April 19th 1943: 72nd Anniversary of The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

Memorial to the heroic Jewish resistance fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

Of the many tales of sacrifice and struggle commemorated here at On This Deity, few can be more poignant or inspirational than today’s – the anniversary of the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

On this day in 1943, Nazi security forces began the work of ‘liquidating’ the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw that – since January of the same year – had offered armed resistance to the forced deportations. The fighters of the ghetto were from the start isolated, ill-equipped and with no real hope of any sustainable success. But they served as a beacon of hope, and inspired others to fight back.

Warsaw’s Jewish community was one of the largest in Europe. And in spite of a long history of Polish and Russian anti-Semitism, it had developed a longstanding and thriving Jewish quarter dating back to the thirteenth century. With the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany in September 1939, it was natural that Jews throughout Poland would seek refuge and support from the community in Warsaw. Within days of the Polish army’s collapse the Nazi authorities began to impose anti-Jewish laws and to segregate the city.

In November the Jewish quarter was effectively sealed off from the outside world with a 20-metre-high wall that stretched for 11 miles. The ghetto was officially established.

With the exception of a small number of skilled workers who left the ghetto during the day for work, contact with or from the outside was prohibited and enforced by death. Non-Jews were forced from the ghetto while 138,000 Jews from outside were forced in. Starvation and disease, particularly typhoid, took a grip of the over-crowded area; by the summer of 1941, 5,000 people were dying each month.

A by-product of this enforced over-crowding manifested in the creation of a community with its own self-organised hospitals, libraries, orchestras, theatres and schools. Underground newspapers and publications flourished as the ghetto was increasingly radicalised.

And in this pressure-cooker environment, the full spectrum of Jewish political organisations flourished. Two main blocs emerged. On the one hand, there was a sometime uneasy alliance of the Left between the Communist PRR, Left-Zionist organisations such as Hashomer Hatzair, and the largest and longest established group – the Anti-Zionist Socialist Bund. Together they would form the armed resistance group known as the ZOB (Jewish Battle Organization), while another smaller group of Rightist Zionists came together in the ZZW (Jewish Military Union).

Outside of the resistance groups stood conservative ‘community leaders’– some of whom formed the Jewish Council ordered by the Nazis to administer and self-police the ghetto. Amongst their ranks there were undoubtedly those who were opportunistic collaborators. But there were also others who believed they could save lives by compromising with the Nazis. The tragedy of this position is personified by Council leader Adam Czerniaków, who committed suicide in July 1942 on realizing the full reality of the unfolding Nazi Holocaust.

The summer of 1942 saw the Final Solution enter a new phase. The Nazis ordered the Jewish Council to provide 6,000 people a day for ‘deportation’. This was initially carried out by Jewish police units – supposedly on the basis that deportees were destined for labour camps. In fact the deportations were to the newly built extermination camp of Treblinka, only forty miles away. News of the camp led to a fateful decision to resist any further deportations. And so, in autumn the first small Jewish combat units were formed.

These groups were horrifically ill-equipped and dependent upon stolen German small arms and a tiny quantity of weapons smuggled in from the resistance outside the ghetto – the Polish Home Army. But the overriding attitude of the Home Army and the exiled Polish Government towards the Jewish groups was ambiguous at best. Hostile to the Left and deeply tainted with traditional Polish anti-Semitism, the Polish government in London did not provide support. As the fighting unfolded, however, the Home Army and the smaller but more supportive Communist resistance forces (the People’s Guard) did provide some support, and at one point entered the ghetto to fight alongside the Jewish resistance.

In January of 1943, Nazi forces surrounded the ghetto and began a mass round-up for deportation. Most of the community refused the order and Jewish fighters took to the streets. As the fighting raged from the cellars and narrow streets, the deportations were prevented. For twelve weeks the fighters of the ZOB and ZZW had control of the ghetto and the German forces were held at bay. These Jewish fighter had no long-term plan or even a hope of survival; they knew only that they were saving their community from certain death in the camps. The Home Army – increasingly galvanized by the bold resistance – smuggled further weapons into the ghetto.

Even so, most fighters were armed only with a pistol and petrol-bombs, and could offer no real match to the tanks and artillery of the Germans. And so, on the morning of 19th April 1943, the SS amassed their weapons at the perimeter wall and at 6am entered the ghetto with the intention of ‘liquidation’.

