A-Infos (en) France, coordination des groupes anarchistes (CGA) is calling

Dear comrades, ---- As a young organisation, we are now increasing our international work. We are 
looking forward to share with fellow comrades and organisations of the world. ---- We would be 
happy to get any news of your polical stands, activities and involvment in social struggles, the 
way you organise, your thought on organisation, analysis of the global situation. ---- We also are 
interested in get in touch with fellow organisations of other parts of the world, to increase 
international solidarity... ---- Here is a short presentation of our organisation. We also forward 
you our "Aims and principles". ---- In solidarity ! ----  Awaiting to read you... ----  CGA 
international relationship secretariat ---- What is the « coordination des groupes anarchistes » ( 
coordination of anarchists groups, CGA) ? ---- We are a specific anarchist organisation whose aim 
is libertarian communism (anarchist-communism).

CGA is a federation of groups and connections (isolated members aiming to form a group) who share 
common principles and functionning.
It brings together militants aware of the necessity to organise in order to struggle against 
everything that oppresses us, in a revolutionnary perspective.

The CGA wants itself to be a tool for a double task :

_ promoting the anarchist society project and promoting anarchist practices : by encouraging the 
emergence of self-organising, direct democracy spaces and practices, but also spreading the project 
of breaking off with capitalism and the state. To do such a thing, we try to spread as wide as 
possible our ideas, that carries the anarchist project, totaly at odd with the ruling ideology, 
against all forms of alienation.
_ promoting the emergence and developpement of popular social struggles, aiming to defend living 
and working conditions of the popular classes but also to renew the way of winning social 
improvement, using direct action, breaking off with electoralism. These social improvement tends to 
strengthen and consolidate the egalitarian trends and class consciousness.
Participating in popular struggles is for us a basic part of our idea of organized anarchism, as 
the anarchism we refer to is sticked to social reality and is not an out-of-time, elitist ideal.

The way we see the fight against the bourgeoisy, capitalism, state, racist and masculine domination 
systems, religious oppression, is strongly internationalist, as we are convinced that borders, 
imperialism and wars are the tools of the ruling classes, on an international scale, to divide the 
exploited and the oppressed using the old principle of « divide and rule ». In this spirit we look 
forward to get in touch with other organisations on an international schale, to build the necessary 
international solidarity of the oppressed, and to enrich mutually from the struggles and analysis 
that emerge in each part of the world.

--------------------


Coordination of Anarchist Groups (CGA)
Principles and functioning

The hegemony of capitalism on a global scale, the tools which it uses to perpetuate itself, and the 
populations’ lack of global perspectives of opposition, impose new burdens on the Anarchist 
movement if it wishes to come out of the shadows to weigh upon events.

We, members of the CGA, wish to create space for these alternative perspectives to emerge.

We already organise today for our future debates to nourish themselves on our political actions, to 
extend our struggles beyond the local level, and to give weight to our actions.

In addition, we want to redefine how we can and wish to intervene as Anarchists in our society and 
which forms of organisation are needed to achieve this.

Therefore, what follows will evolve according to the outcomes of our discussions and reflections, 
according to the decision-making processes defined in our functioning.

The Coordination of Anarchist Groups

The issue of organisation does not present itself as a choice to us, members of the CGA, given its 
pressing social and political necessity.
The sum of individual revolts, even though they are preferable to silent acceptation (without 
moaning) of the conditions imposed on us, is not enough as soon as we aim at carrying out the 
struggle to smash the established social order efficiently.
Organisation allows us to give meaning to collective struggle as well as to the actions of each 
individual and to benefit from the weight of numbers instead of the isolation of the individual who 
has no real grip on social and political events.
Besides, organisation allows us to consider the type of society in which we wish to live in the 
future and to get as close to it as possible in the present.
We therefore organise in order to:
-allow our actions and struggles to be self-managed;
-favour the most collective and egalitarian decision-making processes;
-elaborate in common, collectively, the different steps of the struggle to establish an egalitarian 
and libertarian society.
The aim of the CGA will be to have a real influence on the social scene and in social struggles 
without, however, accepting ideological compromises with political parties and institutions 
advocationg the use of statism. It does not mean that we will never take part in any action along 
with such organisations but, more simply, that, in the precise case of collective struggles, our 
organisation will defend its Anarchist principles!
The CGA does not consider itself to be nihilist but revolutionary, in the sense that every demand 
we might carry systematically opens on another (future) claim which must lead us further and 
further towards our emancipation.
Each struggle to put an end to the society based on exploitation and alienation is for us a step 
which allows individuals and masses to become aware of their ability to force the system to move 
back, to destroy it and to manage their society directly.
The CGA therefore takes part in actions and struggles which bring elements of rupture with the 
established social order.
This type of actions carries revolutionary prospects by its content itself, since it is impossible 
for the current system of power to recuperate it.
The CGA does not choose one and only ideology among the different types of Anarchism excluding all 
others.
We advocate a sharp awareness of the ability of individuals to manage their society themselves, 
directly, without ‘political’ or ‘religious’ guides.
In this sense we do not reject at all the individualist dimension of Anarchism, but think that an 
organisation needs a collective dimension.
The CGA favours the organisation of workers on the basis of direct action and direct management of 
production, services and of their distribution in the future society.
This implies that workers’ struggles need to avoid politician derives and compromission.

