Riflessioni English

I like drugs. How couldn’t I? Why should I give up something that makes me feel good, that can alter my state of consciousness at various levels as I abandon myself to a sense of psychological and physical well-being. After all, it is easy to feel weak and helpless once we realize that we are not living in the best of worlds but in an environment where we are continually absorbing the conditioning of our tastes, feelings, opinions and impulses and are even called upon to contribute to their constant redefining in one way or another.

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FRIDAY 26TH

13.00 lunch

14.30 Presentation of the meeting

15.00 In the temple of Janus. About the relationship between technology, exploitation and racism
For the Italics Janus had two faces: a bearded one depicting the sun and a beardless one depicting the moon. For the Romans, the sun and the moon soon became peace and war. The temple of Janus, in the Roman Forum, was closed in time of peace and open in time of war. Today the door of that temple is always closed because of the war and the unnamed of the present time. Embodied in the technological apparatus and its silent injunctions, war is the planetary movement of digital democracy. Racism is its “moment of truth”, in that it explicitly affirms what its machines have never stopped doing to the colonial peoples. The algorithm command prepares the chief’s orders. The abstraction from the body, from the earth, from nature produces the comfortable bulwark of national belonging and the desire to lynch the different as a backlash. What was experienced in the colonies goes back.
Some of the editors of the anarchist magazine “I Giorni e le Notti” (Days and Nights) (Italy)

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Everything was ready from the morning: journalists and live TV on the national channel…

A miserable judge in Turin, Roberto Sparagna, left no stone unturned in putting pressure on a gang of equally miserable individuals (jury led by judge Alessandra Salvadori).

A poor madman in search of fame after having moved from the anti-mafia prosecution to the terrorism one, he succeeded where other miserable colleagues of his had failed for decades: subversive association for the purposes of terrorism.

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Today more than ever, we feel the necessity to organize a meeting involving comrades from different countries already engaged in a critique and in opposition to developments of techno-sciences. An important moment to exchange and share analyses, reflections and experiences, to reinforce criticism and refine one’s thinking even more in confrontation with other groups and individualities that have been pursuing for a long time paths of opposition to the developments of techno-sciences.

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After several failed attempts across Europe to frame anarchists and other anti-authoritarians with conspiracy and terrorism charges, the Greek state is at the forefront of developing new legal strategies to attack social movements. Article 187A of the Greek legal penal code has existed since 2004, but last year, Greek officials used it in a new way against Nikos Romanos and several other anarchist prisoners, convicting and sentencing them to many years in prison based on a new interpretation of the article. Regardless of whether these verdicts are overturned in higher courts, the trials indicate a major strategic shift in the policing of social movements in Greece. They offer an important warning sign about the new forms that repression may assume around the world as social conflict intensifies.

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One of the main characteristics of anarchism is a disrespect for, and the will to confront, any form of authority and in that vein anarchists have been carrying out actions and developed theories and strategies with various results during different periods. Over the last 20 years the political/economical/social situation has been radically changed by the way society/civilisation has been progressing, and capitalism, which has developed to a phase where it is too hard to follow its authoritarian and destructive nature and performances. One thing is clear, the phase that civilization has now reached (to a great extent helped by the development of capital, but we must not forget that capitalism is not the only form of authority that must undoubtedly be confronted) is so destructive and aggressive that every day more and more people are becoming aware of this fact. Parallel to this, many ideas and movements have been born or reborn, or just become more visible or present: the eco movement, antimilitarist movements, vegetarianism/veganism, the animal rights movement, the animal liberation movement, syndicalism, anarcho-syndicalism, communism, neomarxism..., and in the end the movement of the movements, the antiglobalization movement. All of them with their own critique, claims and goals. One would have thought that the more enemies capitalism has the easier would be its destruction, but unfortunately the present situation is saying absolutely the contrary.

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“We owe each other nothing, for what I seem to owe to you, I owe at most to myself.” — Max Stirner

None of us owes anyone anything. This should be a guiding principle behind all anarchist practice. All systems of power, all hierarchies and all economic relationships are justified by the idea that each of us as individuals owes her existence to the collectivity that is this social order. This is a debt without end, an eternal obligation that can never be fulfilled, which keeps us chained to a cycle of activity that maintains this society. Our aim as anarchists and insurrectionaries is the complete overturning precisely of this cycle of activity, of the social relationships that rule over our lives. What better place to start than the absolute refusal of the most basic of economic and political principles: debt.

