Anonymous submission to MTL Counter-info
First and foremost, I want to state that I was in no way involved in this year’s organization of the March 15th demonstration against police brutality. I knew some of the people involved in its organization before, and some of the people involved in the organization this year, but I only saw the organization evolve from afar.
So yes, there was a new collective organizing the March 15th demonstration this year. During and after the demonstration, I’ve heard a number of critiques, some whispers between comrades, some more public. I, for one, want to address those critics. I give my heartfelt and complete thanks to the March 15th collective, who stepped up to the plate and filled some very big shoes, with very little time to do it. It’s a thankless and dreadful job, and they have my full support for stepping up to the plate.
Was it perfect? No. But from what I’ve heard, they barely had about one month to do it. That the collective managed to produce flyers, stickers, posters, and build a coalition in such a limited timeframe is nothing short of amazing. And even if they had more time, we all know that these events are never perfect: as a radical organizer myself, I know we’re doing the best we can with the meager resources we have. We’re always pulling a thousand strands at once, and we’re always threading on the brink of burnout. To say nothing of the chaotic nature of a radical event, where anything can (and often) happens, and where it’s impossible to plan for every contingency. And in my opinion, it’s where the beauty of what we do stems. That in our events, anyone can take the initiative and pick up a flag, a banner, or a megaphone, and take things a bit further than anyone thought we could go.
Was this year’s organization different from the March 15th demos we’re used to? Yes, but nothing should be set in stone, least of all anarchist events. Yes, the format was different, and while I don’t know the objectives of the collective, my feelings was that this followed a format we used to see more often in the 90s/00s. In the beginning, a semi-radical protest, accessible to most. And then, afterward, the real thing, for those who want to push things further. From what I could see, there was still room for a diversity of tactics, it’s just a different way to organize things. And this format is a nice way to introduce people who would never join a radical protest, to see what happens when people actually fight back.
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The change in tactics, the new March 15th collective … this leads us to the general state of our movement, of our struggles.
We’re reaching a turning point in our collectives, where some old groups seems to be struggling: for instance, we know that the Bookfair, another thankless job, is also having issues. The COBP is still doing miracles with, from what I’ve heard, only a handful of people. And maybe the Mayday organization doesn’t gather as much people as it used to? At the same time, new radical collectives are emerging, like the ORA/RAO, the P!nk Bloc and now the March 15th collective. Maybe it is time for us, of the older generation, to pass the torch to the younger one.
Will the new generation do everything as we, of the older one, used to do? Will they shape the movement as us old crust punks want it to be? No. And well, that’s the goal. People change, ideas change, and our movements must change with them. The priorities, tactics and objectives of the next generation will not be the same as the older ones, and that’s good. It’s not like our older priorities, tactics and objectives are achieving much these days, aren’t they?
Let’s give the next generation a chance and the space to grow, to learn, and yes, to make mistakes if necessary. It’s the only way to improve what we built over the years, and take it to the next level. And to ensure our movements live beyond our own, short, measly lives.
Long live the next generation of the Revolution,
Long live the new March 15th,
And, as always, ACAB everywhere.
an older comrade