#title We are not afraid of ruins
#subtitle On violent takeover of our home and social center Syrena by macho-anarchists
#author Syrena collective and friends
#date 2023
#lang en
#pubdate 2023-06-16T10:01:50
#topics squatting, anarchist movement, feminism, Poland
#notes Printable PDF can bo found at [[https://warszawskafa.org/2023/07/11/we-are-not-afraid-of-ruins-zine-on-the-eviction-of-syrena-squat/][warszawskafa.org]]
** Foreword
This zine is a collection of texts written by people associated with the Syrena
collective, which was evicted from an occupied building at 30 Wilcza Street in
Warsaw by people associated with the Przychodnia “squat”*. The conflict inside
the Syrena squat with Przychodnia involved in it had been going on for months, if
not years. We are writing about the day of our eviction — 5.12.2021, and what this
house and social center was to us.
The main axis of the conflict, of which this event was an escalation (although it
was not the first one during which physical violence was used) concerned the
issue of moving a guy out of Syrena due to his physically violent behavior, use of
threats, manifestations of transphobia, etc. The eviction of a dozen residents was
carried out by a group of about 20–30 heavily armed individuals, who generously
used axes, power tools, etc. For us it was not without bodily injury, as well as the
loss of a considerable number of valuable items, phones, computers etc., and
traumatization. The case divided the scene of, shall we say, the radical left; some
influential groups and individuals supported the perpetrators outright, many
never spoke out.
Who are the authors of this zine?
We are a diverse group that has been active in the last decade in the Syrena
collective and in the tenement on Wilcza 30. Some of us didn’t have much in
common before — we were active in different times, we did things related to
different areas of activism. We were united by our opposition to macho violence,
and now we are also united by our experience of surviving the attack.
On December 5, many of us lost our home, a place of activism. All of us — an
important place on the anarchist map of Warsaw. We poured our anger,
frustration, sadness onto paper (or keyboard).
The texts were mostly written in the days, weeks immediately following the
events.
What do we think of this a year later? During this time we functioned in a divided
environment, sometimes wondering if we could show up at some place or event,
occasionaly meeting someone from “the other side”. For many of us it was or still
is a time of withdrawal, of putting ourselves back together after what happened.
We learned who we could count on.
We continuosly feel a sense of injustice and we’re just plainly pissed off,
especially when the guys currently inhabiting Wilcza 30 hang the p*lish flag on
the facade, spitting on the values we profess and used to put into practice at the
Syrena squat. The current crew, in addition to Dima and a few others who took
part in the attack, includes a known rapist, thrown out by previous residents after
his perpetration of sexual violence came to light — he was a guest of the collective
at the time, and returned to Wilcza 30 after 5.12. Currently, the political profile of
the “collective” at Wilcza 30 is certainly not anarchist, it would be hard even to
call it leftist or anti-fascist. There is no longer any place for feminism or queer
there.
Many of us continue to be active in many areas of activism: abortion or migration,
for example. Being deprived of space and resources has not killed the spirit in us —
because it is not living in a squat that defines an anarchist, but the values they
profess and their actions. We continue to be anarcho-feminists, anarcho-queers.
These events have only confirmed that we are right in our fight. We too are
creating an anarchist movement in p*land, whether y’all want it or not, and we are
not going anywhere. Machismo no pasaran.
** On fear and solidarity
I remember being a brave child before going to school. But years of polish
public education taught me that it’s pointless to come forth, because you can
get hurt. That the best defence tactic is to comply or to run, that I have no
chance confronting someone who has power over me or is stronger than me,
so why even bother trying.
I was entering the movement during the most intense time of Stop Bzurom
Collective* activity.
I became a part a queer community that became my social bubble, an
espace from p*land’s reality of everyday systemic opression. The building at
Wilcza 30 was a safe space for me and my community, and kind of an
epicentre of liberation. Not to sound pompous here, but it was one of a few, if
not the only such space in Warsaw, or even in p*land anarchist, feminist,
queer.
Queer meaning a fight, active resistance, not giving in to the state, the police,
capitalism, religion, social norms. Destroying the homophobic truck* in June
of 2020 and the events that followed let me believe that not only all of that
was possible, but also necessary.
The community gave me strength that I needed, a feeling of agency and
belonging.
I sank in all that and not much later I moved into Syrena.
Living there taught me a lot about fear.
I was afraid of Thursdays these meant hourslong meetings of the
collective, during which escalating conflict was in the air. I was afraid when D.
threatened my friends and me, when he shouted, used physical violence,
when he and his boys tried to force their way into our backyard, and finally
when Przychodnia* paid us “visits” in large numbers at meetings. Being
alone, I would certainly have withdrawn from the situation months earlier, but
I didn’t want to leave my comrades, because only by sticking together did we
stand a chance. The reformation of a social collective from supportive
groups and individuals restored my faith in the sense of action. Solidarity in
disagreement with the violence I felt in this group allowed me to survive. I
learned not to be intimidated.
And that my fear is political.
In patriarchy as noncismales, queers and generally people who do not obey
by the binding rules we are supposed to fear, to be scared for our lifes so that
we stay silent. What I learned in school is a tool of the privileged groups to
control the opressed, the tool of abusers to silence their victims.
What was happening in Syrena and ended in the escalation of violence on
5th of December was a show of power, a demonstration of what happens to
those who oppose the status quo, demand their rights and talk about their
experiences and realities.
The fact, that instead of backing off in the face of threaths we resisted to the
very end, was kind of a breakthrough in the scene in Poland. That queers
took the matters in their hands, that we resisted the attack for 4 hours instead
of giving up. That even this much violence didn’t break us as a community.
For me personally, the most difficult part of the whole situation, dragging on
for months, was the reaction of a large part of the community. At first, when
we asked for help in dealing with the conflict, but especially later, after the
violence escalated.
“Was it for sure choking or holding by the neck, because there’s a
difference?”
Telling us to take care of our shit ourselves, that you can’t take a stance
beacuse you know too little... Do you know enough now?
Even after the attack you are trying to remain impartial, because “after all,
both sides threw bottles.” The fact that we were defending ourselves in a
barricaded building from a bunch of guys who were out to get us, and they
stormed the building seems to go under some people’s radar.
When I enter a (socalled) anarchist space in p*land that does not openly and
explicitly define itself as feministqueer, I can expect it to represent downright
anti, and certainly not allied or intersectional attitudes.
I didn’t realize it before, but going outside of the Syrena community I always
hid my queerness “just in case”. From people associated with squats in
p*land I’ve heard the most homophobic, transphobic and mysoginistic things
in my life. I don’t want it to be this way. Syrena gave me hope, a vision of a
better world a world where there is a place for me.
