And Now? [Against CNT collaborationism, June 1937]

The short notice on our front page offers a quick glimpse of the events in Spain overall. The conclusions at the end of it are an attempt to specify the overall meaning of the entire Spanish epic. Yet it omits one important point of detail, in that the point there was not just to lay out the facts or their possible interpretation, but to make an out-and-out, clear and firm DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLE.

Right after the events in July, the position in Spain had become extremely serious. Fascism and capitalism from all over the world had scurried, in one way or another, to the aid of Spanish fascism. There followed the invasion of the country by German and Italian hordes, on the one hand and the notorious “Non-Intervention” [Pact] on the other. The civil war and the revolution thereby turned into a terrifying war against the invaders, with a parallel revolution on the march.

Capitalizing upon this complicated, tragic and seemingly contradictory situation, two reactionary forces (albeit two ‘antifascist’ ones) sought to gain the upper hand over the revolution. These were, on the one hand, the social-bourgeois bloc – political and governmental – within the country itself, and on the other, Russian bolshevism.

The means to which both resorted in order to achieve their purposes was brazen BLACKMAIL skilfully deployed against the forces of revolution, represented in Spain primarily by the anarcho-syndicalist National Confederation of Labour (CNT), by the Iberian Anarchist Federation (FAI) and by the masses of workers sympathetic to them. On the pretext of imminent danger and the supposed requirements foisted upon them by that danger in terms of the political, economic and military organization of the country, increasingly significant concessions were demanded of the CNT-FAI by one and all. And – despicably – to step up the pressure, they did not shrink from all manner of measures that deliberately added to the danger.

On grounds and due to considerations that, right from the outset, we refused to countenance whilst querying their worth, some of our CNT-FAI comrades believed that they had to cave in and agree to the concessions being asked of them. And so, it came about that those comrades were induced to be restrained in respect of their own initiatives, to stem the social import of the revolution, to cede ground to the political parties and the authorities, to bolster the government, to tolerate – and even to favour – the massive deployment of bolshevism in the country and to participate in government action in ministerial capacities, etc.

The ‘conceding’ comrades had the support of a number of anarchists abroad. Yet everywhere – and inside Spain too – an opposition to the CNT-FAI ‘official line’ asserted itself from the outset. Unable to act or even to speak openly within Spain itself, that opposition nevertheless espoused a clear-cut stance outside of the country: a stance opposed to any compliance with that sordid blackmail; a stance opposed to the concessions made or about to be made; above all, a stance opposing participation in the government and the arrangements with the political parties. 

In France, this current with its opposition to the stand adopted by certain CNT-FAI leaders is represented mainly by the General Confederation of Labour-Revolutionary Syndicalist (CGTSR) and by our Francophone Anarchist Federation (FAF). By contrast, the Anarchist Union (UA) backed the CNT-FAI’s ‘official line’.

So, the stance of certain Spanish anarchists triggered serious differences of opinion in the anarchist ranks in several countries. The issue, initially raised with the Spanish comrades, quickly became an issue for international anarchism.

It is for that very reason that we feel duty-bound to issue this present declaration.

We could dwell at length here on the mistakes that, in our view, have been made by our Spanish comrades right from the start. We could say a lot about the stance that, in our opinion, the CNT and the FAI SHOULD HAVE taken and abut the action that THEY OUGHT TO HAVE PURSUED, vis a vis the situation, rather than bowing to bolshevist blackmail and embracing the policy of concessions, and the political and governmental line. But at the moment, That is all in the PAST. That past will be scrutinized, analysed and studied by theoreticians and historians.

As far as we are concerned, what matters above all else is the PRESENT: the stance to be adopted NOW vis a vis events that are occurring or in prospect. We categorically assert that those events HAVE RESOLVED THE ISSUE. As is often the case in these times which is above all a busy time, life gives the answer to questions a lot more quickly and better than reasoning.

