Oaxaca, No Sweat and the Fifth International
Pueblo | 12.02.2007 07:18 | Oaxaca Uprising | Education | Repression | Zapatista | South Coast
A SPEAKER from Oaxaca in Mexico spoke out the tumultuous events of the last nine months at a packed meeting in Brighton's Cowley Club on Sunday evening.
He explained how the militancy of the teachers' union had drawn in a broader spectrum of disaffected people in the city and gone way beyond an industrial dispute to become a physical challenge to the power of the state.
A failure in the leadership of the revolt had, he argued, meant that they backed down at a crucial point and thus lost the momentum of their uprising.
More controversially, for a talk in an anti-authoritarian free space, he also argued that what was needed was a revolutionary leadership with the political consciousness to lead the people and seize power on their behalf in the vacuum that arises in potentially revolutionary moments such as this.
He also criticised the EZLN and La Otra campaign both for not getting involved in Oaxaca, for their distrust of the Mexican trade union movement and for being ideologically opposed to the idea of seizing control of government for revolutionary purposes.
This position was challenged very articulately at the meeting, but I was mulling it over on the way home and later had a little look on the internet.
It seems that No Sweat, which is organising the Oaxaca speaking tour, is an offshoot of Revolution - Socialist Youth Network, itself part of the Trotskyite Workers Powers group and the League for the Fifth International.(see www.worldrevolution.org.uk/oldsite/pages/campaigns.htm and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workers_Power_(UK))
In that context, the speaker's views on power and revolutionary vanguards are hardly a surprise.
Now, I personally don't mind hearing opinions that I don't agree with (pretty bloody broad-minded, eh?) and I don't want to come across all negative about No Sweat and what it does.
But I went away with the horrible suspicion that the Oaxaca tour, and presumably other No Sweat events, are principally designed as Trojan Horse exercises to recruit from the ranks of the anti-capitalist/anarchist movement and push the Trotksyite ideology.
I think they should be more up-front about where they are coming from.
Am I being unfair? Does this really matter? I'm interested in hearing what other folk think.
A failure in the leadership of the revolt had, he argued, meant that they backed down at a crucial point and thus lost the momentum of their uprising.
More controversially, for a talk in an anti-authoritarian free space, he also argued that what was needed was a revolutionary leadership with the political consciousness to lead the people and seize power on their behalf in the vacuum that arises in potentially revolutionary moments such as this.
He also criticised the EZLN and La Otra campaign both for not getting involved in Oaxaca, for their distrust of the Mexican trade union movement and for being ideologically opposed to the idea of seizing control of government for revolutionary purposes.
This position was challenged very articulately at the meeting, but I was mulling it over on the way home and later had a little look on the internet.
It seems that No Sweat, which is organising the Oaxaca speaking tour, is an offshoot of Revolution - Socialist Youth Network, itself part of the Trotskyite Workers Powers group and the League for the Fifth International.(see www.worldrevolution.org.uk/oldsite/pages/campaigns.htm and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workers_Power_(UK)) In that context, the speaker's views on power and revolutionary vanguards are hardly a surprise.
Now, I personally don't mind hearing opinions that I don't agree with (pretty bloody broad-minded, eh?) and I don't want to come across all negative about No Sweat and what it does.
But I went away with the horrible suspicion that the Oaxaca tour, and presumably other No Sweat events, are principally designed as Trojan Horse exercises to recruit from the ranks of the anti-capitalist/anarchist movement and push the Trotksyite ideology.
I think they should be more up-front about where they are coming from.
Am I being unfair? Does this really matter? I'm interested in hearing what other folk think.
Pueblo
Comments
Hide the following 5 comments
Probably AWL not WP
12.02.2007 16:43
visible as an AWL (alliance for workers liberty)
initiative as far as I am aware, not Workers Power
although it seems that they were once together in it:
See: AWL, Implementing AWL 2004 conference decisions,
"(c) We now have a number of local No Sweat groups
meeting regularly, which is a step forward. (i)
Develop No Sweat groups in those remaining areas where
we have AWL branches but there is still no No Sweat
group. (ii) Build the No Sweat groups as active,
outgoing, coalition-building groups which undertake
consistent and planned campaigns (on the USAS model).
