October 15th Solidarity

The media have stated that two of the flats raided have been Anarchist centres. This article gives a simple introduction to what Anarchism is for the media and for interested members of the public.

Anarchism is a personal and political philosophy based on the premise that no person has the right to have authority over another. We aren't opposed to organisation, but insist that it should always be fully democratic and voluntary.

Traditionally, New Zealanders have looked to the government to ensure people get "a fair go". As faith in the government has declined, anarchism has grown. Anarchists believe neither business nor government can provide properly for people, and call for everyone to work cooperatively in their communities and workplaces to do things for themselves.

Under anarchism, society would be organised by democratic communities which join together to work on projects of mutual benefit. It's often pointed out that people naturally use anarchist methods without naming them as such, when they voluntarily help out neighbours and friends and come together to share each others tools and resources. Capitalism insists that a free market, in which people buy the goods and services they choose, is an efficient way to run society, but few people would choose to charge a friend for advice or the loan of a lawnmower. Many women share childcare responsibilities with their friends and people often come together in groups to do voluntary work. Without this "unconscious anarchism" life would be pretty miserable.

Anarchists don't think people are saints - we just believe that people are basically cooperative and able to get along. Give a group of people a task and leave them to it and they usually manage to work cooperatively and efficiently. How often have you thought "This would be a lot easier if the boss would just stop telling us what to do ..."? This is the essence of anarchism.

Anarchists say both capitalism and state socialism crush the individual and reward a small elite. We see the world being increasingly run for the benefit of business, with most people finding life more and more of a struggle and less free.

While the rich get richer, even basic needs such as housing are out of the reach of the majority. At the same time government bureaucracy increasingly infringes on peoples? lives making people feel smothered, overworked and bored. This frustration leads to angry and destructive behaviour which provides an excuse for even more rules and regulations.

Unfortunately, we see our lives being increasingly pushed to be competitive, violent and stressful, and for many, pointless and deeply unsatisfying. There seems to be no alternative to a life mostly spent trying to make ends meet, in front of a PlayStation or TV, or indulging in alcohol or anti-depressants, broken only by brief holidays. For the better off, travel and immersion in other cultures provides the colour and excitement that's lacking in their own lives. We think people deserve better. Of course, getting rid of capitalism and the state and instituting a cooperative society is going to take a bit of work, but do you really have anything more important to do?

The philosophy of anarchism is in many ways similar to the "green" movement, and many anarchists are involved with environmental campaigns and projects. Our opposition to authority and domination leads us to become involved in feminism, anti-military and anti-colonial movements, and to oppose racism and abuse. Anarchists are also often involved in mutual aid projects such as community gardens, collective workshops, art and music groups and rural communes.

We also see similarities to anarchism in many indigenous societies. While on the surface they may often appear hierarchical, there is often a subtle system of checks and balances that ensure leaders must carefully represent peoples' needs or quickly lose their authority.

Anarchists are often portrayed as violent, particularly by governments which themselves maintain huge armies and stockpiles of weapons. Those who use violence at demonstrations are often dubbed "anarchists" by the media, whether they are or not, and anarchists' peaceful activities rarely hit the headlines. However, most anarchists accept that violence, while a form of authority, is permissible in self-defence. Some such as War and Peace author and Christian anarchist Leo Tolstoy have been pacifists - believing that violence has dangerous consequences even when used in defence. Anarchists often point to the brutalising effect of even justifiable violence on both perpetrators and victims.

Many anarchists have been artists and writers including linguist and political commentator Noam Chomsky, fantasy writer Ursula Le Guin, film director Luis Bu?uel, impressionist painter Camille Pissaro and comic writers Alan Moore and Leo Baxendale (the latter created The Bash Street Kids and Minnie the Minx for The Beano). Anarchist band Chumbawumba's song Tubthumping made Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 20 most annoying songs ever and George Orwell wrote favourably of the anarchist revolution in 1930s Spain in Homage to Catalonia, an event which is also the subject of Ken Loach's film Land and Liberty.

* Sam Buchanan is a member of Wellington's Wildcat Anarchist Collective and a community gardener.