The attack on Syrena was, as many have already noted, an antifeminist,
antiqueer backlash, as can be seen even in the statements issued after the
fact by the side supporting the aggressors, talking about the “Stop Bzdurom
circles”* or queers taking over a squat.
On December 5, Przychodnia* succeeded in what the police, the developers,
the nazis failed to do for 10 years (great job, guys).
Syrena collective still exists.
And after the tenement on Wilcza 30?
Instead of a minute of silence a lifetime of struggle.
** Your silence won’t protect you
Nearly 2 weeks have passed since the events of December 5 in Warsaw.
We would like to direct this message to that part of the so-called scene that
actively supports Przychodnia* and the narrative promoted by them, according to
which the attacked people are to blame for the attack — because they defended
themselves by pouring water from a bucket on the perpetrator cutting the
padlock with an electric tool, or used a wind-gun to defend themselves from
bricks, smoke grenades and bottles flying towards them. We direct this message
to those who blame the Stop Bzdurom* for allegedly fucking up the movement
and accuse us of evicting the migrant to the street, playing the migrant card and
remaining silent about the physical violence D. has been using for months. We are
writing to those who are building a symmetrical narrative of a truth that’s in the
middle.... Wrap up or you’ll be walking alone, because it’s certain that none of us
will physically defend Przychodnia* a third time — and certainly not this
Przychodnia and not this Rozbrat*.
But first, we would like to thank from the bottom of our hearts all the groups and
individuals who have reached out to us in this fucked up time, supported us in
word and action, shared their experiences of violence with us, expressed
solidarity and declared their participation in the common struggle against
violence, cronyism, machismo and all the patriarchal tumor growing in our homes
and spaces of political activity.
And now to all the groups and spaces that are so afraid for their position and
security that they can’t get their voices out, so they say nothing, hoping the issue
will die down. To those who, by saying nothing, give permission to people
involved in this heinous attack to continue acting unreflectively in their groups
and more broadly in the movement. Yes, we are also writing to you — to those who
pretend that nothing happened in order to take care of their own betterment, or
to avoid a similar attack from Przychodnia or Rozbrat*.
Your accusations, your silence, and your passivity (the same one we faced during
the hours-long attack on Syrena) hurt us: they relativize our experiences, they put
us in danger of confronting the perpetrators and their allies in the spaces and
activities in which we are involved, they put us in danger of physical attacks in
revenge by members of this sunday (5.12) militia who, for various reasons, care
about maintaining existing power relations.
Because after your reaction, they may feel convinced that “nothing happened,”
that “the truth really lies in the middle,” meaning that they can seize it to their side
and manipulate it at will. What is frightening is your passivity and your lambasting
in the face of the fact that we, as individuals and groups, have lost our space, our
home, our sense of security and our place of action, the results of our years of
work, things that are not only private, not only close to us, but also things that we
use in our political actions. You, on the other hand, will say that we are against
property so it’ should be cool with us, that it’s a squat and living there means such
a risk, that it’s a paypal anarchism, that since it happened, it means we’ve earned
it.
For a week now we’ve been hearing that we didn’t defend ourselves effectively
enough or that we defended ourselves too much, that our statements are not
convincing enough or overly simplistic because we didn’t debunk another
sensational news story about a bag over head, which you think changes
everything, that referring to a pogrom situation is an exaggeration, that we are the
violent ones and bear responsibility for the fact that dozens of guys armed with
bricks and pepper spray broke into our space and attacked us. Such messages
and blaming accusations on us is also the violence we have been experiencing for
12 days now, 24 hours a day. And for some of us probably even more painful than
the one we experienced on December 5.
The violence on your part that we are talking about here did not start on Sunday.
It began when we made attempts to collectively resolve the situation of physical
violence on Syrena by D. Social Collective of Syrena had been meeting weekly
for several months, looking for the best possible solution, and did not allow itself
to be intimidated by Przychodnia*, which stood by the violent man. Many of you had access or were invited to this process. Many of you chose not to participate
because, after all, “nothing serious is happening,” “it will resolve itself,” “D. is a
cool guy and a good homie”, “the girls and queers at Syrena are exaggerating
and getting hysterical,” “knife threats and strangulation? what’s there to make a
ruckus about?” and “violence in the scene doesn’t concern us.” This violence
concerns all of us, and silence and passivity are its direct legitimization and what
makes the violence there well, that it continues and there is no end in sight.
Evidently, the anarchist movement is so free that everyone here is entitled to all
opinions unsupported by facts; to all acts, including the most selfish ones, dressed
up in lofty political categories; to distorting reality in the name of higher goals
and the good of the movement: the only rightous one, not the radical anti-PiS
liberals from under the sign of pizza and sex. So, we can still justify the
Przychodnia’s violent attack on Syrena with an eviction that wasn’t an eviction
and wasn’t onto the streets, of a guy who wasn’t naked and didn’t have a bag over
the head. You can justify it with a defense that was de facto an attack and a
forcible intrusion into the territory of another squat: well, after all, the people
defending themselves also had stones and bottles, and helmets, and the gate was
welded, someone took a shot at the mediator (who was not a mediator) with a
wind gun.
You can explain this violent incursion by the fact that the colleagues, after all,
stood up for the honored refugee from Belarus and the leader of the Belarusian
movement in Poland, although his origin, migration status and alleged leadership
had nothing to do with it — for us, D. was a violent man who had been physically
attacking the residents of Syrena and people associated with the collective for
months. If that doesn’t help, one can always refer to the ongoing conflict with
Przychodnia over the years and the different sides of the disputes, the same or
similar dynamics in Syrena and other violence within the collective, used by both
sides, the toxic bubble, doing things instead of writing on the Internet, more
important topics. But if this discussion and these voices do not appear as the first
sentence or conclusion that this attack is simply fucking unacceptable in all
possible respects, then we wish such a polish anarchist and freedom movement an
imminent transformation into a carcass.
You know what? We can manage without you, and we certainly don’t need your
‘well, yes, but’.
We were already coping, we are coping and there are more and more of us
despite the fact that some of us are still afraid and living in fear. But know that we
don’t need groups and people in our lives who can’t speak to us for almost two
weeks because they “don’t know what really happened.” We don’t need political
goals to be reached over the dead bodies of our closer or farther comrades
because they disturbed us. And when we come to tell you about it you say that
you won’t listen to us because you have to talk alone. About what? About things,
after all, you know nothing about? When we write about the events of the last
week or month you say it’s statement anarchism. For real?