(d) Develop No Sweat in the colleges - where it has
some of its greatest possibilities, but has not really
been devleoped yet - through systematic work with No
Sweat material in larger left/green groups like People
and Planet."
See also: Help build No Sweat (March 2006).
Nottingham anarchist and Indymedia activists had discussed Oaxaca situation and had
produced a local statement put on Notts Indymedia:
"Collective statement of solidarity with the social struggle in Oaxaca, Mexico
Nottingham anarchists and Indymedia activists | 24.11.2006 10:53 | Oaxaca Uprising | Globalisation | Indymedia | Repression | Social Struggles | Nottinghamshire | World "
so we'd have thought a Nottingham meeting on Oaxaca would have been
held at Sumac Centre with our involvement, but it seems No
Sweat/AWL went ahead on their own and organised it at
the ICC without our knowledge - only heard about our local meeting
when the entire tour was announced in an email that was
circulated nationally a week or so ago.
The Nottingham meeting date is tomorrow:
> > No Sweat Public meeting
> > Oaxaca, Solidarity and Workers Struggle
> > Tuesday 13th Feb, 7.30pm
> > International Community Centre
> > Mansfield Road
Anarchist communist in Nottingham
Brighton meeting
12.02.2007 23:23
There where about 40 people at the meeting finding out stuff about an important struggle in Mexico and having a good discussion. The speaker was quite into the idea that the 'rank and file' were being sold out by a corrupt leadership (standard Trotskyism) and some anarchists were into the idea that having a leadership was the problem. Personally I don't agree with either of those positions, but I won't get into what I think about all that - I just think work together (except for the SWP obviously...).
,
Trotsky's transitional epoch
14.02.2007 04:02
what's so wrong with Trotsky anyway? You may denounce Trotsky's support in violently supressing the uprisings of Kronstadt and Makhno's peasant army in Ukraine and accept the tradition of the SWP coming from Tony Cliff and his view of the state capitalism of the USSR, or hold the candle for the populist rhetoric of Bakunin and live in a utopian ivory tower. However, the harsh reality is that the passage of time gives favourable light on Trotsky's ideas and his support in the 1920s under Lenin for the passage of the centrally-planned Bolshevik transitional state towards a socialist republic/workers' state - an aspiration further embellished by Trotsky's later recognition that socialism would only eclipse capitalism if it was challenged across the world, and that revolution was more likely to break out in less developed countries (the opp of the Marxist view), with world socialism only emerging if that proletarian revolution sparked revolution in the more advanced nations. Hence, Trotsky's explanation of the degeneration of the Russian Revolution under Stalin because of it's isolation and collaboration with capitalism - (though this was, however, vital for the defeat of the Nazis later on).
Quote from Aufheban no.7 (p-29):
"..while many marxists had come to the conclusion that the first world war heralded the era of the transition from capitalism to socialism, Ticktin argues that it was Trotsky who went furthest in drawing out both the theoritical and political implications of [the notion of a] transitional epoch. Thus, whereas most Marxists had seen the question of transition principally in terms of particular nation states, Trotsky emphasised capitalism as a world system."
Re;
see also:
Derek Trotter
Trots away - but still worth going
14.02.2007 12:07
The speaker (a lawyer) was indeed a head-banging trot whose organisation I don't think is connected to AWL - see
His ideological positions were ably translated into English to the extent it was possible to rise above them and learn a lot - as the 'Brighton meeting' commenter said. The video footage was great (although there is some similar material on Indymedia...).
There were usual trotskyist-type criticisms of the Zapatista 'leadership' refusing to engage with any groups of the 'base' who were working with corrupt trade unions known as charros (cowboys), and therefore we were informed that the Zapatistists failed to recognise the true subject of the class struggle and revolution, and their rejection of planning to seize power therefore keeping governor Ruiz in power!
Also criticised in true trot stylee was the Communist Party faction in APPO 'constitutional assembly' who (probably amongst other factions) were apparently convincing people to stop fighting as part of negiotiations with the senate, thus giving the enough justification (& breathing space) for the police and army to carrying on repressing the rank-and-file/uncontrollables. This sounded plausible, but it's hard to know how big any of these factions are... we were told that there were/are 2500 representatives in APPO assembly in total with a popular participation in the struggle of 1m people out of a state population of 2.5m!
