ROAR Magazine

ROAR Magazine

ROAR Magazine's Logo by Noam Galai
Staff writers Carlos Delclos
Nozomi Hayase
Leonidas Oikonomakis
Tamara van der Putten
Joris Leverink
Jerome Roos
Categories Politics, culture
Circulation 50,000+
Founder Jerome Roos
Year founded 2010
Language English
Website roarmag.org

ROAR Magazine (Reflections on a Revolution) is an independent online publication that describes itself as a "journal of the radical imagination".[1] Writing mostly about social movements, political economy, digital activism, environmental issues and international affairs from a left-libertarian perspective, its stated aim is to "provide grassroots perspectives from the front-lines of the global struggle for real democracy".[2]

Referred to by Naomi Klein as "a very exciting window into the global uprisings",[3] ROAR has become especially known for its coverage and analysis of the crisis of global capitalism and the mass mobilizations that began in 2011.[4] With a worldwide readership numbering in the tens of thousands, its articles have been picked up, among others, by The New York Times,[5] The Guardian,[6] Wired[7] and WikiLeaks,[8][9] while its editors have appeared on BBC World,[10] Al Jazeera [11] and RT News.[12][13][14][15][16][17]

ROAR is run on a volunteer basis by a transnational editorial collective of citizen journalists, scholar-activists and independent filmmakers based in Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Berkeley, Florence, Istanbul and Quito.[18] All original content is published online for free, without advertisements, and under Creative Commons license.[19]

History

ROAR was founded in the summer of 2010 by writer, activist and political economist Jerome Roos, who intended to create "an online platform for young writers and activists to share critical perspectives on the status quo and to propose creative new visions for an alternative future."[20] The history of ROAR is bound up with the revolutionary events that unfolded between 2010 and 2013.

In early 2011, while covering the popular uprisings in the Arab world, ROAR helped to break the story of the LSE-Gaddafi affair as its early reports about the close ties of the London School of Economics to the Libyan regime were picked up by various mainstream media, including the BBC.[21] The negative media attention eventually led to the resignations of LSE Director Howard Davies[22] and Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's former PhD supervisor, Professor David Held.[23]

Starting in May 2011, as anti-austerity protests spread across Southern Europe, ROAR expanded its team of contributors and started a collaboration with Take The Square,[24] the international commission of the Spanish 15-M movement. As a result, ROAR's editors became directly involved in transnational coordination efforts between the various movements,[25] and actively participated in the preparations for the global day of action on October 15, 2011.[26]

In its tactical briefings prior to Occupy Wall Street on September 17, 2011, Adbusters, the Canadian anti-consumerist magazine that originally called for the action, drew on ROAR's reports about the Spanish indignados to help inspire the "swarming tactics" of the Occupy movement,[27] and in 2012 again drew on ROAR reports about the indignados in an attempt to reinvigorate the movement with a number of tactical innovations.[28] Occupy-related websites like OccupyWallSt.org,[29] OccupyWallStreet.net[30] and Occupy.com[31] regularly feature ROAR's reports from Europe and Latin America.

In November 2011, ROAR launched a proposal for the creation of a new and independent social network for the global movements "to perpetuate the creative and cooperative spirit of the occupations and transform them into lasting forms of social organization".[32] The proposal, tentatively called "The Global Square", gained the support of WikiLeaks[33] and free software activist Richard Stallman,[34] and received widespread attention in the international media.[35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71]

In March 2012, ROAR participated in a public intervention against German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble during a lecture at the European University Institute in Florence, asking him some "hostile questions" [72] about the punitive and counterproductive austerity measures being imposed on Greece and the rest of Southern Europe. The action was reported by La Repubblica[73] and the Financial Times.[74]

In November 2012, ROAR launched its first internally produced documentary, 'Utopia on the Horizon', a 27-minute film on the occupation of Syntagma Square in Greece.[75] The documentary, which featured three Greek activists alongside 89-year-old WWII resistance hero Manolis Glezos, was freely shared online and featured on Adbusters,[76] Zero Hedge,[77] Top Documentary Films,[78] and Films for Action.[79]

Political views

ROAR's political orientation can be described as broadly libertarian socialist in outlook, combining elements of traditional anarchism and autonomism with the horizontalist, leaderless and decentralized spirit of the contemporary social movements.

