ZAGINFLATCH #2  	October 1994
Zagreb Information Potlatch
 Anti-authoritarian info from former Yugoslavia

Welcome to number two!  A few things: Sending out the first issue cost us a
bundle of money which we are definitely not in the position to keep dishing out.
So if for any reason you aren't interested in this or would like to stop
receiving it, by all means let us know! Otherwise , if you have access to a fax,
or email be sure and let us know. We could afford to get it out much cheaper if
we could eliminate the bulk of our snail mail list.

WE STILL NEED:
			INFORMATION: from anyone active in or with Ex-Yugoslavia.
This is an anti-authoritarian newsheet so please no party politics or anything
like that. Things we're looking for news on: demos,  foreign solidarity , all
actions from flyer pasting to road blockades to strikes to sabotage , police
violence,  squatting,  gay and lesbian activism, women's stuff,  eco things and
whatever else one would deem impermissible or powerfully obscure. It may be wise
not to incriminate yourself. Feigned objectivity may keep you safe.
			HELP WITH TRANSLATING: if you  are willing to translate
or help co-edit a Croatian language version of this, please get in touch!
			DISTRIBUTION: as with most kinds of vegan margarine on
bread, the contents of this is best when it's spread around (the world silly,
not on bread). Copy and distribute as wildly as possible!

				NO COPYRIGHT! 
		Everything here is meant to be reprinted and distributed! 
			    Information wants to be free!


CROATIAN LANGUAGE translations of the following fliers and pamphlets are
available from Zaginflatch upon request: Shto je to AnarhistiCki Crni Kriz
?(What is Anarchist Black Cross ?), Anarhizam U Peruu (Anarchism in Peru), Dali
Znash shto je to Animal Liberation Front (What the hell is the ALF ?).  Also
available are the statement of purpose of the new Kuglana squat in Zagreb both
in English and Croatian language and hopefully others in the future. There is a
need for foreign language information to be translated into Croatian. If you can
or already have translated pamphlets , fliers or other information, get in touch
!!!! We have a world of translating to do and nothing to loose but our frantic
gesticulating.
IN MEDIA RES is a short newsletter with info and contacts  and a couple of
reviews. He also publishes a zine bearing the same name which is a little
heavier on the contents. Marco is looking for artwork, bands to interview, stuff
to review or anything else you would find interesting for a zine. Marco StrpiC,
Rakushina 3 , 41000 Zagreb , Croatia
SVETA OBITELJ is a group of people active in Zagreb. Some members play in bands
, they do a zine called HO HO HO and decorate the grey walls of Zagreb with
political and ecological graffiti. Vedran KrlajeviC , Racinova 3/II, 41000
Zagreb , Croatia -from In Media Res #2
DISTORZIJA is according to IMR the first squat in Croatia, and they're pretty
active. They do a zine which  includes some Serbian bands. DISTORZIJA , Stube
Jurine i Franine 2, 52000 PULA , Croatia - In Media Res #2
THE ANARCHIST PEACE FRONT (APF) is an attempt at networking all anarchist groups
from this part of the world. Presently there's work being done on a compilation
tape of punk bands from Ex-Yugoslavia and elsewhere on the planet and a booklet
which will feature various anti-war and anarchist activities in former
Yugoslavia. APF-Kukatz c/o Boris MilakoviC , SV. Duha 30, 55300 Pozega , Croatia
KOLEKTIV NENASILNOG DELOVANJA (KND) is an anarcho pacifist group from Slovenia.
Write to Brane for more information. KND , Pavlin Brane, Oreshje 20zb, 68259
Bizeljsko , Slovenija
TORPEDO is a revolutionary group from Serbia who are planning a zine and are
mostly interested in Class War activities. c/o Milan DjuriC, M.Velikog 12/10,
11300 Smederevo, Serbia, Yugoslavia
CRNI GAVRAN is another anarchist group working on a zine, etc... c/o MarkoviC
Dragan , Post Restante, 11420 Smederevska Palanka, Yugoslavia
POKRET ZA MIR-PANCEVO is a very active peace group with lots of cool projects
going on including CONTRA BELLUM newspaper, Art For Peace, School without
Violence, conscientious objection, humanitarian actions, Vojvodina Peace
Network, etc. c/o Peace Movement , Ulica Milosha TrebinjiCa 2-4 , 26000 PanCevo,
Vojvodina, Yugoslavia. Tel/fax:+381 13 514 900 (12-18 CET).
PPM_PANCEVO@zamir-bg.zer
SCREAMING FROM THE BASEMENT has put together a zine, some posters, done actions
against McDonalds in Belgrade as well as anti-hunting and anti-fascist activity.
c/o JevremoviC Miladin, Skopljanska 33, 36000 Kraljevo, Serbia, Yugoslavia.
ZAGINFLATCH #1 is still available on request form this address. Lots of contacts
and a little news.
OOOPS!! SHAVED WOMEN zine's address is actually TomasheviC Andrea , Nova
Skojevska 67/VIII , 11090 Beograd, Yugoslavia

