From Embers

A discussion with two organizers of this year's New Year's Eve noise demo in Laval. We discuss how things went, prisoner solidarity organizing in Montreal, the value of noise demos as an anarchist tactic and tradition, and where we might go from here.  Thanks to CKUT Prison Radio for the live footage. Links: Video from Clash MTL Report from 2025 Hamilton Noise Demo Seven Years Against Prison: On the practice of noise demos outside of prisons in Southern Ontario (pdf link) It's Going Down Roundup of 2025 NYE Noise Demos Rafales: An Anarchist Learning Camp Constellation Anarchist Festival December 2018 From Embers episode about noise demos What Happened to Prisoners Justice Day?

Five summers ago on June 15th 2019, a group of homophobic “street preachers” and their white nationalist allies attempted to enter and disrupt the annual Hamilton Pride celebrations at Gage Park. Based on experience the previous year at Hamilton Pride and elsewhere in southern Ontario, anarchists and radical queers were expecting this and had organized to counter them. Wearing pink t-shirts over their faces and carrying a 30' wide 9' tall black banner nicknamed the Black Hole, the Pride Defenders confronted the bigots and formed a wall between them and the Pride festival. The situation in the park quickly escalated into an all-out brawl, with several Pride Defenders sustaining serious injuries. Despite the chaotic scene, the banner held and the haters accepted a police escort out of the park. Much of the fight was captured on right-wing livestreams and it created an immediate political scandal. The Pride Committee blamed the police for failing to intervene and the Police Board announced an independent investigation. For their part, the Hamilton Police attempted to frame the anarchists as outside agitators, attempting to link the (relatively popular) Pride Defence to the (very publicly unpopular) Locke Street affair from the previous year, where anarchists had smashed windows of gentrifying businesses along Locke Street. Anarchists who were still on conditions related to that earlier demonstration were targeted and arrested in the days following. Our guest today, Cedar, had her parole pulled ostensibly for participating in the fight – when it became clear that she wasn't even at Gage Park that day, the narrative changed to one of “incitement.” The police strategy to regain control backfired and the repression kicked off a month-long campaign to #FreeCedar and drop the charges against all Pride Defenders. The city was covered in graffiti and posters and there were several rowdy anti-police demonstrations, along with solidarity actions around the world. For in-depth analysis and coverage during this time, see our show notes for links to various statements and reports on North Shore as well as our two previous episodes on the topic. Today we're sharing an interview with Cedar for the five year anniversary of the brawl and its aftermath. We discuss some of the ways anarchists in Hamilton have tried intervening in Pride over the years, the independent report and police recuperation, the problem with hate crime legislation, the worrying increase in anti-queer and anti-trans attacks from the post-Convoy far right in Canada, a predicted wave of reaction following the next federal election, and what we can do now to start preparing and practicing community defence. With music from Deep Sixed

An interview with Ben Morea, recorded after an art show and talk he gave in Kingston, Ontario entitled "Revolutionary Animism – The Unified Field: Art, Politics and Spirituality." Ben Morea is best known as a key figure in the Black Mask group, The Family (popularly known as Up Against The Wall Motherf**ker), and the Armed Love commune movement. In this interview Ben recounts stories from his life, reflects on some of the challenges facing anarchists and revolutionaries of yesterday and today, and shares some thoughts on animism, indigenous ways of life, conflict, art, and more.

The No State Solution: A Dialogue with Palestinian sociologist Mohammed Bamyeh and Israeli political scientist Uri Gordon How can anarchist perspectives contribute to Palestinian liberation? Professor Mohammed Bamyeh, Department of Sociology, University of Pittsburgh, is author of Anarchy as Order: The History and Future of Civic Humanity (2009) Dr. Uri Gordon, author of Anarchy Alive!: Anti-Authoritarian Politics from Practice to Theory (2007), is an Independent scholar now based in the UK. This event took place on the unceded Territories of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples now known as the Songhees and Esquimalt in Victoria, BC Canada, and in the U.K. via Zoom on January 28, 2024. Sponsored by Camas Books & Infoshop, Anarchist Archive at UVic, Sunset Labs, Anarchist Network of Vancouver Island (ANVI)

An interview with Jordan House and Asaf Rashid, authors of the book Solidarity Beyond Bars: Unionizing Prison Labour.  We discuss the background of the book, some historical and legal precedents, the pros and cons of right-based approaches, the core strategic arguments for a prisoners union, and an exciting new initiative by prisoners in Laval, QC to form a union. If you're around Montreal, check out their upcoming book launch at Concordia University on Friday, November 24th. With music from David Parker & Stefan Christoff.

