TOTW: Saint Luigi

Topic of the Week - I am writing a review of John H. Richardson’s 2025 Luigi: The Making and the Meaning. The back cover is a mural of him, out of London, depicting him in saintly fashion. Larger than life, solemn face, and a golden halo circling his head. The back cover also includes a quote from the book: “For a growing group of Americans who seem to be vibrating with existential anxieties, he became a screen onto which they projected their fears and dreams.” For anyone with interest in the fields of psychology , sociology, and history as applied to religion, this is nothing new

Claire Fontaine at Art Basel Qatar

From &&& by Noor Ben-Ami

For the better part of this 21st century, we have all been expected to come to terms with what is essentially a lie—that the international art world is a place representative of moral superiority, of a heightened way of being, a place where utopias can be imagined (then abandoned), and activism comes at no personal cost.

Poster in solidarity with the Indonesian anarchists

From Act for Freedom Now! - London, UK

Original title: "“While they call for peace, we call for fuck everything!” poster in solidarity with the Indonesian anarchists"

The struggle of the Indonesian anarchists breaks through borders and prison walls. May every revolt go all the way. Insurrection everywhere!

Not So Comic Criminalization

From Fifth Estate #417, Winter 2025

A review of Down By Law: Criminalization, Solidarity and Survival in Europe Edited by the CrimScapes Research Group. PM Press/Kairos, 2025

Graphic novels (GNs) and anthologies very often effect personal experiences, and for that matter, the non-fiction shelf is comparatively thin. The GN treatment of homeless and semi-homeless people, even amidst the world-wide explosion of that hard-hit slice of humanity, remains almost invisible.

Gianpiero Bottinelli (1946-2025)

From Umanità Nova

A few days after his 79th birthday, long-time partner and friend Gianpiero Bottinelli passed away at his home. After completing an apprenticeship as a commercial clerk, in 1970 he moved with his family to Lausanne to obtain a diploma in social work, a profession he would pursue until retirement. In Lausanne, he attended and participated in the activities of the International Centre for Research on Anarchism (CIRA), where he met Marie-Christine Mikhaïlo and Marianne Enckell. In 1972, he was among the organizers of the commemoration of the Anti-Authoritarian International in Saint-Imier.

Sacco & Vanzetti 1927-2027 International Conference, July 2027

From Recherches sur les Suds et les Orients

Unlike millions of Italian migrants who reached American shores in the 1920s and lived anonymous lives, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti became household names. Their arrest, trial, and execution captured the attention of the world. Left and right, people demanded that Nick and Bart be granted a reprieve. This was not only true across the political spectrum (even Benito Mussolini made such a request), but also among a variety of unions and intellectual circles (Simone de Beauvoir remembers signing a petition for their pardon as one of the earliest steps that would lead to her subsequent political engagement).

Defeat Fascists with This One Weird Trick

From Revoluciana by Luciana Inara

I've been seeing a lot of rhetoric telling marginalized people in increasingly fascist countries that, if possible, they need to get a gun and arm themselves, and to learn how to shoot it. I also see a lot of people living comfortably in safe countries, telling people subject to violence or threat not to do so. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this discourse, and I bet you do, too.

New Illustrated Guide to Political Prisoners

From Anarchist Black Cross Federation

We’ve finished the latest version of the NYC ABC “Illustrated Guide to Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War” and it’s available for viewing (and download) by clicking on the link below. This update includes updated mini-bios, photos, and address changes for several prisoners. Amazingly, this edition includes the removal of Casey Brezik. Welcome home, Casey!

UMMA exhibit outlines history of protests, anarchism and political dissent in America

From The Michigan Daily by Audrey Shabelski

About 150 Ann Arbor community members gathered at the University of Michigan Museum of Art Saturday evening to hear a discussion between Julie Herrada, the curator of the Joseph A. Labadie Collection, and Julie Ault, a writer and artist specializing in the retellings of history. They detailed their collaboration on the new exhibit, “American Sampler: Activating the Archive.”

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