In March this year the AAN twitter account reached 3000 followers.

The following was tweeted out to mark it:

“Thanks to our 3000 followers! While we haven’t called a meeting since 17th March 2019, we supported the G7 resistance in Cornwall last year, and multiple other events and mobilisations. We started as StopG8 in 2012 and merged with Stop NATO Cymru in 2014 to become the AAN.”

“While the present status of the AAN is unclear until we meet again, we encourage anyone interested in being involved to see if there is already a group near to them: https://network23.org/stopg8/about-us/local-groups/ (some have become dormant, but it’s very possible that it’s still worth offering support.)”

It was hoped that we could rebuild the network after the G7 in 2021, and some progress was made with this, but so far it hasn’t led to a meeting being called (other than some post-G7 discussions online).

Now that twitter is looking like imploding as a platform, or in the very least, getting worse and even more corporate, it feels like a good a time as any to reflect on what the future might hold for this, actually, fairly dormant, network.

The following 3 scenarios have been proposed:

1. We keep the email list active but stop using the twitter and effectively call it a day.

2. We hold a meeting early next year to discuss what the future of the network could look like and how it could grow again. This could be in London, or in Sheffield (on the weekend of the Radical Bookfair).

3. We look into changing the name of the network, and relaunching it.

Many of us still think the need for a network such as this one still exists, helping to build anarchist ideas whenever possible, supporting bookfairs and other initiatives, helping build a movement, especially in an area where a major international summit lands.

We are considering setting something up on either Mastodon, or instagram, or both. Would love to hear people’s thoughts on this. Please email us if you have any ideas or suggestions.

Many thanks,

love & rage,

aan

PUF 2022

Person Unknown Festival is a natural and inevitable progression of the grassroots movements that have hit Manchester over the last 2 decades, Fresh Milk, Okasional Cafe, Temporary Autonomous Arts events, and Loose Space as a few examples.

This crew of Manchester-based squatters are organising a 3 day festival full of workshops, performances and live bands + DJs. Doors open on the 13th May with workshops, community cafe and a late night queer cabaret.

Come to celebrate and participate in DIY culture, challenging us all to learn and grow in a temporary autonomous space, through critical thought and playful creativity.

https://radar.squat.net/en/event/manchester/persons-unknown-festival/2022-05-13/puf-2022

Date & Time: 

Friday, 13 May to Monday, 16 May, 2022 (late night finish)

21st May 2022

Home

On Dec 8, 2020 a group of seven people were arrested by the French state for alleged terrorist association. All but one of them have been released with no specific charges beyond ‘criminal conspiracy,’ a charge that can be used to enhance sentences and strip away rights. Libre Flot was transferred to solitary confinement days after his arrest and is the only one of those arrested still behind bars.

Throughout his incarceration, the French state has attempted to say that Flot’s actions of joining the liberatory struggle against the Islamic State is the same as those who traveled to Syria to join ISIS.

As of Feb 27, Flot began a hunger strike in protest of the 14-plus months of pretrial detention, the allegation that seven people who did not even know one another committed a conspiracy, and the attempts of the French state to assert that those who fought the Islamic State are no different than the ISIS members they opposed.

On the 24th of March, after having lost a lot of weight and presenting health problems, Libre Flot was hospitalized. 

The 4th of April will be his 36th day of hunger strike. 

The 4th of April is also his birthday. 

On this day, we call for an international day of solidarity. We call upon all comrades and every decent human being with a sense of justice to protest outside French embassies, consulates or institutes, or to find any other way to voice their objection to this blatant injustice.

DESTROY ALL PRISONS. FREEDOM FOR INCARCERATED COMRADES.

Original call to action at: https://solidaritytodecember8.wordpress.com/2022/03/27/call-to-action-international-day-of-solidarity-april-4th-2022/

Statement by London squatters:

We Are Anarchists. We Occupy this property in protest against Putin and his world. This mansion is owned by a Russian Oligarch, Complicit in Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Do we need to remind you why Putin Sucks?
The invasion of Ukraine is only the latest episode in a long series, from the support of Assad in Syria to the neo-nazi Wanger militia assistanting dictatorship, concentration camps for LGBT+ people, ecosides, brutal wealth inequality, far right troll farms and so on.

