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************ Rebels at Ruesta **********
International Libertarian Meeting
LAST SUMMER saw the red and black flag of anarchism
flying high in the mountains of Spain. Alternative
Libertaire of France organised an international meeting
for libertarian socialists, anarcho-syndicalists and
anarchists, which saw over 100 delegates gather at the
village of Ruesta in the Spanish Pyr?nees. Unlike the
average holiday resort, this village is owned by an
anarcho-syndicalist trade union (the Spanish CGT).
Comprising two hostels, two bars, a restaurant, a
campsite, a lake, a church which has been turned into a
small hall for meetings, a shop and about twenty
buildings in need of major renovation, Ruesta is run as
a leisure centre for members of the CGT (and anyone
else who wants to visit).
The majority of the delegates came from the CGT,
Alternative Libertaire (France), and the Libertarian
Socialist Organisation (Switzerland), Smaller numbers
came from Libertarian Alternative (Lebanon), the Polish
Anarchist Federation, the Italian Libertarian
Communism and the Workers Solidarity Movement, as well
as from two other anarcho-syndicalist unions: the SAC
of Sweden and the Spanish Solidaridad Obrera.
France
AL-F have about 150 members, many of them established
activists in trade union and campaigning work, which
includes a lot of work in DAL ('Right to Housing').
France seemingly has more empty houses than homeless
people, which has given rise to a squatting movement
which takes in single people and families, native
French and immigrants. A number of AL members hold
national and local positions in DAL, which indicates
that they are active in the struggle and not just
talking about it. Another area of activity is AC!
('Against Unemployment'), which has recently won free
public transport for the unemployed in several cities.
Other struggles mentioned were abortion rights and
anti-nuclear.
In the unions they also seem to be pretty busy, and
they say it was AL-F members who took the initiative to
form the radical independent SUD union in the Post
Office & Telecom, after the CFDT union bureaucracy
expelled a branch during a dispute. SUD is now the
second largest union in the Post Office. Similar
unions have been formed in the health service and tax
offices.
On the negative side of things we were bothered by
their attitude that supporting candidates in
parliamentary elections is just a tactical question.
They do not see the massive contradiction that exists
between anarchism and involvement in electoral
politics. After all, we want to get rid of rulers, not
help to prop up the division into rulers and ruled.
They see themselves as "libertarian communist" rather
than anarchist, in the sense that they wish to add
parts of other traditions to anarchism. They mentioned
Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Marx but didn't tell us which
bits they wanted, nor what they saw as the 'failings'
of anarchism (as opposed to wrong strategies or
tactics).
Switzerland
The politics and culture of the OSL appear to be very
similar to AL-F. With about 80 members they are active
in both the French and German speaking cantons of
Switzerland, though they seem to be much stronger in
the French speaking regions. They spoke about their
involvement in anti-militarism, squatting, anti-racism
and opposition to 'workfare' schemes. They said the
libertarian CRT trade union is primarily based on the
watchmakers of the Jura (the people who took the
anarchist side over 120 years ago in First
International!) and is small, but does have some
influence on other unions.
We also had any notion that Switzerland is a reasonably
progressive country shattered when we learned that the
last canton to give the vote to women only did so in
1994!
Lebanon
Very much linked to the French AL, this is a relatively
new group. Their situation is one of working in a
country which endured 17 years of civil war, where
parts are occupied by Israel, where Syria is a force to
be reckoned with, where religious sectarianism is
institutionalised in law and repression of dissidents
is increasing.
A handful of people operating in difficult
circumstances, they have just begun distribution of
their Arabic translation of Daniel Guerin's Anarchism,
from theory to practice (towards the production ofwhich
the WSM made a donation). They intend to distribute
2,000 copies in the Lebanon and another 2,000 to Arabic
speaking workers in France.
Poland
The Polish Federation are a looser body than the others
who attended. At a national level they have no common
political project, strategy or tactics. Their exact
membership is unknown, even to themselves, but they
have about 30 local affiliates which vary from 3 or 4
people up to 30 in some cases.
Activity has included big actions and ongoing campaigns
on the Russian invasion of Chechnya, pensions, anti-
racism/anti-fascism (four people were killed by nazi
skinheads last year) and anti-militarism.
These comrades attended because they wanted more
contact with Western anarchists, rather than because of
any particular interest in Alternative Libertaire's
desire for an international federation of 'platformist'
and libertarian communist organisations.
The revolutionary unions
The people from the SAC, CGT and SO carried no mandates
but were an inspiration, a living proof that anarchists
can win workers in their tens of thousands. And they
are not being won by militant trade unionism alone. At
present the SAC is debating the future direction of
their union, centring on whether to spend money on more
ombudsmen (elected full-time officials who can be
called upon by branches if they need assistance) or to
improve the weekly SAC newspaper instead. Some members
feel that, essentially, this is about whether to be
primarily a union or primarily a libertarian political
organisation. Whatever we may think about the relative
merits of either proposition, it is a healthy sign that
members are debating like this. (Not the sort of
discussion you come across in SIPTU or IMPACT!)
As well as participating in the debates, the WSM
delegates gave a formal presentation dealing with the
situation in Ireland. This covered the historical
weakness of 'left' politics; the problem of partition;
the historical attraction of radical nationalism for
rebellious youth, and the activities of the WSM. The
latter covered our work to explain and popularise
anarchism; and our activity in the trade unions and
campaigns for abortion rights and against the water
charges.
Conference declaration
A draft declaration was discussed, which was to be sent
to all the participating organisations for discussion.
Essentially this would commit the political
organisations (not the unions) to further discussion,
translation of texts, further meetings in 1996 and
1997, and a common protest at the G7 summit in Lyon
next year. The WSM have signed (see letter).
Clearly many questions arise: How broad should this
project be/what is the minimum political agreement
required, what are the immediate objectives of co-
operation? What should be the relationship to the
revolutionary unions? The question of calling for the
building of specific anarchist-communist organisations
in Spain and Sweden? How will it be understood in the
broader anarchist movement?
The bosses are well organised, we need to be better
organised than them. While there is much co-operation
across borders by anarchists, and some international
bodies (like the syndicalist International Workers
Association), the Ruesta meeting was a long overdue
event. It brought together anarchists and libertarians
who see themselves as coming from a tradition whose
points of reference include the Organisational
Platform, the Friends of Durruti, and the Manifesto of
Libertarian Communism; the current among anarchists
known as 'platformism' (which also needs a better
name!) Debate, discussion and joint work can only help
us move forward.