MOUVEMENT ANARCHISTE DU CANADA/CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-QUÉBEC:AND THEN THERE WERE TWO...NEFAC BIRTHS A NEW ORGANIZATION:ET PUIS IL Y EN AVAIT DEUX: NEFAC NAISSANCES UNE NOUVELLE ORGANISATION:L'article ci-après est de la Fédération des communistes libertaire du nord-est (
NEFAC) site.La plus active section de la NEFAC, cette du Québec, a décidé de refonder lui-même comme un organisme spécifique à leur province. L'espoir est qu'ils seront en mesure de s'organiser plus activement au Québec avec cette nouvelle structure. En cela, ils suivrent l'exemple de l'Ontario, et la organisation
Common cause qui ont décidé de ne pas adhérer à NEFAC. Le nouvel organisme sera en solidarité avec NEFAC, mais sera indépendant des groupes américains. La version française de cette annonce suit ci-dessous.
The following item is from the Northeast Federation of anarchist Communists (NEFAC) website. The most active section of NEFAC, that in Québec, has decided to refound itself as an organization specific to their province. The hope is that they will be able to more actively organize in Québec with this new structure. In this they follow the lead of the Ontario based Common Cause organization who have deceided not to join NEFAC. The new organization will be in solidarity with NEFAC, but will be independent of the American groups. The French version of this announcement follows below. .............................
Anarchy from A to Z: U for Unity
An invitation to refound organized anarchism
The Québec collectives of NEFAC are re-organizing themselves. Basically, the Québec and American sections of the Federation have decided to form two independent organizations in solidarity with each other. On 22 and 23 November, we will be holding a congress at the Métropole where the manifesto and constitution of a new Quebec-specific anarchist communist organization will be adopted. We will be taking the opportunity to begin a dialogue with comrades who are close to us and see whether it is possible to integrate more militants in this process which will affect all parts of Quebec.
Our basis for unityOver the past decade of struggles, we have been successful in establishing a serious anarchist communist organization in Québec. That in itself is a victory but there is still a long way to go, in our opinion, before we can begin to see the type of organization that we have in mind emerging in the province. To ensure the development of organized anarchism in Québec, a strategy for the many different tasks to be carried out is required. This will demand the establishment of a militant, revlutionary organization for the radical social movements and for the emergence of a wide, open libertarian left.
But first, what type of organization are we talking about? As we see it, it is part of the social struggles. It is a collection of militants on the same wavelength, a meeting-place for debate and the sharing of ideas and experiences, both social and political. It is not a secret group, a private club or an affinity group, but a public organization which anyone who shares its positions can join. Organization is essential in order to share our resources, break with localism and maximise the impact of our libertarian practices by coordinating our political activities. Experience has led us to adopt the platformist principles of organization, i.e. an effective organization is one that is based on:
*theoretic and tactical unity
*federalism and direct democracy
*collective responsibility.
We do not have a dogmatic approach to the "Organizational Platform of Anarchist Communists", the document which "platformism" is based on; it is the starting point of our practice, not the end point. In concrete terms, the search for unity and consistency is a permanent process which takes place through internal debate. Federalism and direct democracy allow us to achieve a certain balance between autonomy and collective force. What is common to us all is collectivized and controlled democratically by the whole organization, but members maintain their full political and organizational autonomy in their local work. Collective responsibility means that the members of the organization participate in the internal debates and decision-making but will adopt the majority position. In short, agree with the positions and campaigns that are adopted and participate in them.
Winning back a social base
Each time anarchism played a role in other countries, there were organized anarchists with deep roots in their societies. It was the case in Spain, in Ukraine, France and Mexico, where organized anarchism had a presence in the majority of localities and in every district of the larger cities, carrying out intense activity in the various social movements and enjoying a lively, diversified press. It could be said that everywhere anarchism made a difference, it was rooted in the movement and had a stong social base. This is something that is lacking in Québecois anarchism, and something we want to change.
For a long time now, the Quebec anarchist movement has been a generational phenomenon concerning mostly young people. Every new generation of militants drives out the preceding one and has to practically re-invent the wheel. If anarchist communists are to win back a social base, we will have to face the double challenge of rooting ourselves in the social movements on both a medium and long-term basis. And we will have no chance of doing this unless we are unable to develop a militant presence in the struggles of our class. It is time to reconsider a fundamental form of militancy: the mass action of the social movements in our neighbourhoods, schools, campuses, workplaces, etc. It may be somewhat less glorious than certain other forms of "radical" militancy, but we cannot ignore it if we are to be successful in the long term in building an open movement based on the realities of our class.