So we apologize that we did not do a live stream, that there was no person
commenting and describing the events in real time, it was difficult for us to record
and comment — we were fighting for our lives. We apologize that the commentator
was not a person from WSL*, so that it would be objective and unbiased. And not
— no stream, because thats on the Internet, why the fuck to the Internet, who went
to the Internet with this first? You know very well that there were people you
know and with whom you are active; people who then called you for help and
intervention, and now write their accounts — but for you they are, after all,
unreliable, because they are just people, manipulated, with their sympathies....
And you, with a sense of rightness and moral superiority, so you have done
nothing for these 12 days, certainly nothing good, certainly nothing that should be
done in this situation. For that week, we — supporting each other, looking for
emergency housing for each other, providing medical and psychological help,
sharing our stories — have done more to build communities than you all put
together, demanding action from others.
You know this conflict was going on, only somehow no one bothered to speak up
and ask “hey, how’s it going, I heard you guys had a conflict/violence at home,
that pepper spray went off in August, there was police, can we do something?”.
But no, stop. It turned out after the fact that someone leaned on the situation after
all. Reportedly, the upper crust of polish anarchism spoke about it the day before that disgusting evening. Where? Well, in Poznan. Somehow, strangely enough, no
one informed us about it and invited us — neither those who had directly
experienced violence from D., nor from the groups that had been working for
several months to resolve this conflict. Aha. We apologize again and return the
honor. There were mediations conducted announced Rozbrat*. And let his name
and voice be sacred, and you STOP THE BULLSHIT.
One last thing from us: if you think it’s still okay to expect us to tell you how it
really was — what with that mediator, the airgun, the bucket of water, the
psychological violence in the collective, why we had helmets and the gate was
welded — then start listening to our voice and reading what we write in our
accounts. And don’t expect us to do this to convince you, to satisfy your voyerist
needs, to fit into your manipulated and blame-shifting narrative that absolves
Przychodnia* and its violent crew — we must disappoint you. You expect this from
people who have confronted the worst violence bred and normalized by you. You
haven’t asked us how we feel, you haven’t helped us with anything, and all you
have to offer us is shushing and disciplining. Put yourselves in our shoes, if you
have even a little empathy and imagination. If you still think you’ll save yourselves
by keeping your heads down and fretting about the good of the movement, we’ll
tell you that it won’t work. It would have succeeded maybe a week ago, if every
person who is close to the ideas of anti-fascism and the fight against
institutionalized violence had come to solidarity demonstration on Wilcza Street,
if there had been thousands or at least hundreds of us, and if we had collectively
shown that there was no consent on our part, and if we had reclaimed this
building and emptied the other one and kicked out the perpetrators (and even
give it back to the WSL*, since they care so much). Then it would have been
possible to save what the movement wanted to be and what it considers itself to
be. But we had to organize this demonstration ourselves and you were not there
again.
We are the ones who have to face everything that followed and you are not there,
or it still seems to you that you may not be there. And maybe you think to
yourselves, and let the hide fall away, and let individuals disappear just as victims
(of violence, rape, group oppression) do, because only those who remain are tough, real and worthy of respect. It probably still seems to you that it may be as
it has always been. But we will do our best to ensure that the two buildings are no
longer considered a safe space and that no more people are harmed there. And
we know that at the moment more violent people are returning there from
banishment. And don’t be surprised if a month from now, or 2, 3, 5 years from now,
you meet us in the middle of an intervention, when another person has been
subjected to sexual, physical or homophobic violence in one of these places. You
will then see us shoulder to shoulder in the crowd, because we will respond to this
violence and we will fight against it. Know that this train has already left the
station and you have no influence by standing next to it. It was only and as much
about saying “no” to this particular incident and showing some elementary
solidarity, which is what we constantly talk about and what we supposedly have
for everyone who faces harm and oppression. And you were not even able to do
this and preferred to stand aside. This is sad and pathetic.
So fuck off if you can’t help.
We are not scared of the ruins
** Anarchonformism and empowerment
Was kinda lazy to write my story, as it has all felt much harder to others than to
me. Tho, there’s some things worth bringing up, less noticed.
Some say it was just suppression in my case, not any less intense. Still, had gone
through very scary stuff before, it wasn’t my first rodeo, so I was somehow
prepared, and felt the long prelude much worse. Plus, how we were to each other
at the time felt uplifting. It was nevertheless terrible to see how heavy it was on
people. That’s why I felt proud of them even more.
To me 5.12 was more of the epilogue and a logical continuation than a pure shock.
I’ve been afraid it would be a slaughter — although I tended to expect rather an
uncontrolled eruption and raging with lethal weapons by the main character. But I
knew it would be bad even in the best possible scenario. I’ve heard the squat
Od:Zysk* in Poznań (Posen) had gotten cleared by their ‘comrades’, not without
violence; I’ve heard that during the long conflict following the rape at
Przychodnia*, the sexist squatters had pushed out all the more aware ones; I’ve
also felt (and later have heard rumours, still long before shit hit the fan) that
Syrena was also to be taken over — both as a house and as a social center.
(Luckily, we at least have managed to prevent the latter.)
It wasn’t so much about one seriously dangerous person, nor their several
befriended football fans. He had a big role, yep. More importantly, it has been all
fueled, supported and planned by bigger players, wanting to keep their strong
position and extend it, be dominating, have their order (plus, to take revenge for
having it disturbed so long). I mean... not so much need to point at the dude’s last
name on my side (he’s been btw already outed by own kin pretty widely), and the
more he gets stigmatized as an individual, the better for the cold-blooded string-
pulling figures.
Importantly perhaps, here I mean the following as well. As it effectively matters,
regardless of whether it should matter much or should at all not. I as well
acknowledge, I do I do almost eagerly... as most or many groups and somewhat
more, us also have been plagued by shit-tons of infighting, power games, psychological oppressions, hierarchical and otherwise problematic behaviours, discriminations, and stuff; must say I’ve myself BeenThere (and also DoneThat, as we actually speak of ‘stone throwing’, pun intended xd). I actually believe at least
half of world’s evil is good folks’ deeds and I find it likely inevitable and way less
personal than it usually looks, too. As a rule, what makes us cross more borders or
sober up depends largely on if the milieu deals with shit and in what way; is rather
into supporting ppl in becoming more comradely or into building an assholeist
internationale. Not that I badly need to belittle, downplay, unblame the important
first row fighter (a supposedly troubled person), he quite bears responsibility in
fact, ain’t just a scapegoat; just that clearly barely anything would happen, had the
influential and powersome others not wished it, it in this way or another.
