November 15, 2008 at 10:16 am · Filed under Read All About It, posted by ret marut
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An analysis of the political climate following the election of 2008; a plea for anarchists to maintain vibrant networks and confrontational organizing even as Obama takes office; a discussion of what it takes for such networks and organizing to succeed; and a brief review of actions around the election, with a glimpse of what is to come.
Featuring a revision of our earlier Obama poster, and a PDF [6.2 MB] of a paper used to satirize corporate media the day after the election . . .
It’s all after the jump!
November 12, 2008 at 9:25 am · Filed under Internal Memos, posted by pfm
We recently received, and have begun mailing out, fresh copies from the second printing of Expect Resistance. In our endless quest for perfection, we’ve made several minor changes to this printing, resulting in a hard-fought, solid advance towards the definitive edition: 1) shifted the margins around just a smidge to allow more space on the inside margin, and more centering of text that appears on image backgrounds, 2) Switched the color of the red ink on the inside to a slightly darker tone to facilitate easier reading (from Pantone 193 to 187), 3) adjusted some images to print better, partricularly images that were printing too dark, 4) a couple design adjustments that no one will even notice, and 5) fixed a typo. All that said, there is no new content, so if you bought the first printing, don’t feel slighted—and if you’ve been waiting to check the book out, now is a great time to get a crisp copy hot off the press.
November 2, 2008 at 9:36 am · Filed under Read All About It, posted by b. traven
The British magazine Last Hours recently presented a glowing review of the fifth issue of Rolling Thunder, which we present here:
Rolling Thunder #5
September 24th, 2008 · review by Tom Fiction
I first encountered CrimethInc. some years ago as I sat in a cramped living room chatting with friends. On the coffee table lay a truly battered and well thumbed copy of Days of War, Nights of Love (CrimethInc.’s flagship publication). I was a young punk kid lightly politicised by the threat of war in Iraq but with no real knowledge of radical culture. Anarchy was just a word printed on the sleeves of my parents old punk records. The text and images I found in those faded pages offered something new and engaging that I had never experienced.
Read the rest of this entry »
October 28, 2008 at 10:27 am · Filed under Internal Memos, posted by pfm
The short of it is this: We’ve lowered the minimum order to qualify for UPS Ground shipping to a measly $10, down from $40, to encourage people to use it. We are also officially recommending it over all other shipping methods for U.S. orders.
Here is the long of it: Of the many things we’ve learned doing mailorder these past eight years, two principles are continually made evident: 1) The United States Postal Service is cheap, and 2) The United States Postal Service is kind of crappy. Those two go hand-in-hand and that’s why we’ll keep offering their service—if the most important thing is low cost, then the USPS is for you.
However, at this point, we’ve officially got to make a few disclosures about the USPS Media Mail service: 1) They will try their hardest to mutilate your package; it will be dropped, crushed, impaled, kicked, and left out in the rain, 2) Sometimes they will put extra effort into it and will basically destroy everything inside it, but still deliver the useless contents, 3) For extra fun, sometimes they just destroy the entire package and then deliver (and, this isn’t a joke) only the shipping label, not attached to anything, and 4) On special occasions they will just send your package into a black hole. But mistakes happen, right? Yes, but with the USPS there is no recourse: for all of the above problems there is nothing we or you can do about it. No refunds, no real tracking, nothing—you are just shit out of luck, but hey, at least you saved a few dollars on shipping, right?
Why UPS does better after the jump.
October 19, 2008 at 11:24 am · Filed under Calling All Anarchists, posted by b. traven
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Last call for counter-election organizing! With the election only a couple weeks away, anarchists and other critics of representational politics should already have the ball rolling on plans to shatter the illusion of acquiescence and emphasize the possibility of more egalitarian, participatory alternatives.
As our final belated contribution to this effort, we present these two posters. Please print these out and put them up fast!
Obama: “One and One Million” [684k]
McCain: “McCain for Prisoner of War” [76k]
Further points of departure, including a flashback to the anti-electoral actions of 2004, after the jump.
