Austin Goes #AllOut: Autonomous Antifascists Assemble

Submission from a few black flags

#AllOutATX was the final act in a month of struggle against fascism in central Texas. While the ongoing Occupy ICE San Antonio encampment faced attacks from Patriot Front, local police, and the FBI,this marked the final event of #AllOutAugust, which had been a series of successes from Portland to D.C. in which antifascists defeated far-right forces, often facing brutal clashes with the police who defend them. On the 18th, attention from across the nation was on Austin. Jennilyn Kae Lohmer-Salinas, one of the main organizers of the nationwide marches “against far-left violence,” hails from the area, and Austin was one of the first cities to announce such a rally. In the days leading up to the event, the doxxing of some supporters by an independently set-up honeypot site along with internal conflict resulted in the cancellation of multiple rallies and a fracturing of fascist forces. Locally attention was also focused on this event as it promised to be a test of the strength and future potential of both fascist forces and new autonomous antifascist networks in the area. Below is an account of the events of the day and reflections on how we could have conducted ourselves better. 

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SATX Call To Action: Vigilia Hasta Que Haya Justicia

Submission from Mapache, a member of the Contra Todo Collective in San Antonio
        One important thing has been stolen from the lives of the Chicanx and Latinx people for hundreds of years. From the time colonists arrived and pushed the indigenous peoples out of what is now SouthWest America, to the American takeover of Mexico where those who fought at the Alamo became martyrs of the invasion, and now in the continuation of violence against the people of this land in the form of I.C.E. and detention; there is one thing the brave people of this continent have fought for: justice.
 

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Long Live The Intifada! Israeli Apartheid Week at UT

Autonomous Student Media: Gestures Towards the Ungovernable

 Last week, a series of on campus events demonstrated the strength of the Palestinian liberation movement at UT. The Palestine Solidarity Committee at UT hosted their yearly week of Israeli Apartheid Week actions, a chance to raise awareness about the struggles of Palestinians and initiatives like the Boycott, Divestment, & Sanctions (BDS) campaign. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, the mass displacement & ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in 1948, and the beginnings of Palestinian resistance to occupation. To make up for the lack of reporting in local and campus news outlets, we have gathered a rundown of the events and their significance here.

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NAVIGATING OUR WAY OUT: REPORT-BACK FROM J20 DEMONSTRATIONS IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

Originally published by the Autonomous Student Network at UT. This report-back from the Inauguration Day protests is offered on our site as a critical snapshot of a moment in autonomous activity in Austin. This report-back marks an attempt to forge an anarchistic pole in a moment rife with conflicts between groups over tactics, ideology, and police collaboration. This is also offered without an endorsement of the Maoist groups mentioned, but as a snapshot of a moment of tenuous (and temporary) unity between certain anarchists and Maoists in Austin. 

On January 20th, students, workers, and radicals of all stripes—mainly Maoists and anarchists—took to the streets to inaugurate Trump’s regime with renewed militancy. For some, the day began early with a strike by fast food workers and members of Austin Socialist Collective and Fight for 15. Slightly later in the day came some of the most visible protests. A student walkout had been planned for 12:15, scheduled to meet in front of the UT Tower. While some student organizations were setting up for the event, members of the Revolutionary Student Front and Autonomous Student Network rallied in West Campus a few blocks away from the university and took to the streets with a group of about 20 radical students. With multiple megaphones, banners, and flags displaying anarchist, maoist, and anti-capitalist slogans, they grabbed the attention of students and set the tone for the day’s events as they marched down Guadalupe blocking traffic, and with NO police presence around to respond and parade them down the street.

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Navigating Our Way Out: Report-back from J20 demonstrations in Austin, Texas

Originally published by the Autonomous Student Network at UT Austin

On January 20th, students, workers, and radicals of all stripes—mainly Maoists and anarchists—took to the streets to inaugurate Trump’s regime with renewed militancy. For some, the day began early with a strike by fast food workers and members of Austin Socialist Collective and Fight for 15. Slightly later in the day came some of the most visible protests. A student walkout had been planned for 12:15, scheduled to meet in front of the UT Tower. While some student organizations were setting up for the event, members of the Revolutionary Student Front and Autonomous Student Network rallied in West Campus a few blocks away from the university and took to the streets with a group of about 20 radical students. With multiple megaphones, banners, and flags displaying anarchist, maoist, and anti-capitalist slogans, they grabbed the attention of students and set the tone for the day’s events as they marched down Guadalupe blocking traffic, and with NO police presence around to respond and parade them down the street.

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general strike against fascism on January 20th, 2017

Originally published by the precursors to the Autonomous Student Network at UT.

The flagrant continuation of the the white supremacist, imperialist state via the inauguration of DJ Trump must be resisted with our every ounce. Starting day one of Trump’s presidency we need to demonstrate the power of all oppressed people through the wide scale rejection of work and class coupled with a wide scale mobilization on the streets and in our workplaces and universities. A mass refusal of participation in the current order will send a strong message to the forces of racism, fascism and oppression that it will not be collaborated with, it will not be tolerated, and it will not be accepted. Additionally, our resistance shall create a space in which we can come together, form bonds and share our thirst for freedom from oppression.

Students, call on your professors to join the strike and for them to not hold class on #J20. A refusal to agree should be seen as collaboration with the same fascists that threaten all people of color and the working class. Professors and students who do not participate should be called out for the acceptance and tacit approval of these threats and should be outed as such.

walk out or call in sick.

lets shut it down.

The Birth of ATXResists

Republished from ATXResist’s Facebook

Editor’s Note: On November 9th, 2016, a collection of student activists called for an anti-Trump mobilization in the immediate aftermath of the election. The first of the anti-Trump mobilizations in Austin, it was also one of the most radical in its politic and messaging. Three days later, this statement was published by the organizers, announcing the formation of ATXResists as a coalition–of students and community members committed to combating Trump and the world that produced him. In the following weeks, a series of meetings would give form to a stronger, primarily student coalition that would introduce new forms of militant student activity at UT for the next few months. We republish this initial statement now as part of our Archiving project, to preserve the historical memory of this organization and its accomplishments (as well as its limitations) so that they may inform current and future organizers on and off campus. This will be the first in a series of entries highlighting ATXResists in particular. 

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