The Final Straw Radio

This week, we checked back in with folks involved in the struggle to block the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a 303 mile so-called natural gas pipeline proposed to bring fracked gas from the Marcellus and Utica shale formations across parts of West Virginia and Virginia with an extension into North Carolina. Since a chat with activists we had in July, there have been nearly weekly actions to block the expansion of the pipeline across waterways and carsed terraine, endangering water tables and ecosystems around central Appalachia. We talk about this proposed project, the damage that's been done and continues to be spread, the increasing belligerence of the men employed in the destruction and the ramping up legal repression facing activists and community members. Transcript PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) You can learn more by checking out StopMVP.org or follow the social media accounts AppalachiansAgainstPipelines or POWHR. Support of the movement can also be offered up at Appalachian Legal Support Fund. And you can find out about companies involved in the MVP here. Check out our past interviews about the MVP here. Announcements Vehicle for Chico Mendes Reforestation Project From their GoFundMe: Proyecto de Reforestación Chico Mendes (Chico Mendes Reforestation Project) is a community-run nonprofit based in the Guatemalan highland village of Pachaj. What began as three friends planting trees on the weekends in 1998 has grown into a family of over 3600 local students and more than 1000 international volunteers who have worked with the project since. With each tree planted, soil bag filled, and weed cleared, we are proving that small steps of change today are what shape the future... ... However, Chico Mendes is facing major challenges once again. The recent 30+ days of disruptions stemming from state push-back in recognizing newly-elected President Arévalo has led to the cancellation of two major international, collaborative projects with universities, resulting in 24,000 unplanted trees. With groups unable to come to us, we need to replant all by ourselves. But with less hands available and a mountainous terrain prone to landslides that poses a significant challenge to the replanting process, we are struggling to meet our goals. This is why we are seeking to fundraise for a four-wheel-drive truck to assist the Chico Mendes team in carrying more trees through mountainous terrain to get on track with our replanting mission. This is a labor of love. People are taking lower salaries so that everyone has some to go around and sometimes, work is done out of the goodness of one's heart rather than payment, but we need your help. This vehicle would directly help our community sow the seeds of environmental and Indigenous justice. Check out the GFM link above and if you can throw them some dollars, they'd appreciate it much. . .... . .. Featured Tracks: Halcyon by Filastine from Drapetomania Ghost of a Chance by Danny Dolinger from Rome Wasn't Burnt In A Day

Sara and Josh On Certain Days Calendar This week on the show, Ian talks to Sara and Josh, organizers from the Certain Days Collective on the publication of this year's certain days calendar. The two discuss the creative and administrative processes involved in producing one of the most consistent projects in the abolition space. They also discuss the past, present, and future of the project and the constant need to balance short term emergent issues against the long term abolition project. [ 00:02:37 - 00:33:14] Transcription PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) You can learn more at CertainDays.org, find them on a bunch of social media platforms, and order calendars for deliver in Canada via LeftWingBooks.Net or in the USA via BurningBooks.Com and you can find our past conversations with Josh by searching Josh Davidson on our website, including a recent interview about Rattling The Cages. Direct Democracy Throughout Human History Then, you'll hear we'll be sharing a presentation by Dr. Modibo Kadalie recorded at the 2023 Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair in so-called Asheville. Modibo is joined by his friend Andrew Zonneveld of On Our Own Authority Books and they share a new bookstore and community space in Stone Mountain, Georgia, known as Community Books. [ 00:34:32- 01:32:30 ] Transcript PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) From the presentation description: "A scholar-activist with over 60 years of experience in the Civil Rights, Black Power, Pan-African, and Social Ecology movements will discuss the role of critical historiography in the study and documentation of directly democratic communities across human history. Modibo Kadalie's presentation will touch on ideas discussed in his two most recent books, Pan-African Social Ecology and Intimate Direct Democracy. Dr. Kadalie will also discuss his upcoming book, tentatively titled State Creep: A Critical Historiography." Sean Swain Sean's segment on destabilizing the economy with flash mobs can be heard from [ 01:32:32 - 01:40:28 ] . ... . .. Featured Track: For Marmish by Floating Points from Elaenia