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It’s been a long while. After a year we are publishing another issue of Vetriolo, issue number 2. We haven’t brought out the paper more frequently up to now, nor have we wanted to. Not that we didn’t have anything to say during this time, on the contrary. However we have never strenuously followed the possibility of giving a strict periodicity to the publication, which because of its form (with fairly concise texts of agitation, analysis and topicality as well as more extensive and complicated theoretical articles) is not suited to it. At the same time we’d like the paper to come out without long delays. In any case we think that this paper is an important instrument for the anarchist movement regardless of the frequency with which it comes out. The pages of Vetriolo have always been and will continue to be a means aimed at discussion, dialogue and confrontation among anarchists. The paper will continue to give time and space to dialogue and debate among revolutionaries, including those who find themselves imprisoned. In this issue there are writings and articles by Marco, Anna and Alfredo, imprisoned following the arrests of the repressive operation ‘scripta manent’ of 6^th September 2016.

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A society based upon concentrated power and economic exchange impoverishes every area of life, even those that are most intimate. We hear a great deal of talk about women’s liberation, gay liberation and even sexual liberation within anarchist circles. And analyses of male domination, patriarchy and hetero-sexism are not so hard to find, but the reality of sexual impoverishment seems to be largely ignored, questions of sexual expression being largely limited to those surrounding monogamy, non-monogamy, poly-amory and other such issues of the mechanics of loving relationships. This limitation is itself, in my opinion, a reflection of our sexual impoverishment — let’s limit ourselves to speaking of such relational mechanics so that we can avoid the question of the quality of these relationships.

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That humanity is somehow ‘out of balance’ with nature is hardly a topic of controversy nowadays. There is little question that humans are fouling the world to the point of suicide for us and mass extinction for all other life. To claim otherwise is ludicrous. In a variety of ways, people have attempted to grasp the problem, define it, and seek solutions. Of the many new and more faddish results, few have been as popular as Deep Ecology — also known as Biocentrism — the view that humans are acting out of excessive human-centredness (anthropocentrism) and thus destroying the planet and the rest of the species which have just as much ‘intrinsic right’ to live out their biological destiny as we do. Accordingly, Biocentrism (life/earth/nature centredness) calls for a new way of acting. Specifically, it calls for ‘earth-centred’ activity and thinking — putting the ‘earth first’ (instead of putting ourselves first) as a way out of the global dilemma.

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Given the recent proliferation of eco-extremism and some opinions expressed in the broadcast media related to this tendency, the need arises for this text. Without pretending to engage in a dialogue, we will clarify a few things that seem essential to us.

For several years now, various individuals from different parts of the American continent (especially from the territory dominated by the Mexican State) close to the positions and struggles against civilization, gave shape to a trend that they called “eco-extremism”.

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Behind every project there is one or more individuals. Fairly large projects don’t grow by themselves. They need love and passion. When there is no more love, it’s time to move on and build something else.

This project, AnarchistLibraries.net, forks off from The Anarchist Library project, and serves as an international platform for anarchist sites focusing on publishing and archiving texts.

I’ve been involved with The Anarchist Library since the very beginning, formatting texts, building the libraries’ software and assisting in the creation of new ones in languages other than English.

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There’s not much to be said about an episode of repression, after all it’s the simple cyclical occurrence of action and reaction – or even on how repression plays dirty – another well-known fact. At most these are just a few notes on the development of techniques and strategies.

This I’ll try to do. More than a year after the arrests, with the trial already underway, a crack has opened in the censuring bell jar and the court papers been disclosed in all their misery after the short report on the last issue of “Croce Nera” and the latest developments on the closure of investigations and the preliminary hearing.

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Project of anarchist counter-information Fire On The Horizon:

For 5 years now our group of comrades has been involved in two projects that have striven to shed light in the darkness that is the ‘prison island.’ The original desire was to continue the legacy that anarchist-nihilist comrade Darko Mathers had begun with his own similar project. It was not our intention to copy or imitate, but to continue in our own way a much needed dissemination of anti-social, individualistic, nihilistic, anti-civilisation, insurrectionary anarchy along with a healthy influx of attacks that were not necessary linked to the anarchic circles but fitted within what can be done on this island of passivity. At moments we also included influences from comrades abroad to spread the anarchy of praxis but also to show limited international solidarity.

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(translated by act for freedom now!)

On 16/11/2017 the SCRIPTA MANENT trial began inside the bunker courtroom of ‘Le Vallette’ prison in Turin. Imprisoned anarchist comrade Alfredo Cospito read a long declaration. Alfredo was not present in court as he was subjected to video conferencing from inside the AS2 unit in the prison of Ferrara.

Declaration to the Court:

Benevento 14^th August 1878- Turin 16^th 2017

Malefactors on trial

The Union of Egoists is your instrument, it is the sword with which you increase your natural strength; the Union exists thanks to you. Society, on the other hand, demands much from you and it exists without you; in short, society is sacred, Union is yours; society uses you, the Union–you use it – Stirner

O, gentlemen, the time of life is short! .. An if we live, we live to tread on kings — Shakespeare, Henry IV

I regret every crime in my life that I haven’t committed, every desire that I have not satisfied – Senna Hoy

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We see that the repressive campaign on the anarchist movement does not cease. Examples are enough: The operation Fénix case in the Czech Republic, the case of the Warsaw Three, charges of bank robbery in Aachen, courts with rebels against the G20 summit in Hamburg and other cases.

