anarchism in Serbia

Standpoints and Actions of Libertarian and Anti-Authoritarian Groups in Serbia

Written in January 2006: In this page you can get some info about groups, collectives in our region, who strive to organize themselves without hierarchy, who strive to live in society without economic inequality between people, without authority of man by man. Every groups has their affinities (syndicates, ecology, migrants, chauvinism, etc) but all of them have mentioned common aim. Some of them term "anarchists" some term "libertarian", some don't want to belong anywhere. There is difference between aims and reality because of habits which we got during growing up in present society, so we should work to change it, to change ourselves. Among libertarians exist different opinion about organizing, about violence (I think that most of them think that revolutionary violence is necessary and other type of it is already decision of individual (destroying of banks at demonstrations, etc) so there are pacifist libertarians also. If you follow links to websites of groups you will be able to get more info about their acting and opinions.

Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative

Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative is anarchist, better said anarcho-syndicalist group of people with aim to realize anarchist society. They want to start it with creating of syndicates (in factories and in education) which are without hierarchy. Without realizing of economic equality it is not possible to realize mental needs of people. Syndicates are also places where are people together so it makes better possibility for organizing, connecting, for better fight. it is interesting at their website to read about differences between anarchism and anarcho-syndicalism. Generally, they believe that society is today separated on classes, class of exploitators and class of exploited (capitalist and state's communist are living from surplus capital i.e. from unpaid work of workers), and the state is serving to protect interests of ruling class i.e. the state keep economic inequality. Therefore, they believe, the same as other anarchists, that organizing through states should be abolished. they are fighting against negative products of such society: every form of nationalism, discrimination on the basis of race and sexuality, church. At these points they cooperate with others who are not anarchists but they are fighting against it also. In lasts several years they had many actions, from giving of leaflets against police brutality to protests in front of embassies in the sign of support with comrades abroad. They printed newspaper Direktna Akcija and several booklets, music and films disc. Beside it they have and library called Center for Libertarian Studies. Contact: Email: info(at)inicijativa.org Website: http://inicijativa.org

Different World is Possible

This project was imagined like network, coalition which will gather different groups and collectives who are fighting for libertarian aims, and who could acting easilier through such coalition (similar as People Global Action). Such coalition is named "Drugačiji svet je moguć - Different World is Possible" and groups which participated are: SUS (Systematic Distroying of System), BLOK (Belgrade's Libertarian (Cycle?)), DBPD (Society for Fight Against Society), For Different World, Political Combinat, SPK (Stani Pani Collective). Beside many podium discussions, with and without concerts, their biggest action was organizing of PGA conference in Belgrade in July 2004. there came about 500 activists from abroad who made many workshops and actions [ 1(en) | 2(en) ] connected with alter-globalist acting. In accordance of lack of experience in organizing of so big conferences, because of personal conflicts among people from different groups also, DWP splitted itself during and after conference. This try to build in our region something like mini PGA is good idea but it must be taken differences in mentality and in temperament of people - something what is successful in West can be without success in East. Now their website doesn't exist any more. Maybe this project will be alive again, with new people and maybe with repaired (changed) old participants. From us depend our efficiency, our organizing and our acting.

Anti-Fascist Action Novi Sad

Their name say that they are people who gathered themselves in order to act against all forms of fascism in our region. They became well known after podium discussion, at Faculty of Philosophy, in which came skinheads and kicked some participants. Many media's reported about it. More about their standpoints and actions you can read at their website: AFANS

Sub War Collective

This collective has 3 people in Belgrade, but they organized many punk gigs, FoodNotBombs actions. They are also against transnational corporations which exploit people, nature and animals. They don't have affinity to build organization than they gather themselves on individual basis, with other anarcho-punx. They cooperate with Stani pani Collective and with others who make such actions. Contact: shavedwomen216 [at] yahoo [dot] com

Stani Pani Collective

This Belgrade's collective don't declare themselves as anarchist one because they think that name is bad in eyes of people and because they don't want to belong here or there. Their aim is to make attention to some problems in society and fight against such problems. They have interesting actions, especially for young: illegal parties, film projections, performans, giving of food and of cloths for free, etc. They make FoodNotBombs actions together with SubWar Collective. They cooperated with many groups from abroad (EYFA Caravan, Building Bloc from USA, Caravan for Palestine, etc.). Their newest initiatives are free shop, No NATO, We Are Everywhere, FNBs, StaniPani Circus, etc. More at their website: StaniPani.

Queer Belgrade

This group consist now 8 people. They say that to be queer means to refuse to accept rules of society without question than we should think and refuse bad rules from our society, to let people to define themselves without borders. They want world without fear, violence, discrimination, world with respect and solidarity for different people in which we can develop tolerance and understanding. They made queer festin Belgrade in Dec. 16.2005. Website: Queer Belgrade

Group of Good Will

They are group of people from Belgrade who think that people are today so much far away each from other that friendship is subversive acting. They say that they are group of artists, activists, neohipies, rastafariyans, janglers, musicians, mad scientists, alcoholics and others. They like to squat houses in order to build independent youth centres. They made campaign for free official education, for legalization of cannabis, conscientious objection, they organized some music and films festivals and they print newspaper "Buak slobode" and "Neradnik". Website: GGW

