On July 25, 26, and 27, platformist organizations gathered for the
Second Meeting of Social and Organized Anarchism in Calafou (Vallbona
d'Anoia). During three intense days, comrades from different regions
shared analyses, proposals, concerns, strategies, and feelings. In a
context marked by the rise of authoritarianism, the exhaustion of
reformism, and the precarization of life, we felt even more strongly-if
that were possible-the urgency to organize, to consolidate solid
political projects rooted in the working class, coordinated, and with a
revolutionary vocation.
This second meeting represented a further step forward in our process of
political articulation, ideological deepening, and organizational
maturation. We have consolidated spaces for coordination among
organizations, equipped ourselves with common tools, and, above all,
strengthened the human and political bonds that make it possible for
this "black forest" we are cultivating to continue growing.
As the meeting drew to a close, we shared the collective speech,
delivered by two comrades from Batzac, which encapsulates the feeling of
these days and the challenges we want to face.
Closing Speech
Let's be clear: We love to look to the past and immerse ourselves in
what was, what could have been, the victories and beautiful moments that
anarchism has carved into the fabric of revolutionary history. It's
beautiful, after all, because the red and black thread of anarchism is
woven from these moments that fill us with hope and drive us to keep
weaving. As our comrade said: "Because they were, we are."
But this admiration for the past often leads us to a professional bias
common among historians. We tend to focus only on the beautiful moments,
on the most spectacular victories and defeats-those that allow us to
dream and justify what we once were, and guide us toward what can be
again. But this particular bias in our perspective is a double-edged
sword, and as often happens, we forget the misfortunes, the moments that
don't transcend, the most humiliating defeats, and the simplest, most
banal victories.
In my case, I began my activism in anarchism with the Joventuts
Llibertàries de Mallorca-the last JJ.LL. before Batzac-we were a small
group of motivated kids, with more punk ideas than those of organized
social anarchism, and in the wasteland of social struggle that is
Mallorca, we held out for about four years, battling with graffiti and
acts of protest. Our activism was based on asserting our existence. We
didn't really know what political impact or revolutionary strategy
meant. And I'm probably not far off the mark if I say that most of us
here come from that wasteland, if we aren't still there. We come from
squatter autonomism, from the movement-based approach of doing for the
sake of doing, or from the theoretical fetishism of training ourselves,
publishing articles or political programs without any future beyond
that. We believe that by knowing the Black Flag inside and out, we will
miraculously solve the mystery of the revolution, as if it were a puzzle
or an escape room.
Because they were, we are. These moments are also part of the red and
black thread. These years of existence, lost, full of hope but with
little meaning. These banal moments, which don't transcend, which don't
appear in books, or in articles in Regeneración. We are also this, and I
think we shouldn't forget it. If we need to look at our most shameful
past, it's to try to understand it.
But understanding it doesn't mean justifying ourselves or pitying our
bad luck; understanding it implies trying to overcome it, seeing what
went wrong and fixing it, seeing what we want to change and what we can
learn. Understanding this means recognizing that we are probably still
somewhat trapped here, caught up in movement-based, theoretical, or, in
the worst cases, aesthetic logics. Understanding this means taking a
realistic look at the present, debating, and ceasing to fetishize
anarchism, which condemns it to be a relic of the 20th century.
But today, and these days we have spent together, remind us of all we
have done to emerge from this wasteland:
-In the last year, two plants have sprouted in our dark forest: Hedra
and Xesta.
-In Granada, Impulso has consolidated itself as a Liza nucleus, taking a
qualitative leap forward.
-Batzac and Embat have joined their Housing Front, and we are moving
towards greater organic and political coordination-or whatever comes next.
-Furthermore, thanks to the Relations Commission and the various shared
spaces, despite our stumbles and disagreements, we have managed to chart
a course, a direction. A path that branches out at the FARO (Lighthouse)
with the aim of giving a qualitative leap to our political base.
