A-Infos (en) Anarchism in Slovakia - info, actions, appeal

["priama akcia" <priamaakcia@hotmail.com>]

 ________________________________________________
      A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
            http://www.ainfos.ca/
 ________________________________________________

Salud comrades!

This is an info about anarchism in Slovakia composed by International 
secretary of PA-AKOP and a member of Slovak section of CSAF. Hope it will 
provoke some reaction.


PA-AKOP

Priama Akcia – Anarchokomunisticka Organizacia Prace (Direct Action – 
Anarcho-communist Organisation of Labour, PA-AKOP) was formed as a result of 
needs and aspirations of anarchist workers and students on a meeting held on 
1st April 2000 . We are 4 working class comrades with several sympathisers. 
All 4 of us are also editors of Priama Akcia which is our newspaper founded 
in July 1999 orientated on socio-political-economical issues and 
anarchocommunist struggle in general. We are the only openly class-struggle 
anarchist organisation in Slovakia at the moment (except for Solidarita – 
Organisation of Revolutionary Anarchists which has one member in Slovakia).

We try to work out a campaign and a stable practical work in Bratislava 
where 3 of us live most of the time but it’s not finished yet.

We have comradely relationships with Slovak section of Czechoslovak 
Anarchist Federation (ÈSAF), Federation of Social Anarchists (FSA-IWA) and 
Solidarita – ORA (both Czech) and we regularly help each other with 
exchanging our publications and attending organisational meetings and 
actions.

By the way, as we have heard about some people who think we are a Slovak 
section of FSA we have to say – no, we are not. We are close to them, that’s 
all.


SLOVAK SECTION OF CSAF

Ceskoslovenska Anarchisticka Federacia – Slovensko (Slovak section of the 
Czechoslovak Anarchist Federation, CSAF) was formed in September 1999 as a 
result of anarchist activists´ need to be organized and to increase the 
effectivity of our struggle. Slovak and Czech part of CSAF cooperate, but 
they are fully autonomous in their decision making and activities. Now we 
try to target especially issues connected with capitalist globalization, to 
start campaign against NATO and EU and against entry of Slovakia in these 
two institutions (in case of EU this concerns also Poland, Hungary and Czech 
republic and cooperation with anarchist groups from these countries is 
necessary), and to support squatting activities in our country. Our 
collective makes the biggest distribution of anarchist magazines, books, 
pamphlets, flyers and other propaganda, which helps us to build an effective 
communication and activists network all around Slovakia. As CSAF offers a 
lot of space for disscusion and is not so strictly ideologically profiled 
as, for example, Priama Akcia-AKOP, there are various views and opinions on 
green anarchism, class war or syndicalism among us.


GENERAL INFO

Social situation in the country differs just little to situation of working 
class in countries like Russia or Ukraine. The rate of unemployment is 
around 18 % (but it should grow soon as this is just a result of 
governmental plan saying that everyone who is more than 2 years on a dole 
(social benefits for unemployed) has to find work for at least 3 months; 
most of the work authorities provide to these people is a communal work). In 
the first half of 2000 11, 5 % of Slovak population (600 000) lived in 
poverty with less than 3 USD per person daily. According to last years 
statements of official bureaucratic trade unions, more than 60 % of working 
population lived under and near the poverty line. Traditional trade unions 
are doing their collaboration work with power elite brilliantly and 
strengthen the feeling of powerlessness, erase working class consciousness 
and enforce fatalism in workers. This results in atmosphere of distrust 
among working class people in their abilities and power. Other negative 
aspects of this situation is reinforced individualism and in many places 
also alcoholism. However, despite this, there are still some militant 
workers trying to radicalise trade unions although this tactics seems to be 
not much successful.


PROBLEMS WE FACE

Not only this makes our work hard but also the financial situation we‘re in. 
Our funds are actually null after we publish 3rd issue of our newspaper this 
month. In the „Western world“ comrades enjoy their own offices, printers and 
other technical conveniences, while comrades in the East strive to buy at 
least computers. Although this is not our case completely (we have some old 
PC’s) we have to work under really tough conditions and face the possibility 
of not being able to put out our materials. Also, perhaps our most appealing 
problem is that we are not able to take part in social struggles of working 
class much as we cannot travel and speak with those people. We simply 
financially cannot afford it.


ANARCHISM IN SLOVAKIA (chronology)

