1) The Anarchist Federation is an organisation
of revolutionary class struggle anarchists. We aim for
the abolition of all hierarchy, and work for the creation
of a world-wide classless society: anarchist communism.
2) Capitalism is based on the exploitation
of the working class by the ruling class. But inequality
and exploitation are also expressed in terms of race,
gender, sexuality, health, ability and age, and in these
ways one section of the working class oppresses another.
This divides us, causing a lack of class unity in struggle
that benefits the ruling class. Oppressed groups are strengthened
by autonomous action which challenges social and economic
power relationships. To achieve our goal we must relinquish
power over each other on a personal as well as a political
level.
3) We believe that fighting racism and
sexism is as important as other aspects of the class struggle.
Anarchist-Communism cannot be achieved while sexism and
racism still exist. In order to be effective in their
struggle against their oppression both within society
and within the working class, women, lesbians and gays,
and black people may at times need to organise independently.
However, this should be as working class people as cross-class
movements hide real class differences and achieve little
for them. Full emancipation cannot be achieved without
the abolition of capitalism.
4) We are opposed to the ideology of national
liberation movements which claims that there is some common
interest between native bosses and the working class in
face of foreign domination. We do support working class
struggles against racism, genocide, ethnocide and political
and economic colonialism. We oppose the creation of any
new ruling class. We reject all forms of nationalism,
as this only serves to redefine divisions in the international
working class. The working class has no country and national
boundaries must be eliminated. We seek to build an anarchist
international to work with other libertarian revolutionaries
throughout the world.
5) As well as exploiting and oppressing
the majority of people, Capitalism threatens the world
through war and the destruction of the environment.
6) It is not possible to abolish Capitalism
without a revolution, which will arise out of class conflict.
The ruling class must be completely overthrown to achieve
anarchist communism. Because the ruling class will not
relinquish power without the use of armed force, this
revolution will be a time of violence as well as liberation.
7) Unions by their very nature cannot
become vehicles for the revolutionary transformation of
society. They have to be accepted by capitalism in order
to function and so cannot play a part in its overthrow.
Trades unions divide the working class (between employed
and unemployed, trade and craft, skilled and unskilled,
etc). Even syndicalist unions are constrained by the fundamental
nature of unionism. The union has to be able to control
its membership in order to make deals with management.
Their aim, through negotiation, is to achieve a fairer
form of exploitation of the workforce. The interests of
leaders and representatives will always be different from
ours. The boss class is our enemy, and while we must fight
for better conditions from it, we have to realise that
reforms we may achieve today may be taken away tomorrow.
Our ultimate aim must be the complete abolition of wage
slavery. Working within the unions can never achieve this.
However, we do not argue for people to leave unions until
they are made irrelevant by the revolutionary event. The
union is a common point of departure for many workers.
Rank and file initiatives may strengthen us in the battle
for anarchist communism. What's important is that we organise
ourselves collectively, arguing for workers to control
struggles themselves.
8) Genuine liberation can only come about
through the revolutionary self activity of the working
class on a mass scale. An anarchist communist society
means not only co-operation between equals, but active
involvement in the shaping and creating of that society
during and after the revolution. In times of upheaval
and struggle, people will need to create their own revolutionary
organisations controlled by everyone in them. These autonomous
organisations will be outside the control of political
parties, and within them we will learn many important
lessons of self-activity.
9) As anarchists we organise in all areas
of life to try to advance the revolutionary process. We
believe a strong anarchist organisation is necessary to
help us to this end. Unlike other so-called socialists
or communists we do not want power or control for our
organisation. We recognise that the revolution can only
be carried out directly by the working class. However,
the revolution must be preceded by organisations able
to convince people of the anarchist communist alternative
and method. We participate in struggle as anarchist communists,
and organise on a federative basis. We reject sectarianism
and work for a united revolutionary anarchist movement.
