A-Infos (en) Brazil, 2nd Encounter towards an Anarchist Federation of São Paulo - FASP Encounter - Final Notes, Documents and Photos (pt)

Final notes from the 2nd Pró-Federação Anarquista de São Paulo PRÓ-FASP Encounter towards 
an Anarchist Federation of São Paulo and documents distributed or read at the Encounter: 
"Points of Departure", "Theory: Especifismo as a Form of Anarchist Organisation" and the 
"Initial Greeting". There are also some photos at: http://www.anarkismo.net/article/13892 
The Pró-Fasp Collective wishes to announce that the 2nd Encounter was a great success. -- 
Our expectations were exceeded, both with regard to the number of participants - around 
150 people - and to the quality of the debates. -- We will now start to make contact with 
all those who took part in the Encounter so that we can facilitate joint activities. We 
also renew our invitation to anyone who is interested in joining the collective to get in 
touch.

Our website will now undergo a period of maintenance in order to improve it.

Once again, we would like to thank everyone for their participation and dedication. It is 
thanks to you that we can continue our path towards a just and free society with more 
energy than before.

Long live anarchy!

[Translation by FdCA-International Relations Office.]

Points of Departure
Pró-Federação Anarquista de São Paulo (FASP)
All militants who are interested in becoming members of the FASP must agree with the 
following "points of departure", which we consider to be the basic minimum in order to be 
able to participate in the debates [leading up to the constitution of the organisation].

a. Understand anarchism as an ideology and thus as a system of ideas, motivations and 
aspirations that are necessarily linked to action aimed at transforming society, at 
political practice.

b. Support social anarchism, in permanent contact with the class struggle of the social 
movements of our times, functioning as an instrument of struggle and not as pure 
philosophy or in small isolated, sectarian groups.

c. Have a concept of class that, while still remaining to be established more precisely, 
includes all the exploited sectors of our society.

d. Support the need for anarchism to become once again a social vector, which it has not 
been since the 1930s and the crisis in syndicalism. We will thus need to establish the 
best places to work, where the contradictions in capitalism are most evident.

e. Hold the social revolution and libertarian socialism as long-term objectives.

f. Hold that it is essential for anarchists to organise themselves in specific 
organisations in order to act in the various manifestations of the class struggle. In 
other words, the separation between the political level (the specific anarchist 
organisation) and the social level (social movements, trade unions, etc.).

g. Hold that organisation is essential and maintain a contrary position to individualism 
or spontaneism.

h. Support the concept of the anarchist organisation as the organisation of the active 
minority, which differs from authoritarian vanguards in that it does not believe itself to 
be superior to the social organisations. The political level complements the social level, 
and vice versa.

i. Hold that the main activity of the anarchist organisation is in its work/social 
insertion within the people's struggles.

j. Believe that ethics are a fundamental pillar of the anarchist organisation, that guide 
it in its practice.

k. Understand the need for propaganda and commit to carrying it out where it can be most 
effective.

l. In order to facilitate its work or social insertion, the anarchist organisation can 
divide into fronts of struggle.

m. Agree with the use of a system of concentric circles as far as the functioning of the 
organisation is concerned, giving rise to an organisation where the greater the commitment 
of militants, the further inside the organisation they will be and the greater their 
decision-making powers. Equally, the organisation must interact effectively with the 
social movements.

n. Ours will be an organisation with clear criteria for joining and anyone wishing to help 
will find our positions clearly set out.

o. Always seek consensus; failing that, majority votes can be used when necessary.

p. Operate with theoretical, ideological and programmatic (strategic) unity. The 
organisation will develop collectively a theoretical and ideological line which will then 
be followed rigorously, all rowing the boat together in the same direction, towards our 
established goals.

q. Accept that the FASP will be an organisation based on the commitment of its militants. 
An organisation with responsible members, which does not allow for lack of commitment or 
irresponsibility.

r. Finally, agree with the especifist model of organisation, which is different to the 
synthesist model (which seeks to include all sorts of anarchists in one organisation).

* The FASP does not aim to (or pretend that it does) represent the anarchists of São Paulo.

[Translation by FdCA-International Relations Office.]

