Organizations of the Lyon unitary collective Fermons les locals fascistes, in
which the local Lyon group of the Libertarian Communist Union participates, wrotethe following press release: ---- Lyon, May 20, 2022 ---- Public information onseveral attacks against activists of the Young Guard and activists of theantifascist milieu in Lyon ---- The anti-fascist militant milieu and more broadlyfighting against the far right and its ideas has been shaken for several weeks bya wave of attacks, perpetrated not by a fascist group but by activists claimingto be antifascism. In Lyon, Paris, and elsewhere, these attacks are alreadyhurting, threatening demonstrations, calling into question unitary initiatives.Misleading or approximate versions of the facts are propagated by theperpetrators of the attacks, seeking to aggravate the crisis. On the contrary,for the Lyon organizations signatories to this text, the urgency is to restorecalm, to clearly explain the facts, to condemn the attacks and to de-escalate. Itis also time to question virilist practices in anti-fascist circles on clearfeminist bases.We are analyzing today that we must collectively and clearly communicate thefacts that have taken place and not allow social networks to be invaded by falseor approximate versions of the facts. We hope that this communication willclarify in Lyon and in the other cities the origin of the crisis, its ins andouts, shed light on the necessary positions, and then allow us to resume ourfight against the far right and for new conquests. social.The contextWe have so far refrained from any public communication, given the dissolutionprocedure aimed at GALE, so as not to give rise to repressive instrumentalizationby the government. In addition, it is not our practice to broadcast conflicts onsocial networks, in order not to give elements to our enemies and the police.Attacks by autonomous groups, in particular GALE, against activists from the Lyonsocial movement are not new: on May 1, 2021 against CGT and inter-unionactivists, in June 2021 against an LFI activist who had to be exfiltrated from ademonstration, to name only the most recent events.Despite these detestable practices, our organizations have never considered thatthe government can be a "referee" in the face of such practices, and we opposedthe dissolution procedure aimed at this group and participated in the rally ofsupport and made him known.The current wave of attacks started after the April 16, 2022 demonstration andtargets Young Guard activists. The Young Guard is an anti-fascist organizationpartner of other signatory organizations of this text within the framework of theunitary collective Fermons les locals fascistes. Through the Young Guard, it isabove all a unitary and popular conception of anti-fascism that is attacked. Evenif, for some, the anti-fascist organizations Jeune Garde and GALE may seem close,the political bases are not the same and the Jeune Garde has always beenintegrated into unitary collectives and organizations.The facts of April 16 and 17While the demonstration against the extreme right of April 16, 2022, organized bythe unitary organization Fermons les locals fascistes, had taken place withoutincident, and the organizers and members of the Young Guard left thedemonstration as a group , a member of GALE took a member of the Young Guard totask, by multiplying sexist insults in front of numerous witnesses. Later in theafternoon, this same individual and two other people attacked a Young Guardactivist while he was walking in the street with friends, who were also insulted.This resulted in five days of ITT (Temporary Incapacity for Work) for theattacked activist.The next day, April 17, when members of the Young Guard came to demandaccountability from the perpetrators of the attack, a fight broke out duringwhich the attacker of the day before drew a knife and tried several times tostabbing a Young Guard militant, luckily without success. These facts took placein front of many witnesses, seated in a bar.However, this did not prevent GALE from spreading a completely false version ofthe facts, claiming that Young Guard activists had assaulted an isolated feministanti-fascist activist.The facts of April 19Subsequently, in Paris, one of the spokespersons of the Young Guard was taken totask on the faith of this false version by militants of the CFA (Coordinationféministe antifasciste, directed by a former militant of the GALE) accompanied byactivists from the AFA Paris Banlieue. However, this spokesperson was not presentduring the events of April 16 and 17.An altercation between Young Guard activists and the CFA ensued after aconference. A woman from the Young Guard was beaten up by 6 women from the CFAwhile the other comrades tried to intervene to temporize the situation. Two AFAParis Banlieue activists were recognized, each wearing a mouth guard. It wastherefore not an involuntary situation but an ambush, since the militants wereprepared for the confrontation.The facts of May 1On May 1, a new step was taken. While the demonstration in Lyon had taken placewithout incident, the GALE, assisted by people who had come for the occasion fromParis and elsewhere, belonging to the CFA, the AFA Paris Banlieue