ROAR's editors and contributors have often come out in support of experiments with autonomy and direct democracy in social movements like Occupy Wall Street,[80] the Spanish indignados,[81] the Greek anarchists,[82] the Turkish çapullers,[83] the Brazilian Free Fare Movement,[84] the Zapatistas of Mexico,[85] the South African shackdwellers,[86] and the anti-authoritarian revolutionaries of Egypt,[87] as well as whistleblowers like Chelsea Manning and hacktivist collective Anonymous.[88]

References

  1. ↑ "ROAR Magazine".
  2. ↑ "ROAR Magazine". "About ROAR",.
  3. ↑ "@NaomiAKlein".
  4. ↑ "See: http://www.globaluprisings.org/global-uprisings-event-balie-amsterdam/". External link in |title= (help)
  5. ↑ Dunham, Jillian. "#OccupyWallSt Roundup, Day 80". New York Times, 'City Room Blog', December 5, 2011.
  6. ↑ Douzinas, Costas. "In Greece, we see democracy in action". The Guardian, June 15, 2011.
  7. ↑ Captain, Sean. "Occupy Geeks Are Building a Facebook for the 99%". Wired, December 27, 2011.
  8. ↑ "https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/133001817524150272". External link in |title= (help)
  9. ↑ "https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/367595887670722560". External link in |title= (help)
  10. ↑ "BBC World Have Your Say, "Greece gets another bailout"". June 24, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Greece: Is the media part of the problem?". Al Jazeera. June 25, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Over 70 injured as protesters clash with police in Madrid". RT News. July 11, 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  13. ↑ "Cyprus applies for EU bailout". RT News. June 25, 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  14. ↑ "Take away people's food & homes - expect violence".
  15. ↑ "'Surround Congress' Madrid clashes: Dramatic footage of night violence in Spain".
  16. ↑ Roos, Jerome. "Spain should repudiate its debt".
  17. ↑ "Summit in Brussels is going to solve absolutely nothing". RT News. October 18, 2012.
  18. ↑ "ROAR Magazine". "About ROAR".
  19. ↑ "Legal stuff – no rights reserved, all wrongs reversed". ROAR Magazine.
  20. ↑ Albert, Michael. "Relevant News by Jerome Roos". Znet, April 21, 2012.
  21. ↑ Roos, Jerome. "Call Upon LSE Students to Demand the Restitution of Gaddafi's Blood Money". ROAR Magazine, February 20, 2011.
  22. ↑ Roos, Jerome. "LSE Director Quits over Gaddafi Ties". ROAR Magazine, March 4, 2011.
  23. ↑ Vasager, Jeevan. "Academic linked to Gaddafi's fugitive son leaves LSE". The Guardian, October 31, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Take the Square "Partners": http://takethesquare.net/partners/". External link in |title= (help)
  25. ↑ Oikonomakis, Leonidas and Roos, Jerome. "Que No Nos Representan: The Crisis of Representation and the Resonance of the Real Democracy Movement from the Indignados to Occupy". paper presented at the conference 'Street Politics in the Age of Austerity', University of Montreal, February 21–22, 2013.
  26. ↑ "Call to Action: United for Global Change on October 15". ROAR Magazine, September 27, 2011.
  27. ↑ "#OCCUPYWALLSTREET this weekend!". Adbusters, 13 September 2011.
  28. ↑ "Spain's Indignados: Three Tactical Innovations". Adbusters, June 25, 2012.
