LONDON
CALLING

2003

2001
2002
2004

£12 each

Shorts

Show your legs off this summer! All shorts come complete with Class War slogan and are available in Large and Extra Large.

£5 each.

Class War Membership

Everybody who was a member in 2002 is now invited to re-join for 2003! Membership remains at £12 waged, £6 unwaged. Alternatively you can pay monthly, either by direct debit or in person to the London CW treasurer. The more people pay up the more we can do in 2003.

Joe Strummer

As its pretty obvious how London Calling came by its name, we could hardly let this issue pass without a tribute to Clash singer Joe Strummer. Joe died on 22 December aged just 50. Joe helped put Class War on the map with the Rock Against the Rich Tour in 1988, and politicised another generation of youngsters in the same way The Clash had in 1977.

A good song is probably worth a hundred books or pamphlets, and The Clash had some fucking good songs. One of the last gigs he played, in November, was a benefit for striking fire fighters at Acton Town Hall with his band The Mescaleros.  Rest in Peace.

Thank You

To everyone who made the Xmas Social such a success. The video that was shown “Incitement to Riot 3 – Insurrection” should be available very soon.

Sorry about the fish paste sandwiches.

Diary Dates

Wednesday 15^th January - Deadline for articles for issue 85 of Class War.

Sunday 19^th - "Injustice" - film about black deaths in police custody. 1.30pm at Birkbeck College, Malet St., London, WC1. Organised by the London Socialist Film Co-op 020 7278 5764 www.londonsocialistfilmco-op.com.

This film has seriously pissed off the Met, who have childishly attempted to intimidate people screening it. All the more reason to go and see it!

Tuesday 21^st – TACT social night. 7:30pm onwards upstairs at the Princess Louise, 208-209 High Holborn, London. Nearest tube Holborn. Social gathering for anti-capitalists.

Saturday 25^th - Disobedience anti-war benefit. Featuring singer songwriters Leon Rosselson and Robb Johnson. At London Action Resource Centre, 62 Fieldgate Street, E1, 8pm £6/4 www.disobedience.org.uk/

Sunday 2^nd February – London Class War meeting at the shabbiest, dirtiest back street pub we can find.

Thursday 6th An Emmaz Benefit with The Steve Lake "the Curse of Zounds" Show, Gertrude (TBC) and others + DJ's @ The Lord Cecil, Clapton E5 8pm-2am, £4/£3 in

Saturday 15^th – 1pm No War But The Class War! Massive demo planned through central London to protest against the war mongering Mr Bush. To join the Class War contingent phone us on 07931 301901.

Our (May) Day Will Come! Report & Reflections
The London CW picket of Wilkinson's, Stratford, got our May Day off to a good start. Well attended, and well policed, we received a positive reception from shoppers. This was but one of a series of pickets we'll be holding to highlight Wilkinson's use of prison slave labour. Once we arrived in the West End, however, it was clear that the main event of the day was not going to go as smoothly as we'd hoped. From the first it was clear that the police had the upper hand: the rapid encircling of demonstrators at the assembly point outside Lockheed Martin showed what to expect from the cops. What was particularly perturbing with this inauspicious start was that many experienced activists were trapped behind enemy lines!

When things did get underway it was clear that numbers were well down on last year. Many people I spoke to thought they were seeing one part of a much larger demonstration. I didn't have the heart to put them right! Whilst May Day did cause a huge disruption of trade throughout the West End, much of that was due to shops being boarded up in fear of violence. The stroll round the West End did cause some surprise, but outside the immediate vicinity of the demonstration life proceeded as normal.

The confusion caused by the disruption of the assembly point caused events throughout the day to go awry. The 'green ' route appears to have been the only one to appear. This, combined with the low turnout, combined to leave the police retaining the upper hand throughout the day. We got to the day's destination - Shell's HQ on the Strand - earlier that the 4 o'clock convergence hour, and by four few people were left in the Strand.

Though many people had headed off down Whitehall, the day was effectively lost by the time the last stragglers had left the Strand for a pint or five. Though people hung around Trafalgar for ages - some forced to - it was plain the police had initiative on their side. The police presence was sufficient to prevent any trouble being worth the effort, and there was little talk in the pubs later of success.

There are some several reasons for the disappointing events of this year's May Day. The publicity was tardy. May Day fell - again - on a weekday, with all the associated problems for turnout. Many people have already filled their year's quota of demonstrations. Past May Days have shown what sort of policing to expect. Maybe some people were put off attending because they didn't want to get nicked for stuff they'd done before. But another possibility is boredom…

This brief summary of the events of this year's May Day may sound pessimistic: it isn't supposed to. Rather, it is time to re-evaluate May Day strategically and tactically. We cannot go on without reflecting on what went wrong on the day, as well as what went right. Essentially, it's time to ask ourselves what we want from May Day. Is it a day to trash a McDonald's? A day to have a ruck with the filth? A day to bring the West End to a halt? If it is, then we're failing dismally.

As long as we keep going back to the West End every year, we're making a strategic mistake: we divide ourselves from the very communities we wish to influence. Tactically it makes no sense. If we're looking for a rerun of June 18, we're looking in the wrong place. Each year May Day has a different theme, with a different idea of how to get the better of the cops. Each year the police manage to disrupt these plans. At the end of the day what has May Day become but a great training day for the Met and City filth? The last four May Days have been positive and vibrant events, but that avenue of opportunity has run its course. It is now time to stop making a fetish of holding May Day in the West End and to act more imaginatively.

By focusing exclusively on the West End and the targets there, the targets on our own doorsteps are neglected. Hackney, Lambeth, Camden, Islington and Haringey Councils all affect the everyday lives of working-class Londoners more than Lockheed Martin. The bread-and-butter issues which most people lose sleep over are not represented in the West End but in the town halls of London. To regain the initiative on May Day, and to reconnect with our communities, we feel that it is vital that the anarchist movement look away from the glittering spires of the West End. If we carry on in the same vein we are going to continue alienating the anarchist movement from the very people we hope to influence.