Many folks wanted to stick to them, to their physical power, or didn’t care. Cause
they didn’t like this or that person among us and therefore wished us all possible
trouble. Or out of envy towards some less established people who had come out
with something fresh — which was great and successful, broadening the scope of
radical struggles in the country — done own way ‘unfortunately’ , not having asked
the elders, unquestioned authorities who know better, how to do squatting and
anarchism. [Here I think about the confrontational queer feminist activities —
gaining huge traction just when Poland had started going increasingly
fundamentalist-catholic in its propaganda and practices — changing even the
mainstream discourse for good and winning hearts of much of the young
generation.] Or just because it was too hard to believe, that these nice,
sympathetic fellas could be that bad and abusive — at least if you didn’t have own
experience of domestic violence — while it’s a strategy, however often
unconscious, to be soo friendly and nice like in general, and to harm just the
selected prey. You can imagine which sorts of people may have or have not such
experiences and thus (lack of) understanding. Finally, simply because to most
people the voice of the more powerful side seems truer — and to side with them
costs less.
One could say that we’ve managed to unite against us people of two groups —
those who hated ideological competitors within anarchism and anarconformists
(plus others covertly and overtly ‘non-political’, numerous ‘lifestyle squatters’ and
other pure opportunists).
It got clear to me, that chances would be slim. Through spring, summer and
autumn we’ve been disappointed so many times, by so many people, often known
for years from common work, actions, struggles. I realized Syr’s chances for
survival were not stunning. Destruction’s always easier, even more so in a group
based on an extremely superficially misunderstood consensus. There was a lot of
determination, a lot of hope, just some outside support.
During these long months they’ve wanted rather to chase us away, terrorize, than
to actually break our bones — using mostly threats, insults, yelling and such tricks.
Often misgendering ppl maliciously; hate speech sometimes seemed to be more of
a tool than of deep need. Actually they eagerly let be and even ‘respect’ some
token females and queers if they don’t pursue own agendas nor challenge
priorities and given rules.
In the end, so many people couldn’t stand it and had gone. We were also hoped to
move out one by one, quietly, to give up. Some of us had a chance to shut up,
stand aside, to be able to stay there and function. It’s often so at projects, that
with time, who’s able to stay long-term is those less sensitive ones. They’d just be
there, keep rooms, to live for free and freely, to use the social spaces, ‘to just do
their job’, legitimizing the brutal and stupid ones. The house looked nice, despite
bad condition, and had a beautiful café, where countless crews would always want
to make events, without questioning about the fate of the previous crew. We’d
swallow the loss silently dispersing, and half a year later the world would forget.
Actually, much of the world needs to and does much to silence it all and keep
business as usual. (BTW, why Przychodnia* hates us so much and has longed for
revenge was that we had taken part in making a loud scandal out of them not
addressing the problem of sexual violence in their place, hoped to stay under the
carpet.)
*** **Before things went to the knife-edge (pun intended)**
It was after the hate truck*, related coup attempt at Syr and imprisonment of one
of us; then a few months long wave of mass and almost daily pro-choice protests
in which many of us intensely participated. I was happy to see group having direction, and a great one... raison d’être, and
stuff. As authorities and Roman Catholic Church
were gradually targeting females&LGBTQ+ with
propaganda and imposing stricter, tighter laws,
used repressions, etc, that kind of direction
seemed much needed...
Some members and unofficial residents hadn’t
seem to care (not feeling much in common with
such a cause), or to like it at all — be it for bizarre-
yet-widespread vision shortly covered in the
below chapter or for being more interested in
drinking, aligning with machos, at times for
personal grudges, for often unspoken short-
sighted perspective or belief that being non-
radical translates to keeping the building forever; in different proportions in the
mix. (Notably, some folks couldn’t be equally blamed here, at that point, for sole
not caring or understanding, or expected to join activities, because of dire
material and status circumstances. Since ever house hosted and accepted people
in trouble en masse, also for permanent membership, trying to involve them —
usually failing miserably — not without mistakes; getting frustrated, overburdened
and trying less and less over years.) For the record, I’m not gonna lie, there were
tons of uncool behaviours and dynamics on each possible side, and yep, besides
transphobia and so on there’s been different sorts of symbolical violence around,
various discriminations and exclusions, rarely worked on deeply. (Actually, my
own list of grievances towards comrades is endless, and I can remember having
done wrong not once or twice in the past myself.) To an extent, sadly, it’s often so
among us utopists and collectivists. Moreover, there has been much diversity of
walks of life among residents, with extremely overly ambitious visions of running
it all and relatively difficult overall life conditions in PL on top.
The hostile powers within the movement had it quite easy to play on the
complicated situation and little coherence (the method wasn’t invented that year).
Until now symmetrists claim or suggest that we’ve deserved this amount of brutality and expelling, for us being uncool, or that we and our assailants were
worth each other as equally fucked up. Rifts were growing. The organizing was
getting increasingly sabotaged. Infighting was escalating terribly, everyone
doubling down. ‘Them’ left the mediation process we organized with
internationally known specialized activist, at early stage, as allegedly non-
impartial, cuz they didn’t like conclusions it seemed to lead to, nor wanted to have
any tying-hands agreement to (not) keep.
By the time our hero has started to employ threats of direct physical attack as
arguments, they must have felt sure of outside legitimization, wide strong front
behind them and indifference of many others. Last but not least, with coercion,
intrigue, promise of share in the conquest and demonstrations of vast power,
they’ve converted and/or installed some more troyan horses within, digging under
and flipping at right time. Which became especially problematic given that
collective has never reached universal understanding of consensus, decision-
making processes and such stuff, not to speak about coherent ideological
platform — effecting naturally with stalemate, inertia and broader chaos, to their
further advantage. Needless to say, as a group we’ve been at that point naïve and
unable to see thru or imagine to what lengths they’d go against us, with what
measures.
*** **Symmetrists, anarconformism, nestor-macho-ism, misoginarchism, ‘just-live-
ers’**
Actually, isn’t a squat for free living, and being free? What was wrong for us, if
folks just wanted to live there, normally? ‘Good fellows’, they’re said to be taking
care of the renovations (btw, sort of a lie), cleaning around, ‘even’ getting some
food...
