A weekend of talks and short films to celebrate 100 years of fighting fascism. All welcome.

In conjunction with the International Brigades Memorial Trust, Bristol Anti-Fascists presents a weekend of talks and films celebrating our rich collective history of fighting fascism in the UK and beyond. Come along, learn, discuss, share, network and plan for the future.

Events will run from 10-5.30 on Saturday and 10-4 on Sunday and a healthy, vegan lunch will be offered for a suggested donation on both days. In the cafe room, we are excited to be hosting the ANTIFASCISTAS exhibition by the International Brigades Memorial Trust.

A full programme will be released shortly but a list of confirmed talks is given below. If you would like to recommend a speaker or a film please contact us at 100yearsofantifascism@protonmail.com.

“Workers Power: Unions against Fascists”

“Bristol, an Anti-Fascist City”

“Beating the Fascists: Physical Resistance to Fascism”

“Fighting Fascism in the Middle East, a report by ex-YPG volunteers”

“A History of the Anti-Fascist Network”

“The 5th Column; Partisan Resistance to the Nazis”

“Culture Wars: Music against Nazis”

We will be showing many short films throughout the weekend. If you have any films you would like us to show (or films you would like us not to show) then drop us a line.

On Saturday night there will be a social event for anybody interested in discussing things further or networking. Details to be released nearer the time.

This is a free event but can only survive off the back of donations to cover our logistical costs. Anybody who can or wants to is invited to give a £5 suggested donation. Nobody will be turned away. Accommodation can be helped with if you are travelling from out of town but advance notice is needed.

BASE social centre (formerly Kebele) is an anarchist/libertarian space that survives off the hard-work of volunteers. It is a safe space and will not tolerate any form of oppressive behaviour at any time. As a rule, don’t be an arsehole.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1148577551945465/

BASE needs cooks for it’s Sunday cafe – can you help out any Sundays? If so, email kebelecafe@riseup.net with the date that you could do. You’ll need to be available from 3-9pm and we’d make sure you’re with someone who’s done it before if you’re new to the kitchen.

Over the past six months, as you might be aware, there’s been a lot of discussion about our social centre’s name. It no longer felt appropriate to be called Kebele. None of us involved in the project had links to Ethiopia (where the word Kebele is from) and most people who came through our doors or website didn’t know from the name what the space was about. To reflect the values of the centre and to make it clearer that we are an anarchist social centre, we’ve chosen a new name. From March 2018, we’ve been called BASE: Base for Anarchy & Solidarity in Easton. The website still has Kebele written on the menu bar and in the URL, and we’re asking around our techie friends to see if someone can help us change this! If you can help out with this, do let us know of course!

Our friend and comrade Anna was killed during the defense of the city of Afrin from the Turkish invasion. She was killed alongside other members of the YPJ. Sadly we don’t know their names but we remember them too for their bravery.
Anna was known to many for her compassion and dedication to making change. Her time at BASE was spent being involved in many different collectives. Prison abolition was her main passion while in Bristol but she was also an anarchist, feminist, anti-speciesist and anti-fascist. She recognised that all oppressions are interlinked and the importance of fighting all of them. Anna also recognised the importance of caring for ourselves and the people we love and she often found time to feed herself and her friends banana bread! She brought creativity and energy to all the events and actions she was involved in and was positive and full of hope. The positive effect of her actions are spread across the world and the list of people that she empowered into action seemingly limitless.

Anna will be missed so much but we will be inspired by her courage, strength and kindness. Her dedication to fighting what she called ‘the forces of evil’ will never be forgotten and we should allow her death to encourage us all to continue in the struggles she fought for and strengthen our movements.

Hosted by Bristol A.B.C. (Anarchist Burger Crew!!)

We will be serving up tasty burgers and all the trimmings plus spicy potato wedges. The burger stampede starts at 7pm.

£5 suggested donation.

There’ll also be the chance to learn about the importance of prisoner support and write letters to people on the inside.

All money will go towards helping set up an international anarchist defence fund; a financial resource that can quickly provide money towards legal costs and and support for existing prisoners.

https://bristolabc.wordpress.com/

March 18 – Act in solidarity with Russian anarchists!

Info night calling for solidarity for Russian antifascist prisoners.
After the BASE people’s kitchen & screening of the film,
“Sad But true, in the Memory of Ivan”, 7.00pm, Sunday 18.03.18.

*****
During last months Russian secret services have arrested several
operationanarchists and related issues:antifascists in Penza and
Saint-Petersburg cities. They were accused with creation of “terrorist organization”. Arrested people were tortured with electric cables and shockers during many hours, brutally beaten without paying any care to make hard damage and visible traces of beating. Officers humiliated our arrested comrades. They tried
to force them make evidences and accusations against themselves and against each other. These true Gestapo actions of Russian FSB secret service can call only vigorous protest from every honest person who can only learn the truth about the situation. At the same time with arrests in Saint-Petersburg raids and arrests by FSB against anarchists were made in Crimea.

