(en) Colombia, Libertarian Action INTERVIEW U.S. Libertarian Communist Federation common struggle (ca)

International Column ---- In an effort to establish and strengthen relationships with 
international libertarian organizations, we conducted the following interview to mate 
Antonio, militant political organization common struggle, an anarchist federation with 
several years of experience in the United States, whose reflections on the inclusion of 
libertarian ideas in the social world are a valuable contribution to the consolidation of
the anarchist movement in Colombia. ---- Libertarian Action: What is Common Struggle? ---
common struggle: It is a revolutionary anarchist organization which started in 2000, in 
response to the wave of mass protests against neoliberal globalization, with the name of 
Northeast Libertarian Communist Federation (NEFAC). Back then joined several libertarian 
communist groups in order to create a revolutionary anarchist organization that focuses on 
participation and stir in the social struggles of northeastern North America, including 
the United States and Canada.

For strategic reasons we separated in different organizations. Now there is the 
Libertarian Communist Union in Quebec, Canada and the Libertarian Communist Federation 
Common Struggle-USA. Currently there are four federated groups in the three states of 
Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island. There are also several private members in 
Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Virginia.

AL: How do you understand the common struggle anarchism?
LC: We understand anarchism as a critique of the domination of one group or person over 
another. That includes the economic dominance of capitalism, but also the domain of the 
state, patriarchy, imperialism and white supremacy.

AL: We know that your bets are directed to study and theoretical development, anarchist 
propaganda and insertion into how popular struggles have developed this work?

LC: We spend a lot of energy and emphasis on social inclusion. We are mainly active in 
workers movements, struggles for housing, movement of students and workers of educational
institutions and anti-prison struggles and anti-criminalization. Our goal is to 
participate in these movements to be more successful, but also to support and promote the
most libertarian, most revolutionary of them. We believe that revolutionary consciousness
develops more deeply in the context of struggle and confrontation with domain structures.
While it is important to understand that space to reflect on our experiences in social 
struggles. Then organize study groups and public forums to discuss more with our allies. 
We also have a newsletter called Freedom. In this publish newspaper articles, statements 
and analysis of social movements.

AL: What other anarchist groups there in the U.S.? How does common struggle with them?
LC: There are many small groups of anarchists and anti-autoritariaos revolucionariaos in 
the United States. We are participating in a process of regrouping with several 
organizations. Our purpose is to build an organization from coast to coast and principled
libertarian in a united strategy of social inclusion. Other participating organizations 
include the Workers Solidarity Alliance (WSA), Miami Autonomy and Solidarity, Wild Rose 
Collective, Four Star Anarchist Organization, Rochester Red and Black and Dawn. Each group 
has its own history and geography, but we believe in the need to expand the scale of our 
work coordination.

AL: And internationally, what relationships have?
LC: Internationally, we are part of the network of Anarkismo.net. Also we discussed more 
actively with organizations and militant anarchists in Latin America, the Caribbean and 
the Arab world. We interesadasos to share, learn and coordinate more with our colleagues 
across borders.

AL: How does the union struggle in the northeastern United States? How does common 
struggle with unions?
LC: The union struggle in our region consists mainly of workers' unions of the service 
industry and immigrant workers. While bureaucracies of these unions are lackeys of the 
Democratic Party, has been an increase in the unionization of low-income workers and more
militant tactics in campaigns. This could be seen as a result of the economic crisis and 
the wave of
resistance caused by the movement "Occupy." Some militants common struggle we are part of
unions, both mainstream and radical unions, for example, the union Industrial Workers of 
the World (IWW). We understand our role as grassroots activists and militant strategies 
catalizadorases facing both the employer and the union bureaucracy.

AL: What is the current state of social movement in the U.S.? Are acceptance and influence 
libertarian ideas?
LC: It is difficult to speak of a unitary or monolithic social movement in the U.S.. Most
organizations that could be considered as part of a social movement are small, weak and 
competitive. There are two major limitations in the development of popular movements in 
this country. One is the prevalence of non-governmental organizations, why even organizing 
campaigns often begin working class, are constrained by the competitive and hierarchical 
structures required by law. Another limitation is that many radical activists from the 
banks prefer to criticize rather than surrender to a prolonged struggle, in which they 
have to work and talk with people who do not necessarily share his ideals 
revolucionarioas. An innovation that has changed the narrative and the possibilities was 
the movement "Occupy." Although it was limited by many factors, also opened a space for 
new forms of struggle, criticism of the system by the capitalist and popular participation 
in something could be called a movement. Many believe that the revolutionary moment 
"Occupy" is over, but we left with many lessons, relationships and more popular consciousness.