On this special edition of From Embers, we're sharing a reading of Under New Management: Resistance to Prisons in Ontario & Quebec. Originally published in 2018 on It's Going Down under the title Our Neighbors to the North, this article discusses the establishment of the Canadian prison system and highlights some examples of prisoner resistance in Ontario and Quebec over the decades, with an emphasis on the widespread unrest throughout the 1970s. This AudioZine was first broadcast by CFRC Prison Radio in Kingston and has been edited and republished with permission.  With music from Young Spirit, Christian Collins, Beatrice Deer and Cee Reality.

Our fediverse correspondent Lenny returns to discuss the FBI seizure of the servers of Kolektiva.social, the largest anarchist instance on Mastodon. We also talk about the continuing discrediting of big tech companies such as Twitter, Meta and Reddit, and what that might mean for people working to build an open-source, decentralized alternative to corporate social media platforms. LINKS Kolektiva.social Security Alert (Statement on seizure) From Embers - Social Networks, Online Life and The Fediverse From Embers - New Communication Infrastructure For Anarchists F-91W Distro - Mastodon OPSEC guide F-91W Distro - An anarchist introduction to federated social media CrimethInc - Doxxing Prevention and Aftercare Guide Anti-Hate.ca Story on Poast Leak Reddit alternatives Lemmy & Kbin With music from Deep Sixed

Talking with Louve Rose from P!nk Bloc Montreal about Quebec's transphobic far right, drag defence, and building a revolutionary anti-capitalist queer organization for both community self-defence and to intervene against gay assimilationism. Links P!nk Bloc MTL – Instagram, Facebook, Linktree August 12 Rad Pride (Facebook Event) Montreal Antifasciste MAF reportback from April 12 drag defence From Embers - Anti-Fascism in Quebec Revolutionary Trans Politics and the Three Way Fight Submedia: Pride and Prejudice Music The Muslims - Fuck the Cistem  

Interview with an anti-fascist observer about insights gained from the Public Order Emergency Commission hearings, a public inquiry into the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act to repress the so-called Freedom Convoy in February 2022. We discuss why governments invoke emergencies, OPP's Project Hendon, how the Convoy was funded, the relationship between convoy organizers and police, comparisons with #ShutDownCanada, liberal conspiracy theories, the scale of economic disruption during the Convoy, and more. Links Public Order Emergency Commission Our previous episodes on Yellow Vests Canada and the Freedom Convoy  Ill Winds From Ottawa - Crimethinc report on the Freedom Convoy Anarchist report from Ottawa during the Convoy Music: Lee Reed Note: Due to a technical glitch, this episode was removed, edited and re-published after it's initial release on January 11, 2023.

Interview with the author of the PET Guide, a zine discussing secure digital communication tools from an anarchist perspective. We discuss Signal and its critics, and some new tools being released that incorporate peer-to-peer communication, end-to-end encryption and the Tor network. Further reading: How the U.S. Military buys location data from ordinary apps The challenge of cracking Iran's internet blockade Catholic bishop / Grindr / App data scandal Signal Interview with new Signal president Meredith Whittaker Signal Warning? Why Moxie's Departure Is Not The End Of Signal Signal Fails PET apps Briar Project Cwtch