The international solidarity action week of February 7-12 exposed wide reaction of the libertarian movement worldwide to these terrible repressions and made huge informational effect in Russia. But it appeared to be not enough to overcome the situation. Very soon the information was published that some of arrested anarchists were again tortured and intimidated. They were demanded by FSB officers to refuse to participate in campaign of resistance against tortures and repressions. More – after solidarity actions in Russia police launched repressions against its participants. Comrades were prosecuted in Moscow and Chelyabinsk cities. Anarchists in Chelyabinsk were tortured with
electricity by police while accused with “hooliganism” (!)

It is necessary to continue and strengthen the campaign of solidarity to force Russian authorities to end tortures and political repressions.

The best day for new actions is March 18 – the day of presidential
elections in Russia. In this day ruling regime is the most vulnerable
and the eyes of the world will be turned to the situation in our
country.

We urgently and desperately call to all anarchist, leftist, antifascist
and democratic groups and communities all over the world to organize actions of protest and resistance of any kind against tortures and repressions in Russia by the embassies, consulates and other official offices of Russian Federation in your countries.”

One may read in detail about it here:
https://avtonom.org/en/news/airsoft-penza-terrorism-case

AAN meeting. 1-4pm, March 11th.

All welcome except cops and journos.

Agenda likely to include

#StopCardiffArmsFair

#AnarchistTravellingCircus

and more! Get involved!

Come along to our next meeting, Wednesday 7th March.

A place for members of various vegan activist groups and those wanting to get involved in activism to come together, share ideas and make plans for the future. Meeting starts at 6.45pm.

Sunday 4th feb, 7.30pm, after “Resist!” Sunday dinner:
Letter writing for Hambach prisoners.

THE HAMBACH FOREST IS AN OLD GROWTH FOREST IN GERMANY THAT IS BEING DESTROYED TO MAKE WAY FOR AN EVER-EXPANDING OPEN PIT LIGNITE (BROWNCOAL) MINE. AS THE FOREST IS CLEARED, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DISPLACED, THEIR VILLAGES RAZED, AND CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS HAVE DEGRADED THE CLIMATE WORLDWIDE. FOR DECADES, PEOPLE HAVE RESISTED THIS PROFIT-DRIVEN DESTRUCTION, AND FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, THE FOREST HAS BEEN OCCUPIED WITH TREEHOUSES.

SINCE MONDAY 22/01/2018, NINE ACTIVISTS FROM THE HAMBACH FOREST (THEHAMBI 9) HAVE BEEN IN CUSTODY INDEFINITELY. ON THAT DAY THEY OBSTRUCTED THE EVICTION OF BARRICADES IN THE FOREST DURING A LARGE SCALE AND VIOLENT POLICE OPERATION IN THE FOREST. THEY WERE ARRESTED FOR RESISTING
POLICE HAVING PEACEFULLY BUT FIRMLY DEMONSTRATED AGAINST LIGNITE MINING AND FOR A CLIMATE-FRIENDLY WORLD.

THIS IS INDICATIVE OF A NEW LEVEL OF REPRESSION FACED BY THOSE OCCUPYING THE FOREST, AS THE POLICE AND RWE FAIL TO STOP THE RESISTANCE. IT ALSO SHOWS THE RESPONSE OF THE STATE TO THOSE CHAMPIONING ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL CAUSES, AND IS A CLEAR ATTEMPT TO INTIMIDATE THE ENTIRE CLIMATE
JUSTICE MOVEMENT.

WRITING LETTERS TO THOSE IN PRISON, WE SHOW OUR SOLIDARITY WITH THE HAMBI 9 AND EXPRESS OUR APPRECIATION AND SUPPORT OF THOSE WHO ARE
COMMITTED TO CLIMATE JUSTICE. WE WILL MAKE IT CLEAR TO REPRESSIVE REGIMES THAT THEY WILL NOT BREAK THE RESISTANCE, THAT SOLIDARITY IS INTERNATIONAL, AND THAT WE WILL REMAIN ACTIVE DESPITE ANY INTIMIDATION ATTEMPTS.

FREE THE HAMBI 9! #FREEHAMBI9 #HAMBIBLEIBT

HTTPS://HAMBACHFOREST.ORG/

The next GM will be on Monday 29th January at 7pm.

On the agenda so far is

The art and resources room
Roof repairs / fundraising
The name change
New leaflet
New building sign