This article was written following a recent journey in Spain, which allowed us to gain a better understanding of the crisis anarcho-syndicalism is currently facing there. We were active in the CNT-AIT in Granada a few years ago, and in the group Direct! AIT when it existed in Switzerland. We stand in solidarity with the current struggle of the CNT-AIT, and it is in that spirit that we speak out.

It’s so big that some may not want to believe it. Yet, it reflects well the times of triumphant, ruthless capitalism we live in today: a registered trademark will ban the CNT-AIT from using the CNT acronym and a number of symbols, including the red and black diagonal flag. These symbols will now be the exclusive property of CNT-CIT (or CNT®).

An initial set of seventeen unions (sixteen from CNT-AIT and the independent CNT union of Vigo) were ordered to pay €2,000 each in moral damages to CNT®CIT, whose claims were deemed legitimate by the “Audiencia Nacional” court, even though the amount initially demanded by CNT®CIT (€50,000 per union) was reduced by the « justice » system.

The day before the trial, seventeen other entities (unions and local federations of CNT-AIT) were similarly accused by CNT®CIT and face the same penalties. This second wave of trials is set for October 29. Thirty-four collectives already… for an organization supposedly non-existent! And there may be a third wave, as some entities have escaped the inquisition.

A Black Legend

The international libertarian movement – with the exception of AIT sections, the friends of the AIT, and a few rare collectives, of which we are part – seems completely indifferent to the frontal attack Spanish anarcho-syndicalism is currently facing. Besides the fact that struggles are increasingly atomized, with « each looking out for themselves » mentality, we believe this indifference is due to a black legend that has long circulated in our circles. An anonymous text claiming that CNT-AIT was created seven years ago(!), recently published on an English-speaking site and apparently written by a spokesperson of CNT®CIT, illustrates this mythical view.(1)

Let us start by examining the occurrences of certain concepts used in this text to describe CNT-AIT members or their ideas. The term “Taliban” (or “Talibanism”) appears six times; “orthodox” three times; “conspiracy theories” three times, “conservative” twice, “sectarian” twice, and “dogmatic and purist” once… The image conveyed is of backward, paranoid, and narrow-minded activists, incapable of adapting to the present.

One of the adjectives used most frequently is “small” to describe CNT-AIT unions or AIT sections: eleven occurrences! At CNT®CIT, they do not like small groups, so, which is why they do not hesitate to exclude unions with that characteristic. Federalism, the anarchist and anarcho-syndicalist principle, is dismissed in favor of the “majorities’” dictatorship, or rather, that of their leaders.

The text in question is a lengthy rant that recounts many exclusions of unions or activists, always for “good reasons”, of course! It also describes the “feats” of future members of CNT®CIT: a commando team goes to Cádiz to change the locks on the CNT-AIT premises, stealing materials and the library of the excluded union. They then express surprise when activists and sympathizers see it as an intolerable attack! The same situation occurred in Madrid, where the Diverse Trades Union (SOV) was excluded during a plenary meeting held in the suburbs, attended by around forty of its members. Meanwhile, a group was taking over their premises in the city center. Again, changing the locks… but SOV activists did not stand down and took back their premises by force. A scandal, according to the author of the text. For if a group is excluded, “it is quite normal to recover its property.”

According to the black legend, Spanish anarchists have an obsession to fight over the CNT acronym. This element is highlighted by the author of the aforementioned text, who claims that what is happening today is karma for the struggle over the acronym in the 1980s, as “those complaining about trials today” are the “direct heirs” of those who, back then, secured the CNT acronym in court (while the opposing faction took on the CGT acronym). Here we enter Orwellian territory:  if, as this author claims, CNT-AIT was born yesterday, the real heirs of the 1980s CNT are the members of CNT®CIT!  cannot claim an inheritance and discard the less glorious pages of it. Furthermore, this mythical vision overlooks the fact that the main divergence at the time was whether or not to participate in union elections and company committees. The future CGT favored this form of integration into the system, while the faction that retained the CNT acronym supported the autonomy of the working class organized in grassroots assemblies and union sections.

It is true that, at the time of the 1980s split, there were conflicts over union premises (2), but neither party ever sought damages or banned the use of colors or symbols. Differences existed, separation occurred, but there was no attempt to annihilate, bankrupt, or erase the other as it is happening today. Indeed, if CNT-AIT activists were to forgo appealing against the recent judgment (and those yet to come), they would still have to pay the fine of €2,000 per union to CNT®CIT and return the premises owned by CNT. Will they be evicted by armed police or by Desokupa’s enforcers serving speculators? Time will tell.

So, what’s the problem?

In December 2010, during the Cordoba Congress, CNT established a Confederal Technical Office. Initially, it was not clear that its members would be paid. Initially composed of three people, it has now grown significantly, mainly consisting of lawyers. Supposedly, they better meet the local unions’ legal action needs than the “typical union lawyer” they occasionally hire.

Besides being highly paid, the lawyers of the Office stay in three-star hotels during their trips and have their restaurant expenses reimbursed. They also decide which union disputes should be pursued, and which should be abandoned! They have become true technocrats. Since the archivists of the Anselmo Lorenzo Center are also paid, CNT®CIT needs a lot of money, and just as Julito sold his car to buy gasoline, the leaders of CNT®CIT sell historic union premises or those acquired afterward to pay their permanent staff.

During the Transition, CNT recovered some historic premises and received compensation (far less than that obtained by the socialist union UGT, but still significant) as reparations for union premises confiscated by Francoists. This capital was too tempting not to attract envy. In Spain, perhaps more than elsewhere, many university graduates struggle to establish careers. Some have managed to make a home for themselves within CNT, taking control of committees and turning the libertarian organization into an authoritarian one.

Those who tried to oppose this offensive were successively excluded or left in disgust. There are still collectives within CNT®CIT that disagree with the current  but know that if they dare speak up, they will face the same fate as CNT-AIT: confiscated premises, fines, etc.; but the majority of CNT®CIT members now consist of clients waiting to be taken care of by specialists. The “anarcho-syndicalism” promoted by this organization is increasingly hollow, a mere image evoking a glorious past. (To be continued)

Ariane Miéville and José Luis García González

Notes

1. This text is signed CNT-E. Is it written by a spokesperson for CNT®CIT? Impossible to confirm. It tendentiously and dishonestly recounts the conflict that led to the current split. Personally mentioned in this writing, Laure Akai, IWA’s secretary, responds in a comment in both a personal and thorough manner. That is not our approach; we will only retain what illustrates our point. Everyone is free to form their own opinion. https://libcom.org/article/making-spanish-cnt-iwa-2010-2024

1. A tactic used by the “renovated” (future CGT) at the time was to inform authorities that the union had changed secretaries. Registered under a new name, the union thereby changed “ownership.” These maneuvers were at the origin of the fight over the CNT acronym. However, the seven premises awarded to CNT-Valencia Congress, the precursor of CGT, were never claimed by CNT-AIT.