A conversation with two anarchists following a workshop they gave at the Montreal Anarchist Bookfair entitled 10 years since the strike: the place of nationalism within militant struggle. We discuss the history of Quebec nationalism and its influence in anarchist and radical milieus, responsibilities of settlers in anti-colonial struggle and in relating to land, possibilities and uncertain futures opened up by anarchism as a guiding practice, and more.   Further reading: « Sauvage », « esclave » et « Nègres blancs d'Amérique » : hypothèses sur le complexe onto-politique québécois Keshena Robinson - Québec Redux: Settler Coloniality and Reactionary "Decolonialism" Robin Maynard and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson - Rehearsals for Living William C. Anderson - The Nation on No Map: Black Anarchism and Abolition Tuck and Yang - Decolonization is Not a Metaphor Sever - Land and Freedom   Music in this episode: Cris Derksen - Our Home on Native Land, Fires Kae Tempest - Tunnel Vision

Escaping Tomorrow's Cages is a six-part essay being published throughout the month of May that lays out the coming wave of provincial jail expansions in Ontario and propose a strategy for how they might be opposed. We spoke with 3 anarchists involved with the project.

In this episode I chat with two members of Divest McGill, a student-led organization at McGill University in so-called Montreal. They are fighting to force McGill to divest from the fossil fuel industry and transform the university into something liberatory and accountable to the people whose lives it affects. This spring, they led a more than two-week-long open, social occupation of a university building. All music in this episode is from the 2012 anti-folk opera "What The F*ck Am I Doing Here?" about anarchist participation in the 2012 Quebec student strike. Check it out on Soundcloud here: https://soundcloud.com/whatthefuckamidoinghere/sets/what-the-fuck-am-i-doing-here Learn more about Divest McGill here: https://www.divestmcgill.ca/

Conversation with the author of Addressing Russian Propaganda, available online at praleski.org. We discuss some of the political and historic context for Russia's current invasion of Ukraine including Russian state mythology of anti-fascism, the importance of solidarity with people in Ukraine facing Russian imperial agression, and more.   Music in this episode is from a benefit compilation released by eastbloc sound titled We Stand With Ukraine. Also check out Albums Against the Invasion from Anarchist Black Cross Musical Solidarity Group   Links:   Operation Solidarity   Support Roma in Ukraine   The Solidarity Apothecary   Anarchist Black Cross Dresden   Autonomous Action – anarchists, libertarian communists, antifa   Commons (leftist journal from Ukraine)   Letters from Ukraine series published by Endnotes: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3   Everyday Anarchism – Bonus episode: A Report from Ukranian Anarchists

carla bergman is an artist, writer, unschooler and fellow podcaster.  We discuss carla's backstory, being radicalized by parenting, unschooling, the Purple Thistle, pandemic school closures, learning to trust kids, and striving to bring more joy into our projects and lives. Find carla on twitter, instagram and linktree Music by TimeArtwork from Grounded Futures

A conversation with two members of Friends of the Attawapiskat River (Website/Facebook) about the Ring of Fire mining project and what's at stake. Mining Injustice Solidarity Network: (Website/Facebook) Song excerpt from Sounding Rock drum group, Webequie First Nation  

We spoke with a transportation worker about the so-called Freedom Convoy currently occupying capital cities and border crossings across Canada. Links: Naujawan Support Network Canadian Anti-Hate Network Punch Up Collective (Ottawa) Ottawa Trip Report Three Way Fight

This week's discussion features an anarchist who is really into Mastodon. We talk about what's wrong with corporate social media platforms, what we like and don't like about spending time catching up online, and how Mastodon/the Fediverse feels different from hanging out on Instagram. We also get some tips for getting started on this alternative social media platform. Links: https://kolektiva.social https://joinmastodon.org Forthcoming sub.media documentary about Facebook that our guest mentions in the interview: https://thesocialempire.net/  Music in this episode is by Deep Sixed: https://deepsixed.bandcamp.com/

This episode features an interview with Cid V. Brunet about their recent memoir "This Is My Real Name: A Stripper's Memoir. We talk about stripping, sex work, anarchist community, sex, gender and much more.  Buy the book at Arsenal Pulp Press.

