Avalanche - The Anarchist correspondence zine Avalanche - The Anarchist correspondence zine 2 | Page 2

Editorial
There’s no other way. Our trajectories should
not consist of running forward with blindfolds
on. One has to keep finding the time, space and
energy to remain critical towards his or her own
activities, one’s own projects. Not the criticism that
make you fade away into inactivity, compromise
and defeatism, only favoring the slow but steady
absorption by authoritarian society, but the
critique that continuously feels the heartbeat of
the struggle. Yes, we are speaking of the critique
that allows one to verify that one’s acting is still
synchronized with the ideas one is nourishing,
that allows for perspectives to be deepened and
struggle experiences to be fertile ground for
further assault on authority. And this also counts
for the very modest project of offering a space of
international anarchist correspondence.
A third issue then, and therefore, also some
questions and doubts. The initial idea of this
project was not so much to read through the
existing anarchist publications and pick out some
significant texts to republish them in Avalanche.
No, the idea was – and still is – that comrades
would contribute words and analyses, ideas and
questions, from out of their own context, their
own paths, and their own experiences (as several
contributions sent by comrades in this issue do)
so as to give life to this correspondence and make
it a dangerous matter. Dangerous, because away
from the continuous information bombardment
that seems only to promote passivity, away from
the theatrical scenes of political representation
which has also infected the anarchist movement,
away from the very modern obsession with facts
and figures, dead material which cannot fertilize
the inseparable duo of ideas and dynamite of
anarchism. So, asking the inevitable question,
is this project still moving towards realizing this
initial proposal? We will abstain from answering
this question in the columns of this editorial and
rather send it, together with this third issue, to all
the comrades who see the meaning of a project of
international anarchist correspondence.
These last years, uprisings have been taking
place in several parts of the world. These
insurrections have been breaching the walls of the
historical triumph of State and Capital, so eagerly
proclaimed after the ‘defeat’ of subversion in the

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seventies. And if it is true that some obstacles of
the past didn’t show up with the same strength
as before (political mediation, party leadership,
authoritarian organization), other enemies and
obstacles have arisen: from the conservative and
counterrevolutionary forces inspired by Islamism
in regions in open revolt like Syria to the new fascist
ideologies emerging inside of the protests. And all
this, in a context where dominion has conquered
all aspects of human life, poisoning it with the
non-ideology of commodities and technology (an
ideology which doesn’t have to struggle anymore
to affirm itself, since it is becoming the essence of
wrecked life itself). Some texts in this issue come
straightly from very complex situations of revolt and
uprising and challenge us to reflect on the anarchist
perspective of insurrection. A difference then, a
remarkable difference, between the times and
spaces where we are fighting to break the concrete
of social peace, disrupting the daily normality of
production, consumption and obedience, trying
by all means to keep the ideas of anarchy and
freedom alive; and the everyday more palpable
and imaginable perspective of insurrection, that is,
a destructive movement launching a vast assault
on the authoritarian and capitalist society. While
these paths are connected, the difference in terms
of perspective should encourage us to reflect, and
to dare go further, dig deeper, project ourselves
into a surely uncertain, unstable future, but rich in
potentialities.
Everywhere, there are existing possibilities to
break out of the enemy encirclement. The strength
and courage to do this has to come from ourselves,
but we can also feel a more favorable wind is
blowing. It is a wind that cannot be pinned down
in strict definitions or numbers, it is more like an
élan, a fervor, an imaginary that is different than
the social reproduction of dominion. An imaginary
which could become revolutionary and inspire
storms not foreseen by power. For sure, these are
only some wild thoughts, but then, what would we
be able do without thoughts… and wildness?
Still a few words concerning some discussions going
on in many anarchist circles, mainly coming down
to the fundamental matter of how can we attack?
It is beyond doubt that the paths enabling attack
never end, never will encounter a final solution or