NEFAC 2007 Congress

[rebelworker]

Report from NEFAC's 2007 Annual Conference

The Northeastern Federation of Anarchist- Communists recently met for our annual international conference. We met in a wonderful meeting space provided by Encuentro 5 in Boston and spent two days evaluating how best
to continue the movement towards libertarian-communism and workers power.

In attendance were comrades from Montreal, DC/Maryland, Boston, New York City, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Western Mass. First we went around the room and reported back on what projects collectives and
individual supporters/members had been involved with since our last
meeting. Activities were broad and included the organization of speaking events and book fairs, active participation in labor, community and student organizing, and militant action against fascists.

We next discussed the state of NEFAC's printed publications The
Northeastern Anarchist and Ruptures, our two theoretical magazines, and Cause Commune a free anarchist newspaper. Discussion was given to how best to allocate funds to publications and other methods of distribution of propaganda including blogs and pdfs that could be printed locally and distribute at a low cost.

Discussion was then given over to new collectives that wished to gain supporter or member status. A new DC/Maryland supporter collective was accepted and the Antithesis collective of NYC became a member collective. Both decisions came after a careful evaluation of the work that the collectives were doing and planned to do, and their political awareness. We are pleased to welcome both collectives into NEFAC.

We reflected on a discussion document brought to us by a New York member, concerning anti-imperialism and 'national liberation' movements. No
conclusions were reached, but there is a feeling that we are beginning to develop a shared vocabulary with which to approach these important questions. We then discussed the state of the anti war movement and how best to continue our efforts to halt the current wars.

The second day was largely dedicated to a lively discussion on how NEFAC can best continue and improve our work while dealing with some of the difficulties inherent with being a federation divided by the US/Canadian border. A discussion document with many ideas towards this end was brought to the conference by Canadian comrades and provided the framework
for our discussion. The discussion and the process goes on, and we are fully confident that it will result in a stronger anarchist communist presence in the north east.

In addition we discussed the proposal by our comrades in the Workers Solidarity Alliance to participate in a meeting of various groups interested in broadly red and black politics, Details are still being discussed but we are enthusiastic about this opportunity to further communication and cooperation amongst the class struggle anarchists.

With best wishes and solidarity to the working class, and unrelenting hostility to the bosses!

[SonofRage]

Hmm...I'd love some more information about the WSA proposal.

[syndicat]

the following is from the WSA letter to NEFAC:

The purpose of this meeting would simply to be to have a "get to know you" face-to-face get together. No heavy organizational agenda, perhaps a sharing of regional experiences, commonalities, things we might be able to do better in a more coordinated way, how we can practice mutual aid in a better way and so forth.

[fredbergen]

Is this report vague and boring because NEFAC is irrelevant?

Or is this report vague and boring because NEFAC is secretive?

Or is NEFAC secretive to obscure the fact that it is an irrelevant bunch of anarcho-liberal appendages of the labor bureaucracy/NGO complex?

[SonofRage]

Originally posted by [email protected] 07, 2007 08:15 pm
the following is from the WSA letter to NEFAC:

The purpose of this meeting would simply to be to have a "get to know you" face-to-face get together. No heavy organizational agenda, perhaps a sharing of regional experiences, commonalities, things we might be able to do better in a more coordinated way, how we can practice mutual aid in a better way and so forth.
ah, I see. I've had good relations with WSA folks in NYC so I guess I'll just reach out to them and see what's new. I haven't run into them in a while.

[rebelworker]

Originally posted by [email protected] 08, 2007 04:05 am
Is this report vague and boring because NEFAC is irrelevant?

Or is this report vague and boring because NEFAC is secretive?

Or is NEFAC secretive to obscure the fact that it is an irrelevant bunch of anarcho-liberal appendages of the labor bureaucracy/NGO complex?
:lol:

I guess its vague because we didnt make alot of official decisions, but some serious collective theoretical develoment and social movement skill sharing was done, not something you can write a brief report about. More indepth articles coming out of these discussions are in the works, and there are some interesting organisational changes in the pipes as well...

If your actually seriously interested in the work NEFAC members are involved in, i dont think you are, but for others, i suggest checking out our Magazines The Northeastern Anarchist (http://nefac.net/node/110) and RUPTURES (http://nefac.net/node/599) to find out more...

As for our liberal NGO/Union apendage status, there are no more than a dozen full time labour organisers or Community Group Staffers (next to none of which are NGO's) in the entire organisation...

But obviously our involvement in campaigns that affect working peoples lives goes against the "lunchbox revolutionary" purism that excludes actually engaging regular people on a meaningful level...

Now if you have any serious criticism of the organisation, we are by no means perfect, Id be quite willing to discuss them with you, but name calling dosen't help either of us or the movement.

[blackstone]

Well, I for one, am glad to hear that everything with the Congress went well and i wish NEFAC and affiliates the best of luck.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

name calling dosen't help either of us or the movement.

Do accurate descriptions?

[rebelworker]

Originally posted by Compañ[email protected] 08, 2007 10:39 pm

name calling dosen't help either of us or the movement.

Do accurate descriptions?
Do you have a concrete critique?

[rebelworker]

Originally posted by rebelworker+November 09, 2007 02:57 am--> (rebelworker @ November 09, 2007 02:57 am)
Compañ[email protected] 08, 2007 10:39 pm

name calling dosen't help either of us or the movement.

Do accurate descriptions?
Do you have a concrete critique? [/b]
Anyone Out there???

