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The Final Straw Radio


The Final Straw is a weekly anarchist and anti-authoritarian radio show bringing you voices and ideas from struggle around the world. We’ve been broadcasting from occupied Tsalagi land in Southern Appalachia (Asheville, NC). We also frequently feature commentary (serious and humorous) by anarchist prisoner, Sean Swain.  More archives going back to 2010 can be found at our website.

Post-script: Position of the Legal Team about the militia actions on the ZAD

Apr 17, 2018

 

 This is the translation of the legal team response on the ZAD
to the violence between people on the ZAD in which somoene
as beaten, put in the trunk of a car and hospitalized in
March. Just a little context.

Last Tuesday morning, March 20th, 5 people with ski masks,
armed with baseball bats and pepper spray entered a squat on
the ZAD. They beat the people present, and took one of them,
hogtied, with duct tape over his eyes and mouth. They put him
in the trunk of a car and left. Further on, they beat him
again, breaking an arm and a leg, before abandoning him on
the sidewalk in front of the psychiatric hospital.

His "error" was to have acted concretely against a State
sponsored project, in a way which wasn't aligned with the
dominant strategy of the movement. That strategy being to
invite the regional head of police, cops, and politicians
onto the ZAD to negotiate with them.

We are long past the phase of trying to say nicely to certain
groups that they are going too far, that they should put
themselves into question, etc. We also find it just as
problematic that there has been hardly anyone taking public
position after this disgusting operation by some wannabe cops.
In comparison, when some journalists invited by the ACIPA
(local liberal group against the airport) got hit with a bit
of compost, a bakery went on strike, the general assemblies
had to change meeting place, people had their internet cut
off, etc.

One part of the movement wants to win points with the State
by doing the work of the police. They are giving offerings
that they think the will motivate the State to give them
presents in return. This repressive operation shows that no
matter where repression comes from, it comes down to the same
thing:

Punishing those who get in the way, threatening those who
could. Taking advantage of police impunity by being part of
dominant groups, better organized, and with more resources.
Defending the interests of the State and privileged citizens
with violence and rapports de force.

A lot of different individuals can be threatening to power,
but repression is adapted to social class. People who are
well connected, well liked, won't end up in the hospital-
just have pressure put on them, insults, humiliation... But
for someone who's more vulnerable. They are reproducing
repression, even in its classist aspect. And even worse, the
victim is put on trial that very evening in the general
assembly of the movement.

By leaving the person in front of the mental hospital, the
able-ist component is added. The psychiatric hospital is the
place for the people who are bothersome. Either the people
who did it didn't care about the risk he would be forcibly
hospitalized, for example if he had had prior time spent in
mental health facilities, or it would have made it easier to
get him out of the way.

Reactionary forces in all their splendor. The crazy part is
that there are still people who pretend that on the ZAD we
try to organize without police or the justice system. That
here is a "Commune", that here we're revolutionary.

For the legal team, this act represents what we've always
fought against. We would like to make a reminder that a
movement of struggle is not sheltered from relationships of
inequality or oppression, even in their most violent
expressions. We invite you to reflect and act, to avoid that
in other struggles certain people take control to re-
establish the power of dominant classes, and of the State.

signed:
-the legal team
-copains des bois