Reclaim the Republic!

international | arts and media | other press Friday April 15, 2005 13:49 by .:.

rabbi ipsiphi suggests you know what it means & meant before using the slogan.

1931 the 14th of April was declared the 2nd Republic of Spain.

In its short life it brought hope, inspiration, creative solutions, the values of fraternity, liberty, equality to countless people who had lived in near feudal conditions through dictatorship.
It's "firsts" were many-
free education, free health care, over 50% of the arable land organised in autonomous collectives,
the first parliamentary representation by anarchists, the first political radio broadcasts, the first Catalan & Basque republics were declared as an associate component within it's state architecture.

All too quickly it fell, as the first victim of European fascism.

.:. Liberty .:. Equality .:. Fraternity .:. require Global Peace & Justice

The first state whose cities' civilians were daily bombarded.
The first towns which were dive bombed.
The first scene of the War between fascism/nazi-ism and Stalinism-marxism.
The first democratically elected leaders of states to be executed.
The first camps of "prisoners of a civil war" who were used as slave labour.

The 2nd republic was an ideal for many not just in the peninsula but globally.
It brought hope to libertarian socialist who had become disheartened by the emergence of Stalinism and the beginning of totalitarianism and exiles from Russia. It brought activists, intellectuals, artists, from the USA to Russia from France to assist its birth and the ambition of its project. And all too often only the soldiers who came to delay her death to a coup d'etat are remembered...

& thus is the heritage of millions of ordinary spaniards and catalans and basques who's forebears proudly built, sustained and fought for the Republic - in times of peace and war .

And accordingly there are many who yearly still celebrate the 14th of April and look forward to the establishment of the 3rd Republic.

And fair play to them. & all honour.

The values of Fraternity - Equality - Liberty
of ethical governance, of autonomy, of PEACE
do not spring up out of the ground.

Democracy does not spring up out of the ground.
The rights to equal suffrage regardless of socio-economic class, gender, or creed in a secret ballot are European rights.
They are rooted in the arguments of Greek sychophants and intellectuals, who never allowed their wives, concubines, slaves or migrants the same rights.
They have roots in the declaration of the rights of man of the French Revolution.
They share roots with the constitution of the USA.
They have some roots in the equal decision making traditions of the Calvinist and Presbytarian and other dissenting christian faiths.

They owe more than ever will be given its fitting memorial to those men and women of the First International and those of the 2nd Republic who yet again called for -

The Universal right to participate in your society and the decisions which effect it, without prejudice or hindrance on grounds of Race, Gender, Creed, Socio-Economic Class, Ownership of Property, and _in secret_.

Again and again, those rights and those who profess them have found themselves in conflict with the interest groups of power, be they heriditary, class based, miltary, police, and more recently commercial media or corporate financial.

And not a one of us .:. may forget the XIX century condemnation by the Roman Catholic Church of liberalism, which was again copperfastened during the 2nd Republic, which saw Franco's dictatorship and that of Pinochet blessed, and the socialist partisans tradition of Italy damned.

The Democratic contract, between state and people, between institutions of state and government and the "estates" of any nation or state, be they military, church, media, academia, or civil service, police, trade unions, political parties and social assembles, must never be taken for granted.

Nor is the only expression of Democracy found on "ballot day" when the enfranchised are called to poll.

The expression of democracy must be found every day, if it is to remain in any good health. Its expression relies on the rights of man, as articulated in the French Revolution and First International and United Nations charter of Human Rights.

Freedom of Expression.
Freedom of Association.
Freedom of cultural indentity
are amongst the most important.
As so April 14th is the Republican's day.

In most recent times (we have as social assemblies in Europe) moved to define in _de facto_ terms if not _de jure_, additional rights of "civil disobedience" and "democratic dissent".

We will continue no doubt, to do so.

The values of Democracy, of Liberty and Equality and Fraternity are threatened when any of the estates party to the state or nation exert imbalanced and undue power.

These values are undermined by militarised societies, by unchecked police forces, by xenophobic political parties which move against migrants or minorites on ground of creed or race, by trade unions who do not properly represent the interests of their workers, by media owners who attempt to monopolise public opinion and stiffle or limit public debate or manipulate public opinion.

Democracy is about much much more than voting once in a while.

It is more than saying "yes" or "no", in our high technological society of today it is also about "abstention" and "participation". Democracy is about learning and teaching the values of participation in society. From the smallest communities to the largest international stages.

Democracy is a system of values, a constant search for dialogue, a constant re-affirmation of the Rights of Mankind.

It is my opinion that the anniversary of the 2nd Spanish Republic is a fitting day to again urge all in the estates of society-
Military, Church, Media, Academia, Civil service, police, trade unions, political parties and social assembles, to continue to listen to each other to respect each other, to recognise that any modern society is a tapestry of cause and effect, injury and gift, hurt and understanding. To never again stifle the emergence of democracy at the most basic level, the farm, the street, the factory, the school-room.

Together we teach the next generations, so that together we move, for we must all realise that our democracies are imperfect as many argue the 2nd republic was. As indeed were the democracies of the ancient greeks, as was the republic of Rome, as was the time of the First International when the majority of Europeans did not vote on gender or class grounds. Together we must realise our democracies are "emergent".

Our role in social assemblies and as media collectives ought be to help that future libertarian democracy emerge, to give substance to the ideal. & in so doing curtail the threat of monopolised commercial media and opinion.

Our role is to balance the damage done in the name of free speech to the minds of the next generation for whom the "firsts" be they good or bad of the 2nd Republic mean nothing.


= Happy 14th April !

RECLAIM THE REPUBLIC!

historical info in english-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Spanish_Republic
the declaration of the republic on the abdication and self imposed exile of Alphonso Bourbon (grandfather to Juan carlos Bourbon)
http://www.asturiasrepublicana.com/2repu2.html

calls to memory in spain -
http://www.profesionalespcm.org/
http://www.loquesomos.org/lacalle/tuopinion/Nuestrarepublicarobada.htm
http://euskalherria.indymedia.org/eu/2005/03/20099.shtml
http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/170387

{readers' note the majority of this text was first published in irish cyber space in english at this link - "for everything has its reason, time & place" }
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=68739