NEWS

METELKOVA SQUAT CELEBRATES ITS FLKOVA SQUAT CELEBRATES ITS FIRST YEAR fter the
diverse crowd of people of Metelkova , a squatted (ex)army barracks in Ljubliana
, celebrated their first year of occupation. As squats go, Metelkova is huge
with abundant space, numerous buildings both occupied and unused. A healthy,
very diverse mix of activists , punks, queers , artists , bikers, hippies and
some formerly homeless people as well as various others inhabit and use the
space. So appropriately the celebration encompassed a variety of activities
which were listed on the info board(which seemed to be mostly wrong or I'm just
to stupid to figure it out correctly). A big crowd of punks streamed in on
Saturday from across Croatia, Slovenia and elsewhere for the Orto-Punk festival
where much alcohol was consumed to the pogo inducing noise of Nula, Apatridi,
BZR , Proletariat and some others who raged till the next morning. Near the end
of the show , I hopped next door to Channel Zero which was billed as a drag show
featuring Klaus Nomi (and everyone thought he was dead). Klaus never showed up,
but the bar was packed and we still enjoyed the show (but is a man who dresses
as a man who dresses androgynous still a drag queen?). Over the next few days
Metelkova hosted various meetings, movie showings most of which I missed out on
, having left back to Zagreb halfway through.
	A couple van loads of Dutch squatters came down to join in on the
celebration including the Den Troag field kitchen who cooked excellent vegan and
vegetarian meals for the people who had shown up.	
	During the first night of the festival, the police entered the premises
and harassed a man who was taking care of a friend's dog for not having the dog
on a leash. Unable to come up with papers for the dog, the man was taken in for
the night  where cops threatened to kill the dog if the owner couldn't prove
ownership. After a night at the cop-shop they were both released the next day.
	The celebration was hardly strong political statement. It came off more
like a regular hardcore festival with some  good food. Whatever else took place
during those days took a definite back seat to the bands if they even did take
place at all. The presence of a lot of heavy drinking and otherwise inactive
punks detracts from the whole as it does in many squats and the scene which
often surrounds them. It would be nice to see this change. Still , Metelkova and
the space inside it's walls has so much going for it and it's a good place to
revive hope and encouragement from the little there is in Zagreb. Hopefully
we'll see Metelkova continue for many years to come and grow  way beyond what it
is now.

NEW ANARCHIST GROUP IN ZAGREB!!  
ZAPO (Zagreb Anarcho Pacifist Organization) was recently declared dead, although
it's corpse remains alive and somewhat active. In a meeting held in September,
it was brought up that there is a desperate need for a rebirth of sorts in
anarchist activity locally. A new group was born which remains as of yet
undefined and still has no name. The group's main focus so far has been
organizing the Kuglana squat (see above), though just about everything that has
been happening in Zagreb anarchowise in the last month or so has come out of the
rough circles of this group. After the meeting had broken up leaving only a
couple people in the room , a longtime Zapotista defiantly declared "ZAPO will
never die!" ZAPO which was never a rigidly defined group and does not consist of
pacifists as it's name implies still exists as a core of the consistent members.
ZAPO also has helped with funds to fix up Kuglana and has paid for Zaginflatch. 

