Category Archives: Solidarity

Statement of Solidarity with those Doxxed in our area

It has come to our attention that members of our community are being stalked and harassed on our behalf. We are receiving emails from fake accounts claiming to have identified individual people who contribute to this project. The research these people have done to identify our collective are based off of finding people who sell our merch at zine festivals, on online stores that host our fundraisers or merely post anti-fascist and anti-racist imagery. It also bears mentioning that a good number of people being targeted right now are queer, trans, and non binary; it should come as no surprise that this in and of itself is often reason enough for any white supremacist to go on the offensive. All of these factors are hardly confirming evidence of membership in AAR, but simply supports the fact that our local community is strong, supportive and resilient in the fight against racism and fascism. We stand in solidarity with all of the people who are experiencing this harassment and will continue our work to expose and eliminate fascists and oppressive threats in our community. 

International Women’s Day

March, 8th is International Women’s Day! In the spirit of celebration and international struggle, AAR would like to honor and defend the strengths and growing solidarity occurring within the struggle for women’s equality. This ongoing struggle opposes all forms of oppression against women which are often portrayed  as “culturally traditional”; which in turn provides these oppressive behaviors space to fester and grow. To the individuals, businesses and communities brave enough to speak out and/or act out against these injustices, we commend your struggle and we feel your pain! We also want to specifically acknowledge women, queer folks, and trans people of our community here in WNC who face bigotry both institutionally and personally on a daily basis. We recognize you and stand with you. Not only as we work to dismantle systems of oppression but also as we hold hands and support one another.
        
        Foremost, we have an immense amount of gratitude for the feminist revolutionary forces fighting in Rojava, in so-called Northern Syria! Following the collapse of Assad’s power in Syria in 2011, the three northernmost counties of Syria (known in Kurdish as Rojava) gained their autonomy under the leadership of the Kurdish PYD (Democratic Union Party) and the protection of the YPG/YPJ militias (People’s/Women’s Protection Units). The Charter of Social Contract, commonly known as the Constitution of Rojava, stresses absolute gender equality, people’s right to self-determination, and sustainability. On the ground, the contrast with ISIS-held regions is remarkable: secular Rojava has outlawed forced marriages, polygamy and underage marriage, and 40% of political positions in each council is held by women. Currently these revolutionaries are in the fight of their lives defending this autonomous region, and the millions who’ve flocked there, against fascist attacks on all sides by Turkish and Syrian State forces and allies.
   
   For more on the Rojava Revolution, check out these links:
       
        Next, we want to declare our solidarity with an incredibly empowering movement occurring within the struggle for women’s equality here in the so-called United States. #MeToo, a virally spread movement which emerged in October of 2017, is a hashtag used on social media to help demonstrate the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment, especially in the workplace. Through publically calling out misogynists and career sexual predators, the #MeToo movement continues to highlight the power of solidarity among all intersectionally oppressed people in the work place. This nationwide demand for accountability is a big step that barely scrapes the surface, yet we are so glad to see communities support and fight together, both on and offline. Here in Asheville, we continue this conversation through individual and communal discussion and accountability. We know sexual harassment and assault is inexorably tied to the violent capitalist patriarchy we all exist in and by addressing the root of the problem we seek to rebuild a foundation that supports and promotes the safe and enriching lives we all deserve!
        
         Our work within Asheville AntiRacism is inherently feminist. As individuals and as one cohesive group we incorporate a feminist ideology in the approaches and actions we take. We do this through critical group discussion and analysis, safe and thorough debriefs, as well as providing a safer space for folks of all genders, sexual orientations, races and ethnicities. Holding ourselves and our comrades accountable in a firm and compassionate way is essential to dismantling all forms of oppression. We also take an active approach to keeping all types of oppressive behaviors out of our community, by maintaining a presence and watching/confronting perpetrators in the community head on. Our work is important and necessary in order to stay engaged with the community and help create a culture around addressing these problems as they arise. We cede no space for their presence here, actively create space for inclusion, and motivate and encourage the larger community to fend off the isolation that comes with being the target of oppression.

Legal defense fund benefit.

On Monday, May 9th we held a benefit for Josh Taft’s legal defense fund. Taft was arrested for allegedly throwing smoke bombs at riot police on April 23rd while participating in the counter protest of the KKK. He is innocent, we have first hand witness accounts that contradict what the police are saying. If found guilty of this crime that he did not commit, he can be imprisoned for up to 20 years. The police picked him to throw the book at, and it could have been anyone of us. This is why it is important to come together for Taft now, because you never know when the state will decide it’s your turn on the chopping block.

 

 

The turn out was great, and everybody had a blast! It was great to see everybody come out and dance and party to the DJ’s vinyl collection. This was a great way for Asheville folks who couldn’t make it to the benefit show before the Stone Mountain action or to Georgia to show their support and solidarity.

 

We were able to raise $326.00 at the door. AAR will be rounding that number to $423.16 (the date of the counter protest was 4/23/16). We hope that this will help with getting Josh the proper defense he needs to prove his innocence. Can’t wait to hear what other cities and groups are doing to raise funds for this and future causes.

 

Link to donate if you could not make it out last night.

#StandwithTaft

In solidarity,

AAR