Jewish Anti-Zionist in Palestine + Antifascists Repressed in Budapest This week's show features four segments: an announcement from IGD Podcast; an anti-Zionist Jewish voice from Palestine; an interview of two anti-repression activists on the harassment of two antifascist activists in Budapest, Hungary; Sean Swain's segment. Reflections of an Jewish Anti-Zionist from Palestine First up, we're featuring the voice of a Jewish anti-Zionist anarchist living in lands occupied by the Israeli state. We speak about some of his experiences of trying to resist the ongoing war against Palestinians, collaboration with Palestinian comrades against the occupation, the silencing of dissent during the escalation by the Israeli state and other topics. [ 00:07:28 - 00:50:13 ] Transcript PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) For a very thoughtful series of podcasts about the situation in Palestine, check out the two recent episodes of the Its Going Down podcast (1st and 2nd). Palestinian Social Media Suggestions: Basel Adra: https://instagram.com/basilaladraa Ali Awad: https://instagram.com/ali_awad98 Sami H Huraini: https://instagram.com/samihuraini Youth of Sumud: https://instagram.com/youthofsumud Awdah Hathaleen: https://instagram.com/awdah.hathaleen Antifascists Repressed in Budapest Following this, you'll hear a segment by A-Radio Berlin (a co-member of the Channel Zero Network as well as the A-Radio Network with The Final Straw) about repression of antifascists recently under the far right Hungarian administration of Victor Orban. This also appeared in the November 2023 episode of Bad News, the monthly English-language podcast of the A-Radio Network. [ 00:52:10 - 01:05:53 ] Further links https://budapest-solidarity.net/ https://www.basc.news/ Sean Swain Sean Swain's segment this week airs at [ 01:05:57 ] . ... . .. Featured Tracks: We Roll (Instrumental) by Pete Rock from We Roll Until Palestine Is Free by Angelic Upstarts from Bullingdon Bastards

Thomas Meyer-Falk is Free! We're sharing here a recent conversation that I had with Thomas Meyer-Falk, an anarchist who just finished a 27 year prison stint in Germany to speak about his life, his incarceration and his hopes now that he's out. Thomas was involved in a bank robbery in 1996 as a young RASH anarchist skinhead who hoped to fund above ground and underground leftist organizing and continued to be incarcerated for the threats he made upon his capture. While inside he toned it down a bit, became a jailhouse lawyer of sorts and built connections with publishing projects, support groups and a radio station on the outside. Transcript PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) He's now out and working at that radio station in Freiberg, RDL, and hopes to be come involved in helping immigrants navigate the legal system in Germany. You can find his blog, mostly in German, at https://freedomforthomas.wordpress.com. You can also find some of his writings in Fire Ant Journal. Announcement Fundraiser for Zolo Azania A quick reminder, there's a fundraising effort ongoing to help former Black Liberation Fighter and political prisoner, Zolo Agona Azania (who we've featured a couple of times on this show) could use some support. Since he's been out of prison after 35 years inside, he's been an active community organizer on projects including re-entry for formerly incarcerated folks and offering pro bono legal help to folks still behind bars. He's in need of some support with car repair payments to help him keep his wage job and keep doing his support work. You can donate to him on cashapp via the handle $ZoloAzania5, on zelle using azaniazolo5 at gmail dot com or on venmo using @zolo-azania To find more anti-repression fundraisers needing support and boosting, check out the column on ItsGoingDown.Org called In Contempt, where you can also find info on prisoners who've just been moved, have upcoming birthdays or who are in need of other help. . ... . .. Featured Track: Hetzjagd (Auf Nazis!) by Alec Empire ( of Atari Teenage Riot) from Riot Beats comp

Mr. Block's Past and Legacy (with Sean Carleton and Iain McIntyre) This week, Ian talks to Sean Carleton of Graphic History Collective and Labor historian and activist Iain McIntyre about the recent release of Mr. Block: The Subversive Comics and Writings of Ernest Riebe by PM Press. After some background on their respective projects, they talk about the legacy of the IWW cartoonist, the origins and process of putting the book together, and what aspects of his work are still relevant today. Here's a hint: just about all of them are. Transcript PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) . ... . .. Featured Track: Mr. Block performed by Utah Philips from Rebel Voices: Songs of the Industrial Workers of the World Beware The Friendly Stranger by Boards Of Canada from Alpha and Omega