POSTER ACTIONS AGAINST THE POPE AND POLITICIANS IN ZAGREB
It seemed that Zagreb was actually  preparing for the arrival of God himself
during the weeks before the popes arrival on the 10th of September. Every wall ,
shop window, billboard, newspaper and TV broadcast announced , triumphed over
and endlessly discussed every detail of the popular patriarchs visit. In the
years since Croatia voted themselves independent, the country has suffered from
mass conversions to Catholicism. Unlike during World War II when the territory
was under fascist control and the Ustashi deported, killed or converted almost
the entire non-catholic population, this time people are converting voluntarily
and quite gleefully. A good deal of Croatia's national identity has to do with
being catholic (whereas Serbs identify with the Othodox church and the Bosnians
as Muslims). Appropriately there was disgust and disbelief in the air among
anti-authoritarians , many of who had major beef with the event. Millions of
Kunas (as of this May Croatia reintroduced the Kuna as the countries national
currency. Last time Croatians bought bread with Kunas was during the last
fascist nationalist rule in World War II) were spent on preparations and
overhauling the city for his visit. Resources that are still desperately needed
among refugees and cities destroyed in the conflict. The state's priorities
became overwhelmingly clear during this time. The country's catholic identity
literally took bread and housing from the war ravaged villages. 
Several activists from Zagreb and around Croatia took to the streets to paste up
posters protesting the waste of resources and hype surrounding the Pope. Posters
went up in Pozega , Zagreb, Split , Sisak and elsewhere around the nation.
Though a small voice , it was just about the only one. Shortly thereafter three
people from Zagreb involved in producing and pasting the fliers where hauled in
to the cop shop for interrogation, one of which had his home searched by cops
who grabbed a number of zines and alternative papers from his room. During the
interrogations , it became abundantly clear that the police have a fairly
detailed knowledge of just about everyone active in Zagreb in the punk scene.
Elsewhere , one flier  paster from Pozega was charged with illegal postering and
2 people from Sisak were forbidden to leave the city during the pope's stay in
Zagreb preventing them from attending the Metelkova anniversary. Marginally
related was the appearance of several mock obituaries announcing the death's of
several Croatian , Serb and Bosnian war mongers , government censors and ruling
class pigs with the dates set in the near future. Although the identity of the
obituaries' creator remains unknown , Zagreb political police are in hot pursuit
and presumably quite angry. The fliers created enough of a stir to be covered by
some daily papers which requested information on trails leading to the culprit.
	This serves as a cold reminder of the reality of the new democracy.
Though Croatians should expect the state control to aquire several new masks
borrowed from their capitalist mentors in the west, they shouldn't be so naive
to think that the repression endured during Yugoslavian communism will let up.
Aquire different masks maybe , but not disappear. 
ACTing UP in Ljubliana 1994.10.1
On the 14 th of September this year people from ACT UP! Utrecht (Aids Coalition
to Unleash Power) and a few people from the squat in Metelkova two of which are
members of the K.A.P.A. collective went to the Tromostovje area in the center of
Ljubliana for some direct action. We went there and put up some posters reading
SILENCE=DEATH on various buildings , we also carried signs stating we want a
safer life and demanding that condoms should be made available cheaply. Most
importantly , we gave away free condoms and dental dams. We had as number of
different kinds of condoms : ordinary ones, condoms for anal sex  and women's
condoms etc.. Also everyone who took a condom (yes some more conservative people
refused to take one) was handed a flyer containing basic information on how AIDS
is spread and how you can (not) catch it. There was also a call for people to
demand from their government to make condoms available cheaply as well as
introducing needle exchanges for drug users. At present around a million people
are sick with AIDS and about 17 million are infected globally, of which 32 are
in Slovenia, now is the right time to act up in order to prevent further
infections. rather than later having problems trying to heal people infected by
the HIV virus. All in all the action was a small success. The purpose wasn't
meant to save the world , but more to speak out about AIDS and to make people
aware that it is only them who can prevent from getting infected. On the other
hand I think all the people who didn't  listen to us or refused to take a condom
are nothing but ignorant of the seriousness the AIDS crisis poses. We should all
together put an end to this ignorance and speak out and confront  problems like
AIDS as well as all other problems and start to act up . SILENCE =DEATH and
ACTION =LIFE!
written by andrejCek xxx c/o K.A.P.A., Masarykova 25, Squat Metelkova, 61000
Ljubljana, Slovenia

