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Inglés

The Police and the State as an lnstrument of Class War and Oppression

One does not have to search far to find examples of how the police and the state apparatus is used during moments of resistance to exploitation and oppression. Around the world we see how time after time, workers protests are quelled by police, how movements of the oppressed are put down by force. The role of the state in maintaining the power of the elites has long been clear.

Over the last few years, we have had to face the real repression of the state many times, often exaggerated in its reaction. The state has tried to make comrades into terrorists, for example in the case of comrades from ASI several years ago or in the ridiculous case of the arrest of a comrade from the CNT-AIT at the beginning of 2016 for taking part in a politically satirical puppet show. In Poland, the state-run Post Office also tried, unsuccessfully, to charge a comrade from ZSP with “calling for a bloody revolution”, which could have also resulted in serious charges.

The police and the state continue to repress and we continue to react. Comrades around the world face harassment and violence which we condemn, regardless of the level of its severity. In Spain, the libertarian social movements are under attack and in Russia, the very freedom to protest is severely constrained by the state. In Serbia, ASI has recently been taking direct action by organizing with tenants, to prevent evictions and the police have been monitoring activists and bringing charges against them. In Australia, the police have been carrying out brutal actions against refugees on Manus island. During a recent demonstration in Melbourne, in support of the refugees, when right-wing thugs attacked, instead of reacting, the police bludgeoned our comrade from ASF. When these bloody images shocked the world, in some media the police pretended that they had pacified a right-wing attacker, when in fact they stood idly by in relation to the attacks on the peaceful demonstration.

Statutes of the IWA (Updated November 2017)

The Belgrade Congress

The IWA is pleased to announce the success of its first Congress ever in the Balkan Region. The Congress marks a new era for the IWA, which has shown its commitment to development and spreading anarchosyndicalism in more new regions around the world.

On November 3-5, 2017 an Extraordinary Congress of the IWA took place in Belgrade, Serbia. The Congress was held, extraordinarily, less than one year after the XXVI Congress, that took place in Warsaw. Despite this technical challenge, the Congress again went smoothly and was accompanied by discussion on practical matters and public presentations of the work of the Sections.

The choice to hold an important Congress in Belgrade can be seen as an act of defiance against the authoritarian state, that tried to criminalize comrades in this country on more than one occasion.

May Day and the Libertarian Workers' Movement

Each May Day we remember the history of workers in struggle for the 8-hour day, which is behind the holiday. This struggle is still relevant. The material conditions of the working class in many places is abysmal and the 8-hour day is still a goal to be achieved, not only because of its absence but because many people simply cannot afford to live on what they could earn in 8 hours. In many places where decent conditions were won due to historic struggles, these gains have been eroded by the advance of the capitalist offensive. Hundreds of millions of working people live in stress and anxiety due to their precarious situation, often not able to afford the basic necessities of life – nevermind fully enjoying the fruits of their labour.

At the same time that this is happening, another, much more dangerous thing is spreading around the world. Anxiety and frustration has driven parts of the working class, always with the manipulation of elites, into worldviews that are both extremely divisive for the working class, as well as highly authoritarian and anti-libertarian in their nature. Scores of working people have turned to nationalist rhetoric and different forms of social conservatism, wrongly thinking that measures such as building walls or stepping up the police state will somehow save them.

At this time in history, we, members of the International Workers' Association, face a number of extremely hard tasks, in light of a mass shift in the ideas which dominate in some of the places we operate and in light of urgency to counter these trends. The IWA has never been just a union federation. It has never only been about just organizing workers in their economic struggles. The IWA is the workers' federation which stands for the new world in our hearts, where all of humanity is equal and the ideologies which divide us, drive us to war, hatred, discrimination etc., are replaced by the libertarian ideal of freedom, respect and dignity for all.

Misconceptions over Split Conference

lt has come to our attention that various organizations have been invited to a conference ostensibly about „rebuilding the IWA” that is to be held in November in Spain. Due to the fact that this has caused some confusion as to the nature of said conference and to avoid any misunderstandings, we would like to clarify a few matters.

The Congress of the lnternational Workers' Association is to be held at the beginning of December in Poland. This Congress and only this Congress is where decisions about the proposals submitted to the Association can be made by the entirety of its member Sections.

