A-Infos (en) France, Alternative Libertaire #224 - Mass revolt in Slovenia and intervention anarchist (fr) [machine translation]

In November-December 2012, Slovenia was rocked by its first mass revolt twenty years. In 
less than three weeks, no less than 35 events were held in 18 cities, involving some 
70,000 participants. Clashes with police led to 284 arrests and numerous injuries. In some 
cities, the protest took a frankly anti-capitalist character. ---- Events that marked the 
end of the year 2012 in Slovenia - member of the European Union since 2007, the euro area 
- began in mid-November with demonstrations against the corruption of the mayor's second 
largest city of the country, Maribor. The mayor has since resigned. The slogan chanted on 
this occasion - "It is finished" ( I Gotof, Slovenian) - quickly embraced more or less all 
the country's politicians. A local version of ÂWhat vayan todos! ("Let them all go") 
Argentine 2001.

The protests then spread throughout the country in a few days, taking the form of a 
decentralized movement, anti-authoritarian and non-hierarchical. People who had never set 
foot in the street attended, even in the quietest villages usual. People have invented new 
forms of solidarity, creating relationships of camaraderie in the fight. We do not know 
how long we can stand in the street. But what is certain is that this experience 
liberating released popular speech. Nobody can resume.



A pamphlet from the Federation for anarchist organization (FAO, Slovenia) dated 6 December.

Discrimination: they are all finished!
These last few days have seen us fall history over its entire mass. Revolt initiated in 
Maribor that few believed possible: people organizing themselves, driving their warder in 
the strings, eventually forcing it to flee in full disgrace. This is the spark that lit 
the wider revolt against the political and economic elite and the entire capitalist 
system. We do not have a crystal ball that will tell us what will happen next, but we are 
assured that nothing ever expect or romance or naivety: we will have a good dose of 
organization and courage.

From bottom to top and from the periphery to the center
As protests spread throughout the country, they have also expanded to become a revolt 
against the ruling elite and the existing order. In each region, people compete creativity 
to tell politicians, in their style, "You're all finished! ". The decentralized nature of 
the revolt is a key element. The other important aspect is that the whole process runs 
from bottom to top. No leaders in charge of the organization: there are people without any 
representation. To defend this solidarity and prevent the recovery of the revolt in the 
hands of the political class, it is precisely this decentralization that we must defend, 
promote and strengthen!

Police everywhere, justice nowhere!
It should not surprise police brutality. What is surprising, however, is the illusion that 
the police could join us. It is true that the police are not the primary target of the 
revolt, and its horizon is not bounded by clashes with cops. What is targeted is the 
capitalist class and the system as a whole. However, the police is not our ally and will 
never be anywhere. Let us remember: it is a cog in the repressive apparatus of the state. 
Function, structurally, is to defend the existing order and the interests of the ruling 
class. No matter how people are exploited in uniform! As they follow the orders of their 
superiors, they are still cops, men and women. When they cease to do so, they can join the 
revolt.

Feeding such illusions is therefore of extreme naivety. Their involvement in the events of 
recent times were they so few issues, and conducted in the interest of the people, as some 
have claimed?

Have we already forgotten the brutal repression of Maribor and threats of the Minister of 
the Interior, Groenak, threatening to hunt organizers of any illegal demonstration?

We are not surprised by the more speech "moralization" of the rioters and the violence 
that has spread through social networks. The government and media have launched a bone and 
some of us have fallen into the trap immediately. But what are ten broken windows, a 
smashed door to the town hall and cobblestones ripped compared to state violence?

A youth without a future, unemployment, insecurity, reduced scholarships, reduced school 
meals, reducing staff in kindergartens, the diminution of the rights to health, education 
funding and research, raising the age of retirement, declining wages, the abolition of 
holidays, the shortage of social housing, a youth forced to live in furnished or aging 
parents, denial of rights to homosexuals, migrants, women and all those whose social 
origin does not match one of the dominant ethnic groups or religions. And so on.

And we have not even begun to talk about corruption, nepotism, cronyism and crime 
prevailing in the ruling class. They force us to work harder but the fruits of our labors 
are constantly collected by the capitalist class. It is this exploitation that is at the 
heart of the system.

Now tell us who is violent with?
What right do we condemn people whose future has been stolen? Youth has nothing to lose. 
Stop condemning and together let's focus on the real problems.

More dangerous: the various calls for self-repression and cooperation with the police. Do 
not we already reached the heights unacceptable surveillance and the use of vidÃoflicage? 
People who offer to help police find the "rioters" do not want that to exclude a large 
part of the youth revolt.

