Anarchist Federation (Poland)

The Anarchist Federation has existed as such since 1989. In 1988, some anarchists from Gdansk called for the formation of a federation to join the different anarchist groups which had appeared in the country. In June 1988, a founding meeting was organized in Gdansk; over 100 activists took part, despite heavy police presence and the arrest of one of the organizers of the meeting. The federation was at first called "Anarchist Intercity" or Mięzdymiastówka Anarchistyczna (MA). MA had a congress some months later in Opole but in 1989, at the congress in Warsaw, it was transformed into the Anarchist Federation (FA).

The Anarchist Federation plays a coordinating role between its member groups. Currently, there are groups in most major cities in Poland: Torun, Wroclaw, Slupsk, Gdansk, Poznan, Lodz, Bialystok, Krakow, Zielona Gora, Inowroclaw,Biala Podlaska, Szczecin, Czestochowa, Rzeszow, Lublin, Opole, Ciechanow, Przasnysz, Kedzierzyn Kozle, Zyradow, Gorzow Wielkopolski and two sections in Warsaw. In addition, there may be regional federations inside (like the Silesian Anarchist Federation) and individual members.

FA meets twice a year at congresses in different cities. There, reports on activities are given as are current and future campaigns discussed, planned and organized. FA member groups may have their own platform or program, as long as it does not contradict with the "minimum" program. Over the past 4 years, work on changing the program has taken place but both with resistance by those who don't feel it is needed and with lack of consensus on certain issues. In May 2005, a month after the congress in Warsaw, a meeting was held in Warsaw of delegates from different groups to rewrite the program on a three-levelled basis; all sections must agree on the minimum but may adopt more detailed programs or not if they choose. The new program will be voted on at the fall 2005 congress in Bialystok.

The FA does not keep an centralized secretariat but has an open internet secretary. The central page of the FA can be maintained by all members of the Federation, as can the internal bulletin. The page is located at www.fa.most.org.pl There you can find contacts to all the sections.

The activities of different groups within FA is various. For information in English, it is best to look at sources like alter-ee: www.alter.most.org.pl/fa.