Interview the Federation of Anarchists of Gran Canaria FAGC by the pésol Negre , published in bllibertari.org (ca)

 Interview the Federation of Anarchists of Gran Canaria FAGC
by the pésol Negre , published in bllibertari.org (ca) [machine
translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)

The Federation of Anarchists of Gran Canaria (FAGC) has existed since 2011. How was your 
birth? ---- At first everything came quite spontaneously. At the mercy of 15-M in the 
markets we are people coming from different experiences and from different points of the 
island, with similar libertarian concerns. After letting us hear at meetings and 
demonstrations, we felt it was time to articulate a proprietary tool. So-called black 
block (so we called the M-15 proparlamentarios sectors) became the FAGC. ---- Does FAGC is 
present in the whole archipelago or only on the island of Gran Canaria? ---- Only in Gran 
Canaria. Although we have partners in other islands. ---- We know some aspect of your 
practice, which is what interests us, but I can not help but ask you about some aspect of 
a more theoretical and organizational game. Are ye a federation of groups, individuals 
...? Do you share the same anarchist?

At first affinity groups were different municipalities of the island and various militant 
origins. Also we accepted that most first approached the anarchist militancy. After a 
remarkable peculiarity emerged: beyond the physical distance-now our business is mainly 
focused on the capital and the north of the island, the ideological origins and the range 
of work, told FAGC first They resettled with groups that are neither necessary nor 
specifically anarchist. Something we believe with few precedents within an anarchist 
organization. Obviously there is no uniformity in the ideology, and each member has its 
own collective and libertarian sensibility. Although we agree on the overall strategy.

In the summer of 2014 after a year of public "inactivity" you proclaim the return to an 
ambitious housing project involving a group of antidesahucios urgent action and a 
relocated assembly. How do you get to this point?

Actually Immediate Response Group against evictions and the Assembly of Tenants and 
Homeless predate our year of silence and invisibility (although the workload was remained 
the same or even more). We had two years with a very strong solvent activity: attacking 
the yellow unions, careerism of social movements, business and banking abuses, police 
bullying and so on. However, we did nothing but follow the classic advice of Proudhon and
Bakunin: demolíamos and then we destroyed to build and create. The critical work done, we 
took crucial steps and position ourselves as a leader in the front of the housing, an 
issue particularly sensitive in the Canaries and with little social intervention beyond 
counseling or demagoguery. However, you can not do so in vain. When we intervened in 
destructive work we were repressed, but not nearly as much as when we dedicate ourselves 
to build. Many comrades were exhausted by overwork (being the scourge of the old society 
requires less involvement to offer a new model) and others withdrew the police repression.
We had already started the project of the La Esperanza Community, so it was a perfect 
place to take a breath and start the silent, discreet and ants that project required work 
with survivors and with the relocated FAGC own time.

This assembly is the community relocated Hope. We know that it more than two hundred 
people live and little else. Could you explain roughly what it is and how it works?

The Community Hope is the social project of mass occupation and largest alternative 
housing throughout the State; expropriation and socialization with more political and 
demanding magnitude that consciousness has in years. It works as a model of micro-society 
libertarian without any of its members is. It is asamblearia, horizontal (no leaders) and 
self-managed (not receiving any institutional support and until recently also abroad). 
Everything is decided in an assembly, and it is this which appoints the various committees 
(such as maintenance or Resettlement) to conduct or organize practical tasks. A simple and
functional structured model, but.

You have had problems with the water and other supplies. How do you solucionáis these 
technical and maintenance problems?

In the Community, obviously not rent, but a voluntary Community contribution whose scale 
is charged 25 euros per month. Those who have more contribute more. With that, more 
selfless donations (almost all from, for now, the libertarian field), which for two months 
has received in the Community're Paying vats of water with which we source. The FAGC 
meanwhile also provides what may. All other technical problems are solved by the 
Commission of Maintenance that has skilled workers and workers with extensive experience 
in the construction industry. When major works it has the support of the rest of the 
Community.

Managing a community and should not be easy. What are the main conflicts that must be 
addressed?

Whoever believes in spontaneous harmony of the working masses is that it has read too many 
serials. Of course there are problems, but they are mistaken if they think they are 
problems arising from the number or the social background of the participants. Classist 
arguments become ridiculous. All Community project involves difficulties. The same, 
although not want to believe, that occur in and self-managed squatted social centers, 
unions, groups of ideological affinity between people or communities. Forms may be 
different, but failures background breed. Coexistence problems are inherent to every human 
community, since none is perfect or will by definition. With accustomed to living in 
hostile environments and people with very definite identity codes might seem to worsen, 
but the reality is not. The important thing is just trying to encourage the opposite of 
what we believe: yes, we must strengthen the concept of solidarity, mutual support and 
collaboration, but it is essential to develop one's own consciousness, its own discernment 
and personal judgment. Only then it ends with gregarious and mediocrity. Samblancat put it 
well: "the ideal is not to make the mass individual, but give the mass personality". The 
important thing is socializing tools, circulate them, and those affected are the ones to 
decide how to use them. Living on a libertarian-oriented model with so many shows you that 
anarchy is exciting, but also tough and demanding. And yet it is the only model of society 
in which life is worth living and which aspires to dignity. After the initial excitement 
is the reality, and this requires large doses of work and tenacity.