October 16, 2008 at 11:48 am · Filed under From the Trenches, posted by pfm
Crap Hound has long been an honorary member of the Paul F. Maul Artists’ Group and part of the CrimethInc. design process, and recently they have come out with a new issue sure to be of unmeasurable value to us, and anti-American anarchists everywhere. Crap Hound collects an unbelievable amount of reproducible artwork in each issue based around themes, and this new issue, #7, is the first part of the Church and State theme. If that sounds like a true bonanza, it’s because it is. You can order it from, and see pretty pictures of the insides at, Buyolympia.com. Here is their blurb:
The first all new issue of Crap Hound in eight years! Featuring 96 pages of glorious religious and patriotic imagery! Despite the nearly decade stretch between new issues, editor Sean Tejaratchi has been dutifully culling the choicest hight-contrast art, lovingly lifted from vintage catalogs, advertising, obscure books, and found ephemera.
October 11, 2008 at 10:22 am · Filed under Read All About It, posted by ret marut
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Nowadays, entirely apart from the question of whether you’re engaging in illegal activity, it can be important to protect your privacy while participating in public protests. Local and federal law enforcement agencies are compiling extensive files on everyone they deem suspect; if you don’t want them invading your privacy, it may be appropriate for you to remain anonymous while exercising your supposed right to free speech. The same goes double if you lack the privileges of citizenship or you fear your employer may discriminate against you for your political beliefs. In the light of the felony charges resulting from the recent RNC protests, it is especially important for activists to be aware of this.
We’ve already published extensively on this topic, most notably in the guide Blocs, Black and Otherwise. The following is largely a refresher for anyone who needs it before hitting the streets again.
Full text after the jump.
October 4, 2008 at 11:53 pm · Filed under Read All About It, posted by b. traven
One month before the elections, we present The Party’s Over, a comprehensive guide to the indignities of representative democracy and an introduction to some of the radical alternatives. CrimethInc. operatives have labored over various versions of this text for more than eight years, and we’re excited to present what we consider to be the definitive version. Those familiar with earlier versions will be glad to see new sections of text and plenty of new artwork.
The next few weeks should offer ample opportunities to distribute these everywhere people are unsatisfied with their current options and groping for something better.
October 1, 2008 at 12:24 am · Filed under Hot Off the Presses, posted by b. traven
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One month ago—to be precise, at dawn on September 1 in St. Paul, Minnesota—a bleary-eyed ex-worker gave the final go-ahead for the sixth issue of Rolling Thunder to be sent to press, before donning a sweatshirt to attend to other business. So it is that the new issue of our biannual journal has now returned from the printers, only a few weeks behind schedule. We tried a new printer for this issue, incidentally, and are quite pleased with the improvements.
Rolling Thunder #6 focuses on experimentation—the processes by which radicals invent and refine new approaches. It features an evaluation of the model activists have used to target the animal testing corporation HLS, discussing whether it could be effective in other contexts; a photoessay documenting the efforts of Swedish anarchists who, unable to defend a squat, built a social center from the ground up; a consideration of the role proper support plays in cultivating communities of resistance; a report from student strikes and riots in Colombia; and an analysis of the past decade of anarchist organizing in NYC. In addition, the issue includes an investigation of the function of gift shops in maintaining global empire, historical accounts of Bakunin’s daring escape from Sibera and the riots that killed off the hated poll tax in Britain, and lots more. As usual, there are 16 pages of full color, plenty of fun tidbits, and no advertisements or filler.
The next Rolling Thunder will be out precisely on schedule, to offer definitive coverage of last summer’s DNC/RNC protests and a great deal more.
September 27, 2008 at 8:42 am · Filed under Calling All Anarchists, posted by ret marut
We’ve just finished a new poster, as a humble effort to support those who were caught up in the repression that accompanied the Republican National Convention earlier this month. Please print these out and put them up wherever people might see them. Better yet, organize benefits to raise funds and awareness for the organizers being charged with felony “conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism” and others facing serious charges.
Download Poster PDF [335 KB]
Poster text after the jump.
September 24, 2008 at 10:31 am · Filed under Read All About It, posted by b. traven
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Report courtesy of the Center for Strategic Anarchy, in cooperation with the CrimethInc. Free Marketeers. The CSA will begin posting regularly again on their blog shortly.
What the hell is going on with the economy? As part of our commitment to serve all the investors, bankers, and realty agents who rely on this site, we’ve solicited a brief introductory analysis.
