_‘ MISSING FREEDOM We regret that owing to the NGA dispute FREEDOM could not be printed and distrib- fortnrghtly . . _ 1 Y uted last week. We hope to be able to‘ O VOLUME 37 NO. 18 ll SEPTEMBER 1976 TWELVE PENCE I maintain a regular schedule again from now on - Freedom Collective. T

4| -' Seli Help "GHOSTING" OF PRlSONERS "A thing which is not commonly known and needs to be spelt out - the vast majority of men the only answer that are in prison if they have wives and child- PERMISSION TO WRITE TO M.P. ren - they are on supplementary benefit. " So THE RECENT DEMONSTRATION by the pri- the way that the bastards get back at them is soners of what was "Hull top security prison" The prisoner must now seek permission to wr- that without any warning whatsoever the pri- was reported in the national media as simply a ite to his local MP. He does this by seeing his son authorities "ghost" the prisoners (i.e. the protest ogaimt the beating-up of a prisoner by landing officer, who will then contact the PO, prisoner is taken down to reception at any time prison guards. Ted Ward of PROP in London put his complaint in writing , and so on right of the day or night and transfened to an unkn- pointed out to us that the "development at Hull the way through the same procedure. He must own destination) . The prisoner will already has shown that people have learned from past again petition the Home Secretary for permiss- have a visiting order out for his wife and chil- experience. That the only way in which people ion to write to his MP, and the petition must dren but the authorities will then make it very in these institutions can get anything done ,after contain virtually everything he is going to say difficult for the wives and relatives to find out they have exhausted all the legal processes they to his MP. before permission is eventually gi- where the prisoner has been sent lo. Eventua- can go through, is to do it thermelves. " ven. Petitions are never sent off direct by the lly after much toing and froing between the lf a prisoner has a complaint to make, the prisoner, but are to be handed to the landing Home Office and the prison governor, and the impossible bureaucratic tangle into which every officer from whom it travels through the same houble which the prisoner's relatives invariably man, woman or child (let's not forget that pri- bureaucratic procedure. The result is that the have to cause, they will be informed where the soners also include women and children) has to authorities at all levels will know what the pri- prisoner has been transferred to. soner is complaining about to his MP. get themselves involved in virtually ensures th- HULL AND OTHERS at all the odds are against the prisoner. Ted CATCH 22 Ward outlined the grossly unfair legal procedu- "Eventually they do tell you where they are, re: "On paper the Home Office will show you and invariably over the last few years its been BUREAUCRATIC TANGLE a procedure which is laid down, which, quite Hull - Hull or Albany. ln the main its been frankly, looks very democratic - if I can use Hull, Albany or Wandsworth they transfer peo- "ln the morning when the cell is unlocked that word - you can't have anything more dem- ple to. " the prisoner will see the landing officer and ocratic. But of course, it's like the suppleme- apply to see the Wing PO. The Wing PO will ntary benefits commission and so on. . . it iust Tony Ward gave as an example of the autho- decide whether the matter raised in the coma- ¢ba'nt bloody work - everything's discretion- rities' going against the Home Office's establ- laint needs to be dealt with and whether he <=rr- ished rules the case of Peter Chappel . Peter himself is cqadale of dealing with it, or the "A lot of people that were at Hull were the Chappel is London-bom and bred, lived in govemor, or whatever. However, if the PO same people that had been doing that for a per- london all his life, helped to organise the cam- finds that the complaint is against a member of iod of years, and then, when they found that paign in London , and then the bastards sent his stdf he will do everything in his power to they had exhausted all those avenues they got him down to Liverpool. stop the complaint getting any further. " their relatives and friends outside to start pro- (continued on p. 2) The prisoner then has to put his complaint in testing fQrthem."___ g _ l 1 Whatever it may be, and however good or writing and that must be done through the land- ing officer , which invariably means that the bod the film, the combined forces of Church and State are assembling to ensure that we staff concemed will see a copy of the complai- will not be able to find out for ourselves. nt. Jesus Ghrist! JENS Jorgen Thorsen's pornographic film Personally, though l think bisexuality to "ln my experience I've found that once the which will apparently stow Jesus making love have been quite possible in someone who made complaint is in writing the prisoner will be able to Mary Magdalene, John the Baptist and a up his own mind which laws to follow and to see the appropriate person, such as the pri- Palestinian girl, will probably not be which to ignore, though l believe it to be quite son governor. But the prisoner is warned that ma-de in Britain after all. The full weight of natural in any case , the idea of a speculative if the corrplaint is found to be groundless disc- the British state in the distinctly unerotic form sex life of Jesus leaves me cold - and incid- iplinary proceedings will take place. " of James Callaghan has now been added to entally, has Thorsen not got the wrong John "JUST A TROUBLEMAKER" the shrill chorus of protest from archbishops, for the part? But, of course, that is hardly So, if that person gets to see the governor sikhs (believe it or not), festival of light mil- the point any longer. Very clumsily, the and the governor says, " there are no grounds itants and other spiritual terrorists, threaten- issue has become one of civil liberties. 'llG- for your complaint - you're iust a troublemaker" ing to make Thorsenls life and that of his -’._'.‘_ IIIIJALLY ocnuvae " "' ‘Ac: u.A1l_IQ gun supporters "intolerable" if he is allowed into -._,_>_~-- -. _-rue resrrvnr. or ,..-eeigoi the prisoner can apply to see the visiting mag- ;<-s>- r none; rn - - istrate or appeal to the board of visitors. But, Britain. ORGY AHIIICAI ITYLI IIIUQIY IX XI CAIIAI. IIIILIIGI before he can do that he must first go back to The film exists as yet only in his mind and his cell , see the landing officer in the morning no doubt in a script, yet already these above- 4-\ -- I who will then see the Wing PO, put his compl- -. mentioned . . . . . hope to use both the Blasph- -‘ 1 aint in writing, and so on. emy Act (last applied in I922 to someone aptly PETITION TO HOME SECRETARY enough called Gott) and Treaty of Rome After the prisoner has seen the board of visi- clause on undesirable aliens disrupting "public tors and they then find his complaint to be gr- order" to prevent him setting foot on the oundless the prisoner can petition the Home chaste soil of England. Secretary. B-ut first, he has to go back to his What do their overheated brains imagine? cell, see the landing officer in the morning, The streets filling with murderous Christians put his complaint in writing to the Wing PO, in hot pursuit of the hirsute Dane; pious Christ- apply to the governor, qsply to the board of ians suddenly reverting, from shock, to multi- 7‘ visitors. Now the prisoner‘: complaint will be sexual orgies and revolution a la Roszak; a put into the procedure book and the petition last invasion of the ragged remnants of Christ- sent off ( theoretically to the Home Secretary endom by the barbarian hordes of Scandinavia; but in reality to the Home OFfice.). a spiritual depression that will cause the film- I I .\.1'.i~'d'-..s-i. .-_. Several months later, he or she will receive g'oing electorate to daandon the polls; a new Fllk-rulutk I‘/lo\¢5¢__-. a letter from the Home Office saying that the theological schism that will make Lefebvre's complaint has been investigated and found to tridentine mass rebellion look like a seminar- "DlD I HEAR THAT SOMEONE WANTS be groundless. ist's prank? it TO MAKE A PORN FILM?" I 2) The Communications Workers of America, AFSCMEI and other unions (including the N°‘"$P°P°F Guild) accepted large arnounrs of O CIA funding and direction in their overseas P"°9l‘°mmes. Both the CWA and the Guild DOCUMENTATION of extensive ties bet- In l95l Victor Reuther was released from accepted "subcontracts" from the AIF LD, ween the CIA and the leadership of the AF L- his UAW duties in the US and was sent on a CIO has been confirmed by one of the found- long tour through Europe to assess the state 3) The AF L-CIO's African-American Labour ers of the CIO and a veteran of 40 years in of European trade unionism. At that time he Centre and the Asian-American Free Labour the national and international programmes of already had extensive experience in the Institute have followed the pa-ttem of A|F|_D the American labour movement. intemational aspects of trade unionism and In govemment funding. The AALC was found- ed PY Irving Brown and the AAFLI is run by Victor Reuther, brother of United Auto was able to utilize his experiences and con- Morris Paladino, identified as a CIA agent by Workers (UAW) President Walter Reuther, has tacts gained during a trip through Europe to iust completed a book wherein he documents the Soviet Union in the early I930s. Both Pl‘-lllii Agee and others. Victor and Walter Reuther worked in a Soviet an extensive and lengthy history of CIA and 4) CIA atternpted , and apparently succ- ldaour "solidarity of subversion" that some- auto plant (estcblished by Henry Ford) For eeded, rr sracotaging a reparations programme alrrrost two years before their involvement and times used tactics designed to entrap promin- activity in the UAW. for C_war_exrles cqatured at the l96l Bay of ent US Labour officials into situations that P795 IF“-"¢=5Ic~n. The ClA's motives were to would enable the CIA to buy their cooperat- Reuther says that after this l95l trip CIO exaceroate US-Cuocrr relations. ion and silence. The substance of Reuther's President Phil Murray asked him to assume 5) The CIA itself leaked stories alleging charges, contained in his new book, The the directorship of a European office of the connections between then1 and Victor Reuther Brothers Reuther, is that subversion in many CIO that might, in part, help to counter the rn an attempt to disrupt a proposed opening US labour programmes outweighed the solid- more conservative policies of the AF L office towards left-wing alternatives to the support arity angles. there that was under the direction of Lovestone of Christian Democrats in Italy during the Reuther was in an unusually good position and Irving Brown. - l960s. It has since been revealed by sources to iudge the effect of the use of US labour Reuther says that he found that Irving Brown other than Reuther that the CIA gave many programmes overseas on the part of the CIA. and the AFL were receiving "incredibly large millions to the Italian Christian Democrats. As director of the UAW International Affairs funds from some US govemment sources in an However, it has. also been revealed that the Department for many years he was able to effort to get European trade unions in his CIA or CIA contact in one case gave money observe the actions of representatives of other pocket and dictate the foreign policy of both to local groups supporting coalitions with the unions, the AFL and the world-wide apparatus European and African countria. " He says Communists. of the merged AFL and CIO: that was run by that his investigations showed that “the hyst- Victor Reuther has much to say about the former leftists and Communists under the erical fear of Communism that produced current efforts to promote coordinated world direction of the AFL-CIO international direc- McCarthyism in America was being spread, programmes to deal with the anti-union polic- tor Jay Lovestone. According to Reuther, by means of CIA money, first by the AFL and ies of multinational corporations and govem- Lovestone played an important role in attempts later by the merged AFL-CIO under Meany's ments. As one of the founders of the Intemat- to split the infant UAW and cooperate with autocratic rule. " ional Metalworkers Federation in the postwar auto companies as early as the mid l930s. period the UAW has been actively involved Lovestone was made director of intemational CIA funding, according to Reuther, "was affairs of the AF L-CIO over the protests of heaviest in Italy, France, North Africa and in this. He notes that other intemational Greece." In each case the policy of Brown, trade secretariats and groups are also involved the UAW and Walter and Victor Reuther in with these efforts and he details the splits that the l950s. Lovestone and Meany was to split the nation- al trade union centres. In the case of Italy occurred when the AFL-CIO left the Intemat- and France they are split to this day - making ional Confederation of Free Trade Unions in PR ISONS coordinated efforts against US and European I969. At that time the ICFTU was promoting SPREAD OF PROTEST multinational corporations extremely difficult. expanded international Idsour solidarity. Although it is not mentioned in Reuther's book, However, the CIA seems to be still involved. Since the I970 disturbances the Home Office Irving Brown was again appointed as AFL-CIO At the present time Brown is in Europe and is policy has been to scatter those prisoners rega- representative in I975 and is using his Paris still, according to prominent European labour rded as "troublemakers". As far as PROP is office to influence elections and labour affairs leaders, involved in disrupting such programm- concemed that is the best thing that can happen in Italy, France and Portugal. Documentation es. And, according to the Senate Select since this "spreads solidarity throughout the pri- of Brown's efforts on behalf of the CIA in Committee on Intelligence, the CIA and others sons in the country." recent years has been provided by Philip Agee have been intercepting and reading Victor The people gathered at Hull were virtually and many other writers. Reuther's mail. all people who had been through these len- Other legacies of the l950s CIA and AFL Victor Reuther recently retired from the gthy channels and as a result found themselves programme in Europe were cited, including UAW but continues to involve himself in transferred to Hull. These men found that with links to the Corsican Mafia under Ferri Pisani. trade union affairs. His most recent effort all their other channels exhausted the impetus Reuther and others have noted that the rem- was to become a sponsor of the national was to get together, organise and fight. nants of Pisani's Mafia organization are heav- "Union Committee for An All-Lcbour AIF LD" So for the first‘ time, almost, with the exce- ily involved in intemational drug dealing to which is promoting discussions and publishing ption of Albany, Parkhurst in I969, and possi- this day - utilizing connections they obtained material about government and corporate sub- bly going back even further to the Dartmoor pr- at that time. version of labour organisations. otests in the 30's, these prisoners came together Reuther also charges that national columnist People's News Service on a specific point and it confronted them all and prominent Democrat, Tom Braden, tried (Rodney Larson and Research Associates and they made their protest. to embroil him in CIA programmes in Europe l ‘ G 'nCl Obviously as time goes on these protests ' at that time but that he turned the offers down. will spread because the men who have been However, in I967 Braden boasted that he had HELP! transferred from the ex-prison of Hull will, al- conduited $50,000 through the UAW for work COMRADES C]: THE C.N.T. in Zaragoza though they will be punished, spread their dis- in Europe. At that time the UAW intemation- need financial aid to set up a food co-operat- mntent, which is common to all prisoners in al programme was financed by the interest on ive. Last year a libertarian agrarian commune the other institutions. PROP ( preservation the UAW strike fund — a mounting to millions was set up in a small town in Aragon, but a of the rights of prisoners ) is, to our mind, the every year - and Reuther admits that the UAW boycott by the State has meant that their pro- ideal type of organisation to help the prisoners was involved but without knowing of the full ducts cannot be sold in the normal markets. organise their resistance. "We work as auton- implications . The Zaragoza comrades have decided, there- omous groups. We have no bureaucratic struc- Other charges and details provided in T_h_e_ fore, to sell the produce themselves at half tures."' The initiative, of course, comes from Brothers Reuther, include: price, but to do so they need a lot of money the prisoners themselves, and PROP was estab- to get a shop, la truck and a large freezer. I) The fact that the American Institute for lished and is run by ex-prisoners. The Spanish comrades are mounting a camp- 1" Free Labour Development has used hundreds of aign to raise funds, and my amount that we (the above was prepared from an interview millions of overt and covert CIA and AID funding to disrupt and colonize the labour can send them would be of great use. Any don- with Tony Ward of PROP London) ations can be passed on via Freedom Bookshop. Nina Staffa movements of Latin America. intolerance takes different fomrs at different Apart from Ashes and Diamonds published 3 times, but even here freedom of artistic ex- inr-I947, Jerzy Afrdrzeiewski IE written The PL TIC pression is under attack by the friends of Cliff. I uisitors , a story about the ‘Spanish Inqfi At the moment the Czech govemment seems ition with Torquemada as a Stalinist figure, a to be playing its actions down because they satire called The Agent about an ordinary PEOPLE have released on bail all but four of the four- citizen who is put rn a mental hospital because teen rock musicians arrested. Their trial has he thinks everyone he meets is a Party agent, WHEN Khruschev, the one time Soviet also been postponed, perhaps because of the and Pul (I970) which he considers his life's leader, visited this country he said that if he govemment foreign minister's visit to this work-,_b%t which has not yet been published. lived here he would be a Conservative. This country on September I3 - I6. This visit will Now Andrzeiewski has published a letter wasn't iust a compliment for his hosts, but a give us an opportunity to protest and show declaring complete solidarity with the workers statement of his own political viewpoint. solidarity with those arrested. in prison and promising that he and his fellow The Communist parties who are in power are writers will not cease in their efforts for their P.T. the Conservatives of their respective countries. release. In his letter he writes: An illustration of this is the visit of Cliff "I realise that, compared with the heavy Richard, a pop star idol of the late fifties, to prison terms, the violations of your rights, the Soviet Union. Now he is being officially POLAND the physical violence you have suffered, the praised by the Soviet authorities as a represent- humiliations that have been inflicted on you, ative of contemporary music. It has taken the helplessness that is your daily bread . . . something like eighteen years for this official Onlywordsbut... the deterioration of your means of material recognition. In that time the same Cliff existence on account of the massive number THIS paper has been among the critics of Richard has changed and has become a "Christ- of sackings, my words are only words and a so-called "intelligentsia" which, too often ian" and a figure of reaction alongside Mary their weight is incommensurdaly small in rel- and too easily, cuts itself off from the strugg- Whitehouse and Malcolm Muggeridge. No ation to your sufferings. But these words are les of those who do not express themselves in doubt these three would find much to praise in the only way in which I can express my solid- "intellectual" terms. But "the intelligentsia the ordered society of the Soviet Union. They arity with you, my compassion and my indig- is a dubious label which can be interpreted would also agree with a lot of the censorship nation. " He goes on to say that he sees the in many ways and it is only fair to note the which crushes so much free expression. persecuted workers as the "artisans of a iust solidarity that has been expressed for the Indeed while Cliff is welcomed in the workers imprisoned after the recent riots in cause" and of a free socialism and demands Soviet Union the Czech authorities are persec- Poland by such people as the historian, Jacek an amnesty and rehabilitation of all those who uting and have arrested two groups of rock Kuron, the well-known author of Ashes and have lost their iobs and means of support. musicians for "arousing public disturbances Diamonds, Jerzy Andrzeiewski and many Meanwhile many "intellectuals" have been and nuisance in an organised manner. " I like ofhers in that country. added to the State's blacklist. Passports have the "organised manner" bit, but they are been withdrawn, teachers sacked from schools serious charges which could get them imprison- _ _ 0-.-qr-an -.-~--;_--we -...... (-5) _ _ 2 and universities, dissidents like Kuron des- A ed for up to three years. patched to the army, singers like Woiciech _ r Their arrest is part of a continual suppression ,4" ‘taxi,’ rr Mlynarski (or like their counterparts in Czech- of free expression ,which was quickly crushed oslovakia) banned from appearing in public.