Kontrapunkt

Kontrapunkt started like fanzine and later it became website. It exist about 8 years and today there are several administrators. Website has many information about anarchism, theoretical works, news from actions, etc. People can send own news. http://www.kontra-punkt.info

Anarchy-Serbia This website administrated 2 people, now one person. Sometimes it is without updates during imprisoning of administrator. Beside news, this website has many anarchist works in Serbian section and many reports in English section. http://anarhija.mahost.org, from July 2007 this Site is transfered into: http://www.inventati.org/anarhizam

Indymedia Belgrade

This website worked from 2003 till the end of 2005. It is part of international indymedia network (grass roots media's which publish news of interest for anti authoritarian leftists). Indymedia was created after alter-globalist protest in Seattle at 1999. Belgrade indymedia had 12 administrators, visitors can publish their news if it is not against indymedia principles. News can be published in the form of text, photo, audio and video file. In November 2004 web server was confiscated by FBI and after giving it back there were not information which existed before. So, it was started again. But now, Belgrade indymedia doesn't work, so it is good chance for you to take it in your hands and to start to publish news. http://belgrade.indymedia.org | http://www.indymedia.org

Anarcho Individualists

In Belgrade exist anarcho-punx who gather themselves spontaneous and they are fighting for individual freedom. They gather themselves for some action but they don't want to build organization. Their affinities are boycott of transnational companies, fight for protection of nature and of animals. They participate also at organizing of FoodNotBombs actions. They are mutual friends and sometimes they build some communes. They like squatting also.

Society for Fight Against Society

This collective is from Novi Sad. They print newspaper Bezboznik (something like "Atheist"), newspaper against domination, manipulation and organized religion: http://www.dbpd.org/

Antifascist Front

It is group of people who thinks that we should fight parallel for economic equality and against fascism, chauvinism, etc. They had podium discussion at Faculty. http://www.antifasisticki.front.ru/

Progressive University Society Dositej Obradović

Progressive University Society Dositej Obradović was created because of need to assert leftist revolutionary standpoint at university. From 2003 till 2005 they had interesting actions against privatization of university, against fascism, clerics, etc. More at their website: http://www.dositejev.front.ru/

Social Front

It is like umbrella for mentioned groups (Progressive University Society, Society for Fight Against Society, Antifascist Front, Anti-Fascist Action Novi Sad, Student Union...). Their aims are abolishing of privatization, support of social engagement, abolishing of economic exploitation, of nationalism, racism, fascism. They are fighting for emancipate culture and education. http://www.socijalni.front.ru/

Initiatives of mentioned groups

Free shop, FoodNotBombs, No NATO, Campaign for legalization of cannabis, for free official education, against privatization; squatting... More at their websites.

UPDATE October 2008

I got information that "Stani Pani collective" doesn't exist anymore. Their website is out of function already more months. You should check website of "Queer Belgrade", they did a lot of things and they had many problems with Serbian fascists. Anarchy-Serbia website is transfered in July 2007 to the new webserver and its name is changed: http://www.inventati.org/anarhizam

Before I didn't write anything about one more group about which I didn't know so much. So there are several people gathered in project called Pokret za slobodu (Freedom Fight) who publish several bulletins and help to the workers at demonstrations in the time of privatization in Serbia. More about them:

Freedom Fight

"Freedom Fight (Serbo-Croatian: Pokret za slobodu)" is an organization devoted to working on issues of worker, refugee, and students' rights. Among other projects Freedom Fight organizers produce Z-Magazine Balkans, a printed version of Z-Magazine in the Serbo-Croatian language, as well as monthly bulletins such as Workers' Voice, Refugee Voice, etc. produced by and for affected communities.

Z magazine for Balkans - Freedom Fight is producing ZMag Balkans , a new print magazine in Serbo-Croatian language, for Balkan audiences, modeled on Z Magazine US and utilizing content from it as well as local content bearing more directly on the Balkans.

Refugge Voice (Glas izbeglica) - informs about living conditions of Refugees settled in Serbia, about Readmission Agreement signed by Serbia and EU, about Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Kosovo, Erased (Izbrisani) from Slovenia, etc.

Refugee Voice in SerboCroatian language you can download here: Refugge Voice

And Refugee Voice in English language you can download here: (Refugee Voice - web version), (Refugee Voice - print version)

Workers` Voice (Glas Radnika) - is monthly bulletin made by and for workers engaged in Freedom Fight activities. Freedom Fight use it as a mean of informing people about particular workers` struggle. You can download Workers` Voice in SerboCroatian language here: Glas radnika #1 | Glas radnika #2 | Glas radnika #3 | Glas radnika #4

Student Voice (Glas studenata) - analyzes the neoliberal reconstruction of the university, through heightened tuition fees and the implementation of the Bologna Process ... As the university is becoming subordinated to the logics of the capitalist market, its autonomy is disappearing. The university is reproducing experts without critical consciousness, educated with Bologna's "fast food" approach to education and its Readers Digest culture. Universities are increasingly subordinating scientific research to the direct interest of businesses and of private companies. Management is creating an increasingly profitable institution, while the rector acts increasingly as a CEO who only cares about money. In Great Britain, 33 rectors have larger salaries than the Prime Minister ... Student Voice is a free publication that seeks to combat these trends (downloadable in the Serbo-Croatian language at the following link:) Student Voice #1

• http://www.freedomfight.net
• http://www.pokret.net
• Zspace FreedomFight (eng)