Washington D.C., April 9-16
Due to differences in politics, tactics, and organizing principles with the
current direct action networks that are springing up throughout the world,
we are calling for an organized bloc of all stripes of anti-authoritarian,
anti-capitalist, revolutionaries at the upcoming demonstrations against the
IMF/World Bank. We are not, however, calling for a strictly anarchist black
bloc. We want to open the call to those "outside of anarchism", comrades
who struggle for much the same truly revolutionary anti-capitalist goals
that we do: the abolition of capitalism, the state, and all forms of
hierarchy and oppression.
Our intent is not to be divisive of the larger protest but to more
effectively support it by organizing autonomously. We feel that it is
necessary to organize separately as autonomists, anarchists, anti-state
libertarian marxists, wobblies, council communists, etc., for a number of
reasons: The reformist message of 'fair trade, not free trade', and all of
the talk about 'pruning' and 'fixing' that was in the streets in Seattle
and has subsequently been pushed in the organizing of the A16 demo as well
as within the larger anti-globalization movement is unacceptable. While we
realize the need to combat the issues that effect our daily lives and those
of our comrades the world over, this must be done within a larger
anti-capitalist, revolutionary critique that doesn't stop with single-issue
struggles. National protectionism and calls for national sovereignty, which
pit the international working class against itself, cannot be tolerated.
One nation-state is just as bad as any other nation-state, and so we have
to agitate for the abolition of all of them. We are internationalists and
therefore, regardless of political borders, see the need to globalize
resistance to all of capitalism. We cannot accept the active participation
of cops and/or peacekeepers in this or any other movement, protest, or
demonstration. Those whose job it is to protect the ruling class' interests
cannot be trusted to simultaneously support us. While our main goal is to
shut down the IMF/World Bank meeting, it is quite predictable that the cops
will aggressively attack those actions, immediately drawing lines between
the protesters on one hand, and the cops, 'police liaisons', and
'peacekeepers' on the other. We do not support collaboration with the enemy
at large and they should not be invited nor supported at this demonstration.
These and other authoritarian turns that the organizers have taken are
extremely dismaying to us and begin to show hastily covered fractures among
those of us working to make this demonstration happen. We can not work with
people who dictate what tactics are and are not appropriate. No one should
be pretending to own this movement or this demo. Unfortunately, to disallow
participation because of opposition to tactics and actions that aren't
solely symbolic betrays a reformist agenda from the get-go. We are not
advocating for any particular tactic; we are simply defending the
individual's right to act autonomously however they see fit against our
real enemies.
If aggressive self-defense or property destruction is unacceptable to some
then they shouldn't engage in it. This is a call for more active
participation of anarchist and other like-minded revolutionaries in the
entire anti-globalization movement to counter reformist perspectives and
goals with revolutionary, anti-capitalist, anti-authoritarian actions and
ideas. At A16 we envision an active and creative contingent of
revolutionaries marching under black, red & black, and green & black flags,
anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarian banners, and a hail of revolutionary
drumbeats. We are mobilizing marching bands, radical cheerleaders, and
planning a whole assortment of highly organized creative mayhem! To all of
our comrades who support this call, we encourage you to get in touch,
endorse it, and take to the streets with your anti-capitalist imaginations
and desires!
Do not let the blows against this capitalist system cease!
From the streets of Seattle, to Washington, DC, may our resistance be as
transnational as capital!
!Solidarity And Revolution!
Signed, Nosotros Group (Baltimore, MD), Group Anarchiste Emile-Henry
(Quebec), Active Transformation (Detroit-East Lansing, MI), Global Action
(Eugene, OR), Mutual Aid Legal Defense (Seattle, WA), We Dare Be Free
(Boston, MA), Sabate (Boston, MA), Lancaster ABC-SG (Lancaster, PA), Flint
Jones - Northeast Regional Delegate of the Workers Solidarity Alliance
(WSA-IWA), Morgantown Anarchist Group (Morgantown, WV), Prole Revolt
(Morgantown, WV), Mid-Atlantic Infoshop (Washington, DC), Anarchist Action
Collective (Eugene, OR)
For general information about the protest see www.A16.org To get involved
with the revolutionary bloc contact:
Nosotros Group P.O. Box 65341 Baltimore, MD 21209 USA
E-mail: DURRUTI36@aol.com
Dear Comrades,
Prairie Fire Organizing Committee in Chicago welcomes the discussion of
politics, tactics, and organizing principles initiated by the organizations
calling for a unified revolutionary anti-capitalist bloc in Washington
D.C., on April 16th to shut down the IMF and the World Bank.