AL: What is your reading of Obama's reelection? Do you have the support of the working class?
LC: Obama's reelection is indicative of some important social currents. First, wrapped in
all the electoral battle is the emergence of new social forces in American society. For 
many people the 2012 elections represented the confrontation between white-supremacist 
society and the "new majority" people of color. Obama and the Democrats are more 
supportive of the working class that their Republican opponents because rhetoric is more 
attractive to working people. However, the reality is that his administration is 
fundamentally in favor of neoliberal capitalism and U.S. imperialism.

AL: What challenges are facing today?
LC: The anarchist movement in the U.S. has been very disorganized, ineffective and 
insular, then a challenge is to try to establish social inclusion strategies developed 
with respect to social movements. We are few people (about 50), so we are not militant 
enough to introduce libertarian ideas in movimientosamplios.

AL: Do you want to add anything else?
LC: A salute to the comrades of Bogot?, Colombia and Latin America. We need more and 
better coordination between our humble efforts because we are fighting against the same 
systems of oppression even though we live on different sides of the borders.
Arise and struggling!

--------------------------------------------

Who are we?
The Libertarian Action Editorial Board, is a collective of libertarian principles seeking
to practice in the field of alternative information by publishing the newspaper 
Libertarian Action, virtual media and other physical publications. Here is our policy 
objectives and principles:

Objective:
Strengthen communication through organized anarchism and the different social and popular
struggles.

Specific objectives:
1. Generate and disseminate publications discussions occur against anarchism and social 
movements today.

2. Complete an information work and agitation.

3. anarchism position in discussions of Colombian popular movement.

Political Principles:
a) Alternative Information: Build a critical analysis from anarchism looking 
disseminate news and views about social movements and outside the information monopoly.

b) Popular Feminism and Sexual Diversity: By popular feminism, reproductive and sexual 
diversity, towards the destruction of patriarchy as a socio-political system (within the 
capitalist logic); against sexism, homophobia and all forms of sexism .

c) effective Solidarity: Our daily task is to contribute to strengthening the global 
resistance, but just as we believe that the struggles we see no borders need to understand 
the differences at the local level by the cultural or socio-political, so it is important
support the various social struggles that take place in our territory for alternative 
communication.

e) Libertarian Communism: We start libertarian communism as political horizon for 
building an equitable society in economic, political and social.

f) Autonomy and Self-Management: We seek the political consolidation of Anarchism, 
clearly not be back to the other social struggles, without sacrificing autonomy from third 
parties such as parliamentary political party, authoritarian processes, corporations, etc. 
... avoiding legitimacy of the state and possible cooptation, maintaining our political 
specificity.

g) Social Environmentalism: We believe it is the people who must decide how to manage 
and conserve natural resources, social and environmental equality, not big corporations or 
the State, who placed the human being the master of the rest of nature , destroying 
ecosystems by mere economic interests. We advocate fights promoted by environmentalists 
working and popular classes against capitalist and imperialist domination over our 
territories.

h) Class Struggle: recognize the class struggle in favor of the exploited economically, 
socially and culturally, in order to confrontation against the domination and oppression 
of any kind.

i) Multiculturalism: The construction of a free and equal world inexorably must start 
from the recognition of the other, and plurality as intrinsic quality of the people, from
whom emanates the power transformer.

j) Antiespecismo: We start to recognize that the life of the other species is as 
valuable as human life, therefore we support the struggles antiespecistas and for animal 
liberation.



Organizational principles:
a) horizontal and assemblyism: We are in constant struggle with this hierarchical 
system and therefore must seek an inclusive organization where we are all members come to
decide the committee, that is why we are committed to direct involvement and argued to 
generate spaces discussion and consensus. Assembly meetings are the maximum space for 
decision-making.

b) Commitment Militant: Taking a project that attempts by communicating, contacting 
networks struggle, we need everyone including the Committee must perform work according to 
their abilities to help achieve the objectives proposed.

c) Self-management and direct action: Self-management and direct action to resolve 
problems arise autonomously, seeking alternatives in economic fields, political and 
social. We believe in self-management as the direct method for solving problems, making 
the appropriation of space and building always from below.

Self-financing: In the process of autonomy and self-management is necessary to place the 
field of self-financing. We mean that our projects will be funded by us, and we do 
different activities.

d) Members: Organically within the Committee will only consider ourselves individuals 
as a communication node but not a platform for organizations meeting. This does not deny 
that those members have other jobs.

e) training and Spaces of Encounter: Within the committee collected several individuals 
with different intellectual insights therefore saw the need for proper functioning of the
organization, create spaces of constant training to be qualified on issues surrounding 
journalism. Also see the need for a presence in space given to alternative media to grow 
quantitatively and generate effective solidarity against other media.