SEPTEMBER 2005

.....there will be No Border actions in Greece and Bulgaria and we are in solidarity with their international call for No Border actions.

fibre culture: Anarchist Press Release
Linking protests against national borders:

http://deletetheborder.org/?q=node/87

Hola todos. Crazy times we find ourselves in. Millions of people forced to live underground, more than 3200 dead and tens of thousands more incapacitated crossing the border. Communities and families split by the wall. As if the border and its myriad forms of violence were not enough, racist paramilitaries are openly organizing across the US and finding enthusiastic partners in politicians and corporate press outlets alike. And then there are the numerous Neo-nazi groups crawling out from beneath their rocks, thrilled with the "Trojan Horse" of growing anti-migrant sentiment.

So, here we are. There is a huge amount of incredible organizing around these issues happening all around us. As one small contribution to this struggle for liberation and dignity, the o.r.g.a.n.i.c. Collective organized a two-day (no)border encuentro, in San Diego, in the spirit of the Zapatista Encuentros. We hope for it to truly be an encounter, with many people sharing space, dreams, ideas and strategies.

Despite our many backgrounds and areas of focus, we hope that we can learn and walk together, hashing out answers to questions like: How do we strengthen current struggles? How do we create a de-colonization movement and what would that look like? How do we construct autonomy in the border region and what would that look like? How do we help broaden and show solidarity with
indigenous struggles like that of the Zapatista's and others? How do we build a sustainable movement for freedom of movement and the right to stay with full rights?

Preparing for this event and the upcoming months here are a few thoughts and observations gleaned from recent struggles against the Minutemen. Perhaps they are obvious or you disagree with some point(s). That is fine. We can talk about this. At the encuentro there will be at least one officially designated time and space for discussing the September 16 mobilizations against the Minutemen. Also, we have created a website with open publishing (participation encouraged) in order to link border struggles at www.deletetheborder.org. While we are at this Encuentro, there will be No Border actions in Greece and Bulgaria and we are in solidarity with their international call for No Border actions.

Some Thoughts

The Minutemen and their supporters are racist, but this is not only about race. There is an ongoing fight for identity within the empire, with nationalist anglo-protestants wanting to make the wall a point of sharp demarcation between a white english-speaking Protestant country, and the feared and hated other.

This is also about the war on terror, with all of its heavy religious intonations. Grounded in the premise of a clash of civilizations ("us" versus "them") the Minutemen truly believe they are fighting a neglected front of the "war on terrorism."

This is very much about colonization. Parallels with Israel and Palestine, and others are useful. The desire to control and exploit resources and labor, while also controlling the movement and legal status of a population is key part of a colonialist project, particularly when the headquarters of the operation is on stolen land. There are various forms of control leveraged, from requiring unobtainable "documents" to the use of police, courts and prisons. We are all subject to control, some much more then others.

And as we all know in times of economic precarity, migrants all too often become the scapegoats. Currently, a variety of groups (the media especially) are actively collecting and amplifying all of the misguided fears and anxieties of the nation into a wretched stew of hatred against migrants, all people of color and political dissent. To fight this escalation of fear, safe spaces for critical dialogue and long-term strategizing between organizers, community members, and youth are needed. We hope our encuentros can foster such a space.

http://deletetheborder.org/?q=node/87


against the border and racism
against capitalism and empire
for freedom of movement, dignity and autonomy

Oradores, talleres, foros, accion directa, hacer medios, estrategia, teoria.

contra la frontera y racismo
contra el capitalismo y imperio