International of Anarchist Federations

The International of Anarchist Federations (French: Internationale des Fédérations Anarchistes; abbreviated IAF/IFA) was founded during an international anarchist conference in Carrara in 1968 by the three existing European federations of France, Italy and Spain as well as the Bulgarian federation in French exile. Other groups were also present in the formation of the IAF, such as the now defunct London Federation of Anarchists who took part in the preparation for the conference in 1968.[1] According to Time magazine, before the first IAF conference in Carrara could begin, firemen were called to check the venue for bombs.[2] The Carrara congress was a response to a congress held in London from June to August 1958 which "recreated a certain dynamism and wish towards the organisational aspiration of international anarchism".[3]

International of Anarchist Federations
Logo of the IAF
Regions where IAF member federations exist
AbbreviationIAF/IFA
Formation1968
PurposeAgitation, propaganda and international cooperation
Region served
Worldwide
Official language
Spanish, English, Portuguese, German, Greek, French, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Italian, Czech, Slovak, Esperanto
Websitei-f-a.org
Part of the Politics series on
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The IAF has since aimed to build and improve strong and active international anarchist structures. The federations associated with IAF believe that such an organisation is necessary to co-ordinate their international work and efficiently co-operate towards their mutual aims.

In order to further improve the quality of exchange and co-operation, IAF also keeps close contact with other anarchist organisations, such as the International Workers Association (IWA), an international association of anarcho-syndicalist organisations and unions. The IAF contains many anarchist-communist federations and individuals.

Principles

The principles of work within IFA are that of federalism, free arrangement and Mutual Aid, and as states in their preamble of their principles, the IAF fights for:

  1. the abolition of all forms of authority whether economic, political, social, religious, cultural or sexual.
  2. the construction of a free society, without classes or States or frontiers, founded on anarchist federalism and mutual aid.[4]

The IAF is committed to Direct Action, struggle from below, anti-parliamentarism, and opposition to reformism, on both a theoretical and a practical level.

To improve co-ordination and communication within IAF, as well as to provide an open contact address for the public and other anarchist groups and organisations, an International Secretariat (the Commission of Relations of the International of Anarchist Federations—referred to commonly as C.R.I.F.A.) was set up. The CRIFA irregularly rotates among the IAF federations. It is currently based with the Fédération Anarchiste (France). Often, the different member federations will work with one another on certain agreed issues and campaigns, in order to be able to mount a joint worldwide effort to raise awareness and assist the struggle around certain issues.

The different member federations also produce their own publications, such as Le Monde libertaire in France and Belgium, and El Libertario in Argentina. However, there was also an IAF magazine, Anarkiista Debato[5] which, due, however, to a lack of funds, was unable to continue.

A number of reports have been written for the IAF, particularly on issues such as the struggle between the village of Rossport, the Corrib gas field and Shell in 2007.[6] Members of the IAF often congregate at meetings of world leaders, such as Gleneagles in 2005.[7]

Member federations
Country Name Acronym Ref
 Argentina Argentine Libertarian Federation (Federación Libertaria Argentina) FLA [8]
 Belarus Belarus Anarchist Black Cross (Анархический черный крест Беларусь) АЧКБ / BABC [9]
 Brazil Iniciativa Federalista Anarquista no Brasil IFAb [10]
 Bulgaria Federation of Anarchists in Bulgaria (Федерация на анархистите в България) ФАБ / FAB [11]
 Croatia
 Slovenia		 Federation for Anarchist Organisation (Federacija za anarhistično organiziranje) FAO [12]
 Czech Republic
 Slovakia		 Anarchist Federation (Anarchistická federace/Anarchistická Federácia) AF [13]
 France
 Belgium
  French-speaking Switzerland		 Anarchist Federation (Fédération Anarchiste) FA / FAF [14]
 Germany
  German-speaking Switzerland		 Federation of German speaking Anarchists (Föderation deutschsprachiger Anarchist*innen) FdA [15]
 Great Britain Anarchist Federation AF / AFed [16]
 Greece Anarchist Political Organisation (Αναρχική Πολιτική Οργάνωση) APO / ΑΠΟ [17]
 Italy Italian Anarchist Federation (Federazione Anarchica Italiana) FAI [18]
 Mexico Federation of Anarchists in Mexico (Federación Anarquista de México) FAM [19]
 Spain
 Portugal a		 Iberian Anarchist Federation (Federación Anarquista Ibérica) FAI [20]
    a.^ Although the FAI is technically an Iberian organisation (in that it encompasses all the regions in the Iberian peninsula), it does not have members in Portugal or Andorra.

