The war and "the left" - what do "we" do?

[LDC]

Anyone heard of Anarchist Action Network?

11:36 Squatters occupy Russian oligarch's London mansion

Members of an anarchist group have occupied a central London property linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

The Anarchist Action Network say they are occupying the mansion in Belgrave Square in protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine and to show "solidarity" with the people of Ukraine and Russian citizens "who never agreed to this madness".

The group says the property will serve as a "refugee support, for people of Ukraine and people of all nations and ethnicity".

Some of the protesters told attending press that there is no hot water in the house and no food in the fridges, suggesting the property has not been lived in for a while. They say they do not intend to live or sleep at the property, but will occupy it on rotation.

They're quite an odd bunch tbh, not a network really, a small group of people that came from the anti-globalisation/summit stuff and then stuck together. Very activist and alternative, with some dodgy politics and connections.

Here they're pushing the loony and very dodgy Winter Oak stuff The Acorn | Anarchist Action Network

 

[AmateurAgitator]

They're quite an odd bunch tbh, not a network really, a small group of people that came from the anti-globalisation/summit stuff and then stuck together. Very activist and alternative, with some dodgy politics and connections.

Here they're pushing the loony and very dodgy Winter Oak stuff The Acorn | Anarchist Action Network

I take it these Winter Oak people are primitivists? Is that why you think the AAN are strange and dodgy? Have to be honest, until today I'd not heard of either group.

 

[hitmouse]

I saw a load of AFED flyposts the other day. Also see SP ones quite often. And we still have stalls and paper sales and petitions of a Saturday. (WRP were out flogging Newsline the other day, I've also seen them hawking them round pubs locally.)

Perhaps this is mean-spirited of me, but I find myself wondering if the modern AFed flyposters are more readable than their twitter feed, or were they out flyposting stuff like "When some twink's fashjacketing ballers in your neighbourhood, who you gonna tweet?"

Will be interesting to see what happens here. Squatting is unlawful in 'residential' (note inverted commas) property so I'm suspecting it will be straight to court.

Could they argue that the property is not residential as it was bought as an investment and has not been lived in? Probably not.

Would court action/eviction lead to a large element of public support, given that this group are effectively doing what the government should be doing?

Don't know anything about the group but this is good direct action.

The government's line will be interpretable as something like 'squatting in residential property remains illegal, meanwhile you can host a traumatised refugee in your two bedroomed house for a pittance by making your kids share a room'.

Apparently this is their legal defence:

Although it doesn't seem to be doing them that much good judging by your subsequent post?

They're quite an odd bunch tbh, not a network really, a small group of people that came from the anti-globalisation/summit stuff and then stuck together. Very activist and alternative, with some dodgy politics and connections.

Here they're pushing the loony and very dodgy Winter Oak stuff The Acorn | Anarchist Action Network

Any idea when that link was added though? I think it's only last five years or so WO's gradually gone off the deep end, up till then I would've filed them as "not my politics but it's fine for people to have different priorities and interests". Agree it would be wise for them to take it off now, though.

I take it these Winter Oak people are primitivists? Is that why you think the AAN are strange and dodgy?

Worse than that, I'd say, very conspiracy-minded, took the line that any criticism of red-brown convergence over stuff like Syria was the state and patsies of the state trying to discredit "resistance", then went antivax iirc. Some coverage of the older Syria/red-brownism controversy here:

In defence of anarchism and antifascism: a reply to the Winter Oak

In recent months, the subject of the “red-brown” alliance between some leftists and parts of the far-right, especially around their shared fondness for Assad, has attracted increasing attention. As…

nothingiseverlost.wordpress.com

If saying it’s a bad idea to work with fascists makes you a pro-war neoliberal, then who was phone? More on red-brown alliances, smears and all that

The Winter Oak has now replied to my article criticising their smear jobs against antifascists. Since positions are fairly entrenched by this point, with both of us feeling that we’re being wildly …

nothingiseverlost.wordpress.com

 