Organized anarchism cannot confine itself to militant ghettos. It must move out into the neighbourhoods and the places of our daily lives. The anarchist movement must also leave the big cities and establish itself throughout the land. To consolidate anarchism in our class, we are ready to go to plces we have practically never been - in the smaller towns of the province.
We will do our best to support, materially and morally, anyone who wants to join an existing group in the new organization or to develop one in their town. Refounding organized anarchism and turning it into a force to be reckoned with in society is no mean task... But if you're interested and if you want your say too, now's the chance. All contributions are welcome!
Article from "Cause Commune", No. 22 (October 2008).
Translation by FdCA - International Relations Office
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L'anarchie de A à Z, «U» comme Unité
Une invitation à refonder l’anarchisme organiséLes collectifs québécois de la NEFAC sont en pleine redéfinition. En effet, les sections québécoises et américaines de la fédération ont décidé de former deux organisations solidaires mais indépendantes. Les 22 et 23 novembre, nous tiendrons un congrès dans la Métropole qui sera l’occasion d’adopter le manifeste et la constitution d’une nouvelle organisation communiste libertaire québécoise. Nous voulons profiter de l’occasion pour entamer un dialogue avec des camarades proches de nous et voir s’il est possible de faire un bout de chemin ensemble et d’intégrer plus de militantes au processus dans toutes les régions du Québec.
Notre base d’unitéEn une petite décennie de luttes, une organisation communiste libertaire sérieuse a enfin réussi à s’implanter au Québec. En soi c’est déjà une victoire, mais il y a encore beaucoup de chemin à faire, selon nous, avant de voir émerger dans la province le type d’organisation révolutionnaire que nous préconisons. Pour assurer le développement de l’anarchisme organisé au Québec, une stratégie impliquant plusieurs tâches à mener de front s’impose. Il s’agit d’enraciner une organisation révolutionnaire militant pour des mouvements sociaux combatifs et pour l’émergence d’une gauche libertaire large et ouverte.
Mais d’abord, de quel type d’organisation parlons-nous? L’organisation, telle que nous la concevons, est l’un des moments des luttes sociales. C’est une assemblée de militantEs sur la même longueur d’onde, un lieu de confrontation et de synthétisation d’idées et d’expériences sociales et politiques. Ce n’est pas un groupe secret, un club privé ou un groupe d’affinité mais une organisation publique dont on peut devenir membre si on est d’accord avec ses positions. L’organisation est nécessaire pour partager des ressources, rompre avec le localisme et maximiser l’impact des pratiques libertaires en coordonnant nos activités politiques. L’expérience nous a amené à adopter les principes d’organisations plateformistes, c’est-à-dire une organisation efficace qui repose sur:
*L’unité théorique et tactique
*Le fédéralisme et la démocratie directe
*La responsabilité collective.
Nous n’avons pas une approche dogmatique de la «Plateforme d’organisation des communistes libertaires», le document de base du «plateformisme»; c’est le point de départ de notre pratique et non le point d’arrivée. Concrètement, la recherche d’unité et de cohérence est un processus permanent qui se vit au travers de débats internes. Le fédéralisme et la démocratie directe nous permettent d’atteindre un certain équilibre entre autonomie et force collective. Ce qui est commun est collectivisé et contrôlé démocratiquement par l’ensemble de l’organisation mais les militantes gardent leur pleine autonomie politique et organisationnelle dans leur militantisme local. La responsabilité collective signifie que les membres de l’organisation participent aux débats internes et à la prise de décision mais doivent se rallier aux positions majoritaires. Bref, les militantEs sont solidaires des positions et des campagnes adoptées et y participent.
Reconquérir une base socialeÀ chaque fois que l’anarchisme a joué un rôle dans d’autres pays, il y avait des anarchistes organisées et profondément enracinées. Que ce soit en Espagne, en Ukraine, en France ou au Mexique, on trouve un anarchisme organisé présent dans la plupart des localités et tous les quartiers des grandes villes, une activité intense dans tous les mouvements sociaux, une presse vivante et diversifiée. On peut dire que dans tous les cas où l’anarchisme a compté, il y avait un enracinement et une base sociale au mouvement. C’est ce qui fait défaut à l’anarchisme québécois et c’est ce que nous voulons changer.
