1) No to religion, racism and xenophobia

Motion adopted by the 67th Congress of the Fédération Anarchiste in Rennes, France on 22, 23 and 24 May 2010:

The struggle against religion needs more than ever to be waged: confronted with a return en force of religious communitarianism, calls for “open laïcité” and “positive laïcité” in which religious hierarchies or apparatuses would intervene directly in institutions, attacks on the right to abortion orchestrated by religious lobbies and the public funding of religious institutions, notably in education – religions are making a full-fledged comeback in French political life.

Further, the government is using the debate over laïcité – which bars religions from having obscurantist and irrational public influence, notably on young people – to create xenophobic confusion regarding some people, confessions and against different cultures more generally.

On the one hand, the state is instrumentalising religious fundamentalism in order to instate its liberty-infringing policies and, on the other hand, it wants to convince us that the “soft” versions of these same religions are necessary for society. We believe that the turn towards religion is due above all to the increasing exclusion of a large part of society.

It is as such that the Fédération Anarchiste would like to recall:

- that it fights, has fought and will continue to fight against all religions, no matter which ones;
- that religions have never been, are not and will never be vectors of emancipation: they instate relations based on political, sexual, economic and nationalist domination.

For this same reason:

- we refuse all confusion between religion and origin.
- we assert that the banning and repression of some religions by the state – which is often a pretext for xenophobic policies – is not a desirable means for combating religion.
- that those who, taking as pretext the need to combat religion, vehicle racist, xenophobic and nauseating ideas, will always be enemies of the Fédération Anarchiste.

Fédération Anarchiste

2) Motion on Social Struggle

Let’s sweep away those starving us, let’s escape from capitalism’s suicidal impasse!

In France like elsewhere, the large bosses no longer even try to hide it: they are leading a veritable class war against the working world and are doing everything possible to win, with the active complicity of states.

They are making workers, the unemployed, youth and pensioners pay the bill for the crisis of their economic and financial system, the capitalist system, and are thus depleting a century’s worth of social conquests. They have resolutely affirmed their desire to maintain and constantly increase their profits and to recover all profits they have had to forfeit.

If we listen to them, there’s supposedly no money left for public services, pensions or social assistance, despite the fact that billions of euros were found for the banks and for some capitalist sectors; that 30 billion euros in exonerations are granted per year to bosses at the cost of pillaging our Social Security which is based on our direct and indirect salaries.

All of the government propaganda and media hype will not change the facts: speculation and profits are booming whilst in parallel poverty, insecurity and frenzied exploitation are growing everywhere and attempts at resistance are criminalised (the unauthorised immigrants’ struggle, striking workers called hostage takers, etc.).

No solutions will come from politicians’ scheming. The massive abstention during the last elections, particularly in working class districts, shows that the exploited have no hope in what, for anarchists, constitutes an impasse.

At the same time, the union bureaucracies are veritably undermining, fragmenting (days of action without any perspectives) and anesthetising all social struggle, and more or less overtly accompanying the counter-reforms underway or those planned, such as with pensions. The much needed unity of action makes sense only if its foundations are decided upon and organised by those directly involved in the struggle.

Confronted with the political-union consensus which seeks to control everything and confronted with the resignation up-kept by the false idea that capitalism is unsurpassable, the members of the Fédération Anarchiste are resolutely committed to fight alongside all those who want to regain control over their struggles or who encourage alternatives in action, notably through struggles for free public transportation, the re-appropriation of housing, in popular education, etc. They counter resignation with the desire to understand and to act.

We have decided to explain our point of view as widely as possible and with other organisations when conditions allow for it.

Our analyses, proposals and societal project will be presented and debated during meetings, debates and conferences which will be organised across France and promoted by all means of information at the Fédération Anarchiste’s disposal (Monde Libertaire, Radio Libertaire, etc.).

Fédération Anarchiste