7 . Police interrogations have been stepped up when the Soviet tanks rolled into Prague. rl‘r ' _‘ 1 ‘ "S I I Amnesty Intemational has said that "all the ‘I and physical force is known to have been used I information indicates that the Czech author- against those interrogated. ities have been seeking for a number of years I5’ ‘H . \I to destroy the work of the two rock bands ""i..:,‘:' ll---4.‘ If .‘\ because of their non-compliance with arbitrary ¢""-S1 '1 /_-_-till?‘:-"' ."-_,,.. \ __ official limitations on artistic expression.. ~_.-.i.,.._... I "_1 I Amnesty also says that if they are sentenced WEST r '. they will become prisoners of conscience. r § six-. "

Among those arrested is Ivan Jirous who was .7*‘ _F/ GER -;\\\\ \\_ -5/I \ connected with psychedelic music in Prague \ \_ IN the course of a police search of l4"left- \ / 4'w”"c_ in the I960s. As artistic director of the ' \ wing" bookshops on German federal territory

1 Plastic People of the Universe, they gained a '. -r . recently, 27-year-old Thomas Michael Kram large following during I968. The other group, from Bochum was arrested. The prosecutor, DG 307 was formed after the events of that .Iacek Kuron is a left-wing dissident who Erwin Fischer, confirmed that Thomas Kram year. Both groups suffered from the activities was expelled from the Polish United Workers‘ was charged with circulating "anarchist writ- of the authorities in I 97l . Since that period Party (PUWP) in I964 and imprisoned in I965 ings". He is also suspected of belonging to a the state has tried to prevent all expressions after writing an "Open Letter to the Party" "criminal association." Source: FAZ in the arts which fall outside accepted modes; attacking what he called the "centralised both groups were prevented from playing before poI‘rtrca' I bureaucracy. " Later he was very the public. They still continued to play in active in the student agitation of I968. He I their own style, but could only do this at openly blamed the centralised political bureau- private functions and concerts. It was at one cracy for what happened at Radom and Ursus of these concerts, a wedding, that the groups and having, no doubt - from Warsaw - a The Foreign Relations Committee of the Mex- were arrested. The police searched their somewhat glamourised idea of the Italian ican Anarchist Federation reports: homes and many of their friends and supporters Communist Party, he wrote asking its leader, were questioned. Their equipment was also Berlinguer, to protest against the iailing of "Since the elections of last July, the repr- confiscated. the Polish workers. (This Berlinguer did). essive situation has continued. The Mexican Now Kuron has been packed off for three govemment is mounting numerous attacks on It seems that while the Soviet Union is mov- months‘ military service. In a letter to the the people's movement. The striking busdrivers ing towards a more tolerant attitude, allowing minister of Defence, Kuron's wife, Elzbieta of Flecha Roia and Autobuses Unidos have been the sale of Beatle records, the music and life Boeuckla-Kuron has expressed her fear that savagely repressed by blacklegs and police, styles of the Plastic People and DG 307 are his life is in danger because of his serious resulting in one striker being killed in the still regarded as examples of "westem decad- state of health (heart trouble, hypertension) clashes. ence. " This means that they set the texts of and total medical unfitness for military service. underground poets to music and are influenced " Kidnappings, torture and assassination are by people like Andy Warhol and the music of The newly-formed "undergroundfcivil liberties common actions used against the people's move- Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. group, Polish Youth Committee for the Imple- ments in Mexico. On the 20th June I976, the mentation of the Helsinki Agreements, has well-known peasant militant of the "Tiena y A far cry from the accepted Cliff Richard,and now said that Jacek Kuron is in a security unit Libertad" camp, Eusebio Garcia Avales was certainly music that has very much of a minor- in the interior, isolated from the soldiers on killed. The Mexican Anarchist Federation has ity and cult following in the West, but in active service and sleeps in a room apart with offered its active solidarity to this peasant org- itself hardly a threat to the Czech state. But two security guards. He does not have to take anization which has strong characteristics of like all authorities, the Czech slate cannot part in military exercises but his situation s natural anarchism." tolerate people who will not conform. Such amounts to imprisonment in all but name. 20th August I976. I 4

