Following the success of last year’s weekend of decentralised anarchist happenings, the Anarchist Festival is back this year, this time aiming to host events scheduled across the country.
The Anarchist Festival is based on the simple idea: groups put on their own programme of anarchist events, concentrating on the dates of the long weekend of 31st May to the 2nd June 2019, and the programme is collated by the festival on their website and social media.
Below are some of the events confirmed so far. Please note that some ask for RSVP. Full lists are up on the event website and Facebook events page.
And, once you are planning your next weeks’ radical workshops and events schedule, you may also want to note that between 15th and 22nd June London will see the return of Antiuniversity: a ‘collaborative experiment to reimagine the 1968 Antiuniversity of London in an programme of of free and inclusive self-organised radical learning and mutual education events’. What’s more, on 29th June Edinburgh will host the second annual Anarchist Feminist Bookfair, ‘bringing together talks, workshops and stalls from publishers and groups to educate and share’.
Anarchist Festival 2019 events:
Thursday, 30th May 2019 from 19:00-20:00 at Housmans Radical Booksellers, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX
A panel discussion on the continuous role of the anarchist imagination as muse, provocateur, goading adversary, and catalyst in the stimulation of research and creative activity in the humanities and social sciences, including anthropology, art, feminism, geography, international relations, political science, postcolonialism, and sociology.
Friday, 31st May 18:00-21:30 at London Action Resource Centre
Anarcho Agony Aunts is a sex and dating advice show, covered from a feminist, antifascist, anarchist perspective. Hosts Rowan and Marijam are reclaiming space from the alt-right in giving people (mostly men) a space to ask tricky questions in a judgment-free zone. The session will include a live taping of the Anarcho Agony Aunts, with people being able to submit their burning questions before the show.
Friday, 31st May 19:00-21:00 at London Action Resource Centre
Topics TBC
Friday, 31st May 19:00-20:00 at Housmans Radical Booksellers, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX
On a rare visit to London from Mississippi, a co-founder and co-director of Cooperation Jackson, Kali Akuno, will discuss the inspiring work they have been undertaking to create sustainable community development, economic democracy, and community ownership, within the confines of a historically structurally racist state.
Join us for the re-launch of the publication ‘Squatting Is Part of The Housing Movement: Practical Squatting Histories from 1968 to Now’. This publication is the outcome of a residency in MayDay Rooms, and is part of our Housing Struggles Archive that we compiled last year. After an extensive research and a gathering of materials from different archives, including 56a Infoshop, there is now a three box collection of materials on squatting history in the UK. This publication will put the material in context. The launch will involve a short discussion on the issues the publication is covering and you’ll get the chance to grab a pamphlet.
The re-launch will be followed by a workshop on the practicalities of squatting, ie opening a squat, and dealing with the police and evictions.
Organised by: 56a Infoshop
Saturday, 1st June 11:30- 13:00 starting from Freedom Bookshop, 84b Whitechapel High Street,London E1 7QX
This talk will take the form of a led bird walk around Whitechapel, but instead of identifying as many species as possible or hunting down a migrating rarity, the objective will be to explore the radical examples set by birds, and to reframe birdwatching as an act that, while not revolutionary in itself, is one worthy of anyone who wants to build a better world (or just turn their back on the one we have already messed up).
This event is free, but donations to cover expenses will be welcome.
What’s it like to set up and to live in a housing co-op? We’ll look at types of properties and living arrangements from co-housing, to trailer parks to communes and find out what folks round the country are up to. We’ll also have a detailed look at the nitty gritty of setting up a housing coop.
Organised by: Radical Routes
Saturday, 1st June 12:00-13:00 at London Action Resource Centre
To take seriously the desire for destroying the prison society, we need to find new ways of holding ourselves and others accountable for our actions and inactions. This panel discussion will be followed by a workshop in search of practical steps we can take.
Saturday, 1st June 12:00-13:00 at London Action Resource Centre
FairCoop is an international cooperative movement that has adopted FairCoin as a radical ecological and social currency outside of the capitalist banking system. FairCoop is a visionary project founded on anarchist principles and operates at both local and global levels. In this session, we will hear from different participants in the FairCoop ecosystem across Europe who use FairCoin, and discuss the goal of building a cooperative ecosystem as an alternative to capitalist fiat currency and the state.
Saturday, 1st June 12:00-17:00 at Mayday Rooms
Last year Mayday Rooms created an archive of housing struggles around London during the last ten years, which includes material produced by a large number of housing campaigns, rent strikes, and a collection on the history of organised squatting. Taking this as our point of departure, we are organising a day of workshops on housing coops, squatting, and community organising. We hope that this day of workshops will create a space where we’ll share practical skills and discuss resistance and alternatives, meet with others involved in similar activism, as well as explore the materials in the archival collections to get inspired.