  29. ↑ Roos, Jerome. "Roos, Jerome, "What Do Bosnia, Bulgaria and Brazil Have in Common?" OccupyWallSt.org, June 18, 2013". OccupyWallSt.org. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  30. ↑ Zibechi, Raul. "Autonomy in Brazil: Below and Behind the June Uprising". OccupyWallstreet.net.
  31. ↑ "5 Demands in Brazil: A Million Marchers Across the Country Say "It's Not About 20 Cents!". Occupy.com. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  32. ↑ "The Global Square: An Online Platform for Our Movement". ROAR Magazine, November 2, 2011.
  33. ↑ "Global Square: Wikileaks-Backed Activist Platform Launching in March". CommonDreams, February 15, 2012.
  34. ↑ "Global Square wiki". P2P Foundation.
  35. ↑ "Would you join a Facebook-style Occupy social network?". CBC. December 28, 2011.
  36. ↑ Fox, Zoe (December 28, 2011). "Occupy Facebook: Social Network for Protesters in the Works". Mashable.
  37. ↑ John, Constine (December 29, 2011). "Good Luck Occupiers, But Here’s Why "Facebook For Protesters" Won’t Work". TechCrunch.
  38. ↑ Captain, Sean (December 27, 2011). "Occupy Geeks Are Building a Facebook for the 99%". Wired.
  39. ↑ Chanda, Devin (December 29, 2011). "'Occupy' Protestors Building Activist-Only Facebook". Complex Tech.
  40. ↑ Baylen, Ashley (December 28, 2011). "Occupy Facebook: A New Social Network". Shalom Life.
  41. ↑ Crow, Lorien (January 2, 2012). "Occupy Wall Street Builds Facebook Alternative". Mobiledia.
  42. ↑ Hartmann, Thom (February 16, 2012). "Wikileaks is dabbling in social networking". Truthout.
  43. ↑ Ribeiro, John (February 15, 2012). "Wikileaks-backed Global Square P2P activist platform due in March". PC World, Computer World, UK Computer World, TechWorld.
  44. ↑ Gutiérrez, Bernardo (February 17, 2012). "Trends 2012: La fusión definitiva de lo virtual y lo real". TicBeats Trends.
  45. ↑ "Los indignados de Wall Street tendrán su proprio Facebook". ABC. December 29, 2012.
  46. ↑ "La red social de ‘Occupy Wall Street’". El Mundo. December 29, 2011.
  47. ↑ "Global Square: los indignados de EEUU trabajan en su proprio Facebook'". El Confidencial. December 29, 2011.
  48. ↑ "Nace Global Square la red social de los indignados". TechWeekEurope, The Inquirer. December 30, 2011.
  49. ↑ ROMÁN, JOSE FERNÁNDEZ (December 29, 2011). "Global Square, la red social de los indignados de EEUU". El Referente.
  50. ↑ "Occupy Wall Street prepara su propia red social: "Global Square"". Canal331. January 3, 2012.
  51. ↑ "The Global Square: o Facebook dos Indignados". Dinheiro Vivo. December 30, 2011.
  52. ↑ Machado, Paulo Maurício (December 29, 2011). "The Global Square – a rede social do movimento Occupy Wall Street". Matéria Incógnita.
  53. ↑ "Street cria rede alternativa ao Facebook". TVI24 Occupy. December 29, 2012.
  54. ↑ "Global Square, a futura rede social do movimento Occupy Wall Street". Fibra. December 29, 2011.
  55. ↑ Franc de Ferrière, Jacques (December 28, 2011). "Wall Street ne veut plus occuper Facebook et crée son réseau alternatif". ITEspresso.
  56. ↑ Guerin, Hélene (February 17, 2012). "Global Square, la nouvelle plate-forme de Wikileaks". Studio Vitamine.
  57. ↑ "La plateforme d’échanges de Wikileaks sortira en mars". Le Monde Informatique. February 15, 2012.
  58. ↑ GUERRINI, FEDERICO (December 30, 2011). "Square, gli attivisti di Occupy Wall Street lavorano a un loro Facebook". La Stampa.