lengths. Another feature of police training is POLICE PRESENCE CAUSES RIOT a film and a talk designed to show how right THE METROPOLITAN POLICE is solely to years of preiudice, oppression and polioe brui- the police were in "containing" the crowd at blame for the anti—police riot and looting that alities against the coloured communities in this the I968 Grosvenor Square anti-Vietnam war spoiled the last hours of the two day Carribeon country cannot easily be er'ased from the minds demonstration. Other horror stories abound. of(those who suffer the unreported beatings in Carnival in Portobello Road, London W I0, as The Notting Hill camivd was, of course, a police stations, frame-ups, and insults at the hundreds of coloured and white youths reacted camival and not a popular alterrpt to set up hands of semi-literate and racialist co-ppers. violently against the oppressive presence of no-go areas as Robert Mark would have us be- about 2(X)0 uniformed policemen sent into this Now politiciaro, sociologists, would—be Iieve. However, when you consider that each populous and deprived area in order politically black leaders, iournalists, etc. pretend to s-how year hundreds of formerly decent people are to control the 250,000 strong multi-racial human concem about the plight of "those unfor- given that sort of training and let out onto the crowd participating in the Carnival festivities. turate and deprived kids", victims of unerrploy- streets with wide-ranging powers to back their Having been unable to stop this year's cam- ment, rotten housing and cultural alienation. hooligan antics, we believe that "no-go areas" ival legally, the Metropolitan Police did its The British establishment message is clear and are essential for the protection of the public. utmost to disrupt the colourful "happening" by simple: "But of course capitalism is not at fault! N . s. splitting the proceedings strategically into Just bad luck, ladsl". That is, lwould like to controlled areas, sticking, against wiser coun- add, until the next bloody riot! Or, revolution- sel given by some of the organisers, to fixed aries might ask, until a bloody minded working I NTER ROGATIONS routes and areas, imposed by a mobile police class insurrection? History will tell. . . ! international review of anarchist research, in four languages, Command HQ set up in Portobello Road. W Claude . September I976 issue now out, featuring ar- This decision by the police to treat the Cam- ticles on: ival as a political demonstration (for hours a NO GO AREAS Italian state schools red police helicopter circled over the area, Latin American churches liasing by radio with the mobile police station) FOR SOME OBSCURE REASON better known Workers‘ conditi-ons in E. Germany provoked the crowds, the steel band players, to Robert Mark's crude propagandist brain the Contemporary U.5. anarchism- the floats and the participants, who just wanted events at Notting Hill were followed by state- A non-totalitarian socialism? as in previous years to move freely about after ments from the man himself saying how he will etc . , their own spontaneous choosing without being not tolerate "no-go areas". told by the police what to do and where to go. Available from Freedom Bookshop - £l .l0. "There is no question of abdicating our res- This deliberate and crowd-provoking over- ponsibility. There are not going to be any no- policing caused intended tension and agro that go areas in Metropolitan police districts. The had, inevitably, to come to the surface. So, Metropolitan Force will police every street in Just what we by 5 pm the troubles started. A group of young- its district, and will uphold law. . .We are res- sters firmly approached the police, wanting to ponsible for policing London and nobody else. need-Another know why was a black teenager being arrested We will decide how we will do it and no sect- and manhandled by a dozen or so uniformed ion of society will prevent us doing it. " Election policemen into a police van parked near Ack- EVERY FOUR years, the United States en- lam Road. Robert Mark implies that the nation's police dures another political circus that leaves poli- force is actually capable of policing the coun- ticians and news commentators extolling the This single incident, which had been preced- try. The official reason given for the massive " virtues of capitalism and the two-party system. ed by a series of doubtful arrests, sparked off police presence, for instance, was to stop pick- This year is no exception. As I write this art- twelve hours of sporadic and spontaneous anti- pocketing and mugging. As far as we are aware icle, both the Democratic and Republican par- police rioting and shop looting that spread all pick pockets are usually surveyed and caught ties have selected their I976 tickets. Meeting over the Ladbroke, Por"-lobello and Westbourne by plain clothes policemen. Muggers also have in New York City, a city that is on the brink Park Grove area in a manner that, had the more intelligence than to carry out their trade of financial and structural collapse, the Demo- British police been armed, could easily have in front of a mob of I600 police. This police crats nominated the former Georgia Governor developed into another Soweto. mob was gathered from all over London includ- Jimmy Carter for president and Minnesota Sen- Now, in the aftermath of the rioting, the ing the outer London boroughs. We know very ator Walter Mondale for vice president. well that manpower in the police force is acon- right wing press, the TV, radio and particular- Carter, who has raised political doubletalk and ly Sir Robert Mark, the police boss, are trying stant problem. So, who "was "protecting the abstract moralizing to a new level of sophisti- to blame alleged black muggers, thieves and public " in the other areas? cation and deception, attempted to gloss over hooligans, operating in bands of twenty in the The tendency in this country has been for the the problems of capitalism with moral pieties midst of the crowds, for this anti-authority public to believe the ludicrous stories put about about "trust" and "honesty" in govemment. rioting. by the police. Even superficial consideration The other half of the capitalist two-party More curious is the fact that two Fleet Street will reveal, however, that since the police cannot "protect the pubIic" in the way they ticket met in Kansas City. A strong challenge ioumalists (one form the Sun, of course, anoth- from the arch-reactionary foI'¢a$ at Fannef er from the Times. . . I) chose to corroborate the claim to do, their iob is to protect the govem- ment, and private properly from the public. California Governor Ronald Reagan W05 nar- police allegations by claiming to have been rowly defeated and the Republican convention mugged before and during the troubles. I pers- Black youths have suffered from "police pro- reluctantly nominated President Gerald Ford as onally was unable to observe any evidence or tection" for long enough in areas like Notting their presidential candidate and Kansas Senat- allegations of widespread or organized robbing Hill to realise that the uniformed mob gathered or Robert Dale as their vice presidential candi- and mugging in the area after having mingled to disrupt the camival was not a gathering of date. ln his acceptance speech, which the with the crowds for several hours with no feel- "nice bobbies" but a hostiI‘eauthorit'ar-ian horde. news media described cs a "fighting speech", ings of apprehension or fear, before and during W-hen attacked by the police the young people Ford was able to easily match Carter with the rioting. (I can only vouch for a single case at the camival responded in an exemplary man- generalities, half-truths, and distortions. of a girl — a tourist - having her necklace, ner. Violence met with violence and Robert watch and camera stolen while waiting for the Mark pretended that his thugs had been confr- Having cqctured the nominations of their 3I bus at II pm at Westbourne Park Station). onting a demonstration of people wanting to respective capitalist parties, both Ford and Bearing i'n mind the iustifications used by the set up "no-go" areas rather than street camival . Carter will tune up their campaign organiza- police to smash the Windsor Free Festival, it Police training, as anyone who has been tions for eight weeks of evasion, side-stepping, becomes obvious that the police in this country through it and come out with a sound mind will image-rnaking, and empty-headed rnoralizing. has set its mind and its repressive apparatus , tell you, is very right wing in nature. It extols The problems of an arms race, destruction of against working people having fun, free of the virtue of "universal discipline" and, for the natural environment, collwse of the cities, racialist preiudices and in a mood of communal some reason, "Communist" weapons used in erosion of civil rights; and the utter inability solidarity and understanding . Vietnam and the Middle East and their effects of capitalism and the State to do anything a- on the weapons‘ victims are discussed at great bout these problems except to make that" W059 The Notting Hill Carnival rioting proves that will be ignored by both candidates as they go , through the motions of sparring a few rounds be abolished. The problem is more complex The movement is young. And it is related this fall. than that. As anarchists in the United States, more to a "counter-cultural " movement which we do not intend to add our voice to those who is springing up strongly in the country than to All is not sweetness and light within the delude the workers into thinking that their the C.N.T. It is because the State of Juan camps of the two capitalist parties. The "leaders" will get them out of the present eco- Carlos and Suarez knows that this is the revol- Democrats are concerned daout the "indepen- nomic and social malaise. Instead we empha- ution, that it has fined or seized two of the dent" presidential ccmpaign of former Minne- size the following : - movement's magazines (Aioblanco and 1-a_r:, a sota Senator Eugene McCarthy. The MC I. Govemments, whether capitalist or "soci- comix magazine which was starting a second Carthy campaign, which is a carbon-copy of alist", are instruments of oppression and work- year with the seized number); and it has not the Carter effort, has secured ballot status in ers must learn to do without them. done so with the press of the "democratic opp- about I2 states so far. Carter supporters fear osition", from Triunfo (increasingly dominated McCarthy might draw off votes that would 2.. Political parties, whether "left" or "right" by the Communist Party) to Cuadernos Era el otherwise go to Carter. On the Republican seek power for their own benefit—a small Didlogo. minority. side, there is fear that some arch-reactionar- The situation can be compared with that of ies might defect and form a new political par— the U.S.A. or England in the 60$: the counter- ty, thus drawing off votes from Ford. How- Effective emancipation can be achieved only by the direct and widespread action of workers cultural movement and all its consequences. In ever, these splinter efforts, if they do materi- the U.S.A. the hippy appeared after the Mc- themselves, grouped not under the banner of a alize, will merely act as strident defenders of Carthy-Eisenhower era; in Spain this incipient political party, but in their own class and com the Statist and capitalist system. acratic movement is appearing after the years of munal organizations on the basis of concrete action and self-management. This is the only collective stupidity of the Franco dictatorship. Besides the two capitalist parties, a number It is a force for FREEDOM. of "left" political sects are also going to be way to freedom. playing the electoral shell game this fall. Mark Weber The movement has many points of similarity. They are as follows : The Kropotkin Society. Acratic magazines like A'oblanco recall the better periods of Intemational Times. Comix I) The Communist Parrty. This pro-Moscow magazines (Star, El Rrollo enmascarado, Purita, party offers its Genera -Secretary Gus Hall 'l'I'lE AIIARCIIIC SITUATION Car'a'illo, |\|5;tr de Plasti, very important in for president and Jarvis Tyner for vice presi- the present Spanish situation), new rock groups dent. In line with past CP campaigns, this OFAIIARCIIISM Ill SPAIII. (Compania Electrica Dhanna, for example), one will combine a pro-Soviet foreign policy rock festivals - at a recent one lattended in together with liberal reform demands not From London the situation in Spain does not Barcelona, at the Teatro Griego in Montiuich, much different from those of the Democratic appear too confused. But you have to be in the black flags were being waved spontaneously all Party. middle of the situation really to understand over the place and there were shouts of "Visca what is going on in Spain. Ia C.N.T." (up with the C.N.T.) - discoth- eques like Zeleste - new "underground" writers 2) The Socialist Workers Pa . This year People ask whether there still are anarchists like Mariano Kntolin Rato, the translator: of the largest of the various Trotskyist sects will in Spain. It would be stupid to say, more than William Burroughs into Castilian — countercul- offer Peter Cameio for president and Willie ever. James .loll, in his book, "The Anarchists" tural publishers (like "Kairos" with books by Mae Reid for vice president. This campaign makes a division among the libertarian forces Paul Goodman, Munay Bookctrin, Theocbre offers revolutionary rhetoric together with a that were in action in Russia during the first laundry list of reforms billed as “A Bill of two decades of this century. It should be poss- Roszak, Alan Watts, etc.) and acratic ones like "Tusquets" - writers like Luis Racionero, Rights for Working People". ible to make a similar rapid run-down on the one of the editorial collective of A'oblanco, a Spanish situation without going deeply into the student for some years in Berkeley and aFtl;rof 3) The Socialist Labor Palty. The largest of subiect. severa DeLeonist sects is running Jules Levin "Ensayos sobre el Apocalipsis" andotherbooks, for president and Connie Blomen for vice presi- l. The anarcho-syndicalists. The C.N,T, and others like Carlos Semprun Maura, or the dent. For those who like precise blueprints of appears in the weekly magazines from time to philosopher Fernandes Savater, who is coming social systems, the SLP ticket is just the thing. time because of its attacks on the Workers‘ very close to the libertarian spirit. Commissions (Comisiones Obreras) . The C.N.T. It advocates the ballot box as the sole vehicle All this gets feedback from the spontaneous looks different from exile or from abroad (the for bringing about an industrial union govern- spirit which is invading all parts of Spain: the ment which they call "socialism". This "soci- myth, the libertarian halo) than from inside the country. It doesn't figure in the daily press and streets, the walls, whose grafitti ("Hacia Ia alism" can, of course, only be brought about orgia general", "Putas al poder que los hiios by electing SLP politicians to "represent" the its activities are sparse. In a periodof organiz- ation, it could be said that its hour has not yet ya estdn", etc. ) recall, to a marked extent workers. come. The Workers‘ Commissions - despite all those of the French May Days. 4) Socialist Party. This social democratic the attacks they get - are very powerful and Barcelona is the magnetic centre of all this. party offers Frank Zeidler for president and have not suffered from the lossof prestige which It could be said that it is the equivalent of “San Quinn Brisben for vice president. "Abstract afflicted their French counterpart, theC.G.T. Francisco in the Sixties. Just as in San Franc- after the "happenings" of May I968. moralizing, liberal reforms, and State action isco there was an anarchist tndition (the IWW, are the sum total of this campaign effort which‘ 2. Anarcho-terrorists. Isolated groups like etc.) the same case applies in Barcelona, but, resembles the British Lcbour Party and Canadi- G.A.R.l. cr the M.l.L. (Iberian Movement of of course, much more strongly. an New Democratic Party, Liberation) are sporadically active, but they In Spain we are rediscovering anarchism via are of little importance. Puig Antich who, it Jerry Rubin, Daniel Cohn-Benditand Roel van 5) The Peoples Polty. This populist party is will be remembered was executed a few years Duyn. A°oblanco,essentialIy dedicated to the running Margaret Wrig t for president and anti- ago, was a member of the M.l.L. "new culture" has moved in the direction of war activist Dr. Beniamin Spook for vige presi- 3. Acratas/cicrata = without authority,tr.7 an openly acratic spirit, at the cost of being dent. Uncritical attrtudes toward woh stores prohibited for four months. This drawing close as China and Cuba together with a grab cog of A strange gm-luping of crazies which goes ffom anarcho-communists to thewierdest types. Here to the acratic tradition is getting stronger and liberal reforms make up the essence of this it will give strength to the C.N.T. and other campaign . we have to bring in the magazine Aioblanco. For example, the new factor in this situation, groups which have been renewed by young § blood, as well as to the individualist, disorg- or of this "spirit" is its apparent break with the Thrown together, all these "socialist" sects anarchist tradition. Orrather, they are not ac- anized, cicrata movement itself, so long as it offer recipe programs and varying doses of rev- quainted with'it. Theiranarchism does not come does not dilute, and maintains its spontaneity. olutionary rhetoric in attempting to out-bid from Kropotkin or Malatesta; it comes from Am- Meanwhile, we watch in stupefaction the each other for popular support. They all see erica, though some do not even know this; if it manoeuvres not onlycif the govemment and the electoralism as the road and the State as the has to have father figures, these are the Yippie mling class, but also of the "democratic oppo- means of handing liberation to the workers. movement, the Weathermen, the Motherfuckers, sition" and its press, its wom-out methods and In the end they will end up fighting among the Situationists of May 68 and Cohn—Bendit, its mummification, even though it is getting themselves and taloing to each other while the the provos and kabouters of Roel van Duyn. new names: "Organizacion Revolucionariade problems of capitalism continue unabated. But perhaps they don't know these either. All Tcabaiadores", "Partido del Trabaio", etc. , the more authentic becauseof that. It is a mat- etc., etc.,: shit! These sects of aspiring politicians do not ter of an authentic spontaneous process which seem to realize that it is not by changing elec- is getting into the heads of kids in high schools ted offrcrals that capitalism and the State will and at university. s. Senosiain e... °l'll0'l'liS'l' 0N lllil)SlllI1\RIi—'-""""'*-'-' ONE is always told, and rightly, by others that one should never the l4th of April I930 "my very own statue will rise/over squares,/with treat as fundamental truths untested generalisations arrived at by super- gobs of tuberculosis,/where whores with hooligans/and syphiIisI'm ficial observations but this only applies to other people, I see what I fed/to the teeth/with agit-prop,/I'd like/to scribble for you/love-baII- see and on my prejudices I take my stand. I am of that generation who "'55:"/" 35 efededr by the very people who destroyed the poet, in the have seen new gods created and those new gods become idols to be centre of Moscow and until THEY carve the reason and the cause of broken and overthrown by the same minds and the same school of mart- Mayakovsky's suicide upon that base they stand condemned as the heirs yrs who created them and every thrown stone is wrapped in a guilt com- to murder of the poet, the peasant, the worker and of freedom but let plex. Russia in the agony and the isolation of its birth as the first -there be no mistake comrade, for the dream of the westem industrialists, Utopia brought us out into the streets and in every country of the world of Hitler and of Plato is coming into fruition in Lenin's Russia, For with men and women demonstrated in defence of the ideal become flesh. an elitist I5,000,000 Communist Party members and a standard of living Too many police charges, too many men and women imprisoned and ex- rising year by year, a bureaucratic corrhol of speech end oorion qnd on ecuted, too many broken lives but the cause was just, and if the rev- acceptance as a religious orthodoxy of a managerial society of well fed, olution has been betrayed it is because men tire of the struggle and well clothed workers and a high living administrative middle class, we greed and self-interest moves in like unto rats into an abandoned church. have_seen the death of revolution and the need for a new struggle. It rs so easy to tease the official local guides about Joe Stalin and And Russia is what it has always been, a place of evil or of holiness according to one's self-deceptions. the Great Purges, easy and unfair, but they brush the questions aside like seasoned Hyde Park speakers, therefore one must observe and draw And so we moved into Russia from Kiev down to Georgia and over one's own conclusions. All the ghastly academic paintings in the State the great mountains and on to Leningrad and Moscow and between the galleries and the swift rush through the cubist and surrealist gallery beer, the vodka, the food and the communal diarrhoea we each in our own fashion searched for our version of a truth. And each man, comm- when one came across such a gallery. The empty bases across Russia itted man, sought to justify his own articles of faith and I saw and I that once held the statues of Stalin, the children with toy submcrchine asked and came to my own conclusions. We read and we were told guns guarding the war memorials and the servile and cringing cowardice that men retired from work at 60 and that women retired at 55 years of of British visitors in the face and the person of uniformed Russian police age and again and again I asked why it was that if women retired at 55, or officials. People who in Britain would scream abuse at any traffic warden fearing to click a camera in a city street and justifying their why were elderly women of 60 and 70 cleaning the streets, and my Eng- lish companions explained that elderly people liked "something to occupy cowardice at the hotel dining table. To sit in a hotel room in Lenin- grad while a young Swedish girl talks to her elderly jewish uncle and of their leisure" and I ask why are only working class elderly women sweep- the three of us I sit in embarrassed silence as they talk of persecution ing the streets, and still there is no answer. In town after town, blocks and the Swedish girl is told by her uncle that her Leningrad relation will after blocks of working class flats finger the landscape Victorian in their not meet her or accept her presents for they fear persecution if they brown and grey uglyness and I ask why do they have to be so ugly and my meet someone from the west. I do not know if this is true or false but I English companions explain the urgent need for houses, but I ask why are the the well designed blocks in Moscow built by western interests. Why sit in silence on my bed knowing that the Swedish girl must come to terms with her relations pleas. And she wishes for a companion to go the waste of human labour in the stores when people queue for a service with her to the synagogue and I agree but I am booked for the theatre that would take minutes in any western store and why are the material so a Scots corrpanion agrees to go with her, and on arrival at the syn- goods so shoddy and ill styled , and for this there is no answer for my agogue loses his nerve and sits outside the building for an hour rather English companions stood in those same long queues. than enter. This is fear, Comrade Koldayev, and one must surely ask I have no illusions, that it is easy to try to condemn a society because why do these people fear? of minor bureaucratic faults and rightly those who defend that society And I explain to all who will listen that the hope of freedom for the seek to explain away those faults, for in a placid dull society they Russian people, if freedom is a gift to be given to slaves, lies as it al- appear content with their lot. I saw no poorly dressed person, except ways has with the lumpenproletariat, the criminal element who do not for the elderly women street cleaners, for every man and woman wore reject the State because they have never bothered to accept it. They bright new western clothes, making we the travellers look shabby and were there, the black marketeers and the money speculators, and I had the Russian youths wore their western jeans and the Russian girls their nothing to buy or sell but I stood and admired their panache, their high wedged shoes and mini skirts and one was told of black markets and courage and their contempt for an authoritarian State. And on thehuge mail order buying to bypass the dull contents of the stores, but from war memorial where the children stand guard with dummy machine guns Moscow to Georgia they moved slowly in the hot sun in their bright new and the brides lay their wedding bouquets and I was moved on by the western finery eating their ice creams and drinking the beer from the police for kipping by the fountain, there burns the eternal flame, street tankers. And everywhere the street markets and a society with a olympian bright in the hot sun and no one approaches beyond the child whole market given over to the selling of flowers must have solved some guards and at midnight a group of beats and Gay Libs sit on the base of problem of basic needs. We saw the play, but of work we saw nothing the war memorial and toast marshmallows in the sacred flame and I know for it was always over there beyond the river that the factories lay and that I must make some small but personal protest or all my windy like American tourists locked in London by virtue of time and itinerary rhetoric is but wind and water. To sit in a basement, in Georgia, with we failed to meet the worker for whom for over half a century men a group of Russians and Britons roaring out "Red Front" between the fought, protested and demonstrated. verses of the International is fun because it annoyed a Tory Russian, Koldayev in his handout of the Rights and the Duties of the Soviet and to get one's fellow Russian drinkers to toast "Anarchism" in glass citizen poses certain questions and like all good politicians supplied the after glass of vodka is a private pleasure, as with the scrawled slogans answers. He spoke Up for Russian "freedom" in relation to speech, the of the broad tipped felt pen but a public protest had to be made and I press, demonstrations, conscience, personal searches and forced entry committed myself by publicly stating that I intended to piss on Red and explained that these could not be allowed to those "aimed at under- mining or weakening Soviet government", that a free press is not for SqR':deSquare is no larger than a small football ‘pitch free of any litter those "engoged in thoughtless and unwarranted censoring, in maliciously and with police cars parked along its sidelines. Here is the tomb of detaming everything and everyone" etc. , and in the matter of spontan- the tinted corpse of Lenin where the guards change on the haul’ ta _ . eous demonstrations Koldayev becomes lyrical, stating that "no revol- crashing goose steps. To stand and piss there was impossible for wrthrn utionary holiday in the USSR passes without street, processions or demon- seconds the police would grab, so as in politics one had to comP"°""$°- strations. In towns and villages alike, the people join in demonstrations A French companion asked to be allowed to join me in the protest and during which they freely express their thoughts and feelings" and I can we took a large empty beer bottle into a bath room and Strained ta flll bear witness, Comrade Koldayev, that I saw the loudspeakers perman- it with our piss and at two thirty in the afternoon we Walked anla the ently fixed to town walls to marshal the spontaneous demonstrations. centre of Red Square. Behind us the soldiers stood to attention and but It is unfair, for it is so easy, to mock Comrade Koldayev, but a man who 20 feet away three policemen sat in a police car with its doors open states that the "home of the Soviet citizen is invioIabIe"except for the like wings watching and wondering what we were going to do. hygiene and sanitation, insurance taxl, fire service, house maintenance The groups of tourists had created an open spaaet the 9U°"d$ 5l'_°°d committees, employees of the municipal services and of course the law attention at Lenin's tomb and the three police leaned forward rn their lads is a worthy candidate for any British municiple election. Lenin police car and I held the bottle of our P555 ¢1l>O\/9 "W head arid 5Pl°5l"Bd argued that the worst internal enemy of the new socialist society was it omo the oobbles of Red Square and it splashed over my hanfllfit "'7 this bureaucracy that one witnessed on every hand, for what one is wit- shoes and onto the Red Square while my French companion frantically nessing in Russia is the death of an ideal born out of the death of millions clicked his camera. Out of the comer of the eY°5 We 5°“ '“'°"’e"'°"' of people, be it willingly or unwillingly. A new middle class society, in the police car and we weaved our way to get lost among the tourist?»- managerial paternalistic with two standards of‘living that each year makes But we had made our small publicised protest and there was rage from a the gulf between the working class and the newly created middle class Russian official who learned of it but feared to report it and could only wider and wider. shout "I hate you I hate you", but fat’ 50.l'° P loo P°°Pl° MPY DP)’ °" For one brief moment freedom flared in Russia and the writer, the Red Square will never be the same again for as the weapon?» l'0ll PY "Pd artist and the poet held the world's stage, but now freedom is a dirty the Russian Top Brass take the salute they will remember that We word and the huge statue of Mayakovsky the poet who killed himself on poured our piss onto Red Square. Arthur Moyse. Russia. August I976 _ F 7 THE MURRAYS