In this interview, Ann Hansen, author of Direct Action: Memoirs of an Urban Guerilla and Taking the Rap: Women Doing Time For Society's Crimes, discusses her work with the Prison for Women Memorial Collective (P4WMC). The group is dedicated to having a permanent Memorial Garden and Gallery for all of the women who died in federal prisons, to be located inside the now-closed P4W Prison. It is their goal to exhibit art, writing and films about the women in prison, so they will be remembered as the fully fleshed-out human beings they were. Ann recounts recent challenges her group faced working with non-prisoner allies.  https://p4wmemorialcollectivedotcom.wordpress.com

The Fairy Creek blockades and other blockades on unceded Pacheedaht and Ditidaht territories continue under the invitation of Pacheedaht Elder, Bill Jones. Please consider supporting the Defence of Indigenous Land BIPOC gofundme: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-indigenous-land-defenders-fairy-creek) and the fundrazr for legal defense and front line support: https://fundrazr.com/last_stand_for_forests?ref=ab_4psL41hKcg54psL41hKcg5  

Jennifer Wickham, a member of Cas Yikh, the grizzly house, in the Gidimt'en Clan of the Wet'suwet'en people and media manager for the Gidimt'en yintah access point who is living on the yintah and working on a feature-length documentary film about Wet'suwet'en sovereignty as a creative producer. In this interview, Jennifer discusses recent developments in the Wet'suwet'en resistance against the Coastal GasLink pipeline construction, the effect of COVID-19 on her community, the legacy of the Residential School system, and the solidarity between Indigenous nations. Learn more about how you can support the Gidimt'en on their website: https://www.yintahaccess.com/ Check out recent updates from the Gidimt'en resistance here: https://www.yintahaccess.com/news Follow the Gidimt'en Checkpoint instagram @yintah_access Listen to Sleydo' Molly Wickham's interview from the 2020 VABF last year here: https://victoriaanarchistbookfair.ca/gidimten-clan-spokesperson-molly-wickham-on-wetsuweten-anti-pipeline-resistance/

An interview on multiple intersections of art and activism with Stefan Christoff, a longtime community organizer and musician living in Montréal / Tiohtià:ke. This interview will highlight various forms of expression of the arts within social movements against systemic oppression, injustice and for collective liberation.   Stefan will highlight active collaborations and efforts to build support within networks of artists and cultural workers for efforts to defend the rights of precarious workers within the context of the pandemic who are holding down frontline positions. Stefan has collaborated with artists and activists globally and this interview will focus on the intersections of his work within this sphere.

Sarah Marcha speaks to the revolutionary science of women's equality called Jineoloji that was developed in the autonomous region of Rojava. Jineoloji is an international movement spanning Europe and the Middle East. In this interview, Sarah discusses the leadership roles of women in the system of Democratic Confederalism, and provides examples of the transformative nature of womans' struggles against patriarchy in Rojava. Of particular importance in Sarah's discussion is her account of the all-encompassing role of self-defense in ensuring and maintaining the revolutionary women's struggle. More information about the Jineoloji Academy can be found at: http://jineoloji.org/en/ If you have questions, feel free to email: jineolojicenter@riseup.net Theme music by AwareNess

Hawaiian activist and land defender Kahala Johnson discusses anarchism through the lens of Indigeneity and shares insights regarding resistance struggles, including land reclamations and direct action blockades that halted the construction of a massive telescope on Mauna Kea, one of the most sacred volcanos in Hawaiian culture.

In this interview, Gord Hill discusses the making of his new edition of The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book and tactics and strategies the history of Indigenous resistance teaches us. He provides an analysis of present day resistance against the right wing, as well as an account of the difference between the ideology of pacifism and civil disobedience tactics. For an archive of Indigenous resistance visit: https://warriorpublications.wordpress.com