The CGA fights to establish a future Anarchist society, which will ensure:
-the equality between all individuals who compose it, on 5 levels: the economic, social, cultural, 
ethnical and gender levels.
-the freedom of everyone to live the life which suits them without however overlapping on the 
freedom of others...

Social and economic equalities and individual freedom can ensure a society in which radical and 
anarchist humanism would replace statist and capitalist barbarity.
Life in society will finally replace supervised and regulated survival!

The CGA organises itself and fights for this type of society.

Our principles

Becoming a member of the Coordination of Anarchist Groups implies full acceptation of what follows. 
These ‘principles’ can only be modified by a unanimous decision.

Our anarchist and revolutionary commitment is built on the constant denounciation of all social 
inequalities and all injustices: capitalist exploitation, statist alienation, male domination and 
racism.

These inequalities are not accidental or even less the ‘natural consequences’ of life in society. 
They are in fact the result of clearly-defined political wills and are installed for the greatest 
profit of a small number of privileged people, at the expense of the vast majority of the global 
population.

Starting from this simple observation and from the obvious fact that policies of exploitation and 
alienation are conducted whatever terrible consequences they have on the lives of hundreds of 
millions of individuals -misery, impoverishment, hunger, racism, alienation, cultural 
impoverishment- we feel we are right in organising ourselves and the struggle against the 
consequences of these policies and against those who conduct them, that is, states, governments, 
employers and the institutions of alienation and coercion: armies, police forces, legal systems and 
religions.

The CGA does not consider taking part in political power. It fights for the abolition of all forms 
of power and authority. Anti-statist, it does not wish to develop ruler/ruled relationships either 
in the organisation  or in the future society. Only egalitarian relationships can generate a 
harmonious and egalitarian organisation of our lives.

Therefore the CGA rejects the use of the election-system and party politics which favours a 
distinction between ruler and ruled, which offers to a category of ‘citizens’ the ability to decide 
in the name of others and which perpetuates state alienation and domination of every individual. 
This rejection covers all bourgeois polls: city, local, regional, national and European elections.

The CGA believes in class struggle and favours as much as possible the social, union and citizens’ 
struggles which use self-organisation in order to make fight off exploitation and domination!

We favour the direct action of individuals and masses in order to proceed here and now to their 
necessary self-organisation as a real alternative to party politics and to the delegation of power.

The CGA favours a mode of organisation, libertarian federalism, which aims at ensuring the 
relations between individuals, between the individual and the group and between groups. It is based 
on the autonomy of individuals and groups and is essentially built on solidarity and mutual aid.

The CGA sets its heart on achieving a society based on libertarian communism in which the aspects 
of exploitation and alienation will have disappeared.

Functioning of the CGA

Meetings

The Congress

The Congress brings together mandated delegates of the groups and connections of the CGA. Every 
member of the CGA may participate. It takes place once a year.

The prerogatives of the Congress are:

-to set up our political strategies and tactics.
-to evaluate the results of the campaigns led during the preceding year, on political, ideological 
and tactical levels.
-to decide, set up and follow the political campaigns of the CGA.
-to set up and regulate the structures of the CGA.
-to make a decision regarding a group or a connection wanting to join.
-to mandate people and define their mandate.

The agenda is set up by the secretary, taking into account the demands formulated by the groups and 
the points which still have to be dealt with.

The coordination meetings

The coordination meetings bring together mandated delegates of the groups and connections of the 
CGA. Every member of the CGA may participate. They take place every other month.

The prerogatives of these meetings are:

-to decide, set up and follow the political campaigns of the CGA.
-In the first part of the meeting, some time is systematically dedicated to the situation of the 
CGA: implantation, functioning,...
-to establish the contents of the newspaper of the organisation I nfos et Analyses Libertaires
-to control the mandates.
-to make a decision regarding a group or a connection wanting to join.

Committee meetings

Committees bring together individual members of the groups and connections of the CGA. Their 
frequency is undetermined. It is to be decided by committee members.

