Alison whacks a Nazi in the head; France smolders on

I recently found this interview posted on Anarkismo.net - from "Beating Fascism: Anarchist Anti-Fascism in theory and practice." Interesting stuff about a sort of hidden battle between organized fascists in the UK and US against the punk/anarchist groups. (more on racist vs. anti-racist music: tolerance.org, National Socialist black metal on Wikipedia, and of course, the white power bands of northern New Jersey). The subject of the interview, 'Three Way Fight' their alias, also has a group "insurgent blog on the struggle against the state and fascism." Sounds about right.

So at the Anti-Flag/Pennywise/Bad Religion show last night, Alison was in one of her favorite places in the world, bouncing around in the mosh pit whirling around that esoteric star in the middle of the Quest. She spied some guy with a shaved head - then saw his shirt featured the SS - the Nazi Schutzstaffel symbol - with some German words. A true racist skinhead punk. So Alison punched him in the back of the head a couple times. Call it anti-fascist direct action.

While France Smolders: Here's a statement from the "Federal Secretariat of Alternative Libertaire" via Anarkismo.net:

People in working class neighbourhoods live in constant fear, both for themselves and for their children. They are afraid of humiliating identity checks, arbitrary arrests, unpunished police violence, and spurious convictions for “outrage and rebellion,” all in order to meet some police quota. Even recent official reports have called attention to this increasing lawlessness on the part of the police.

And what can one say about provocations of the Minister of the Interior, and even worst about the policy which sees the suburbs as territory that needs to be reconquered, all of which increasingly resembles colonial and military “peacekeeping.”

And so yes, we are sorry that this violence – this answer to the illegitimate violence of those in power – is so often paradoxically directed against the very people who are forced to live in these neighbourhoods, who already have to deal with State and ruling class violence. The logic of this spontaneous rebellion is somewhat understood by the population, but its legitimacy is hurt by the destruction of cars, schools and buses.
[.......]

We support the rebellion against injustice, the sense of mass solidarity, the elements of political awareness amongst most young people. As such, we understand and are in solidarity with both the necessity and the reasons behind the direct action now taking place throughout the working class areas.

This week or riots expresses the hopelessness of the most marginalized section of a generation with no future. Yet it should also be seen as being connected to the government’s strategy of tension and current repression of the social movements (transportation, postal workers, students, anti-GMO activists…). All of these struggles bear witness to the same social insecurity.

We are not going to demand a return to “community policing” or building new sports centers so that young people can work out their frustrations in silence. Does anyone seriously believe that this will solve the social tension caused by the political and social violence of those in power?

We are not even going to demand that the Minister of the Interior resign, as has a section of the left. This is a side-issue, a politician’s issue, and it is scandalous when we remember that the Plural Left [1] also passed security legislation and even today has not broken with the dominant liberal-security model.**

There are certain to be more explosions of anger unless there is a redistribution of work and wealth, all the more certainly so if social regression, inequality, racism and marginalization continue unchecked.

“Prevention,” religious recuperation and repression will all be useless. Only justice and social and economic equality can solve things.

There's a certain logic there. Like Hunter said about another time, you could strike sparks anywhere. But with that 21st century twist.