This week on The Final Straw, we're excited to share a panel discussion recorded at Firestorm Books entitled Against Genocide: A Palestinian Solidarity Panel, recorded on Sunday, October 22nd 2023. Transcription PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) From the event description: "With the "iron-clad" support of the United States and other Western powers, Israel has made explicit its plan for the systematic destruction of Gaza and the Palestinian people. At this event, participants—including Palestinian and Jewish activists—will discuss the history of the occupation and the present campaign of dehumanization that's paving the way to genocide. We'll also explore the radical solidarities that are necessary to stop the assault on Gaza and secure a just peace. This event is a fundraiser for The Hebron International Resource Network (HIRN), an organization based in the West Bank that is working to house Gazan workers deported to the West Bank by Israeli forces. Please consider bringing a cash donation! Firestorm will additionally be donating the net proceeds from all sales in-store and online. Art by Heba Zagout, Palestinian artist killed with her two young children in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza on Friday, October 13." Zines suggested by Milstein Inexorable Links by Zara from Interviews With Radical Palestinian Women Tkhines For A Free Palestine Kaddish For The Soul of Judaism: Genocide In Palestine Three Perspectives on Zionism, Jewishness, Class, and Liberation Jewish Currents Israel-Palestine Explainer Sean's Segment We're linking here to Sean Swain's most recent segment on the history of violence before the most recent escalation of war on the people of Gaza coming from the state of Israel. Announcement Support Former Political Prisoner Zolo Azania Former Black political prisoner and friend to many of us, Zolo Azania, needs our financial assistance to pay for important repairs on his car. He uses his car to drive to work. Details below. Please be generous. Zolo recently had a new transmission installed in his car along with other necessary repairs. The total bill came out to $4,659.51. He had put aside $1,200 for car repairs, therefore he needs another $3,459.51 in order to reclaim his car. After spending nearly 37 years in Indiana prisons, Zolo has been free for nearly 7 years now. After facing many challenges on the outside, we're very happy to say Zolo now owns a house! Of course he needs to pay a mortgage and pay for repairs and upkeep on the house. After working 5 years at low paying jobs, Zolo was recently able to obtain a better paying job with benefits. This job requires a commute which is difficult on public transportation. Zolo would like to avoid excessive charges for the dealership to store his car. If Zolo cannot pay this repair bill he risks losing his car altogether. Zolo appreciates any donation but please be as generous as you can. You can send donations to him via Zelle, Venmo or Cash App ($ZoloAzania5). His accounts are under "Zolo Azania" Bad News #72 Online Now! You can find the October 2023 episode of the English-language BAD News: Angry Voices From Around The World podcast produced by the A-Radio Network online now, featuring a short version of our interview about the December 8th case in France, updates from Greece by way of the comrades in Thessaloniki at 1431AM Free Social Radio, and Frequenz-A about the about the Karl Helga Wagenplatz in Leipzig, which is under the threat of ever-present forces of gentrification.

This week on the show, we're featuring an interview I did recently with Sona, an anarcha-feminist from Yerevan, Armenia, about her experience of anarchism and some of the solidarity efforts related to supporting Armenians expelled from Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian enclave within the borders of the neighboring country of Azerbaijan. Recent crimethInc articles: Anarchist Voices from Armenia and Azerbaijan: On the Violence in Nagorno-Karabakh Solidarity among the Displaced: How Russian Anarchists in Exile Supported Armenian Refugee Squatters From crimethInc "Anarchist Voices..." Article: a list of NGOs to support refugees in Armenia: The space Letters and Numbers and the Armenian Food Bank have opened a humanitarian aid collection point. Please bring non-perishable food items and clothing to St. Tumanyan, 35G, Yerevan. Volunteer fund for helping victims of the war "Ethos" St. Khorenatsi 30, Yerevan. Sasha Manakina's collection can be found at this link. Sasha is one of the heroines of the new zine Alarm! The Viva Charitable Foundation has been providing medicine, rehabilitating the wounded, and helping Artsakh since 2016. Announcement Support for Jorge Yorch Esquivel From his support site: We call for solidarity with our comrade Jorge Esquivel, Yorch, to demand his immediate release and the dismissal of charges against him. Attending the rally during their next hearing on Monday, October 23. The appointment is at 9 a.m. in front of the Orient Prison Organized to make noise and agitation Spread your case Go, call or write to nearby Mexican embassies and consulates to demand their freedom Or any way they like to stand in solidarity so that we can rip our comrade from the clutches of the state and its prisons. Yorch is imprisoned for crimes fabricated against him as part of a montage that seeks to criminalize the Che Squat / Okupache and its members. He has been held hostage by the Mexican state in Mexico City's East Reclusion for more than 10 months. . ... . .. Featured Track: Wishing (instrumental) by Pete Rock from My Own Worst Enemy (Instrumentals)

