The VOID Network reports on their visit to Phoenix

What a pleasure it is to meet new comrades from across the world! This weekend PCWC was lucky enough to share time, beers and plenty of conversation with our new Greek comrades from the VOID Network. We saw them as well as their traveling companion, Peter, off yesterday morning over omelets and pancakes and can't wait to see them again in San Francisco at the end of the week.


The three travelers delivered two interesting presentations while they were here, one on the squatting struggle in Barcelona (something we at PCWC, almost accidentally, had some very exciting experiences with a couple years back), and the other on the Greek insurrection of December 2008, and in Greece generally. Peter and the VOID Network comrades were thoughtful and open to hearing how anarchists and Indigenous peoples here in this part of the world see things and organize.

It was particularly exciting to meet people who were convinced, as we are, that any anarchy in the US -- insurrectionary or otherwise -- must reflect our local conditions and history. We cannot just take anarchist politics, actions and organizing techniques from other cultures and apply them wholesale here. We need an anarchy with American characteristics, if I can use that for shorthand, which analyzes honestly the history of the struggle against capitalism, the state and colonialism here where we live.

We can, however, be inspired by the struggle and tactics of others, and inspired we were for sure. The Greek struggle is a fascinating one, and what the anarchists there have accomplished it truly amazing. There is much to learn from. We were thrilled by the multimedia discussion they led at our Beer & Revolution night on Sunday. In what I think was a great way to start the night, the gathered audience, numbering about fifty over the course of the night, was requested to throw out their questions right at the beginning so that the talk could focus on what everyone wanted to know. This method definitely kept the talk interesting and amusing.

All in all, it was a very fulfilling experience and it is nice to read in their blog that it wasn't a one-way exchange. We, for instance, shared our analysis of the critical nature of white supremacy in maintaining US capitalism and the importance of attacking it as a revolutionary strategy. Likewise, we shared our "Fractures and Fissures" method of intervention and why we use it. For my part in particular, I really found it interesting to hear how Greek anarchists organize within what is a broadly shared cultural experience and how that affects the way they appeal to people.

For those interested in reading about their analysis of their time in town, follow the link below to the blog of the VOID Network, where they discuss in depth their visit, as well as their voyages in general. Very good stuff, comrades!

Click below:
Phoenix Arizona // O'Odham Tribe Land / We Are an Image from The Future U.S.A. Tour 2010