The conference being held in Spain, to which some organizations were invited, is not organized by the IWA, although it claims to be a „conference for the preparation of the IWA refoundation”. This initiative is thus a split where outside organizations are being invited to decide over the future of a federation to which they do not belong. It is held against the statutes, agreements and principles of the very federation it claims to be refounding and its aim is to exclude a dozen other member Sections from the process.

No Domination, No Authority; We struggle for more on May Day

Traditionally on May Day, workers of the world receive best wishes in the struggle from organizations all over the world. Many of them will remind them of the struggle for the 8-hour day, which led to the tragic events of 1886. This May Day, besides revolutionary greetings, we'd like to begin with a few words about what else the people who lost their lives after the Haymarket incident were fighting for.

The courtroom speeches of the Haymarket martyrs were written down and show us that these were men of ideals that went far beyond just the struggle for better working conditons. Louis Lingg explained that ”Anarchy means no domination or authority of one man over another”.

This idea is very basic to the ideas of anarchism. That all people should be free and equal. But this equality is not the pseudo-equality of the bourgeoise classes, who usually define this word as a equal right to vote for an elected representative. True equality, in our tradition, is expressed by the idea that divisions caused by wealth or access to natural resources need to be destroyed and that restribution take place. That “from each according to their ability, to each according to their need” be the ethic, not the rule of the market or the idea that anybody deserves more due to the fact they were born into a better position. True equality is also the idea that there are no hierarchies, no person or group of people who dominates others. Historically, domination is supported by factors such as inherited wealth, access to resources or living in a larger and dominant group. An anarchist vision wishes to turn this all on its head. Therefore, we do not accept the logic of the bourgeois democracies and we do not accept the current forms of domination that we encounter.

Anarchosyndicalism is an idea which comes from the anarchist tradition. It sees the need for workers' organizations to carry out a class struggle. But it is not limited to this idea. Historically and today, anarchosyndicalism is also the struggle for libertarian communism and a self-managed society which breaks down all hierarchies and is transformed into a society of equals.

On the Extraordinary Congress of USI – Against the Illegitimate Use of the Name IWA

Following the recent Extraordinary Congress of our Italian Section, USI, an article appeared on that organization’s webpage which could be misleading and which forces us to write a clarification. USI is calling for a “refoundation Congress of the IWA”, to be held parallel to the regular IWA Congress in December 2016. Such an event, called outside of the IWA statutory procedures, would have no relation to the International Workers' Association and constitutes an illegitimate use of its name.

In the past, the Italian Section condemned the illegitimate use of the initials IWA (or AIT). Two decades ago, when USI split and the split faction tried to claim the name USI-AIT, the IWA clearly said that only the part of USI which conformed to our principles and which was recognized by the IWA Congress could use the initials of our federation, the IWA (also known by its English and Spanish acronyms, IWA-AIT). Throughout the years, USI has asked the IWA Secretariat and the Sections to defend it against the split faction usurping its name and we have always done this. The reason behind this is natural: only those which belong to the IWA (or IWA-AIT), who are recognized and comply with the statutes and duties of member Sections (ie, paying dues) should use the name. All others only mislead if they claim they are part of this federation they in fact don’t belong to.

Now things look quite different. USI, is calling for a split Congress, to coincide with the legitimate and statutory Congress of the IWA; it is usurping the name of the International Workers' Association and this may mislead other people and organizations. This use of the IWA or AIT initials is just as illegitimate as the use of the initials USI-AIT by the organization that split from it.

Only the Congress of the International Workers’ Association can decide if it would like to hold an Extraordinary Congress and the regular Congresses are established in the statutes. No single organization or faction of organizations can convene a Congress by themselves in accordance with the Statutes of the IWA.

On The Publication of the CNT Spain Regarding the IWA

Recently, the CNT has published their positions on the ”refounding of the IWA”. Several points of their article could cause misunderstandings and are factually incorrect.

Any official decisions of the IWA related to this matter can only be taken at the Congress of the IWA. It is not possible, under the IWA statutes, for the CNT or any other Sections to convoke a refounding conference of the IWA without the approval, in Congress, of the entire IWA. Only if the IWA Congress approves any Ordinary or Extraordinary Congress dedicated to its refoundation can such Congress be considered organic and legitimate.

