Anarchic update news all over the world - 23 april 2017

Today's Topics:

   
1.  Communique of the CNT-AIT Congress to all workers and
      fighters -- To All Anarchosyndicalists and Sympathizers
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
2.  US, m1aa: On the Role of Black Bloc: A Critical Look by K.,
      M1 Detroit Collective member (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
3.  COURSE against the border, the war and the modern
      TOTALITARIANISM by restive horse APO (gr) [machine translation]
      (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
   
4.  [Poland] Anti-fascist demonstration brings together hundreds
      of people in Poznan. Nationalism will not pass! By ANA (pt)
      [machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)


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Message: 1



 From various unions of the CNT-AIT that left what is now called the "CNT", together with 
others that remain in it but with a critical stance, as well as with many others that were 
expelled or purged for having denounced the irregularities committed, we have met in 
Villalonga from the 13-16 of April in the Congress of Restructuring the anarchosyndicalist 
organization. We would like to publically communicate the reasons and the resolutions of 
our Congress and make a call to unite in our organization in order to strengthen and give 
potential to revolutionary, anti-authoritarian and emancipatory anarchosyndicalism. ---- 
Motivations: In the last few years, what now calls itself "CNT" has been suffering an 
ideological derive in all senses. This has included a series of scandalous situations in 
which some things are decided in the absence of assemblies, there has been a rupture of 
Confederal pact and federalism, a lack of solidarity, the inexistence of transparency[1], 
executive decisions of the Committees, the buying of votes, falsification of agreements, 
committees that veto the unions or their proposals without putting them on the agenda, 
centralism and even physical agression. This derive has produced a weakness in that CNT 
that anybody can see: the need to have paid position because of an absence of militants, 
the inability to publish the CNT newspaper, the decrease in the number of unions 
federated... Above all, it has provoked the serious fact that it was expelled from the 
IWA, our Internacional which established anarcosindicalism in the world, because of the 
numerous irregularities committed by its Spanish section, the "CNT", among others not 
paying the dues[2], as established in the statutes, but also trying to organize a parallel 
international, only because it could not impose its agreements in the Congresses of the 
IWA[3].

The Congress of Restructurization: We met in order to give structure to the numerous 
anarchosyndicalist unions that exist in the geographical area, to affirm 
anarchosyndicalism and the values that have inspired it, especially direct action, against 
parliamentarianism and bourgeois representationism that are being injected into supposedly 
revolutionary organizations, including the "CNT".

We have taken the following agreements:

- We have adopted new statutes which are free of provisions which have supported or can 
support authoritarian practices, vertical structures and executive committees. In 
exchange, we are fostering consensus among the unions, more means for the local 
organizations and more autonomy against the committees, which will be reduced to authentic 
organs limited to coordination.

- Affiliation to the IWA, with the CNT-AIT being its Section in Spain, putting an end to 
the irregular situation that has been promoted by the Committee of the "CNT", and 
contributing to the promotion of internationalism which is so necessary for the opposition 
of a globalized capitalist world, a question that characterizes the real anarcosyndicalism 
and not this colonialism of a negative and irrational "CNT".

- We consider ourselves the continuation of the CNT created in 1910, the 
anarchosyndicalist and historic one.

- We call on all the anarchosyndicalists in the geographic area to retake and resurge 
anarchosyndicalism and to put it in the place that it should be: as a libertarian and 
emanicapatory reference for the working class in the whole world.

 From Villalonga, libertarian greetings, in solidarity and internationalist, to all the 
people, groups and organizations that aspire for freedom. .