The prerogatives of these meetings are:

-to set up political strategies and tactics on a clearly defined issue.
-to produce theoretical ideas and analyses.
-to produce political material.
-to clarify the stakes of the specific issue so that it can be submitted to the rest of the 
organisation for a collective appropriation of the debate and eventually for a decision.

The agenda is set by the members of the committee

Decision-making

Modification of the present document
Decisions to modify this document (except for the part entitled Principles) are made following 
those modalities:
Decision making institutions:
The congress and coordination meetings are allowed to decide on this matter.
Information:
The proposal for modification must be presented in the Internal Bulletin at least two months before 
the decision.
Vote:
The modalities of the vote are the same as for ordinary decisions.

Ordinary decisions
Decisions are made by a majority vote of 3/4 of the potential mandates, rounded up. The process 
includes the possibility of an indicative vote.

Counting the mandates
Each group up to 5 members has 2 mandates, and gets an additional mandate for every 5 additional 
members. A connection has 1 mandate.
A group can divide its mandates among different proposals. The way to divide them is decided by 
each group. During a vote, a group cannot bear more mandates than delegates present.

Mandates

Mandates relative to the functioning of the organisation
Mandates relative to the functioning of the organisation are the human means used by the structure 
to function. In this perspective, direct democracy, that is, mandatement, is used. These mandates 
are permanent in the sense that they have no predetermined term of existence.
The mandates follow the following principles: rotation, precision, control and the possibility of 
recall.
Their control is carried out thanks to reports of the mandated individual or group and during the 
Coordination meetings. The eventual recall is a decision which can be made in the same way as any 
other. A mandate can be given to an individual, to several individuals or to a group.

Definition of the Mandates

All mandated people must:

-write down the definition of their mandate as well as any modification or precision.
-produce a regular written report evaluating the ongoing situation of the mandate. Every mandated 
group or individual has to produce a written report for every issue of the Internal Bulletin.
-produce a final report when comes the time to step down, presenting both the mandate given and the 
task accomplished.
-file the production relative to their mandates.

Secretary mandate
This mandate ensures the link between the different groups of the coordination by:
-sending minutes of the meetings to every group.
-synthesising the demands of the groups regarding the agenda of meetings, taking into account 
issues left pending.
-editing and sending out the monthly circulars and the bi-monthly Internal Bulletin.
-filing the minutes and the circulars.
The secretary also manages contacts and membership applications addressed to it. The bi-monthly 
meetings then statuate on these membership applications. If the application comes from a place 
where the CGA is already implanted, the secretary refers it to the local group or connection.

Mandate of External Secretary
-To contact the press about the different actions of the CGA and to reply to its demands.
-To maintain relations with other organisations (whether in France or abroad).
-To maintain relations with the international anarchist organisations.
-To file the propaganda material and press releases of the CGA.

Treasury Mandate
-To collect the subscriptions of the members through the mandated treasurer of each group, and 
remind the groups of any delay.
-To keep members updated through the publication of the subscription situation.
-To keep members updated on the situation of the treasury of the coordination.
-To present an analytical assessment of the treasury.

Communication Tools Mandate
This mandate consists in producing the different external media of the CGA. The template of any 
production is e-mailed to all groups and connections before printing for information and eventual 
remarks.

	Infos et Analyses Libertaires
Production of a bi-monthly 4-page A3 newspaper, which has to be printed before every Coordination 
meeting.
The mandated are responsible for:
-Collecting the articles decided in Coordination meetings.
-Adding articles to fill the 4 pages if necessary.
-Editing and printing.
-Sending the newspaper to groups, connections and subscribers.
-Filling the legal obligations for every issue.
-Proposing, for each new issue, a theme which will be discussed in the coordination meeting. If the 
CGA decides so, a yearly special issue can be made in a magazine format. The mandated will, in this 
case, produce this issue through the same process as for the bi-monthly newspaper.

	Propaganda
The mandated are responsible for:
-Creating, printing and sending communication supports (posters, stickers,...) to the groups and 
connections of the CGA, as decided in the congress and coordination meetings.

	Internet
The mandated are responsible for:
-Managing the website of the CGA.
-Managing the internal email-lists as decided in the congress and coordination meetings.
-The systematic online publication of external relations texts on the website.

Means of communication between the groups

Circulars:
They are published by the secretary. Their prerogatives are:
-To forward the information sent by the groups.
-To offer a synthesis of the coordination meetings.
-To present the agenda of the next meeting.
The circulars are published on a monthly basis. They may be sent by e-mail or by regular mail.

Internal bulletin:
It is published by the secretary. Its prerogatives are:
-To communicate the reports of the mandated.
-To present reports of the activity of the groups.
-To publish any text written by one group for the others.
The internal bulletin is published every other month.
_________________________________________
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