Theory: Especifismo as a Form of Anarchist Organisation

Pró-Federação Anarquista de São Paulo (FASP)
Especifismo is a form of anarchist organisation. Although the term has recently been 
appropriated by the Uruguayan Anarchist Federation (FAU), it refers to forms of 
organisation proposed by classical anarchists since the nineteenth century and which are 
defended today, in Brazil and elsewhere in the world.

Its primary origin can be identified in the organic positions of Bakunin, both in relation 
to the popular organisation - which materialised in his defence of a particular model for 
the International Workers' Association (IWA), and in relation to the revolutionary 
political organisation - that materialised in theory and in practice around the Alliance 
of Socialist Democracy (ASD). Its second reference may be considered in the positions of 
Malatesta, both in relation to the popular organisations - and all the discussion he made 
in relation to the workers movement and to syndicalism, and in relation to the specific 
anarchist organisation, which he called the "anarchist party". Over time this theory was 
contrasted with reality and other elements have been incorporated. Today, for us, taking 
part in the "organisational broth" that comprises Especifismo and other positions like 
that of the Russian Dielo Trouda gathered around the project of the Platform, that of the 
Latinos of the FAU, of the organisationists like Neno Vasco, José Oiticica and Domingos 
Passos, who worked in Brazil at the beginning of the twentieth century as well as now 
deceased militants that defended similar positions, which could address the issue with our 
generation: Antônio Martinez, Jaime Cubero and Ideal Peres.

Historically, the discussion around the Platform put two organisational proposals of 
anarchism into distinct camps. The first, already cited, was that proposed by the Russians 
exiled in France, the Platform of 1926, and the other, that arose as a response to the 
Platform and was formalised in two different moments: firstly by Sebastièn Faure in 1928 
and by Volin in 1934, both homonymous documents called "The Anarchist Synthesis". In Latin 
America, differently to other parts of the world in which there is an anarchist communist 
tradition clearly inspired by the Platform, the model of organisation that differentiated 
itself from the synthesis is Especifismo which, despite the influences that it possesses 
of the Platform, cannot be summed up by it.

Especifismo is characterised, in practice, by the defence of two fundamental axes: the 
separation between the anarchist organisation and the popular movements (which is usually 
called the separation between the levels of political and social action) and the practice 
of prioritising social insertion and work within the social struggles. However, it is not 
only that. Today, Especifismo includes a series of other conceptions that determine "our" 
form of anarchist organisation. We look at some of them.

We understand anarchism as an ideology that, in this sense, must necessarily have a 
political practice with the intention of social transformation. This ideology was born in 
the middle of the class struggle of the nineteenth century and represents the aspirations 
of a particular sector of the population; this ideology that, while it emerged from 
society, returns to it in the form of organised practice in order to search for social 
revolution and libertarian socialism. These final objectives, in our view, will only come 
by means of a broad and popular social mobilisation which can accumulate strength and 
promote change - that we do not believe to be due to the internal contradictions of 
capitalism, but fruit of the will of the people organised. For these reasons our 
conception of anarchism has nothing to do with the individualist.

Thus, organisation is a central question for us, indispensable to a consistent 
revolutionary process that paves the way to a new society. And we understand organisation 
for social transformation from two levels: the specific anarchist organisation and the 
organisation of the popular movements.

The specific anarchist organisation has the character of active minority, associating 
militants on the politico-ideological level and whose principal work is done within the 
popular movements. These movements, for us, do not have to lie within a determined 
ideology, but organise themselves around needs and possess different ideologies in their 
midst. Our whole perspective of organisation bases itself on these two levels, where we 
associate in the anarchist organisation for our ideological affinities, and in the popular 
organisations for our needs as workers.

