Resistance in the Age of COVID - Physical Shop Closed For Now

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Resistance in the age of COVID - Struggle continues

Dear Comrades

We hope you’re staying safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a scary and stressful time, but we’ve been inspired by all the mutual aid and collective organising we’ve seen ordinary people take on in response to the pandemic.

To keep our community and the general public safe, we’ve decided to close the shop for the next few months. It wasn't an easy decision to make, but we know it's the right one, and will help slow the spread of the virus and protect those who are most at risk. Don’t worry, the shop will re-open and we will be hosting events again as soon as it is safe to do so.

In the meantime, we’ll keep spreading anarchist ideas online – including hosting anarchist forums via video link. Follow us on social media to find out more, or email us at jura@jura.org.au or reply to this email.

Please look after yourselves and each other,

In Solidarity
Jura Books Collective

Mutual Aid

It’s been amazing to see so many spontaneous mutual aid projects popping up. If you need support and advice, or if you’d like to get involved, you can contact these groups on Facebook:

Covid-19 inner west mutual aid
Love in the time of covid-19 – sydney
South West Sydney COVID-19 Mutual Aid Network
Viral Kindness Eastern Suburbs Sydney
Blue Mountains COVID-19 Help Group
Naarm/Birraranga (Melbourne) northside mutual aid group
First Nations Covid-19 Inner West/ Eastern Suburbs Response
Disability and Chronic Illness COVID-19 Information Clearinghouse Australia

Other useful resources:

Mutual Aid Disaster Relief Resources
COVID-19: Common questions and Community Care for the Vulnerable
Pod Mapping for Mutual Aid
Navigating Chest-Binding and Covid-19 for trans folx
Sexual abuse & domestic violence services during the COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 Master List of Resources and Groups (SYDNEY)
Australia COVID-19 Informal Mutual Aid Database

Jura Books is on Instagram

Upcoming Events!

Check out these great events coming up in our extended community:

Health Before Profit Day of Action:

Workers and the broader community are facing the biggest threat to our livelihoods since the great depression, while also dealing with the COVID-19 emergency caused by criminal government negligence. Nurses and doctors face shortages of critical equipment, and bosses across Australia still refuse to provide safe working conditions.

On Thursday April 8 the May 1 Movement is organising a car convoy to demand #HealthBeforeProfit. Cars should only contain individuals or people from your household. People may also want to join on bicycles. Cars will meet in North Sydney at 2pm, convoy across the Harbour Bridge and converge outside NSW Parliament on Macquarie St. If you would like to participate in this action please email MUA Sydney Branch organiser: shane.reside (at) mua.org.au.

Anarcho-Communist Reading Group: Cops aren't Tops:
A discussion the nature of police and the state. The three readings are
‘the Demand for Order and the Birth of Modern Policing’ by Kristian Williams;
‘Chapter 6: Excarcerate’ from Instead of Prisons: A Handbook for Abolitionists; and ‘The next economic crisis: digital capitalism and global police state’ by William I. Robinson.
Capitalism, Crisis and Covid-19:

Online Open Mic:
a video open mic for poets, musicians, comedians, dancers, performance artists, and anyone else who's getting a bit antsy being cooped up at home. Send a 5–10 minute video of your act to curator.monstermouse@gmail.com by Wednesday April 8 and we'll compile everyone's performances into a video and publish it online.
Remember folks: physical distancing; social solidarity.

Red and Black webinars:
Jura’s Red and Black Forum is now a Red and Black webinar! Upcoming topics include the politics of Ursula Le Guin’s sci-fi classic The Dispossessed, and the failure of the Russian revolution. Keep an eye on the Jura website for more details.

More Reading Material

If you're looking for anarchist reading material, have a look at the AK Press and PM Press catalogs. AK press is currently having a sale on ebooks, so you can access a range of excellent titles for under $5. There are also great ebooks available for free from Haymarket Books, and Verso.

The Anarchist Library online is a great resource full of interesting anarchist reading material. If you’re more of a visual learner check out the Anarchist Film Archive for some incendiary movies.
We highly recommend People’s History of Australia – a new podcast about the history of grassroots struggles in so-called Australia.

Solidarity with sex workers

Sex workers have been hit financially by the COVID-19 pandemic – the nature of their work means they’re at higher risk of catching the virus, and as independent contractors most aren’t eligible for government relief measures. This is especially true for migrant sex workers. The state is now criminalising sex work, workers in Sydney were recently fined $1000 for violating social distancing laws. Scarlet Alliance has set up a crowdfunding page to provide financial relief for sex workers, please contribute if you can.

Rent Relief Now

Countless workers have lost their income because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but are still expected to pay rent. Housing Defence Coalition is a new alliance committed to defending vulnerable people in increasingly precarious housing amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

They're calling for a ban on evictions, foreclosures and rent debt during this crisis – safe, secure housing for all.Many tenants are calling for a rent strike – over 15,000 have already signed a petition pledging to withhold rent for as long as vulnerable people are forced to isolate without secure income.

Around the Web

Some thought-provoking articles have been published about the political roots and social impact of this pandemic. Feel free to send us you're favourite writings and analysis on this topic.
Autonomous Groups are Mobilizing Mutual Aid Initiatives to Combat the Coronavirus (It's Going Down Mag)
This anarchist writer helps explain why we feel so driven to help each other through the coronavirus crisis
Mutual Aid and Radical Care in the Time of Increased Uncertainty (We Are Your Voice Mag)
Coronavirus — finding a way through the mess (Medium)

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Jura Books is on the land of the Wangal people of the Eora Nation. The Jura Collective acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Land and pays our respect to Elders past and present. We support the ongoing struggle of Aboriginal people for land rights, self-determination, and justice.

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Street address: 440 Parramatta Rd, Petersham, 2049.
Mailing address: PO Box 3032, Petersham North LPO, NSW, 2049, Australia.
Phone: 02 9550 9931 (this phone is not monitored outside of our opening hours)
Web: jura.org.au

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Jura Books · PO Box 354 · Leichhardt, NSW 2040 · Australia