Next year May Day is on a Saturday. We feel that if May Day '04 is to be the success we want it to be, then we must start looking honestly at what happened this year and drawing lessons from it. In the run-up to next year's events, we'd like to encourage people to get involved in organising it so that the burden is not unfairly placed on a few people. We salute the efforts made by this year's May Day Collective, and feel that their work should have been crowned by greater success. That it wasn't was due to factors outside their control. Only through greater collaboration and solidarity between groups, both formal and informal, can we hope to improve the planning for next year's May Day.

Onwards and upwards for 2004!

Mayday Across the World

BERLIN: At the end of a 4000-strong protest in Prenzlauer Berg, violence "erupted". A group of 200 anarchists took on 7500 cops. They pelted the filth with rocks, bottles and fireworks for three hours, fighting behind burning barricades and beside smashed up shops, losing 97 to arrest. 27 cops were injured, as well as an unknown number of rioters and bystanders. The German capital has been a venue for Mayday revels since 1987. Spiky Rating: 5
BERNE: Swiss police used water cannon to prevent 300 demonstrators from entering a state-owned arms company. SR: 3
ZURICH: 7,000 people marched peacefully. SR: :-(
MOSCOW: Pro-Putin parties and trade unions eclipsed Communist supporters, with a 25,000-strong march. The peaceful, flower-waving crowd cheerfully marched down Moscow's main thoroughfare, joined by the Moscow mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, and Mikhail Gorbachev. SR: :-(
SEOUL: 20,000 attended a rally demanding a shorter working week, better conditions and job security. SR: 1
MANILA: 10,000 marched, demanding better working conditions. Some wore masks, symbolizing the harmful effects of globalization on local industries. SR: 1

You're supposed to fry them!
Tokers at Hungary's first cannabis march and festival were forced to take an early bath after anti-drugs campaigners pelted them with eggs and tomatoes. Although cops kept the two sides apart, the way the "antis" hissed and booed, together with their incessant rain of veg, brought the do to an end an hour early.

Shenanigans in US
American Postal Service Inspector General Karla Corcoran has come under fire from a watchdog group and 2 senators. It seems that she authorised a variety of "team-building" activities which would get most people the sack. Among the concerns raised about the bizarre and unusual practices she had staff participate in were building gingerbread houses, dressing up like YMCA band, the Village People, and performing strip-teases at work. Additionally, they criticised her "rampant waste, cronyism, questionable management and personnel practices".

Come in SO595, your time is up!
You really could not make it up. The Met have just announced they're going to launch a range of cop "action men". They're kicking off, appropriately, with a riot cop. According to the BBC, "the male action figure is equipped with telescopic truncheon, riot shield and handcuffs", and can be dressed up in a flak jacket, boots, helmet and gauntlets. It also has its own number (SO595). This feisty filth will be joined by a female sergeant, cop van, helicopter & air observer. For some reason the Met seem to think this is a good idea. If they want to portray themselves as vicious thugs, who are we to differ?

Unlikely Heroes
For many years there have been rumours that, in the US, librarians keep tabs on what people are looking at. Rumour no longer! The US "Patriot" Act forces librarians to give the FBI the reading, research and internet records of any & all library users. Librarians are even prohibited from telling you your records have been seized by the Feds!! This is no idle threat: librarians across the United States are reporting FBI agents making many hundreds of record requests. However, librarians are not taking this lying down. From issuing warnings and spreading news of the new law, many librarians are turning to direct action! The most used piece of equipment in many libraries now is the humble shredder, which many librarians are now using routinely to foil the evil machinations of the Bush despotism.

Sports News
News reaches us of a recent football match between the fascist British Ulster Alliance and Eastway Rangers FC, a 6 Counties loyalist outfit. The game ended Eastway Rangers 6 BUA Mainlanders 2, in this memorial match for John Gregg and Robert Carson. The BUA had the grace to say Eastway were the better side. One BUA player sadly had received a broken ankle, and was hospitalised. The rest of the team retired in solidarity.

London Calling
Over the next month, we're going to be revamping London Calling. We're going to see if people want to get it via email, and London Calling will also carry more reviews and international news. You will have seen our international Mayday notes above: our team of newshounds are on the look-out for similar stories for the July edition. If you have any information, news or diary dates for London Calling, please email us at classwaruk@hotmail.com, or send the info to London Calling at the London PO Box.

War news
Throughout the war on Iraq there've been strange goings-on. Now the dust is beginning to settle, it's interesting to see what the peace has revealed. Taking two points here - the archives and Jessica Lynch - shows a bit of a dichotomy between what we're told and encouraged to believe, and the truth.

As soon as the fighting was over the looting began. Both in Basra and Baghdad teams of Iraqis carried off anything they could lay their hands on. And good luck to them! The curious thing was finding Class War in strange company. Donald Rumsfeld and Geoff Hoon are not known for their positive stance on free shopping, yet both condoned the looting. All manner of useful and not so useful things were taken: three men were seen in Basra pushing a grand piano down the road! Buildings in Baghdad were pillaged and set on fire. And where were the forces of law and order during this shopping frenzy? Sat back, encouraging the looting! Whilst the looting of the National Museum has grabbed most of the headlines, the looting of the archives has not received the same attention.

Consider: in Afghanistan, every computer and video tape discovered was trumpeted as the likely panacea to all the US & UK intelligence problems. All carefully taken away and investigated. All nice and above board. In Iraq, by contrast, the cities were thrown open and pillaged, not by the invading forces, but by their own populations. No attempt was made to secure any ministry (except oil).