Is it a proper context for the dissemination of anarchist ideas and practices?
We addressed by principle not indoctrinate anyone and do minimal effort to proselytize. 
Anarchist practices spread of necessity: not know any other way to act and even if we knew
each other, is libertarian in practice, which demonstrates more efficient, so that is 
adopted. The modus operandi anarchist and practices resulting therefrom force applied to 
utilitarianism. People do not choose how nice; chooses functional. This propaganda by deed 
can wake up after a questions, raise concerns and interests. Hence it may information, 
books and even movies and songs are prompted. But this should occur, if it occurs 
naturally. For our part we do not like sermons or the melody.


What would you highlight what you have learned and what they have learned

Have tried to share that dignity is not given, but the Building one; that collaboration is 
stronger than competing; you can not expect anything from the state and the system when
all they really need is within reach of your hand, if you have a bit of courage and 
self-respect; you can skip the legality intelligent and massively without fear of 
consequences; these anarchists as cursed and have criminalized thousand defects, but are 
what you have opened the door of a house for your children. We have learned that the 
social struggle can not be seen as an end in itself, that help people wake up not 
necessarily reciprocal and good feelings. And we have also learned that the poorest of the 
poor are the most generous, the children are strong as rocks and very permeable to 
solidarity, there is a lot of untapped talent among people that our society anathematizes 
as illiterate and the core of the social struggle lies in the strength of individuals 
sentenced to a culturally subordinate role as women are.

In addition to domestic and human difficulties of any organization and social struggle, we 
must add the traditional repression on an island must be especially hard, more in rural 
contexts, as here. What happened to fellow Ruymán Rodríguez last April 29?
That was arbitrarily arrested by the Civil Guard, threatened, insulted and then beaten and 
tortured (he was strangled, for example, on several occasions). He was invited to leave 
the municipality repeatedly. He seized some as pilgrims goods as a bonus bus and was 
charged with a further offense to the arrest: attack to the authority and injuries 
(supposedly the agents who "interrogated"). He is currently involved in a costly criminal 
procedure that asks jail. Everything is an attempt to cause maximum one of the most active
community of people harm.

Your bet is social anarchism, away from false debates and useless struggles. Tell us some 
virtues and some problems of your practice, according to thy mind.

Our bet is for anarchy itself. Obviously we recognize that there are different 
sensibilities and tendencies, but anarchism we seek not need names. If you want to 
distinguish the merely speculative construction or which are not willing to transcend 
academic environments or claims of so-called middle class , we can speak of militant 
anarchism or street , neighborhood . Its virtues lie in its realism, its ability to 
connect with the excluded, its immediacy, its distance from the self-congratulatory 
rhetoric and discourse function lever, practical tool, its firepower to put the system in 
a real challenge. But show the contradictions of the system not only practical and 
discursive not only requires being willing to pay the price of repression: also requires a 
great capacity for work, learning to endure the loneliness of a work where there are few 
references and a great strength soul to withstand the rebuke that await you. It's a race 
to the bottom where if you reach a certain degree of victories you must accept that you 
can do completely isolated: the rest of the libertarian movement that seems to go the 
other way and the social movements that seem to move around the loss of purchasing power 
of the middle classes, but not for the humanitarian emergency of those who have never had 
mortgages or health care or work. His great difficulty, finally, is to accept that 
physically and economically change the lives of people does not make them necessarily 
better people.

What main problems and contradictions involves your social struggles?

The main contradiction is presented in the legal field. You are illegalists by conviction 
and because we believe that an important part of social transformation that people lose 
respect for legality step. But when advise such a case of eviction we have to do with the 
Criminal Code in hand or the law of criminal procedure. We have exhausted legal means 
before resorting to other actions in which we feel most comfortable. The same happens in 
cases of squatting and relocation. Proceed to expropriate illegal act of a house after 
helping end relocated to achieve social rent. The repression aroused our membership also 
implies the need to legally or using bank accounts to raise funds to defend themselves. In 
the case of the Community, there is only one joint account, but some colleagues drafted 
basic requirements, supply requests and demands to government agencies inevitably respond 
to the immediate needs of the people, but not to the conscience and will of many FAGC 
members. It is the great defect of the issue of housing. For this reason we try to raise 
other more direct ways of dealing with the struggles and try to avoid work stops or runs 
aground in the legal field. However, we also understand that there is nothing truly less 
anarchist who force people to start proceedings against their will and that the most 
consistent level of anti-repression, is to stay alive. Diderot said that "the martyr 
awaiting death and fanatic in search," because we believe that the elusive anarchist helpful.