By Occupying this mansion, We want to show solidarity for the people on Ukraine but also for the people of Russia who never agreed to this madness.
We want to show our sympathy to the brave protesters who have been in the belly of the beast, and suffer unjust imprisonment for staying up to Putin.

Finally a few words for the elites here in the UK, who have been Putins Minions for years. You received bribes, you managed Oligarch’s property, you even adopted Putin’s authoritarian attitude to protest and decent. FUCK YOU TOO.

This mansion will serve as a refugee support,  for people of Ukraine and people of all nations and ethnicity.

SQUAT OLIGARCH’S PROPERTIES EVERYWHERE

This first appeared on NFA Anti-Fascists.

Sunday the 13th

To the sixth in Mexico and abroad:
To those who signed the Declaration for Life:
To honest people all over the world:

The Zapatista communities, in agreement with various individuals, groups, collectives, organizations, and movements from across SLUMIL K´AJXEMK´OP, hereby call for protests and mobilizations against ALL CAPITALIST WARS currently being waged in multiple corners of the planet. These wars are happening not just in Ukraine, but also in Palestine, Kurdistan, Syria, on the Mapuche people, on all the originary peoples all over the world, and upon so many different emancipatory processes that are attacked, persecuted, murdered, silenced, and distorted.

As our own response to this call, we will participate in mobilizations to be held Sunday March 13, 2022, and continue to protest wars perpetrated by the system across the world.

We therefore propose the launch of a global campaign against all capital’s wars, in whatever geography they are waged, consisting of concerts, gatherings, festivals, meetings, and so on, in a campaign of the arts against the wars.

We call on all honest people, groups, collectives, organizations, and movements in Mexico and abroad to participate in activities demanding a halt to all wars, starting on Sunday the 13th, and in accordance with their own times and ways and their own independence and autonomy.

For our part, thousands of Zapatistas from our communities will carry out demonstrations in the caracoles, in the county seats of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Yajalón, Palenque, Ocosingo, Las Margaritas, and Altamirano, and in the communities along the highway.

All of our arts, our resistances, and our rebellions against all of the wars!
From the mountains of Southeast Mexico,
Zapatista Sixth CommissionMexico,
March of 2022

The SouthEast Zapatistas will be supporting this demonstration in London in response to the communique:

Where are we now?

The Lords voted down some parts of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, including unwarranted stop and search, criminalising locking on, and noise restriction on protests. However most of the original Bill is still set to pass, including the criminalisation of trespass in an attack on Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. Also moving up the parliamentary stages is the Nationality and Borders Bill, which gives the government the power to strip people of their citizenship without informing them. It has gone through the House of Commons and will go to the committee stage on 27th January.

What next?

Well so far focus has been on trying to prevent these Bills from passing, appealing to MPs and Lords to vote in our favour. But now it’s time to prepare ourselves for when they do pass. Whatever amendments are made, we can be sure that the Bills will still attack groups already most marginalised. It’s time to skill up so that we can defend our communities – practically and materially.

In London we have workshops planned throughout February on topics such as dearresting, self-defence, sectioning and your rights, and barricading. Stay tuned for dates and locations!

But let’s make February the month that communities prepare to defend themselves ACROSS THE UK, by sharing the practical knowledge we already have. And if we can, let’s not make these niche activist events but wider community skillshares. Remember, groups already most attacked by current legislation will know which strategies work best.

Will you help organise skillshares in your town or city so that people feel confident in resisting immigration raids, setting up a local Copwatch, and resisting Traveller site evictions? We’re looking forward to seeing them pop up all over the place – Fightback February means widespread community self-defence training!

We need to make these Bills unenforceable. This is how we start.

#FightbackFebruary
#RatAction
#ResistingAntiTrespass
#PCSCBill
#NationalityAndBordersBill

[Image description: Edited blue and red photograph of an immigration enforcement van surrounded by a large crowd. Text in white reads ‘CALLING FOR… FIGHTBACK FEBRUARY’]

From midday Saturday January 29th – Sunday 30th 2022

Stonehenge Road, Amesbury

(or 3 what3words ///certainly.carbonate.elephant ///herbs.united.snuck ///scales.exploring.cure)

UPDATE (December ’21):

“We’re sorry to say that the anarchist bookfair this weekend is postponed… We are obviously hoping to reschedule…and are devastated to have to postpone. Looking forward to welcoming you all to a plague free bookfair soon. Love and solidarity, Stonehenge camp”

UPDATE (January ’22):

All the info you need for Stonehenge camp’s anarchist bookfair and imbolc celebration!

Preparations are in full swing and we can’t wait to welcome everyone to our little piece of paradise!
Bookfair (29th-30th Jan)- You are all invited to bring something you are part of or passionate about! – We have broad themes of radical & inclusive education, transformative justice, and dismantling rape culture that we want to explore but welcome whatever you want to share: struggles and successes, politics and passions, rad things we are part of- Slots are ~45 min and can take any format you like – structured workshop, friendly  chat about what you/your group are up to, read a short text/listen to a recording together and discuss it, etc – if you want support (such as a co-facilitator) to help you step into what can be a scary thing, let us know! We can support each other in building skills and autonomy- after workshops during the day we will spend the evenings doing fun stuff together depending on the weather and energy: fire spinning, an anti-talent show (bring your silliness and get involved!), a documentary screening… 
Imbolc: (31st Jan – 1st Feb)- we will build up to celebrating imbolc through the weekend, with skarobics, a decolonising ceremony discussion, FINT and MINT spaces, a ceremony, live music from the legendary Boom Boom Raccoon, and dancing toons into the night! 
Camp stuff:- everyone is crew, and is expected to do at least one role for the camp each day. This is part of living our politics and part of the radical learning of living communally! – please be mindful this is a FINT-led space. We welcome all genders and reject patriarchal and other oppressive behaviours- we have a camp agreement that anyone who comes agrees to stick to
Covid:- with rising cases and new strains, we want to take precautions to keep ourselves, each other, and vulnerable folks we might be in contact with as safe as possible and prevent folks needing to isolate on camp. This is anarchism in action! – everyone will need to do lateral flow tests on arrival (bring some with you if you can) – please bring a mask and be willing to wear one if asked to, and wear one on public transport on the way here- be mindful of risks you are taking – the biggest risk of transmission is sharing enclosed spaces- obviously, if you have come into contact with covid in the last 10 days please dont come, even with a negative LFT- if you have any symptoms that might be covid (any common cold & flu symptoms and more covid specific ones like loss of smell), please don’t come, even with a negative LFT
Travel: – train stations nearby are Salisbury or Pewsey (Pewsey has no barriers), if you need a lift please arrive by lunchtime each day and let us know in advance. Buses run from both to Amesbury, and then camp is a 20 min walk up the hill. We are at the very top of Stonehenge road, right before it meets the A303. The buses into amesbury are the X4, X5 and activ8.- Berrys coaches run to Amesbury from London, Glastonbury, & other SW towns.
Logistical stuff:- we have a communal sleeping space and bedding but not enough for everyone, so bring what you can- power down is at 10pm on Sat and midnight on Sun- please do not enter personal spaces without consent – for covid and all the other reasons! – there is parking space for both cars and live ins, but it will get crowded in camp & on the verge (all wheels off the road on the verge pls!) – if you need to get in & out please park elsewhere (the drove and woodhenge are free parkup places half an hour walk from camp) – we cook vegan communal meals but are a freegan site. Let us know of any dietary needs
Things to bring:-lateral flow tests-firewood-food (raid bins on your way here!) -cool books and zines to share & chat about-sleeping stuff, incl earplugs and hot water bottles -charged battery packs, headtorches etc (solar is obviously very limited right now!) 
Contact us with any questions and accessibility needs! Love and solidarity, Stonehenge camp