1. Such an absence of transparency, for example, encouraged the theft of around 20,000 
euros from the CNT treasury by the General Secretary based in Valladolid.
2. For example: The union responsible for the CNT newspaper is no longer nominated by the 
unions and decided in Plenaries, but by the Confederal Committee, since the XI Congress in 
Zaragoza. (Translator's explanation: The CNT's reformist and executive wing have caused 
the situation in which the paper has not been published in years, due to the fact that 
they are trying to keep control of the publication and infuse it with their politics.)
3. A paradox since some unions that were expelled from the CNT were for dues arrears. 
While the CNT failed to pay dues to the IWA, it paid for a legal office of cronies whose 
cost were higher than the dues to the IWA. This office also absorbs all the resources 
destined to help repressed workers and prisoners that are from or collaborate with the CNT.
4. This decision was made by the Committees of the CNT without any agreement of the unions 
or the Congress. Leaving the IWA was not proposed in the XI Congress of the "CNT".

https://congresocntait.wordpress.com/2017/04/17/comunicado-del-congreso-de-la-cnt-ait-a-todes-les-trabajadores-y-luchadores/

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Message: 2



When we, as anarchists or anti-fascists, go out into the streets, questions should arise: 
What are we doing here? What are our goals? What is the most appropriate or powerful way 
to achieve those goals? Our tactical choices should always be in service of our goals - 
they should never be goals in themselves. I fear that in the anti-fascist movement, the 
tactic of black bloc has become fetishized and that this fetishization has impeded the 
growth of our movement and struggle. That isn't at all to say that black bloc doesn't have 
a role, but it seems to be imperative that we reflect on our goals as a movement and 
constantly assess whether or not our tactical choices are moving us toward those goals or 
not. Does holding onto black bloc as an identity help or hurt us as a movement?

The position I hold, along with many of my First of May comrades, is that the goal of 
anti-fascist struggle is to organize and promote a united working class defense against 
the violence and proliferation of fascist attacks and ideology. This means our goal must 
be to attract the working class, with the entirety of its racial, gender, ethnic, and 
religious diversity included, to participate alongside us in a mass movement against 
fascism in the public sphere. As anarchists, our own goals go further in that we hope that 
such a mass movement could take on a revolutionary character against all power structures 
that oppress, over and beyond specific concerns of fascism. The fact that we, as 
anarchists, strongly believe in democracy and community self determination should also be 
recognized when considering our role in the streets. Clearly, if we are for a united 
working class defense and a truly democratic revolution and society, some of our 
movement's biggest concerns should be the potential alienation of people we want to draw 
to our movement and our potentially self-imposed (though perhaps not conscious) role as a 
vanguard or political elite presence.

Anarchists and antifascists at Detroit Immigrant Solidarity March

Unfortunately, often the presence of black bloc, particularly at mass public events (or 
while filling potholes 
https://itsgoingdown.org/portland-anarchists-fixing-potholes-city-streets/), achieves 
exactly what we want to avoid. While it is important to be militant, it is equally as 
important, for our goals, to be approachable and relatable. The contrast between showing 
up as a regular person whose stake in this resistance is just as legitimate as anyone 
else's, no more and no less, and showing up as some antifa superhero whose costume 
portrays a particular claim on the movement is stark and could make all the difference in 
terms of how many people we attract and who we attract. If this is a public movement, and 
I believe it must be as per our goals, we need to be public people. Just like we are in 
our everyday life. Additionally, failure in addressing this makes claims of "outside 
agitation" all the more believable - if we don't look like part of the community, how can 
anyone think otherwise? Although the narrative of "outside agitation" may not be fair, 
popular narratives are something we must strategically contend with.

Furthermore, we need to understand that although black bloc has a rich and inspiring 
history, whether rightly or wrongly its history can also hold connotations of whiteness to 
many communities of color who don't have publicly well known history of participating in 
it. As someone who comes out of the Muslim community, I can tell you right now that this 
had been my initial impression - black bloc: that's what those adventurous white boys do. 
It wasn't just the aesthetic that somewhat took the seriousness out of it, but it was also 
the perceived lack of participation of people of color. I, being someone who was not well 
versed in the history of the tactic, understood black bloc through what the pop-cultural 
narrative provided me, and we cannot assume that this isn't the case for many people that 
we hope to appeal to as anarchists or anti-fascists. Moreover, it certainly does not help 
that many people's personal encounters with black bloc has indeed been an encounter with 
something mainly white and often adventurous.