Now, after the buildings were just smoking and it was safe to enter them, all sorts of goodies started turning up for anyone bothering to look about. So much turned up, in fact, that two journalists were able to find the same document on the same day that linked Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda. They even scraped off the same tippex - separately! (See Sunday Telegraph, Toronto Star, 27 April.) And both claimed a world exclusive… Similarly, there have been plentiful finds of material to tar Galloway, and by implication the anti-war movement. But nothing about weapons of mass destruction. Nothing about where Saddam Hussein (or his corpse) is. And now, about seven weeks after the fall of Iraq, the US is scaling down the teams looking so hard for the wmd's. The looters have already been blamed by senior members of the Bush administration for nicking all the documents about the weapons. Handy people, looters!

JESSICA LYNCH may be out of the headlines at the moment, but it's likely not long till she reappears. The story of her capture and dramatic rescue was instantly tipped as the next 'Black Hawk Down'. As the Toronto Star noted, "All Hollywood could ever hope to have in a movie was there in this extraordinary feat of rescue - except, perhaps, the truth".

For example, two days before the "rescue", Iraqi troops had scarpered. Hospital staff then tried to return her to the US forces, just over half a mile away. But when the ambulance got near the US lines, it was fired on! Later, a waiter who worked nearby was approached by US Special Forces and asked if any Iraqi soldiers were still in the area. "The soldiers were very nervous", he reported.

The night of the raid, all the hospital staff expected the Americans. "Everyone expected the Americans to come that day because the city had fallen", said Dr Anmar Uday, "But we didn't expect them to blast through the doors like a Hollywood movie." But even more like a movie was the way the Americans had brought along two cameramen and a still photographer!

The Toronto Star interviews with the hospital staff make it clear that there was no ill-treatment of Lynch while she was in Iraqi hands. Had there been such ill-treatment, one would expect that the doctors would have been arrested! Instead, a couple of days after her, er, recovery by the US, an American military doctor came to the hospital to thank them for their superb surgery on the wounded GI. What really troubles the medics in Nasiriya are the allegations that Lynch was abused while in their care. One of the nurses who took care of her was taken aback by suggestions that Lynch had been subjected to inappropriate treatment: "This is a lie. But why ask me? Why don't you ask Jessica what kind of treatment she received?" We can't. Jessica Lynch may or may not be suffering from amnesia: the US military has issued a press statement saying she cannot remember what happened to her in captivity, but dismissing claims of amnesia. It seems that if a memory is not laid down, one can't remember but isn't suffering from amnesia. It seems somewhat similar to alcohol blackouts.

But Lynch won't be talking. Despite the reports of Iraqi doctors and nurses that she was very friendly to them, and they to her, the US military wants her to keep quiet. Lt-Col Ryan Yantis: "Until such time as she wants to talk - and that's going to be no time soon, and it may be never at all - the press is simply going to have to wait."

…Remembering the Past…
ANNIVERSARIES FOR JUNE

1 June: 1903: Fire at master's house at Eton College; two boys lost their lives.
2 June: 1994: 25 intelligence agents killed in helicopter crash in Mull of Kintyre; the dead are some of the top RUC Special Branch and MI5 officers from the Six Counties.
3 June: 1844: Insurrection in Dominica.
4 June: 1913: Suffragette Emily Wilding Davidson trampled to death by a horse at the Derby.
5 June: 1878: Birth of Mexican revolutionary Pancho [Francisco] Villa.
6 June: 1780: Newly built Newgate prison destroyed during Gordon riots.
7 June: 1896: Bomb thrown at religious procession in Barcelona; several killed.
8 June: 1809: Death of Thomas Paine, revolutionary.
9 June: 1946: Ananda Mahidol, aka King Rama VIII of Thailand, found dead in mysterious circumstances.
10 June: 1843: Disturbance at Carmathen by 'Rebecca and her daughters'; toll gates in county destroyed.
11 June: 1903: King Alexander and Queen Draga of Serbia assassinated at Belgrade.
12 June: 1963: Attempt made to assassinate Venezuelan President Betancourt in Ciudad Bolívar; he immediately orders the arrest of all communists and 'pro-Castro extremists'.
13 June: 1876: Mikhail Bakunin, Russian anarchist, died.
14 June: 1928: Ernesto 'Che' Guevara born.
15 June: 1381: Wat Tyler, leader of Peasants' Revolt, killed at Smithfield.
16 June: 1904: Assassination of General Bobroikoff, Governor-General of Finland.
17 June: 1966: Venezuelan guerrilla leader Fabricio Ojeda captured at La Guiara, outside Caracas, by military intelligence.
18 June: 1999: Thousands of anti-capitalist rioters trash the City of London.
19 June: 1997: Mr Justice Bell gives his mixed verdict in the McLibel trial; Dave Morris and Helen Steel fined £60,000 pounds for libel, but also finds against McDonald's for 'exploiting children', deceiving customers about the nutritional qualities of their food', 'cruelty to animals' and 'paying low wages'.
20 June: 1923: Pancho Villa assassinated.
21 June: 1966: Venezuelan guerrilla leader Fabricio Ojeda found hanged, suspiciously, in his cell.
22 June: 1830: Last man punished in pillory at Old Bailey; P J Bossy, for perjury.
23 June: 1848: Rising of Red Republican party in Paris; 3 days' fighting ensued; 10,000 people were killed.
24 June: 1917: Russian fleet in Black Sea mutinied at Sebastopol.
25 June: 1870: Erskine Childers, Irish republican, born.
26 June: 1893: Surviving Haymarket anarchists pardoned.
27 June: 1880: Helen Keller, American socialist, born.
28 June: 1905: Mutiny of Russian sailors on the battleship Potemkin.
29 June: 1916: Sir Roger Casement, Irish revolutionary, condemned to death for treason.
30 June: 1797: Naval mutiny at the Nore suppressed.

