Difference between revisions of "anarchist round table"

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The Anarchist Round Table (ART) was formed in 1997 by a group of
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#redirect [[eng:anarchist round table]]
Christchurch anarchists who met at an anarchist conference in
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Wellington. Despite some serious ideological and personal differences,
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this original group worked successfully together on a number of
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valuable community and activist projects.
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These included SMOG, a monthly neighbourhood newspaper (twenty-two
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issues of which appeared between December 1997 and March 2000), and
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the Beneficiary Action Collective, or BAC, which spearheaded local
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opposition to the work-for-the-dole scheme when it was introduced
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in October 1998. BAC imploded in early 2000 after a high profile
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but ultimately unsuccessful campaign to gain access for beneficiaries
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to toilets at the WINZ High Street office, and at this point ART
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effectively stopped functioning as a group.
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ART reformed in November 2000 with just two of its original members
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but a number of enthusiastic newcomers. In October 2001, ART hosted
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2001: An Anarchist Odyssey, the first anarchist conference in New
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Zealand for over three years. ART was also the driving force behind
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the establishment of InterActive, an activist centre in central
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Christchurch that served as a home and general meeting and organising
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space for ART and several other local activist groups. InterActive ran for
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a period of a year before a rent hike and general lack of enthusiasm/burnout
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saw a waning interest in continuing this project.
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From 2001 to 2004 saw ART involved in organising marches and
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other activities in opposition to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
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in association with the Peace Action Network. In more recent times,
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with a wider acceptance and knowledge of anarchism and anarchist
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principles along with such events as the Anarchist Tea Party and the
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launching of the Aotearoa Anarchist web portal.
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In 2004 after a number of longer serving members of ART pulled back
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from activism/anarchism for various reasons and several newer members
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sought to radically change ART's aims and princpals. ART disbanded
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leaving a large gap in the anarchist community in Christchurch.
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During it's time ART had between 30 to 40 anarchists go through it's ranks
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with a membership of between 5 to 15 at any one time
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==
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'''ART Aims and Principals''' ==
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'''
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1. Criticisms of present society'''
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A . We oppose all forms of authority. No one group or individual
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has the right to rule any other group or individual.
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B. We oppose all forms of exploitation. We live in a capitalist society, in
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which a minority (the ruling class) owns or controls most of society's
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resources. These resources have been created over generations by the collective
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effort of the majority of the population (the working class). Yet most people
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are forced to work for bosses and receive less than the value of their labour
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in return in the form of a wage or salary. The bosses retain the difference in
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the form of profit. This process is called "class exploitation".
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C. We oppose all states. The state (government, police, army,
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judicial system, education system) is not neutral but serves the
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interests of the ruling class.
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D. We acknowledge the legacy of colonialism in Aotearoa and
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support self-determination for Maori.
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E. We oppose ecologically unsustainable economic growth.
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'''2. Strategies for change'''
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A. Means must reflect ends. If our organisations are authoritarian,
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racist and sexist we will end up with an authoritarian, racist and
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sexist society.
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B. The only group in society capable of fundamentally overthrowing
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capitalism is the working class. This is because the working class is
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located at the strategic heart of capitalism: the workplace.
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C. The role of an anarchist organisation should be to promote
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among the working class anarchist ideas and ways of organising.
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We support self-organisation among the working class and do not
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seek to "lead" anyone.
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D. We support grassroots, mass-based direct action. Direct action is
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action taken by people themselves and directed at the source of a
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problem. It does not rely on the work of intermediaries, such as
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politicians or union bureaucrats.
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E. Real change will come only through mass-based revolution that
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involves the majority of the population. We have no faith in
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parliamentary politics. Capitalism and the state cannot be reformed,
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but need to be abolished.
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F. We support internationalism. Because capitalism is global, we
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should organise across national borders in our struggle against it. G.
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We look forward to a peaceful society. However, we recognise that
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militant struggle has won many of the freedoms we enjoy today.
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'''3. The future anarchist society (the aim)'''
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A. We want a classless, stateless society with no hierarchical or
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authoritarian structures or systems.
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B. Society should be based on communal ownership of the
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resources of society. Decisions about production and distribution
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should be made by the people themselves, in their own workplaces
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and communities.
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C. We want self-government of our own communities. The people
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who ought to have the most say in how a community or workplace
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is run are the people who are actually in the local community or
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workplace.
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D. Activities affecting people over larger areas would be coordinated
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by federations of autonomous, self-governing groups. These
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federations would not be authoritarian, as they would have no
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power to enforce their decisions. Membership would be on a strictly
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voluntary basis.
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E. We want a society where the principle "To each according to
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need, from each according to ability" would be the norm. This can
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only be achieved with the abolition of money and wage labour.
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F. We want a society of communal individuality. We want the
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greatest possible individuality with the greatest possible
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communality. The free individual is only possible in a free society.
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Developing individual creativity and fulfilling the potential of every
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individual is only possible in a classless, stateless society where
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everybody's basic material needs are met. However, we do not want
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people to develop their own individuality at the expense of others.
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G. We want an ecologically sensible and sustainable society.
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'''ART meeting procedures'''
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A. Decisions should be made by consensus. However, if after three
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meetings a consensus cannot be reached on a particular issue, a
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two- thirds majority will suffice.
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B. Members should abide by consensus decisions. In the case of a
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majority vote, members who voted with the minority will not be
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forced to participate in actions they do not support. However, no
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members should take action in the name of the group unless a
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decision has been made in favour of such action.
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C. Members should treat other members with respect and avoid
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abusive language.
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ART membership
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There are no membership fees for joining ART. If you agree with
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our aims and principles and would like to get involved, just drop us
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a line.
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''(Last amended December 2003)''
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== External Links ==
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[http://www.anarchist.orcon.net.nz/ ART Website]
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[http://www.takver.com/history/nz/c2001chch.htm 2001 Anarchist Oddyssey Article]
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[http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/b7/52/200104271031.cf865bf9.html 2001 Mayday press release]
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[http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0112/S00011.htm 2001 Harewood military base protest report]
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[http://www.context.co.nz:8080/stories/storyReader$1337 InterActive opening article]
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Latest revision as of 17:14, 3 February 2007