KUGLANA SQUAT IN ZAGREB
After a couple months of planning and chaotic but successful (and a couple
redundant) weekly meetings, nearly a hundred people entered an abandoned and
deteriorating bowling alley on October 7 to clean up and celebrate the creation
of Zagreb's first squatted social center. Throughout the first day groups of
people streamed in to clean up the immense amount of rubble and trash throughout
the building , up to waist height in some areas. The building had been abandoned
for some time, possibly a couple years and is scheduled for demolition in two
years from now. Upon arriving , the building was in terrible shape: burnt in
some areas , missing windows and drearily awaiting demolition by the city. The
first group arrived shortly before 1PM and had already cleaned up the bulk of
garbage by the second crew's arrival a couple hours later. We now had a somewhat
rough structure suitable for if nothing else at the moment a party. After
working hard all day,  we drank hard all night and amazingly had no problems
whatsoever  from cops. The night was cold as hell and left only a handful of
people in the building willing to endure. The next day people slowly filtered in
again and resumed work, this time boarding up the windows , reinforcing the door
,building a stage , insulating the sleeping room a little better and cleaning up
some more. A concert was organized spontaneously (although advertised
prematurely) which included a variety of creative and amusing instrumental jams
and folk singing to punk rock chaos as well as a new band from Ljubliana which
has as of yet no name. We thought  we were smart at the organizing meeting
preceding moving in when we decided to resist imminent eviction by barricading
ourselves in the building and refusing to leave if the cops showed up, but
Zagreb punks had momentarily forgotten fear and paranoia in favor of pogoing and
partying when the first cops showed up catching most of us pretty off guard. The
response of squatters however was the shit. When the pigs asked for the
organizer , the reply came in unison: "Svi!"(all of us). Every attempt at
getting their scapegoat was met  with total solidarity between squatters and
supporters. Unable to get their man , cops singled out the all the non-Croatians
they could find including the Slovenian band , parents who had come to see them
play and myself after I had accidentally re-activated the flash in my camera.
Cops demanded I destroy the film in my camera which I politely but firmly
refused to do. I later hid my camera from them while getting my passport for
them. 5 Croatian skins were also arrested (one of them who , when asked his
nationality replied Skinhead). After being harassed for some time and mildly
threatened with various things including being charged with disturbing the peace
and locking us up for two days, we were all let go without being charged. I feel
its important to note that although the cops were threatening and engaged in
alot of yelling and red faced growling and barking, they had no real basis to
fuck with us. None of us could be held responsible for the event, we had only
"responded to the anonymous flier to show up and take part". A hierarchical
system cannot conveniently respond to grassroots and leaderless organizing
without engaging in mass arrests and repression of any one involved. They need a
scapegoat  and we refused to give them one. The Slovenes headed back home and
the rest of us headed straight back to Kuglana. While at the cop shop , the
police had come again and cleared the building of everyone else. But by Sunday
Kuglana was bustling with people again. 
Kuglana is a huge step forward for Zagreb. Organizing it began with a nightmare
of overcoming mass skepticism and fear. Some activists had just been
interrogated by special Police for publishing and pasting some fairly harmless
fliers concerning the pope's visit (see above article) and it was clear that the
police were keeping track of activists and punks quite well. Top this cake with
a taste for sending (or at least attempting to send ) troublemakers to the
front, a lot of people were hesitant to take part at all. Many didn't believe it
would last 5 hours. I believe the organizing relied on a few people's
determination to do it despite anything. That it had to be done. If not entirely
successful it would at least be a sign of activity , resistance and an
inspiration for others. By the last major organizing meeting, the normally
adequate room was bursting with people who were spilling into all the
neighboring rooms, putting together statements, faxing press releases, arguing
over what needed to be done etc. Everyone seemed infected with the squat.
There are some definite problems though. The only people who have consistently
lived in the building since the occupation with one or two exceptions are drunk
punks and a young and very harmless nazi skin (who had lived in the building for
months before we decided to take it). As of this writing, still less than a week
since moving in, it is undecided as to what will come of this. They all put a
lot of work into renovating and cleaning (while they also were responsible for
most of the damage and filth we cleaned up) and are living in it , but have no
real connections to what we wanted to do with it in the first place which is to
create an anti-authoritarian (which is anti-fascist) alternative community
center. 
We came along way and have done something a lot of people said never could be
done. Though we've yet to face a good deal of the odds and still have a lot of
big and small details to iron out and projects to establish, we have the
building and will continue to occupy it for as long as possible and fill it with
as much life and creation as we can. The Kuglana has a lot of space for
concerts, art shows , meetings, forums , whatever the hell we choose to do with
it. An info shop is being set up as I write so any reading material that could
be contributed would be appreciated . Also hip posters , fliers or art to cover
the walls would be neat. Any bands coming through , get in touch. We should have
legal details for shows worked out sometime soon (preventing inevitable cop
problems). Zaginflatch can pass on mail to Kuglana for the time being. 


The following is the text of the statement by the Kuglana squat put together a
week before the occupation.