1 L ii rmrrz W OVER I00 PEOPLE demonstrated at the

1- I‘? 6".-.'—.-_ Cunagh banacks, on Saturday 2Ist August, in protest at the conditions under which Noel M ES Munay is being held. The demonstrators includ- ~ (-n?/ ed members of the Mun-ay Defence Committee and of the Relatives Action Committees (Bel- fast) who had earlier staged a demonstration at II ‘Ill’ Portlaoise in support of republican prisoners. THE Fare fight campaign organised in The group of demonstrators shouted messages protest at Lo"-dor Transport's tube fare increase V of support through a loud-hailer to Noel Mur- is still going strong and making new plans ray and chanted the slogan "No Hanging here for the Future. During the week beginning They had been able to pass beyond the perim- Nonday 30 August Fare Fight will be bring- eter of the camp but had their progress stopped ing out stickers which can be obtained for a by several jeep—loads of soldiers who faced donation at Flat 3, 76 Sidney Street, London them with guns at the ready. E.l . On Thursday, September 3 a meeting ¢\\'\1'H ufl. Hows El was held at Rising Free with representatives "HE'S TERRIBLY PATRIOTIC, HE HASN'T of the Cuts Campaign. Fare Fight have also HAD A BATH FOR SIX MONTHS. " The last issue of FREEDOM stated that the contacted people connected with similar Irish Republic, France, Bulgaria and the Sov- campaigns in Italy, and at the end of Sept- iet Union are the last remaining countries in ember, beginning of October it is hoped that Europe to retain the death penalty. This is not an Italian bus worker will be coming to correct. Apart from Spain, Roumania, Czech- Britain for a proposed conference on Direct oslovakia, Poland, the GDR, Albania, Yugo- Action and Transport. ER! slavia still carry capital punishment. Even Hun- gary, probably the I east oppressive of the East London Transport have sent letters to users THE FACT that most people have never tasted spring water, never mind rye or wholemeal European countries at the moment, continues to of the Fare Fight deferred payment slips apply the death penalty. demanding payment. In response, Fare Fight bread, doesn't deter them from believing they have advised users to send back a printed face a real hardship because their taps may be form to London Transport, which contains turned off for most of the day. Their water 40 questions asking why fares have increased, supply will still be rmre than adequate and etc. London Transport has also sent letters will indeed focus attention on the squandering Letter to regular deferred payment slip users stating of water; although this water will certainly " that their credit with London Transport its be as much of a chemical mixture as is the been withdrawn. Fare Fight ha-.*e tleerefc-re daily bread of most people. “llntair to Trrelrer" now issued rubber stamps, 'nf""lC" are to :e I was puzzled by a couple of things in Irving stamped on the deferre-:2’ ca‘,-"-err s5": . stat- Having lived for some four years in a cottage Levitas's letter about Benjamin Tucker (21 ing "l acknowledge :: letter ‘ea:-" LTE :--"'::c.-.-- which was self-sufficient for water—the supply August , Review section). ing to withdra--" "'3-‘ crecit. use or’ f"-e :-o-mine from rainfall caught in the guttering deferred payment slips with this starrp is ccc fed i-to a tank——l know just how different- He says that, when right-wing anarchists in perfectly legal if you have already received ly one treats water when it is scarce and pre- America tried to revive Tucker's paper LibeLI¥ . a letter saying your credit has been withdrawn. cious; and when it has to be can'ied by the he was asked by Tucker's daughter "to carry t e jugful into the house. No taps means no case to court if necessary". He adds that "for- Address to contact: Fare Fight, Flat 3, careless waste of water. No unnecessary use. tunately, the matter was settled out of court"; 76 Sidney Street, London E.I. (Tel: 0l-790- But taps are useful and essential in many situ- but if it hadn't been, would he have been pre- 9965). ations; equally so are waterbutts—old barrels pared to defend the honour of one anarchist People's News Service as they used to be; used by our parents and against other anarchists in court ? That posi- grandparents for washing clothes and hair. In tion hardly sounds like anarchism, right-wing, emergencies used for drinking and washing left-wing or any-wing. (He also says that generally. Simply to make it a built-in factor Tucker's daughter "literally blew up", so it is for new buildings, and introduced into old not surprising that she is "now deceased".) ones, a waterbutt or tank would create a free and plentiful supply of water for essential uses. He also says that "Tucker broke with Kropot- kin on the issue of World War I, Tucker against ' Only once did our tank dry up and we were the war, Kropotkin for it". By then Tucker fortunate in that a well was just a few fields had left America and settled in France and, away. Yet wells are much more common than according to James J. Martin's history of indi- most people believe. It is simply that they vidualist anarchism in the United States, Mel lack use; boarded up, concreted over, built Against the State , he was not against the war upon, hidden by fifty years of neglect they but for it. Indeed he wrote to Joseph Labadie exist in every area of town and country. as follows:

.\~../re As recently as the l940s my grandparents in I favor the Allies because I love the French Burton-on-Trent used a communal tap in the eo le, because I pity the Belgian people, backyard, which was only connected for their Eecause I admire the British influence that --- __,...-- I row of cottages at the end of world war two. makes for liberty ; because I feel some (tho I Until then they used the communal well in the regret to say decreasing) concem for the fut- -s /Eh backyard. ure of the American people; because I have a considerable sympathy for the people of ‘ui- H.-_ Probably most people have seen the old cast- Russia, and because I hate and fear the Ger- u iron hondpumps which many wells were fitted man people as a nation of domineering brutes 7*.._ with to make it easier to draw water : seen bent on tuming the world into a poIice-rid- ‘them in rural museums at least? den paradise of the Prussian pattern. L?-"'....-t-I (Instead of a Magazine, I5 September I915;

jb - _ Meanwhile water is another issue the media original emphasis arr" Flt!-'t'\.ru\\‘L t-‘to~rsg=_,...- exploit to create that ever-present "crisis" DRAWN FROM LIFE situation which is their livelihood. For if So what did Tucker break with Kropotkin a- there is no tragic or horrendous situation they bout, since their psotions seem to be identical? Policeman hunying elderly women street clean- are likely to sell I ess newspapers, have fewer That statement hardly sounds like anarchism, ers to sweep the road before the arrival of a viewers or listeners. right-wing, left-wing or any-wing, either. Rumanian delegation. Russia. August I976. Dennis Gould. N. W. DUBLIN ANARCHISTS Bob Cullen, Des Keane SE. ANDREWS - term time and Columba Longmore, Military Detention WESI FIFE write John Deming, I64 Ejin Centre, Curragh Camp, Co. Kildare, Eire. I Crescent, Dunfermline I MARIE MURRAY and NOEL MURRAY - see Proposed Yoflghire Federation - interests indi- news pages, but protest letters to the Justice ‘"'dual5 °" Qrou Iease contact Leeds grou . Minister, 72-76 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin OVERSEAS 2; the Irish Ambassador, I7 Grosvenor Place, AUSTRALIA BOOKSHOP open normally: London SWIX 7HR. Carberra Anarchist Group, 32/4 Condomine 'I'uesday- Friday 2 - 5 P. In. Court, Turner, ACT 260] (Thursdays until 8. 00 p. m.) Melbourne A/nrtin Giles Peters, c/o Dept. of Saturdays 10 am-4p. m. FRIDAY I0 Etember, "The Murrays", public FETISEJPI-7, Nb-rush University, Melboume, CLOSED FRIDAY 10 September. meeting arranged by the London Murrays De- New South Wales: P. Stones, P,O,.Box 25, (Please add postage as in brackets . fence Committee. 7 pm at the Conway Hall . Warrawong, NSW 2502 when ordering by mail. ) _ Sydney Fed. of Aust. Anarchists and "Rising (Aldgate East underground station, I SUNDAY 26 Ssptember, "The Fight to Live." Free‘ mag. , Box 92, Broadway, 2007, Whitechapel Art Gallery exit and turn Public meeting organised by the Federation of Australia. right. Angel Alley next to Wimpy Bar) London Anarchist Groups. Spelkers from the NEW ZEALAND claimants‘ unions movement, Catrpaignagainst, Write to the movement c/o Anarchy, P.O. Victor Serge : Conguered C111 (Petro- the Criminal Tresspass Law, Anarchist Workers‘ Box 22-607, Christchurch. grad/ Leningrad 1919-20), first trans- Association, and other organisations. Starts at lation into English of this novel pub], S 8 pm at the Roebuck public house, I08a Tort- in France in 1932 ($p) enham Court Road(Warren St./Goodge St.) COMMIIIIE Barry Duncan: Invergordon '31 : How a SPACE in libertarian, anti-militarist commun- the Royal Navy Struck - and wan! Human Race". Anti Racists March to Black- al household for four people - adults and child £ 1. 00 ( lip) bum, starting 2 pm from Brookhouse Lane, ren - preference for people with 'direction'. Libero International No.4 (Japan), (WhalIey Range area), Whalley, Lancs. Rally Karla, 22 Royal Road, Ramsgate, Kent. April 1976, on South Korea 10p (6%-p) in King George's Hall, Blackburn at 3 p.m. New Humanist Ju1y/ Augr." on Children, Organised by AAR, P.O.Box 32, Blacldourn Abortion, Animal Liberation - end BB2. 5DY. Zen 8: theeert of motor cycle mai.nten- ITALY 21-26 S tember. An International subscribe conference of Bakunin studies will take place ance! 50p (9p) WE REGRET errors in 1-be typesetting of the The Freethinker August. Film censor in Venice. Many scholars have already agreed to participate. All comrades interested Press Fund in our last issue, corrected as ship, So1zhenitsyn's religion 10p (6%p) follows: The Unegual Breadwinner, new NCCL in the initiative, and wishing either to send suggestions or financial contributions, or to pamphlet on discrimination against wo- : £ 28.64 participate in /be present at the conference, Total 28 Jul-IIAug (E 28.69) men through the social security Byatem Previously acknowledged E 7I9.0I comp. by Ruth Lister & Leo Wilson are invited to get in touch with Nico Berti, 30p l6%pI CP 541, 35100 Podua, Italy. TOTAL at lI.8.76 (£ 757.70) £ 747.65 David Boadellaz Wilhem Reich, the NORTH WEST mchist Federation, for meet- ADD to entry F.B, Kensington 70 ings, activities 8. newsletter write I65 Rosehill evolution of his work (by a practition- Correct total to carry forward E 748.35 er of Reichian psychiatry) £2. 95(23p) Road, Bumley, Lancs. We carry always in stock standard EST LONDON Libertarian goup El; regu- works of theorytand practice by anar- lar fortnightly mtgs. at I23 Lathom Road, E.6. August I2th - 25th inclusive Phone Ken 552-3985. chists - Kropotkin, Balcunin, Berk- SUTTON COURTENAY: P.B. 70p; CHELMS- SOUTH-QST I.on$n Libertarian Group meets man , &c &c. New booklist shortly FORD: E.A. 35p; ST. CLOUD, Minn.: available. Wednesda s. Contact Georgina 460-I833. KINGSTON Libertarian Group. Interested M.G.A. E 29.83; LONDON SW8: H.H.85p; WOLVERHAMPTON: J.L. E I, J.K.W. I0p; ersons contact Pauline‘, tel. 549 2564. CONTACT Anarchists7Libertarians Colchester area inter- LONDON E.4: S. 8. A.G. 50p; LEEDS: NEXT DESPATCHING date for FREEDOM is ested in local group contact Hilary Lester, 32 G.H.L. I8p; RENSSELAER, N.Y.: G.T. £2.8I; LONDON N.I.: S.B. E I; ThursdayZ3' September. Come and help Wellesley Rd. Colchester for mtg. details. NEEDHAM, Mass.: Libedy Club per M.T.: from 2 pm onwards. You are welcome each HYDE PARK Speakers Corner I%$le Arch) Thursday afternoon to early evening for infor- Anarchist Forum alternate Sundays I pm. ‘E. I3.75; GLASGOW: W.B. 30p; BRISTOL: D.D. 35p; LYTHAM ST.ANNES: B.L.P. mal get together and folding session. Speakers, listeners and hecklers welcomed. 25pp; WOLVERHAMPTON: J.L. £ I, J.K.W. I0p; CHEAM: O.L.L. 70p. WE WELCOME news, reviews, letters, art- ABERDEEN c/o s. Blake, 162 King Street. TOTAL: £ 53.77 icles. NOTE NEW SCHEDULE : Latest Previously acknowledged as above E. 748.35 date for receipt of copy for next review is BATH — during vac. write c7o Freedom. Saturday II September and for news section BIRMINGHAM Black 8. Red Group, Bob Prew, TOTAL TO DATE £ 802.12 Saturday I8 September. 40c Trafalgar Road, Mosele , Birmingham I3. BOLTON anarchists contact 6 Stockley Ave. , WE CDKSSES in Central lonan. Subjects Harwood, Bolton (tel .3875l6) . Hostory of Socialist Movement in Britain; CAMBRIDGE Ron Stephan, Botany SEIQI PRESS FUND Music: emotion and understanding; Psycholo- Field Station, 34a Storey's Way, Cambridge sewn rrrrs FORM to FREEDOM mess, gy; Theatre in London; Intro to Western Euro- (tel. 52896). 84B Whitechapel High Street, Ioncbn El 7QX pean Art; Modem Literature. New term CORBY anarchists write 7 Cresswell Walk, begins Sept. 20. A chance to influence Corb , Northants NNI 2LL I year (26 issues) 0.00) thought. S,A,E. to S. Billson, 33 Compton COVENIRY Peter Corne, c7o Students Union, 6 months (I3 issues) 5.00) Road, N.I . for full details. Universi of Warwick, Coven . 3 months (7 issues) pqtfitn .....l\J-0- 3:8 -""~c‘.rent"-"'2.50) PEOPLE WITH A DISABIEITY Liberation Front, DUNDEE - term time Box I976, c/o Rising Free, I42 Drumrnond DURHAM - term time (These rates are for surface mail all over the g Street, London NWI EDINBURGH - term time world. Airmail rates on request) NZ§RT@NTS. A, S, Neill Nciation group FIFE - see West Fife Contact Susan and Terry Phillips, 7 Cresswell GESGOW Jim Mr-:Farlane, c7o Charlie Baird, Please send FREEDOM for ...... Walk, Corb . I22 Bernera St., Mr‘Iton, ‘GIasgow G22 8AY . to; ANARCHIST TUNSPORT WORKERS: an at- HARROW c2o IOKenton Ave ., Harrow (Chris em t to organise. Contact Adam OI-247 4829 0 tn or Nick H.) o I 0 u Q Q I I I O I O O I I . . "' LIBERTARKN EDUCATION Number 20 out LEEDS c7o CahaI_ McLaughlin, I2 Winston now I 22p incl. post. 5 issue sub. 90p incl. Gardens, Leeds 6 Est. 26 Oxford Road, Leicester. LEICESTER, Peter and Joan Miller, El Nonnan address ...... Street, Leicester (tel .549652). i ‘I OXFORD c7o Jude, 38 Hurst Street, Yard. THE STOKE NEWINGTON FIVE Welfare Com- PORTSMOUTH Caroline Cahmt 2 cll°El3°|'l’°“ Published" by Freedom Press, London, E.I . mittee still needs funds for books, etc. Box Gardens, Pembroke Park, Old Portsmouth 252, 240 Camden High Street, London, NWI .

