#WORLD #WORLDWIDE #ROMANIA #CLUJ #KOLOZSVAR #ANARCHISM #News #Journal #Update - (en) Joint announcement of the participants in the 14th Balkan Anarchist Book Festival (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

 Between June 24 and 26, 2022, after two years of postponements due to COVID, many

collectives, initiatives and individuals from the anarchist and
anti-authoritarian movement gathered again, in Cluj/Kolozsvár, for the 14th
Balkan Anarchist Book Festival. --- We came from different corners of the Balkans
and beyond: from the so-called Bulgaria, Slovenia, Romania, Greece, Turkey,
Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and also from the so-called Lithuania, Austria, Germany,
Switzerland, France and Brazil. --- We gathered to exchange ideas and updates on
recent and ongoing struggles and to strengthen our comradely relationships of
trust and solidarity. --- We discussed many issues, drew some conclusions, but
also left many issues open. --- We started our discussions with a reflection on
internationalism and mutual aid. We reminded you that the Balkan Anarchist Book
Festival is based on the tradition of international organization across borders
which has been a characteristic feature of the anarchist movement since its birth.

Parallels were also drawn between systems of oppression in Latin America and the
Balkans, as both geographies are on the periphery of the global capitalist system
and have suffered the consequences of a history of exploitation. We confirmed
once again that joint analysis and action are practically impossible to achieve
without being rooted in direct personal relationships, for which meetings in
physical spaces are valuable - and such a context is the Balkan Anarchist
Festival itself Book.

The shadow of war looms heavy over the continent. The Balkans are still deeply
scarred by the experience of the wars in the former Yugoslavia. Drawing lessons
from this painful historical experience, we emphasize that the recent escalation
of the war in Ukraine once again demonstrates the willingness of global state and
capitalist powers to engage in organized and technologically sophisticated
violence, mass murder and systematic destruction. The war in Ukraine is not a
unique phenomenon, rather it is simply the latest in a series of wars that are
inextricably linked to the competition for global dominance. All these are the
tools by which capitalist rule over people, resources and land is maintained and
expanded. As anarchists and anti-authoritarians we are against all wars and
militaristic plans. We seek active resistance to war and all that fuels it -
nationalism, religious extremism, patriarchy, and the idea that endless economic
growth is the central purpose of social organization.

We express our absolute solidarity with all those affected by the destructive
forces of war. We recognize the extremely difficult situation of our
comrades/equals in Ukraine, who are fighting for their survival, but also those
in Russia and Belarus who are facing extreme situations of repression because of
their opposition to the war. A set of questions that we believe require many
different practical answers have constantly recurred in our discussions: How do
we resist war and militarization in our own contexts? How to organize mutual aid
and solidarity for those who are affected? How do we avoid our efforts being used
to justify the reproduction of war and the serving of capitalist interests? Above
all, we must resist the spectacle of war which simplifies everything in order to
achieve our compliance with the decisions of the elites who control states,
military industry and armies. Instead, we should try to understand the role of
war in capitalist systems in general as well as the causes of each particular
conflict, so that we can resist and not become part of the war machines. In this
context, building social movements from below is essential. we should try to
understand the role of war in capitalist systems in general as well as the causes
of each particular conflict, so that we can resist and not become part of the war
machines. In this context, building social movements from below is essential. we
should try to understand the role of war in capitalist systems in general as well
as the causes of each particular conflict, so that we can resist and not become
part of the war machines. In this context, building social movements from below
is essential.

Another series of discussions was devoted to the politics of queerness as an
anti-normative and anti-authoritarian practice. We emphasized the importance of
the continued development of anarcho-feminist and queer practices in the Balkans
and identified some specific fields for future action:

1. It is necessary in our political organization to move beyond oppressive
structures and consciously commit to confronting patriarchy when we encounter it
in the anarchist and anti-authoritarian movement. This is why we must sincerely
work with each other, paying attention to the gender oppression that remains a
constant aspect of our lives, while trying to build unity and respect beyond
socially imposed or self-imposed categorizations. It was emphasized that care
practices are key to achieving these goals. We are happy that BAB is a positive
example of such an approach.

2. We recognized the lack of queer anarcho-feminist writing in the Balkans as an
issue that needs to be addressed immediately.

3. We pointed out that in many geographies the COVID-19 crisis, the new war and
the rise of neo-fascist forces coincide with the introduction of oppressive
legislation that particularly affects women and queer people. All indications are
that the widespread assault on women's autonomy and control over their bodies
will intensify.