Welcome to Day Two of the Victoria Anarchist Bookfair! In this episode, Uri Gordon discusses some issues surrounding the use of the terms ‘prefiguration' and ‘prefigurative politics.' He is the author of several books and articles on contemporary anarchism, including Anarchy Alive!: Anti-Authoritarian Politics from Practice to Theory, and Prefigurative Politics between Ethical Practice and Absent Promise. He is co-editor of Anarchists Against the Wall: Direct Action and Solidarity with the Palestinian Popular Struggle, and The Routledge Handbook of Radical Politics. Uri co-founded the Anarchist Studies Network and his work has been translated into 13 languages. The essay discussed can be found on Crimethinc's website: https://crimethinc.com/2018/06/12/prefigurative-politics-catastrophe-and-hope-does-the-idea-of-prefiguration-offer-false-reassurance

Welcome to the Victoria Anarchist Bookfair! N.O. Bonzo is an anarchist street artist and illustrator whose work is much admired in the activist community. In this interview, Bonzo discusses their beautifully illustrated edition of Peter Kropotkin's most famous book, Mutual Aid, and the politics of anarchy and art. Check out Bonzo's edition of Mutual Aid: https://www.pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1185  

The Terrain Vague, which loosely translates into English as the "wasteland,"  is a large de-industrialized and partially wooded area on the outskirts of Hochelega, a neighbourhood in Montreal's east end, and close to the Port of Montreal. That space is under threat from several major development projects, and those who care about the Terrain Vague have been getting organized in the past years, connecting the developments to broader colonial-capitalist strategies at play by the Quebec government, making links with neighbourhood groups, and taking direct action to physically defend the space. I spoke with a francophone anarchist from Montreal about the history and context of the Terrain Vague, the Quebec government vision for the St. Lawrence River, logistical hubs as points of anarchist intervention, questions around settler-led land defence and how it relates to indigenous land defence, and how this project might connect to a renewed push to “Shut Down Canada.” Terms: Terrain Vague - Wasteland Avantage St Laurent - "Advantage St. Lawrence", formerly known as the Quebec Maritime Strategy CAQ / Coalition Avenir Quebec, ruling right-wing nationalist provincial political party  Links: Le terrain vague n'est à personne Mobilisation 6600 Montreal Counter-Information Contrepoints Media With music from Total Nada and Blemish

An interview with Mike Gouldhawke about Truth and Reconciliation Day, the Canadian state,  and #LandBack.  Find more of Mike's work here: https://mgouldhawke.wordpress.com/ Also check out his new chapter "By All Means, Anti-Politics" in the new Little Black Cart anthology "Not On Any Map." Music in this episode by AwareNess.    

Writer, researcher and teacher Dr. Alex Khasnabish talks about a recent workshop he gave at the Halifax Anarchist Bookfair called “You Can't Police Yourself Out of a Pandemic: Anti-Authoritarian Strategies in an Age of Crisis.” We discuss both state and far right responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the tensions surrounding vaccination, anti-authoritarian strategies for collective care, and questions about where to go from here. In the later part of the episode, Alex briefly references an article he wrote for Roar magazine entitled "From white fragility to white power in the age of COVID-19" - you can read it here

Interview with Tawinikay about her essay released in spring 2021 Settlers on the Red Road: On Indigeneity, Appropriation and Belonging which addresses the problem of race-shifting in anarchist and anarchist-adjacent spaces.  Music from Snotty Nose Rez Kids.

This episode features an interview with two members of the Halifax Anarchist Bookfair collective. We talked about how and why to organize an anarchist gathering during the pandemic, anarchy in Halifax, and why we need anarchist bookfairs in 2021. Music by Slow Man Tofu (Kingston) and Desperate Times (Halifax).

For this episode I sat down (in person!) with author, farmer and organizer Aric McBay. We talked about the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, what climate scientists are now saying about the future of the planet, whether it's still worth trying to stop climate change, and whether and how to maintain hope in the face of increasingly apocalyptic news. To learn about Aric's most recent book, Full Spectrum Resistance, check out the full episode we did with Aric two years ago when the book came out. To find the book and more from Aric, check out https://www.aricmcbay.org/. You can also find his recent handbook on civil disobedience, co-authored with Pamela Cross, here: http://directaction.works/Direct-Action-Works-Mar-22-2020.pdf. 