or being closeto them, attacked a activist of the Young Guard in the middle of a neighborhoodparty where there were many families with children.The other Young Guard activists present defended their comrade, and a violentfight ensued during which several people, including outside the groups mentioned,were injured.If the confusion and ignorance of the different groups explain that some peoplein the square did not understand the origin of the fight, the trigger, namely theinitial aggression, is beyond doubt, this having been filmed. Similarly, if thelate arrival and in a group of the Young Guard in the square could be interpretedas a preparation for the fight, the testimonies that we have collected indicatethat it was the GALE and its allies who tended an ambush and provoked the YoungGuard by text message. So the Young Guard went to the square knowing who wasthere but hoping that common sense would prevail.Later in the afternoon and elsewhere in Lyon, Young Guard activists were attackedagain by these same attackers, equipped with helmets and armed with tear gascanisters and sticks. , at 15 against 7, fortunately without causing injuries.They and they had previously tried to ambush the home of a Young Guard activist,without success.Simultaneously, in Paris, members of the AFA Paris Banlieue made death threatsagainst members of the Young Guard during the demonstration.The facts since May 1, 2022The attack on May 1 in Lyon showing that the risks of physical attack on membersof the Young Guard by members of the Gale are significant, extraordinaryprecautions are now taken.As a result, the Young Guard makes the difficult choice not to go to certainpolitical events to which it is nevertheless invited in order to avoid anysituation of confrontation at times when unity and cohesion are necessary for ourcamp. Politics. Another example, the annual tribute to Clément Méric,anti-fascist activist assassinated on June 5, 2013, will not be able to takeplace this year in Lyon under normal conditions and the signatory organizationsare still in the process of looking for the modalities.Faced with this situation, the Young Guard sought de-escalation and a politicalsettlement of the situation, in particular by appealing to the Fermons les LocauxFascistes collective. It is also in this sense that we had issued an initialinterpellation internally of some of our national organizations, in order toavoid any display of such practices on social networks and to put an end to suchunacceptable acts.But following this arrest, new serious facts were added on the part of relativesof the GALE and the CFA. First of all, a false version of the facts was broadcaston social networks by the CFA, and taken up on their behalf - without provoking areaction from the CFA and the GALE - by the far-right media. Then, accountscreated by relatives of the GALE broadcast on May 16, 2022 the address of anactivist of the Young Guard Lyon on social networks, inviting the fascists to useit. It should be noted that this activist was also absent on April 16, 17 and May1. This forced the activist to leave his home indefinitely. The proximity of theaccounts in question and GALE is beyond doubt in view of certain messages, whichwe have kept track of. Finally, clearly demonstrating the lack of realconsideration of feminist issues, a series of sexist remarks and insults tookplace on social networks.Our findingsThere is a clear will to harm, as evidenced by a number of posts on the reux.Those who perpetuate these attacks can no longer claim the same anti-fascism asus. Because who benefits from such acts if not the power in place and thefascists, who regularly mark Lyon with their violence?The signatory organizations of this text denounce the virilistic behavior on thepart of GALE and its allies. They call for in-depth work on virilism throughoutthe anti-fascist milieu, including in the signatory organizations. We also rejectany instrumentalization of our struggles and our ways of denouncing sexist andpatriarchal violence.We deplore the amalgams that are made between "aggression" and "self-defense". Itmust be remembered: in Lyon, part of the autonomous anti-fascist movement hasbeen guilty of intimidation, insults and virile behavior aimed at, and sufferedby, feminists during recent feminist demonstrations.The signatory organizations, which have been carrying out sustained activityagainst the far right for many years, call for:denounce these actions with the greatest firmness;refute false versions of events;not to ally with individuals supporting these attacks and these methods;question the culture of virilism in anti-fascist circles which maintaindeleterious rivalries.Signatories from Lyon or the Rhône: Alternatiba, EcoDéfense, Ensemble!, JeuneGarde, La France Insoumise, MeTooLyon, New Anti-Capitalist Party, FrenchCommunist Party, Left Party, FSU Departmental Section, Libertarian CommunistUnion, CGT Departmental Union, Departmental Solidarity Union , Communist Unithttps://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Information-publique-sur-plusieurs-agressions-contre-des-militant-es-de-la_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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