Against all the odds, the ighting continued. But by mid-May the Nazis had achieved their objective. 13,000 Jews had been killed and most of the remaining 50,000 were deported to the death camps. Only a tiny handful of the fighters escaped, who went on to link up with other groups – particularly the People’s Guard.

Some of these fighters survived to participate in the uprising of the wider city of Warsaw in August 1944. This – another story of extraordinary courage, sacrifice and betrayal by the outside world – resulted in the destruction of 85% of the city and the death of 220,000 Poles. Advancing Soviet forces were only 15 kilometers away when the Home Army took control of the city, but Stalin cynically and deliberately left the resistance to its fate. Debate still continues as to whether the Red Army was in a position to support the uprising, but there ca be little doubt that an independent Poland – which may well have emerged from a successful uprising – would have been a great inconvenience not just to Stalin but to the future carve-up of Eastern Europe that had been agreed amongst the Allies.

The enduring historical significance of the Ghetto uprising remains in Israel where groups on both the Left and Right can trace their antecedents to the Jewish fighters. But most of all, the uprising provided inspiration both to the wider Polish Resistance and to the Jewish People who – contrary to the historical misrepresentation as passive victims of the Holocaust – provided the nucleus of resistance groups throughout war-torn Europe and led prisoner uprisings within the Nazi camps.

In the words of one of the last surviving Ghetto fighters, Marek Edelman: “No one believed they would be saved. We knew the struggle was doomed, but it showed the world there was resistance against the Nazis, that you could fight the Nazis.”

Four good reasons not to allow fascists in the non-human animal liberation movement

The recent announcement by the Hunt Saboteurs Association that they are affiliating with the Anti-Fascist Network has created a stir in the non-human animal liberation movement. There are those who claim that non-human animal liberation is a “non-political” movement and that we should avoid aligning ourselves with “extreme left-wing ideologies” (yet make no mention of extreme right-wing ideologies). This all comes at a time of growing concern over attempts by the far-right to infiltrate the non-human animal liberation movement in the UK, as they have done in other countries.

We at The Feral Space collective hold a zero-tolerance policy for fascists. The non- human animal liberation movement is a political movement, one that stands in firm opposition to oppression (not just the oppression of non-humans by humans). Because of this we believe that fascists and other people with extreme right-wing views should not be made welcome in this movement.

Not convinced? Here are 4 good reasons why we believe fascists should not be allowed in the animal liberation movement:

1. Fascism is an ideology built on oppression

Fascism is built on concept of one group of people ruling over another. Whether this be a particular race; nation; or class they believe that there are always superiors and inferiors. This runs in complete contradiction to non-human animal liberation that believes that all sentient beings, human or non-human, deserve the same fundamental rights. Animal liberation is built upon opposition to speciesism, the belief that one species is more deserving of rights than another. How can we claim that all animals are equal yet allow people who believe in the superiority of their race or nationality? How is that any different to a human believing they are better than another animal?

2. Fascists divide the movement

Probably the most common claim thrown at us by fascist-apologists is that we are attempting to split the movement. That couldn’t be any further from the truth. The reality is that fascists seek to divide the movement by discriminating against people of different ethnic, national, racial, gender or sexual backgrounds. We understand that to create a movement capable of ending animal exploitation we need to work with people from all backgrounds. How can we remain open and inclusive to all these different people when we allow fascists to walk amongst our ranks spouting divisiveness and hatred?

3. Fascism supports capitalism

Despite their claims otherwise, fascists support capitalism and the current economic system. They may claim to want to remove capitalism and replace it with something different but like the so-called communists it is simply a trap to lure you. Once they gain power fascists protect the interest of the bosses while the rest of us continue to live in poverty. Meanwhile capitalism continues to kill billions of non-human animals annually through factory farming, habitat destruction, global warming and other means. If we really want to create a world free-from animal exploitation then we need to do away with the system that perpetuates it: capitalism. Fascists are the foot soliders of the bosses, brought out to defend their privileges in times of crisis. This can be seen by their constant attacks on left wing and anti-capitalist meetings and activists.

4. Fascists have killed other activists

For a movement that prides itself on its non-violent tactics the non-human animal liberation movement would do well to avoid fascism. Fascism is a violent ideology that seeks to use force to get its way. Anybody who stands in their way is considered a valid target. Just last June French anti-fascist and vegan, Clement Meric, was murdered by fascists in Paris. The anti-fascist rapper Killah P was stabbed to death in Athens by members of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn in September of last year and in Russia scores of left-wing activists have been beaten and killed by fascists. Do we really want to be welcoming to a group of people who are willing to murder anyone they disagree with? It would be almost hypocritical for a movement that deplores the murder of millions of sentient animals.