Saturday, 1st June from 12:00 at Canny Little Library: Newcastle’s collectively-run radical library
As part of the Anarchist Festival 2019, the North East Anarchist Group and the Canny Little Library join forces to organise a two day event about the Radical History of the North East in the Star & Shadow cinema.
1 June 12:00-16:00: Storytelling session
2 June 13:00-16:00: Queerama film & discussion
Saturday we start off with an open storytelling session. Come and share your story about the radical history of the North East. Stories can take different forms: poetry, spoken word, a song, a performance, an artwork, a section from a book, you name it! Themes can cover different aspects of the North East’s radical history: workers’ struggles, black history, feminist activism, environmentalism, queer/LGBTQ*history et cetera.
On Sunday there will be a film screening of Queerama – this is not a film based on NE specific struggle, but UK wide. Description: “Queerama traverses a century of gay experiences, and encompasses persecution and prosecution, love and desire, forbidden encounters, sexual liberation and Pride.” The film will be followed by a discussion of the queer history of the North East.
Saturday, 1st June 13:00-15:00, October Books, 189 Portswood Road, Southampton SO17 2FN
Bad landlords, poor housing conditions, crappy student lets, bedroom tax, sky-high rents, discrimination. The list of problems in the rental sector is endless, but what’s to be done? Come and chat about your experiences and opportunities for fighting back!
Featuring:
Housing Action: What Works? A talk on radical resistance by Brighton Solfed
Open discussion on housing experiences in Southampton with representative from Hamwic Housing Co-op
Saturday, 1st June 13:00-15:00 at Mayday Rooms
Save the community’, ‘Support from the community’, ‘The community thinks’, ‘Community Land Trust’ are just a few of the references to ‘community’ that we us when are involved in a range of struggles such as housing, saving a library or getting access to land. However, to what extent does this ‘community’ exist? In this meeting, drawing on many practical examples of organising, we will discuss problems such as the impact of capitalism and divisions within localities. We will then hope to discuss how we can create genuine communities based on working class struggle. This event is organised by London Anarchist Communist Group.
Saturday, 1st June 14:00-17:00 at London Action Resource Centre
Talks and film screenings focused on the current situation of Indonesian DIY collectives, and their actions in Indonesia, mainly on Java and Bali.
Saturday, 1st June 14:00-15:00 at Freedom Bookshop, 84b Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX
Members of the London Anarchist Federation will discuss anarchism as a political philosophy, its history, key thinkers and modern currents as well as an anarchist FAQ. This talk is aimed at those interested in learning more about anarchism and will also include an overview of the many anarchist groups you can get involved with.
Saturday, 1st June 14:00- 16:00 at Freedom Bookshop
Want to investigate a company but don’t know where to start? Come along to this practical workshop led by Corporate Watch
Saturday, 1st June 15:00- 17:00 at Freedom Bookshop
A launch of the Mycellium Collective’s Words End, a comic aiming to help people understand climate change and capitalism, and tackling the huge, complex challenges they pose. The event will feature a discussion on the radical politics in eivoronmental activism in the context of the recent explosion of Extinction Rebellion and Climate Strike.
Saturday, 1st June 16:00-17:00 at Freedom Bookshop
This workshop will talk about the law on covering your face, discuss creative ways of hiding your identity that moves beyond the traditional black bloc aesthetic, and interrogate popular assumptions around the act of wearing a mask.
Saturday, 1st June, 16:00- 18:00, start outside The Old Ship Hotel, Kings Road, Brighton BN1 1NR
An extra outing of the Subversive Sussex History Walk!
Missed this event at Fringe? Then you’re in luck!
Paid tickets can be booked on eventbrite- all proceeds go towards the Cowley Club Crowdfunder.
Saturday, 1st June 17:00-19:00 at London Action Resource Centre
Working Class Anarchism versus Middle Class Identity Politics: a
discussion with Lisa McKenzie & Martin Lux.
Saturday, 1st June 17:00-18:00 at Freedom Bookshop
Screening of Subvertisers for London – a film about subvertising in London by Dog Section Press (21mins).
Featuring: Jonathan Barnbrook, Darren Cullen, Dr.d – Subvertiser, Hogre, Double Why, Lydia Dagostino, Protest Stencil, Sila Yucel and Special Patrol Group.
Music: Algiers, DJ Beige Thickness, Jonny Drop
Titles and animation: Matt Bonner
Additional images: Brandalism, Jordan Seiler, Nekane Requejo De Ozami.