-Compiled by the Class War Historian-

Diary Dates

24 May: March for a United Ireland. Assemble 12 noon Tothill St (St James Park, Westminster tubes), march to Red Lion Square. Speakers include Sinn Fein rep, Ex-Hunger Striker, John McDonnell MP. Organised by Wolfe Tone Society. wts@brosna.demon.co.uk

1 June: London Class War Meeting. For those not in France! Contact London Group Secretary for details.

1-3 June: G8 Summit, Evian-les-Bains, France. Either sit at home during this summit, or go to the south of France for fun & games! Info: http://france.indymedia.org

11 June: Conflict gig. London Mean Fiddler, Charing Cross Road (Tottenham Court Road tube). Films, stalls, etc. Tickets £5 in advance from Astoria Box Office, Rhythm Records Camden, Rough Trade W11, etc.

15 June: Camden Green Fair & Book Fest 2003. St James's Gdns & surrounding closed streets, Cardington St, London NW1. 12-7pm. Lots of fun things to see, buy and do, admission free. Class War stall too!! Nearest tube: Euston.

20-22 June: EU Summit, Salonika, Greece. After the last Greek EU summit, this one looks like another chance to see the Greek rioters in action! http://thessaloniki.indymedia.org/

6-12 September: Disarm DSEi. Actions against Europe's largest arms fair. Visit www.dsei.org

25 October: Anarchist Bookfair. New venue ULU, Malet St, London, WC1. Visit http://freespace.virgin.net/anarchist.bookfair/

s t o p p r e ss
About 30 arrests on May Day. One person got 28 days for spitting at a cop, pleaded guilty. Remember, don't plead guilty - there's a fair chance of getting off silly charges like that!

DSEi analysis

This year's DSEi actions were notable for a number of reasons. Firstly, they were conspicuous by the absence of the sort of reporting we've come to expect! In fact there seemed to be a conspiracy of silence surrounding the protests as far as the mainstream media was concerned. Rather than the sensational journalism which we've grown accustomed to for Mayday, coverage was far more subdued than anyone expected. The Red Army Faction realised in the 1970s that one cannot rely on the media to spread one's message. In this country much public disorder goes unreported. What few people had anticipated was the extent to which a large political protest in London would go unnoticed by the majority of Londoners due to a media blackout. People may wish to do something about this. The core of protest, particularly in recent years, has been to publicise issues. If the capitalist press no longer wish to report certain actions then perhaps some activists may wish to reconsider their strategies and tactics.

Secondly, it was reported (where it was covered!) that the police had been preparing for DSEi for a year. This was evident in the way that they did their best to split up and pen in protestors. Yet despite a low turnout (tops 2,000 on the "no guidelines" day) the police were run ragged and nearly lost it. The strange position of the ExCel Centre, right beside the Canning Town estate, made it difficult for them to police the area effectively. The number of alleys and cut-throughs - many known only to the locals - effectively neutralised the police advantages in communication and mobility which they used to greater effect outside the estate. Interestingly, the paucity of planning by demonstrators may have made it harder for the police to act more efficiently. With fewer ideas of people's schemes, there was little the police could do except to react to the unfolding of the day's events. The only two certain events were "Storm DSEi" and the call to rally at Canning Town DLR for 4pm. Storm DSEi turned out to be a load of people sitting in a road; and though people congregated at the DLR for the street party in the afternoon, the street party never happened. Throughout the day people coalesced into groups, split up and mingled once more. Though confusion reigned for much of the day, when people did get together and start moving, the police had to wait for them to falter before they could control the situation. The filth are very good at this!
Thirdly, the locals were very supportive. Throughout the day Canning Town residents of all ages helped demonstrators avoid the police. The mazy lanes and alleys of Canning Town are almost incomprehensible to the outsider, yet with the help of residents many demonstrators were able to evade the police. What beggared belief, though, was the lack of work that appeared to have been done with those living on the Canning Town estate. We recognise that the lack of resources, the other commitments of activists - as well as the brief duration of the arms fair - may have militated against greater involvement with the local community. However, we also feel that future objectionable events held at the ExCel Centre would be better opposed with the active support, and involvement in planning, of Canning Town residents. They're members of the class, it's their area, they've been at the sharp end of Dockland's redevelopment - for these reasons they should be central to any future opposition to events at the ExCel. Also, we believe that in future, wherever possible local people should be consulted. But not consulted in some liberal wanky way! Their opinions should be listened to, as should their criticisms of planned actions, as part of the planning process. In their own area, people will know the best ways to get things done. Why ignore the expertise of residents when it's there for the asking?

Communication between various groups left much to be desired: the absence of a sound system for the street party was the most noticeable failing. Had other groups learnt of this a week or two weeks prior to DSEi, another one would undoubtedly been procured. It seems that liaison between affinity groups was also flaky. We've heard that four affinity groups at one point all intended to target the same point! And communications on the day were almost non-existent. Though large numbers of people who turned up were unaffiliated to any organisation, those of us within groups should make more of an effort to coordinate our plans and have a centre which can relay and record information. Ideally there'd be a secret war room in central London with punkettes pushing models of rioters and cops round a map like in Dambusters - a bit! - but that may be taking centralisation a bit far.

In summary, this year's DSEi did have failings. The low turnout, the lack of planning, the lack of coordination… all these contributed to a noticeable weakness on the part of the demonstrators. On the positive side, though, the arms fair didn't receive the trouble-free week that the government had hoped for. On 11 September the delegates heard and saw raucous opposition to their presence outside their gala dinner. We have - hopefully! - learnt from it, from its weaknesses as well as its strengths.