This week on the show, we're featuring an interview with 3 activists involved in the Emergency Committee for Rojava about recent developments in Rojava, escalation of violence from the Turkish state and the KDP party-led Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq, experiences of recent visits to the region, updates on the US relationship to aggressive regimes in the region and other topics. If you are listening to the radio edition of this show, check out the podcast for another half hour of discussion on developments in the economic, ecological and gender parity elements of the Rojava revolution. Transcript PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) Links XTwitterX: https://x.com/defendrojava FedBook: https://www.facebook.com/defendrojava Instagram: https://instagram.com/defendrojava TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@defendrojava Take action against the US complicity in Turkey's war on NES: https://www.defendrojava.org/call-congress On the latest attacks: https://www.syriandemocratictimes.com/2023/10/10/turkey-devastates-a-region-already-suffering/ A recent article about the Rojava revolution: https://www.truthdig.com/articles/rojavas-improvised-revolution/ Announcements Midweek Release on the December 8th Affair in France If you didn't hear, we released a podcast in the middle of last week with anarchists involved in anti-repression in France concerning the conspiracy case known as the December 8th Affair, where the French state surveilled and arrested a YPG veteran who goes by the name Libre Flot, as well as comrades and acquaintances on the accusation of building a terror network following the Movement for Black Lives uprisings of 2020. Support for Palestinians If you're looking for a way to support folks in or from Palestine during the unprecedented and genocidal violence of the Israeli settler state one non-profit we've heard is good for distributing funds to people in need is Hebron International Network, which can be found at https://www.nonviolenceinternational.net/donate_hirn . Surely there are more out there, but be careful to vet where you send money due to precedent set by the US government of pursuing charges against nonprofits funding people in Palestine by claiming they're supporting terrorists, even when they aren't, as in the case of the Holy Land Five. Michael Kimble Anarchist prisoner Michael Kimble is fundraising right now to help cover legal costs as he attempts to gain freedom from prison after decades behind bars. You can find more info at his support site, anarchylive.noblogs.org and make donations via the link at fundly.com/help-michael-kimble-hire-a-new-attorney . … . .. Featured Track: Sekvano by Awazê Ciya

December 8th Affair Trial in France is Under Way Hey listeners, this mid-week release features the words of anarchists involved in or doing support for the December 8th Affair in France, in which 9 people were arrested at the end of 2020, following Movement for Black Lives protests took place around the world to challenge police impunity and racism. The French state is asserting, based on some pretty flimsy arguments, that 7 radical and anarchist folks were a part of a conspiracy to engage in terrorism based on their common connection to an activist recently returned from the supporting the YPG's fight against Daesh or ISIS in Rojava. This activist goes by the name Libre Flot, or Free Flow, and he shares some words here as well. Transcript PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) The court case runs from October 3rd until 27th and can use international solidairty demonstrations, support for those defending themselves, and more that you can find information below: Support Site: https://solidaritytodecember8.wordpress.com/category/english/ Fundraising for Legal Fees: https://www.cotizup.com/soutien-8-12 Zine sharing Libre Flot's experiences in hunger strike: https://solidaritytodecember8.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/letter_a5_print-a4_045132-1.pdf Zine introduction to the case: https://solidaritytodecember8.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/what-is-the-december-8-affair.pdf . ... . .. Featured Track: Beef by Pete Rock from Soul Survivor Two (Instrumental)

This week we're sharing a recent interview with Elia J. Ayoub, host of The Fire These Times podcast to talk a bit about #solarpunk. Elia J. was on the show with Leila Al-Shami some years ago to speak about revolution and civil war in Syria, uprisings in Lebanon and Iraq. Transcript PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) For the hour, we speak about the importance of radical imagination, the artistic genre known as solar punk, technology and it's role in societies based on pleasure and leisure, utopian movements of the past and the decentering of the imperial cores in an anti-imperialist visioning. Sumoud-washing article on Kohl journal Announcement Legal Fees Fundraiser On October 9th, join comrades for a youtube stream to help fundraise for our incarcerated comrade and homie GZ's legal fees. This is a great way to participate in Indigenous Peoples Day from home- the stream content will being centered on connecting between decolonization and abolition, featuring dialogue and performances by artists and MCs including Bigg Villainus and Ant from Savage Fam, as well as FD Signifier, and poetry by GZ. Stay tuned for more info and the full schedule, and please help us boost this and circulate the fundraiser: https://tinyurl.com/gzlegalfund . ... . .. Featured Track: Mercy, Mercy, Mercy by Cannonball Adderley from Rock Instrumental Classics, Vol 4: Soul