We should not assume or expect that people will have context for black bloc. The actions 
around the 4th precinct in Minneapolis in 2015 illustrated this point - as soon after a 
masked white supremacist shot at Black Lives Matters protesters, well-intentioned 
anarchists had arrived masked up. This caused confusion among the community and thus 
required unnecessary intervention. The problem is that the whole thing is either alien to 
a lot of people or brings up negative connotations. These problems can be addressed by 
cultivating relationships, having community ties, and having people see the use of black 
bloc when it makes sense over time. That means engagement - and engagement requires some 
degree of approachability from the start.

Fascist shooters in North Minneapolis.

European Neo-Nazis blocked up

As mentioned earlier, there is something vanguardist about having a uniform group of 
unapproachable people often trying to impose a direction (often mistaken for agitation) at 
a mass event. This is undemocratic and if we are take pre-figurative politics seriously, 
we must combat this tendency. A particularly egregious case of this behavior took place in 
Richardson, Texas recently 
(http://cw33.com/2017/03/18/mosque-protest-and-counter-protest-in-richardson-upstaged-by-third-group/) 
at a mosque defense, where the antifa black bloc presence actively antagonized the very 
community they claimed to be standing alongside in defense. In the end, the Muslim 
organizers met with the very bigots who were targeting the mosque - one would speculate 
because both groups were so opposed to the antifa presence. Of course, the fact that those 
organizers were liberal has something to do with that meeting, and furthermore I am not 
saying that anarchists should subordinate themselves to liberal leadership and demands as 
a rule. However, when you've driven the very community under attack to meet with their 
attackers because that seems more appropriate than engaging with you, as an anti-fascist, 
then something obviously went horribly wrong. An important point to make, I think, is that 
understanding the setting and context you are engaged in and recognizing all the 
language-games and particulars that go into that is what should determine the shape of 
your presence, and that there should be no adherence to general tactical rules in this 
regard. Feel the situation out, and focus on what one needs to do to achieve the goal of a 
united working class movement. If black bloc is alienating the Muslim community, then it 
is exactly the wrong tactic for that setting.

There are some who may feel that I am saying to compromise on our politics or our 
militancy, but I absolutely do not feel that is the case. Alienating the people who may 
want to stand with us compromises our movement as a whole. Do we truly expect on-the-spot 
conversions to anarchism at mass demonstrations (and do we expect black bloc helps achieve 
that)? Or do we recognize that mutual political education is something that takes time, 
effort, and most of all, the development of real relations? How can these relations 
develop if we are unapproachable and antagonistic to the public from the start? If black 
bloc is to be effective in our historical context (which is far different from the context 
in which developed), it must function as part of the mass working class resistance 
movement and not as an isolated wing of adventurists.

Lastly, I do not want to disregard the security concerns that lead many to mask up. I am 
certainly afraid of being followed or doxx'd by fascists or being recognized by the state. 
I do not take such concern lightly, but I believe there must be a balance, particularly in 
light of the goal of an open, public movement. I believe that public events are places in 
which our movement has an opportunity to grow, and it is important that we are 
approachable if possible. If one feels that there is possibility of danger or is going to 
engage in an action that requires anonymity (and many actions do), then it's appropriate 
to carry a mask and use it when the situation deems it necessary. Everybody will judge a 
situation differently, and everybody has different security concerns, and all of that is 
fair. However, security should not be our only concern - we need to remember that we have 
a political purpose, and that although revolution is risky, it is necessary and we should 
make our decisions in light of that.

http://m1aa.org/?p=1429

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Message: 3




The devastating effects of war and crusades of the capitalist periphery intensity of 
looting is the disintegration of all social life meaning and existence in the Middle East 
where the war has swept local populations. It is these effects result in millions uprooted 
and desperate people to try in every way to escape and entry into Europe. ---- The 
Fortress Europe policies are literally etched on the bodies of refugees and migrants, who 
are the first victims of the ongoing enlargement of the control, suppression and 
confinement of emergency status alongside the intensity of the attack to the lower layers. 
---- Today where the far-right and fascist aspect of modern totalitarianism, the most 
extreme manifestation of the exploitative state and capital cluster expands under the 
"Fortress Europe", the isolation of the fascists and clash with them in every part of the 
social field more important

Toward poverty, misery, racism and fascism ...