o..:..t....r r... rureern this flnrvinnsr nf the 'TTnrIert;rrnund & Alternative Press Svndicate/Europe‘, 22 Dane Road, Margate,I Kent GT9 2AA. TeL‘ Th1net(0B43) 25902 - 9 ‘L SUPPLEMENT TO VoL 37 No.18 SEPTEMBER 1976 V

YOU MAY THINK that in describing anarchism as a theory has in fact invariably been re-affirmed by experience. The of organisation I am propounding a deliberate paradox_; same tendencies are, of course, observable in political par- "anarchy" you may consider to be, by definition, the opposite ties of the right, industrial and commercial firms, public of organisation. In fact, however, "anarchy" means the ao- corporations, nationalised industries and so on. The differ- sence of government, the absence of authority. Can there be ence is simply that they at least do not set out to be "demo- social organisation without authority, without government? cratic" or to be answerable to, or controlled by, their mem- The anarchists claim that there can be, and they also claim bers. Nor, in some senses, do the organisations of the Left. that it is desirable that there should be. They claim that, at Dr. Victor Allen,for instance, points out in his book Power the basis of our social problems is the principle of govern- in Trade Unions that "the end of trade union activity is to ment. It is, after all, governments which prepare for war protect and improve the general standards of its members and wage war, even though you are obliged to fight in them an and not to provide workers with an exercise in self- govern- and pay for them; the bombs you are worried about are not ment". Similarly, after the majority vote in the Labour the bombs which cartoonists attribute to the anarchists, but Party's Scarborough Conference in favour of unilateral dis- the bombs which governments have perfected, at your expense. armament, Hugh Gaitskell, in refusing to be bound by the It is, after all, governments which make and enforce the laws vote, declared that the purpose of the Parliamentary Labour which enable the "haves" to retain control over socialassets Party was to provide an alternative government (and not, he rather than share them with the "have-nots". It is, after all, implied, to be swayed by the fact that Frank Cousins was able the principle of authority which ensures that people will work to manipulate the trade union block vote to the "left" i.n the for someone else for the greater part of their lives, not be- same way as his predecessors had always been able to mani- cause they enjoy it or have any control over their work, but pulate it in favour of the leadership). because they see it as their only means of livelihood. We could very well claim that the nineteenth century anarch- I said that it is governments which make wars and war pre- ist thinkers like Proudhon or Bakunin were forerunners of parations, but obviously it is no‘: government alone-the pow- ‘Michels i.n their criticism of democratic and socialist theory. er of a government, even the most absolute dictatorship, de- Michels himself devotes a chapter each to syndicalism and an pends on the tacit assent of the governed. Why do people con- archism as " pirophylactics"'i.n his section on attempts to re- sent to be governecl‘? It isn't only fear; what have millions of strict the influence of leaders. Each tendency gets its modi- people to fear from a small group of politicians? It is be- cum of praise, but his conclusions are not optimistic. cause they subscribe to the same values as their governors.

Rulers and ruled alike believe in the principle of authority, of CAN WE ORGANISE 1 FROM THE BOTTOM UP I 9. hierarchy, of power. At most they offer their support to an alternative set of rulers-—Labour instead of Conservative, In fact it would be hard to find any writer on the theory of Republican instead of Democratic, Communist, Fascist, or organisation who is optimistic about organisations from the what you will, instead of liberal. bottom up. Organisation and its problems have developed a vast and expanding literature because of its importance for People have been conditioned from infancy to the idea of ac- those concerned with industrial management and governmental cepting an external authority--Mummy says, Daddy says, administration. Very little of this vast literature provides Teacher says, the Church says, the Boss says, the Prime anything of value for the anarchist, except i.n his role of des- Minister says, the experts say, the Archbishop says, God tructive critic. Nor has any very convincing anarchist theory says-—they have heard the voice of authority for so long that of organisation grown up, even though whether we regard an- they cannot conceive an alternative. Society must be organ- archism as a method , or as a destination, the question of or- ised, they say, how can this possibly be done without author- ganisation is important for us. The fact is that vxhile there ity? After all, without authority we would have anarchy! are thousands "of students of government, there are hardly any

H ""' of non- government; there is an immense amount of research And the anarchists agree with them. Anarchismll am into methods of administration, but hardly any into sel.f-regu- quoting the definition written for the Encyclopaedia Britannica lation. There are whole libraries on, and management cour- by Peter Kropotkin? is the name given to a'5rinéii'J1é‘6'£~ theory ses in, industrial management, and big fees for management of life and conduct under which society is conceived without consultants, but there is scarcely any literature, no course government-—harmony in such a society being obtained, not of study and certainly no fees for those who want to do away by submission to law, or by obedience to any authority, but with management and substitute workers‘ autonomy. The by free agreements conducted oetween the various groups, only industrial consultant who advocated anything approaching territorial and professional, freely constituted for the sake of this was James J. Gillespie, the author of Free E§pression production and consumption, as also for the satisfaction of in Industry and of Anarchy 47 ("Towards Freedom of Work ) the infinite variety of needs and aspirations of a civilised The brains are sold to the big battalions, and we have to being. . . " and so on. Elsewhere he observes that: "It seeks build up a theory on what little actual experience has been the most complete development of in"li*.-iduality combined with gained and assessed. For instance the work which has been the highest degree of voluntary association in all its aspects, done on the borders of social psychology and sociology on the in all possible degrees, for all imaginable purposes; ever nature of small groups, autonomous groups and leaderless modified associations which carry in themselves the elements groups. of their durability and constantly assume new forms which answer best the multiple aspirations of all. " Now all of us, except the most isolated of people, belong to a whole network of groups, based on common interests and You might conclude that this is a kind of idealised view of common.,tasks. Anyone can see that there are at least two democracy. If it is, it is very far from the kind of democracy kinds of organisation. There is the kind that is forced on We sctufllly know about, since the notion of democracy as pop- you, the kind which is run from above, and there is kind ular self-government has long since been replaced by the con- of organisation which is run from below, which can't force eePt of democracy as a competition between rival, and simi- you to do anything, and which you are free to joi.n or free to 131‘. elites. for the people's votes. Over fifty years ago leave alone. Most people have the experience of starting Robert Michels wrote a book Political Parties on oligarchal some club or some branch of a voluntary organisation or tendencies inherent in every allegedly democratic organisa- simply a group of friends who drink together on Fridays and tions. Nothing that we have learnt from the experience Qf listen to records. We could say that the anarchists are peo- trade -union or socialist movements has belied his thesis ; it ple who want to transform all_forms of human organisation into that k:lnd of purely voluntary association where people andthe ; another French word from trade union ter- can pull out and start one of their own if they don't like it. minology, the syndicate or workers‘ council as the unit of This doesn't mean committees, votes, membership cards. industrial organisation. These were envisaged as small local- For the formalised kind of voluntary organisation, as you all units which would federate with each other for the larger ef... know, only really works because of some internal gang of fairs oflife, each commune and each syndicate retaining its people who are may concerned with the function of the org- own autonomy, the one federating territorially andpthe other anisation and are prepared to do its work. If this is demo- industrially. Proudhon and Kropotkin devoted a lot of atten- cracy, it is what the dissident Freudian, Wilhelm Reich, tion to the federative principle and we do know something ab- called work-democracy, and his description of hie own Qxpgan out the factors which make for successful and unsuccessful rience of this mode of organisation mirrors exactly my ex- federations. perience of anarchist groups. He asks S By federation," George Woodcock notes in his biography . . . On what principle,t hen, was our organisation based, of Proudhon, "by federation Proudhon does not mean a world if there were no votes, no directives and commands, no government or a federation of states. For him the principifl secretaries, presidents, vice-presidents, etc. ? Of confederation begins from the simplest level of society. The organs of administration are local and lie as near the What kept us together was our work , our mutual i.nter- <fi~Pe°t=°11t1‘°1 °1' the PeeP1e ee Possible. Above thatprimary dependencies in this work, our factual interest in one level the confederal organisation becomes progressively less gigantic problem with its many specialist ramifications. an organ of administration than of co-ordination-‘of regions, I had not solicited co-workers. They had come of them- and Europe a con-federation of confederations in which the p selves. They remained, or they left when the work no interest of the smallest province will have as much expression longer held them. We had not formed a political group as that of the largest, since all affairs will be settled by.mut- or worked out a programme of action. . . Each one made ual agreement, contract and arbitration. " his contribution according to his interest i.n the work. . . There are then, objective biological work interests and Now without wishing to sing a song of praise for the Swiss work functions capable of regulating human co-operation, political system, we can see that, in territorial terms, the Exemplary work organises its forms of fimctioning organ- 22 sovereign cantons of Switzerland are" anvoutstanding ex- ically and spontaneously, even though only gradually, ample of a successful federation. It is a federation of like gropingly and often making mistakes. In contradistinction, units, of small cells, and the cantonal boundaries cut across the political organisations with their ‘campaigns’ and the linguistic and ethnic boundaries, so that unlike the many ‘platforms‘ proceed without any connection with the tasks examples of unsuccessful federation, the confederation is not and problems of daily life. dominated by one or a few powerful units. The problem of federation, as Leopold Kohr puts it, is one of division, not of Elsewhere in his paper he notes that union. We may consider the Swiss a rather stodgy and prov- incial lot, but they have something in their national life which If personal enmities, intrigues and political manoeuvres we certainly haven't. I was talking to a Swiss citizen (or ra- make their appearance in an organisation, one can be ther a citizen of Zurich, for there is strictly speaking no such sure that its members no longer have a factual meeting thing as a Swiss citizen) about the Beeching Report, and he ground in common, that they are no longer held together remarked that it would be inconceivable in a Swiss context by a common work-interest. . . . Just as organisational that a chairman in London could decide to write off the railway ties result from common work-interests, so they dissolve system of the north of Scotland. This led me to Herbert when the work-interests dissolve or begin to conflict with Luethy's study of. his country in uh ich he remarked that each other. " Every Sunday the inhabitants of scores of communes go to We can deduce from these astute observations certain prin- the polling booths to elect their civil servants, ratify ciples of organisation. I once, in reviewing that frivolous such and such an item of expenditure, or decide whether a but useful little book Parkinson's Law, attempted to enunciate road or a school should be built; after settling the busi- four principles behind an anarchist theory of organisations : ness of the commune, they deal with cantonal elections that they should be (1) voluntary, (2) functional, (3) temporary and voting on cantonal issues ; lastly, . . . come the deci- and (4) small. They should be vohmtary for obvious reasons. sions on federal issues. In some cantons, the sovereign There is no point in our advocating individual freedom and people still meet in Rousseau-like fashion to discuss responsibility if we are going to advocate organisations for questions of common interest. It may be thought that this which membership is mandatory. They should be functional ancient form of assembly is no more than a pious tradition for reasons which are equally obvious but are not always ob- with a certain value as a tourist attraction. If so, it is served. Therefis a tendency for organisations to exist with- worth looking at the results of local democracy. out a genuine function, or which have outlived their functions. They should be temporary precisely because permanence is The simplest example is the Swiss railway system, which one of those factors which hardens the arteries of an organi- is the densest network in the world. At great cost and sation, giving it a vested interest in its own survival, in with great trouble, it has been made to serve the needs of serving the interests of its office holders rather than in ser- the smallest localities and most remote valleys, not as 8. ving its ostensible functions. They should be small precisely paying proposition but because such was the will of the because in small face-to-face groups, the bureaucratising people. It is the outcome of fierce political struggles. and hierarchical tendencies inherent in organisation have In the 19th century, the ‘democratic railway movement‘ least opportunity to develop. brought the small Swiss communities into conflict with the big towns, which had plans for centralisation. . . . And But it is from this final point that our difficulties arise. If if we compare the Swiss system with the French which, we take it for granted that a small group can function anarch- with admirable geometrical regularity, is entirely centred ically, we are still faced with the problem of all those social on Paris so that the prosperity or the decline, the life or functions for which organisation is necessary, but which re- the decline, the life or death of whole regions has depend- quire it on a much bigger scale. Well, we mights say in re- ed on the quality of the link with the capital, we see the sponse to this point, "If big organisations are necessary - difference between a centralised state and a federal alli- count us out. We will get by as well as we can witlhout them." ance. The railway map is the easiest to read at a glance, We can say this all right, but if we are propagating anarchism but let us now superimposed on it another showing econo- as a social philosophy, we must take into account, and not mic activity and the movement of population. The distri- evade, social facts. Better to say,_ "Let us find ways in bution of industrial activity all over Switzerland, even in which the large-scale functions can be broken down into func- the outlying areas, accounts for the strength and stability tions capable of being organised by small functionalgroups of the social structure of the country and prevented those and then link these groups in a federal manner. This leads horrible 19th century concentrations of industry, with us to consider an anarchist theory of federalism. their slums-and rootless proletariat. Now the classical anarchists, in considering how they en- visaged the organisation of a future society, thought in terms I quote all this, as I said, not to praise Swiss democracy, of two kinds of social institution; as the territorial unit the but to indicate that the federal principle which is in the centre commune , a French word which you might consider as the of anarchist social theory, is worth much more attention equivalent of the word parish, or of the Russian word soviet than it is given in textbooks on political science. Even in iniits original meaning, but which*also has overtones of the the context of ordinary political institutions its adoption has as ancient village institutions for cultivating the land in common: far-reaching effect. Colin Ward. TO BE CONTINUED IN THE 1\EXT ISSUE 1 t l

