Collective Agreement

The Anarchist Network Dresden (AND) has been in existence since 2015 and has since been brought to life by a wide variety of groups, individuals and social contexts. When AND was founded, everyone involved agreed on common principles. And although there was a clear statement against sexism, there was also sexualized violence in the environment of the people who organized themselves in AND.

There were various attempts to deal with it, which more or less did not work. Several people affected by violence left the city over time. This also meant that parts of our projects, such as Circle-A, ceased to exist. The perpetrators were often protected, supported or the social environment distanced itself instead of taking responsibility.

We tried for a long time to address this issue and raise awareness of what it means to take responsibility and why this is necessary within our community, the scene, the places in it, … 

We didn’t feel heard or ignored. People didn’t see it as their problem or thought they lacked expertise. There was no sense of responsibility for our spaces, groups, networks, … 

That’s why we started to write a draft for a common agreement for our community in Dresden. We had a continuous meeting in AND with many internal workshops on questions of taking responsibility, community, definitions of terms and what it all means for us.

To present the agreement, we invited people to the Libertarian Days in 2022. There was a lot of criticism but also a lot of encouragement. 

Many groups in Dresden are now discussing whether they should join this agreement and how they can implement it. The aim is to keep working on this important topic so that it remains relevant in the long term and continues to be developed. It should become part of the self-image in groups.

The topic will continue to be discussed in the Dresden community in joint general assemblies. As there are different group constellations, we think it is important to stay in dialogue right there. er in the process.

What does your group need to join the agreement?

What ideas/concepts are you working on in your groups and can other groups learn from you?

The concept of community responsibility is not set in stone. It is given substance and vitality through active co-design, practical implementation and openness to learning from each other and supporting each other.