The specific anarchist organisation has determined objectives which are reflected in the 
activities and in the profile of its militants. It functions with a logic that we call 
"concentric circles", that determine clear positions for each militant of the 
organisation. There are positions in which there is greater commitment, and consequently 
greater decision-making power - that which we could call a militant "core", and positions 
in which there is less commitment and less decision-making power, like the positions of 
supporters or collaborators. Generally, the militants develop internal activity (in the 
secretariats: organisation, training, communication, relations, finance and facilities) 
and external activity in one of the fronts, which are sectors organised for social work 
that have as an objective to stimulate, organise, form popular organisations and influence 
them to have a set of characteristics that we could call "libertarian" (in terms of 
methodology) and that will enable them to realise social transformation. For this it is 
necessary that the militants have responsibility and self-discipline in order to carry out 
the daily work. Characteristics of the anarchist organisation that also mark Especifismo 
are: unity in terms of theory, ideology, strategy and tactics; emphasis on social work and 
the realisation of other activities such as propaganda, theory, training, strategy, 
relations etc.

The popular organisations (social movements, unions, etc.) are in most cases expressions 
of a class society, divided into capitalists and workers, which is evident in a process of 
class struggle. By highlighting the contradictions of the system and signifying a certain 
articulation of the popular sectors in the struggles of the people, the popular 
organisations have the potential for change. It is through activities in these 
organisations and the creation of new ones that we understand the ability to give to 
anarchism its real function. That is to stimulate and serve as a tool of the popular 
organisations. However, today the large majority of these organisations are 
bureaucraticised and, therefore, have limited potential for change. Through contact with 
them the goal of the anarchists is to struggle for these social movements to break these 
bureaucratic binds and broaden them as much as possible, increasing their level of 
combativeness and autonomy. With the objective that principles such as self-management and 
direct action can contribute to the process of struggle that points to a social 
revolution. For us it is only popular struggle, this "social level" formerly known to 
represent the "mass movements", that is able to promote real change.

It is all the popular organisations, united one with the other, and the anarchist 
organisation that could constitute the means that will lead to the end we desire - 
libertarian socialism. This strategy is at the base of the Especifista conception of 
anarchist organisation.

[Translation by Jonathan-ZACF.]

Initial Greeting
Pró-Federação Anarquista de São Paulo (FASP)
Good day comrades!

One year ago, in July 2008, some comrades called the Meeting for a São Paulo Anarchist 
Federation, which took place in the Clube Escola Jardim São Paulo, in the north of the city.

The meeting sought aimed to involve people interested in the discussion to form an 
Especifista anarchist organisation. Since then we have accepted Especifismo, a form of 
anarchist organisation that has its roots in the ideas of Bakunin and Malatesta; improved 
later on by others, as was the case with the Delo Truda group of Russian anarchists in 
exile. In Latin America we have the Uruguayan Anarchist Federation (FAU), founder 
originator of the term "especifismo", as an influence ; and in Brazil the organisationists 
from the beginning of the twentieth century as well as militants who had contact with our 
generation, like Antônio Martinez, Jaime Cubero e Ideal Peres.

Almost one hundred people attended the meeting. There was an exposition a presentation by 
the Anarchist Federation of Rio de Janeiro (FARJ) with debate about theory and practice, 
the concept and importance of social insertion and the question of organisation, among 
other themes. In the end we had a set of premises from which to start discussion and 
integrate new militants.

In this document, which we called "Points of Departure", we posited anarchism as an 
ideology and not as an abstraction or lifestyle; the defence of social anarchism; a 
classism concept of class based on the most diverse social subjects, recognising and 
giving priority to the class struggle; the need to recapture the social vector; social 
revolution and libertarian socialism as final objectives; the need for a specific 
anarchist organisation, with the character of an active minority, divided into fronts and 
making use of the logic of concentric circles; priority for social insertion/ work; ethics 
as an indispensable foundation base; the use of voting when necessary; theoretical, 
ideological and programmatic (strategic) unity and an emphasis on militant commitment.

Since then many things have been accomplished. We created a core of militants and a 
support group, conducted a series of meetings of these bodies and held diverse various 
political training courses and discussions covering anarchist organisation, and 
anti-capitalism, popular organisation, alliances and gender.

We promoted work within our fronts (peasant / indigenous and community) and also in our 
gender group. This social work had very high points and was where we focused our efforts 
most. We can highlight participation in the protest with the MST in front of the Lírios 
dos Vales occupation in Franco da Rocha; pamphleting on the question of gender in the 
peripheral areas of the city and in front of businesses; the creation of the organisations 
Ela Luta and Filhos de Toda Terra; promotion of activities in the Antonio Martínez 
Cultural Social Centre (Centro de Cultura Social Antonio Martínez); participation in the 
occupations of the Secretary of Justice and of farms in Taubaté and Valinhos undertaken by 
the MST; the Intercultural event at the Irmã Alberta Commune; grassroots work and 
mobilisation in the Eastern zone (of Sao Paulo); participation in forums and meetings with 
the indigenous movement and participation in a series of lectures, conferences, seminars 
and demonstrations with the popular movements.