Cooperate with the police would shoot us in the foot, in the same way that the youth 
sentence that expresses a very direct way would be to cancel the potential of this revolt.

Now that the authorities define as violence, the broken windows. Nevertheless, we must be 
clear: this definition will quickly spread to all that can define as illegal in terms of 
protests, that event alone can prohibit or authorize. Let's be clear, in the eyes of this 
system which humiliates us, robs us, and we removed year after year, we all rioters.

Again, we express our full solidarity with all those arrested, we demand that they be 
released immediately, and call for the end of the prosecution and media, cancellation 
penalties for demonstrators.

Power to the people, not political parties
After the first boiling spontaneous revolt, when the creativity of the masses was fully 
manifested, a new area of ââstrategic thinking is also open. If we want the revolt turns 
into a social movement, on the basis of requests, concrete goals and visions, we need to 
articulate those already in the movement and achieve a form of organization that makes 
possible this process . Otherwise the revolt quickly die and nothing will change.

Regarding the requirements, we must proceed step by step and begin including those already 
expressed in revolt. Surely we must: preserve the system of social protection, health and 
public education. We must also protect the rights of existing workers. That said, we must 
be clear on the fact that it is not for us to fight to preserve the old system. While 
there is no question that we withdraw the rights that we have fought for years, we also 
affirm a central strategic perspective. As the state capital and exist, patterns of 
oppression and exploitation continue to exert on public services - education, health and 
social protection. That is why we must, again, self-management struggles in these 
structures and not we just negotiate the crumbs. Rights are never given, they must always 
pull through struggle.

It may be that part of the corrupt political elite realizes that they are all finished and 
left the political arena. But soon enough they will be replaced by others, which again, 
unless we give them any legitimacy whatsoever, take decisions on our behalf. Their 
interests are not ours, and every day that passes gives examples of nepotism and 
corruption. Through legislation and other anti-crisis reforms, they are always pushing us 
further towards the margins of society, and beyond.

It is for this reason that they must leave all to the first penny. It would be sheer 
naivety to believe that they are pure, spotless, with only our interests at heart, and it 
s going to get us out of this crisis. We just have to find the right and vote for them.

It is the economic and political system, authoritarianism and hierarchy of character which 
makes it impossible to live in a world alienated and not according to our desires and 
needs. As long as there capitalism, a minority that dominates the majority and relegated 
to the fringes of social and economic society, our bellies are empty. If we do not resist, 
if we do not fight clean alternative, there will always be someone to reign over us: 
patriarchy at home, deans and student representatives in our facs, bosses and jobs in our 
politicians in government. This false democracy that is offered to us in the form of 
elections is not the only way of organizing our lives.

Organize ourselves where we live, work, study
If we want successful revolt and its requirements, and produce a real popular power, we 
must organize self. When we talk about the organization of the revolt we naturally forms 
out with the socio-political forms to which we are accustomed. We must organize from the 
bottom, without hierarchy or leaders everywhere where we are exploited and oppressed in 
our neighborhoods, our workplaces, our schools. Farmers must bind to cooperatives and 
cooperatives with the urban environment.

The self must be spontaneous and creative, she must develop on the basis of consensual 
relationships and establish structures to the complete emancipation of individuals. It 
must follow the principle of direct democracy, mutual solidarity, anti-authoritarian and 
fascist.

At startup, we suggest organizing things on the basis of direct democracy meetings 
(general meetings) that have always been the practice of insurrectionary movements across 
the globe. We can organize locally and all shape the future by identifying our needs and 
those of towns and villages. Together we can make suggestions and discover our potential, 
which should help us realize that we can practically do everything by ourselves.

This is how we build a new fraternity / sorority, a new unit, where there is plenty for 
everyone, but nothing for those who want to dominate.

As a next step, we suggest a coordination of different groups, and the establishment of 
new forms of organizing a revolt growing, but still scattered. We suggest, on the basis of 
common principles, to unite a front of groups, organizations and individuals. The forehead 
should be ideologically open, inclusive and based on common demands, collaborative. It 
must be organized horizontally, not central organs official, and be based on individual 
autonomy, a process of decision making by direct democracy.

We call on all groups, organizations and individuals that this approach is appropriate, to 
organize their living spaces in open assemblies, which may in a second time to join. Let 
our lives in hand together!

From the streets and squares, December 6, 2012

Federation for anarchist organization (FAO), Slovenia.
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