ANARCHIST WORKERS NETWORK
We recently received some information about the AWN, reproduced below.

About the Anarchist Workers Network

The workplace is an arena where we have the chance to change society. Trade unions ought to be a radical force for social change. And for all their many weaknesses over seven million British workers belong to reformist unions like Unison, RMT, GMB and T&G. Industrial action is at its highest level since the miner's strike. Industrial militancy is on the rise. Workers are angry; wildcat strikes are back. Bosses steal our pensions. They make us sweat while awarding each other massive fat cat salaries. We are exploited for their profit. Unions - even those led by so-called left wing general secretaries - have failed to build on this mood of anger. They demand marginal reforms that change nothing. They hand over millions of pounds each year to New Labour even though it is the bosses' friend. Anarchists know the importance of industrial organisation. But frankly
while anarchism and anarchists have been at the heart of the anti-capitalist movement, we have not spread the anti-capitalist message to working people. We need to link up and support each other - in our unions and workplaces. We need to push for union's to disaffiliate from New Labour. We need to make the case for anarchist methods of running industry and society.
We need to organise solidarity for workers in struggle.
As anarchists we recognise the many weaknesses of the official trade union movement, but we cannot ignore that millions of working class people belong to unions.

The Anarchist Workers Network is being set up with a number of aims:

To provide a means for anarchists in individual unions or industries to link up and support each other (including unemployed or retired workers).

To coordinate campaigns like disaffiliation from New Labour.

To raise awareness of anarchist methods of organising society and industry.

To circulate and share news, advice and information.

Supporting workers in struggle.

AWN will be a network not an organisation, a means of bringing anarchists together. It will work alongside and with the anarchist national federations.

Do you agree with this? Then get in touch!

To get involved on the internet you can access our egroup and discussion boards via the AWN website: www.awn.org.uk

If you are interested in joining the AWN please send a slip of paper with your name, address, email address, union and occupation (e.g. RMT, Rail worker) and your subs (see below) to the following address:

Anarchist Workers Network (AWN)
c/o 84b Whitechapel High Street
London E1 7QX

Subs (per year) are as follows: £5 high wage, £2 low wage/part time and free for unemployed or disabled workers. Cheques payable to 'AWN' please.

Remembering the Past
Anniversaries for October

1: 1851: US: A Syracuse, NY, crowd amshes a police station to free a recaptured slave.
2: 1809: Birth of (Louis-) Charles Delescluze, French revolutionary involved in the uprisings of 1830, 1848 and an important leader of the Paris Commune.
3: 1896: Death of English socialist, designer, printer and author William Morris, author of the utopian novel "News from Nowhere".
4: 1982: US: President Reagan suggests that since he sees big "help-wanted sections" in the Sunday papers, unemployment must be caused by a lot of lazy people who'd just rather not work.
5: 1929: Nicaragua: National Guard garrison mutinies, murders its US Marine commander.
6: 1966: LSD made an illegal drug in US. California makes possession and use of LSD a felony.
7: 1911: Mexico: Revolutionaries with the anarchist Zapata take Axochiapan, Mor. from government forces.
8: 1949: Czechoslovakia: Secret police arrest 10,000 and send them to work in coal and uranium mines.
9: 1967: Che Guevara captured and summarily executed in the Bolivian highlands by US-trained troops.
10: 1888: US: Strait & Narrow? Teetotalers excursion train crashed, killing 64, Mud Run, Pennsylvania.
11: 1924: Founding of the Bureau of Surrealist Research
12: 1873: Famous Russian anarchist Mikhail Bakunin retires from the struggle, and resigns from the anarchist Jura Federation.
13: 1925: Birth of standup comic and social rebel Lenny Bruce.
14: 1912: Milwaukee, US: Former President Theodore Roosevelt shot, seriously wounded by anarchist William Schrenk.
15: 1860: US: 11-yr-old Grace Bedell writes to future President Lincoln, advising him to grow a beard.
16: 1925: US: Texas School Board prohibits teaching of evolution.
17: 1860: Scotland: A good walk ruined! First professional golf tournament held, won by one Willie Park.
18: 1648: First American labour organization formed: Boston shoemakers.
19: 1910: France: Death of Luigi Lucheni, found hanged in his cell. Anarchist advocate of "propaganda by the deed," he killed the Empress Elisabeth of Austria in 1878 and received life in prison.
20: 1990: Brixton: Anti-poll tax march ends in riot.
21: 1916: Austro-Hungarian Prime Minister Count Karl von Sturkh assassinated by anti-war socialist Friedrich Adler.
22: 1963: US: More than 200,000 students boycott schools in Chicago to protest de facto segregation.
23: 1956: The Hungarian revolt against Soviet leadership began.
24: 1945: Vidkun Quisling, Norwegian wartime traitor and, well, quisling, executed.
25: 1920: Greece: King Alexander dies from blood poisoning shortly after being bitten by a pet monkey.
26: 1909: Prince Ito of Japan assassinated by a Korean.
27: 1659: Massachusetts: William Robinson and Marmaduke Steven, two Quakers who came from England in 1656 to escape religious persecution, are executed in the Massachusetts Bay Colony for their religious beliefs.
28: 1920: England: Sylvia Pankhurst jailed for urging people to loot the docks.
29: 1886: England: Freedom begins publication.
30: 1961: Moscow: Stalin's body removed from Lenin's Mausoleum, reburied in Kremlin wall.
31: 1971: A bomb exploded at the top of the Post Office Tower, London. Angry Brigade widely believed to be responsible; 1998: the Movement Against the Monarchy get more than 1,000 and a guillotine out in pouring rain for a march through central London.

