The Ex-Worker

In our first episode of the new year, the Ex-Worker looks back over 2015 and its highlights, lowlights, and everything in between. We summarize some of the year’s key news developments, including tech developments and struggles around gender, anarchist publishing and media, a hilarious look at mass media coverage of anarchism, and our reflections on the last year of the podcast itself and our new year’s resolutions. You’ll also hear some analysis of some of the important themes within anarchism and revolutionary struggles in 2015, including an extended discussion on identity and solidarity, a review of the AK Press anthology “Taking Sides”, and reflections on our relationship to mass movements. The anarchist news website “It’s Going Down” contributes their end of year thoughts, a new project called “The Spaces Between” sets out to document US anarchism outside of its major urban hotspots, and a supporter offers an important update on NATO 3 prisoner Jared “Jay” Chase. We also received a number of detailed and

In our 44th episode of the Ex-worker, and our final episode of 2015, we bring you a live audio recording from the last stop of the recently wrapped-up To Change Everything tour, an international panel discussion featuring stories and lessons from participants in some of the better and lesser known uprisings of the last few years. In two months and just over 50 stops, the featured speakers—hailing from Slovenia, Brazil, the Czech Republic and the U.S.—presented their perspectives on topics ranging from the common pitfalls of making demands, the rise of nationalism and fascism, and the importance of solidarity in the face of state repression. Stay tuned to the end of the episode where we propose some ideas for maintaining some of these valuable, face-to-face connections that have been made while on the tour. In addition, we’re releasing this episode in conjunction with the full tour report-back, so make sure you check that out as well.

One of the major news stories of 2015 has been the flow of hundreds of thousands of migrants from Syria and beyond into Europe, and the social and political crises this has precipitated. In this episode, we'll take a look at Europe's so-called refugee crisis from an anarchist perspective. To do that, we adopt a "mix tape" format, pasting together excerpts from a variety of sources to offer an impressionistic look at how and why people move across the world, the barriers thrown up by states to impede and control them, and popular resistance against the system of national borders. We begin with reflections on borders from the CrimethInc. Contradictionary, To Change Everything, and past Ex-Worker episodes, and continue with excerpts from interviews with No One Is Illegal activist Harsha Walia, author Vijay Prashad, and a Swiss anarchist active in migrant solidarity struggles in Europe, as well as essays from an activist convergence against climate change, Calais Migrant Solidarity, and Mask Magazine; and conclud

In this episode of the Ex-worker, we take another spin around the world, bringing you several short features focusing on various aspects of the global struggle against domination. We'll share an interview with a Finnish anarchist, who tells us about an anti-nuclear struggle, a university occupation in Helsinki, and the response to refugees in Finland, and how anarchists have taken part in all of these. We'll also hear statements from two Turkish anarchist collectives about the recent massacre of peace demonstrators in Ankara, Turkey. There's also an update on repression from the Hambacher Forest occupation, a text from the streets of Santiago analyzing last month's demonstrations against the anniversary of the coup by dictator Augusto Pinochet, and a report on the hunger strike of anarchist prisoner Evi Statiri in Greece—along with plenty of news, upcoming events, and more.

In this episode, the Ex-Worker explores connections between anarchism, repression and resistance across the world in countries that rarely appear in the radical limelight. We share an interview with an Anarchist Black Cross chapter in Belarus, discussing the president's recent release of anarchist political prisoners; interview a Czech anarchist about "Operation Fenix" and recent entrapment cases and terrorism charges leveled at anarchists there; and provide more context to last episode's call to flag-burning action from South Korean anarchists by examining the historical and political contexts of the flag for Korean radicals. We also discuss the Suruc massacre and developments among Kurdish struggles in Turkey and Syria, and expand our ongoing discussion of the concept of "terrorism" through the lens of a court ruling about gangs in El Salvador. Listener thoughts on Zeitgeist, conspiracy theories, and small-town anarchism, debunking the myth of "cops under attack" since the emergence of Black Lives Matter, a

It's been a year since rage over Michael Brown's murder catalyzed an anti-racist and anti-police rebellion that spread from Ferguson around the country. How can anarchists interpret the trajectory of the struggles against white supremacy that have unfolded over the last year? In Episode 40, we discuss the current state of police violence and both institutional and autonomous white supremacy, alongside an analysis of how anti-racist and anti-police resistance developed from Ferguson to Baltimore to South Carolina. A listener weighs in on the risks of militarism, from the Iron Column in the Spanish Civil War to the militias in Rojava today. Comrades from Korea share updates on state repression and issue an exciting call for international solidarity, and Clara and Alanis discuss the politics of the term ''terrorism'' and how to undertake assertive resistance to state repression without resorting to sports metaphors. {September 3, 2015}

In the latest episode of the Ex-Worker, we continue our discussion of the unfolding social revolution in the autonomous Kurdish territories of Rojava. Building on our coverage in Episode 36, we share two interviews themed around international solidarity with the struggle for autonomy and the fight against ISIS. In the first, a member of Rojava Solidarity NYC, the group of American anarchists that produced the book "A Small Key Can Open a Large Door", discusses democratic confederalism and the council system in the cantons, compares and contrasts the Zapatista uprising with the Rojava revolution, and describes the solidarity projects they've undertaken and what's at stake for anarchists in our response to the events in Kurdistan. In the second, a member of the Turkish anarchist group Social Insurrection discusses his experience fighting with the United Freedom Forces militia. We address some critiques of the revolutionary structures in Rojava as well as our coverage of them and trace the emergence of internati

How do anarchists organize outside of major cities? In Episode 38 of the Ex-Worker, we offer a profile of anarchism in Lake Worth, a small coastal town in southern Florida with a surprisingly active and vibrant culture of resistance. Participants in the Everglades Earth First!, the Earth First! Journal, the South Florida Prison Books Project, the former Night Heron Infoshop, and Prison Legal News discuss the many radical projects that operate out of Lake Worth. We even hear from a former anarchist elected official discussing the contradictions and possibilities of that position! The episode also includes a CrimethInc. tour announcement, feedback from listeners about online crypto-anarchism, appeals for solidarity, plenty of news from all over the world, and more.

In this episode, the Ex-Worker offers an in-depth profile of the struggle to defend the Hambacher Forest. In the Rhineland coal country of western Germany, a group of angry locals, environmentalists, anarchists and squatters have converged to challenge the destruction of one of the region's oldest forests by the energy giant RWE's brown coal mining. In these moving interviews recorded live in the Hambacher Forest in spring 2014, Clara gets a tour of the occupation and discusses the recent history of actions and broader political context. Through insightful and often hilarious informal conversations, the occupiers point out distinctive features of the forest, show the gritty and frequently comical day to day realities of squatter life, discuss their personal motivations for resisting the destruction of the forest, and offer poignant insight into the logic of resistance as a way of life. The episode concludes with recent updates from the occupation, ways to participate and show solidarity, and reflections on it

The Ex-Worker is back! We may have taken a break, but social struggles and resistance across the world have not. In this episode, we focus on the unfolding social revolution in Rojava or western Kurdistan, where an ambitious set of political, economic, and military experiments are transforming the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. In the borderlands of Turkey and Syria, self-organized militias have successfully opposed the Islamic State while challenging gender oppression and securing autonomy for an emerging stateless society. Interviews with supporters from the Turkish group "Revolutionary Anarchist Action" (DAF) set the stage, complemented by a Kurdish refugee and activist's reflections on the role of women's resistance to patriarchy. We also review "A Small Key Can Unlock a Large Door," a recently released anthology of texts describing the Rojava revolution, and continue our yearly tradition of a lively report of May Day actions across the globe. We also respond to a variety of listener feedback,

Welcome back to the Ex-Worker! In celebration of the second anniversary of the podcast, and the resistance unfolding around the world from Baltimore to Milan and beyond, we’re releasing our first audio zine! CrimethInc.’s ambitious new anarchist outreach project To Change Everything is “a primer for the curious, a polemic for the entrenched, a point of departure for everyone who longs for another world.” So we at the Ex-Worker podcast are contributing an audio version to support the print and video versions circulating across the world. We’ll be back soon with our next regular episode, exploring the unfolding social revolution in Rojava, so stay tuned!

