email: july31.antifa@gmail.com. French: http://july31antifa.blogspot.com/2010/06/31-juillet-2010-lappel-laction-contre.html Spanish: http://july31antifa.blogspot.com/2010/06/31-de-julio-de-2010-una-llamada-la.html See july31antifa.blogspot.com for more information. Rose City Antifa is pleased to announce that we will be hosting the 16th annual Anti-Racist Action (ARA) Network Conference in Portland, Oregon from July 22 to the 25, 2010. The conference will include ARA's annual plenary, caucuses, and discussion on current issues facing antifascists. We are also organizing several workshops and social events that will be open to non-members. We hope all ARA members as well as anti-fascists who agree with our four Points of Unity will join us in July! Workshops will be on a wide range of subjects including:
Please note that only Network-affiliated chapters will be allowed to attend the plenary. If you are a part of a non-affiliated chapter or collective that wants to become affiliated with the ARA Network, please contact the organizers to receive registration materials. All friends of ARA are welcome and encouraged to participate during the rest of the weekend. We hope that you will come and add your voice to the movement! If you are new to anti-fascism, please come and learn from our experience and help us open our eyes to new possibilities. If you are a former member of the Anti-Racist Action Network, please come and get back in touch with us. If you are an unaffiliated chapter, come to the conference, meet other antifascists and take the opportunity to learn more about ARA and the benefits of joining the Network. Please mark the date on your calendar and plan to join us in Portland for our annual conference! In solidarity, Rose City Antifa, the Portland chapter of the ARA Network contact: fight_them_back [at] riseup [dot] net Anti-Racist Action Network website: antiracist.org Rose City Antifa website: rosecityantifa.org Anti-Racist Action Network's 4 Points of Unity:
repost: At San Francisco's May Day celebration this past Saturday, assorted right-wing and neo-Nazi counter-demonstrators--including members of the Bay Area National "Anarchists," a white supremacist group that has attempted to hijack leftist and anarchist aesthetics and rhetoric to push their tribalist, racialist and anti-Semitic agenda--were present on the sidewalk in front of City Hall when the pro-immigration march arrived at Civic Center Plaza. Demonstrators tried to minimize the impact of Bay Area National Anarchist's (BANA) neo-Nazi presence, trying to both shout them down and block their signs so their hateful rhetoric would neither be seen or heard. In the end, two antifascist activists were arrested after members of BANA pulled weapons on the antifa and attempted to assault them. Showing their true colors, police rushed in to defend the neo-Nazis and arrest the antifascists. Initially, bail was set at $210,000 for two arestees. Today (May 5th), both people were finally arraigned, and bail was reduced. Unfortunately, each person is still facing 5 felony charges--4 counts of assault and 1 count of robbery--and bail, while reduced, is still very high - $75,000 each. People on the ground in San Francisco are asking anyone that can to please send money so we can bail our comrades out of jail. The best way to send donations is via Paypal to paypal@freemfone.org. For more info on opposing BANA, visit: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/05/02/18646549.php For some background on anarchism, visit: http://anarchism.pageabode.com/afaq/index.html A Short History of Anti-Racist Action 05/03/2010
Reposted from Twin Cities IndyMedia: In the 1980s the Twin Cities were a hotbed of Neo-Nazis and racist skinhead gangs, some of which were violent and others which were openly organizing working class white young people to further an agenda of hate and intolerance. Many folks in Twin Cities communities began organizing a response and eventually drove most of the nazis and racist skinheads out and underground through a multi-decade struggle. Among the first groups to organize a response were young punks who formed street crews that eventually founded Anti-Racist Action (ARA). ARA chapters quickly spread to other cities and still exists in other states today. Kieran, Molly and Katrina spoke at Macalester College on April 1 about the history of ARA in Minneapolis, copwatching, sexual assault within the movement and the ongoing struggle against overt and covert white supremacy. Rose City Antifa would like to note that there are a couple factual errors in the beginning of Kieran's speech regarding the shooting of Luke Querner. Shortly after the attack on Luke, when this speech at Macalester occurred, it was believed that Luke what shot multiple times. We now know that only one bullet hit him. Although this bullet nearly killed him, we do not yet know the degree of permanent damage. The second attack in less than two weeks on an anti-racist activist in the Pacific Northwest occurred in the early hours of Monday, April 5, in Abbotsford, B.C. A device detonated in the doorway of the home of Maitland Cassia, media liason and one of the organizers of the March 21 anti-Nazi rally at New Westminster’s Braid SkyTrain Station. The "blast" woke the residents of the house around 2 AM; no one was injured by the resulting fire. Portland Anti-Racist Action joins Cassia in identifying this attack as neo-Nazi retaliation for vocal, public anti-racist organizing. Neo-Nazis have not always been able to sustain this level of violence and public presence; they tend to turn on each other in the face of community organizing and determined opposition. So it is time to turn up the pressure. Rose City Antifascists calls on communities, especially on the West coast, to step up and oppose white supremacist organizing and racial hatred on the streets, at work, and in the classroom. Counter the neo-Nazi attempts to intimidate and control with social organization, solidarity, and rational thought. Rose City Antifa is pleased to announce that we will be hosting the Anti-Racist Action Network Conference here in beautiful Portland, Oregon, from July 22 to the 25, 2010. The conference will include a variety of events, including lectures, workshops, and shows relating to anti-fascist struggle. Please continue to check back for updates. | ROSE CITY ANTIFA
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