Diary Dates

OCT

Fri 17 Planning meeting- for Guantanamo protests on 20 Nov during Bush's visit. Venue: KNK office, 10 Glasshouse Yard (Barbican tube) Organised by Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CAMPACC)

Film Screening- of "Injustice" the film that tells the story of people killed by the police and follows the families fight for justice... with Q & A discussion, spoken word, Spanner, DSG, Cop Car Pileup + DJs (drum n bass, reggae) @ ???. Info: 07770 432439 or 07793 360565. www.injusticefilm.co.uk

Thur 23 Demo- by Essex SHAC (Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty- against vivisection lab) demo: meet 11 a.m. at Epping tube station (end of Central line)

Fri 24 Protest- outside Karl Debbaut's court hearing (charged with assaulting a police officer on Day X, the day the War started) 9.30am @ Belmarsh Magistrates Court (next to prison), Belmarsh Rd, SE28

People's Global Action (PGA) info & social night- @ LARC, 0207 377 9088 www.londonarc.org Doors open 7pm start 7.45pm. On the eve of the anarchist bookfair, a report back from last weeks PGA meeting in Belgrade (with subtitled footage lent by a local activist), feedback from the Argentina Autonomista tour last summer, some discussion, and a photo exhibition and bar. The night is open to all, & especially various direct action groups (Rhythms, Wombles, AYN, Rising Tide, IMC, etc) as well as UK PGA infopoints and Autonomista Tour contacts.

Sat 25 Anarchist Bookfair- @ ULU Malet Street, WC1. Look out for the CLASS WAR stall! www.anarchistbookfair.org

National Demo- against deaths in police custody. Assemble at Trafalgar Square at 1pm for march to Downing St. All Welcome. Please wear black. Info: United Families & Friends 0845 330 7927 or 07770 432 439 or see www.uffc.org

Mon 27 Demo- Stop the Corporate Invasion of Iraq @ 1 Whitehall Place (Embankment tube) from 8.30am. Organised by Voices UK. Info: www.voicesuk.org email: voices@voicesuk.org

30 South London Radical History Group- is back!! 8pm, @ Use Your Loaf "The Witch Trials 1560-1690" What happened and why?

Fri 31 Hallow's Eve Zombie Massacre- a benefit against (?!) Bloodsports w/ FuckHatePropaganda (2piece ferocious Stoke thrash), Among the Missing (scarey-sounding metal HC) +tbc @ the Windmill. £ cheap (cheaper if in fancy dress- not as a punk!) Raffle, prizes for best/ worst/ most disgusting costumes! 8-11pm. Gig info: losers@innit4life.plus.com Proceeds to: West Kent Hunt Sabs westkentsabs@hotmail.com

NOV

3-9 Barry Horne memorial week of action- Sentenced to 18 years in prison for his actions against animal abuse, Barry died on 5 November 2001 after a series of hunger strikes against the vivisection industry. See www.shac.net/ACTION/dates.html or contact SHAC, 6 Boat Lane, Evesham, Worcs, WR11 4BP

Thurs 6 Day of Action- London SHAC(Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty- against vivisection lab) day of action against Japanese banks: meet 11 a.m. at Liverpool Street tube, Bishopsgate exit

Meeting- London Grassroots Opposition to War (GROW) Network meeting. Venue: to be confirmed. JNV - 0845 458 9571 - www.j-n-v.org

Sat 8 Conference- "Smart Bombs Dumb Wars" A one day conference examining changing conditions of war and peace in the age of global terrorism @ Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, WC1H 0AL

Sun 9 Global day of demonstrations- against the Apartheid wall in Palestine www.stopthewall.org

Thurs 20 Picket the Police Jamboree! Picket of the Police Review Gala Awards Dinner, Merchant Taylors Hall, Threadneedle Street, City of London. Bank tube. Boo Blunkett! Catcall top cops! Called by London Class War.

19-21 Resist Bush! Mass Nonviolent Civil Disobedience to welcome George "Dubya" to London. Nov. 19th, go to Buckingham Palace.. or organise your own affinity group for (nonviolent) actions nearby. Email lists: resistbush@yahoogroups.co.uk or Bushinghampalace@yahoogroups.com or see Justice Not Vengeance www.j-n-v.org

22-29 National anti-fur week- Actions at fur shops and on the street everywhere. Campaign materials and further details from Coalition Against the Fur Trade, PO Box 38, Manchester, M60 1NX. Tel. 07939 264 864, www.caft.org.uk

29th Campsfield: 10 Years Too Long! Tenth anniversary demonstration at Campsfield Detention Centre, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxfordshire with guest speakers and music.Bring drums, whistles, etc to make sure the detainees hear us! 01865 558145 or 01993 703394 info@closecampsfield.org.uk www.closecampsfield.org.uk

29th Buy Nothing Day- buynothingday.co.uk or www.mydadsstripclub.com/bnd02.htm

Sun 30 Not a Gig- but there's two Tower blocks being blown up or down! at 12 noon on the Nightingale Estate, Hackney, London. Kinda fun to see!

NOVEMBER 2003

Bushwhacked...
Taking stock of large protests seems to be a theme this year! The Mayday protests, DSEi and now the opposition to Bush's visit all have some things in common, and the lessons learnt from them should be learnt.

One strand running through all three protests is that there has been little attempt to learn from what happened. Mayday did have a post mortem, and the Mayday 2004 Collective will look to incorporate those lessons into next year's protest. DSEi and the anti-Bush demos haven't received such criticism from a range of participants. We feel that post-action analyses are essential should we wish our actions to improve in imagination and quality, as well as effectiveness. Many people re-invent the wheel when there's no need to; and often simple precautions are forgotten.

