Organise! has always recognised the importance of having a sense of history. In Britain, whether it’s a look back over a century to the origin of the anarchist communist movement or to the radicalism of the 1960s and 70s, we have aimed to recount the best of class struggle and solidarity. For the historical articles of the current issue we examine the lesser-known anarchist leanings of Algerian-French author and philosopher Albert Camus, and the anarchist vision of Mexican revolutionary Ricardo Flores Magón. We also present a revolutionary portrait of a German ‘working class hero’, Georg Elser “The man who tried to kill Hitler”, and look at the political situation in Armenia which has turned out to be an especially dangerous place for our anarchist comrades to work in.
We seem to live in a present where it might be easy to despair and give up. We have a government that lies openly and doesn’t seem to care what the active minority of radical people say or do. And not always such a minority! Millions were against the bombing and occupation of Iraq, but 4 years later our armed forces are still there. There is already a vast number of surveillance cameras in Britain and other weapons of control are on the increase. In the developing world, rapid industrialisation is causing misery for many, especially in the old Communist and Maoist regimes that have swiftly turned to individual and state-sponsored grabbing of land and resources to fuel the demands of global trade.
Still there is some room for optimism. In Europe especially, building and the defence of ‘free space’ is becoming an important form of struggle against overpowering state control and ‘social cleansing’ of our cities. Within these spaces we also find creativity that is in direct opposition to the banality of consumer capitalism. In the workplace, the potential for wildcat industrial action is recognised as an important way to break the deadlock of traditional trade unionism that always seems to stifle meaningful class struggle. And there is good evidence of rural revolt (not the Countryside Alliance type) in China.
To foster a more optimistic vision, this issue of Organise! looks at ‘Signs of life’ within this seemingly weakened radicalism. We also present what the AF itself has been doing over the last year or so to hopefully contribute to a strengthening of radical ideas and class struggle on the ground. At the same time we reject the false establishment optimism of the bogus slave trade 'Abolition 200' events and the coming together of our homegrown 'warlords' into the new Northern Ireland parliament.
The AF’s membership continues to grow. We welcome new members who agree with our aims and principles, as well as new subscribers to Organise! This issue includes three contributions from non-members. Please contact us if you have an idea for an article. If you want to comment on an article, or if there is something you’d like our opinion on, please don’t hesitate to write to the Letters page or contact us by email.
The Anarchist Federation, April 2007