29 Wednesday - Syndicalism and Education Sussex Uni Fulton building 113 = 6−8pm

01 Friday - MayDay

02 Saturday - Syndicalism in Brighton at the Cowley Club = 4−6 pm

03 Sunday - Roast + Film and Discussion after at the Cowley Club = 1−6 pm

04 Monday - Demonstration 12 0’Clock from Old Steine + picnic

The Caffe Bar Italia conflict is finally resolved after over 4 months of actions as the former worker has accepted an offer from the boss. This follows weekly pickets and a social media campaign during which we received increasing support & interest from locals & contacts, many of whom boycotted the cafe. The boss' behaviour became increasingly irrational & desperate and he recently admitted to the damage we were causing to his business, despite calling cops every time we picketed and trying to incite us. Brighton SolFed Hospitality Workers proved to bosses that we're in it for the long run & are capable of maintaining an extended high profile dispute. We would like to thank all supporters for their dedication and fighting spirit, and extend solidarity to the worker, who was strong throughout!

Recently, Richard Siggs, a Police Sergeant from Brighton, has been communicating with several charity agencies. In the text, he explains his concern about the “intolerable level” the numbers of “very visible members of the Street Community” have reached in the streets of Brighton, and he asks the agencies to reinforce these three ideas while dealing with their clients:

"Brighton & Hove do not accept rough sleeping to be a valid life choice, it is dangerous and based on chaotic life style"
"There is nowhere in Brighton & Hove to street drink, would you like us to refer you to support for your addiction?"
"Any property left laying around on the streets will be removed by the local authority and may be destroyed"

On Tuesday March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, a group of around 10 people accompanied a former worker of the pub. The aim was to ask if the management had an answer to the demands that he, in conjunction with Brighton Solidarity Federation, had made the previous week.

The pub is located in the Western Road area and the worker was a kitchen porter for about a year before he was sacked without any notice. As usual, he was on minimum wage and a zero-hours contract, the worst conditions the law allows.

However, the company decided this wasn't enough and didn't pay him for holiday leave not taken and the one week notice period.

After some attempts by the worker to talk to his former managers, he decided to make a demand with the support of Brighton SolFed Hospitality Workers. A demand letter was handed and sent to the company, giving them a period of one week to answer.

Last Monday the 30th of April there was a new repressive strike against the anarchist movement in Spain. Thirty eight people were arrested in a police operation under the name ”Operación Piñata”. Fifteen  of them are facing charges of terrorism and five are in preventive imprisonment. Private homes, social centers and squatted spaces were registered in Madrid, Barcelona, Palencia and Granada.

Raids were carried out in a very open way, trying to create social alarm. The media is publishing names of people and groups and presenting as facts fake accusations. They talk about “anarchist terrorism” and organisations with leaders, hierarchical infrastructures and varied recruitment methods.

This is the continuation of police operation “Operación Pandora”, which took place last December within a context of constantly increasing repressive politics from the Spanish government.

Sun 19 Apr 7pm, Edinburgh benefit gig & films in solidarity with Anarchists against repression in Spain. Banshee Labyrinth EH1 1LG - event

also join us Fri 17 April 12noon - Edinburgh solidarity picket against 'Ley Mordaza' and to demand all 'Operación Pandora' charges in Spain are dropped - event

Newcastle SolFed are holding their annual May Day Bash on Saturday 2nd May at The Telegraph pub, Orchard Street, Newcastle - doors open 7-30pm. This year we will be raising awareness and hopefully a few quid in support of anarchists arrested in Operation Pandora, a Spanish State anti-terrorist initiative that has been used as a represive measure against those opposed to the State and Capital, with dozens of anarchists arrested. Spain has a long and strong tradition of anarchist organising and this abuse of civil liberties supported throughout mainstream Spanish media is a potent reminder of the origins of May Day in 1886, where anarchists in Chicago were framed in the famous Haymarket massacre. The media fuelled the witch hunt against those anarchists, demanding the death sentence which saw 4 of the accused hung, only to be pardoned 7 years later. Its the same old story, anarchists are still being framed in 2015 for the crimes they have not committed.

Judge Eloy Velasco freed a dozen of the arrested with charges, three from Barcelona and seven from Madrid. The Prosecutors requested admission in preventive imprisonment for five other people.

The morning of the 1st of April fifteen people who were arrested as part of Operation Piñata declared before the Audiencia Nacional. The two women and the men arrested in Barcelona were released that afternoon, but will to go to the closest court to sign periodically. Seven of those arrested people (in Madrid) face the same situation.

The Prosecutor, however, requested that five people had to be admitted to preventive prison. In fact, the lawyers who were in charge of the defense of the detainees learnt that morning that in the prison cell of the High Court (Audiencia Nacional) they were fifteen people waiting to declare, when until then, they thought that there had been just thirteen arrests.

For the past few weeks we've been holding weekly pickets of a cafe in Hove in support of a former worker who was not paid properly. We have talked to hundreds of people and here we are addressing some of the most commonly asked questions about the case.

Yolanda worked at Caffe Bar Italia from May until September 2014 on a 20hours/week contract at £6.50/hour. However the cafe management didn't pay her for the contracted 20 weekly hours as she was sent home whenever this suited the cafe - in violation of her legal contract. On top of that she wasn't paid her holiday entitlement. Yolanda then approached us for support.

In late November we went to Caffe Italia to hand over a letter explaining the situation, and to have a chat to find an amicable solution.  We acceeded to several of the cafe's requests to be given more time until a meeting was agreed in the presence of their solicitor for December. The cafe cancelled this with 2 hours notice, refusing to communicate further. At the same time the cafe put pressure on Yolanda through mutual friends. This left us with no option but to start our public campaign on 13. December, which we have maintained since. Soon after, Yolanda left the UK - if it's hard to live on a part-time minimum-wage  job, it becomes impossible when you don't get paid for nearly half your contracted hours.

From Brighton, we want to show our solidarity with the comrades who have been arrested. We reproduce a text explaining the events that took place in Spain on March 30th.

(What follows is the translation of an article from the media, reproduced from a government press release. We are already aware of at least one other arrest; the case is still very much open. Protests have been called for in various cities tonight. The arrests are connected to the recent Operation Pandora).

12 People Arrested by the Policia Nacional for belonging to the Grupos Anarquistas Coordinados (GAC)

Madrid, Barcelona, Palencia, Granada, 30/03/2015

The arrested have been accused of membership in a criminal organization with terrorist objectives, and of committing felonies relating to sabotage and the placing of explosive and incendiary artifacts.

17 searches have been carried out by police, during which another 14 people were arrested for resistance.