While those of us at The Feral Space identify as anarchists, we do not think that everyone needs to be an anarchist in order to be involved in the non-human animal liberation movement. We understand that there are a wealth of different thoughts and tendencies out there and it is this plurality that makes us strong. However fascism is a dangerous movement that seeks to gain control and enforce their will on others. It is for this reason that we believe that the animal liberation movement must take a firm anti-fascist stance and not allow fascists to infiltrate our movement.

Our collective and this movement is not a safe space for those who discriminate against others! Against civilization, against fascism, against capitalism, the state and the prison world they enforce. Total human/non-human animal/earth liberation!

Jason Hammond Sentencing Statement

Shared from http://freejasonhammond.blogspot.com/

I write this statement after pleading guilty to state charges against me for my participation in an organized direct action taken against a group of white supremacists in May of 2012. I would like to share my thoughts about this action. First, major thanks and love to my friends and family who have supported me, for my amazing partner who kept me sane, my band for letting loose and my lawyer Sara Garber who has been ridiculously helpful in fighting this case with me.

While Chicago was in rebellion against the western military super-alliance NATO summit in 2012, a small group of racists organized their own ‘white nationalist economic summit' in the nearby suburb of Tinley Park. They booked a restaurant to hold a luncheon under the guise of the "Illinois European Heritage Association.” For over six months this event was promoted on Stormfront.org, a very popular online forum where racists and neo-nazis converse. Being in a prolonged state of resistance against racism, this summit became known to organized anti-fascists throughout the Midwest. Through research, they had ascertained the time, location, and even some identities of the attendees of this meeting, some of whom were already known as being members of white supremacist groups such as the KKK, National Socialist Movement and Council of Conservative Citizens. Upon becoming aware of this  information, myself and others decided to confront the fascists at their meeting. A righteous melee ensued, many of the ten white supremacists were injured, and we left the scene in less than two minutes.

In the aftermath, the police was called and two of the fascist attendees were arrested one for being a fugitive of pedophilia charges in another state and the other for illegal possession of firearms in their car onsite. Unfortunately after leaving the restaurant, five comrades from Hoosier Anti Racist Movement were also arrested for their involvement by an off duty cop. They are known as the Tinley Park 5, all of whom spent time in Illinois prisons after taking a non-cooperative plea, and have since been released on parole. Please read about their struggles at their wordpress.

A year after the action, in July 2013, I was arrested outside my home by the FBI and Tinley Park Police. I was charged with armed violence and mob action,  the same as the other 5 anti-fascists. My indictment states the Tinley Park Police were given a report from the FBI stating that they had identified me from DNA gathered at the scene and a surveillance video from the restaurant where the meeting was shut down. I was held in Cook County Jail for two months but was fortunate to have friends who raised enough money to release me on bond. I have since been fighting these charges. The wheels of the bureaucratic judicial system moves deliberately slow and another whole year and a half passes. Now, even with the privilege of being able to examine all the evidence and evaluate all of my options while out on bond, I must accept the judge’s offer of 3.5 years. My chances of winning the case were very low, and if I lost, it could potentially mean a significantly higher sentence.

It is difficult to decide whether to plea or not when faced with gambling years of your life in prison, but I also completely detest the narrative of the state and their courtrooms. Their story is that they rightfully apprehended the criminal, tried, and put them away in prison;where they will learn not to do it again while separated from society where they cannot spread their infectious ideas. That system does not work and it never will. I abhor this monopoly of justice and violence; the reality is that the state wants people in their prisons especially people whose political interest are in conflict  to the “business as usual” violence that their police and armies perpetrate. My crime is standing up against the flag of hate and the violence against people of color that it represents. The state, in a petty act, went out of their way years later to prosecute me.

Furthermore, the state has always supported a white supremacist power structure. Even after the endless series of racist wars and hundreds of years of oppression on this soil, they don't see it as a problem when neo-nazis get together and in fact grant permits and have lines of police to protect their free speech. In Ferguson, New York, Chicago and beyond, we see police use military grade equipment in conjunction with the National Guard to combat people protesting the unjust murders of Mike Brown and Eric Garner at the hands of law enforcement. These are not isolated incidents, but rather symptomatic and indicative of a deliberate move to uphold the pillars of white supremacy in this country, which will not change unless we fight against it.

