

Anarchist-Communist Federation

Aims and Principles

1.	The Anarchist-Communist  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: anarchists 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 and black people may at  times need to organise independently.  However,
this should  be  as  working  class women  and  black  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.