Notably, we assert that life has once and for all given the lie to the CNT-FAI’s ‘official line’. We assert that the stance of the leaders of those organizations has resulted in a formidable bolstering of the reaction and, consequently, a dangerous weakening of the revolution: that the policy of concessions on the part of our comrades has played straight into the hands of the marshalled reaction, and has reduced them to the status of hostages now being held by the stalino-bourgeois Valencia government with its guns poking them in the belly. We assert that their reiterated claims of victory and satisfaction are merely cant, lies and farce, but that in actual fact they find themselves quite simply taking orders from a government of Versaillese and traitors, no longer able to open their mouths other than to say what is dictated to them by men from the Quai d’Orsay, the Foreign Office and the Russian Embassy.

We assert that this dismal experience has run its course, that it has gone on long enough and that, as a result, the CNT-FAI’s ‘governmental’ leaders no longer have the floor. No! Those who aborted the Spanish workers’ brand-new 19 July have had their say: it is now the turn of those fighting FOR THE REVOLUTION STILL, COME WHAT MAY: for the Libertarian Youth and grassroots FAI militants; for the ‘Friends of Durruti’ and front-line militants: for the proletarian and peasant masses of the CNT to have their say. It is the turn of AUTHENTIC antifascist fighters who refuse to sacrifice the only thing for which they had left to fight – the true freedom of the people – to have their say. The floor is open to the REAL CNT-FAI, not to the wordsmiths, not to the farceurs, not to the ditherers or cowards, not to the phonies, renegades or traitors! 

We declare that we have had enough of concessions, ‘strategic withdrawals’ and hesitancy. Even now, the revolution within Spain is sorely compromised. If there is still time for it to be saved, the anarchist hostages are certainly not about to do so: it falls to the ‘rank-and-file’, the serried masses of workers who, led by anarchist motivators who have remained such and who operate within their ranks, to return to the task: them and no-one else.

As for those ‘anarchists’ who made contact with the political parties and who reckoned they should and could ‘steer’ the revolution from on high and who fell back on the authority principle, joining the government, becoming ministers, their fate is further proof of our fundamental truth: any many who embraces politics, government or authority, stops being an anarchist and is lost to any anarchist notion of life, society, manhood. 

With greater resolution that ever, We declare ourselves:

AGAINST any palaver, any equivocation, any falsehood in our ranks: and FOR candour, directness and the unvarnished truth, whatever it may be.

AGAINST any contract, any arrangement, any accord with any political parties: FOR a plainly anarchist and utterly independent line of conduct.

AGAINST all partnership with governing bodies, regardless of the pretext: against all politicking: FOR clear-cut social and anarchist activity, heading directly to the point: progress towards the establishment of libertarian communism.

AGAINST the CNT-FAI ‘leaders’ who betrayed our cause: FOR direct action by the masses over the heads of the pontiffs if need be.

In short, we are AGAINST all compromise, all deference, all hesitancy: and FOR all-out, genuinely anarchist action.

We are AGAINST all fishers-in-troubled-waters; and FOR honesty and our movement’s clean hands.

We are AGAINST all who shilly-shally and dare not speak their minds: FOR open confession of past mistakes and for taking a clear-cut, firm stand.

We are for vigorous effective efforts targeting our comrades’ murderers, no matter who those murderers may be.

From now on, we are withholding all assistance, all help to the conformist ‘anarchist’ leaders who betray the masses and the cause by hobnobbing with the worst enemies of authentic revolution and authentic emancipation and true freedom.

We invite all who seek an open, effective, productive struggle to come and swell our ranks. We invite them to lend a hand to the real social revolution and its valiant fighters.

Enough of the muddles! Enough of the diplomacy, politicking, treachery and criminality!

Long live genuine anarchist action!

Long live genuine social revolution!

Long live libertarian communism!

Paris 26 May 1937

Francophone Anarchist Federation (FAF)

P.S. Just as we were going to press, we received the summative report from the FAI Peninsular Committee which has just borne out the above text.

In that lengthy document, every one of the mistakes we have pointed out, have been listed, for the purpose of their being explained.

We shall study that report and comment upon it anon. 

From: Terre Libre No 32 June 1937