[AmateurAgitator]

Worse than that, I'd say, very conspiracy-minded, took the line that any criticism of red-brown convergence over stuff like Syria was the state and patsies of the state trying to discredit "resistance", then went antivax iirc. Some coverage of the older Syria/red-brownism controversy here:

In defence of anarchism and antifascism: a reply to the Winter Oak

In recent months, the subject of the “red-brown” alliance between some leftists and parts of the far-right, especially around their shared fondness for Assad, has attracted increasing attention. As…

nothingiseverlost.wordpress.com

If saying it’s a bad idea to work with fascists makes you a pro-war neoliberal, then who was phone? More on red-brown alliances, smears and all that

The Winter Oak has now replied to my article criticising their smear jobs against antifascists. Since positions are fairly entrenched by this point, with both of us feeling that we’re being wildly …

nothingiseverlost.wordpress.com

Very disappointing.

 

[AmateurAgitator]

Perhaps this is mean-spirited of me, but I find myself wondering if the modern AFed flyposters are more readable than their twitter feed, or were they out flyposting stuff like "When some twink's fashjacketing ballers in your neighbourhood, who you gonna tweet?"

 

[AmateurAgitator]

I saw a load of AFED flyposts the other day.

They still exist?

 

[hitmouse]

The squatters have said they're from London Makhnovists, which is a beautiful touch:

Riot police storm oligarch-linked £50m Belgravia mansion occupied by squatters

Activists occupied a mansion, which is owned by the family of oligarch Oleg Deripaska, and said they wanted to give the home to refugees.

www.londonworld.com

I would add that just because the statement about the squat is up on the AAN site, and the AAN site has a link to Winter Oak, that doesn't mean any of the squatters endorse WO's dodginess, could well be that no-one inside the building has ever read the thing. I get the impression that AAN is very much on the loose, structureless side, probably not a huge amount of theoretical and tactical unity going on there.

 

[AmateurAgitator]

Really don't get why the SWP is tolerated and acceptable all of a sudden. Truly bizarre and disturbing.

 

[LDC]

Winter Oak is one person, and I know he's long term friends with some of the AAN (who tbh I had heard of in the distant past but never hear anything of in passing, so quite irrelevant tbh, and they're a network like and and my cat are an army) so they probably struggle to cut him off.

 

[AmateurAgitator]

Winter Oak is one person, and I know he's long term friends with some of the AAN (who tbh I had heard of in the distant past but never hear anything of in passing, so quite irrelevant tbh, and they're a network like and and my cat are an army) so they probably struggle to cut him off.

Kinda strange that you felt the need to bring it up in the first place then really.

 

[Shechemite]

Much better to look the other way?

 

[LDC]

Someone mentioned they'd not heard of the AAN network and asked if anyone else had.

I think mentioning an anarchist group that's doing something under discussion has open links and friendships with a thing like Winter Oak isn't completely wild, but there you go, you might differ.

I don't think it means they're all fascists and need excommunicating from the high church of anarchism, but it does make me question their politics and general level of sense. Happy to re-appraise that if they deleted the link and said something condemning Winter Oak, but not bothered really, I think they're irrelevant to pretty much anything - including themselves.

 

[AmateurAgitator]

Someone mentioned they'd not heard of the AAN network and asked if anyone else had.

I think mentioning an anarchist group that's doing something under discussion has open links and friendships with a thing like Winter Oak isn't completely wild, but there you go, you might differ.

I don't think it means they're all fascists and need excommunicating from the high church of anarchism, but it does make me question their politics and general level of sense. Happy to re-appraise that if they deleted the link and said something condemning Winter Oak, but not bothered really, I think they're irrelevant to pretty much anything - including themselves.

Fair enough.