We believe that the call raises important and complex issues which need to
be debated and discussed by those committed to struggling for a better
world. Perhaps we can meet in D.C. and discuss these issues. We agree with
the goals of the abolition of capitalism, and all forms of hierarchy and
oppression.
We believe that the creation of an "organized bloc of all stripes of
anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist, revolutionaries at the upcoming
demonstrations against the IMF and the World Bank" should be examined. How
will the proposed anti-capitalist bloc help to build a militant movement
capable of toppling capitalism? If we position ourselves too far away from
the majority's political consciousness we won't be able to drawn in new
people and grow as a movement. We see our role as trying to expand people's
consciousness and as always redefining the limits of actions.
We agree that progressive activists can not support collaboration with the
police. Police can not be invited, nor supported, at the demonstration
against the IMF and the World Bank. If different forces disagree with
proposed tactics, there needs to be internal discussion among those
involved in the demonstration. Moreover, we feel that even if aggressive
self-defense or property destruction is unacceptable to some, we should
never denounce each other as Medea Benjamin and others did in Seattle.
However, we think there also needs to be an understanding that for some
dedicated activists, aggressive self-defense or property destruction or
similar tactics really violate a fundamental and deeply held belief. For
many it is this same belief which is the source of their commitment to
struggle. That does not make them the enemy. We need to avoid developing a
dynamic of "us" versus "them" which divides people within the movement we
are trying to build.
There needs to be dialogue and a working out of how we can disagree and
still work together. To characterize some actions as "reformist" without an
examination of the politics that guide those actions is counterproductive.
The following are questions which we believe need to be addressed by those
calling for the revolutionary anti-capitalist bloc. In the spirit of
cooperation and struggle we hope these questions will make our combined
resistance to capitalism stronger and more effective.
How do issues of gender and sexuality fit into the call for the
revolutionary anti-capitalist bloc? We feel that these issues must be an
essential aspect of the proposed unified revolutionary anti-capitalist
bloc. The struggle for women's liberation and the struggle for the
liberation of lesbian, gay and transgendered people must be central to our
fight against authoritarianism, and capitalism. Queer and Feminist
critiques of authoritarianism and capitalism are not only useful, but
necessary for victory.
How does the call for the revolutionary anti-capitalist bloc fight white
supremacy? We believe that anti-racism must also be a crucial component of
our politics. Without the insights and theoretical and tactical
contributions of anti-racist struggles we will never defeat
authoritarianism and capitalism.
The anarchist Black Cross Federation (at least one member of which has
joined in the call for the revolutionary anti-capitalist bloc) contributes
greatly to the struggle to free political prisoners and prisoners of war in
the U.S. Prairie Fire Organizing Committee has a twenty-five year history
of supporting political prisoners in the U.S. Many of these prisoners were
part of national liberation movements. Others were North American allies of
those movements.
We support the movements which these prisoners represent. We support the
Puerto Rican independence movement, the Black liberation and New Afrikan
independence movements, the sovereignty of Native American Indian nations,
the sovereignty of Hawai`i, Chicano-Mexicano re-unification. We support the
right of colonized people to struggle for their own self-determination by
any means necessary.
We feel opposition to imperialism is essential. It's important to
understand ourselves as members of an imperialist state and to see our role
as anti-imperialists. We see that the U.S. is not just a nation state, but
an empire that has colonized and oppressed other nations. All states are
not equally as bad, except maybe in the abstract theoretical conception of
those privileged beneficiaries of the U.S. empire. While we also oppose
authoritarianism, we feel our first responsibility is to defeat the U.S.
empire.
How does the call for the revolutionary anti-capitalist bloc support the
struggle to free all political prisoners?
How does it support the movement to free Mumia Abu-Jamal and abolish the
death penalty?
How does the call for the revolutionary anti-capitalist bloc support the
Puerto Rican people's struggle against the bombing of Vieques and against
U.S. colonialism?
How does it support the Filipino people's struggle against the Visiting
Forces Agreement and U.S. militarism?
How does it fight against U.S. military intervention in Colombia?
How does it support the U'wa people in Colombia against Occidental
Petroleum's plans to destroy their land?
The interests of international capital and those of the U.S. empire have
converged. Both are working to demolish national sovereignty, precisely
because national sovereignty is a point at which some minimum defenses can
be erected to prevent the starvation of huge masses of people. Perhaps we
can agree that both capitalism and the U.S. empire need to be opposed
without agreeing that "one nation-state is just as bad as any other
nation-state".
We look forward to discussing these issues further and to joining you in
the streets of Washington, DC, in the struggle against the U.S. empire,
multinational corporations and capitalism.
Hasta la Victoria Siempre!
In struggle,
Prairie Fire Organizing Committee
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