From Friday, April 27th to Tuesday, May 1st 2007, the CNT organised a
series of international syndicalist meetings called I07.
These meetings followed the syndicalist conferences called I 99 in 1999 in
San Francisco and I 02 in 2002, in Essen, Germany. This conference aimed at
sharing our experiences, debate and find ways to reinforce our links.
DEBATES, CONCERTS, MEETINGS AND DEMONSTRATIONS
About 250 militants from the five continents came for the occasion. Some
comrades from IWA sections were also present but as individuals and not
delegates of their organisation. Many French CNT militants went to the
capital to attend the meetings.
The debate dealt with syndicalist issues (cooperatives, repression,
representativity, UE, precarity and relocation...) as well as social issues
(antisexism, campaign against Coca-Cola, migrant workers, antifascism,
housing struggle, anti-imperialism and neocolonialism...).
Branch meetings (metallurgy, education, construction, postal services,
health, culture, archeology...) and meetings devoted to geographical zones
(Palestine, Europe, American continent, Africa, Mediterranean zone) also
took place.
The meals and the evenings were animated by concerts and libertarian choirs.
The demonstration on May 1st, which bore the hallmark of our
internationalist and anticapialist struggle, was a huge success. The red
and black procession gathered about 6000 dynamic persons.
The international meeting which took place on April, 30th, was also
particularly intense and moving, with the intervention - among others- of
Marta from Atenco (Mexico) holding a machete in her hand or that of Raed
(Palestine) or our Guinean comrade from the CNTG talking about the
victorious general strike against the dictator Lansana Conte which ended
up with the death of 100 workers.
REINFORCE INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION
During the confederal meeting, the CNT international secretariat and the
Italian USI suggested to the other organisations to elaborate an
international anticapitalist coordination with a common website (in
different languages) as well as a mailing list and a forum.
It was also suggested to start international campaigns concerning the
liberty of circulation, the struggle against precarious work (suggested by
the Polish CK-LA) or the defense of syndicalist rights (related to the
American IWW struggle against Starbucks coffees).
HEADING SOUTH!
I07 is an important step for our internationalism: it was indeed the first
time that so many militants had come from Africa, Oceania or Latin America.
This element is important and illustrates our will not to confine our
internationalism to the Western and European world.
What better example of what we want our internationalism to be than the
intervention of our SKT comrade from Siberia being translated from Russian
into French by a Malian train worker?
The struggle continues!!! Long live the international solidarity!!!
International Secretary CNT