A-Infos (en) Britain, Anarchist journal Organise! #71 - FORTY YEARS OF INTERNATIONALISM - Report from the IAF-IFA international congress in Carrara, Italy in July 2008

 From July 4-6, 2008, the International of Anarchist Federations (IFA) held its 
Congress in Carrara, Italy, the city where it was originally founded forty years 
ago in 1968. The International has expanded considerably since then and now 
includes federations in Germany and Switzerland, Great Britain, Czech Republic 
and Slovakia, Belarus, France, Spain, Italy, Bulgaria and Argentina. This 
Congress was also attended by invited observers from Mexico, Venezuela, Turkey, 
Australia and The Netherlands. The Secretary of the IWA-AIT, from Serbia, also 
attended in his official capacity. ---- The Congress was held in difficult 
circumstances for the Italian Anarchist Federation in Carrara.

Their historic hall and meeting room had been closed by the local council on the 
grounds that the building was unsafe. Of course the council had refused to do 
the necessary work over many years and the local group has been holding regular 
protests, fearing that this is just an excuse to remove them from a centrally 
located property that the anarchists had seized from the fascists after WWII.

Fortunately, anarchism has a long tradition in this city dominated by the marble 
quarries, whose workers have historically been associated with anarchism, and an 
alternative meeting place was found. The Congress was opened in a public square 
with speakers from the Italian Anarchist Federation, the Secretary of the 
International (from AF Great Britain), and representatives from each member 
federation and the invited observers. We marched through Carrara and staged a 
short protest in front of the condemned meeting place in the central square. We 
then proceeded to the theatre where the main sessions of the Congress were to be 
held. The business was opened by the Secretary who dedicated the Congress to 
Alphonso Nicolazzi, an Italian comrade from Carrara who had been a key figure in 
the International from 1968 until his death in 2005.

The Congress had two main aims:

1) to discuss and agree on an analysis and strategy for the next four years for 
the IAF and

2) Share ideas and practices on a number of key issues and campaigns.

To encourage maximum participation of delegates and observers, the Congress was 
organised on the basis of workshops. Member federations were involved with 
official IAF analysis and strategy and both IAF members and observers 
participated in the workshops on issues and campaigns. These included 
nationalism and immigration, the environment, education, gender and sexuality, 
poverty and exploitation and religion. Workshops put together texts that were 
then presented to the whole Congress, with further opportunities for member 
federations to suggest amendments.

The formal sessions of the Congress were enhanced by the ‘apres’ Congress 
socialising, with excellent food, wine and the singing of revolutionary songs in 
the square. This was mainly led by the Italians and the Spanish, with the 
British and others having nothing to contribute! There was also a chance to see 
the film made by the Italians about the 1968 founding Congress and to visit the 
many anarchist monuments of Carrara.

The sight of so many social anarchists, from many different countries, was an 
inspiration to all who attended. The chance to meet face-to-face with anarchists 
around the world, sharing experiences, and planning for future co-operation 
across borders is an important and irreplaceable event.
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