SOLIDARITY TO REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS

... for a society of equality, solidarity and freedom!

COURSE against the border, the war and the modern TOTALITARIANISM

18/3 ON SATURDAY 11am GEORGE SQUARE

anarchist group "restive horse" -Member A.P.O. | TS and comrades

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Message: 4




In Poznan, on Saturday,  April 8 , under the motto "Nationalism will not pass", a protest 
was organized against the growing wave of fascist, racist and homophobic violence in 
Poland. The demonstration was supported by foreigners living in the city, feminist 
organizations, LGBTQIA, academics and various anarchist groups. Approximately 1000 people 
participated in the protest. At least 7 people were arrested. There was a record of 
friction between antifascists and nationalists. Next, text distributed in the 
demonstration. ---- In recent years, a wave of nationalism, racism and xenophobia have 
flooded Poland. The growing popularity of these ideas, backed by the ruling party[headed 
by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the conservative, nationalist, law and justice party], 
has strengthened every month. Increasingly, one hears about attacks based on ethnicity and 
religion, wherever you go you can see people wearing T-shirts with propaganda about 
murdering the nation's enemies, and anti-refugee news has become a rule in the media. By 
2015, the number of racist crimes reported grew 20% compared to the previous year. There 
were 954 Jews, mostly Jews (154), Muslims (140), and Gypsies (140). Most Poles are against 
the presence of Africans in their country,

Nationalism is a problem for all of us. It not only concerns non-white people, who are 
attacked on the streets every day. It's not just about foreign students who are afraid to 
leave their dorms. It does not concern only migrants, exploited and treated as slaves by 
their bosses. It is not just about people of different religions who are considered 
potential terrorists. It is not just about women, who are objectified and considered 
incapable by the conservative zealots of Great White Poland, who support the current 
government's ideas about tightening abortion laws, access to birth control and sex 
education. Nationalism concerns all people who in any case do not fit the description of 
the ideal Polish man and the perfect Polish wife.

Nationalism is an ideology that serves the rich, and allows them to use the poor to become 
even richer. Nationalism creates divisions and hierarchies among people, and manipulates 
them according to the rules of dividing and conquering. Students, workers and pensioners 
begin to act against each other and not against authority and others who are responsible 
for their problems: poverty, exploitation, quality of education and unlimited access to it.

Nationalism paints a false photograph of the past that is necessary for the conservative 
government because it makes it possible for them to dispel the possibility of honest 
debate about the past as well as dialogues about the present. Society is nurtured by myths 
and historical anniversaries. People are forced to sing the national anthem thoughtlessly 
and repeat memorable slogans. Radical and fascist nationalist organizations fit perfectly 
into this kind of reality, they just want to beat people up and not think independently.

The hate parade organized by the militants of Mlodziez Wszechpolska in Poznan is just one 
example of the recklessness and ignorance of its members. The organization responsible for 
introducing "ghetto banks"[official segregation introduced in Poland to separate Jewish 
students]can not refer to the academic ethos, they have no right to threaten university 
students and workers and they have absolutely no right to attack Defenseless people and 
destroy the initiatives created by them.

We will not remain passive observing the racist and nationalist aggressions! We are 
against the inclusion of members of openly nationalist organizations in the public debate! 
Let's not argue with racists! We oppose this ideology of hatred! Only by breaking the 
national boundaries will we be able to build fair and egalitarian communities!

Nationalism will not pass!

Gallery of images (more than 100 photos!):

Https://www.facebook.com/pg/Rados%C5%82aw-Sto-502327966593781/photos/?tab=album&album_id=726466760846566

Translation> Yanumaka

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