90 lines
5.8 KiB
Plaintext
90 lines
5.8 KiB
Plaintext
THIS IS CLASS WAR
|
|
|
|
HISTORY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The first issue of Class war was produced in 1983 by a small group of people
|
|
based in Swansea. Their background was in the production of a local,populist,
|
|
agitational paper called the Alarm, which achieved some notoriety by exposing
|
|
the corrution of local council leaders. The first issues of Class War were aimed
|
|
at the large,punk ,anarchist and pacifist movement of the time,for instance
|
|
followers of bands like Crass.
|
|
The articles in Class War slagged off pacifism and the Peace movement and
|
|
encouraged the idea that violence is necessary. They put forward a straigh
|
|
forward analysis, identifying the enemy not only as "the system" or the "State"
|
|
,but as the ruling class(not ony as a class,but also as individuals within that
|
|
class) .
|
|
The miner's strike started in 1984 and the paper and its followers reacted to it
|
|
swiftly. The writers of Class War had wanted to see the anarchist/punk ghetto
|
|
take up the rebellion unleashed by the inner-city riots of 1981. Now that anger
|
|
was taken up by thousands of miners throughout the country. To a large extent
|
|
the paper dropped its discussion of the inadequacies of the CND and called for
|
|
direct physical support for the miners. Class War alone supported the direct
|
|
action of the strikers. Readership soared, not least in mining areas. miners
|
|
queued 20 or more for the paper at the big Mansfield demonstration in 1984.
|
|
Class war was now a paper with readers and supporters well beyond the wildest
|
|
expecations of its first producers.
|
|
The Class War Collective decided that the time was ripe to go beyond the paper
|
|
and called a Bash. the Rich march in 1985, from Notting Hill to Kensington The
|
|
Stop the City demonstrations of the early 80's(which were not called by Class
|
|
War) Had reflected the new mood in the anarchist scene, and around 500 people
|
|
took part in this first incursion(albeit symbolic) of a hostile working class
|
|
mob into a rich area since the 19th century.
|
|
Another Bash the Rich march took place from Camden to Hampstead(well, yes,we did
|
|
get stopped halfway) and a very enjoyable day out to Henley Regatta took place
|
|
in 1986. What was significant about all this was that we went to them , to the
|
|
areas where they lived, which made them uncomfortable if only for a shortime.
|
|
The First Class war conference of some 50 people took place in 1985, and a rally
|
|
of over 200 people was held in Holloway. The inner-city riots of late1985 proved
|
|
to be another boost for Class War (12,000 papers were being sold each issue that
|
|
Autumn)but following the end of the Bash The Rich campaign,an increasing number
|
|
of people around the country wanted to consolidate the gains of the last three
|
|
years.
|
|
A national conference in Manchester supported their proposal that the groups and
|
|
individuals who wrote and sold the paper should form "Class War" groups as part
|
|
of a National Federation with common 'aims and principles'. The reason we chose
|
|
to federate was that it is the most democratic form of organisation, whereby
|
|
groups within the federation have a large degree of freedom within an agreed set
|
|
of politics and strategy. Some people could not accept the idea of such a degree
|
|
of organisation and left - whoops! The end of the miners strike was the last
|
|
straw fo th British Left. They had failed dismally to come o terms with the
|
|
changing political climate and the strongest Tory government since the war. The
|
|
Labour Party went to the right, and groups like the Communist Party and the
|
|
Workes Revolutionary Party faded inot obscurity. The traditional areas of class
|
|
conflict had all but disappeared(eg. the work-place) The new battles were taking
|
|
places in the streets and the communities of our towns and cities,like the
|
|
yuppification of traditional working class areas. This is where Class War
|
|
politics came into the forefront. We thrived!
|
|
In 1988 we launched an ambitious national tour called "Rock Against the Rich"
|
|
with ex-Clash singer Joe Strummer. This was to promote Class War's politics and
|
|
name far and wide. It was the biggest event or campaign ever put on by an
|
|
Anarchis/libertarian organisation in this country. Spring 1989 saw the
|
|
production and distribution of Class War start to improve. From being an eight
|
|
page bi-monthly we went to being a six-weekly,sixteen page,full colour tabloid.
|
|
The Federation shot to prominence after the 1990 poll tax riot in Trafalgar
|
|
Square where the Metropolitan Police got a well deserved beating at the hands of
|
|
thousands of people from all over the country. In stark contrast to the Left,
|
|
particularly Militant,who all rushed to condemn the rioters, a Federation
|
|
spokesman said they were "working class heroes" on national TV and radio. The
|
|
Media was gobsmaked,questions were asked in parliament and Class War was read
|
|
out in the House of Commons and Lords.
|
|
At the Autumn 1990 National Conference in Manchester the Federation voted to
|
|
become a membership organisation,with membership fees, and a straightforward
|
|
constitution. We decided to do this to pull together, more efficiently, the
|
|
Federation's resources,to make us a more effective national organisation and to
|
|
bring in increased democracy with the proper election of officials and
|
|
deligates.
|
|
At the Victory March in late March 1991,celebrating the repeal of the Poll Tax,
|
|
the Class War Federation contingent was by far the biggest, with thousands of
|
|
people marching with us. Much to the annoyance of Militant and the Police,who
|
|
thought they were going to have it all their own way! In association with grass
|
|
roots anti-Poll Tax groups and prisoners support organisations the Federation
|
|
organised a successful Bailiff Day of Action,in July 1991,which saw poll tax
|
|
bailiffs intimidated and harassed all over the country,turning the tables on
|
|
these scum who profit out of misery and poverty. Class war has also taken off
|
|
internationally in the early 1990's with new Class War groups springing up in
|
|
Europe and the USA and an international conference in London in 1991.
|
|
|
|
|