This episode features an interview with Skyler Williams of 1492 Land Back Lane, a land reclamation on the edge of the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve near Caledonia, Ontario. This week marks the one year anniversary of the camp which was reclaimed last July in response to plans to develop a subdivision on Six Nations Territory. Skyler speaks about a year spent at the camp, the recent announcement that the McKenzie Meadows subdivision has been cancelled by the developer because of Six Nations resistance, and what's next for folks at Land Back Lane.   Music in this show is all from artists who have performed at Land Back Lane: Six Nations singer-songwriters Derek Miller and Logan Staats, as well as Ottawa-based “powwow-step” group The Halluci Nation, formerly known as A Tribe Called Red.

A discussion with an anarchist participant in the Fairy Creek blockades on so-called Vancouver Island.  Further reading: Five Months of Direct Action... (No More City) The Return of the War in the Woods? (BC Blackout) Desert (The Anarchist Library)

After nearly a year on hiatus, we're excited to finally be re-launching From Embers. In this mini-episode we briefly explain our absence, reflect on why the show still feels important to us, and tease two upcoming episodes.

Tsastilqualus is an elder of the House Umbas from Ma’amtagila (Kwakwaka’wakw) territory. In this final episode of the Victoria Anarchist Bookfair's week of podcasts, Tsastilqualus speaks about her life and views on how Indigenous resistance can be combined with cultural renewal to realize ecological sustainability and Indigenous sovereignty. For years she has been involved in fighting fish farms and clear cuts in her traditional unceded territories to ensure the survivability of wild salmon. Currently, Tsastilqualus is in the process of rematriating the lands she calls home. She is the founder of the Matriarch Camp, located on unceded Ma’amtagila territory where she recently installed a tiny ‘Big’ house. Please support the Matriarch Camp by sending e-transfers to: matriarchcamp at gmail.com.

As in other places, unhoused people in Victoria face severe challenges in their daily lives ranging from a lack of food, sanitation and medical services to harassment by police and security. One particularly disturbing development are growing resentments and assaults by community members who are unwilling to share green spaces with those who need them for survival. In this episode we hear from a grass-roots front-line supporter and member of the Lived Experience of Homelessness Network (LEOHN) about the increased challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the importance of mutual aid and a caring community. To support and donate visit or contact: https://www.facebook.com/Indigenous-Harm-Reduction-Team-2268634883463900/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/MutualAidVictoria leohnetwork@gmail.com https://solidvictoria.org/ https://www.safersexwork.ca/ http://avi.org/ For more information follow: https://povertykills2020.ca/ https://twitter.com/BeaconHillFolks https://www.facebook.com/LkwungenWSANEC

Ozlem Goner is a steering committee member of the Emergency Committee for Rojava, New York, and associate professor at the City University of New York. Her research interests focus on political sociology, ethnographies of the state and nationalism, comparative and historical sociology, race and ethnicity, social movements, qualitative methods, and classical, poststructural, postcolonial and feminist theory.  For updates concerning the situation in Rojava and to donate to the struggle, visit: https://www.defendrojava.org/rojava  

Ruth Kinna is a world-renowned political theorist and historian of ideas who has authored numerous books on anarchism, nineteenth- and early twentieth-century socialist thought, utopianism and contemporary radicalism. She is a professor of political philosophy at Loughborough University and editor of the UK-based journal, Anarchist Studies.

Ann Hansen is former member of the anarchist organization Direct Action and served over 7 years in prison for her involvement with that collective. She is now living on a self-sufficient farm and works on prison-related issues as a member of the Prison for Women (P4W) Memorial Collective. Naphtali is a white non-binary trans Jew who is into prison abolition, anti-zionism, indigenous and black liberation, night-bouquets, and community care.

Queen Sacheen is co-founder of Ancestral Pride, with whom she has produced many zines. She has spent a great deal of time advising Settler-anarchists on how to be in solidarity with Indigenous resistance movements. She is a warrior who has taken part in many actions, including Standing Rock. Finally, Sacheen is a proud mother, Matriarch, doula and medicine woman. Find Queen Sacheen (Nuu-chah-nulth & Coast Salish) on Facebook by searching for Sacheen Kinish, or Ancestral Pride and/or Xhopakelxhits Apothocary. Please support via e-transfer and PayPal to: mamazonscreatrions at gmail.com.