Il y a longtemps que le mouvement anarchiste québécois est un phénomène générationnel impliquant essentiellement des jeunes. Chaque nouvelle génération militante chasse la précédente et doit pratiquement réinventer la roue. Pour réussir à reconquérir une base sociale, les communistes libertaires doivent relever le double défi de l’enracinement et de l’insertion sociale sur le moyen et long terme. Si nous n’arrivons pas à développer une présence militante dans les luttes de notre classe, nous n’avons aucune chance. Il est temps de reconsidérer une forme de militantisme fondamentale: l’action de masse des mouvements sociaux dans les quartiers, les écoles, les campus, les lieux de travail, etc. C’est peut-être moins glorieux qu’un certain militantisme «radical» mais c’est incontournable pour s’inscrire dans la durée et construire un courant ouvert sur l’ensemble des réalités de notre classe.
L’anarchisme organisé n’a pas à être confiné aux ghettos militants. Il doit s’épanouir dans les quartiers et les lieux de la vie quotidienne. Le mouvement anarchiste doit aussi sortir des grandes villes et s’implanter sur tout le territoire. Pour consolider l’anarchisme dans notre classe, nous sommes prêtes à aller là où nous ne sommes pratiquement jamais allées : dans les petites villes de la province.
Nous nous engageons à soutenir matériellement et moralement quiconque voudra intégrer un groupe existant de la nouvelle organisation ou en développer un dans sa ville. Refonder l’anarchisme organisé et en faire une force qui compte dans la société n’est pas une mince affaire... Si ça vous intéresse et que vous voulez avoir votre mot à dire, c’est le bon moment. Toutes les contributions sont les bienvenues!
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Extrait du numéro 22 du journal Cause commune (à paraître début octobre)
Molly Comments:I cannot help but see this as a very positive development. As an outsider to NEFAC it has long seemed to me that the Québec section was the best organized and most active. This "outsider" status may give me the sort of objectivity that a person inside the organization doesn't have, but, I must admit, it restricts the facts I have at my command and makes it more likely that I am wrong on certain points.. The local situation in Québec is also so radically different from that in the USA that it is obvious that Québec comrades would have far different priorities than those in the United States. Nothing could so dramatically illustrate this as the present situation where there are simultaneous elections in both countries. One could hardly expect Americans to take notice of the Canadian campaign...and they don`t. In Canada the Québec comrades have begun to organize an abstention campaign, but to my knowledge NEFAC in the USA has done nothing about their elections. Even if they did, a transnational abstention campaign would have to revolve around the most abstract of principles to `translate across the border`. I doubt that there is any great animosity between the Québec and the American comrades, but insofar as any resources have flowed from Québec to NEFAC in the states, I have a sneaking suspicion that the people in Québec feel they are not getting "bang for their buck". A glossy journal in English (The Northeastern Anarchist) is all well and good, and most people in Québec can read English (much better than people out here on the prairies can read French)...but why should they have to ? I also have another sneaking suspicion that the Québec comrades have been given the impression that they are "carrying the ball" for many relatively inactive US sections and that they'd rather hand the ball back to take up more effort in their own backyard.An entirely different political situation. A linguistic divide. Huge differences in the character of the labour movements in the two countries. Totally different cultural norms. Huge differences as to what "minorities" are significant. The presence of a "national question" in one country and not the other. The list goes on and on, and the only wonder is that the division didn't occur much earlier. For years now I have been argueing that trying to organize "national" federations is premature. it remains so. The question of transnational groups is much more prolematic. Besides, as the Québec comrades say, they think that they can organize much more effectively on a smaller provincial level. THAT is the immediate future of anarchism here in Canada. We finally have the numbers that make federations possible, but trying to build a national house of cards will inevitably lead to nothing except collapse. There is a long and difficult process ahead of both local organization building and facilitating communication between established organizations before we can even begin to think of a national federation. Building Potemkin Villages across the border with the USA, or even within Canada, actually diverts resources and attention from much more important local organizing. When and if strong local organizations are built they will gradually build the interconnections with other localities that will be a real basis for any national or transnational organization.Good luck to the new Québec organization when it comes into being this November.
