*This article was originally published in El Libertario #58, March-April 2010. Although originally based on the actual experiences of Venezuela’s social struggles, it deals with situations and facts of interest to activists anywhere.

 West Lothian SSP are looking for Socialist musicians to play fundraiser.

Following a protest march in Aberdeen on Wednesday afternoon, 30-40 students have occupied part of the management building.

Former Guantánamo prisoner Omar Deghayes and journalist Andy Worthington will be speaking at Scottish screenings of the documentary Outside Law - Stories from Guantanamo from Monday 22 March to Thursday 25 March

There is an international day of action against the Union Bank of Switzerland to support cleaners in London who are having their wages cut, and who have had their shop steward sacked for the crime of organising.

SUPPORT YOUR COUNCIL WORKERS
WE DON’T WANT SCABS TO EMPTY OUR BINS!
PICKET OF SCAB BIN DEPOT
6am Saturday 20th March 2010
Craigmillar Recycling Depot, Old Dalkeith Road

 10th March

A member of Edinburgh Chiapas Solidarity Group writes:

I have just returned from the Zapatista village of Bolon Ajaw, Chiapas, where on 6th February 230 civilian Zapatistas took part in an action to retake control of their “reclaimed lands” which had been invaded and taken over since 20 January by the paramilitary group OPDDIC.

Thanks to inspiring solidarity from Zapatistas from many different communities the Zapatistas continue to control the land, and are carrying out collective work there.

The situation is very tense and the Zapatista villagers of Bolon Ajaw stressed the vital importance of international solidarity, urging us to spread the news of their struggle around the world. Human rights observers from Fray Bartolome are now present to act as a deterrent against more violence from the OPDDIC paramilitaries, who have a base in nearby Agua Azul.

The 32 Zapatista families of Bolon Ajaw, part of autonomous municipality Comandanta Ramona, live close to beautiful waterfalls. These falls are coveted for tourist developments by government and business interests, who are using OPDDIC as tools to try and rob the Zapatistas of their land.

In contrast to the rich natural resources of Chiapas, the villagers of Bolon Ajaw, like the majority of indigenous villagers in the state, live in real poverty. There is no electricity in the village, and water has to be carried from wells half a mile away.

‘Hungry man, pick up a book, it is a weapon..’
Bertolt Brecht (1898 – 1956)

 Nahr al-Bared refugee camp has still not recovered from the devastating war in 2007 during which it was destroyed.

 Boca En Boca (Word of Mouth) is a new monthly Chiapas magazine, now on it's third edition. It aims to disseminate what happens in the organised indigenous communities, such as those of the Zapatistas and Other Campaign adherents. A pdf of an English translation is available from:

 Knowing the EDL's Scotland invasion force the SDL are not tolerated anywhere north of the border, revealed on the Casuals United blog, these insensitive racial terrorists brought forward their sickening visit to Lockerbie to bring worry, upset and disgust to all the families of Britain's biggest airbourne mass murder, spitting neo-Nazi bile on the tragic memories of Scotland's dead.

A group of around 50 Glasgow citizens, from all parts of the globe, gathered at the Border Agency offices at Brand Street on Tuesday morning. They were there to remember the family who died at the Red Road flats on Sunday morning.

Benjamin is a 37-year old Iranian human rights campaigner who lives in Glasgow. Detained by the UK Border Agency and facing imminent deportation, he urgently needs help and solidarity.

Please take the time to fax British Airways and the Home Office to protest his deportation, scheduled for 10 March. Model letters and more info are online at

http://www.noborderscotland.org.uk/

Is the Scottish National Party a right-wing, monarchist, unionist party telling lies, only pretending to support Scottish independence?

It seems to me the pro-monarchy, pro-Union-of-the-Crowns leadership of Alex Salmond raises a question and discussion point about the appropriate description of the "Scottish National Party" - and that "a centre-left nationalist political party committed to Scottish independence" is not being represented by Mr Salmond.
 

Degrowth Conference Barcelona 2010
Conference dates: Friday 26 - Monday 29 March 2010

An open letter sent to UAF on the anti-SDL protests of Saturday 20th February.

Salmond SAYS the approach of his draft referendum bill paper supports the sovereignty of the Scottish people but the truth is the exact opposite - Salmond's paper's approach actually surrenders sovereignty to the Queen and to the "United Kingdoms" and the Union of the Crowns.