John Zerzan is author of numerous publications exploring the pre-modern dimensions of our being. His weekly radio program, AnarchyRadio can be found here: https://www.johnzerzan.net/radio/.

Kathy Ferguson is an US-American author, political philosopher, feminist, historian, anarchist, and professor of political science and women's studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She has authored one of the best critical biographies of renowned anarchist Emma Goldman: Emma Goldman: Political Thinking in the Streets.   Visit http://www2.hawaii.edu/~kferguso/ to learn about the 1000 women who helped build the anarchist movement during Emma Goldman’s life time.

Molly Wickham (Sleydo) is a member of the Gidimt'en Clan of the Wet'suwet'en Nation. She has been tirelessly active in the Wet’suwet’en’ Nation’s assertion of sovereignty over their unceded territories. This interview discusses the current state of affairs regarding the Coastal GasLink pipeline’s pending extension under a pristine river and the RCMP’s continued harassment of Indigenous and non-Indigenous land defenders.   Visit yintahaccess.com to apply to join the fall work camp on Gidimt'en territory, or connect with them by email at yintahaccess@gmail.com. You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram.

From Embers will be collaborating with the Victoria Anarchist Bookfair over the next week to bring you some really great audio content that they're releasing in lieu of an in-person event. Their real-life bookfair is, like so many events, cancelled, but they've made the best of the situation and put together an impressive week of online events, many of which you'll find right here on the From Embers feed. To get us all ready and excited for the week, we put together this interview with three members of their collective. We talk about anarchism, bookfairs, COVID, how to make our events and actions meaningfully anticolonial, and much more. Stay tuned throughout this week as we host the virtual bookfair.

Radio Pandemic was founded by From Embers and friends just as the COVID-19 crisis hit Kingston, as many people were scrambling to figure out how to navigate the new uncertain terrain of physical distancing, government lockdowns and online organizing. We wanted to facilitate a conversation about the rapidly changing context in our city and beyond, and established a call-in show that airs on CFRC 101.9FM twice a week. Someone from the Montreal Anarchist Bookfair was interested in the project and hosted a conversation with the collective as part of this year’s event. The following is an edited version of that discussion.

A conversation with a member of the It's Going Down collective about their pre-pandemic text "Livewire: Against Automation, Against UBI, Against Capital." We revisit the text in the context of the pandemic, ever-increasing trends towards automation of various sectors in Canada and the USA, and the Canadian government's emergency relief benefit (CERB), which many have compared to universal basic income. Read the whole text as a zine here: https://itsgoingdown.org/new-zine-pdf-version-of-livewire-against-automation-against-ubi-against-capital/  

In the context of ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks in Canadian prisons and jails, I was curious about other times in history that prisoners have faced similar situations and especially times when prisoners have been released as a result. Today’s interview is with a local prison historian about epidemics and public health in Canadian prisons, mostly about the 19th and early 20th century. Also some stories about prisoners being released, what health care was like inside and outside of prison walls, and what kind of world people were returning to.

Following the mass shootings in Nova Scotia last week, the federal government rushed to impose an extensive and immediate ban of semi-automatic firearms. We reached out to Ron in Edmonton, author of the article “The History of Gun Control in Canada” on the counter-info website North Saskatchewan Resistance. We spoke about the shifting regulatory context in Canada, the problem of mass killers from an anti-fascist perspective, arming the vulnerable and the oppressed, and the possibilities associated with anarchist interventions into gun culture. Post-interview note from Ron: At 41:29 I say 'Arm trans women' which has become a slogan for leftist and LGBTQ2+ firearms rights advocates. I then list other identity groups that those concerned with changing gun culture should endeavour to arm. Among these was women. This was not to imply in the slightest that trans women are not women. Defend equality and keep TERFs out of our spaces. Article referenced in the discussion: “The Firearms Act and Canada’s First Nations”