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

There's not a whole lot to criticize, is there? Nothing really concrete came out of this. It was essentially a big conversation, and we only have a few details about what the topics of discussion were.

[rebelworker]

But you implied the organisation is liberal reformist, so im asuming you have reasons for this...

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

No I didn't. I suggested the description of "NEFAC" as "anarcho-liberal appendages of the labor bureaucracy/NGO complex" may have been accurate; and asked, if so, whether not such descriptions "help the movement."

I find it useful to expose things, especial groups claiming to be socialist/communist/revolutionary, etc. I think it's the duty of communists to do so, as a part of breaking down illusions in dead end groups, movements, etc.

Still, I think it should be done in as comradely a way as possible, and only when useful (e.g. I wouldn't walk up to a leading member of NEFAC and scream "you're an anarcho-liberal!," or suggest wasting much space in the papers of my organization to expose them when most workers don't know what/who they are.. but I would expose them as anarcho-liberals that are attached to the labor bureaucracy and "NGOs" in any sort of meeting they called that drew a number of workers).

[syndicat]

but I would expose them as anarcho-liberals that are attached to the labor bureaucracy and "NGOs" in any sort of meeting they called that drew a number of workers).

do you have any actual arguments to back up such a critique? or is this just the sectarianism of Leninists who view their own party as the embryo of Those Who Will Rule?

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

1. I'm not a Leninist.

2. It's pretty well known that more than a few active NEFAC members are gofers for various union bureaucracies. I'm not sure what kind of argument one could need in that department..

[syndicat]

I'll take it that by "gofer" for a union, you mean paid staff. but that isn't what you claimed. You claimed they were "anarcho-liberals" who are "attached" to the union/NGO bureaucracy. now, the mere fact that a member or two work as staff organizers for some union or community organization doesn't show they have no critique of the union/NGO bureaucracy or are politically supportive of it. and what is an "anarcho-liberal"? this is presumably a way of accusing them of being reformist. if this isn't just sectarian slanging off, then you'd need to provide an argument.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

An anarcho-liberal is a liberal that claims to be an anarchist.

The problem is, especially in -- but not limited to -- the U.S., is that it doesn't really mean anything to be an "anarchist." All kinds of people, from celebrities who support capitalist political parties to people whose "political activity" consists of dining from dumpsters, call themselves "anarchists." There's no real common thread between them.

(Actually, I was just having this conversation with an "anarchist" comrade who posts here.. he agrees with me.)

So, what you end up with, are a lot of radical liberals -- individualists, people whose are mainly concerned with bourgeois rights or "democracy" for the sake of democracy, people who share all the anti-communist perspectives of the worst conservatives, etc. -- rocking circle-A badges, or joining this or that "class struggle" organization..

Though NEFAC may try to get away from that, it's unable to (WSA may do a better job in that regard, and is certainly more respectable, but its basically moribund nature makes it just as useless).

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

I'll take it that by "gofer" for a union..

Well, I said gofer for union bureaucracies, not unions.. there's a difference. A union is a workers' organization, the bureaucracies at the top are made up of sell-out misleaders.

Doing the bidding of these misleaders -- whether or not one is paid for it -- goes against every basic principle of the fight for working class liberation.

[rebelworker]

I find that accusation funny because i personally lost a job as an organiser because the burocracy didnt trust me...

But again your making insinuations without actually backing it up...

NEFAC members have time and time again taken unpopular positions when needed to critique union leadership, now Im not sure you actually have anything real to say here but If you do Id like to hear it...

I cant even think of one occasion when i NEFAC member has come out in support of leadership during labour disputes, quite the contrary, we usually are making critiques of sellouts or the need for rank and file driven caucuses to counter burocracy interfearance.

As for the fact that anarchism has drawn a "bad crowd" or liberal hangers on, well ofcourse thats true, just as true as the fact that communism has become equivilated with the worst kind of dictatorship among the vast majority of the North American Working Class, or that Che Guevera, a hammer and sycle or the ol CCCP have become some of the most marketed, and increasingly meaningless symbols at least where I live.

This dosn't mean that i will give up on the project of communism, just as I cant ignore the necessity to take up anarchism as a nessesary part of workers liberation.

NEFAC continues to grow, attracting working class militants and gain the respect of labour, community and anti racist organisers. I have yet to see any principled critique of the organisaion or our politics (with the exception of the IBT which attacked us for participating in a liberal anti war coalition).

This dosnt bother me, there is no group on the revolutionary left of a size or influence worth wasting propaganda energy over, it just bothers me when people (usually in much smaller and less infulencial organisations) publicly shit talk without any real substance.

Anyway, this is an internet discussion board, luckily my organisation dose the vast majority of our work in the real world.

[syndicat]

CdeL:
Though NEFAC may try to get away from that, it's unable to (WSA may do a better job in that regard, and is certainly more respectable, but its basically moribund nature makes it just as useless).

You're an authoritarian state socialist, in my observation, and I don't distinguish that from Leninism, sorry. You're just engaging in slanging off here again. in the late '90s and the 2000 split WSA lost half its membership, and was reduced to an 18 person organizing committee, to try to revive it. Despite its small numbers it did play a role in the CIW Taco Bell boycott victory and in some other activities. In the last few years WSA has gained a number of new members. so rumors of our death are premature. In recent years the WSA has had a scattered membership. A task for rebuilding is forming new branches. Few branches makes for lack of visibility. We're currently just coming to the end of a successful process of developing a new statement of principles, our first reworking of our statement of principles since about 1990.