We also see how increasingly authoritarian social and political forces
continually reinvent masculinity in a way that meets the needs of the war
machine. Therefore, the struggle against patriarchy is at the same time a
struggle against war and militarization. But the new war is not the only recent
crisis that deepens the patriarchy in our societies. Therefore the struggle
against any attack on our capacities to reproduce must be at the core of our
organizational efforts. We believe that the tools and approaches developed by
anarcho-feminist comrades can be useful in all anarchist and anti-authoritarian
currents.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and deepened existing class divisions. It was
also a great challenge for our movement. It was necessary to invent new ways of
resistance, but the reality is that this was not always the case. The experience
of not being able to react, as well as internal conflicts and confusion were
common experiences, but there were also many positive responses, which can serve
as inspiration for the future. As the state of emergency became normalized, it is
necessary to fight against what it entails: state monopoly over public discourse
and political organization, as well as extreme individualism. This situation
reminded us that we should not leave interpretations solely in the hands of
experts. On the contrary,

Another series of discussions focused on the ongoing displacement of populations
from areas plundered by fortress Europe. We want to expand our network of
solidarity and support of those seeking refuge and oppose the racist, colonialist
attitudes and practices that dominate all our regions. We know that refugees,
under ever-increasing border control and surveillance, face violent refoulements,
imprisonment, torture and death. At the same time, solidarity is criminalized. We
are against all borders and want a world of free movement for all people.
Diplomatic reprimands and directives such as the Dublin Accords create a smoke
screen, which provides a sense to the wider society that something is being done.
In fact, they continue to justify the inhumane practices of states that deny
refugees the choice to decide for themselves where to seek refuge. We also
condemn all proposals to exploit human suffering to create cheap labor for the
capitalist machine, of which the brutal and racist border regime is an integral part.

Discussions also focused on the processes of neoliberal transformation of the
countryside through privatization, gentrification and tourism. We recognize these
processes as part of capitalist expansion into rural areas, as yet another way of
extracting profit by exploiting human and non-living things as well as the
environment. Rejecting the romantic discourse of the escapist fantasies of the
urban middle and upper classes, we seek to create ways of organizing and engaging
with struggles in the countryside. This would open up new possibilities for
familiarizing with practical means of growing food, resisting the alienation
prevalent in capitalist society, and fostering a movement that transcends urban
space. This implies a demand to reclaim the land not for new fences to extract
profit, but to reclaim the commons, to create opportunities for sustainable
movements that fully embrace a respectful relationship to the environment and
non-human beings. At the same time, we recognize that this is reproductive work,
and must reflect our struggles against patriarchy, racial injustice, and other
exclusionary practices. As climate change exacerbates the problems of subsistence
conditions, we know that in today's capitalist system the brunt and worst effects
will once again be experienced by those already subjected to multiple forms of
exploitation. to create opportunities for sustainable movements that fully
embrace a respectful relationship with the environment and non-human beings. At
the same time, we recognize that this is reproductive work, and must reflect our
struggles against patriarchy, racial injustice, and other exclusionary practices.
As climate change exacerbates the problems of subsistence conditions, we know
that in today's capitalist system the brunt and worst effects will once again be
experienced by those already subjected to multiple forms of exploitation. to
create opportunities for sustainable movements that fully embrace a respectful
relationship with the environment and non-human beings. At the same time, we
recognize that this is reproductive work, and must reflect our struggles against
patriarchy, racial injustice, and other exclusionary practices. As climate change
exacerbates the problems of subsistence conditions, we know that in today's
capitalist system the brunt and worst effects will once again be experienced by
those already subjected to multiple forms of exploitation. racial injustice and
other exclusionary practices. As climate change exacerbates the problems of
subsistence conditions, we know that in today's capitalist system the brunt and
worst effects will once again be experienced by those already subjected to
multiple forms of exploitation. racial injustice and other exclusionary
practices. As climate change exacerbates the problems of subsistence conditions,
we know that in today's capitalist system the brunt and worst effects will once
again be experienced by those already subjected to multiple forms of exploitation.

Finally, we have decided that the next Balkan Anarchist Book Festival will take
place in Ljubljana, Slovenia at the end of June 2023.

Within these three days we have made the Balkan Anarchist Book Festival a place
of listening, respect and mutual help. This was only possible thanks to the
enormous efforts made in the last year by the comrades of the local organizing
group, for which we thank them from the bottom of our hearts. We believe that in
the face of ever-new capitalist crises, relationships of trust within the full
range of the anarchist and anti-authoritarian movement must remain at the core of
our political work. In the fierce battles ahead, what unites us is far more
important than what divides us.

No nation unites us, no war will separate us!

Against all governments and states!

The struggle against patriarchy is a struggle against war and militarism!

Let's turn the capitalist crisis into a power crisis!

We are outraged by the murders of another 27 people by the cops in Melilla!

Participants in the 14th Balkan Anarchist Book Festival, Cluj/Kolozsvár, June 26,
2022

https://bab14.blackblogs.org/the-final-statement/

https://ainfos.ca/gr/ainfos04158.html
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