(en) France, Alternative Libertaire AL #242 - 3rd Fair to self: Crossroads of struggles (fr, pt)

(machine translation]

On 28 and 29 June was held the third Frequently self-management of Montreuil, organized by 
dozens of union structures, policies, associations and cooperatives. The event, which 
attracted 1,300 visitors and visitors this year, gave the speech, among other things, the 
strikers of the SNCF, the undocumented and the actors and actresses of urban struggles. 
---- For its third edition, to better fill, the Fair was limited to four major forums 
(instead of five or six), around which unfolded, loosely, a proliferation of debates, 
workshops, booths and other activities. Each forum - "Self-Management and Ecology"; "The 
economy can it be "social solidarity"? , "Self-management and unions", "Gentrification, 
right to the city and urban struggles" - brought together a hundred people[1].

AG strikers

Under the "Self-management and unionism" forum, two fellow South rail station in the East 
have made a remarkable intervention on the self-organization of the struggle and its 
failures. Criticisms have been raised about the practice of AG "above ground" (like "the 
GA AG") which certainly possible to go further in the claims, but may also become the 
meeting place for radicals s 'between-clap. The AG proximity, less intimidating because it 
is in contact with his usual colleagues, allow making wider speech, less monopolized by 
activists and seasoned activists[2].

Christian Mahieux (photo) and Catherine Lebrun took stock of self-management debate in 
Solidarity, following the last Congress when the issue was presented to the agenda[3]. 
Three militants of the CNT-SO Lyon (Building and Cleaning), Didier and Chantal 
Moinahamissi, have set out basic things like the need for the organization to allow one of 
the most exploited sections of the proletariat (the outcome of the Immigration) to defend 
themselves. Representatives of the Spanish CGT (anarcho-syndicalist) also spoke.

The "Gentrification, right to the city and urban struggles' forum was exciting, with 
actors struggles CREA (Campaign requisition, mutual aid and self-management) in Toulouse, 
the fight against the Ivry-Confluence Project but Anne Clerval, author of a rich book on 
the subject. An activist Costif (Coordination for solidarity territories ?le-de-France) 
said the threat of a widening regional inequalities due to the proposed "Grand Paris".

A ZAD in Paris?

A question came out of the debate: how to combine struggles neighborhood, often obscure, 
with a great fight-bearer? A ZAD in Paris, somehow? Opposition to the "big boondoggle" 
Triangle Gonesse could it be that point of crystallization? The idea was launched.

Like every year, the discussions also focused on the limits of self-management, traps and 
scams. The "forum Economics can it be" social solidarity "? "Was in the theater. As for 
the debate that followed, the "excesses of the cooperative movement," it was beyond its 
original title, giving voice to a fellow of the magazine out of the economy (the current 
"critique of Value ") which showed that self-management was not in itself an alternative 
to capitalism, if it was not inserted into a communist project.

The link between the cooperative movement and the social movement is the subject of an 
ongoing debate every year. The vast majority of cooperatives are capitalist arrangements 
that have nothing subversive. Obviously, it is not they who come to the fair, but the few 
that are guided by ethics - including the Food Network (Exchange Network and alternative 
and solidarity practices).

Generally, cooperatives mounted following a struggle with "conscious producers' union and 
employee-es-es politicized in the conflict, have immediately linked with the social 
movement. They and they develop more easily reflect on how to produce, with whom, how, 
why... joining environmentalists concerns.

Last year, representatives of Fralib came to the fair, and had brought up the debate on 
the possibilities and limits of a recovery of the factory in self-management. They were 
not there this year, they won out, but you will need to invite them next year to take 
stock after a year of experience.

All these very practical issues were also discussed as part of a business meeting - the 
first offered shelter by the Fair - organized by a dozen alternatives bakeries. And less 
formal way during the debate "Cinema and self-management." The networking aspect of self / 
knowledge exchange / is undoubtedly deepen.

Undocumented immigrants make their theater

Other highlights of the fair: the touching drama A single , co-written and performed by 
four undocumented collective of Baras, Montreuil; the vibrant concert Mossy T e lei 
Jovents, from Marseilles; the village of free software; cinema cycle...

For its part, AL organized a debate with Fran?ois Graner (author of The Sword and Machete 
) for twenty years the Rwandan genocide, a "gender and power" workshop with two 
researchers working on the issue, and an introduction to the feminist self-defense.

The event is run in today: every year, he organized more easily, taking more collective 
responsibility, which has now exceeded its initiators.

The downside is the traffic. According to the ticket, it was equal to previous years. The 
feeling is that it is stagnating. On Sunday, the feeling was that even a drop.

The shareholders of record on July 6 , questioned: weariness of the public, weather 
deterrent World Cup? Have we reached the end of a formula? We need to reinvent the 
concept? We will discuss in the AG preparation next year.

It should be noted that the Fair to self, it's a whole atmosphere, including during the 
weeks before the event. From this point of view, alchemy continues to operate within the 
general meetings of preparation, and maybe even a little too well! It will open your eyes, 
because it is vital to widen participation and renewal, to avoid the trap of political 
cronyism and stay open but demanding.

Adeline (AL Paris Northeast), William (AL Montreuil)

???
[1] The full program is available on -www.foire autogestion.org.

[2] On this subject, also read Cheminot.es fighting! The strike of June 2014 , brochure 
published by AL.

[3] On this subject, read the text on the self they had prepared for the congress of 
Solidarity

http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?3e-Foire-a-l-autogestion-Au