Syndicalists often they find that once solved the problem the worker does not reappear by 
the union. Are not you afraid that the struggle of Hope stay in some care and once they 
solve the problem does not involve anything more?

Exactly, so, as we have said previously, we believe that intervention in the social sphere 
You can not be an end in itself. It is the best way to engage with people on the street, a 
great way to establish a bridgehead into the village; but in no case is the ultimate goal 
of the strategy. Indeed there is a majority that draws you missed the train because the 
forger welfare state. Once he recovers, gets a free and living resources ceiling, the goal 
of his apparent rebellion has already been obtained and there is no more reason for 
discontent. But this is not to calm potential refractory but teaching system where they 
can hurt. So we see ourselves as seed pitchers: throw thousands of seeds per swamps and 
deserts and obviously most will not germinate, but just a few percent fruition so you can 
not speak of failure. In some of these cases they end in turn aids in helping others, and 
that in itself is already worth something. However, the basis of all should be to not end 
there. These struggles are raised to provide shelter, but not only that. Disobedience 
practices, coordinated fieldwork in massive expropriation and socialization are made, it 
becomes revolutionary muscle. You have contact with the people, the subversive training 
and satisfactory result. What is missing? A revolutionary larger challenge: an occupation 
of factories, concerted land expropriation, a rent strike ... Time to time.

How does a project of this magnitude is managed without a large organization (if be so) 
that corresponds behind? People suffer all capitalist vices. Is there no danger of ending 
up going to tow the facts and that the project itself ends up becoming something away or 
even contrary to the ideals that motivated him?

Actually sometimes we overestimate the weight of numbers in organizations. How many 
members have UGT and CCOO? Duplícaselos per thousand and pesebrismo inactivity and will 
remain the same. A few individuals and volunteers believe they can succeed where larger 
organizations zozobrarían. Sometimes a guerrilla is stronger than an army. The second part
of the question, that risk exists, of course, but even surprised nor worried us or 
frustrates us. We have learned something we believe good for future anarchist enclave 
larger: it is only the revolutionary struggle, raising the project accompanied by his 
supporters and propose alternatives; while the majority seconder, will fight not to lose 
the gains made, but what if the people most, after a time has achieved its objectives and 
drift towards other models conformist or backward? Well, you can not force them to not 
live as they want to live, even if it means playing old patterns. Of course, you do not 
drag you or the minority to voluntary servitude. You shared tools of solidarity and 
emancipation; how they use them, if they use them, that's your business.

What You keep relationship with other organizations within and outside the island?
We have contacts rather with the most committed individuals and heretics of some 
organizations, which are those that have succeeded in mobilizing their collective 
enforcement cases, as we mentioned before. However, at the working level and group 
collaboration, we believe that, sad as it sounds, the FAGC is located in a line of war too 
exposed to be co-barricade at the local level. A national and international level we have 
established contacts and forging something going, but for now informally. For now...

How also do some in Upper Llobregat i Cardener, but from a different experience, criticize 
immobility, labels, sectarianism false debates, consumption and the inaction of many 
so-called anarchists of all stripes of course. Do you think finally overcome these 
hindrances that dragged for decades?

It's a matter of sheer survival: either exceed or fifty years speak of anarchism as a 
nineteenth-century rarity that launched his swansong at 36. We believe that we must stop 
see what other anarchists as the main, if not only, militant activity. As censor much 
noise but little militancy will, little anarchy. The solution is to address the issue from 
a proactive perspective. When a proposal not like not enough to crumble in theory; It 
implements an alternative and demonstrates its solvency. Only then you've proven the 
foundation of your critique. People just adds to that which brings positive results, 
whether or not anarchists. What if you can not prove your arguments with facts? Then you 
better shut up. To theorize should be prerequisite hands have been stained ground before.
We endorse our preaching if not our practice, we have nothing to do as a movement.

You are also very active in social networks, generating debate here rather to within what 
would be the libertarian sensibilities. How do you assess the experience?
Well. It is not intended both rub salt in the wound as sharing a real experience, show the 
limits of supposed certainties that actually have so far not gone beyond hypothesis and 
make a call to us we launch, as anarchists, the asphalt. The truth is that our thoughts 
are welcome and waking having some expectation that we value positively. There is also 
criticism and appreciate. Even they coming from the hatred and injustice. We serve a lot, 
like a beacon to a navigator.

Would you like to add anything?
Nothing. Thank you for this opportunity to express ourselves and especially the wit and 
intelligence of your questions.

Pep and you

Berga, agost 2015

http://www.alasbarricadas.org/noticias/node/34959