In our 34th episode, we follow themes of repression, security, and resistance through several different short features. In celebration of former Green Scare prisoner Eric McDavid's release after nine years inside, we reflect on the lessons of his case for our efforts to resist today. We share part of a recent CrimethInc. essay that assesses the possibilities and limits of whistleblowing, as well as an inspiring statement by Jason Hammond (sibling of incarcerated hacktivist Jeremy Hammond) as he heads to prison for his role in an anti-fascist action. Ramona Africa speaks to us about the MOVE 9 case and the life and death of Phil Africa, and an anarchist from Barcelona gives a report about the recent wave of repression by the Spanish state in Operation Pandora. Listeners weigh in on cable access TV, iTunes, and an insider view on security and entrapment strategies. We conclude with reflections on the lessons to be learned from these various cases and recent events on staying safe in order to be truly dangerous

From the Ukrainian revolution and war with Russia to the Bosnian uprisings, ISIS/Rojava/Kobane conflicts, the Brazilian World Cup protests, anti-police riots in Ferguson and beyond … 2014 was one hell of a depressing, inspiring, roller coaster of a year! For our year in review, we wrote to anarchists around the world to ask them what they thought were the most significant events of the last year and what they anticipate in 2015. Responses came in from correspondents as far off as Brazil, Russia, Columbia, Slovenia, Finland, and Germany, as well as across North America, with reports about 2014 and analysis of the possibilities for resistance in the upcoming year. We also stop to take stock of the last year of the Ex-Worker, and reveal some schemes and dreams for our next year of anarchist podcasting. And as if that wasn't enough, we share an exclusive report on squatting, eviction, and resistance in Prague, an analysis of recent anti-police rioting in Oakland, and discussions on listener feedback about Agency'

Rebellion has erupted around the country in the aftermath of grand jury decisions to allow the murderers of Mike Brown in Ferguson and Eric Garner in New York to go free without legal charges. Why did this happen, when authorities knew that this would spark furious protests and international condemnation? To try to understand the persistence of racist police violence, Clara and Alanis delve into the historical roots of capitalism and white supremacy from the origins of European conquest and colonization of the Americas. Along with a survey of resistance and backlash since the grand jury announcements, we share excerpts from the recent feature "The Thin Blue Line is a Burning Fuse," tracing the role of anti-police anger in catalyzing nearly all recent major social upheavals around the globe. Agency, a new anarchist media project, shares an excerpt from an article analyzing the Ebola outbreak and anarchist perspectives on public health. We run through a wide range of news, discuss listener comments on transcrip

Clara and Alanis attended the Carrboro Anarchist Book Fair on November 22nd, 2014, and decided to try an experiment: recording an episode of the Ex-Worker in front of a live anarchist audience! We started off with our usual Hot Wire news, and then interviewed a wide range of participants from the book fair about workshops or presentations they did or projects they represented. Interviewees spoke about a writing project on southern insurrectionary history; the Can Vries eviction and riots in Barcelona, Spain; rethinking prisoner support based on experiences with anti-authoritarian queer and transgender prisoners; a moving letter by Luke O'Donovan sent from prison specifically to be shared at the book fair; an update about an anarchist injured and arrested at a Philadelphia solidarity demonstration; and participants from the New York City Anarchist Black Cross, the Inside/Outside Alliance, and the UNControllables, an anarchist student group.