As anarchist movement in Slovakia has no tradition we did only few actions 
till now. Here is information about the “movement” in general. Slovak 
section of Czechoslovak Anarchist Federation was formed last year in summer. 
They publish informative bulletin „From the bottom“. Slovak section of 
Organisation of Revolutionary Anarchists – Solidarity was formed this 
summer. Our future plan (if there will be enough dedicated people) is to 
form a union. I‘ll try to give a quick look at actions that went on 
concerning anarchist and social actions. September 1999 – members of future 
PA-AKOP spread over 800 pieces of first issue of Direct Action newspaper on 
a 20 000 bureaucratic union demo. November-December – members of ÈSAF with 
some NGO members, punks and other people start Food Not Bombs in Bratislava, 
in following months they spread food and anticapitalist leaflets to poor, 
other 2 groups arise in Trnava and Košice. In spring political disputes 
within Bratislava group escalate, anarchists give it up as there is no 
chance to come to agreement with others who don‘t practice direct democracy 
and most members are being ignored by a self-styled authoritarian leader. 
Group still functions, without anarchists. April – PA-AKOP is „officially“ 
formed. 1st May – ÈSAF organises infoshop on one Blava square with an 
exhibition focused on globalization, as part of the Global Day of Action 
against capitalism. We meet there with member of French Anarchist 
Federation. 12th June – 800 strong street party in Bratislava organised by 
some members of ÈSAF, NGO members and other folks. Streets are blocked for 
over 2 hours, police is helpless and unprepared. SP is organised as a 
solidarity action with INPEG and against automobilism. NGO, punk and 
anarchist distros sell literature and music. Biggest action against economic 
globalisation in Slovakia ever. Bolsheviks from Czech Socialist Organisation 
of Labourers (SOP) and Communist Youth Association (SZM) have their 
infoshops there, too. Members of PA-AKOP try to force them out, but in a 
chaotic situation we let them stay. PA-AKOP and ÈSAF agrees after SP that 
this was the first and the last time we tolerated them on our actions. 
Physical violence will be used next time if necessary. 26th September – ÈSAF 
does s26 infoshop in Blava. Members of PA-AKOP, ÈSAF and ORA take part in 
red and black bloc in Prague. ÈSAF member is arrested before s26 for 
illegally crossing borders (he had a ban to visit Czech for taking part in 
last years 1st May riots in Prague; released after 40 days in prison). On 
S27 another ÈSAF member is detained, beaten and tortured for alleged 
participation in battles with police on S26. Set free after 8 hours. 2nd 
October – PA-AKOP and ÈSAF organise solidarity demo with s26 activists in 
front of Czech Embassy and demands their release and dropping of all 
charges. 2 protest e-mail actions follow, organised by International 
Secretary of PA-AKOP.


FURTHER ACTIONS

Members of PA-AKOP, CSAF, ORA and few unorganised anarchists and 
sympathisers are trying to build several campaigns at the moment. We hold 
regular meetings and these are the most important actions we work on putting 
them into reality (we´ll bring more details in the future):

1. Campaign for 30-hours working week. This is going to be a longtime 
activity. Basically the idea is to take part in social struggles, try to 
“anarchise” them and after they are finished (won or lost) to keep the 
militancy in workers/students permanently alive. We think that it would be 
inefficient for struggling working class to end up their activities after 
they finish particular struggle at their own workplace. So, we advice them 
to take part in this campaign. The first social stuggle we want to take part 
in is in support of railway workers. Slovak Railways (ZSR) received a bank 
loan from European Investment Bank last year. This means, among other 
obligations, that ZSR have to fire 16 000 workers (30 % of their workforce), 
reduce length of railways by simply cutting them off and privatise parts of 
them till 2007. We want to encourage them to organise an occupation strike 
(on basis of maximal possible direct democracy from the bottom up, 
delegation system, federalism and solidarity) to stop realisation of these 
obligations. We are going to publish “Anarchist newspaper of workers mutual 
aid” WORKERS SOLIDARITY which will be a platform for anarchists and militant 
workers to share experiences and views, kinda “voice” of struggle 
initiative.
2. Actively working Anarchist Black Cross – there is an ABC done by a memebr 
of CSAF at the moment but not working taht effectively as it could be so we 
would like to activate it more. We discuss theoretical issues and 
organisation structure at the moment.
3. Anti-fee university campaign – Slovak government plans to pass a new law 
which would mean paying fees for university study. This is a plain and 
simple attack on the poor. We will resist. We hope to provide you with more 
details soon. Now only this – we desperately need to build an international 
pressure. We need to get in touch with all our student comrades in the 
world, please contact us!!! Share your experiences with us, we have none! 
Tell all your comrades who might know any university students to contact us!
4. Forming of Antifascist Action – Revolutionary Antifascist Organisation.


APPEAL

Finally, we have very bad experiences with anarchists worldwide contacting 
us. For example, PA-AKOP sent 40 mails to anarchist and anti-athoritarian 
organisations and groups where we asked them to exchange publications, give 
us an info about their situation and simply be in touch. Hardly 7 wrote 
back... Guess how we feel... So, please, it is more than welcomed to contact 
any of these organisations! Tell us about you. If global lack of 
communication is reality (at least from our experiences), how can we build a 
global solidarity...


CONTACTS:

PRIAMA AKCIA
PO BOX 16
840 08 BRATISLAVA 48
SLOVAKIA
EUROPE

e-mail: priamaakcia@hotmail.com
website: www.volny.cz/priamaakcia


CSAF
POSTE RESTANTE
851 06 BRATISLAVA 57
SLOVAKIA

e-mail: csaf-sk@post.sk
website: www.csaf.cz


SOLIDARITA-ORA

e-mail: solidarita.slovensko@post.sk


____________________________________________________


                       ********
               The A-Infos News Service
      News about and of interest to anarchists
                       ********
               COMMANDS: lists@ainfos.ca
               REPLIES: a-infos-d@ainfos.ca
               HELP: a-infos-org@ainfos.ca
               WWW: http://www.ainfos.ca
               INFO: http://www.ainfos.ca/org

 To receive a-infos in one language only mail lists@ainfos.ca the message
                unsubscribe a-infos
                subscribe a-infos-X
 where X = en, ca, de, fr, etc. (i.e. the language code)