Solidarity from Bristol to Ferguson – Fight police repression everywhere
On Saturday some Bristol AFed members and friends took the streets to express our Solidarity with the Ferguson, Mo. Since their community rose up to protest the police murder of an unarmed teenager, Mike Brown and the racist harassment they have suffered for years, they face near total repression at the hands of a militarised police force. We came out to add our voice in solidarity, and to amplify their views and their voice. The strength shown in resisting both the crack down and the attempts at pacification from politicians and self declared leaders has been inspiring.
We started by handing out leaflets in the town centre, and getting passers by to sign our banner with messages of solidarity. We then moved to link up with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and their picket outside of Sainsburys. They were happy to have our demo join with their own, recognising, as the people of Palestine and Ferguson have done that this is part of the same fight. We handed out both leaflets together and discussed the links,including the very same teargas canisters littering the streets of Palestine, Ferguson and Egypt.
The community response in Ferguson has brought to light an issue that is too often ignored, especially in the mainstream media, of police literally getting away with murder, usually of those in marginalised communities. Just days after the murder of Mike Brown more police violence was reported. A report from the Malcolm X grassroots movement details the deaths of 313 black people in a single year. This isn’t just a problem on the otherside of the atllantic with 827 deaths in the UK following ‘contact’ with the police in the past ten years. It has been inspiring to see others from postal workers to students expressing solidarity with Ferguson, as much as it has been infuriating to see protests supporting the murder from the likes of the Ku Klux Klan.
Its also shown us the ridiculous lengths the police and state ‘justice’ system will go to cover these up and protect themselves. A recent story of a handcuffed man managing to ‘shoot himself in the chest‘ is a particularly obvious example. From reports of ‘aggressive’ behaviour of black people and irrelevant videos of altercations to reports of ‘outside agitators‘ we need to learn to recognise and call out police lies in the media.
It is important to learn how to protect ourselves, our communities and our neighbours from the police. If the past five years have taught us anything, its that hard times and austerity comes hand in hand with state violence and repression. For more on the struggle against police violence in the US see the Black Autonomy Federation, in the UK see NetPol or get intouch with us.
Solidarity to all survivors and victims of police violence, No Justice, No Peace…
2013 anti-police demo at Trinity Road Police Station, called by AFed, picture by red orbital
Bristol Anarchist Federation 
Do you realize what your saying when you white English people declare a commonality with the black american welfare communities. Helping to legalize gang banger behavior. You come live with them and see if you don’t beg for the police. Ha, ha. You really should be careful of ‘associations.’
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We’d rather be associated with those struggling against state repression in Ferguson than those who associate all black pople with ‘welfare’ and ‘ganag banger behaviour’. Not all ‘English’ people are white, not all anarchists are white. The police have caused us, our friends, our communities and we would argue the entire world more harm than good. An entire book on what else is wrong with that commnent could be written, but hopefully you get the gist of it
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Believe as you wish. Word it how you want. But if you think that being brothers with uncivilized behavior of black Americans will give you a cohesive stateless society I would say you are foolish. For if you were to get rid of the state your first priority would be to kill the black criminal who will have targeted you and your stuff. The African American is the most spoiled human on today’s planet. He oppresses himself in the name of more free stuff. Consumes himself into a state of murder. Let them eat cake. All the while keeping in power the one’s you proclaim you don’t need. Go eat crumbs.
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One of our top priorities is to confront both idelogically and physically Fascism, Racism and Nationalism.
The amount of engrained racism in both your comments and what we glanced at on your website suggests it would be a waste of time trying to convince you out of it on wordpress comments, so unless you have some kind of epiphany I expect we’ll be seeing you on the opposite side of the barricades to the anarchists and others fighting for freedom from oppression.
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