The Ex-Worker keeps our eyes to the south as we continue our in-depth exploration of anarchism in Chile. While our last episode sought to provide context and history, this episode delves into two recent cases of repression by the Chilean State against anarchists and discusses the important of prisoner support in the anarchist movement. We interview Victor Montoya, an anarchist who was framed up and spent 16 months in pretrial detention, as well as Luciano "Tortuga" Pitronello, a comrade who faced terrorism charges after a bomb he was carrying prematurely detonated. While Tortuga's body was damaged in the course of this ordeal, his spirit remains resilient, and he shares inspiring stories and sage advice over vegan sandwiches at the autonomous library Sante Geronimo Caserio in Santiago. We'll offer a review of the Chicago Conspiracy, a documentary film which illustrates some of Chile's radical history and present through music, celebration, memory and riot, tackle some thoughtful listener feedback about democr

On September 11th, while patriotic Americans waved flags and listened to speeches, a few thousand miles south, Chileans massed in the streets and clashed with police on the anniversary of the 1973 military coup. Our 29th episode begins a two-episode series on anarchism in Chile: From popular power and militant resistance to the Pinochet dictatorship to today's clashes between encapuchados and Carabineros across burning barricades, we explore the history and background context necessary to understand the distinctive and militant anarchist struggles of contemporary Chile. From the recent anarchist book and propaganda fair in Santiago, several anarchists speak with us about the importance of radical neighborhoods, the evolution of public anarchist organizing, and political imprisonment in Chile. Attendees of the marches and actions during the recent Climate Convergence in New York City report on their experiences and reflect on how anarchists connect to broader environmental movements. Listeners weigh in on hist

In Episode 26, we shared a panorama of dramatic stories from the lives and struggles of 19th and early 20th century anarchist women... but we didn't focus much on their ideas. In the second episode of our three-part series on anarcha-feminism, the Ex-Worker returns to the first generations of rebels who brought together anarchist and feminist currents, this time to explore their distinctive revolutionary visions. We survey the context of early revolutionary and feminist ideas, and the distinct perspectives of early anarcha-feminists on marriage, sexuality, economic and bodily autonomy, suffrage, revolutionary sexism, and strategies for women's emancipation. The Chopping Block discusses Free Women of Spain, the classic study of the Spanish anarcha-feminist group Mujeres Libres. Listeners weigh in on sports, a special guest contributor offers a correction about indigenous resistance to fracking, and we begin a fascinating conversation on solidarity actions and anonymity amidst the news, event announcements, sta

Since the murder of Mike Brown by police on August 9th, Ferguson, Missouri has been the site of intense riots, looting, and clashes with police. In this episode, we share accounts from participants and reflections on the rebellion, as well as an analysis which unpacks the designation of "outside agitators." Two texts discussing other recent anti-police uprisings appear on the Chopping Block, while supporters of Luke O'Donovan update us on his trial and how to show solidarity. Clara and Alanis share a slew of listener feedback, exploring the origins of the term feminism, correcting some mistakes about the IWW, and getting into a testy debate over the politics of sports. News, prisoner birthdays, Contradictionary terms, and upcoming events round out another packed episode.

What is anarcha-feminism, and what contribution has it made to both feminism and anarchism? In this episode we kick off a series exploring anarcha-feminism in the past and present. After framing the issue and dealing with some thorny questions around definitions of feminism and gender, we take a whirlwind tour through the history--or herstory, if you like--of anarchist women from the barricades of the Paris Commune to the front lines of the Spanish Civil War. In addition to Louise Michel, Lucy Parsons, Emma Goldman, and a few other big names, we'll share stories of Russian nihilists, Puerto Rican tobacco workers, Japanese journalists, Mexican guerrillas, and many other unsung heroines of late 19th and early 20th century anarchist struggles. The anthology Quiet Rumors: An Anarcha-Feminist Reader appears on the Chopping Block, and a member of the Revolutionary Anarcha-Feminist Group from Dublin, Ireland joins us for an interview. Clara and Alanis even take issue with a term from the Contradictionary, along with