There were many things A lot has been done, from mistakes and successes to joys and sorrows.

Now we commence the second Meeting (I’ve been using Encounter) for a São Paulo Anarchist 
Federation. The intention of which is to use these two days to present, in a detailed way, 
our theoretical and practical accumulation experience, discussing the current conjuncture 
situation?, learning about the experiences of other anarchist organisations and continuing 
the debate on the constitution of our organisation.

We begin this morning with a discussion of our theory and practice. This afternoon we will 
have a discussion on the current conjuncture situation?, focusing on a few issues: social 
movements, anarchism in Brazil and the world, politics and economics in Brazil and the 
world and anarchism and feminism. At night Tonight we will fraternise have a chance to get 
to know each other socially and have a party. Tomorrow morning we will have expositions 
presentations from the Gaúcha Anarchist Federation (FAG) and the Rio de Janeiro Anarchist 
Federation (FARJ), who we would now like to welcome and thank for their presence. We will 
end the afternoon with practical notes for the construction of social anarchism in São 
Paulo and arrange the foundation of the FASP, to occur take place in the second half of 
the year.

The group of militants who have kept the flame of the FASP alive since the beginning of 
last year would like to say a few thanks: to the Ay Carmela space, which has given us a 
place for meetings and that now makes itself available for this encounter; to the social 
movements that have welcomed us so receptively; the Landless Rural Workers' Movement 
(MST), particularly the Irmã Alberta Commune, the Dom Helder Câmara Commune, the Lírios 
dos Vales Commune, and the Unidos da Lona Preta. To cite some names: Pedro, Erica, 
Rosangela, Jorge, Rosana, Silvana, Jesus, Loura, João and Brito, Pierre, Dona Teresinha, 
Deusa and family. From the Antonio Martínez Cultural Social Centre and the community of 
São Miguel Paulista and surroundings: Ivan, Andréa, Railton, Janete, Dona Cida, Dona Nina, 
Dona Eva, Dona Dora, Tony Medrado and Antonio. From the Indigenous Movement: Edson, 
Emerson, Rose, Benedito, Hélio, Diva and Egina. And the Ela Luta Women's Cultural Group 
and Filhos de Toda Terra.

Our goal with this meeting is to gather more people around our proposal. We seek women and 
men interested in this project and who have a willingness to fight for social change. We 
want people at this meeting who identify with what we are proposing to join us to help 
create the foundations of this new organisation. Therefore, we will arrange the founding 
of the FASP in only a few months from now, on the 18th of November. The day on which the 
1918 Rio de Janeiro Anarchist Insurrection occurred.

Please note that interested persons may be part of our Support Group, a body with less 
responsibility and less decision-making power, or they can be militants, who have greater 
responsibility and greater decision-making power.

In closing this greeting and opening the second Meeting for a São Paulo Anarchist 
Federation, we would like to emphasise that, for us, anarchism is a tool of struggle and 
that our goal is to take it back to the midst of social struggles and popular movements, 
seeking to recapture its social vector. Anarchist organisations are fundamental to 
stimulate and influence these struggles and movements, and it is with great humility, but 
with great desire, that we want to build the São Paulo Anarchist Federation.

We close this introduction with a quote from Mikhail Bakunin. He said, in the nineteenth 
century:

"If you remained isolated, if each one of you were obliged to act on their own, you would 
be powerless without a doubt; but getting together and organising your forces - no matter 
how weak they are at first - only for joint action, guided by common ideas and attitudes, 
and by working together for a common goal, you will become invincible."

We hope that everyone has a great meeting!

Thanks.
For anarchism as a tool of struggle!
For the organisation of the anarchists!
For the São Paulo Anarchist Federation!
[Translation by Jonathan-ZACF.]
_________________________________________
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