I went into this action following the principles of anarchy, equality and freedom which have guided my life. For many years I have been involved in different projects engaging social justice, from volunteering at social centers, community public libraries and food distribution programs.I have also supported and participated in anti-war, environmental and immigrant rights movements. Through these experiences I became more aware of how the system that governs this society depends on the mass exploitation of large parts of the population and in fact the Earth itself for the profit of the rich and powerful. I was inspired and motivated by the people I met in the movement to strive to make change at the root of the problem, even if it meant possibly sacrificing my own personal freedom. Throughout history, any movement that struggled to change this system was considered dangerous by the government and was met with immense repression and state violence. But there were successful moments within these movements not only because they were justified, but because people fought for them and despite how history is presented like a Disney movie, not all of their actions were non-violent.

Today there still is police brutality, a massive prison industrial complex, there are presidents waging endless wars for profit and power, and there is violence, alienation and marginalization at the crossroads of gender, sexuality, race and class.  It would be naive to think that all of these problems could only be solved through pacifism; working with or within the system, following dogmatic and assimilative reformist agendas that take over and sell out movements; the answer lies in creative resistance that utilizes a wide diversity of tactics. I think some people have always known this but more need to reject the privileged tendency to reject destruction of property, or of the bodies protecting the state as taboo violence instead of as a legitimate form of resistance. As our collective patience is constantly being worn away by failures of government to address people’s actual needs, it is up to our own communities and individuals to decide for themselves what is an appropriate form of self-defense

But I would also like to note that the hyper-spectacularization and priority of violence amongst folks in the movement might also be folly, because I believe it in itself is not sufficient for a real radical transformation of society. People need to look within to make the change they want to see in the world as well as raise hell in the streets. People are improving their communities through their own support, healing circles, discussion groups, rallies, speak-outs, prisoner support, popular education, community health projects and asking hard questions and challenging oppressive thoughts however they manifest.

The ideas and actions that these white supremacists are pushing are dangerous and poisonous and is unfortunately still deeply rooted within the fabric of this society. Racism manifests itself in a number of ways and none can be ignored; from the blatant and overt bigots like those at the meeting in Tinley Park but also the subtle micro-aggressions that people experience on a daily basis. We are all obligated to confront the dead old ways of these oppressive ideologies using every means possible. My actions were in the spirit of continued resistance against racism and fascism and for the rights of people to live without fear of racist attacks. Those in struggle know the risk of jail, pain or death when trying to radically change the structure of society but it is a struggle we cannot ignore and we intend to win! 

After the interruption of the meeting in Tinley Park, the organizing group for their economic summit disbanded and the individual who booked the event said that they were “stepping away from white nationalist organizing.” When a comrade is arrested the movement bears a high cost but actions like these can prove affective as they dissuade people from joining hate groups and preventing the work that they do. I feel these tactics could also apply to different avenues of struggle, directed towards exploitative bosses, racist cops, gentrifying landlords, sexists anywhere, and fascist politicians. 

Some people have speculated my arrest was part of some revenge plot of the FBI because of the hacking and whistle-blowing my brother Jeremy Hammond has done against various sectors of the government and the private intelligent corporations they work with. While I love and support my brother and his actions 1000% and condemn the FBI and the US government for their own cyber wars they wage, I think it is unlikely that was the reason why I was held in custody. As stated earlier, the FBI did provide a report to the local police putting some of their pieces together which raises questions to why they would consider a bunch of neo-nazis getting beat up a matter of national security. Regardless, my brother and I were both apprehended because our actions were not carried out with absolute precision and every precaution made to disguise our identities and ensure we would not be busted.

However, it is absolutely true that we live in a vulnerable society with extreme governmental overreach, where anyone could be subject to surveillance, entrapment, targeted prosecutions and trumped up treason and terrorism charges purely for ideological reasons. It is a context deliberately cooked up by politicians and the national security complex to create fear and distrust amongst activist circles, as we can see looking at the huge number of dissidents who have been jailed or killed. Again, I’ll state my respect for political prisoners in any country who are staying strong and struggling to fight the power. I would encourage anyone who considers taking direct action to know why they are doing it and do so carefully as to not jeopardize themselves, their comrades, or the movement itself. A person in prison is another person we have to free.