We stress that only the decisions of the Congress are representative of the IWA's positions. In turn, only the official positions of each member Section are representative of that Section.

Below we have produced a small FAQ related to the points brought up in the publication and to the many questions sent people from around the world have been asking us from the IWA Secretariat. The information herein is based on the actual Congress decisions of the IWA and other facts documented internally in the federation.

Solidarity with the Puppeteers from Below: The State is the Biggest Terrorist

March 21 is World Puppetry Day and on this occasion we would like to remind the world of the situation faced by our comrades, Alfonso and Raul from Puppets from Below. At the beginning of February, the puppeteers from Granada were invited to Madrid carnival celebrations by the muncipality to present their show, The Witch and Don Cristobal. During the performance they were arrested and face up to 7 years in prison.

The puppet show itself was a political commentary on the state practice of framing politcal activists and other serious problems of attacks on freedom and abuse of power. As part of the plot, the police attack the heroine of the story and plants a placard in her premises which serves as the basis for branding her a terrorist. This scene was used to accuse the puppeteers of “glorifying terrorism” and “incitement of hatred”.

For all who know the show and the puppeteers, it is clear that this was an example of critical theatre. It is a gross example of state encroachment on conscience and freedom to try and criminalize people for their political thought.

It may well be that the event organizers in Madrid had no idea what they were sponsoring – but who's fault is that? The puppeteers warned that there may be content inappropriate for children, but parents paid no attention, deciding to denounce them to the police instead.

Much can be said about the show, but one thing is clear: this was not any glorification of terrorism or incitement. Such charges are simply characteristic of the very problems that the puppeteers were denouncing. The abuses of the state have been stepped up in Spain recently, where new laws have been introduced and we see increasing incidents of political repression.

The lnternational Workers' Association send our solidarity to the puppeteers and we demand that all charges be dropped.

Solidaridad con “Títeres desde Abajo”: El estado es el principal terrorista

El 21 de marzo es el Día Mundial de las Marionetas y, en esta ocasión, nos gustaría recordar al mundo la situación que enfrentan nuestros compañeros, Alfonso y Raúl, de Títeres desde Abajo. A principios de febrero, los titiriteros de Granada fueron invitados por el ayuntamiento a presentar su espectáculo, la Bruja y Don Cristóbal, en las celebraciones del carnaval de Madrid. Durante la representación fueron detenidos y se enfrentan hasta a siete años de prisión.

El espectáculo de marionetas, en sí mismo, era una farsa política sobre la práctica estatal de hacer montajes a activistas políticos y sobre otros problemas graves de ataques a la libertad y de abusos de poder. Como parte del argumento, la policía ataca a la heroína de la historia y coloca una pancarta en su casa, lo que sirve de base para etiquetarla como terrorista. Esta escena es la que se utilizó para acusar a los titiriteros de “apología del terrorismo” y de “incitación al odio”.

Para todos los que conocen el espectáculo y a los titiriteros, es claro que se trataba de un ejemplo de teatro crítico. Es un ejemplo en bruto de la invasión del estado en las conciencias y en las libertades para intentar criminalizar a la gente por sus ideas políticas.

Muy bien podría ocurrir que los organizadores del evento en Madrid no tuvieran idea de lo que estaban patrocinando -pero ¿de quién es la culpa de esto? Los titiriteros advirtieron de que podría haber contenidos inadecuados para los niños, pero los padres no prestaron atención, decidiendo en cambio denunciarlos a la policía.

Se pueden decir muchas cosas sobre el espectáculo, pero una cosa es clara: no se trataba de apología ni incitación al terrorismo. Dichos cargos son simplemente característicos de los mismos problemas que estaban denunciando los titiriteros. Los abusos del estado han ido en aumento en España últimamente, donde se han introducido nuevas leyes y donde vemos incrementarse los incidentes de represión política.

La Asociación Internacional de los Trabajadores envía su solidaridad a los titiriteros y demandamos que se anulen todos los cargos.

Asociación Internacional de los Trabajadores

International Workers Association