Cops, judges, prosecutors, mass-media. They are haunted, imprisoned, robbed, manipulated. This is a challenge to all Revolutionary cells and other groups and individuals. Sabotage the activities of those bastards. Turn them into terrain, technology and structures. Organize resistance. Support the fugitives and their loved ones.

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In these three years I was faced with choices which led me by the hand through a path fraught with crossroads and bifurcations.

Like on a minefield, I had to decide carefully where to step, with my pride and my self-respect at stake. The first choice I had to face with was whether I should continue to contribute, or let the prison overflow me, patiently waiting to get out. As limited as my situation is, I chose to continue to contribute through the written word. Once I made this decision I faced another crossroad: whether to confine myself — ecumenically — from this “high point” of my “status” (sic.) of a “revolutionary” prisoner — to bestowing blessings in each directions, applauding to every anarchist practice, paying attention not to make any enemies; or to use the weapon of critique, ever more harshly, trying to outline some analysis, to open some discourses. I chose the easier way (at least for me): openly push my critique to the extremes, at the cost of isolation (less letters, less information, less generic solidarity).

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To the Court of Turin

Today, as well as for all the future hearings of this trial that sees me accused along with my brothers, sisters, but above all anarchist comrades, I will not give you the satisfaction of seeing my face in a courtroom of this tribunal.

I have never gone to the courtrooms where my funeral was being prepared in the past and I will not do so now!

I am anarchist, individualist, anti-authoritarian and above all I am for the insurrection, which has as one of its primary goals that of destroying places of death like this one and the prisons.

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With 30 years of charges on my back, it may seem absurd to feel the need to communicate projects and considerations. With the insistent censorship that distorts everything I write and say, it may seem stupid and mad to continue to resolutely communicate and write considerations lending themselves to censorship. I need such stupidity and madness to feel still alive and participating.
I have only one choice, back to the wall: continuing struggling, continuing with every means at my disposal.

I got inspiration to write this text from the prosecutor Sparagna [in charge for Scripta Manent]; in his solitary “interlocutory — monologue” he claimed with ill-concealed embarrassment that he got us by process of elimination, by the “scorched earth” that the anarchist movement in Italy made around us. Is it possible that the anarchist movement here in Italy sank so low as to not feel empathy with comrades caught in a grip of repression, to think of us as a foreign body?
The truth can not be found in the “specious” and stupid logic of a prosecutor from Turin. The truth is hidden in the folds, in different expressions of solidarity that have been addressed to us, in the opportunity that even a wave of repression such this one could give us. This is apparent from many actions expressing solidarity across the globe to us, this is apparent from a few but significant solidarity statements that we received. At first glance these statements may seem like the usual solidarity for appearances’ sake, but at my eyes they become fully meaningful.
Maybe because of their origins, comrades with different projects, despite everything, were profoundly, directly, touched. Maybe because all these comrades are in some way part of this anarchism of praxis that keeps anarchy alive and kicking, and well reacting across the globe. For this and for many other reasons, those words of solidarity are no small things and can become an opportunity, especially if they can go beyond the repressive matter.

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We find ourselves facing you in order to be judged. Guilty or innocent? But what are we accused of? In the thousands of pages produced by the prosecutor, over twenty years’ history of anarchist struggle in Italy are covered and not only, specific facts are mentioned to back up suppositions and conjecture, but in fact what do you want to convince yourselves of with all that mountain of paper? You want to convince yourselves that we are anarchists. That we don’t passively accept the system that governs us, the inevitability of man’s domination over man and nature. They are asking you to condemn the love that unites the human beings who share the unstoppable desire for freedom bound by their common contempt for authority. If that’s why we are here let’s put an end to this farce before it begins. We are guilty.

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Released by the FAI (Informal) in 2003 after a series of letter-bomb attacks against State targets across the EU.

As the consolidation of the EU is going on quickly and assuming all the wickedness of the political, economic, military-repressive choices of the various States, and as a European constitution that re-establishes and legitimates EU dominion is about to be ratified, the first Informal Anarchist Federation struggle campaign has started. We could not deny ourselves the pleasure of actively criticising the six-month’s Italian presidency of the EU, which is coming to an end. We are aware that, behind any official rhetoric, the decisions that have been taken during the last months will bring about new practises of exploitation and dominion. In Fortress Europe, where not only the borders between exploiters and exploited are defended with the arms, we oppose trade agreements and the militarization of the territory with free agreements between those who struggle against dominion, as we want to demonstrate that not only is the struggle possible, but it is also an absolute necessity.

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