We have accomplished a great deal, dedicating time from our lives to
this difficult but beautiful journey.
Today we continue to cultivate the emotions that overwhelmed us here a
year ago: the joy of moving forward, the excitement of coming together,
the desire for it to work, the fear that it might not, and the
responsibility of fulfilling our duty to history. But this fear, this
responsibility, compels us to proceed with caution, to walk through our
forest, to shape it as we wish and change with it, to inhabit it with love.
We have accomplished much, dedicating time from our lives to the arduous
yet beautiful path of the Revolution. Because we believe it is possible,
because we know it, because the class struggle never ends, and we are
convinced that Anarchism is the most beautiful expression of social
freedom. Therefore, let us continue, let us not forget the red and black
thread that precedes us, the good and the bad moments of our history.
We have been imbued with desire, emotion, and vitality. And now, as we
return to our homes, we will continue exploring our forest and continue
clearing away the branches that obstruct our path. Dark storms are
approaching. Let us move forward, carefully, continuing to weave
together the Anarchism of the 21st century. We will plant the seed of
Revolution in the vast fields of social struggle, so that when we meet
again we will be more numerous, stronger, and more united. Long live
Organized Social Anarchism!
End of speech.
The Second Meeting was not a destination, but a new step on a long road
ahead. We left Calafou with greater clarity, strength, and solidarity,
but also with greater demands. Therefore, we continue to advance toward
the consolidation of our own political space, one that is
internationalist, anti-authoritarian, and revolutionary. We continue to
advance so that our class can recover its capacity for Organization,
Strike, and Revolution.
We know that organization is not a guarantee of victory, but we also
know that without organization there is no real possibility of
challenging the power of the ruling classes or building emancipatory
alternatives. Because anarchism is not nostalgia, nor dead poetry, nor
an ideological fetish, nor an abstract philosophical idea: it is a
living tool, a collective praxis, a horizon that flourishes in the
struggles of each day.
https://regeneracionlibertaria.org/2025/08/05/ii-encuentro-del-anarquismo-social-y-organizado/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Second Meeting of Social and Organized Anarchism in Calafou (Vallbona
d'Anoia). During three intense days, comrades from different regions
shared analyses, proposals, concerns, strategies, and feelings. In a
context marked by the rise of authoritarianism, the exhaustion of
reformism, and the precarization of life, we felt even more strongly-if
that were possible-the urgency to organize, to consolidate solid
political projects rooted in the working class, coordinated, and with a
revolutionary vocation.
This second meeting represented a further step forward in our process of
political articulation, ideological deepening, and organizational
maturation. We have consolidated spaces for coordination among
organizations, equipped ourselves with common tools, and, above all,
strengthened the human and political bonds that make it possible for
this "black forest" we are cultivating to continue growing.
As the meeting drew to a close, we shared the collective speech,
delivered by two comrades from Batzac, which encapsulates the feeling of
these days and the challenges we want to face.
Closing Speech
Let's be clear: We love to look to the past and immerse ourselves in
what was, what could have been, the victories and beautiful moments that
anarchism has carved into the fabric of revolutionary history. It's
beautiful, after all, because the red and black thread of anarchism is
woven from these moments that fill us with hope and drive us to keep
weaving. As our comrade said: "Because they were, we are."
But this admiration for the past often leads us to a professional bias
common among historians. We tend to focus only on the beautiful moments,
on the most spectacular victories and defeats-those that allow us to
dream and justify what we once were, and guide us toward what can be
again. But this particular bias in our perspective is a double-edged
sword, and as often happens, we forget the misfortunes, the moments that
don't transcend, the most humiliating defeats, and the simplest, most
banal victories.