 

[hitmouse]

Apart from anything else, I would stress again that it looks like the statement first appeared on the No Fixed Abode Anti-Fascists site (and I have no idea about them politically either, would guess they're probably a mixed bag too):

Russian Elite’s – You Occupy Ukraine, We Occupy You

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 …

nfaaf.wordpress.com

And then got republished on the AAN site, so it's not clear whether there's any connection at all between AAN and the squat beyond them just reproducing a statement that was already up.
No excuse for that fucking apostrophe though, feels like us anarcho-pedants are a dying breed.

 

[Gramsci]

Not sure where to put this article. By James Meadway ( whose always worth a read)

It takes up the use of the war in Ukraine to ramp up military spending and tell us to make sacrifices now "we" are defending democracy from Russian authoritarianism.

As Meadway points out Starmer is egging this on.

The Ukrainian war as long as it lasts is going to be used here to justify further cuts to living standards.

He says OK if that is the case and this is like WW2 then bring in controls on wealth etc that were put in place during WW2. That's not going to happen. But doesn't stop politicians like Starmer using the WW2 wartime spirit.

What he's getting at is that a new narrative is being developed to justify further increase in inequality and decrease in living standards. This consensus is followed by the "Centre" ground Tories and Labour ( under Starmer)

This kind of narrative which potentially brands anyone who opposes it as undermining the defence of democracy in Europe needs to be resisted.

The Tories Want to Increase Military Spending During a Cost of Living Crisis | Novara Media

As rising military spending starts to put pressure on domestic public services, we must reject the idea that ordinary people should shoulder the cost of war and other crises, writes James Meadway.

novaramedia.com

 

[Serge Forward]

I had communications with the Winter Oak chap about 8-10 years ago. Not my politics but seemed basically alright. Sad to hear he's gone proper wonky.

 

[Pickman's model]

Apart from anything else, I would stress again that it looks like the statement first appeared on the No Fixed Abode Anti-Fascists site (and I have no idea about them politically either, would guess they're probably a mixed bag too):

Russian Elite’s – You Occupy Ukraine, We Occupy You

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 …

nfaaf.wordpress.com

And then got republished on the AAN site, so it's not clear whether there's any connection at all between AAN and the squat beyond them just reproducing a statement that was already up.
No excuse for that fucking apostrophe though, feels like us anarcho-pedants are a dying breed.

i am pleased to see a new generation of anarchists will brandish the banner 'behold your future nitpickers'

 

[AmateurAgitator]

Now being evicted by riot police apparently.

As I said on another thread - it has been reported that there's been an attempted eviction but that the police are satisfied that no one is actually in the property but are on the balcony.

 

[Sue]

Perhaps this is mean-spirited of me, but I find myself wondering if the modern AFed flyposters are more readable than their twitter feed, or were they out flyposting stuff like "When some twink's fashjacketing ballers in your neighbourhood, who you gonna tweet?"

I'll take some pix if I remember. (Think there was something about 'more trees and more refugees' and some other ones but...)

 

[Pickman's model]

I'll take some pix if I remember. (Think there was something about 'more trees and more refugees' and some other ones but...)

the af posters seemed very subdued, like someone had taken some auld class war posters and really toned it down

 

[Fozzie Bear]

This is good:

 

[Fozzie Bear]

 

[Dystopiary]

Cop vehicles with Ukrainian flag colours on to arrest the people in EL OH EL.

 

[chilango]

Well they've managed to get Makhno mentioned in positive terms on the BBC News website

 

[hitmouse]

Well they've managed to get Makhno mentioned in positive terms on the BBC News website

Just had a look, and really tickled by the way that they've not only censored the "fuck" from "Putin go fuck yourself", but also wanted to blur out any Russian obscenities, and then not been sure which words were rude so they did the whole thing:

 

[Fozzie Bear]

This is part of a great thread.

 

[chilango]

That's one good answer to the OP anyway.

 

[danny la rouge]

That's one good answer to the OP anyway.

Indeed.

 

[danny la rouge]

That's one good answer to the OP anyway.

Indeed.

 

[danny la rouge]

Indeed.