ONTARIO: a speaking tour on free radio and the anarchist movement in Mexico

international | anarchist movement | news report Sunday August 14, 2005 04:07 by neo

With Katia and Jaime, Mexican anarchists involved in different projects such
as the Bilbioteca Social Reconstruir, free radio at UNAM and Caravana Carlo Giuliani.
The Mexican anarchist movement benefits from a rich history and continues
to be one of the more dynamic anarchist movements in the Americas. Katia
and Jaime's presentation will allow us to know more about their successes
and the different challenges they face.
The tour will stop in many cities in Québec and Ontario. We hope to be
able to raise money during the tour and give it to the Biblioteca Social
Reconstruir, an anarchist library located in Mexico City, rooted in its
community for more then 20 years. It contains over 4000 books and
thousands of newspapers and magazines, making it a fundamental center of
anarchist ideas and working class knowledge and culture.

With Katia and Jaime, Mexican anarchists involved in different projects such
as the Bilbioteca Social Reconstruir, free radio at UNAM and Caravana Carlo Giuliani.
The Mexican anarchist movement benefits from a rich history and continues
to be one of the more dynamic anarchist movements in the Americas. Katia
and Jaime's presentation will allow us to know more about their successes
and the different challenges they face.
The tour will stop in many cities in Québec and Ontario. We hope to be
able to raise money during the tour and give it to the Biblioteca Social
Reconstruir, an anarchist library located in Mexico City, rooted in its
community for more then 20 years. It contains over 4000 books and
thousands of newspapers and magazines, making it a fundamental center of
anarchist ideas and working class knowledge and culture.

Right now, the Biblioteca is having financial difficulties (see text
below). Your attendance at the Spreading Utopia! event in your city is a
small way of supporting them!


*Dates* (posters and flyers for the events are available at www.nefac.net)

KINGSTON : Friday August 19th. The Sleepless Goat Cafe 91 Princess st. 9pm

OTTAWA : Saturday August 20th. Jack Purcell Community Centre 320 Jack
Purcell Lane (corner Elgin and Gilmour) room 203A. 7pm

MONTRÉAL : Sunday August 21st. DIRA. 2035 St-Laurent. 7pm

MT. RADAR : Monday August 22nd. Campement jeunesse, Mt. Radar. 50 route
Radar. 4pm

QUÉBEC : Tuesday August 23rd,. Pub l'Échouerie, 290 rue Saint-Joseph. 7pm

JOLIETTE : Friday August 26th. tba


=========

Biblioteca Social Reconstruir, an anarchist oasis in the city of Mexico

Biblioteca Social Reconstruir was founded in 1974 by Ricardo Mestre
Ventura, an anarchist veteran of the Spanish Civil War. In 1984, it opened
its doors to the public abd since it has become the main anarchist
ressource in Mexico with its collection of more then 4000 books, amongst
them 600 that are specifically related to anarchism.

The first documents that were part of the BSR collection were those of 4
Spanish anarchist militants who were members of the CNT-FAI : Benjamin
Cano Ruiz, Marcos Alcon, Elisio Rojas and Ricardo Mestre. Amongst these
there are original documents that have an enormous historical value, such
as the first editions of the magazine Regeneracion, published at the
beginning of the 20th century by the Flores Magon brothers, editions of
books from Proudhon and Élisé Reclus dating back to the 19th century, the
first anarchist books printed in Mexico and the magazine Revista Blanca,
published by the family of Frederica Montseny.

The Bibliotheca space is open to everyone : students, researchers will
find documents that are otherwise impossible to access and young people
may find their first anarchist readings. But it isn't only a place for
reading and reflecting, it is also a meeting space and a center for
anarchist organizing in Mexico. Several groups meet there, amongst them
the Caravana Libertaria Carlos Giuliani (the anti-capitalist convergence
that initiated the mobilizations in Cancun, Monterey and Guadalajara), the
Espacio anarco-punk project and the Anarchist Black Cross (prisoner
support group).

When Ricardo Mestre died, financial support brought by certain Mexican
intellectuals and their friends was ended. The Biblioteca was able to
continue its activities by the only mean at its disposal, self management
: pamphlets are self-produced and all kinds of fundraising projects and
activites are constantly happening (concerts, cd's, etc.). Today however,
the financial situation of the Biblioteca is difficult, because since May
2004, money gained from fundraisers has mostly gone to supporting comrades
who were victims of police and state repression during the Guadalajara
mobilizations against the European Union-Latin America summit.

Right now, the Biblioteca is an entire year behind in its rent payments,
the equivalent of 6000$ Canadian (40 000 Mexican pesos). In the last few
weeks, the owner of their building has started to put a lot of pressure on
the project to pay its debt. There is, beyond the immediate risk of losing
the space, the risk of losing the archives of immense value to the
anarchist movement, as the owner wants to liquidate the Bibiloteca's
possessions to reimburse himself. This is why we are asking for your
solidarity.

To donate money internationally, please use the bank deposit key # 0121
8001 2999 4905 46 for account # 12999 49054 of the BBV Bancomer Bank under
the name of Martha Cecilia Garcia. Please communicate with
caravanalibertaria@riseup.net and biblioteca@libertad.org.mx to make note
of your deposit.

Comradly
May solidarity and rebellion keep us united!

Biblioteca Social Reconstruir July 2005

--
Montreal Local Union
Northeastern Federation of Anarchist-Communists
www.nefac.net
mtl@nefac.net

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