On August 16–17, the annual Anarchist Bookfair will take place in Stockholm. This year, the main theme of the event will be “Security and Solidarity.”
Here’s what the organizers write in their announcement:
“We live in a world heading towards the abyss. State oppression is intensifying, people are being exploited in new ways, and fascists are coming to power both in the West and in the East. The EU, NATO, Trump, Putin, Erdoğan, and many others are consolidating their positions. In Gaza — genocide. The world is burning, and you don’t have to be an anarchist to see it. It’s tragic, and it’s easy to lose hope and the strength to keep fighting.
But despite everything, we persist. Despite everything, we live and we show solidarity. Our solidarity with each other must become stronger than ever. We need to talk and learn from the conflicts in the world. We need to talk and learn from one another. To share experiences about how we can develop and build a strong movement together.
Listen to comrades who have made the difficult choice to fight with arms against Putin’s imperial regime. They deserve our solidarity, not speculation. Let us learn from the comrades in Rojava who continue the struggle for a just society. Let us learn from the comrades in Belarus, who, despite incredibly harsh repression, continue their fight against the state.”
In addition to numerous book distros, the fair will feature lectures and discussions by various anarchist collectives.
Event announcement on Facebook
ABC-Moscow will also give a presentation at the fair.
Russia has never stopped politically motivated persecution of anarchists, but under Putin this has reached a new level. The war in Ukraine and the introduction of new laws in 2022 criminalized any public criticism of the authorities or condemnation of Russian intervention. At present, 22 anarchists and anti-fascists are in prison (and these are only the ones we know of). Some have been convicted of “creating a terrorist organization” or a “terrorist act.” The authorities interpret the concept of “terrorism” broadly, resulting in sentences of up to 29 years in prison.
That’s why supporting political prisoners has become one of the most important areas of work for Russian anarchists. The presentation will be delivered by an ABC-Moscow supporter.
When? August 17, 15:00
Where? Kafé 44, Caps Gallery (Tjärhovsgatan 46, 44), Stockholm
Language: Russian with translation into Swedish or English
Anarchist Black Cross Moscow
You can find the contact addresses of all prisoners in Russia supported by Anarchist Black Cross Moscow here (and instructions how to donate here). If you want to make a donation to a particular prisoner or case, please contact us beforehand via e-mail to make sure that the supporters of the prisoner or case are currently gathering donations, our e-mail is the same as the listed PayPal account. We are present and acn Telegram and Facebook, you may sign up to our e-mail newsletter here.
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