To take one example: the Resist Bush demonstration, advertised as a non-violent direct action tea party at Buckingham Palace. This met at Victoria. Standing about for around thirty minutes, the FIT teams were able to photograph everyone there from the top of a tour bus. A line of police was allowed to encircle the crowd, and few people took the opportunity to move outside it. Result? When people made to move off, only about twenty people were outside a hastily erected pen. The people inside seemed to have made scant effort to avoid this all too predictable trap. Though there were attempts to break out, the demonstrators (about 150-200) had not evaded the snare by slowly moving out. One would hope that this won't happen to the same people again: but once is too often to be penned in.

It was amusing, on the afternoon and evening of 19 November, to see people penned in just outside Buckingham Palace! An own-goal for the cops, one feels, as GWB and Liz Windsor were serenaded from St James Park with the cacophony only hatred can compose!

On the StWC march on 20 November, it was interesting to contrast the supine attitude the SWP and their foul lickspittles desired and affected and the hatred and outrage felt by many on the demonstration for Bush. The StWC wished for a peaceful and entirely ineffective march - which, to be fair, in the main it was. There were though elements on the march who felt a forward policy was the best idea. Congratulations to the anarchists (and assorted mates) who made the FIT team run off abashed at Aldwych! And praise is also due to those far-sighted anarchists who strolled up Piccadilly and other West End avenues, taking thousands of demonstrators away from the foul Trot-fest that were the speeches.

It's important to recognise that the state visit was disrupted and many of the traditional events cancelled for fear of anarchist demonstrations against Bush and the loathsome Windsors. It wasn't the fear of the SWP and their sickly running dogs which worried the likes of Bush and "Sir" John Stevens, but the prospect of anarchist groups in London stirring up trouble. This fear was almost realised in the evening when people did wander off in large groups intent on having a laugh. This - perhaps - is about the only thing a-to-b marches are good for: gathering large numbers of like-minded people in one spot.

As we leave 2003, it's worth bearing a few things in mind. Whilst this year's events haven't been the incendiary experiences people may have hoped for, we will enter 2004 in a better state than perhaps we could have hoped. The first steps in preparing for the G8 are laid; people are beginning to digest the lessons from our current mode of action and looking ahead to develop new ways of doing things. The future's looking if not sunny, then quite bright!

Mayday conference
The Mayday (2004) Collective are holding a one-day conference at ULU on the afternoon of 29 November to kick off planning for next year's extravaganza. Everything's up for grabs! A meeting held at the Bookfair expressed a strong desire for a street event, and rumblings were heard in favour of a social forum/conference to be held around the same time - a bit like what happened in 2000 (only different!). Whilst some people are really on the ball and have already started doing stickers with a "Kill Bill" motif, a small but gallant band have selflessly shouldered the responsibility for turning people's ideas into glorious reality. Everyone (except for trots, journos, cops and touts) is invited to come along and have their say from 1pm on 29 November.

Reviews
Brendan Anderson "Joe Cahill: A Life in the IRA" £8.99
Liam Clarke, Kathryn Johnston "Martin McGuinness: From Guns to Government" £7.99

Although both these biographies are very interesting, much of even greater fascination has been left out. Brendan Anderson says so explicitly in his biography of the IRA veteran, Joe Cahill, but Clarke and Johnston are more reticent. Joe Cahill, an IRA man since the 1930s, played a central role in the emergence of the Provisional IRA and the later emergence of Sinn Fein. From being found guilty of (and nearly executed for) killing a copper in 1942 through the days of the Border Campaign in the '50s and early '60s to the heady days of the 1970s - where every year was "the year of victory" - Joe Cahill's seen it all. His influence as a military man helped swing Sinn Fein into deciding to accept seats in Leinster House in the 1980s and he was instrumental in persuading the IRA to accept the peace process. Anderson tells much of the story in Cahill's own words, yet at the end I felt dissatisfied. It was as though I only saw a small portion of the story, missing much of great significance. In "Martin McGuinness: From Guns to Government" one finds the same thing. Interesting hints are dropped in both books, but never fully explored. With McGuinness, Clarke and Johnston allege that he'd trusted touts long after others had warned him about them. It would be fascinating to hear more about the informers in the Provisionals, yet whenever it looks like something revealing's about to come out, we're steered onto another subject. Martin McGuinness is portrayed as credulous, cowardly, contemptible and cunning. Yet he's been at the top of the republican movement for the best part of thirty years! I do not see how one may be involved with the IRA in responsible roles for so long without having something special about one.

The writing in both books is uneven. One's left with the feeling that you can get to the top of the IRA having hardly touched a gun! I feel that there are many more books to be written about McGuinness and Cahill, both of whom have operated mainly in the shadows. Perhaps in years to come, more rounded and revealing books can be written about both men: these are, I feel, more for the aficionado than the general reader seeking insight.

Brendan Anderson "Joe Cahill: A Life in the IRA" ***
Liam Clarke, Kathryn Johnston "Martin McGuinness: From Guns to Government" ***

Sheldon Rampton & John Stauber "Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq" £6.99

Don't be put off by the cartoon cover! I thought about getting this book for several months before plucking up the courage to chance it. Once I started reading it, I found it compelling and intensely readable. In shocking detail, the authors show how much the Bush regime lied to get its way for war. Any residual belief in anything that the Bush regime - or its London lickspittles - have said about the war will disappear by the time you've finished the book. And this is only about the propaganda in the run-up to, and during, the "major combat operations"! Imagine what they're up to now! *****

Muna Hamzeh & Todd May (Eds.) "Operation Defensive Shield: Witnesses to Israeli War Crimes"
£10.99

This book continues two of Pluto Press's traditions. It is a deeply interesting book, and it is far more expensive than it should be. Pluto Press are one of the best independent publishers about today, bringing out books on US foreign policy in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, about terrorism... and in this case a book that should raise huge concerns about the nature of Israel's policies in the Occupied Territories. I doubt anyone reading this supports the Zionist state. But many of those who don't often lack knowledge of the true depravity of Israel's effectively genocidal policy toward the Palestinians. In the words of a score or more ordinary Palestinians you hear the truth about what the Israelis are doing to the Palestinians while they think no one's looking. By no means
a cheery book: but a necessary one. ****

Despicable Diane Does Not Deny Hypocrisy
Diane Abbott has hardly been a success as the Labour MP for Stoke Newington and Hackney North. Despite 16 years of Diane's "efforts" the constituency remains a bizarre mixture of grinding poverty and wealthy middle class idiots. House prices spiral, to an extent that few people who have lived their all their lives can afford to buy a property there. The local council is one of the worst in Britain, its education and social services a by-word for failure. Despite some of the highest policing levels in Britain, anti-social crime is common throughout the borough.