I

. burning much-needed homes, to add to _I MAKE no apologies for dealing with of i.ndustry have consumed real wealth at an alarming rate. Our privileged the general pollution, to cover vast S.E, Parker's letter in FREEDOM areas with poisonous chemicals, often (21 August) along with Sir Keith A position i.n the world has indeed depend- ed on the sale in a competitive world of indiscriminately from aircraft; for Joseph's case against equality in the industrialists to hazard the world with Observer of 22nd August. Arriving our products. This, make no mistake, is going to become a more and more dangerous chemicals and growth-based at concepts of anarchism via socialism, plutonium technology. I am at one with Sid Parker in believhg precarious way of providing the neces- sities of life. that there is nothing to prevent social- Joseph still talks in nineteenth century ism becoming tyranny. That being . terms when people were under the mis- said, it is quite obvious that the physi- All egalitarian policy squeezing differentials, high direct taxation apprehension that we were living in a cal and social problems derive from world of limitless resources, reflected the egocentric individualism of capital- on nearly all income levels, dis- couraging capital accumulation and i.n the absolute nonsense expressed in ism. It is, in a crowded world, be- the following paragraph: coming ever more difficult for man to transmission, narrowing the gap between the incomes of the success- be an island even if he desired to be so. We shall do better for all, including ful and unsuccessful, will discour- age wealth-creators. those now poor» or hard-pressed, Anarchism to me is not individualism with a market economy, precisely as Sid Parker claims; it is as far from The whole of this paragraph is sheer because the inequality of rewards individualism as it is from socialism. and benefits involved will create No living creature in fact can be isola- nimsense, for wealth creation in this greater wealth, which is bound -to ted from the biological entity that we sense refers to the manipulators of finance who ultimately corner access raise general living standards, and call the earth. It is because human can be used to increase social bene- beings have the capacity to disrupt it to power and privilege. Many of their fits for those who need help. that for their own comfort they have the activities stand in the way of the crea- duty to understand it. Which brings tion of real wealth imthat finance__pre- On a world basis this is obviously, me to Sir Keith Joseph: vents many who are capable of creating wealth from doing so. false and reflects a complete unaware- "People of goodwill have been mani- ness of the biological world. The pulated into confusing the ideals of Biological nature slowly created statement that "E galitarianism destroys eliminating poverty and of raising wealth by utilising energy from outside not only prosperity but freedom and culture" seems to me to be refuted by living standardszwith egalitarianism, the planet and converting it to organic the obvious fact that in the world today I shall argue that we can and should materials on earth in the form of life, there has never been less egality but eliminate poverty, in the sense of soil and fossil fuels. Added to this it there has -never been less freedom and inadequate income for decent choice, could be said that the development of but that the pursuit of equality, far tools that aided this process could also culture . from achieving that purpose, will be described as wealth producing. actually increase poverty and install In fact it could be said that "privilege tyranny. If these views seem E gocentric individual capitalism has has destroyed not only prosperity but shocking, that is merely the paroch- disturbed this process to such a deg- freedom and culture". ialism of the post-war Western ree that the state resorted to interfer- world. To earlier observers they ence in the process, without any great This brings, me to the question of in- would have seemed self-evident. " success. According to Sir Keith Joseph dividualism and anarchism and the collective of which we are allpart. This view has to some extent been It is no good pretending that the Our freedom is-..within the biological restrictions of our place within that forced upon the establishment and the ~ curcial decision-makers can be collective. This is an acceptable earlier view would have been that pover- replaced by public officials. No authority. What is unacceptable to an- ty for some was a natural state. Pov- civil servant, however clever, can archists is the authority of privilege. erty now, to some extent, has become respond nearly as sensitively or zonal but just as, if not more extensive. effectively to the endlessly shifting A, A,_ changes of home and world demand Joseph argues for equality before the and supply as can individuals : law and equality of opportunity : both their careers, families and savings meaningless concepts when one realises depend upon their being right more Freedom that the law is the bastion of privilege often than wrong in judging the and equality of opportunity meaningless market. in the context of inherited wealth or ra- Press ther inherited privilege. For one of the Individual capitalist decision makers HOUSING : An anarchist approach, essentials today is to define wealth and are as little competent as public officials Colin Ward £1.25 (~20p)$3 understand what it is. Sir Keith Joseph in making the decisions on our behalf. COLLECTIVES IN TI-IE SPANISH believes that Particularly as by the nature of such REVOLUTION, Gaston Leval decision making it is necessary for cloth £4.00 (55p)fi{],, . . . the total wealth that a society has powerand privilege to become larger paper £2.00 (47-p) $5 is not to be taken for granted, nor and larger, and within my definition of LESSONS OF THE SPANISH REVOLU- will it necessarily grow. Our nati- wealth producing, more wasteful and TION, Vernon Richards onal income depends in a highly com- less efficient. cloth £1. 50 {55p) $4, petitive world upon our performance Paper£0.'75 (47p) Q, —as farmers, manufacturers, pro- The inefficiency and wastefulness of ANARCI-[ISM AND ANARCHO-SYNDI- viders of services. And that per- the whole market economy is becoming CALISM, Rudolf Rocker 20p (9p} 65¢ formance depends upon the enter- more and more obvious. In terms of THE STATE, Its Historic Role, Peter prise, judgment, initiative, effort, real wealth there is no such thing as Kropotkin 20p (9p) 65¢ skills of millions of individuals- capital accumulation ; in Sir Keith ANARCHY, Errico Malatesta making decisions, taking risks, in- Joseph's society it is a dangerous illu- 25p (9p) 75c vesting effort, imagination, co-ope;-- sion which‘ will if not recognised and BAKUNIN & NECHAEV, Paul Avrich ation, money. understood lead to more violence and 20p (9p) 65c destruction of resources. It is quite obvious from the above par- Complete list of Freedom Press pub- agraph that Joseph has not the faintest ‘The freedom of which Joseph talks is lications including available issues of idea of what wealth is, Indeed 11; could the freedom of landowners toburn straw I _Ji1Er;c_hy ', supplied on request. be said that most of the largest captains in autumn, creating fire hazards and

I I

REVIEW myths and half-truths surrounding this controversial subject", they are Sprea- ding yet another myth and half-truth. 0L 'l‘ In fact the book is not very reliable and Revolutionaries in Modern Britain by munes and community politics. He has n°t even V91‘? readable. It is written Peter Shipley (Bodley Head, I read too much and learnt too little, and from the outside like an intelligence even quite sensible discussions are I report, and in an appropriate style. spoilt by -howlers like "A. S. Neill's The author is a young journalist who Risinghill". has not learnt the first thing about FROM TIME to time anarchism is journalism -check your facts. What ' taken up by the media, and there are While I read a proof copy I noticed might be forgivable in an articleor articles in newspapers and vzmagazines that a quotation from an article Iwrote programme is unforgivable in a book or programmes on radio and television i.n FREEDOM had nine errors in less and this bookzshould be read as a describing our ideas and activities, than eleven lines. I pointed this out to source of information not about the left generally from a position of prejudice the publishers, and the author made but about a particular way of looking at or ignorance or both. Such items don't some quick corrections. When I read the left. It is the sort of thingwhich matter very much, because no-one be- the published versionof the book I not- appears in the Spectator - and indeed lieves the mass media and they are iced that the quotation still has four Shipley writes in the Spectator - and is soon forgotten. What matters more is errors. Similarly a quotation from probably useful to make people who the coverage of anarchism in books, George Woodcock's Anarchism has six d0I1't KTIOW anything about the subject which always seem to be impartial and errors in seventeen lines. feel as if they do. To people who do which also last a long time. know something about the left or who There are many facts in this book, are personally involved in the left it Ten years ago George Thayer wrote a probably more than in any other sur- is useful only if you want to lose your journalistic book called The British vey of the British left, but there is lit- temper or have a laugh. Eolitical Fringe , which covered the tle knowledge, When the publishers N, W, groups to the left of the Communists say that it "sweeps away many of the and to the right of the Conservatives, CONTR OVERSY » mainly on the basis of interviews, and discussed the libertarian left in chap- ters on "The Outside Left" and "The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament", Now Peter Shipley has written a journ- alistic book called Revolutionaries in - st Modern Britain, which covers the groups to-the left of the Labour Party, One would hope that the re-publication unionist emphasis on effective centralis- mainly on the basis of their literature. of earlier syndicalist documents and ation' Wh1Ch' caused The Miners‘ Next texts might, as your reviewers suggest Step programme to be shipwrecked on After an introductory chapter on "The ("Workshop Politics" Vol. 37 no. 16), the rock-like sense of district autonomy Awakening of the Revolutionaries" in arouse some interest among those anar- p to which the South Wales miners were the 1960s, there is one chapter each on chists who seek to base their anarchism particularly attached." Yet in the text the old orthodox (Muscovite) Communist upon a grasp of everyday life. But it is of The Miners‘ Next Step (p. 30) we Parties, four chapters on the 57 varie- unfortunate that such republications are find the syndicalist principles clearly ties of Trotskyism, and one on "The being done by Pluto Press as they al- Stated -- "“Decentra-lisation for Negoti- Libertarian Alternative", followed by a ways contain errors or distortions in ating — Centralisation for Fighting." concluding chapter. There are also the introductions. appendices on the structures of some of There is the clear implication (p. 5.) their publications. When they republished Tom Mann's that the ideas embodied in the M. N. S. pamphlet on the 8-Hour Day in 1972 the emanated from the Plebs League estab- There are some obvious omissions, introduction by Richard Hyman con- lished in Ruskin College, Oxford. But such as groups like the Independent tained some criticism of Marm which is to anyone who has read both documents Labour Party and the Socialist Party of valid enough so far as it goes. I do not The Miners’ Next Step is simply The Great Britain or issues like women's have a very high opinion of Mann my- IWW, its history, structure and meth- liberation. I know too little about all self and would agreewith the judgement ods modified and adapted to Welsh con- the Marxist organisations to offer a quoted by Hyman that he was "essential- . ditions. Bill Haywood of the IWW, who proper critique of them - though I must ly a propagandist of current radical was himself a miner, had visited Eng- say that the account of the CPGB mis- ideas and not a theoretician"; and not a land in 1910 and spoke to the Welsh ses the flavour of that remarkable in- very good propagandist either, I would miners. And Noah Ablett, a Welsh stitution, that the account of the Mao- add. But Hyman would find it difficult miner and part-author of The Miners‘ ists misses their most interesting sec- to sustain his subsequent conclusion Next Step , was a syndicalist and an ad- tion (the Communist Organisation in that "British syndicalism was charact- vocate of direct action, as he proved the British Isles, which wasfformed in erised by its theoretical flabbiness". ZJTINJiii when addressing the TUC in Newport in 1974 and publishes Proletarian), and Anyone who has read some of the art- 1912: "The Federation of Miners has that the account of the Trotskyists is icles on syndicalism by Gaylord Wil- waited twenty years for the eight-hour misleading in all the areas where I shire, one of the first editors of Solid- day law; but less than twelve months‘ know some thing. arity and author of Sfldicalism : what it fight sufficed to obtain the minimum » is , would find it difficult to agree. So wage. We syndicalists will make our But I am mainly’ concerned with the E70 would the reader of William Paul's congress the industrial parliament of account of the libertarian movement, pamphlet on The State--its orig}s and the future. " and here the book is very weak. functions . Mann's pamphleti‘, inciden- Shipley's view of the historical anarch- tally, was written in 1886 before Mann Anarchists who are not familiar with ist movement is taken clumsily from himself became a syndicalist and is the origins and ideas of syndicalism in previous books on ‘llhehgubject; his therefore hardly relevant evidence as Lto Britain are liable to be confused by the version of the contemporary anarchist whether British syndicalism was or was fact that much of what purports to be movement is put together just as clum- not theoretically flabby. the "history" of syndicalism in Britain sily from many recent publications. He has not been written by the syndicalists has difficulty irh copying out quotations In 1973, Pluto Press republished one themselves but by academics like correctly and in getting details right - of the most important syndicalist docu- G. D, H, Cole whose definition of syndi- thus nearly every reference to activi- ments ever published in Britain, 'l"_l_1_e_ calism as quoted‘i.n your review has ties I haveb been involved in is inaccu- Miners‘ Next Step, with an introduction been "borrowed" (Cole could have been rate - and above all in working opt how by R. Merfyn Jones who also set out to successfully sued for plagiarism sever- anarchism itself is related to other demonstrate the theoretical flabbiness al times over) from Trautman of the thingsysuch as terrorism and pacifism, ~ of British syndicalism. Thus in a foot- IWW who stated that "the workers will situationism and syndicalism, com- note on page 7: It was this industrlal become conscious of their power, and 3 they willdevelop the faculties to oper- nonsense contained in thee articles. ate the factories and mills etc. , Let us point out one fact: The revo- thrpugh agencies and instruments of lutionary syndicalist movement in DIRTY their own creation". Those agencies France, in England, in the United included democratically co-ordim ted States and everywhere else, is a neighbourhood, mimicipal and regional mass movement. It is the revolution- POI|I'l'IGS workers‘ councils and were not simply ary militants of France who have RECENT AUSTRALIAN elections pre- confined to the industrial unions and created this movement from the ex- sented uncustomarily revealing shows federations of such unions, as Cole perience they gai.ned in many years‘ by their parliamentary casts. I The suggests. struggle. It has nothing to do with election which prompted the following any school, old or new, with Marx- reflection is in the past; »-its content is But having "proved" to his own satis- ism, neo-Marxism or Bergsonism. contemporary with elections past, pre- faction that the syndicalists were unable In England and the United States it is sent and future. It is by the editor of to see beyond the workshop he develop- the recent strikes which have attract- Rationalist News in the May-June 1976 ed his own theory of guild socialism, ed the world‘s attention to this move- issue (58 Regent Street, Chippendale, which he had borrowed in part from ment and to what preceded the strikes N. S.W, 2008, Australia). Sorel. This postulated a clash of inter- strikes; it is not a new school of

