Welcome! Newsletter number 40.
In April, I went to the Tyrol for ten days. It was wonderful. I helped old friends who now run Innsbruck’s communist party chapter during the last stages of the city council elections campaign. They both got in, together with another KPÖ candidate. When I was politicized in the Tyrol in the late 1980s, KPÖ city council members seemed outlandish. I wrote articles about in Swedish and English, but they haven’t been published yet. Something for upcoming newsletters! Ready to be included in this newsletter is a link to a radio interview in German (Tyrolean), about why the advance of certain political parties can, at times, benefit autonomous leftists as well.
While in the Tyrol, I managed to travel to Bozen/Bolzano for a day. I talked to high school students about anarchism and philosophy. I also spoke at a “philosophical café.” It was a great day, and the students were sharp. Always nice to visit the bilingual/binational South Tyrol, where my grandfather’s family hails from.
New review! The Case for Open Borders, a book title that’s easy to sign under. How I feel about the author John Washington making his case, you can read here.
I suppose it’s time to make a book announcement official. By the end of the year, a documentary history of the 2nd of June Movement shall be out, edited by me and Roman Danyluk, author of the groups’ definitive history in German, Blues der Städte.
Much sooner, a German book on Sápmi will be released, titled Indigener Widerstand in Zeiten des Klimwandels, although I still can’t find an announcement on the publisher’s website. You can get an impression here.
Speaking of Sápmi, I helped an Austrian journalist with information and contacts for a radio feature on the situation of northern Europe’s indigenous people. I think it turned out well and I have a short appearance in part 2.
I do not appear in the Uncivilized Media episode on Sápmi. My work isn’t mentioned either. I’d lie if I said I wasn’t disappointed. I literally put hours into helping the makers, providing background information, advising them on their trip to Jokkmokk/Jåhkåmåhkke, finding a co-host in Rickard Länta, and so forth. Then again, I’m afraid to say it’s industry standard. Or at least it’s a recurring theme that colleagues (?) gladly accept hours of help with their work while not sparing a thought on how to acknowledge it. Sadly, this doesn’t exactly make it easier to find time and motivation to help when the next colleague comes around. Well. Time for platitudes: we do what we think is right, and need to understand that not everyone thinks like we do.
Good news from the union front. The SAC has two new industrial branches, one for health care workers, and one for cleaners. I also survived speeches at two May Day events; not my favorite thing to do (speaking at marches), but it is now, quite literally, part of the job. On the occasion of May Day, the CGT in Spain also uploaded a short video which presents me as the SAC’s new general secretary – one year after the fact, but hey, let’s not get caught up in the details.
With DIY Solidarity, we’ve made our first donations (look under “What Projects Have You Funded So Far?”).
The Spanish daily El País recommended the Spanish translation of Sober Living for the Revolution as a Sant Jordi gift (the “Day of Books and Roses”). Sweet.
And two more things to wrap this up: I highly recommend an enduring Nordic football travel report (in Swedish, but with fabulous photos) by Luleå-based blogger Roland Aspviken. And if you got a bit of money to spare, it could go to La Cultura del Barrio in Buenos Aires, which is resisting the frightening right-wing turn in Argentina by keeping the important tradition of sports and social clubs alive.
More next month. Stay safe!