  59. ↑ Deotto, Fabio (December 28, 2011). "Occupy Wall Street lavora a Global Square, un Facebook al riparo da occhi indiscreti". Panorama.
  60. ↑ Knoke, Felix (December 29, 2011). "Neue Internet-Plattform: Occupy Facebook". Der Spiegel.
  61. ↑ Gehl, Christian (December 29, 2011). "Global Square: Occupy-Bewegung startet soziales Nerzwerk". Werben & Verkaufen.
  62. ↑ "The Global Square, Jejaring Sosial untuk Aktivis dan Demonstran". December 30, 2011.
  63. ↑ "http://nasional.topikutama.com/detail/berita/33731/2011-12/The_Global_Square_Jejaring_Sosial_untuk_Aktivis_dan_Demonstran". Massimo. December 29, 2011. External link in |title= (help)
  64. ↑ "Сеть оккупантам". Коммерсантъ (Citizen K). February 6, 2012.
  65. ↑ "http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/1862178". IT Tech Blog. December 29, 2011. External link in |title= (help)
  66. ↑ Michalik, Łukasz (December 29, 2011). "Oburzeni uruchamiają Global Square – własny serwis społecznościowy". VBeta.
  67. ↑ "Nova društvena mreža za prosvjednike koji ne vjeruju Facebooku". Net.hr. December 30, 2011.
  68. ↑ "The Global Square za generaciju prosvjednika". ZaMirZINE. December 30, 2011.
  69. ↑ "'Global Square': Wikileaks-Backed Activist Platform Launching in March". Common Dreams. February 15, 2012.
  70. ↑ "Occupy Facebook: Protesters Planning Their Own Social Network". Slate. December 29, 2011.
  71. ↑ Roos, Jerome (February 18, 2012). "Virality: international media coverage of The Global Square". ROAR.
  72. ↑ "Germany's Schaeuble Says Is Not Too Hard on Greece". Reuters, March 7, 2012.
  73. ↑ "Schaeuble contestato: 'Siamo tutti piigs'". La Repubblica.
  74. ↑ Murphy, Paul. "Schäuble, it's just cos' they're Greek, you know". Financial Times, Alphaville Blog.
  75. ↑ "The documentary is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAnGxynPxL4". External link in |title= (help)
  76. ↑ "Utopia on the Horizon: for those who chose to struggle". Adbusters, November 19, 2012.
  77. ↑ "For Greece, Nothing Is Gonna Be Alright". Zero Hedge, November 19, 2012.
  78. ↑ "Utopia on the Horizon". Top Documentary Films.
  79. ↑ "Utopia on the Horizon". Films for Action, November 18, 2012.
  80. ↑ Roos, Jerome. ""How Occupy Reinvented the Language of Democracy", ROAR Magazine". ROAR Magazine, September 17, 2013.
  81. ↑ Sánchez, Marta. "Indignados: Re-Asserting the Human Right to Dream". ROAR Magazine, August 16, 2012.
  82. ↑ Oikonomakis, Leonidas. "In Greece, the criminals live in other villas". ROAR Magazine, January 20, 2013.
  83. ↑ Roos, Jerome. "The Turkish Protests and the Genie of Revolution". ROAR Magazine, June 3, 2013.
  84. ↑ A, Franco. "In Brazil, the Mask of Democracy Is Falling". ROAR Magazine, June 18, 2013.
  85. ↑ Oikonomakis, Leonidas. "Chiapas Cries Out: The Sound of Zapatista Silence". Znet, December 29, 2012.
  86. ↑ Roos, Jerome. "South Africa's Untold Tragedy of Neoliberal Apartheid". ROAR Magazine, November 12, 2013.
  87. ↑ Rizk, Philip. "Why the Egyptian Revolution Is Far from Dead". ROAR Magazine, November 12, 2013.
  88. ↑ Hayase, Nozomi. ", "The Whistleblowers at the Frontier of Digital Liberation"". ROAR Magazine, August 13, 2013.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, August 26, 2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.