ests between producers and consumers philosophy, but the hard work of org- * . (ignoring the fact'that the syndicalists anisation and the practical experi- had already suggested the creation of ence qof the masses in the service of THE TRUTH is politicsiis a dirty suitable agencies and instruments which capitalists and in their daily struggle game - unethical, sly, deceitful, mal- would have dispensed with the need for against exploitation. " icious, and so on. At the time of this a State). But academics, who usually H‘ B. journal going ->.to»press the people of depend upon the State for their liveli- *What the Eight Hour Day Means for New South Wales will have either elect- hood, are unlikely ever to advocate any the Workers A ed a Labor or Liberal government a- form of society which does nd: provide gain, after all the promises both par- for them a well paid role as State func- ties have declared they will put i.nto tionaries. operation when in power. And most people, as usual, are as confused a It is unfortunate that no history-of ever about the basic issues, let alone syndicalism i.n Britain written from a in understanding how bureaucratic gov- specifically syndicalist viewpoint is ernment ftmctions. On this score I am available but even so it ought not to be Hem Day reminded of what William C. Owen s too difficult to counter the methods said in a pamphlet he wrote in 1922 used by the Trotskyite school of falsifi- about elections and the mistakes even cation. Most of the practitioners of IN THE night of August 13th, 1969 in Socialists make when contesting at the this school are academics and they and Brussels, Hem Day died at the early ballot box. I quote Owen's statement their kind have been at the game for a age of 67. - which is published in Anarchism ver- long time, as is testified to in this ex- sus Socialism by Freedom Press, tract from an article by Christian I got to know him personally five London: Cornelissen which appeared in the Bul- years before his death and in those last letin international du mouvement sy'rTfi- five years of his life, I went to see him "The truth is that the Socialists have calist before the First World War : as often as possible. And every time I become the helpless victims of their came back from seeing him encouraged own political tactics. We speak cor- "WE HAVE receive many newspaper and strengthened. rectly of political ‘ca_mpaigns', for and magazine articles combating or politics is warfare. Its object is to defending syndicalism. . . . But we are Hem Day was a great philosopher, a get power, by gathering to its side astonished to see how few of the men very wise man and a tireless worker the majority, and reduce the minor- 1 who study the movement have gone to who for half a century gave with equal ity to submission. In politics, as in its sources, observed strikes, work- humility and modesty to international every other branch of war, the entire ers‘ struggles, or even read working- anarchism; and by himself he built up armoury of spies, treachery, strata- class publication. . . . Instead of study- a centre of historical documentation. gem, and deceit of every kind is util- ing the French movement through its ised to gain the one important end - official organ La Voix du Peuple, or From my personal acquaintance with victory in the fight. And it is pre- through pamphlets written by militant Hem Day, I derived a clearer and more cisely because our modern democ- syndicalists, the authors of articles lucid idea of anarchism, racy is engaged, year in and year out, on syndicalism prefer to quote French in this most unscrupulous warfare and Italian writers who are outside the Hem Day was an initiator and allowed that the basic and all-essential vir- movement and with whom the French the individual to develop by himself; tues of truth, honesty, and the spirit unions have nothing todo. A few he was sure of the good quality of his of fair play have almost disappeared weeks ago there appeared in the Eng- seed and he was right. His anarchist H lish press a series of articles by the propaganda consisted i.n the harmony of socialist deputy, Ramsay MacDonald, thought and action; it seems to me that Remember, the above was written in who traced the origin of the syndical- today there are no longer anarchists of 1922 - in fact 18 years before that ist movement to the theories of the temper of Hem Day. date, I think; and things haven't chan- Georges Sorel and of his master, ged a great deal since. _% political Professor Bergson of the Sorbonne. Hem Day through his ability at organ- parties, then, cannot really be trusted. In the International Socialist Review ising his propaganda was against form- Party politics has not won us freedom, of Chicago we find an article on ‘Sabo- al organisation, even if the organisa- nor helped to emancipate the people. It t'age and Revolutionary Syndicalism' tion defined itself as anarchist. is still engaged in arguing the point. where the’ readers are referred to And it will continue to do so until such the ‘new school‘ which considers it- To set up a formal organisation time as people really start to do some- self neo-Marxist, and to Sorel. means inability tc organise anarchist- original thinking, to do their own thing, ically. The will of the INDIVIDUAL to learn to co-operate instead of listen- "We do not wish to insist on all the makes the ANARCI-IIST and only with ing to politicians and bowing to author- the WILL of the INDIVIDUAL can the itarian governments. That's why the anarchist movement be developed. Rationalist Association is in existence — to encourage people to reason, to Men like Hem Day, Han Ryner, think for themselves and to question Emile Armand, Errico Malatesta. . . all forms of dogma, superstitibn and were such through their INDIVIDUAL obscurantism. Freedom is a person's and not their organisational talents. birthright, and no government, church tyrant, or individual has a right to Giovanni Tropani. deny it to any person. Woodcock imagines. Comfort deliberately l3_99_l_<_ belongs to this class. A quote kept out of the limelight, and Read's appear- from the notorious reactionaryfleorge ances were highly ambiguous. lt is true that Orwell confirms this. The concepts of E'l"l‘ R he l°°l< part in two sit-—downs in London in l96l, demorcratic leadership, of -nafibnal l AM sorry J.W. has "little to quarrel with" but it is also true that later that year he res- liberation, of proletarian solidarity, of in my criticism of George Woodcock, but l igned from the Committee of l00 and publicly historical determinism, of dialectical am glad he managed to find something. His attacked it for abandoning Gandhiqn non.- materialism, of class conflict —}except letter (2l August) raises two points in my last violence. in its most elementary forms; of any instalment (I0 July) - one about the influence T° take the second point, J.W. uses his respect for the Soviet Union and its of Herbert Read and Alex Comfort in the anar- letter to make an oblique attack which has achievements, and those of the "P-‘eoplersf chistic movement, and one about me. nothing to do with this discussion. He says Democracies (who are continually pic- that revolutionary anarchists do not obie¢|- |o tured as complaining about the historic To take the first point, l said: "Herbert Read "pacifism" but rather to "certain pacifists who, role of the USSR); of thelconomic free- played no part in the anarchist movement after do,1_n of Soviet citizens; —all are omit- he accepted a -knighthood in l953, and l doubt unlike Read, tumed on libertarian comrades when they were in trouble over a trial." In ted'from this compilation of stale mish- whether a single young person was impelled in fact "revolutionary" anarchists do obiect to mash from the capitalist press . (The a libertarian direction by his example during pacifism - their leading figure in this country, " name Pluto i. e. 'plutocrlay in itself is the period in question, though his earlier writ- Albert Meltzer, has frequently described it as highly significant. ) ings had some influence. " l accept that Read "non-violent fascism" and in fact Read did was taken seriously by foreign anarchists long- tum on libertarian comrades when they were ‘This collection of foul libels is added er than by British ones, that his libertarian in trouble over a trial, since he tumed against to‘ by jokes from ‘Radio Erivan‘, that writings were still read after l953, and that at the Committee of I00 iust when its leaders revanchist apparatus of c8.pi1:a]iSm-i1_'n- least J.W. was influenced by him. But l still faced imprisonment. perialism functioning, it would seem, think that his part in the anarchist movement from within one of the previously op- virtually ceased during the l950s and that his The reference to "certain pacifists", etc., pressed minorities of the glorious Sov- influence was virtually negligible by the l960s. is a.repetition of public and private attgcks iet fatherland. made on mesince l97l by Marcus Graham, l didn't mention Alex Comfort's book Author Albert Meltzer and Jeremy Westall because of ity and Delinquency in the Modern State bec- We Communists can see a joke as * my attitude to the Angry Brigade. l don't ause it was one of ' is writings t e 9 0s" well as the next man, if it is explained want to repeat the whole argument, but l do which l did mention, like several other brill- to us on the scientific principles of the want to point out that J .W. 's reference is iant books and pamphlets. dialectical process. As we understand based on two lies - that l am a pacifist, and it, the thesis is Man in a Capitalist l didn't underemphasise these two figures. that l tumed on comrades on trial. l am not Society, the antithesis is the banana- The context of my discussion of them was Wood- and never have been a pacifist; l criticised skin symbolising colonial exploitation cock's claim that they "provided links between the activity of the Angry Brigade and the arg- and the wasteful aspects of Western so- classic anarchism and the younger people" in uments of the Stoke Newington Defence Group, ciety, the synthesis is the collapse of the nuclear disarmament movement and espec- but l said nothing against the defendants in the individual symbolising the society ially in the Committee of I00. l was a member the two Angry Brigade trials - indeed l offer- which he represents and the downfall of the anarchist and nuclear disam1ament move ed sureties to them and donated money to their of capitalism-through .the intervention ment who belonged to the Committee of l00, fund. s of imperialism (symbolised by the ban- and l observed no such links. Both Comfort ana skin) and the integument (in this lf -J.W. wants to find something to quarrel and Read exerted great influence through their case his trousers) bursts asunder. about, he might do better to get his facts writings before the l950s, but after the l950s right before he begins. they exerted no direct influence of the kind. Humour in the most general sense, N .W. conceived as the mode of existence, the inherent attribute of laughter, compre- THE CRIB/[E OF Madison, Wisconsin, urges people not to vote because ‘the free and informed bends all changes and processes occur- will of the individual is the ulti.mate ring in the universe, from Ire re chance ELEGTIO S strength of (the) group and of society of place right to laughing. The investi- itself. Anarchists believe i.n individual gation of the nature of humour had as a Comrade Billy Mick of Paragould, responsibility and initiative and i.n the matter of course to start" from the low- Portland, USA was arrested for giving whole-hearted co-operation of groups est, simplest form of wit and learn to out anarchist literature 100 feet from a composed of free:‘individuals". grasp these before it could achieve polling-place and thereby ‘wilfully caus- anything in the way of explanation of ing a disturbance at a polling place‘. The local paper report which has the higher and more complicated forms. This is a vague charge and the judge ad- beens sent to us seems fairly impartial mitted that he was ‘inflamed about this and concludes on a note of reactions of In the USSR the change of humour thing‘ and took Billy Mick's case ‘under leaflet recipients. "As one man said, from quantity to quality in the delicate advisement‘ for some days so that he ‘This just proves it's a free country. shafts of Marx, Engels, Lenin and could study the law and ‘cool down‘. We But why did he pick out this ward?‘ ." . Stalin ("the dictatorship of the prole- have heard that, since then, the case has tariat" : "Building up the State in ord- been adjourned until December so pre- J. R. er to prepare for the withering away of sumably his honour will have time to P. S. Comrade Mick (of 404 Canal the states")presaged a new Soviet cool off! He is saidlby Billy to be con- Street, Paragould, OR 72450, USA) humour. templating a charge of attempting to is interested i.n plans for an anarchist prevent people from voting - which is a international currency and would be in- This boow is not that. felony! terested to hear from anybody on this. [_Prof._7.lohanne Rotkelchen The judge was rather sC8.l‘.hi1‘1g and Univ. Of Ul’J‘8Ch'l2- after he had received an explanation of Billy's anti-voting position he said, "I *The Big Red Joke Book , ed. Benton believe you better grow up .a little bit" and Loomes ( Pluto Press, paper, 90p) and, of all things i.n a court, the law OF THE CAPITALIST JOKE was made for protecting the rights of ORGANISING ANARCHY. . . Pages 9-10 citizens "particularly for little weak- IT IS NOT possible to find in Marx, lings like you". The Prosecuting Attor- Engels, Trotsky, Lenin, Stalin and all This article appeared ten year ago in ney said that although thes material was the Marxist writers any wit or humour. Anarchy 62 (April, 1966), since when "repugnant to him - and others" the Occasionally one detects heavy sarc- there have been developments in and fur- constitution guarantees freedom of asm but no more. This is primarily ther material published on some of the speech and the right to distribute the because humour by its nature is counter- fields chosen by Colin Ward(e. g. squat- literature; he was unsure Billy had revolutionary , if not revisionist in ten- ting, and workers‘ control) The article committed a criminal offence. dency and in its refined form is quite nonetheless stands as a persuasive illus- obviously the province of the bourgeois tration of the validity of anarchism as a The leaflet, printed by the Social intellectual. This volume §ig_Red Joke theory of organisation. Revolutionary Anarchist Federation of