Abbott likes to pose as being on the left of the Labour party, as someone who opposes Blair's war-mongering. Britain's first black woman MP, she is always quick with a quote on racism in society, but is careful to maintain close relations with the biggest racists of the lot -the Metropolitan police. When Irishman Harry Stanley was shot dead by armed police near Victoria Park, the cops contacted Diane Abbott before Harry's family, or even Brian Sedgmore, the MP for the area where Mr Stanley was killed. When Blair and Harriet Harman sent their children to selective schools, Abbott condemned them. She wanted to see them educate their children at their local school, and to fight to raise standards there. She even argued this was essential for a progressive, egalitarian
society.

It was no surprise to seasoned Abbott watchers that a couple of years later, Abbott opted to send her son to a private school where the fees are some ten thousand pounds per annum. As most people have slightly longer memories than Diane, she has been roundly condemned for her hypocrisy both locally and nationally. Her only defence is a whining bleat that she has put her son before her principles. As previously when she is in a corner, Abbott also plays the race card, arguing that many black mothers in her constituency will know the dilemma she has gone through. This of course is a simple lie - she knows full well virtually no black families (or most others for that matter) can afford such a sum, each year, for their children's education. How then does she know anything of what they go through?

Her inference that Hackney's schools are run by racists is something she is happy to discreetly suggest, but does not back up with any evidence. Nor will she - although she knows full well that Hackney's schools have failed working class families for a generation, she is perfectly happy take the votes of the teachers, administrators and governors who actually run these schools. She just does not want her little darling to be educated there. Diane Abbott does not deny she can be seen as a hypocrite. That such a person has the confidence of Hackney Labour party tells us all we need to know about Labour in 2003.

Anarchist Bookfair
Thanks to all the members and supporters who made the Class War stall at the 2003 Bookfair such a great success. You know who you are! Congratulation also to the organisers for what was - from where we are standing - a good day. It's the other 364 days of the year we worry about!
The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that the showing of the video "Incitement to Riot" did not happen. This was due to a mix-up over the rooms available on the day, even though we had paid for one!

Class War 1983-2003
Thanks to Glasgow CW and Clydeside Press for a rather natty little card that has been produced to commemorate 20 years of Class War! London Calling subscribers should have received there's with this mailing, extra copies can be ordered from us for a SAE.

Enrager
Class War welcomes the introduction of www.enrager.net This website aims to fill a real void in the UK anarchist movement. Serving as a moderated newswire and also providing discussion forums, we encourage all our members and supporters to get involved, contribute and have your say.

Class War 2004 Calendar
If you liked our 2000 and 2002 calendars, you should love the 2004 one! As 2004 marks the twentieth anniversary of the miners strike, we have designed the calendar to commemorate the great strike of 1984-5, with action photos donated by pickets who were there. The calendar cost just £7.00, and we promise it comes without any pictures of Arthur Scargill!

Class War Get Togethers
The next Class War conference has been scheduled for Saturday 7th February at a grim Northern location. There will also be a meeting for members and supporters in London, the south east and east Anglia on Saturday 17th January.

Merchandise Updates
Get your Xmas goodies from us!

Miscellaneous
Class War Cigarette Lighters - Burn the Rich! £1.00.
Patches - CW logo £0.50

Notes from the Borderland, Issue 5. The winter 2003-4 issue, articles on the new head of MI5 and her royal connections, the BBC's "True Spies" programme, plus an important article on the BNP. Most significant of all is startling new evidence about the 1999 London nail bombings. Essential reading for all anti-fascists. £3.50

Videos
Hardcore Riot Porno Volume 1 - Warning this video may cause offence to liberals!. Featuring the ring of free trade, footage from the protests against the EU summit in Thessaloniki, the video of Carlo Guiliani by Conflict, plus two romantic duets by George Bush and Tony Blair. All proceeds to those still imprisoned in Thessaloniki. £7.00

Class War T shirts (all £7.00)
Class War Against Authority - XL or Medium only.
Class War grey colourless shirt.
Girls stretch tops - all with CW logo.
Purple tops in small, medium and large
Sky Blue tops in medium only

General Shirts (all £7.00)
Carjack the Rich - Black shirt with picture of a car jacking
Bin Laden - God is my co-pilot
George W Bush - The price of petrol is murder
All XL only!

Please order from the London CW address: PO Box 467, London, E8 3QX. Cheques/POs to "London Class War" only.

Diary Dates

2003
Saturday December 6th - 11am - 5pm Manchester Radical Bookfair at Bridge 5 Mill, 22A Beswick Street, Ancoats, Manchester. Look out for the Class War stall. More details from www.radicalbookfair.org.uk
Sunday 7th December 7pm - London Class War meeting.
Friday 19th December 7pm - London Class War Xmas party. More details from London CW
Thursday December 25th - 3pm - Please avoid all TV sets at this time.
Tuesday December 30th - Deadline for submissions for Class War issue 86 and the Class War Internal Bulletin.

2004
Sunday January 4th 7pm - London Class War meeting.