I'm new so I'm bringing some news from the CNT.AIT resources

Welcome aboard.

Well I really like both CNTs in France. I don't think you were being sectarian - I was just a little sad that a critique of the CNT-F was the first article on the CNT-AITs english page. But even that is not a big deal.

Salut Olivertwister

About JoMo, no is not a CNT AIT member (he used to be maybe 20 years ago ?), he is not member of any anarchist group as far as i know - except esperantist anarchist (but some couple of years i didn't see him. I am not in toulouse anymore ...) He is close to us, and he played in some of our events (like 1st of may and so on). We consider him as a friend. You may find also a text from him on our web site , "Qui à peur des langues régionales", which is a part of a discussion we launched in our paper about the question of languages, esperanto, etc ...

About our website, you regret that the first text is about the difference with Vignoles. But precisely, we put this text first on our website because so many people asked us "what are the differences between you and vignoles" that we thought it was useful to publish it. And since, we publish texts in other languages than french when somebody translate it for us ... So if you have any ability in language translation, we are very interesting by your help

About the difference between Vingoles and CNT AIT. From a far point of view, it may seems to be more or same the less. But in fact, it is very different. First, just about the project and also the political background. I mean Vignoles do not say anymore they are part of the "anarchist movement". Their standpoint is what they call "revolutionnary unionism". On our side, we firmly consider our self as a communist anarchist organization. It means that our practice is not to create unions with shop-stewards inside the institutionnal and legal frame, but to put in place workers self organized groups. We do not seek representativity for our union (by professional elections), but we prefere to promote autonomous self organized groups. We now have small but real experiences in workplace areas, mainly in small private enterprises. Some successes, some failures.

And sorry to deceive Mme de Sade, but we think that we are certainly better adaptated to the french situation than any "alternative unionist". Because actually in France you can see that the struggles that are emerging - at least the strongest or the ones with the more perspective - are outside of the unions, in self organized groups of resistance. I don't know if you have some news about the actual Airbus wildcat strikes in Toulouse and St nazaire but it is very interesting. Workers - and especially the young ones - are experiencing/ forging in France new tools of resistance against the boss and the power. This is a movement that anarcosyndicalist have to be part of, or they would be rejected as remains of the past ...

Hello comrade,

Perhaps you could use an initial that people could address you by? It is rather unwieldy to say "CNT-AIT (France)" all the time.

Also, I'm curious - are you the international secretary for the CNT, or is this an unofficial account? i.e. should we take what you say as the official communication of the CNT-AIT?

Anyways, thanks for the post. As I said, it was not a big deal that that article is prominent; it is much better to discuss differences honestly and openly than not at all, or only with slander. It simply made me a bit sad to be reminded of the conflict, as a well-wisher of both CNTs of France.

In the IWW we are still very small, and I would say that both tendenciescoezist; the 'alternative (or revolutionary) unionism' which utilizes legal frameworks (and faces the threat of becoming reliant on them), as well as what I would call the 'underground unionism' that is anti-legalistic. There can be conflict but we still manage to implement both strategies in various ways, and we try to limit use of legal structures to the decision of the workers themselves.

Rata, point of clarification. Are you saying that the CNT-AIT IS isn't wired, that they don't have email ability? Or are you saying that the IS doesn't engage in external electronic discussion?
--m

Well Rata if I were to only use the name "IWW" I would expect people to get confused.

?

Bonsoir tout le monde !

I understand that the name i choosed is not necessary the best one. But did madame de sade asked her husband the authorization to use his name, nor is it the REAL OlivererTwister on this list ? (i have a good friend in Australia whose name is oliver twister but he is not revolutionnary, just surfer )

In fact i choosed it more than one year to reply on something relating to the organization. I don t know how to change of name ? I think only a moderator can do it ? So i propose to consider that i a m not CNT AIT France but more one of the CNT AIT France. You can call me CNT-F AIT compagnon, rather than CNT AIT France, i won t be hurt.

But aprt from that, when i post, here or anywhere, i always try to speak from our common point of view. After all, any member of CNT AIT is the organization, no ? (i hope my english may be understood, very tired tonight). I understand people get confused you were only used "IWW" : as you explained, in IWW various tendancies are coexisting. Some are anarchists, others not. Some for the use of the legal framework, other not. In CNT AIT, we are more homogeneous (coherent ?) : we share the same principles, strategy and tactics. Of course, we do not absolutely agree on everything, there are some internal discussions. But, on the general points, what one says, the other would say the same (but not necessary with the same words). This building of a common approach is not usual in the french libertarian movement, so people think we are a sect because we all think more or less the same But people ignore that it takes a long time of discussion between all of us before to reach a common point of view. And of course when we agree on something we all defend it, because it is our common point of view

May be there is something misunderstood about the evolution of the CNT AIT, and explains that it isdifficult for some people to understand the roots of the `conflicts` with the Vignoles and why we are now two distinct organizations : in CNT AIT we are not `unionists`, nor the alternative version nor the underground one. We are anarchosyndicalist, which is something absolutely different ! I mean, our aim is not to create `CNT unions`, but to encourage the self activity of workers by themselves, outside of the legal framework, not to wave the CNT flag.

That is why, mmedesade, it is not exact to speak about "two CNT Fractions" as if our destiny would be to be together again in a future. We are not two separated fraction of a same political project. We are absolutely separated, by our political project, our aims, our principles, our strategy, our tactics, as we are separated from the Communist party or any leftist group for instance. Nobody would say that "anarchosyndicalist are a fraction of the great Left family, alonside with the trotskists, the maoists, the stalinists, etc ...", isn't it ?

It explains why the conflict is now depasionate and behind us : it is clear for everybody that despite the same name we are totaly separated groups and there are not anymore conflict in fact. (excepting when some people in vignoles try to sabotate our work, but this is only the case of few people, angry against us, so i won´t generalize it.) We ignore each other, and it is better like that. They have their strategy, we have ours.

Apart from that, to believe that any information may be "official" on internet is funny ... Nothing is reliable on internet ... So to believe that it may be used as an official source of information is something that is not possible for us. It explains why our IS do not use internet for official communications. I Think it is wise.

eh eh !