In Warsaw, ‘the activist squat’ was, to a degree, an abomination; many of even
‘involved people’ are for a primarily self-housing-oriented squatting. Even at
ours, it was often, for long, for some (long ago, me including), that political
activities were means to sustain a base and support for having a rent-free house —
not the other way around. Therefore broad aversion, at times condemnation and rage directed towards radical/controversial stances and actions. Squat or a
dream-project should be supposedly meant for counterculture, avoid
antagonisms, do charity. To get a place inside, two things are meant to count: to
be ‘a good fellow’ and appear somewhat poor-ish. On such a desert as our city,
counterculture is more than enough to attract people and everyone’s happy.
Alternatively, you could endlessly exploit strictly limited scope of once-indeed-
brilliant-fresh-and-original ideas in derivative, copycat, monopolized activism,
concessioned by prominent anarchists.
Isn’t but a sole act of occupation something radical? Are ‘good fellows’, who ‘take
care of the place’ not activists (and who’s to define)? Like everyone had
capacities for ‘in the typical sense political’ work, and like reproductive work
were worthless? Isn’t this ‘politics’ about sheer hypocrisy, or at least about
keeping nose high up in the air?
Well, occupying, bringing life to, and defending a place, that _is_ in fact disliked
by the authorities and somewhat on an unsure ground is one thing. Another is that
— for many years the city has been accepting a functioning squat in an old ruined
building that was falling apart, however not possible to get demolished (as an
officially protected one). Reprivatization scandals* had gone into mainstream and
then, in turn, were no longer headlines; tragedy of Jolanta Brzeska got so
exploited and cannibalized, that the family started to publicly call for moderation
long ago. WSL, Warszawskie Stowarzyszenie Lokatorów (Warsaw Tenants’
Association)* had even allied with the fascist-leaning party PiS, Prawo i
Sprawiedliwość (Law and Justice)*... they didn’t benefit, though.* These very
authorities, ruling the country, promising things to the tenants — btw, in vain — in
the same time they easily generate more social problems and launch oppressive
campaigns against more and more vulnerable social groups: first migrants, then
lgbtq+, then focused on trans ppl.
The tenants’ association WSL* was expectedly meant to still be providing
content and sense of mission to the place, or rather — help to pretend, maintain a
façade, that it was still about Something — and bring some legitimation.
(Interestingly, the local leader of the macho-dumbells, character #2, dares to compare himself to the murdered tenant activist J. Brzeska; a squatter who owns
properties himself, unoppressed enough to perceive as oppressions... verbal
requests to stop misgendering, transphobic comments etc). The city hall had
swallowed the appearance of a social center way more than 5 years before, when
it had been still a pain in the ass; now it already can be easily tolerating it. Nuff
said, the café opening had been warmly mentioned not once on the screens in the
metro (credited to ‘anarchists from the squat’!). At least if it’s housing-and-
counterculture oriented, resp. if its affiliations and activities stay within the
already accepted limits. Why would they mind? At least they can pose for good
democrats. But, that’s the kind of squat we want now, isn’t it? Why need more, if
it’s a win and you can ‘just live normally’? Well, after years of cleaning and
renovating one could finally yield and reap benefits, rest and enjoy own space,
having become warm and cozy, and just have fun.
This model of quasi-corruption has been invented and copied to different
locations at least since 70’s; what often follows is that once the power feels need
and finds it easy, they grab the places and kick out the people anyway. Meanwhile
using, not in their long term interests, different just-housing-oriented tenants,
(wannabe-) ‘fellow travelers (rus.: paputchiki)’ etc. What happened to La Zad de
Notre Dame des Landes, the largest autonomous territory on the continent?
There’s more examples. But, do these ‘real, true workers/punks’ give a flying
fuck?
Dear WSL*, you say: ‘HGW (the previous mayor — author’s note) had to accept
emergence of three squats, and Trzaskowski?’. Look: one of these squats fell
during HGW’s rule, also thanks to your informal leader, and now — thanks to your
work, too — new mayor Trzaskowski has one next worry less. Since you — having
now conquered new parts of house we used to share, and having evicted the
activists who were personally, physically defending some of you at your doors
from evictions by cops, getting brutalized — have become alt-left and far-right
affiliated, for nothing more than pat on the back, the current mayor no doubt has
to eagerly accept this new move of your faction of the tenants’ movement. Was it
you behind rising proudly the polish national flags from the captured building?
(Documented.)
However, there’s no like one and only way to go — is it wrong, if you have fun and
just live without rent? Or, in their words, ‘run a shelter for the oppressed by the
system’. I mean — it’s okay to just physically maintain an occupied building, even
though it’s not too clear whether it accelerates or slows down the area
gentrification (‘vibrant’, ‘hip’ vibes)... But only as long, as you care about the
outside world and do not speak against or prevent the place from being used for
broader struggles!
...And pretty importantly, as long as you are not real assholes to housemates!
Symmetrists, were anyone ever subject to threats and physical violence for ‘not
being activist enough by our criteria’???
What is ‘just living normally’, and what normally here means, is not written in
stone; all shall reflect and co-decide. For ones normal is sexual exploitation of
intoxicated persons; others call it raping. Neither WSL*, neither many of macho
supporters and symmetrists are disgusted to shake hands. As all know now, for
you threats, hitting and kicking others, raising a knife, it’s your norm now.
For you to be non-male, or queer, is not to deserve ‘a shelter for the oppressed by
the system’. Asylum is ruled by and available to cis-guys. Squat’s a manly affair,
other people can be there for legitimization, or for fun, or as token. Occasionally
can even have some say, provided that their agenda is compatible. Shouting at,
making people cry at plenums, misgendering, choking (pardon: ‘squeezing one’s
throat’) do not constitute violence, are normal for you.
It’s THEM who were trying to expel 6 persons — repressed and surveilled persons
— 1,5 a year before, precisely for activism (aforementioned coup attempt). As
queers are not oppressed in your worldview, because you don’t care, that people
take own lives, get attacked on the streets, beaten by the police, while TV and
Church run dehumanizing hate campaigns. It’s called troublemaking (for the
WSL* head: ‘shit-stirring’), and harmful. Queer means to be from a better-off
family, even if not at all, or even if they are no longer their family; you know better,
their activism, emotions, very life are irrelevant, fad and whim. Would you expect
yourself to shut up, or allow yourself to do something, if a hate truck* came to the door on birthday, calling not us, but Belarussians (or punks) pedophiles and child
murderers with a megaphone? Don’t you know what comes after you let the
enemy offend you terribly like that with no reaction? Wait, perhaps the power
ain’t any enemies for many of you, trying to co-exist or dreaming of deal making.