Additional footage: Brandalism, Hamlett Films, Thomas Dekeyser
Thanks to: Illustre Feccia, Ceffon, Bill Posters, DIY Space for London
Saturday 1st June 17:00-19:00 at Decentre, 84b Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX
Join the Antiuniversity Now co-organisers crew for a collective exercise in making sense of radical language, where we will identify contested terms and work together to examine, clarify, reference and demonstrate what we mean when we use them. At the end of the session we will have the beginning of a glossary of movement terminology, to be continued and expanded on. Bring a word you want to define or pick one up from our list.
Saturday, 1st June 19:00-23:00 at London Action Resource Centre
Screening: Salvador (Puig Antich) (2006)
A profile of anarchist and bank-robber Salvador Puig Antich, the last person to be executed by garrot in Spain, in 1974 under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.
The LARC Film Club is a sober, smoke-free space.
Please respect that and only attend if you are willing to follow this condition.
Saturday, 1st June 19:30- 23:30 at Cowley Club, 12 London Road BN1 4JA Brighton
A series of talks:
Migrant English Project and how the project and refugee politics have changed over the years
A discussion of anti-fascism in Brighton and the life of Dave Hann, AF activist and self-taught historian.
The evening will end with DJs and drinks – lovely vegan snacks will also be available!
Saturday, 1st June, 20:00- 22:00 at HMP Pentonville, London N7
A noise demo at HMP Pentonville. ACAB-FTP-YOLO
Bring mask, noise, banner, rage
No photos/filming
Let’s go into the streets together, to send up our rebel signal to those held hostage in the entrails of fortress britain. Let’s go out into the night and make a dent, however brief, in the illusion of the authority of the courts, cells, judges, screws and cops who would separate and govern us, and pretend themselves our captors.
Sunday, 2nd June 11:00-18:00 at Mayday Rooms
Write for your local anarchist rag?
Time to start a blog talking about your local politics?
Need to skill up to make a better stream?
Join speakers from Libcom, Freedom Press, SchNEWS and the Anarchist Federation to develop your skills and make links with anarchist media outlets. Alongside training sessions covering writing, the law, video production and much more will be talks from special guests including Ian Bone and leading anarchist YouTuber Emerican Johnson (NonCompete).
As publishers and anarchists we aim to develop our collective skillset to better share our politics and provide commentary on the fast-moving events happening around us.
This event is inclusive of all gender expressions, sexual identities, creeds and a general safer space policy will be upheld.
Please note:- The building MayDay rooms is housed in was built in 1902 and, due to the physical constraints of the building, has limited access. It is compliant with ‘ambulant disabled’ and provision for broader access is currently under review.
Sunday, 2nd June 12:00:14:00 at London Action Resource Centre
The Next Revolution Reading Group (NRRG), which started at last years Anarchist Festival, is co-hosting this event with the Education working group of the Kurdistan Solidarity Network (KSN). The event will feature an introduction to the Kurdish Freedom Movement and the inspirational feminist and ecological revolution in Rojava, as well as screening of a short video (23 mins) on what is happening on the ground with the radical democracy in action in Rojava, followed by discussion and info session on NRRG and the collective’s reading/discussion process.
Saturday, 2nd June 14:00-16:00 at London Action Resource Centre
This training workshop covers the following key areas: • UC in the context of the broader social security structure • Similarities & differences in claimant conditionality between UC & the system it replaces • Types of conditionality under UC & how different groups – such as single parents, disabled people, carers, migrants & low paid workers – are affected • Relevance of the UC ‘claimant commitment’ • Practical resistance to UC conditionality & compliance • Sanctions under UC & how to effectively challenge these • Strategies for dealing with common tactics used by the DWP to enforce the UC system. It also gives participants the chance to discuss/ask questions and empower themselves practically against UC and its inherent injustices.
Saturday, 1st June, 14:30- 16:00 at Mayday Rooms
Organising practical solidarity, collective support and action on housing and homelessness.
Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth celebrated its 6th birthday in April. Come along to a discussion on 6 years of organising in south London to hear and share experiences of organising together.
We support each other with housing problems including overcrowding, unsuitable temporary accommodation, high rents, dangerous conditions, gatekeeping and poor treatment at the housing office. We learn our rights together, support each other and fight for good quality council homes for everyone.
This event is part of “Take over the city! A day of practical workshops on resistance to gentrification, redevelopment, and community struggles about land!”, organised by MayDay Rooms for the Anarchist Festival 2019.
Sunday, 2nd June 16:00-18:00 at London Action Resource Centre
This event, organised by Green Anti-Capitalist Front (GAF), will bring together speakers from Anarchist Federation, All African Women’s Group (AAWG), the Kurdish Freedom Movement, and also speakers talking security culture & the police (& getting arrested), and speakers talking about fossil fuel extraction and the resistance against it (including anti-fracking), all in relation to green anti-capitalist resistance.
