We publish an excerpt from an interview with the Serbian anarchist group Klasna Solidarnost (KS), conducted for Radio Libertaire, the radio station of the Paris-based Francophone Anarchist Federation (FA). The interview took place during the IFA Congress held in Athens last April, where the Belgrade group participated as an observer, requesting to join the International. To learn more about KS's activities, please visit the website klasol.org or their Instagram channel @klasnasolidarnost. Below is the text of the interview, conducted by Ouzo, of the Marseille FA group, with two KS comrades.
Ouzo (FA):[...]Could you first introduce your organization?
KS1: Thank you for this opportunity. A few quick notes on the history of our organization. Klasn Solidarnost, which means Class Solidarity, is based in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It was founded 10 years ago. It is the first and, so far, only anarchist political organization in Serbia. Our goal is to create and expand a federation with other groups in other cities across Serbia. We are involved in numerous struggles. Serbia is one of the post-socialist countries undergoing an uncontrolled transition to capitalism, with privatizations that have devastated the working class. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs, their health-many of them have lost their lives. We hold staunchly anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist positions. Our opposition to NATO is a key element of our activities. Our society has experienced NATO's imperialist bombing. I was seven years old when they bombed Belgrade. We have memories that most people in Europe now only see in reels about the wars in the Middle East: you're playing outside in the park when you hear air raid sirens, and you run to hide in shelters. To mark the anniversary of the NATO bombings, we hung a DIY banner on a highway bridge, visible to thousands of cars. Some of our members are founders and participants of the Palestine movement in Serbia, as well as the Belgrade Antifascist Movement, founded six years ago with the aim of countering the rise of fascism, but also of spreading antifascist ideas and making them more attractive to younger generations!
KS2: KS is active in deconstructing the world we live in, destroying it, but also building a new one. Many of our classmates founded horizontal student unions, which were involved in the movement against forced evictions many years ago. There have been dozens of successful actions in defense of families threatened with eviction. There's also the initiative for the solidarity soup kitchen (three times a week, self-managed and self-financed). Many non-political people, ordinary people, actually do anarchic things, we might say, participating in horizontal organizations based on mutual aid and which do not cooperate with institutions, the state, political parties, or NGOs.
Regarding student initiatives: many anarchists participated in the movements of 2006, 2009, 2011, and 2014. In Serbia, there is a Student Parliament that is supposed to organize student life, but in reality it is an institution with no other purpose than recruiting future politicians. Over the past two decades, particularly at the University of Philosophy in Belgrade, there have been student occupations and assemblies. They are anarchic in their practices; everyone has the right to speak and vote. Discussing one's political organization is prohibited. The occupation, too, is direct action. This is something that influenced the structure of the movement that emerged in 2024.
Ouzo (FA): Thank you, comrades.[...]I ask the student comrades who have taken to the streets in the uprisings since 2023 to share with us their experiences of struggle, their practices of self-organization, but also the structures of capitalist society that resist them.[...]
KS1: Those roadblocks and university occupations, which continued for almost a year, constituted one of the largest movements in Serbia. But why? I think the answer lies in the methods of organization and decision-making. From the very beginning of the movement, these were directly democratic assemblies. We were inspired by the experience of the Cookbook student occupation in Zagreb in 2009. Books and flyers were distributed.
In 2023, the population rebelled against the state crime that resulted in the massacre of 16 people in the Novi Sad train station collapse. Usually, when state crimes occur, NGOs and opposition parties hijack the struggle, and people are not motivated to participate. But this time it was truly a mass mobilization. As anarchists, our role is not to lead the movement, but to discuss the best strategies with the people. We believe that people will liberate themselves. Practice will change their minds.
Unfortunately, however, the anarchists were not organized enough to be present at all universities, and the dominant ideology prevailed. Opposition politicians and opportunist NGOs co-opted the students' demands into a call for parliamentary elections. There are, however, contradictions that must be highlighted: these assemblies demand elections and the rule of law, while self-organizing in an anarchic manner.
The positive and progressive aspects of the movement still exist. For example, when students invited non-students to organize similarly through neighborhood assemblies, the zborovi. These groups still exist today. They are the ones who carry out the most progressive actions, such as clashes with the police. People have always hated the police, but they used to say we should be peaceful. But after the police violence, these people realized that the police are not our friends and that the only way out is to clash with them. The assemblies also organized protests against gentrification and against the government's massive development projects (such as the plan to build an aquarium on the site of a park). There was even a joint antifa demonstration with students.
KS2: I've been witnessing student movements for ten years. Ten years ago, they only affected the Philosophy Department; now they involve the entire university. Back then, we protested against the privatization of the university; the demands were social and anti-capitalist, and aimed at making education accessible to the working class. Now, these occupations are motivated by the country's political situation and supported by all citizens. Naturally, the demands are liberal. But what can we expect in a world where neoliberal thinking is so dominant? It's normal for people to believe they can improve their lives using the tools of the system they know. But I think the practice of occupations is changing mindsets. It's a process; we can't win today, but it's a process that will take us in the right direction.
Ouzo (FA): Thank you for this information, comrades. Finally, regarding your presence at the IFA congress: how do you feel here? What are your anarchist perspectives on joining the IFA?
KS1: First, a brief history of what brought us to where we are today. This was achieved thanks to our collaboration with APO (???????? ???????? ????????, ?u???????? ??????????????, Anarchist Political Organization, Federation of Collectives, Greek Federation within the IFA), which is organizing the congress. We have already collaborated with them on numerous occasions, among which we would like to highlight two important in-person events to which our comrades were invited as guests. The first was last summer here in Athens for the APO festival. And in October in Thessaloniki at the libertarian festival also organized by APO. On those occasions, we participated in a session where we discussed the role of anarchists in the class struggle, in the context of the state murders in Greece and Serbia, where we identified a common thread running through these two tragedies.
Regarding the congress, I speak for myself regarding my impressions, but I'm almost certain my colleagues share them. We are beyond honored to have been invited as guests/observers. In our opening remarks, we expressed our firm desire to join the IFA. This is because our fundamental principle is internationalist anarchist cooperation. I myself feel fulfilled in a place like this, where there are people from all over the world, with diverse cultures, diverse histories, diverse ethnicities, diverse genders, and diverse languages, yet we all share the common goal of building a new and better world, free from capitalist exploitation.
KS2: I'm also always happy to meet people who share my beliefs. I think it's really important. Firstly, because that's what capitalists and those in power do: they work together against us. We must do the same. We can't change the world if we don't connect internationally. I'm actually very moved. Because, as an anarchist, I sometimes feel like a utopian, fighting for something impossible, but when I meet people from all over the world who think like me, who work and do anarchist things, I feel more motivated and courageous to continue. Now that the world is grappling with wars and genocides, it's absolutely essential to be internationalists. The mechanisms are the same; we must share our strategies and our different experiences of struggle.
Ouzo (FA): Thank you, comrades. I speak in a personal capacity, but I know this sentiment is shared by the Anarchist Federation. It's an honor to share and build a bond with you and your organization. You are welcome in France. Would you like to say a few closing words?
KS: Thank you, comrades, the pleasure is mutual. As for the slogan, I believe you also use it in France: Ko seje bedu, zanje bes - He who sows misery, reaps revolt!
Ouzo, Francophone Anarchist Federation, Marseille, Oaï Group
https://umanitanova.org/serbia-intervista-con-klasna-solidarnost/
_________________________________________
Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten