Thousands of anarchists expected in Saint-Imier BE

The international anti-authoritarian rally started in Saint-Imier BE on Wednesday. The organizing team expected several thousand anarchists from all over the world until Sunday. The community in the Bernese Jura was considered the cradle of this movement.

Hundreds of anti-authoritarian people peacefully traveled to the Bernese-Jura community, which has a population of about 5,200, on Wednesday morning. The reason for the meeting was the anniversary of the Congress of Saint-Imier, at which the anti-authoritarian International was founded in 1872. This event marks the birth of the anarchist movement.

For five days the anarchists could attend workshops or lectures. A book fair and an anarchist radio station were also established. Movies and concerts were also on the agenda.

Participants focused on sharing ideas, publicizing struggles, strengthening relationships and convincing others to join the movement. “The anti-authoritarian vision brings us together,” emphasized the organizing committee.

Hundreds of young people who professed the anarchist movement paraded in groups through Saint-Imier, often with a map in hand. These special travelers, usually dressed in black, could not be overlooked.

Hikers, cyclists and anarchists with luggage could be found in the town in the Bernese Jura. Dozens of tents were set up on a designated campsite, which gave the event a festival character.

Two kitchens and four soda bars offered their wares at a free price set by buyers across the community. There was also childcare. The cost of the event was approximately CHF 200,000. The exchange took place mainly in English, but other languages ​​such as French, German, Italian and Spanish were also heard.

The meeting should give a new visibility to the ideology that opposes any centralist and authoritarian power. The organizers emphasized that anarchy does not equate to chaos and lack of order. The movement advocates an “anti-authoritarian personal and social organization”.

“We expect between 2,500 and 4,000 people,” said a member of the organizing committee a few days before the event, “as we don’t need registration, we don’t know exactly how many there will be.” The collective made a demand: respect and peaceful behavior.

The community has been preparing for an event of this magnitude for months. The municipal buildings that could be rented out, such as the ice rink or the multipurpose hall, were made available. The event should also benefit the economy.

With the meeting in St-Imier, the anarchists commemorate an event in contemporary history: in September 1872, the Anti-Authoritarian International was founded in the town in the Bernese Jura. The 150th anniversary was supposed to be celebrated in 2022, but was postponed by a year due to the corona pandemic.

The 1872 meeting was the result of a dispute over the direction of the labor movement. Karl Marx and his followers sought central leadership, in contrast to the Russian revolutionary Mikhail Bakunin. Bakunin founded the Anti-Authoritarian International in St-Imier with 14 like-minded people from Europe and the US.

At that time, the Bernese Jura with its battered watch industry was open to the theories of anarchism. Most of it has been forgotten over time. The building in which the congress once took place has survived to this day – and since 2017 there is even a “Rue Bakounine”. (sda)