Tired of parties?!
Direct action instead of party politics.
With state politics people have been separated from constant creation and recreation of their communities. Instead of that, right now a small number of “professionals” represent and take decisions for us, mostly in the favor of profit, misusing the word democracy.
The only real democracy is direct democracy. This takes place face to face between the people who are affected by a decision. So we can decide for ourselves horizontally, without bosses and politicians, and organize all aspects of our lives such as housing, health care, work, agriculture, education, leisure, urban space, the way we protect our communities, etc. ourselves. We are professionals in our own lives and know or can best find out what we need together with others.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was no money and we could all work as little as possible but share all the important tasks. If we no longer had to pay rent and only produced and grew the things and food that we really needed? If we came together in self-chosen communities and decided on relevant things for our lives and still had enough time to relax and spend quality time with our friends? If we build a society based on direct cooperation, mutual aid, diversity and equality, where people contribute as much as they can and receive as much as they need from the community? A society in which all involuntary hierarchies and categories such as gender, sexuality, (dis)ability and origin are abolished.
We also call this anarchism.
But today’s systems of oppression cannot be slowly dismantled and changed through elections. People who have power rarely give it up voluntarily! That’s why anarchism also includes a revolution, the overthrow of the authorities in order to create a free society. But it also means trying things out, learning from each other and practicing now!
But how do we do that?
There is already a lot more anarchist practice than you think. We live it by offering practical solidarity to disadvantaged people. By building communities that are characterized by binding friendships and trusting relationships. By solving our conflicts ourselves and not delegating them, by encouraging and supporting each other. By setting up self-organized stores to provide alternatives to consumption and excess, but also by not excluding people who are poor from society. For example, there are UmsonstLäden in Dresden and the Stube, a place for free children’s clothing and exchange. We organize ourselves at our workplaces and fight for better working conditions. For example, we become part of the Free Workers’ Union, a syndicalist trade union. We organize ourselves at school and in the workplace to fight for our rights and good education in the Black Rose Students’ Union. We organize in neighborhood initiatives to fight against gentrification and landlords, such as the Bündniss Mietenwahnsinn Stoppen. We found anarchist libraries to enable education and to have space for events and learning together. We organize kitchens for all where there is cheap food every day in different places in the city. We organize ourselves in anti-fascist initiatives to oppose the growing shift to the right.
What can you do in Dresden and Saxony to be part of this?
- Talk to your friends, neighbors and work colleagues.
Together we are always stronger!
- Find out about existing initiatives, stores and places or set up your own in your district.
Just drop by!
- Don’t look away! It is our responsibility to change the current developments!
- Don’t move to Leipzig or Berlin because you think life is easier there!
We need you here!
Direct action instead of party politics! That means we act to achieve our goals ourselves. We don’t hand over our power to lobbyists or politicians, we don’t try to change things by petitioning or founding a new party. We take action ourselves. Be it through strikes, sabotage, self-organization or occupations, whatever it takes to create a socially and climate just world.
So, you, where is your part in this?