Anarchy lesson

I assume, after reading last week's activist profile "Wild in the streets," that John Edmonds is ignorant of what anarchism is about. The alternative is that he is wantonly propagating the simplistic image of masked "anarchist 'men in black'." To write that anarchists "oppose any imposition of state authority over the individual" says little, since many right-wingers and corporations also agree with this rather limited notion of freedom.

Firstly, anarchism isn't a unified political program like Marxism tried to be: anarchist ideas, like worker and community self-determination, influenced revolutionary syndicalism (unionism), as well as communists who wanted a socialism without politicians, bureaucrats and other state hierarchies (you name them: cops, prosecutors, judges...). The history of anarchism pre-dates Marx, and can be traced to anti-authoritarian, radical egalitarian and democratic currents in the early-modern period, notably during the English civil war (Diggers' movement). These popular insurrections and experiments, whether during the French Revolution, the 1870 Paris Commune, or the 1930's Spanish Civil war (to name some), were about mass revolts against the erosion of community-based (non-capitalist) economics, and the new, centralizing power of political parties and the State.

Anarchism proposes direct democratic management of the economy and political life, rather than our present hierarchically managed "democracy." Instead of the international state system, anarchism proposes a confederation of communes and collectives. It has worked, and does. Not everything in this world is hierarchically managed: the world postal system and train systems are coordinated without centralized institutions.

Anarchist ideas are echoed in feminist, anti-patriarchal ideas on interpersonal and social relations. The Green movement, insofar as it is concerned with the roots of human domination and manipulation of nature, is also compatible with anarchy. Problems of technological and institutional domination are also addressed. The world we live in is anti-life in its priority on profits and wage-slavery. We could live freely, peacefully and happily. Instead we work for corporations that destroy our environment in front of our eyes.

Anarchism is variously called free-socialism, free-communism, libertarian-socialism. It is for revolution in that it isn't by reforming government or "fixing" capitalism that things will be changed. We want an end to child labour and death squads in the "third world;" we want an end to globalized capitalism. "State-socialism" collapsed with the USSR's disintegration; anarchism is again becoming the revolutionary alternative. We want popular social control of economics, politics, culture, etc. and an end to ecological plunder and the degradation of the human experience. In short, we want a social revolution.

-- B. Cooper, anarchist at large

Arab harassment

What Craig Segal did not mention in his article "Arabophobia" [April 20] was that the police were waiting outside the synagogue and followed us until we were out of site of the synagogue and then stopped two of our cars. One person was fined for having a license card which was very slightly damaged around the edges, and the other for having an expired license which, in fact, he had renewed a few days before. This was a classic case of police intimidation. "If you Arabs come back into our neighbourhood this is what will happen to you" seems to be the message.

--Yahya Abdul Rahman

Capoeirista contentions

Because we are capoeiristas, we were pleased with the attention brought to this magnificent Brazilian art ["The brawn from Brazil," Spring Fitness Supplement, April 13]. Your discussion of the origins and historical evolution of Capoeira was accurate and most pleasing to read.

However, your article may lead one to believe that there are only two Capoeira schools in Montreal. There is also the Pau Brazil academy, which is held by a Brazilian-graduated teacher who is an accredited member of the Canadian Federation of Capoeira and also the President of the Quebec Capoeira Association, and the Semente de Jogo De Angola academy, that teaches the traditional more down-on-the-ground style of Capoeira.

As for the "Master" title used in your article, we wish to point out that currently there is no certified Master of Capoeira in the province of Quebec, but with Capoeira's boom in popularity we feel confident that some day that will no longer be true.

-- S. Jolicoeur and G. Elvira