Avalanche - The Anarchist correspondence zine Avalanche - The Anarchist correspondence zine 2 | Page 27

I don’t know how long I’m here for, but i don’t feel sorry for myself. I’m confident that outside the struggle
goes on, and people meet, love each other, hate each
other, live, dammit. In fact I’m not comfortable with
people focusing on our case without engaging their
own struggles in their own contexts. I believe that the
best solidarity is built in the sharing of individual and
collective strengths. The worst thing for me would be
that nothing goes on outside while were held captive,
but I know my friends continue despite the difficulties
we must face. My reality as an anarchist in prison is a
fact among others with which we have to adapt. The
most difficult is often to maintain and protect bonds of
trust with comrades whom we have affinity with, for
long term thinking. When it is possible, unimaginable
possibilities emerge.
In that sense, my ideas and analyses remain the same
as outside. That’s why I don’t feel like changing my
discourse to get peoples support. I greatly appreciate
the efforts of solidarity that have been done till now,
although, I distance myself from certain initiatives
that have been taken in solidarity with us. In Montreal:
during a demo that took place in front of the Mexican
consulate, the speech denounced torture and human
rights violations by the Mexican State. The UN was
mentioned in a reformist and progressive tone. Honestly, I appreciate that many people feel concerned
with our case, but I refuse to use that illusory reformist discourse. As I see it, injustice, torture and human
rights violations are integral parts of the world as it is.
Rights are regulated by the State and are suspended
at any moment as needed. Furthermore, it promotes
democratic ideology (rights for citizens), the biggest
of illusions. And most of all, to support our ideas with
references to instances of power like the UN cannot
build a strong anti-authoritarian struggle. It’s not by
trying to influence public opinion with reformist discourse that we will build strong foundations for an
struggle impossible to recuperate.
I must say I honestly have nothing to do with student
and worker unions, and that even in the “syndicalisme
de combat” [transl. combat unionism] very fashionable back home, in Montreal. Those organizations
are formal and bureaucratic. They reproduce “direct
democracy”. Those are the same structures I want to
destroy, which impose distance between individuals,
and the way they relate to the world and to the living.
Formality, bureaucracy, law, and institutionalization
transform the relationship between people. They immobilize the constant possibilities of transformation,
exactly as political parties do. They try to organize
and lead the “formless masses”
Therefore, there is an obvious contradiction: we’ve
received support from student associations in Quebec. For my part, I have no problems with accepting
money which will without doubt help us out of prison.

But I must say that these organizations have nothing
revolutionary about them. They’re rotten to the core.
They’re based on Maoist organizational structures and
are totally formal, with their politicians procedural
code. This language is incomprehensible. Charismatic
speakers manipulate the votes of the masses by expressing what the majority wants to hear rather than
speaking from the heart. Crowds of 100 000 people
march like zombies, sing and repeat the same reformist slogans and then return home, to their daily routine.
In the situation in which I find myself, waiting for my
sentence or my release, to express openly that I am an
anarchist can put me in a precarious situation. I chose to
do so anyway. Many times, I felt the need to communicate with other anarchists who have experienced similar situations. When confronting State repression, there
are several ways to react. I think that using a moderate
discourse provides privileges, such as getting out of jail
faster, obtaining financing or social acceptance. But I
think as long as the words and deeds will be moderate, it will be difficult to spread insurrectional and antiauthoritarian practices. That is why it is important to
communicate my ideas openly and knowingly.
I do not know how long I will be locked up here, but
one thing is certain: it will not be for a lifetime. I am
fortunate to have great friends and comrades in struggles, and I do not feel alone. The strength and courage are found first in oneself. There is a universe of
possibilities, here as elsewhere. All forms of domination are to be fought, those that create the structures
and institutions as much as those who interfere in our
relationships. There is no heaven or perfect world.
Freedom is the permanent movement and conflict, in
confrontation with the world of images, symbols and
appearances. Freedom is the destruction of the structures of domination over our lives. In Mexico, Montreal, France, Vancouver, United States, Spain, Greece,
Chile, Egypt, Belgium, Italy, Germany, England, Holland, I greet my friends and comrades of struggle.
For total freedom, I wish for links to be forged in the
struggle.
In solidarity with Carlos “Chivo” and Fallon
With love, down with all the prison walls
Amélie

[1] On Monday June 16 the last hearing was held against
Amelie, Fallon and Carlos, on trial on charges of damages
and attacks on public peace [no longer for “terrorism”].
For now, lawyers and judges have to make their conclusions on the sentencing in the local trial which our comrades are facing. As for the federal trial, on Wednesday
June 25 will be held the next hearing.

| 27 |