    This is the current list of member federations as confirmed during the 11th Congress of the International of Anarchist Federations.[21]

    Congresses of the IFA

    All members of regional federations meet every three years for a congress that decides on direction and lines of action. One year before the Assembly, the IFA Secretariat and those responsible for international relations in the various federations will determine the agenda, date and location of the Congress. The Congress debates the initiatives of the IFA, passes resolutions and mandates a federation to run the Secretariat of the IFA.

    • Creation of the Anarchist International Congress, London, 25 July - 1 August 1958.[3]
    • 1st Congress of the IFA, Carrara, 31 August 5 September 1968 [1][22][23]
    • 2nd Congress of the IFA, Paris, 1–4 August 1971.[23]
    • 3rd Congress of the IFA, Carrara, 23–27 March 1978.[23]
    • 4th Congress of the IFA, Paris, 31 October - 3 November 1986.[23]
    • 5th Congress of the IFA, Valencia, 1–4 November 1990.[23]
    • 6th Congress of the IFA, Lyon, 31 October - 1/2 November 1997.[23]
    • 7th Congress of the IFA, Besançon, 9–12 April 2004.[23]
    • 8th Congress of the IFA, Carrara, 4–6 July 2008.[23]
    • 9th Congress of the IFA, Saint-Imier, 9–12 August 2013.[24]
    • 10th Congress of the IFA, Frankfurt, 4-7 August 2016.[25]
    • 11th Congress of the IFA, Ljubljana, 24-28 July 2019.[21]

    Other anarchist internationals and international networks

    References
    1. London Federation of Anarchists involvement in Carrara conference, 1968 International Institute of Social History, Accessed 19 Jan 2010
    2. "Anarchism: Revolutionaries in Suspenders" Time Magazine, 13 Sep 1968, Accessed 19 Jan 2010
    3. Short history of the IAF-IFA A-infos news project, Accessed 19 January 2010
    4. Report from the then IAF secretariat Archived 2012-03-16 at the Wayback Machine A-infos news project, Accessed 19 Jan 2010
    5. "IAF Magazine (Anarkiista Debato)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-08-05. Retrieved 2013-12-17.
    6. "The struggle against Shell in the west of Ireland" Archived 2012-02-25 at the Wayback Machine, Infoshop News, 18 September 2007. Accessed 12 October 2009.
    7. "Anarchists put chaos on agenda for summit", Edinburgh Evening News, The Scotsman, 10 Mar 2005. Accessed 12 Oct 2009.
    8. "Libertarian Socialism in Latin America: A Roundtable Interview, Part II, Argentina". Black Rose/Rosa Negra Anarchist Federation. January 23, 2019.
    9. "Bulletin of the Anarchist Black Cross - Belarus. Spring - Summer 2012". libcom.org.
    10. "4º Fórum Geral Anarquista – São Paulo – Brasil – 2018". April 16, 2018.
    11. "A Historical Background to The Bulgarian Anarchist Movement". libcom.org.
    12. "The Belgrade Six - Serbian Anarchists Arrested for 'International Terrorism'". libcom.org.
    13. "Existence 1/2019 | Anarchistická federace". Oficiální stránky Anarchistické federace.
    14. Heath, Nick (November 7, 2010). "Georges Fontenis obituary" – via www.theguardian.com.
    15. "Anarchism in the German-speaking Countries". www.katesharpleylibrary.net.
    16. "Organise!". libcom.org.
    17. "Political statement of the 3rd Congress of the Anarchist Political Organization (A.P.O.) | Αναρχική Πολιτική Οργάνωση".
    18. "Masini, Pier Carlo, 1923-1998". libcom.org.
    19. "Federação Anarquista de México: Informe de situación en México. Solidariedade e apoio". June 21, 2016.
    20. "Birth of the FAI". libcom.org.
    21. "The 11th Congress of the IFA". Freedom News. 3 August 2019.
    22. "Congreso Anarquista Internacional de Carrara de 1968. El anarquismo delante del espejo | Alasbarricadas.org". www.alasbarricadas.org.
    23. "The International of Anarchist Federations (IAF) - L'INTERNATIONALE DES FÉDÉRATIONS ANARCHISTES (IFA)". www.anarchy.no.
    24. "Public statement from IFA Congress Saint-Imier 2012, 9-12th August to other exploited and oppressed people of the World".
    25. [http://afed.org.uk/organise-magazine-issue-87-winter-2016/ Organise! Issue 87 (Winter 2016)
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