Neighbourhood Resistance

In conjunction with Edinburgh Chiapas Solidarity Group:

Neighbourhood Resistance : stop developers ripping-off the community, speaker : Juan, Movement for Justice in El Barrio, Harlem, New York City

7pm Sun 18th May
Quaker Meeting House, Victoria Terrace (off the Lawnmarket, top of Royal Mile, near Castle)
Venue fully accessible (ramp and lift)

Also, speaker invited from Save Our Old Town campaign, Edinburgh

In their own words: “Movement for Justice in El Barrio was founded by immigrants and low-income people of color fighting back against the effects of discrimination in all of its forms and operates on a commitment to the ideals of self-determination, autonomy and participatory democracy.

Movement for Justice in El Barrio is fighting against neoliberal gentrification in our neighborhood, a process that is better understood by we, the humble and simple people who are affected by it, as the displacement of families from their homes for being poor, immigrants and people of color.

For Movement for Justice in El Barrio, the struggle for justice means fighting for the liberation of women, immigrants, lesbians, people of color, gays and the transgender community. We all share a common enemy and its called neoliberalism. Neoliberalism wishes to divide us and keep us from combining our forces. We
will defeat this by continuing to unite our entire community until we achieve true liberation for all.”

The group is currently resisting attempts by the landlord, Dawnay Day, to drive tenants out of their Harlem homes. The company is doing this in order to subsequently rent out the flats for  many times the current rent. Dawnay Day is a UK-based multinational, and Movement for Justice in El Barrio are planning a demonstration at their London-based HQ on Sat 4 October. Dawnay Day also own the Paramount Hotel Group, including the well-known Carlton Hotel on Edinburgh’s North Bridge, and hotels in Troon and Stirling.

The members of Movement for Justice in El Barrio are mainly Mexican immigrants, many of them without legal immigration papers. They take inspiration from the Zapatista-initiated Other Campaign, to which they have affiliated.

This is a rare opportunity to hear a speaker from a truely inspiring movement, described thus in the New York media:
“BEST POWER TO THE PEOPLE MOVEMENT IN NYC”-VILLAGE VOICE

“IT IS REAL GRASS-ROOTS DEMOCRACY, AND IT IS BEING
PRACTICED BY THE IMMIGRANTS WHO LIVE IN EAST
>HARLEM”-DAILY NEWS

movementforjusticeinelbarrio@yahoo.com.

Edinburgh Chiapas Solidarity Group
http://www.edinchiapas.org.uk

White Ribbon: Stopping Violence Against Women

A group of men have come together to try and change the behaviour and perception of men arguing: ‘We want to change the fundamental way that men relate to women.’

The White Ribbon Campaign Edinburgh is the Edinburgh branch of the global campaign to ensure men take more responsibility to end violence against women. More details here.

This will be a facilitated discussion. See image (right) for leaflet to pop and distribute.

Sunday 13th April 7.00 – 9.00 pm at the Friends Meeting House, off Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh

Food Could Be Good

The Forum brings together Mike Small from the Fife Diet, Eva Schonveld from Transition Towns Scotland and representatives from the Leith Wholefood Co-op.

There’s to be a seed-swap and discussion on how to work on transformative and positive food projects.

Next meeting:Does Non-Violence Protect the State?

This month we host US author Peter Gelderloos ‘How Non -Violence Protects the State’ who will talk about his book and his position: information below. Local anti-war protestors will also be there to particpate.

We’ll be in the Quaker Meeting House,  Victoria Terrace, 7pm – 9.30 pm, Sunday 27th January with the usual stalls, free info table. Hope to see you there for what should be a really interesting discussion.

*Gandhi said it’s better to resist violently than to use nonviolence to hide your passivity. Meanwhile, Bono, the Burmese military, and 9 out of 10 humanitarian NGOs agree, peaceful resistance is the best!*

Violence never solves anything. Violence begets violence. The government is strong when it comes to violence, we need to attack them where they are weak! Everyone working for social change is familiar with the cliches of pacifism. And to many people it seems that using more radical, illegal, or violent tactics is naturally isolating. But what if it’s actually our supposed allies, or our own revolutionary practices, that are isolating us? What if violence is something diverse, undefinable, a hopelessly broad category that encompasses
institutions that perpetuate oppression and actions that can empower and liberate us? What if we are all cogs in a violent system, and what if pacifists are tools of a violent system?

People working for social change face plenty of difficult questions, but sometimes matters of strategy and tactics receive low priority. Among many activists, the role of nonviolence as the default mode of struggle bears little scrutiny. Even as it pretends to contain moral strength, nonviolence is a major obstacle in global movements for social change. Nonviolence is based on a number of historical falsifications that enforce an inaccurate understanding of revolution, it protects white privilege and the privilege of the Global North, it can reinforce patriarchal dynamics, and it makes anti-authoritarians complicit with the authorities, preserving the State monopoly of force. Ultimately, nonviolence is created and encouraged by the State, and antithetical to anarchist revolution.

The Forum

The Forum meets every month at the Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh to discuss ‘matters of public interest’.