It's such an inspiring struggle - so worth hearing about from any number of perspectives - as long as you have your trot filter switched on.
Anarchist communist in Nottingham
Homepage:
http://www.afed.org.uk
comment on a comment....
15.02.2007 02:42
I am astonished at the attitude of the speaker,M. Aullet, if the commentators present are to be adknowledged in their interpretation of his 'firsthand' analysis of events in Oaxaca.I hope it is just a misinterpretation of what he said, as this stance does not reflect what is happening in Oaxaca.
The movement has been consistently peaceful, inclusive and non party-political from the outset.
It has never advocated the use of violence or aggression to achieve the objectives of the peoples movement in Oaxaca.To criticize people for this stance is absurd in this context.
However,stones and bottles were thrown by citizens of Oaxaca when the University was violently and illegally attacked on the 2nd Nov. by the PFP.
The PFP had grenades, tear gas ,rifles machine guns, tanks, water cannons.....
A lot of people were hurt and the situation was chaotic and confusing.The citizens of Oaxaca managed to repel the PFP against the odds.
On the 25th November the megamarcha of Oaxaquenas aimed to form a human chain around the heavily armed army that had invaded their city.
It was on this day,and following the attempt to carry out this peaceful action, that hundreds of men,women and children were rounded up in broad daylight and brutally beaten,thrown into vans and transported to jails across Mexico.
Many are still unaccounted for, and many are yet to be released........`These actions and the struggle in Oaxaca have affected everyone severely,emotionally,financially, physically...
Yet the citzens of Oaxaca have not retreated and they have not disbanded.
What has happened is that the people of Oaxaca have had 9 months of constant surruptitious and murderous state sabotage and serious violent oppression.It is remarkable that they have maintained their position so long without material resources and without recourse to violence or infighting.
If M. Aullet has any issue with the brave pacific struggle in Oaxaca and its admirable refusal to 'take up arms' and its refusal to engage with the corrupt narcissism that is mexican politics, then I suggest he start his own 'revolution' somewhere else and stop sabotaging other peoples valid and impressive actions.
The last thing anybody in Oaxaca wants is for any political party to capitalise on this situation...
The struggle has been impeded by massive violent state oppression on an unimaginable scale.and in a manner that would make physical retaliation counterproductive and ultimately pointless.
People in Oaxaca are not willing to sacrifice themselves pointlessly, and they should be respected for that, not criticized.It is repulsive and decadent to demand otherwise of people.
Perhaps Trotskyists and Marxists and any other adherants to dogmatic revolution should be aware that popular uprisings began with human society and are not the product of 19th c. white european male philosophising ..
And by the way,this is not a class war.this is not a workers struggle.
It is something much more fundamental and inclusive than that.And it belongs to the people who made it happen.
The Oaxaca uprising is about people standing up bravely for the dignity and value of their own lives and the benefit that this self respect will radiate throughout their land
The people of Oaxaca have a long tradition of self governance, statesmanship,metaphysical philosophy and independant revolutionary movements.
They choose not to take arms and they do not want to form political factions as they have seen their communities fractured,violated and decimated by such actions in the past.
Now, the people of Oaxaca have been forced, by barbed wire and illegal violent persecution, to seek other means of expressing their unity.
There were many thousands at the megamarcha on 3rd february.And there will be many more marches to come.
The majority of Oaxacans are working hard daily to reinforce thier stance and realise their objectives in an eloquent and fair manner.
It is difficult, but everyone is working together on this one.
They do not need a big leader,to spout outmoded doctrine and encourage them to bear arms...- their iron faith,integrity, creativity and commitment to their community are their shields and their weapons.This is true solidarity.
And if this is seen as a weakness by anybody, i suggest these people try to organise a pacific statewide anti imperialist mass defense of moral, social,cultural and economic autonomy themselves against a brutal government and torture-accustomed heavily armed militia, and sustain it for 9 months+.......
....!!!VIVA OAXACA!!!
tula