Tag actions

Statements from Felicity Ryder and Mario López Hernández

There has been much in the Mexican press about an Australian anarchist apparently sought in connection with bombings/attempted bombings. The statement below from Felicity Ryder appeared on Liberacion Total, and there’s no reason to believe it is not genuine.

Statement from
Felicity Ryder

Comrades, friends,
I would have liked to have written earlier, but for various circumstances I haven´t had the chance to yet. I want to send a warm greeting and say thanks to everyone who has worried about me and my situation, to those who have shown solidarity with Mario and I. In these difficult moments it means a lot to have people standing in solidarity from near or from far, even without ever having met me. I sent a revolutionary hug to all of you.

I want to clarify that despite all of the lies of the Mexico City police forces and the mass media, I was never arrested and they never had me detained in any of their prisons. I have tried to understand why they would have said that and spread such false information throughout Mexico as well as Australia, but at the end of the day, as a free person I don´t think like a police officer, and I won´t be able to understand. If it was to try in vain to break or manipulate Mario, to manipulate my family, or to try to appear half competent in doing their jobs, I don´t know.

What I do know is that I am proud of being an Anarchist, and proud to be an enemy of authority and the State.

To my brother Mario, I send him a giant hug and much strength and health. I know that he will always maintain his convictions strong, as well as his desire to achieve Total Liberation. I will always be by your side, compañero. Remember, always face to face with the enemy!

I also send a warm greeting to the fugitive comrades Diego Rios and Gabriela Curilem in Chile. A warm hug to the comrades from the CCF and Revolutionary Struggle in Greece, to the anarchist comrades in prison in Italy, to Braulio Duran, Luciano Pitronello, Gabriel Pombo da Silva, and to all of the anarchist prisoners and fugitives all over the world.

Que viva la Anarquia!

Felicity.

Mario López Hernández was injured when an explosive device he was carrying went off prematurely. According to statements by the Mexican police via media reports and Mario’s statement below, Felicity Ryder’s passport was found in his backpack at the scene. We have reprinted his statement, denying Felicity’s involvement, in full, after the break.

Graffiti action in solidarity with Greek uprising

“On the front walls of the Pankoaki Brotherhood building (a nationalistic Greek association) was painted: “SOLIDARITY WITH THE GREEK UPRISING”. On the fence next door was painted something about the Australian situation: “REVENGE 4 TERRENCE D BRISCOE, FIRE TO THE PRISONS”, a reference to a recent Aboriginal death in custody in the NT: death via beating at the hands of the police.”

Image and text source: Disaccords

Occupy Sydney by Ash

I have been involved in the Occupy Sydney camp, and along with a significant portion of my friends, have been extremely dissatisfied with the media coverage. To make it worse, the ‘individual’ (and I use the term loosely, perhaps I should say ‘socialist party’) spokespeople representing the movement have done a mostly terrible job of it. This is my attempt to bring forward some very important details that have been lacking.

 

Culture of entitlement

First amongst the common criticisms of the movement has been that we are spoilt brats, demanding iPhones and laptops while we are supported by the hard working taxpayer. The Daily Telegraph even went so far as to fabricate a list of demands that we supposedly made for port-a-loos, free parking, electricity and WiFi for our protest. Whilst we were sleeping without shelter under police restrictions, being denied access to public toilets, and fined when we went to find a discrete tree, and charging our phones from a solar panel that we had brought to the protest. We are demanding one thing, and that is the right to live, and to do things for ourselves.The reason we hadn’t already hired a port-a-loo was that the police had told us they would confiscate it if we tried, they attempted to confiscate our solar panel also, but it was rescued. Where the true culture of entitlement can be found of course is amongst the targets of our occupation (the banks) and those trying to shut us down (politicians and police). We are not alone in being criticised by people who could more accurately direct their vitriol towards themselves. On the back of a huge scandal where UK MPs claimed thousands upon thousands of pounds for hotels, furniture, rugs and toasters, the same MPs are criticising mostly poor black males who stole things such as a bottle of water and a loaf of bread. The very thing we are protesting against is this culture of entitlement that exists amongst the elite of our society. Even the powerhouse of the Australian economy, mining, is born of the sense of entitlement that our generation appears to have to the limited and finite resources on this planet. And what are we asking for? Just that the authorities tolerate a hundred or so citizens occupying a few dozen square metres of their own city.