In the past few months, there has been an uptick in fascist propaganda in the Seattle area. Predominantly in the form of posters and stickers, but including graffiti and physical confrontations, local fascists affiliated with American Renaissance, Identity Evropa and The Right Stuff seem to be trying to spread their propaganda across many neighborhoods in Seattle. We began receiving emails with pictures and accounts of physical confrontations and have been mapping these out for the past couple of months. If you are the Pacific Northwest and see something, please feel free to (safely) document and email to us at antifa206 (at) riseup (dot) net. If you are outside of the Pacific Northwest, hopefully this project serves as some inspiration for creative work for other antifascist networks.
The most satisfying thing to come out of Charlottesville is Christopher Cantwell of Keane, NH. This guy, who runs a Nazi podcast out of Keane, New Hampshire, was all about the shit talk in a video posted by Vice hours after Charlottesville blew up on Aug. 12. Scheduled to be one of the speakers, he boasted about being a racist and called for more violence on the part of himself and his fellow boneheads. In fact, he all but cheered on the death of Heather Heyer during the rally, saying “I think that a lot more people are going to die before we’re done here.” For a refresher, this is the full video:
And when he got news about a warrant for his arrest and this gem was placed in everyone’s laps:
On Aug. 24, Cantwell surrendered to authorities and was charged with two felony counts of illegal use of tear gas and one felony count of malicious bodily injury by means of a caustic substance. Denied bond, he has been locked up ever since in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail and will more than likely be there until at least a preliminary hearing on Oct. 12, his next court appearance. We can only hope that he gives us even more tears as this case goes along, especially since he is looking at twenty years!
It is only by pure coincidence that we are posting this on the one year anniversary of the day White Supremacist Jason Kessler assaulted someone at Charlottesville, Va’s Downtown Mall. He got in trouble for that and pled guilty to a misdemeanor. Now it would have been nice if they charged him with perjury then for saying that he punched back in self defense when video shows otherwise, as opposed to after his so-called “Unite the Right” rally on Aug. 12. We probably all could have avoided the tragedy that we would eventually see that day. But it is what it is, and he did indeed get charged. He has a motion hearing for Jan. 30, but if all goes as it is currently planned, two-day trial is set for March 20. We don’t think Kessler is going to fare well in this or any of the other things that may be coming his way to take him down, and this will be the first shot at him that serves as a comeuppance for his bullshit over the past year. If the dates change, we will note it here.
RASH NW and the Red and Black Subculture Club presents:
ROCK Against Fascism II: The Punks and Skins Strike Back with:
The Brass: East Coast antifascist oi!
Petite: Female fronted PDX poltical Punk
Empire Justice: Seattle antifascist oi/hardcore
Violent Traditions: PDX antifascist hardcore
The Red and Black Subculture Club’s Soul Survivor, DJ Dispissed and DJ Mcskally will play the best in boss reggae, antifascist oi, soul and punk
$5 donation to an antifascist charity. No turn away.
Josh Steever of Aryan Strikeforce might be coming to the end of his tenure as a perennial Nazi nuisance when he goes into court to face trial for on weapons and drug charges – basically being a part of a meth ring. Last Spring, he and several others were snatched up by the feds and they were supposed to face trial on July 10, and then on March 5, but another continuance has him in court on May 8, 2018. This is the fifth time it has been continued, the other dates being Sept. 11 and Dec. 4, so we shall see if this date holds. It is likely those he was arrested with will also face trial either that day or somewhere around that time, and we will let you know when that is.
On June 13, former neo-Nazi Elisa Hategan, will join filmmaker Sylvia Novak to screen and discuss the new documentary focusing on Ernst Zundel. Hategan, who worked with Zundel in the nineties, served as a consultant on the film. This will be one of two days that they will screen.
From the Doc Now website:
Using archival materials, 206 Carlton brings together a story of racism and resistance in the city of Toronto, through focusing on one address, one house. At the center of this story is Ernst Zundel, a former resident of 206 Carlton Street, and internationally infamous Holocaust denier. From this downtown Victorian townhouse he spread hate materials that found their way to the hands of hateful groups around the world.
About the Artist
Sylvia Nowak is a Toronto based activist, documentary maker and artist. Her academic background began in still photography but has shifted to include video and digital media. At the core of all her work is an interest in social issues and an investigative instinct. She is the current co-chair of the DocNow Documentary Festival.
Please join me and filmmaker @SylviaNowak at the screenings of 206 Carlton, a documentary that spotlights Toronto’s racist history & infamous Holocaust-denier Ernst Zundel. I was a consultant on this film & so excited to see it come to life @docnowfestival https://t.co/VfvuJW9ZvM pic.twitter.com/tVrCvkEhRQ
— Elisa Hategan (@elisahategan) June 4, 2018
From the Doc Now website:
Using archival materials, 206 Carlton brings together a story of racism and resistance in the city of Toronto, through focusing on one address, one house. At the center of this story is Ernst Zundel, a former resident of 206 Carlton Street, and internationally infamous Holocaust denier. From this downtown Victorian townhouse he spread hate materials that found their way to the hands of hateful groups around the world.
About the Artist
Sylvia Nowak is a Toronto based activist, documentary maker and artist. Her academic background began in still photography but has shifted to include video and digital media. At the core of all her work is an interest in social issues and an investigative instinct. She is the current co-chair of the DocNow Documentary Festival.
R.A.S.H Northwest presents our third Rock Against Fascism PDX a benefit concert. Local bands will be donating their time to help us raise money to support antifascist prisoners. Hard left from Oakland will be traveling up here to donate their time also.
Artist:
Hard Left (punk)
The Faction (pdx hip hop)
All Worked Up (SHARP Oi!)
Rum Rebellion (pirate Punk)
Death Ridge Boys (left wing Oi!)
All proceeds will go to help antifascist prisoners.
Skin, the movie that tells the true story of Bryon Widner, a onetime enforcer for the Vinlander Social Club for whom turning his back on hatred and violence meant undergoing painful and expensive operations to remove the tattoos that life, will premiere at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. Based on the Bill Brummel documentary Erasing Hate, The movie stars Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot, Turn) as Bryon, Danielle MacDonald (Patti Cake$) as Julie, Vera Farmiga (The Departed, Bates Motel) as Shareen and Mike Colter (Luke Cage, The Good Wife) as One People’s Project’s Daryle Lamont Jenkins, who was instrumental in helping Bryon leave his old life behind.
The movie is the first produced in America for Israel-born director Guy Nattiv, known there for the movies Stranger and The Flood.
The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2018. Individual tickets go on sale September 1 to TIFF Members, September 2 to Insiders, and September 3 to the public. Watch this page for the day Skin debuts.