Good On Us From Australia!

It’s not obligatory for anti-fascists to thank us for having their backs when they run into trouble, but it’s always nice to hear that our efforts + the efforts of everyone supporting them are appreciated!  So we were well-pleased to wake up to this message from our friend in the Campaign Against Racism and Fascism, whose absurd court fine we helped pay off last week:

“As many other activists know, it is not easy to confront the far right and fascists on the streets.

The threat of violence from them, their supporters, and often from the police as well, is always present.

You keep going because you know from history that you need to directly stop these fascist groups from organising when they are small.

If they manage to grow, their ability to use violence will also increase, with devastating effects on all of us.

You keep going because of the solidarity and comradeship with your fellow sisters and brothers who attend the meetings, go out in public to advocate and publicise, and who stand shoulder to shoulder with you on the streets confronting the fascists.

You keep going because you know that if you get hurt, if you get targeted, if you get arrested, if you get fined, there are people out there who recognise and respect your efforts and sacrifices. They will pick you up, support and stand in solidarity when you need it.

This is why I keep going.

I deeply appreciate and thank all the people who showed support for the fight and donated money.

In solidarity and struggle to all anti fascists around the world.”

Well put, mate; we could not agree more!

If you’ve made a donation to The International Anti-Fascist Defence Fund then you helped pay off our friend’s fine and undo the injustice done to them, so pat yourself on the back!  If you haven’t made a donation to The International Anti-Fascist Defence Fund, isn’t it time you did?

Fined? Fine!

No one asked us, but we think that anyone courageous enough to do whatever is necessary to protect anti-fascists confronting a march of bigots and Islamophobes should be showered with praise.  Instead, the Australian courts fined our friend from the Campaign Against Racism and Fascism $550!

We weren’t having any of it, and neither were the other people that donated to the crowdfunding campaign to pay off the fine on his behalf.  We which managed to do, in full, in just one week!

Australian legal system, get it through your heads: anti-fascism isn’t a crime; it’s self-defence!

Yes And No

It turns out that the Defence Fund does not approve of all requests we receive.  Recently, we had a request to help defend anti-fascists in Belgium.  Unfortunately, the details we received about their situation were both sparse and vague.  We didn’t know who these Belgium anti-fascists were, what they had been accused of, or what exactly they needed help with.  It wasn’t clear if they were in trouble for specifically anti-fascist activity or for activity related to issues that could only be defined as anti-fascist in the absolute broadest sense of the term, if at all.

We attempted to get more information about the situation a number of ways, including contacting the group calling for support directly, but in the end were unable to come up with additional information that would’ve given us a clearer picture.  Without that extra information, we made our decision via majority vote and the majority voted against supporting this particular request.

It’s rare that we refuse a request for help but it’s important to us to maintain the integrity of the Defence Fund and that means vetting requests properly.  It would be irresponsible of us to send the money that hundreds of antifa have donated to the Fund without adequate information to do this vetting.

An example of a case we were able to vet was this week’s decision to send money to help defend the Austin Antifa 3 – three Austin antifascists facing legal trouble for allegedly cleaning up white supremacist graffiti on the University of Texas campus & also for allegedly shutting down a racist “bake sale.”  Having received sufficient details from a number of sources, we were able to reach a full-consensus decision to send them some support.  You can follow our example and send them support too by clicking here.

As always, we rely 100% on donations to the Defence Fund to support anti-fascists and anti-racists all over the world when they need our help the most.  We really think that you should help us and make a donation today.  SOLIDARITY IS OUR WEAPON!

 

Exciting Yvette Update!

Yvette Felarca, the school teacher suspended for defending her community against homicidal neo-nazis, sent us some good news today!  From her public statement:

“Thank you everyone, and especially the International Anti-Fascist Defence Fund, for your generosity and support over the past 6 weeks. Our movement has been won the most important initial hurdle–I’m going back to work tomorrow! This would not have been possible without you. I hope my victory can be an example to anti-fascists everywhere, and to teachers everywhere–that when we come under attack, we can defend ourselves, garner mass support, and win. I’m still going forward with my lawsuit to address outstanding issues in my case including: political discrimination, violations of due process, free speech and academic freedom, unjust disciplines, and the District’s continued refusal to restore my back pay. My first hearing is Dec. 8 in Federal Court in San Francisco. You are all invited. If you have not yet had a chance to make a donation, it’s not too late. The fundraising window closes on Thursday. This victory belongs to all of us!”

Nothing is more satisfying than being able to help our fellow antifa when they need us to have their backs.  Nothing is better than seeing first-hand how pooling our resources and sending material support helps our fellow antifa win justice and put their lives back on-track.  This is what makes our movement unstoppable!  If you want in on this good thing we have going on, make a donation to the Defence Fund today!