The eruption of conflict and intense rioting in Belfast over the last couple of months is a clear illustration that, no matter what lengths Stormont and the media circus go to to disguise the ugly reality of the ‘peace process’, the scars of the past and frequent eruption of sectarian conflict refuse to go away as political parties play the sectarian card to get one over on their rivals. read full story / add a comment

Zabalaza Books is pleased to make available – in PDF – this classic text, by the (Platformist) Anarchist Workers' Group (AWG), active in Britain from 1988-1992: In Place of Compromise: Why We Need a Rank and File Movement (Huddersfield, Anarchist Workers Group, 1988). It deals with issues of anarchist strategy in relation to orthodox unions, provides an important analysis of the nature of trade union bureaucracies, and draws on the earlier history of rank-and-file syndicalism, notably the Workers' Committee Movement in Britain in the late 1910s. The AWG emerged from a split in the syndicalist Direct Action Movement (now the Solidarity Federation, or SolFed). It presented a strategy for militant work within the existing unions, rather than for building new pure (and tiny) alternative unions, or for boycotting or otherwise ignoring the existing unions. It must be noted that the AWG collapsed in 1992, and several of its former members moved to Leninism - a fact that has sometimes been absurdly used to suggest that platformism leads to Leninism. The choices of these individuals do not detract from the value of this pamphlet. For a balanced view of the fate of the AWG, see http://www.anarkismo.net/article/8452 and for other AWG texts, see http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/awg.html read full story / add a comment

Despite spending in the region of a million euro and getting the backing of the catholic church its now clear that the anti-choice extremists of Youth Defence & the Pro Life Campaign were resoundingly defeated when the Dail finally voted though legislation implementing the X-Case judgment of 21 years ago. This time last year they were confident that they already had enough Fine Gael TD's on board to block the required legislation but they reckoned against the wave of public anger that followed the death of Savita Halappanavar after she was denied a potentially life saving abortion in a Galway hospital. read full story / add a comment

We are pleased to announce our affiliation to the international anarchist communist co-operative project, Anarkismo. Our affiliation comes after months of discussion and clarification of Collective Action's political positions as well as the positions of constituent members of Anarkismo. read full story / add a comment

JULY/AUGUST 2013 RESISTANCE #153 is out. UPRISING! Coming to a democracy near you (Egypt, Turkey, Brazil, Slovenia), Whistle Blowers, Industrial Roundup (Bridgewater postal strike, Runcorn building workers wildcat, Teachers’ Strike, Brighton refuse-worker update), Spanish Anarchist Prisoner Support, Clément Méric anti-fascist demo. read full story / add a comment

Photo from last years Dublin Pride read full story / add a comment

The Workers Solidarity Movement has decided to withdraw from the Campaign Against Home and Water Taxes. Please see statement below. We have made a donation of €1,000 towards paying off the debts of CAHWT. read full story / add a comment

At the post G8 press conference, PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggot claimed the G8 summit in Enniskillen was the "most peaceful and stable" in its history. The G8 gangsters may have left dazzled and wined by our local political class but beneath the media spin and smokescreen lies the ugly reality of a new Northern Ireland of one rule for the rich and powerful while the rest of us must accept our place in the ladder, or face the consequences. We only need to look no further than the selective internment of Marion Price and others. read full story / add a comment

Following the arrest and detention this morning (Wednesday) of a member of the socialist republican party, éirígí, while putting up anti-G8 posters on Belfast’s Falls Road, the PSNI also seized similar posters from other members of the party in the Glen Road area of the city. read full story / add a comment

You've all seen the images doing the rounds on facebook of EDL members waving mis-spelt placards. Maybe you've liked or shared them on Facebook. I had the autotuned 'Muslamic Ray Guns' tune stuck in my head for ages even though it was politically problematic. While humour and ridicule can be an important political tool, much of the 'humour' in this vein is counter-productive to an effective anti-fascism.
The problem with the EDL is that they're a violent, nationalist street movement. Not that they have northern working class accents and can't spell. read full story / add a comment

The media charm offensive has began as our local corrupt political class roll out the the red carpet to the notorious gang of eight, dealers of austerity, state terror and imperialism. The beautiful, tranquil lakes of Fermanagh will be turned into a "ring of steel" with security fencing extending for miles, protected by an army of professional thugs and watchtowers to keep the rest of us plebs at bay. read full story / add a comment

The "Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013", published by the government on Thursday last (23rd May), is a clear attempt to bully public sector workers into voting for the re-hashed terms of the Croke Park II deal emphatically rejected by them just a couple of weeks ago. read full story / add a comment

A dispetto di una una lunga e pervicace campagna antipopolare condotta sull'imposizione di questa ingiusta e crudele tassa sulla casa, oltre 650.000 famiglie al 22 maggio 2013 non avevano ancora provveduto al pagamento della tassa. Né una legge draconiana né le minacce di multe hanno portato la gente a recarsi volontariamente agli uffici del catasto. [English] read full story / add a comment

Review, by Barry Biddulph of Trotsky, Trotskyism and Trotskyists, a Communist Workers Organisation Pamphlet. read full story / add a comment

In spite of a long and consistent campaign which has been waged against people in relation to the imposition of this unjust and unfair tax on homes, over 650,000 households have not registered with revenue [22.05.2013]. Draconian legislation and the threats of fines has not resulted in people volunteering their information to the revenue. read full story / add a comment

In response to yesterday’s Irish News (Mon 20 May 2013) front page article, “Police to Occupy hundreds of vacant premises in Belfast during G8”, the Workers Solidarity Movement condemned security forces scaremongering in the media. read full story / add a comment

Lo Scottish National Party (SNP) ha ribadito che una Scozia indipendente sarebbe un paese libero da armi nucleari. Questa posizione riflette il fatto che l'opinione pubblica scozzese è nella stragrande maggioranza contraria alla presenza del sistema di sottomarini Trident a Faslane. Questi sottomarini, un residuo della Guerra Fredda, sono a propulsione nucleare e trasportano missili balistici armati con ordigni nucleari. Questa campagna dello SNP per liberare la Scozia dalle armi nucleari è stato uno dei pochi argomenti salienti per l'indipendenza scozzese. [English] read full story / add a comment

The Scottish National Party has insisted that an independent Scotland would be free of nuclear weapons, says Eric Chester. This position reflects the fact that Scottish popular opinion is overwhelmingly opposed to the stationing of the Trident submarine system at Faslane. These subs, a leftover from the Cold War days, are nuclear powered and carry ballistic missiles armed with nuclear weapons. The SNP campaign to rid Scotland of nuclear weapons has provided one of the few salient arguments for independence. [Italiano] read full story / add a comment

Dublin City Council have new by laws to permit officials to interrogate members of the public as to how they are disposing of their rubbish. When the councils started charging for waste disposal years back numerous people refused to pay, the councils then withdrew their collections and ultimately the service was privatised. At the time of the introduction of a fee for rubbish collection some environmentalists argued it was a good thing that would lead to greater recycling and lower waste production. The councils began charging for recycling also of course. read full story / add a comment

MAY 2013 RESISTANCE is out. THE GREEN SHOOTS OF REVOLT (Bedroom Tax), Pro-choice in Ireland, Benefits interviewee campaign, Bristol Bookfair report (and forthcoming Sheffield bookfair), Greece migrant worker attacks, Bangladesh factory solidarity, Jock Palfreeman prisoner support. read full story / add a comment