Capitalism without failure is like religion without sin—it just doesn’t work. Far from abnormal, the boom/bust cycle is as predictable as the furious scapegoating and wild-eyed cheerleading that accompany it. But every situation, even the most predictable, presents unique opportunities. We present this analysis in the interest of deriving strategic advantages from our enemies’ temporary imbalance.
Read the rest of this entry »
September 19, 2008 at 3:27 pm · Filed under Calling All Anarchists, posted by pfm
Today, Hollywood’s take on the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle, Battle in Seattle premiers in cities across the US. Strangely, one of the most important events in recent anarchist history is about to be re-broadcast to the world through Hollywood’s lens. Though the director of the movie claims his aim is to accurately represent the events of the protests, there are obviously some holes to be filled. We’ve composed a flyer to be distributed wherever the movie is shown, to help give movie-goers a better sense of where the anarchist movement is now, 9 years later.
Feel free to print this out and distribute it outside of movie theatres, or compose your own flier. Especially if this movie gets picked up for wider distribution, it will be crucial that we are there to present our side of the story, and to fan the flames of inspiration for anyone who may be excited to learn about what happened 9 years ago in Seattle.
Download the printable PDF here [1.5MB]
Complete list of screenings at http://www.battleinseattlemovie.com/tickets/
September 11, 2008 at 5:42 pm · Filed under Read All About It, posted by b. traven
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This is the English version of an interview appearing in the new issue of Brand, a quarterly Swedish anarchist paper founded in 1898. It explores the complexities of challenging capitalism from outside the economy, clearing up much of the confusion around the infamous anti-work stance associated with CrimethInc. To order a copy of Brand, contact distro@anarkistisktidning.org.
The theme of this issue of Brand is work. CrimethInc. calls itself an “Ex-Workers’ Collective.” What does “work” mean for you and why have you left it behind?
It’s not so much that everyone involved with CrimethInc. has permanently left work behind, but that we focus on what we can do outside our role as workers in the capitalist economy. Identifying as ex-workers is a way to emphasize that we want our lives to revolve around what we do freely outside wage labor and capitalist competition.
Read the rest of this entry »
September 7, 2008 at 8:19 am · Filed under Calling All Anarchists, posted by ret marut
Rolling Thunder, the biannual journal covering anarchist activity and direct action in North America, is seeking submissions for our coverage of the protests at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. If you have access to photos or other documentation, or can write an account of your experiences, please contact us: rollingthunder@crimethinc.com.
Please make an effort to help us get good material on these events, so we can pass on an accurate picture to others around the world (and to posterity). It’s especially important that we get a broad sense of what occurred at the DNC and RNC protests so our community can learn from these experiences in order to act strategically in the future.
PHOTOS: Please send the original full-size camera files, so they will look good in high-resolution printing.
ACCOUNTS: We’re interested in practically everything—anecdotes from jail, narratives from lockdowns and black bloc actions, first timers’ first impressions, perspectives from within infrastructural organizing groups (medics, convergence center, etc.), descriptions of police raids, everything.
If you are concerned for your privacy, just go to an internet cafe and open a new email address from which to write us. Rolling Thunder is a no-profit project, but we can at least provide free copies of the issue to contributors. Thanks so much everyone!
September 6, 2008 at 11:22 am · Filed under From the Trenches, posted by b. traven
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As of September 2 practically all of the predictions in our most recent feature, “What to Expect from the Conventions” have been borne out by reality. Despite millions of dollars of security, thousands of riot police and national guardsmen, and a dramatic series of preemptive raids and arrests, authorities were powerless to prevent massive direct action from disrupting St. Paul during yesterday’s Republican National Convention. The day began with hard blockades all around downtown and several different marches, including a black bloc that destroyed police cars and corporate property. A full nine hours of street conflicts ensued, involving a broad diversity of participants and tactics.
At both the DNC and RNC, anarchists showed themselves to have seized the initiative to determine the character of street demonstrations. The US anarchist movement has survived several years of repression and attempted co-optation, proving that the upsurge associated with the anti-globalization era was not a flash in the pan: if anything, we are stronger today than ten years ago.
Read our predictions and analysis here; absurd local media coverage here; corporate media coverage here; and legal updates here.
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