Réveil Libertaire affirms its full support for the CNT-AIT in Spain in its conflict with the CNT-CIT.
The vile actions of the CIT union in Spain, which has attempted to seize the property of CNT-AIT using the state, which eagerly assists in the attack against the anarcho-syndicalist Spanish tradition, in favor of legalistic unionism
The CIT union in Madrid has its own offices and does not need others. They cannot keep the CNT building.
It was the CNT-AIT unions in Madrid that always purchased and maintained this space. They will most likely sell the historic CNT site to real estate speculators, preferring profit in order to pay the union’s professional bureaucrats rather than dialogue and anarchist principles.
These principles are clear: spaces belong to those who have worked and paid to maintain them and who are currently using them. We do not support the logic of private property nor the logic of ownership.
Such actions clearly represent a break with the principles of anarcho-communism, in favor of a bourgeois legalistic mentality.
Shame on them, and shame on those who pretend not to understand while legitimizing this disgusting behavior!
Statement from CNT-AIT Madrid
The court has decided on the eviction of the historic CNT-AIT offices at Plaza Tirso de Molina.
URGENT
Last week we were informed of the court decision following a lawsuit filed by CNT-CIT against the Local Federation of CNT-AIT Madrid: we have one month to voluntarily vacate the historic offices at Tirso de Molina.
Despite our absolute lack of trust in bourgeois justice, we could not help but be shocked by such a disgraceful ruling, especially since the judge ruled without even giving us the opportunity to defend ourselves. They want to throw us out of the space where we developed as activists. And to make matters worse, they have also ordered us to pay legal costs.
How did we get here? A brief summary
Historically, the CNT has always had two “tendencies” within it – with many shades of grey in between: one tendency exclusively focused on trade unionism and another with a stronger anarchist orientation.
Over many years of struggle and commitment – since 1910, which says a lot – there have been moments of coexistence and also periods of rupture, such as the split that led to the creation of today’s CGT.
In recent years, many events have taken place that have led to the existence of two CNTs today: CNT-CIT, which for years has prioritized a debatable model of growth and expansion at the expense of traditional principles, tactics, and goals of anarcho-syndicalism; and CNT-AIT, which continues to uphold those values.
Above all, it must be said that CNT-AIT as an anarcho-syndicalist organization has never stopped fighting for the emancipation of our class and for the improvement of our rights. As proof, one only needs to look at the number of labor disputes we have taken on as unions in recent years, without delegating anything to professional union representatives.
CNT-CIT, on the other hand, has become professionalized and increasingly hierarchical, transforming unionism from a grassroots responsibility into a service model incompatible with real worker self-management.
This is evident from the fact that they now use paid staff, something that completely betrays the fundamental principles of anarcho-syndicalism.
We will return to this issue soon in more detail. For now, it is enough to say that this tendency gained strength within CNT-CIT, leading many anarchist-oriented unions either to leave the organization or be expelled from it for denouncing this reformist shift or resisting it, including ourselves, seven years ago.
Since then, the Local Federation of Madrid has continued to fill our historic building at Tirso de Molina 5 with life and struggle. And we say “ours” because it was the anarcho-syndicalist militants of Madrid who bought this space, maintained it, and continue to maintain it over the years with their own money, not CNT funds, nor accumulated assets from union contributions.
But for CNT-CIT, it was not enough to expel the unions that stood in their way. Their ultimate goal is our complete disappearance. And for that they are willing to use every possible means: court hearings at the Audiencia Nacional, massive financial claims, even sending repressive forces to forcibly evict us from our offices which, as everyone knows, and especially CNT-CIT, we do not intend to leave voluntarily.
Acknowledging our mistakes
Given the circumstances, we must also recognize our own mistakes.
First, it was a mistake to resort to courts in order to slow down the situation by following legal avenues to mitigate the legal damages we are now suffering (although we never requested imprisonment, financial compensation, or police intervention, as CNT-CIT has done).
Second, it was our mistake to naively believe that some kind of agreement could be reached that would ensure the good of all parties involved if not with CNT-CIT as a whole, then at least with certain unions within it.
Third, it was a mistake to even consider engaging with those aligned with authority, turning to legal procedures that have historically harmed us. All of this is far from our values and the way we live.
Abandonment of dialogue without explanation
We refer here specifically to CNT-CIT SOV of Madrid, which took the initiative to open a dialogue with us in hopes of finding a solution to the dispute over the offices. However, this dialogue was abruptly cut off on their side, without any explanation. We suspect this was due to orders from above, not the will of their assembly. However, we will not accept this silently. If they have chosen to abandon dialogue, they should say so openly and act with dignity.
At the last meeting we had with them, we informed them that we were working on a proposal aimed at finding a solution not only for the Tirso building, but also for all the spaces that CNT-CIT is trying to take from CNT-AIT. These are spaces used not only as union offices, but also for broader social struggles, for the dissemination of anarchist culture and ideas, and as shelters for people who have been abused or persecuted by the police and the state.
Why such insistence on seizing our spaces?
It is very simple: the leaders of CNT-CIT believe that if they take our spaces—which is still far from achieved—our organization will disappear. But they are wrong. Even if things become more difficult, we will never stop fighting for the new world we carry in our hearts.
In CNT-AIT we will continue practicing anarcho-syndicalism, whatever happens. And we will remain the only horizontal and revolutionary trade union organization with a real presence left in Spain. For this reason, we will remain determined against anyone who seeks to destroy us—whether it is the state, employers, or CNT-CIT—and we will do so with our usual weapons: mutual aid and direct action.
Call for solidarity
Turning to courts and police to actively expel unions from their spaces is something that should push every social and political collective, whether anarchist or not, to take a clear position. That is why we call on you to stand in solidarity with us, to refuse to cooperate with CNT-CIT in its authoritarian and repressive actions, and to help us resist any future eviction attempts.
We are not commodities to be bought and sold.
We are, and always will be, what we choose to be, not what others want us to becom