Subvert & Resist - Anarchist Conference in Belfast, February 2nd

national | miscellaneous | news report

Saturday January 11, 2003 01:46

by Brian - Anarchist Federation

contact at afireland dot cjb dot net

(00353) 086 328 3732

At least once a year the Anarchist Federation hosts an open forum. The next one, Subvert and Resist is in Belfast on Sunday the February 2nd from 12.30p.m to 7 p.m.. All are welcome.

At least once a year the Anarchist Federation hosts an open forum. The next one, Subvert and Resist is in Belfast on Sunday the February 2nd from 12.30p.m to 7 p.m.. All are welcome.

Topics:

12.30-1.30 Ecology and Activism:

A short talk and workshop given and led by a member of the AF (London). The member has been an eco-activist for over 20 years and is author of the popular AF pamphlet: Where’s there’s Muck There’s Brass

1.30-2.30 Gender, Class and Anarchism.

Open discussion introduced by the Women’s Commission of Organise! - A.S.F .

“The women’s commission started as an initiative of the ASF when we asked ourselves why women are not more involved and how to make space for them to be involved the way they would like to be.”
“the women's movement in western Europe has come to a dead end. I would like to link it to the class struggle perspective. In recent years when it has been so cool to go to protests against globalisation most of us tend to forget that the struggle is at home”

This talk/workshop focuses on the women’s movement today, and what pro-active measures women can take to organise class struggle.

2.30-3.30 Break

3.30-4.30 The Other Marxism.

Council Communism is a Marxist current which developed in Germany and Holland, during the years of the German and Russian Revolutions, in opposition to both Social Democracy and Bolshevism.

Autonomism is a Marxist current which developed in Italy in the 60’s and 70’s. It is characterised by:

(1) Emphasis on worker’s autonomy from capital, that is as opposed to Marxist viewpoints which see the working class pushed hither and thither by the ‘crisis of capitalism’, Autonomism sees capitalism as being forced to adapt to working class struggle.

(2) Emphasis on worker’s autonomy from the ‘official representatives’ of the working class (i.e. parties and unions), and seeing class struggle as developing in spite of, not because of, unions and parties.

(3) Emphasis on the autonomy of sectors of the class in their fight against specific oppressions. That is the ‘right’ (for want of a better term) of women, gays, minorities, to organise independently against their oppression.

A talk given by a member of the AF (Bristol), experienced activist, and co-maintainer of the web site: Class against Class
http://www.geocities.com/cordobakaf/index.html

4.30-5.30 Prisoner Support Workshop.

How can we improve the support network for anarchist prisoners in Britain and Ireland?

5.30-6.00 Break

6.00-7.00 Anti-War Direct Action Workshop.

By the time we gather to discuss this, war in Iraq may already have broken out. This workshop offers a practical brainstorming opportunity for the libertarian response to the war.

Venue: is upstairs in the Front Page bar. To get there you first find the front of the City Hall, walk down the road directly in front of it as far as the Belfast Telegraph building (near the cathedral), turn left, past the Irish News (on the right), past the statue of Lenin (on the left) until you come to a pub with a tacky flashing red neon sign called the Front Page.

For further details, contact the AF at: (00353) 086 328 3732 or email us at: contact@afireland.cjb.net

Anarchist Federation
http://www.afireland.cjb.net