‘Why won’t you divide the building?’ some bystanders and ‘fellow travelers’ were
saying. Sure, we’d be able to stay safe there, and co-exist, all trouble would stop,
and force will no longer be used, your word, yeah? Your ‘good fellows’ have
exposed, what their aims were, and for what methods were they ready. Still,
whatever we were saying, was always put in question, disbelieved, belittled and
excused. Not that it has ever stopped.
*** **Long agony**
The more the shit was growing, the more people were turning out bad and stupid,
the more I was seeing it a big, important thing, not about any single person. And
that it’s been for Something, for good and bad. Other people were becoming
warmer, supporting each other (despite all internal shit).
BTW, I guess it was difficult for most of THEM to comprehend, why in the world
did we really care about the squat, even though most of the time they seemed
quite positive of success, of us dropping out one by one, tired and intimidated.
Certainly, them been saying, as someone had crowd-financing, and as we were
allegedly better-off kids, unlike them, we were able to afford to, and had it easy, to
value Cause over safe (oh, wait) housing. Certainly too, a typical propaganda
talking point based on part-truth for efficiency. I’d personally dream to be able to
say we’re all kids; for sure not all of us are better-off, some of us also chose to or
had to say good bye to family resources, or to families at all (not everyone’s able
to imagine situation of a queer/anarchist in a traditional, far right dominated
country). Time has also proven we haven’t it easy to make a basic living. Ain’t as
black and white either on their side — one of the two of their biggest fish is really,
really not so miserable oneself (not the only case among them all, one works for
judiciary lol). But it’s us to be explaining ourselves, that’s how it is on the losing
side, isn’t it?
So we’ve lived in terror for a long time. There was a grand rehearsal of ‘people’s
tribunal’, some major threat episodes, mass raids, some meant to cause wounds
and get us vacations in hospital and some meant ‘just’ to scare and demonstrate
overwhelming power. Quite sadly, not so much of the world cared much, not
among those who had this or that kind of power or leverage. We knew, that they
wouldn’t step back and that big time clash was inevitable — or otherwise we’d just
hand out the whole squat in humiliation. The thought of the military confrontation
was paralyzing. To imagine it was so uneasy. At the same time, I was feeling as
though it was cementing us and making us better comrades.
I was visualizing numerous injuries of my own and of others, lifelong traumas,
disabilities, lost eyes and dozens of teeth, scarred faces. I’ve seriously counted
with someone’s death from that knife (or from my hands). Even though he wasn’t
any psychopath, still impulsive, uncontrolled aggressor. I had to go with that in
mind, and still we’ve decided to use nothing lethal. I’ve been much pessimistic,
even wondered: am I blinded by my fear, and destroying others’ spirits with my
forecasts? I somewhat needed to have it constantly postponed, but mostly have
felt relieved when we went for his removal; after months of fear, very well or very
badly, it was to finally end up.
The very unscrupulous attack of Przychodnia*, that has followed right after, was
fucking bad indeed. I’ve had just a few comparable situations in life, and I knew
vast majority of us had less or none, and was totally afraid of them as well. I was
aware we’ve had a couple times less people ready for that much. Obviously,
they’ve had fun, overwhelming us.
I’ve registered, they’ve prepared and mobilized some 5 x more people and
weaponry than for the nazi holiday (11.11* every year, Poland’s day, gathering at
least thousands of nazis, not so long ago big tens of thousands). It was very
visible. Can’t stop to mention, start of November the protagonist had fought
bravely to stop us from preparing for the nazi day (until realizing that it had
looked bad even for their side), because it had been clearly more important to
have Syrena open and unorganized for Przychodnia’s* planned invasion, pending
and awaiting the signal.
Still, I was a bit — just a bit — surprised, how they haven’t hesitated for a fraction of
a second to unleash the hail of bricks and all that on a mostly female crew acting
in whitest gloves (like, making sure D. wouldn’t get hurt, has his possessions
secured etc... as the weaker side, easy to blame no matter what, we’ve felt bound
to take all possible measures to minimize world’s criticism in case of success, and
also just to not be like them). They’ve naturally felt entitled, against minorities who
didn’t subordinate to power. As usually in the outside world, the stronger has no
concerns or regrets; they knew no one could make a problem of whatever they’d
use or if they’d cause permanent injuries, for what we, in turn, would pay beyond
words. Blame Syrena; the bigger is always right.
The same circle, first to fiercely condemn a symbolic damage to the hate-truck*
in response to a nazi punching and knocking down a woman, in front of the house,
‘because they’d smear us in the media’, and to blame her for looking badly with
blood on her face at their yard; for whom we’re troublemakers; who supposedly
cared just for ‘good fellows being able to live normally’. This time neither the
image, nor blood did matter. Did it come as surprising? This, not at all.
From the first moment already, I was mostly moved and uplifted by the courage of
our folks. I saw it as a fight for some fundamental dignity. Was proud, that we’ve
stood for it despite the risk. Obviously, I was also convinced, that it wouldn’t finish
with just scratches and it was no fun to remember about. Though: we’ve kept
consensus — there was no bravado — we’ve stayed together. That felt great. I was
even feeling as though we were making a big step toward becoming, pardon my
Latin, that mythical ‘community of care’.
I was remembering these countless moments from my young years, with people
punching me in the face or breaking my nose because of my ‘faggot’ looks, with
me constantly hiding or running away. Once almost jumping into our big river,
almost having gotten surrounded by nazis on the bridge. Having a knife put on my
throat in the city center. How helpless I had been, how I couldn’t overcome it,
going out of my way, never ever confronting. Feeling so lonely, as I had known no
one such. I could count only on advices to adjust to the norms. Smtms
compassion, however mixed with contempt at times. I had been adjusting slowly
over almost like decades of cis-ing, and in the end effectively enough to have become truly male privileged and enjoy it,
familiarize with it, use it, let youth time fall
into oblivion (well, I don’t have nice
memories); forget how I had been
perceiving any identity as such as a trap,
being molded and confused about myself.
So the 5.12 have felt personally
therapeutic, strange as it may sound.
I was very glad, no one was left behind,
there were no quarrels among us, and
we’ve stayed together till end, when it has come to a controlled withdrawal after
some hours of defense. I’ve felt solidarity and empowerment at that time.
Comparing to many bitter thoughts and experiences of preceding months, I was
quite okay, thinking we were losing a house, but having potential to do something
new. It was a place that felt like home back then in the Stone Age, but well, I’ve
been feeling home nowhere over last 4–5 years anyway and I don’t think I’d
belong anywhere anymore, ever. Great thankfulness for those who have come and
taken risk for the Cause, without no personal interest.
