Sam of Sheffield Group has been disassociated from the Anarchist Federation due to a pattern of serious sexual misconduct. Sam committed a sexual assault upon one of our members. In different circumstances, he has been extremely manipulative and dishonest towards a comrade when trying to set up a sexual situation. Furthermore, when engaged in a relationship he has behaved in an emotionally and sexually oppressive manner. We are also aware of several other instances of sexual harassment that have taken place.

We are writing this statement because we wish other groups and individuals to be aware of Sam's behaviour, to be safe from him and to ensure that he works towards changing this behaviour. We deplore the fact that sexual harassment still exists within the Anarchist movement and believe that it must be challenged wherever it appears.

Our hope is that Sam now takes steps to relearn how to relate to other people and takes responsibility for his behaviour. When a harmful act is committed the perpetrator takes power away from the survivor. Any response must involve restoring the balance of power, not about ‘making everything OK again’ - to do so would be impossible.

As a first step in this process, which has been led by those affected, Sam has been asked to produce a statement of his own acknowledging what he has done, outlining the steps he intends to take independently, and committing himself to the process. We anticipate asking him to take further action. We feel strongly that those who are close to Sam should not be held responsible in any way for his behaviour.

It has been requested by those affected by Sam’s actions that AF members do not comment on any discussion following this statement. If a response is needed it will come through a mandated delegate, following discussion with those involved (Claire - bringyourownpetyahoo.co.uk ).

This is the Anarchist Federation's contribution to the second roundtable discussion launched by New Left Project, as part of our efforts to promote debate and discussion across the left in the UK and beyond. Below you will find seven mini-articles by writers and activists, in response to the following question:

Polls show strong public opposition to immigration, a trend that has coincided with a rise in support for the far-right, in Britain and across Europe. What responsibility do the mainstream parties bear for these developments, what role is immigration playing in the current election, and how should the left address the issue?

Read more: Immigration and the election

A group calling themselves the English Defence League (EDL) have recently began a national tour of the UK, prancing around major cities declaring their opposition towards “Terrorists and Sharia”. Already they have visited Whitechapel, Wood Green, Luton and Birmingham City Centre (three times in fact). Where they have mobilised, it has been explicitly clear, that for all their rhetoric of being just a group of concerned, patriotic individuals, mobilising against Muslim extremism, they are an exclusively white mixture of football hooligans, drunken thugs and fascists. And when fascists feel confident enough to march through our streets, it is a hard-hitting realisation that the anti-fascist movement here in the UK is in a sorry state.

Read more: Smash the English Defence League

A brutal attack on a 9 year old and his 11 year old uncle took place on 4th April, it was carried out by two brothers of only 12 and 10 years of age. The two victims were subjected to a “horrific, violent, sustained physical attack” said prosecutors, they were tortured, robbed and sexually abused, the attackers using bricks, sticks and a noose, one of the boys is suspected of having a sink smashed against his head and the father of the 9 year old suspects his son was forced to eat glass. No doubt these were a series of shocking events, it is rare to see such young children resort to such violence and this event has been compared to the murder to James Bulger in 1993 by two 10 year olds.

Read more: Victims of Torture: Victims of Society

Manchester AF is pleased to announce the launch of its new printing operation, Peterloo Press.

Named in memory of the massacre of working people at St Peters’ fields in  Manchester in 1819,  We’re aiming to make low-cost, good-looking pamphlets available which we believe offer important insights into the history and theory of revolutionary politics. We aim not to be constrained by the classical ‘anarchist tradition’ and to  publish works from other schools of thought which also point towards an emancipatory, stateless communist society, such as council communism and other ‘ultra-left’ perspectives.

Read more: Peterloo Press