KUGLANA

In  this strictly regulated cop culture there is no room for any real cultural
expression; no room for turning a collective desire for a different world based
on direct personal control  and responsibility for one's living environment into
reality, for creating a living space on our own terms. There is virtually
nowhere for a for completely independent culture to manifest itself, nowhere for
independent music and creation to be shared, nowhere that is completely free
from commercial or political influence or control. We have no space for putting
our desires into political reality. No living space free from hierarchy, power
and money. Under the circumstances , there is nowhere a culture of resistance to
authority can manifest itself. With the resources left to us, we have no choice
but to sit alone and rot entertaining ourselves with our own hopes and ideas.
... that is unless we create a free area of our own.
By taking this abandoned building as a space for organizing, living and creating
from the ground up, non-hierarchically and autonomous from political and
economic pressure, we can create a situation where people can actualize
themselves, communicate and share ideas. A place where a new future can take
root where we can breath.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

To renovate the building in order to make it suitable for use

To create a space where alternative/anti-authoritarian and non-commercial
culture can materialize and develop/grow. 
		*a concert hall / theatre
		*a rehearsal space 
		*an art gallery for unconventional or inaccessible artists to use

To organize ourselves and put our political ideals into action non
hierarchically:
		*a meeting space for groups organizations(feminist, human rights,
anti-fascist, green , animal rights etc.)
		*infoshop - to give people access to and distribute information
which is restricted or otherwise inaccessible. 
		*free living spaces
FUCK !!!
	LATE MESSAGE : KUGLANA SHUT DOWN !!!
 This morning the Kuglana was cleared by cops accompanying the owner of the
building. Squatters were told that anyone entering the building will be charged
with breaking and entering. At the moment a petition is on the streets demanding
it be returned to the squatters. Write to ZAPO for more information on what's
happening. Future actions are imminent.

AID AND SOLIDARITY FROM ABROAD

VEGAN POLICEMAN TAPES is releasing a compilation tape called "We Control the
Horizontal, We Control the Vertical, We Control the Zig Zag" which is apparently
a benefit for anti-war and green anarchist activists in former Yugoslavia.
Featured on the comp are : CRASS, Poison Girls, Flux of Pink Indians, Conflict ,
Dirt, Amebix, the Apostles,  Omega Tribe , the Mob and more recorded live at a
Zig Zag squat benefit in 82. Write to Vegan policeman Tapes, 35 Rayleigh Ave.,
Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex 550 7DS???, UK
INTERNATIONAL WORKERS AID have delivered 150 tons of aid to the miner's union in
Tuzla as well as other projects listed in ZIF #1. They have another 14.5 tons
waiting to be cleared by Herzeg-Bosna fascists before they can be delivered to
Tuzla. Future projects include a convoy to unions in Sarajevo (organizing
materials as well as food), co-ordinating the delivery of a Mammography machine
to the hospital in Zenica (who are desperately looking for a tympanogram and a
gastroscope) and another convoy to Tuzla to co-incide with the elections on
November 4th and 5th and to support the anti-national current in Tuzla. Hurray!
A mistake though: they aren't anarchists as mentioned in  ZIF #1 though they are
supported by various anarchist and syndicalist unions. It seems the convoys have
been having some trouble with the local Ustashe trying to get their convoys
through. They  are requesting MPs, trade union leaders, intellectuals and
anybody else with headed note paper to send faxes with the message DON'T FUCK
WITH IWA PUNK! ( actually something put a bit more subtle and diplomatic) and
possibly pointing out the illegality of their actions. Send faxes to  GOSP.
DAMIR LJUBIC +387 88 700 811 and GOSP. MARTIN RAGUZ +387 88 312 183. Send the
IWA a copy too! Their new address is: International Workers Aid - Logistics c/o
DINKO , Slavonska 19, 58300 Makarska, Croatia . Phone : +385 (0) 58 611 303
Fax:+385 (0) 58 325 843
The mighty COEXIST from France are planning a benefit show for Zagreb anarchists
ZAPO (Zagreb Anarcho Pacifist Organization) which will include information on
ZAPO and what's happening in Zagreb. Coexist can be reached c/o DROCK , 79
boulevard de l'europe, 57000 Metz Bellecroix, France.


I'm off to Anarchy in the UK! so don't expect quick replies at all. Still
anything of relevance can be sent and it will wait till I can get it. I will not
be able to stay in Zagreb in the future for various reasons, but I am determined
to continue publishing this in some form or other. Note a different email
address!

ZAGINFLATCH / MR. ONION c/o ARK-ZAPO , TkalCiCeva 38, 41000 Zagreb , Croatia
..... email  :  ZIF@ZAMIR-ZG.ztn.zer.de

email recipients: apologies for the funny character conversion read a capital C
in the middle of a sentence as a "ch" as in catch.