It has felt as a real achievement, to at least try to remove the violent macho and
stand against their big crew of dumbells. It brought satisfaction in itself to spoil
their plan a bit (especially that the house itself is probably unsustainable in the
long run): make them show who they are, have hands dirty and to impose cost on
their beloved image. Even if they sure make stories of pro-tenant intervention and
what not, and after that many have sided with them (unsurprisingly as it’s them
who’ve stayed on the board, important and rich in a downtown mini-empire... so
they can cooperate). Nevertheless, the impact still counts. Same time — that was
for the good side... until now I keep on seeing and hearing more and more
symptoms of trauma from people who’ve been there.
** Regarding the events of 5.12 at the Syrena squat
Regardless of who’s on one side, who’s on the other side, regardless of people’s
backgrounds, regardless of gender identities or life experiences, because I’m
tired of valuing our and others’ struggles, the fact is that domestic violence took
place and the people affected by it tried to do something about it in the end.
What do you do when you live with someone who uses mental and physical
violence against you? You can try to fix it, you can try to talk, mediate, you can
call in someone from the outside to help talk some sense into the person.
What if the perpetrator of the violence is unresponsive, ignores you and all
attempts at mediation, messages, requests or stipulations of the household
members, does whatever he likes in your home without the consent of others,
continues his behavior and also threatens to harm you and bring his friends, and
you live in constant fear in your own home? Do you run away or try to stand up?
This time, contrary to the pattern of the victim fleeing from the perpetrator of
violence, people along with the help of friends and people from other collectives
(to make the whole process as fair as possible) decided to ask him out of the
house. Voluntarily and peacefully it was not possible, it was only met with
terrifying aggression and attack, and the summoning of a gang of hooligans.
And when you see a hoard of large, aggressive people coming at your house,
throwing bottles, bricks and pyrotechnics, and you fear for your life, your loved
ones and your home — what do you do then?
You defend yourself, your loved ones and your home by any means necessary.
But when you see that nothing compares to the force and aggression that is
coming at you and more important is the health and life of you and your loved
ones — you run away.
The next day you wake up and people are accusing you en masse, shaming you,
vilifying, that you had the audacity to throw the perpetrator of violence out of
your own home, because he is, after all, a Belarusian refugee. That you had the
audacity to throw, in panic and in fear of your life, a bottle and anything that came
to hand at a gang of hooligans who violently attacks you and wants to take over
your house in return.
Many people don’t believe you that he was the perpetrator of the violence,
because they, after all, have other experiences with him. Because, after all, they
have been friends with him since they were kids. Because, after all, for them he is
always so great. Because he says something different, he says you’re lying. And
you, in fact, they never liked too much, because you constantly made some kind of
trouble and were annoying.
Others don’t even think about this violence, because the fact that a person from
Belarus lost his home is more important. And still others start a campaign of lies
and slander about you.
Again, one believes in the rationale of the stronger.
How do you feel?
Because that’s how all the people who lived there are feeling right now.
As a person who was on the scene and who, along with others helped defend
Syrena, I can attest to the fact that a more peaceful attempt to throw out an
aggressive violent person (after months of other attempts and mediation) was not
possible, I can attest to the magnitude of the aggression we were faced with in
retaliation, and I can attest to the fact that each of us defended ourselves as we
could in the situation.
I had been aware of the situation for months, I was more or less up to date with it,
I wish I had been able to get more involved and help earlier. Nevertheless I saw
what effect the whole situation had on individuals. It was months of living in fear
and stress. I don’t wish this on anyone.
And last Sunday was the climax, I have never personally encountered such a scale
of massed aggression in my life.
And no one should be indifferent to the issue, it’s not just “squat wars” or another
“leftist fuss”, it wasn’t just a roof over the head for a group of super activists, it
was also a key strategic point of action for our community, in all areas of action of
the anarcho-queer-feminist-leftist movement and beyond (#intersectionalism
ftw), a place where ideas were born, important and cool things were done, and
also a place of engaged culture, it was our safe-space. One of the last in Warsaw.
Lost.
Although the Syrena home is lost, I see some light in it, I hope that each of us can
get something good out of it, that our whole movement will weed out the evil that
was simmering somewhere all the time and sneaking around constantly, that we
know who to rely on and who not to rely on. It’s time to cleanse ourselves.
And in spite of everything, I am glad that I was able to help individuals try to fight
for themselves and our space.
As a wise person in the group said, if we can’t fight for our own backyard, how
can we fight for the rest of the world?
Syrena is not a squat. Syrena is a strike!
** Violence, memory, and identity
Hey. Tadek Zinowski / Paviel here. I’ve lived at Syrena for more than 7 years, I’ve
been active for more than a decade, this Sunday I lost my home, my place of
activism and the most important political project of my life.
I am speaking out about the events of December 5 because I can no longer listen
to the nonsense being told about this issue. Nor can I listen to the deafening
silence of passive witnesses trying to be on the both sides of the barricade, a
barricade that has already fallen.
*** **WHAT HAPPENED**
If you already know this part, please skip it and don’t waste your time :) For a
summary of the dry facts, I refer you to the profile of the Syrena collective. In
short, we had a problem as a collective with an aggressive, individualistic and
anti-social boy named Dima, who could not respect the rules of our group and
used domestic violence. After six months of an unsuccessful mediation and
negotiation process, we made the decision to deny him further housing. This
decision was made unanimously, in open, plenary meetings, by the social
collective of the sqaut (the overarching one, which organizes the activities), since
the house collective (the subordinate one, which deals with everyday issues, and
is a subgroup of the social collective) was paralyzed by the conflict, intimidated
and unable to make a decision that would protect its activists — that part of the
residents who wanted to react also participated in these decisions unanimously, a
few boycotted the meetings together with Dima. As was the case with dozens of
problematic residents — this is normal procedure — squats are collectively
managed places and you only stay there if you respect their rules. These decisions
Dima took note of and chose to ignore. We waited until the date given, then
waited double the time, just to be sure, and then we carried out his removal. For
this, we gathered quite a few people from the entire social collective, various
groups, and most of the household members, in order to emphasize the
seriousness of the decision and to prevent any possible physical aggression that
individual delegates might encounter. Ahead, however, in a further attempt to talk calmly, three household members went to negotiate. Despite the fact that he
immediately hit the negotiator on our side with his elbow in the face within the
first few minutes of the conversation, we remained calm and held him down, and
carried him out of the building without any unnecessary violence, after which we
packed up his belongings. All this in an atmosphere of constant threats, including
death threats, to everyone gathered.