_ PART 11 " groups reacted violently to the news of the execution. Some talked of taking the offensive again by reectivating "armed , I agitation", whilst others thought it was necessary‘ to put an end to "suicidal" practices once and for all. The coordina- tion achieved to defend the militants of the M. I. L. quickly s broke up. Relations between the different libertarian groups became particularly strained in Catalonia. In other regions, by contrast, the repercussions of this affair did not have the same disastrous effects as in Catalonia. In Madrid, for ex- ample, the process of organization of anarcho-syndicalist groups speeded up. Whilst in Barcelona the campaign of soli- darity with the imprisoned members of the M. I. L. served to THIS SECOND section of "Spanish Anarchism—-situation and emphasise incompatibilities, in Madrid it permitted various prospects“ by Freddy, a contributor to Frente _I,_._ib__ertario, groups which had previously had no contacts, to get to know covers the year 1974, a traumatic one for the renascent Span’- each other. In Valencia the situation was similar to that in ish libertarian movement. (Translation by D. L. M.) Madrid. It is true that in both Madrid and Valencia anarchist activism remained a theoretical problem. In Barcelona, by 1 9 7 4 —- ACTIVISM, REPRESSION, FRUSTRATION contrast, it was a far from negligible element in libertarian reality. _ _ _ ‘ . Two striking facts characterised the activity of the move- The break-up of the HCommittee of Support ll did not resolve ment in the last months of 1973. On the one hand there was all the problems. It did, however, reduce divergencies and growing evidence of a real development of the anarcho-syndi- conflicts. Each tendency devoted itself to its activities. One calist tendency (contacts, coordination, publication of several of the direct consequences of the assassination of Puig Antich e numbers of C.N.‘I‘.’ Informs and Qpcion , a militant presence could be seen in the recrudescence of groups advocating in struggles, etc. ). Parallel to this development there were armed struggle. The feeling of powerlessness before barbar- reports of armed exploits in Catalonia, carried out by anti- authoritarian activist groups. . . These groups were credited ism, despair and the monstrousness of repression, provoked in certain groups or individuals a sort of fascination with vio- with several hold-ups and various "expropriation" or "social- lance, individual or collective. This unthinking and sentim- isations". These actions, claimed either by the M. 1. L. ental inclination to vengeful armed struggle, was even to tend (iberian Liberation Movement) or by the G. A.C. (Autonomous to attain disturbing proportions. Combat G10ups)1 led to the arrest, in September 1973, of sev- eral militants, among them Salvador Puig Antich. The kidnapping in May 1974-in Paris of the manager of the Bank of Bilbao by the G. A.R. I. (Group for International Rev- What relationships existed between these armed groups and olutionary Action) brought matters to a head. Police solidar- the Catalan libertarian groups? Before September 197 3 no- ity was notrslow, indeed, to display itself. Several anarcho- body, with very few exceptions, knew of the existence ofthese syndicalist militants in Barcelona were immediately harassed. groups. From information released subsequently by the The Francoist police undertook, with the aid of the servile M.I."L,' we know now that these groups were made up of anar- press, the liquidation of the movement in Catalonia. In June chist and council-cominunist militants. From their frequent of that year four anarcho-syndicalist militants (Luis Edo, references to the ultra-left, they were, from a strict theoret- David Urbano, Luis Burro and Juan Ferran) were arrested. icial point of view, closer to certain tendencies in the G.O.A. After an attempt had been made to accuse them of complicity Lsee Part 1, last issue,--trans_J than to autonomous anarch- t in the Paris affair, they were sentenced to several years of ist or anarcho-syndicalist groups. Putting forward "armed imprisonment. Later, the police, with any amount of com- agitation" as a "tactical exigency" of the workers‘ movement, muniqtfizs and photos in the press, announced the dismantling the M. I. L. did not claim to embody the armed wing of the revolution. Its strategy of violence was understood as one of a "dangerous anarchist organization called O. L. L. A. (Or- ganization of Armed Struggle)" and the arrest of its principal stage on the way to the final objective: the self-organisation "leaders". This pure police invention served as a pretext to of the class for the insurrectionary and expropriatory strike. assimilate libertarians a little more to "dangerous terrorists" When the first arrests occurred, the M.I.L. no longer ex- and to criminalise militants. The repressive wave was parti- isted. It had dissolved itself in August 1973, and its milit- cularly intense and prolonged. Every libertarian group was ants had decided to devote themselves to theoretical work and threatened. the printing of texts in the framework of Editions May 37 . The G.A. C. continued. . . . When the first arrests were an- At the end of the first six months of 1974, the situation of nounced, accompanied by an intense anti-anarchist press the Movement in Catalonia was not sparkling. Militants were campaign, the Catalan libertarian groups put a brake on their in; prison, groups disjointed, others dissolved to escape re- activities. Conscious of the fact that through the M.I. L. pression and internal conflicts were attaining alarming pro- the police machine was seeking to destroy the libertarian portions. The only positive element in this period was the movement in its entirety, the groups, all tendencies together. active participation of anarcho-syndicalist militants in the 2, organized for self- defence and to save Puig Antich from strike in Baix Llobregat in June. Whilst regrouping, the an- the death penalty. The coordination of the libe rtarians. was at-cho-syndicalists kept at a good distance from activism and going tolsturn out to be particularly difficult, however. The minority violence. After being the most active centre of the first clashes came about over the value to be placed on the libertarian renaissance, Barcelona was to experience great tactic of "armed agitation". The two principal theses put difficulties in regaining its strength. Madrid and Valencia, forward about the organization of solidarity for the imprison- on the contrary, became the centre of the anarcho-syndicalist ed comrades were completely antagonistic. Whilst the tendency. The situation was particularly interesting in Mad- G,A.C, and other sections considered that there could be no rid where several groups started off a process of fusion defence othertthan a political one, based on support for revo- (Solidaridad, Ateneo, Salud companero, amongst others). lutionary activism, most of the anarcho-syndicalist and some This tendency toward unification was subsequently confirmed. of the libertarian groups were opposed to any systematic poli- In Valencia the organizational process, less advanced than i.n tical justification Of the M. l."'L. An a ement of sorts Madrid, was also well on the way. In other regions, the idea was reached which set up a "Committee €>TfeSupport for the of reconstructing the C. N. T. was gaining in popularity, and anarcho-syndicalist groups tightened up their links. imprisoned members of the M. I.L. " responsible for coordin- ating the defence. PARTIAL ANALYSIS OF CERTAIN ASPECTS OF ACTIV- ISM When the death sentence on Puig Antich was announced early in January 1974, the "Committee of Support" intensified As we have just seen, 1974 was marked by the development its campaign. Right up to March, the entire militant capaci- of activist tendencies in Catalonia. Lack of space rules out ty of the libertarian groups was to be devoted to this cam- an analysis of this phenomenon. One conclusion, however, paign. During this period all did not go well inside the is unavoidable : activism considerably slowed up the process Committee of Support". Differences of opinion on militiant- of development -of the Movement. The divergences that came ism: on the BX-M.I. L. , ,o_n activism, caused conflicts bet- about within the "Committee of Support in Barcelona prove ween the different groups and tendencies represented in the that the ‘debate had its basis. It is in this context that it is Committee. On March 2nd, Salvador Puig Antich was assas- interesting to quote some passages of a text drawn up by the sinated. Torn between sorrow and rage, many libertarian Frente Libertario group on this question3.

I I

1 SPANISH ANARCHISM NOW - PAR T II . _ We have insisted for a long time on the danger that the 'terrorist' line represented. We say 'line' in reference to the insistence with which its partisans transform every revolutionary struggle into - fetiisohism of the machine-gum. For a Movement like ours which was gradually beginning to rise out of the void, the consequences of this ‘line’ have been disastrous. Just when it was possible to think that the mistakes of a relatively close past had been done xvhth, ONE ALWAYS assumes, and probably correctly, that music we come to the cruel realization that it is not so. . . . The as a part of pI‘1SOI1 culture 1S an art peculiar to the American time has come to adopt a position on this question and to and the Irish. The plaintive prison work song and the weeping make a collective effort at analysis to answer two questi- guitar is our sound image of the American concrete and steel ons : who are -we ‘? what do we want ? We are not inter- northern pI'1SOI1S and the southern chain gangs, -and from the ested in dogmatism, on the contrary we want to _know what coffee houses of Hampstead to the twee poster-blown horrie s is favourable. We leave to one side the danger implicit of the Scottish Nationalist middle class suing the southern in the line‘ upheld by the M. I. L. or G. A. R.I. of the government for economic freedom come the stereo high-fi "militarization" of minds, to make a critique of the "dog- recordings of men without hope singing and strumming their matism of violence" and of the incoherence which serves chained lives away. Only the Irish create prison songs of it as=a justification. Where is the coherence in a group hope and revolt and they are worthy vocal ammunition for the which, whilst referring itself to anarchism and to "wor- Boston revolutionaries fighting to contribute to the passing kers' councils", declarestthat it is opposed to any ideol- collection box in an uptight town of plastic shamrock where ogy? Where is the coherence when this same group de- the hard stuff is gin on the rocks. One owes much to Koestler clares (Conspiracion internacional anarquista, no. 1 p. 18): for his Arts Award Scheme in relation to Brenda's prison ". . . an avant-garde organization can only really be effect- population, for he gave these men and women a chance to ive and positive by abandoning all substitutionist preten- show the Town and his Guardian frau the creative works that sions. . . " and a little later adds : "avant-garde groups, in they have produced in the prison work shops and in the crowd- their practice, must have more radical objectives than ed prison cells. Prison art, children's art, the art of the those presented by a broad mass movement. . . "‘? It physically or mentally afflicted, students’ art by the very would beeasy to multiply examples. . . " nature of its labelling presupposes the second er third rate in relation to Art with a capital A. And there is truth in this for The particularly polemical tone of this text finds its justifi- if there is talent among any of these groups then it must not cation in the situation which motivated it. Armed struggle, hide in benevolent or patronising grouping but must Stand er revolutionary activism, minority violence could be very fall in the harsh realities of acclaimed equals. easily explained by the mere existence of fascism. This. has been the case for a long time in Spain. The problem, here, Having said this then one accepts the results of the Koestler however, is a tactical one. By giving priority to this lcind of Award Scheme with those reservations. In the Top of the struggle, must the rest be comprbmised‘? Is it not suicidal Prison Pops it is a prisoner from Holloway who has waltzed to throw oneself into "armed agitation" without being able to away with the top £10. 00 prize witha voice and guitar entry, count on any mass support? A What political interest does this and one must bear in mind that 110 prisoners submitted 85 kind cf struggle have‘? What revolutionary impact does it entries from 13 prison establishments and this for no more achieve? So many questions which most often are dodged or than a collective prize money of no more than £ 89. 00. In not answered. . . the matter of music it is hard to form a judgement by reason TO BE CONCLUDED NEXT ISSUE. A of distance and the key A‘ of the door but tape recording were made within the prisons by the local BBC radio stations and 1 NOTE S these were shipped off to James Peschek, Director of Music at Uppington School, with the understanding that the BBC local 1The G.A.C. were also called "Armed Combat Groups". radio stations would transmit selections of the entries on their There are several versions or hypotheses of the exact date programmes. One must accept this but what I would like to of birth of these armed groups . Some people claim that the see in this type of situation is for the Home Office rule to be G. A.C. came into existence after the Burgos trial of 1970. waived and the prisoners allowed to publicise their work with Several actions of denunciation of the masquerade of a trial their own names if they so wished, but at this moment in brought by the Francoist authorities against Basque resist- time one must accept the Home Office anonymous policy. ance fighters had taken place in Toulouse (attacks on the Secondly, i.n the matter of music the work to be fed into the Consulate and the offices of Iberia airlines) and would seem BBC and local radio stations without any hint of its place of to have been the work of the G. A. C. In the same way, the origin so that it can be publicly judged without prejudice or M. I. L. seems to have been constituted at the begiiming of sentimentality. The instruments range from the piano, 1971. Signing their first actions "Grupo 1000", it was only drums , organ and harmonica to the guitar and flute and har- later that their members gave themselves the acronym monica and hands, though the Home Office in their Prize List M. I. L. , which could signify "Libertarian Insurrectional hand-out failed to mention the flute of the Maidstone Group Movement" or "Libertarian Iberia Movement" or "Insurrect- whowon the £ 6. 00 prize and had their work broadcast on ional Movement for Liberation". It seems, however, that ll “Radio Medway. A small pedantic point but I feel important in the real meaning of the acronym M. I. L. was, i.n fact, Iber- this context. The music that I heard was pleasant to my uh- ian Movement for Liberation". In December 1972, then 111 trained ear honed to thetbeat of the military band, George March 1973 the police had reported the existence of "armed Melly and the 1930 American blues ballads of Sleepy Time groups of a communist tendency", as active in Catalonia. Gal but it was created in captivity and found an audience out- At thatttime the M. I. L. was, however, only known by its side the prison walls. members and by the police. To get a more or less factual There were 85 entries of whom seven were simply ‘com- idea of the G. A. C. and the M.I. L. read the pamphlet by the mended’ in a prize list of money awards that ranged from the "Editions Mai 37": 'Sur l'activité des '%ngsters' de Bar- top £ 10 to £ 300, and of my simplicity I feel thatwvhen men celone and the pamphlet published by the - Comite verite and women create music and they offer their music to an aud- pour les révolutionnaires espagnols" entitled ‘Gangsters ou ience outside their barred existence then one should avoid the révolutionnaires ? rat race of civilised living by not creating greater or lesser. That they shouldhave offered their work should be enough and 2It must be noted, however, that when the arrests were an- £89.00 should be divided 110 ways. The schools have abol- nounced, some groups in Barcelona saw fit to releasea com.- ished prizes among children for the envy and the heartache it munique stating that the comrades arrested had nothing to do caused and the Home Office must learnthe children. with the libertarian Movement, and likening them to provoca- teurs. This communique was published i.n the papers of the But this is the fourth year that music has been included in "official" CNT : § and C_o__mbat Syndicaliste. Puig Arthur Koestler‘s Award Scheme so if we have to choose be- Antich had to be assassinated for these papers to present tween better music or empty prisons then let the guitar stay him as an anarchist martyr. silent i.n Georgia, the revolutionary songs become no more 1‘ than scribbled graffiti on the walls of emptied Irish prisons 3Part of this text, which was-at first restricted to internal and the lute, the flute and the guitar be the free songs of free distribution, was published in the disuussion bulletin Opcion, man and women filling an idle hour. Arthur Moyse. accompanied by other texts treating the same problem.

i r ' __ — I I — 7 7 Printed-lbfilMa- y g’1c Ink Services- of the ~ Underground 8; Alternative Press icate/Europe’, 22 nan: Road, Margate, Kent c'r9 2AA. Tel: Th:-met(0843) 25902.