Anarchic Congress in Belorussia
Dan Clore
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
http://www.ainfos.ca/en/ainfos22903.html
(en) Anarchic congress in Belorussia
Date Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:56:03 +0300
From 3 till 5 of July in Belorussia there was anarchic congress
(hereinafter referred to as AC). I've lucked out and got there. Congress
took place near Minsk. I arrived in Minsk on the night of the 2nd/3d of
July and stay overnight with my friends, who was going to take part in
congress. ---- We got up at 11 a.m., took a shower and had a breakfast
and went to the congress. On the way we met our friens from Minsk and
Kiev, who carried soup from Minsk FNB group. On arrival of the commuter
train we had to go on foot to get to the place. ---- Participants of AC
(there were members of Belorussia, Russia and Ukraine) pitch tents on
the margin. First day began with introductuion. Among arrival were
members of FNB, Antifa, Autonom activists, Radical ecologists,
Feminists, Squaters, Streets Meditions, CIRCA (Clown Army), Animal
Liberation activists, Syndicalists and others.
After introduction first section dedicated to security was opened.
Problems of safety not only in demonstrations and actions but also
safety of congress were discussed. First of all it was forbidden to take
films and photos, secondly people, who took part in discussion switched
off their phones and removed batteries. One of the terms of discussion
was individual and group security. Generally it was said over well-known
subjects such as to cover up face, do not talk with police at the moment
of arrest, to switch off phone at the meeting, do not blab off and so
on. Also security brochure was presented. It was analog to manual for
activist, but with the change of numbers of criminal and administrative
enactions and adapted for situation in Belarussia. People, who wrote
brochure, made enormous work.
After first section we had a break and discussion about
anarcho-syndicalism. Primarily there was short introduction to the
history of anarcho-syndicalism. After that, discussion concerning
actuality of anarcho-syndicalism nowadays between members of
anarcho-syndicalism and Autonom activists began. Debate touch on two
methods of action: annexion into the all hands and gradual
reorganization of it into the anarchic chapter or formation of all hands
by anarchists without integration in all hands and formation of works
commune. I was under the impression that everyone agreed to differ.
Then and there short break for dinner and section dedicated to
anti-nuclear movement. In the first instance there was raised a point:
why atomic energetics is bad and which alternatives are available.
Thereafter strategy and struggle tactics against building and already
working Atomic Power Station were discussed. Also the question of
international cooperation at struggle with atomic energetics was opened.
After discussion, films about chronics of protest against atomic
energetics and brochures containing information about alternative
sources of getting energy, were spread.
Then there was long break. Movie screening was planned but generator for
projector and audio system was late. Participant of AC was prepairing
supper and discussed different topics. By 11 p.m. generator came and
movie screening of Naomi Klein's film "THE TAKE" began. "The take" is
documentary film about factory workers in Argentina who took over a
closed plant and resumed production, operating as a collective. As a
good example of self-organization on factories without masters ceramics
manufacturers factory Zenon was shown. All workers at the factory got
equal pay-packets and all administrative affairs were solved by works
committee, in which every worker go into occasionally. In such a way,
structure of works committee constantly changed. Zenon got new
workplaces and, moreover, turnover of commodities grew as against the
time it was under control of big capitalists. Also workers of Zenon have
100% support of local population and native Indians. Police tried to get
back factory to the previous owner but big demonstrations and rebellions
of workers didn't give a chance for capitalists to return Zenon. After
the film there was anarcho-disco and after that everybody retired to
rest. At night several duty stations were organized to secure congress.
The first section of second day (4 of July) was dedicated to Anarchist
Black Cross (ABC). As usual, it began with summary of ABC and continued
with report about work of ABC-Moscow and about political prisoner
situation in Russia. It so happened that neither in Belorussia, nor in
Ukraine, there is no organized ABC group. Though there are people who
engage in it on a case-by-case basis. As it turned out, it is so because
of repression level in Belorussia and Ukraine isn't so high as it is in
Russia. And that is why it is no need to have an organized ABC group in
the movement. But as it was noticed by members from Russia it is better
to form group in good time to be ready for the moment when repressions
will take place.
After short break we were listening to report about transport
infrastructure. At the begigning reporter tell us which kind of
transport is the most ecological and why individual transport is bad.
Then another report about Minsk company for free public transport and
worldwide companies for free public transport (freepublictransport.com)
was listened. After that a little time was devoted to Critical Mass and
hitch-hiking. Then was the second section dedicated to problem on
gender. At first there was short introduction about difference between
gender and sex, and after this real performance began. Organizators of
the section chose an interesting way of reporting the problem. All
participants of discussion were divided into 10 groups and every group
was given a card with a short history, which should be performed. All
the histories hided gender subtext. For example: girl and lad saluted
each other with a hand shake. Lad said: "Oh, you have a male grasp!"
Then it was offered to discuss the performance and understand which
gender problems were opened in this history. Seminar opened different
problems, connected with gender and caused many interesting discussions.
Nextly on time section about international cooperation followed. First
of all there were presented projects, in which could take part people of
different countries, such as ecological camps and social forums. And
secondly contacts between AC members were formed.
Then it was break for a dinner, after it was short presentation about
what is Clown Army, which tactics they use and how it can be applied in
Belorussia, Russia and Ukraine. Then there was section dedicated to
Streets Meditions. Seminar interested almoust all members of AC, because
there must be a live example of what to do if you are in a gas cloud. At
the begining of the report speaker told which kind of gas can be used by
police for riot squad and which remedy is necessarily to apply for every
gas. How it is the most efficiently to protect yourself from influence
of gas, how to treat eyes and skin, which has contact with gas. After
this "live example" followed. To the arm of one volunteer was sprayed
pepper gas and amid the forest, using vegetable oil and alcohol,
volunteer was "saved". After short break members from Kiev told about
student union "Direct action", which formed recently. It's official
union with horizontal system of decision making. The aim of forming
union is struggle for the student rights and report left-wing and
anarchic ideas for studentship. The union publishes newspaper, takes
part in actions and demonstrations not only for student subject. It
unites not only small groups of students from 3 big Kiev universities,
but also people, who already graduated from universities. After short
discussion about unions and long break, which was cause because of
generator, seminar dedicated to computer security began. It a pity, but
I can't write everything we discussed there, because information may
slip away. After seminar there was acoustic concert of group "PolitZek"
and disco with the best hits of Atari Teenage Riot, Scooter, MC Hammer,
group A^�Dun?�A^� etc.
The third and the last day of congress (5 of July) as usual began with
breakfast and continued with report about Belorussia Anarchist
Federation (BAF). We get information about history of BAF. Then short
seminar about counter-cartography followed. Creation of not physical and
geographical maps, but creation maps of psychological state in different
districts of city or notation on maps buildings, subjects to destruction
during demonstration (banks, courts, police-stations) or creation of
maps migration from one country to another.At that counter-cartography
doesn't use classical methods of map creation and may place Africa in
the north and Europe in the south, because it doesn't intervene
conception of the map and its aims.
After the seminar, members of AC gathered and discussed the last topic
of AC: methods of antifa. At the begining there was report about current
antifa organization in Russia and about activity of neo-nazi groups.
Also another report contained information about future projects and
situation on the whole. After it report about situation in Ukrain
followed. I can say that antifa movement in Ukraine grows and becomes
more political. Their demonstrations gather more people, than neo-nazi
does, and they've already formed social projects for work at school.
Member of Autonom-Moscow.
_________________________________________
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Dan Clore
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-- Clark Ashton Smith, "Epigrams and Apothegms"