       To those whose worlds were shaken and who are angry or displeased at my actions, remind yourselves humbly of the atrocious history of violence that white supremacy has done and continues to do so to this  society and ask yourself, do I support it? Do I benefit from it? Will this be my legacy? Or do I want to change it?

         I have set up a blog where I will post updates regularly that will also include my mailing address and visiting hours. Also I will have set up an Amazon Wish List where people can send me some love through books. This will be set up once I arrive at the state prison where I will likely carry out the majority of my sentence. While I am here I intend to make the most of my time staying positive and motivated through reading, working out, and meditating. I am interested in continuing communication and having discussions with people through letters, so please write me when you have the chance!

Yours for the struggle!

With love and rage,

Jason Hammond

freejasonhammond.blogspot.com

THEORY AND INTELLIGENCE AGAINST NATIONAL ANARCHISM

This article was originally found on the Torch Anti-Fascist Network site and we feel that this is an important article for us to share on here which underlines this new fascist trend. As vegans, we strongly recommend this for other anti-speciesist comrades since there is also a growing trend of fascists entering/being welcomed in some animal rights groups. Here is the original link to this article http://torchantifa.org/?p=398

There has been a tendency within far-right, fascist movements over a number of years, starting largely in Europe, coming to the U.S. in recent years and unfortunately making more of an appearance here in Illinois in recent months.This tendency is “National Anarchism.”

The National Anarchist Movement has been largely influenced by Troy Southgate, who was formerly an active member in a number of far-right parties in Europe, including the British National Front, English Nationalist Movement, International Third Position and National Revolutionary Faction.

The ideology of National Anarchism includes elements of traditional anarchist theory and quotes from Bakunin, Proudhon, and even Hakim Bey appear in their writings. They promote small scale communities without a centralized State. However, they have combined anti-Statism with racial separatism where different cultures, “tribes,” or races are not to coexist.

National Anarchists go out of their way to talk about how they’re not fascist, yet have striking similarities to fascist, far right, white supremacist movements:

-Belief that multi-racial societies are “destroying Europe” (Southgate p.130)

-Utilization of anti-semitic narratives such as references to the “Zionist media” (Southgate “Tradition and revolution”p. 125), referring to Jews as “vampiric parasites intent on carving up the world’s resources in an attempt to create a single, global market” (NAM Manifesto)

-Opposing interracial relationships (what they call the “dominant ideology of inbreeding”)

-Organizing on White Power websites like Stormfront.org

Clearly, these positions are incompatible with a radical anarchist movement opposed to racism and white supremacy (regardless of whether they admit to their fascist leanings).

Some might ask why anti-racist anarchists should be concerned with this fringe movement. One answer is because they actively pursue a strategy of “entryism” where they enter existing movements and utilize them for their own ends.
In their own words, entryism is “the name given to the process of entering or infiltrating bona fide organizations, institutions and political parties with the intention of either gaining control of them for our own ends, misdirecting or disrupting them for our own purposes or converting sections of their memberships to our cause.” (Southgate “Tradition and revolution” p. 220)

Here in the U.S., National Anarchists have attended and participated in anarchist events, such as demonstrations and book fairs. With an anti-State position, critique of Capitalism and the fact that they embrace other causes anarchists are invested in (animal rights, environmentalism, opposition to Israeli militarism, etc.) it is likely that they would have an appeal to some anarchists, particularly those who are young or new to radical politics.

In a way, these attempts at engaging with Leftists, anti-authoritarians and anti-racist anarchist scenes make them even more of a threat than groups that make their racist, white supremacist position more apparent. Their attempts to recruit from existing anarchist communities makes it essential that they be confronted and exposed wherever they appear.

In the last several years here in the U.S., there have been attempts by national anarchists to organize in New York (National Anarchist Tribal Alliance-NY), San Francisco (Bay Area National Anarchists) and recently some National Anarchists have appeared here in Illinois.

For example, National Anarchist Brandon Lashbrook played a prominent role in the utterly failed Illinois “White Man March“.

Crimethinc Podcast on anti-fascism, including analysis of National Anarchism: http://www.crimethinc.com/podcast/11/
Troy Southgate “Tradition and Revolution- Collected Writings of Troy Southgate”, “National Anarchism: Trojan Horse for White Nationalism”
http://radicalarchives.org/2010/11/15/griffin-na-as-wn-trojan-horse/