A-Infos (en) Aotearoa / New Zealand, New Anarchist-Communist Organisation Launched

A new organisation has been formed with the aim of building a serious 
revolutionary anarchist-communist movement in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
The Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement (AWSM) is an organisation working 
towards a classless, stateless society: anarchist-communism. We are made up of 
revolutionary class-struggle anarchists from across Aotearoa / New Zealand. For 
now, we are a small organisation with members in Wellington, Christchurch and a 
few smaller towns across the country ---- AWSM came together when a few 
anarchists saw the need for a coherent and organised group of anarchist 
communists, inspired by the platformist strand of anarchist thought (amongst 
other things). Informal chats over the last few years turned into serious 
planning a few months ago and a little conference at Labour weekend (late 
October) in Wellington.

As class struggle anarchists our priority is active involvement in workplace 
struggles and industrial action as well as community based campaigns in our 
neighbourhoods. We aim to publish a monthly newspaper starting in 2009, and a 
less frequent but more in-depth theoretical magazine as well.

Being located in the bottom of the South Pacific makes us very isolated, however 
we hope to maintain a good level of contact with like minded groups overseas, 
which is why you are recieving this announcement. Our international secretary is 
mandated to keep up this contact, which we hope will be a two-way street - if we 
are able to cooperate on common projects, this is obviously worthwhile, as any 
genuine social revolution must be international.

Our website, http://www.awsm.org.nz, will be kept up to date with our activity.

In solidarity,
International Secretary
Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement
international [at] awsm.org.nz

Aims & Principles

1: The Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement is an organisation working towards a 
classless, stateless society: anarchist-communism. We are made up of 
revolutionary class-struggle anarchists from across Aotearoa / New Zealand.

2: Capitalism is based on the exploitation of the working class by the ruling 
class. But inequality and exploitation are also expressed in terms of race, 
gender, sexuality, health, ability, age etc, and in these ways one section of 
the working class oppresses another. This divides us, causing a lack of class 
unity in struggle that benefits the ruling class. Oppressed groups are 
strengthened by autonomous action which challenges social and economic power 
relationships. To achieve our goal we must relinquish power over each other on a 
personal as well as a political level.

3: We believe that fighting all forms of oppression and exploitation is 
necessary. Anarchist-Communism cannot be achieved while sexism and racism still 
exist. In order to be effective in their struggle against their oppression both 
within society and within the working class, oppressed groups may at times need 
to organise independently. However, this should be as working class people only, 
as cross-class movements hide real class differences and achieve little for 
those in the oppressed groups. Full emancipation cannot be achieved without the 
abolition of capitalism.

4: We support Tino Rangatiratanga and stand in solidarity with grassroots 
indigenous struggle and direct action, while not supporting Maori capitalism and 
corporatisation (we acknowledge the lack of anarchist theory on the indigenous 
struggle in Aotearoa / New Zealand and are in the process of researching, 
debating and discussing a more detailed position on this point).

5: While trade unions can never be revolutionary, we recognise that the majority 
of collective workplace struggle today occurs within unions and therefore our 
members should join unions where they exist in their workplace, while being wary 
of any attempts by union bureauracrats to stifle rank and file struggle. Where 
unions do not exist we encourage our members to engage with their fellow workers 
to initiate collective action.

6: We recognise that the general strike is one of the working class’ most 
powerful weapons and oppose all restrictions on worker’s rights to take 
collective action, including strikes.

7: As well as exploiting and oppressing the majority of people worldwide, 
Capitalism threatens the planet through war and the destruction of the environment.

8: It is not possible to abolish Capitalism without a revolution, which will 
arise out of class conflict. The ruling class must be completely overthrown to 
achieve anarchist communism. Because the ruling class will not relinquish power 
without their use of armed force, this revolution will be a time of violence as 
well as liberation.

9: We acknowledge that by implementing the organisation section of the The 
Organizational Platform of the Libertarian Communists - theoretical unity, 
tactical unity, collective responsibility and federalism - we will be best able 
to move forward in promoting the aims and principles of the Aotearoa Workers 
Solidarity Movement.

Related Link: http://www.awsm.org.nz
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