In my case, I began my activism in anarchism with the Joventuts
Llibertàries de Mallorca-the last JJ.LL. before Batzac-we were a small
group of motivated kids, with more punk ideas than those of organized
social anarchism, and in the wasteland of social struggle that is
Mallorca, we held out for about four years, battling with graffiti and
acts of protest. Our activism was based on asserting our existence. We
didn't really know what political impact or revolutionary strategy
meant. And I'm probably not far off the mark if I say that most of us
here come from that wasteland, if we aren't still there. We come from
squatter autonomism, from the movement-based approach of doing for the
sake of doing, or from the theoretical fetishism of training ourselves,
publishing articles or political programs without any future beyond
that. We believe that by knowing the Black Flag inside and out, we will
miraculously solve the mystery of the revolution, as if it were a puzzle
or an escape room.
Because they were, we are. These moments are also part of the red and
black thread. These years of existence, lost, full of hope but with
little meaning. These banal moments, which don't transcend, which don't
appear in books, or in articles in Regeneración. We are also this, and I
think we shouldn't forget it. If we need to look at our most shameful
past, it's to try to understand it.
But understanding it doesn't mean justifying ourselves or pitying our
bad luck; understanding it implies trying to overcome it, seeing what
went wrong and fixing it, seeing what we want to change and what we can
learn. Understanding this means recognizing that we are probably still
somewhat trapped here, caught up in movement-based, theoretical, or, in
the worst cases, aesthetic logics. Understanding this means taking a
realistic look at the present, debating, and ceasing to fetishize
anarchism, which condemns it to be a relic of the 20th century.
But today, and these days we have spent together, remind us of all we
have done to emerge from this wasteland:
-In the last year, two plants have sprouted in our dark forest: Hedra
and Xesta.
-In Granada, Impulso has consolidated itself as a Liza nucleus, taking a
qualitative leap forward.
-Batzac and Embat have joined their Housing Front, and we are moving
towards greater organic and political coordination-or whatever comes next.
-Furthermore, thanks to the Relations Commission and the various shared
spaces, despite our stumbles and disagreements, we have managed to chart
a course, a direction. A path that branches out at the FARO (Lighthouse)
with the aim of giving a qualitative leap to our political base.
We have accomplished a great deal, dedicating time from our lives to
this difficult but beautiful journey.
Today we continue to cultivate the emotions that overwhelmed us here a
year ago: the joy of moving forward, the excitement of coming together,
the desire for it to work, the fear that it might not, and the
responsibility of fulfilling our duty to history. But this fear, this
responsibility, compels us to proceed with caution, to walk through our
forest, to shape it as we wish and change with it, to inhabit it with love.
We have accomplished much, dedicating time from our lives to the arduous
yet beautiful path of the Revolution. Because we believe it is possible,
because we know it, because the class struggle never ends, and we are
convinced that Anarchism is the most beautiful expression of social
freedom. Therefore, let us continue, let us not forget the red and black
thread that precedes us, the good and the bad moments of our history.
We have been imbued with desire, emotion, and vitality. And now, as we
return to our homes, we will continue exploring our forest and continue
clearing away the branches that obstruct our path. Dark storms are
approaching. Let us move forward, carefully, continuing to weave
together the Anarchism of the 21st century. We will plant the seed of
Revolution in the vast fields of social struggle, so that when we meet
again we will be more numerous, stronger, and more united. Long live
Organized Social Anarchism!
End of speech.
The Second Meeting was not a destination, but a new step on a long road
ahead. We left Calafou with greater clarity, strength, and solidarity,
but also with greater demands. Therefore, we continue to advance toward
the consolidation of our own political space, one that is
internationalist, anti-authoritarian, and revolutionary. We continue to
advance so that our class can recover its capacity for Organization,
Strike, and Revolution.
We know that organization is not a guarantee of victory, but we also
know that without organization there is no real possibility of
challenging the power of the ruling classes or building emancipatory
alternatives. Because anarchism is not nostalgia, nor dead poetry, nor
an ideological fetish, nor an abstract philosophical idea: it is a
living tool, a collective praxis, a horizon that flourishes in the
struggles of each day.
https://regeneracionlibertaria.org/2025/08/05/ii-encuentro-del-anarquismo-social-y-organizado/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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