After about over an hour, around 5pm, the Przychodnia* collective and its allies
gathered on their side of the courtyard, in a militant mood. They threatened that if
we didn’t let Dima back in, they would cut the locked gate and enter themselves.
We didn’t agree — our decisions are not the business of other collectives, we value
political choices more highly than cronyism, and Przychodnia itself lost our trust
and respect long ago. When one of the residents of Przychodnia began to cut the
wicket, he was doused with a bucket of cold water. After a while, the first
firecrackers and pellet from pneumatic weapons flew in our direction.
Immediately followed by a hail of bottles, bricks, stones and pepper spray. We
responded almost symmetrically, using empty bottles and pepper spray at the
group of attackers. An almost 4-hour battle began. After a while, when the wicket
gave way, we retreated to the building, from where we continued to exchange
bottles with Przychodnia people, who invaded the courtyard and began breaking
windows in the building and forcing the door. By this time we already had people
injured to varying degrees. When the door fell chopped down with axes, around
9:00 pm, we decided to evacuate the building — a group of about 30 people,
including a dozen inhabitants left their position, in the building, in addition to the
attackers remained 4 people who remained neutral or sympathetic towards Dima.
As we found out later, the attackers broke into our rooms — some of the things
were simply looted (cash, data carriers, phones, notebooks, alcohol), and some
were taken over as material “hostage” so that they could play graciously giving it
or not later to people returning for their medicines, glasses or panties. In all, a
wild eviction of a dozen people was carried out — all women, all queer people, all
the more politically and socially active. We were left out in the cold in what we
stood, without a home. The following week, thanks to negotiations by neutral
groups, some property was recovered.
*** **HOW DID I TAKE IT?**
Facts are as above, but that anyone could check for themselves. As for feelings, I
want to say briefly about one kind of sadness and one kind of pride. It was sad for
me that the attackers who eventually destroyed the Syrena squat and who were
ready to kill or hurt me (for example, a fist-sized stone fell on my bed, shattering
the glass) did not turn out to be policemen, tenement cleaners or nazis — we
managed to fend off numerous attacks by each of these groups in this decade.
The perpetrators turned out to be people I personally knew, as I thought until
recently colleagues, neighbors, but also comrades in combat. People with whom
we stood shoulder to shoulder at the nationalist blockades, with some of whom
we defended other buildings, whom we supported eg. during their workers’
protests. Or at least we went to their concerts, because strictly political activists
were a minority there :) We expected it from all sides, but not from our neighbors
— which shows how little we rememberd from the history of minority groups in
Poland. The pogrom is always done by the neighbors.
However, during the defense I also felt a kind of pride and satisfaction. For I
consider our greatest success not how long we defended ourselves or our exit
without losses, but the social and political group we managed to gather by those
windows. In the words of Pulp — “misshapes, mistakes, misfits”: anarchists,
feminists, abortionists, sex workers, precarious women, unionists, queer kids, trans
people, non-Polish people, activists and victims of state repression stood shoulder
to shoulder against a bunch of dudes defending a violent pal and put up armed
resistance to them on a scale unknown in Polish feminism of this century. The
psychic cost of exposure and use of violence is, of course, great, but if one wants
to understand antything of the situation, one should accept that the lives of many
people from minority groups and non-masculine people on a daily basis are a
struggle for a minimum of dignity, and sexist or homophobic violence, threats of
beatings, death, rape — lurk on every street corner and even at homes. Syrena was
until recently their safe haven. So maybe it’s better to be able to look this violence
straight in the nasty mug and slam a bottle into it. I believe that political
consciousness is formed in struggle, and that’s why I hope that someday
December 5, 2021 will turn out to be a joyous anniversary, like our tiny, micro-political Haymarket or Stonewall. The fact that we are losing is not the most
important thing here, as Rosa Luxemburg wrote in her last words, “The rulers are
stepping from one apparent victory to the next, preparing their final defeat, and
we, though receiving blows, are working so that the international revolution can
cry out again: «I was, I am, I will be!»” Leftism is also about losing — anyone who
has participated in social struggles knows this. As Brecht wrote: “to beat does not
mean to win.”
*** **WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?**
The whole thing seems — and is! — an absurd. However, it is the result of several
trends and conflicts that have been developing in the movement for years and
consuming it like a cancer. Some people wonder what the rapes covered up by
Rozbrat*, or their sale of the “Odzysk” squat have to do with the situation in
Warsaw. However, if one looks at the issue radically, i.e., to the root — one can see
toxic regularities. The acually existing anarchist movement, although it contains a
feminist undercurrent, as a whole is not yet feminist. In many groups and places
there is acquiescence to violence, a culture of silence, exclusion of victims as a
problem-solving mechanism, and so on. The response to domestic or sexual,
sexist, homophobic and transphobic violence, is very often a united macho front
in defense of the perpetrator. Such behavior not only does not support those
experiencing violence, but also harms the perpetrators themselves by blocking
the opportunity to understand their mistakes, make amends and repair the
behavior. In an attempt to maintain the image of safe environments or spaces,
many people focus on powdering the corpse — instead of eradicating the sources
of problems, they try to plug the sources of leakage of such information.
After the case of the rape at Przychodnia* squat (https://resiste.squat.net/?
p=24396), the squat became a toxic macho-den. Many people thought it was
okay — we don’t cooperate, we don’t invite them and we don’t go there. But
leaving the issue unresolved became the ground on which the male society
attacking us on Sunday grew. What is repressed always comes back. A climate of
misogyny and homophobia, a political level below zero and a tolerance for
violence created the conditions in which it seemed like a good idea for everyone
to raid the feminist squat next door, destroy it and kick the female residents out. Or maybe at least half of them saw it as a great idea — they don’t use consensus at
Przychodnia, they use majority votes xD
That’s why I’m very happy that finally “these issues” are being talked about
loudly. It turns out that these “corpses in the closet” are very much alive and
pissed off women and queers, and they are just knocking loudly from inside to
finally come out of the closet — I think they have already put their foot in the door.
As one of the comrades at the solidarity demonstration following the eviction of
Syrena called for — it’s finally time for #metoo on the squat scene.
Another aspect of the whole issue is the way micro-politics are practiced in the
movement. Many of the groups are based on an informal hierarchy, with familiar
relationships between leaders replacing open political discussion. Disputes that
could be politicized and discussed freeze for years turned into personal conflicts.
Personal conflicts, include personal gamesmanship — sabotaging activities,
exclusion from initiatives, gossip and slander, ferment behind one’s back, etc. This
prevents constructive resolution of situations and weakens the movement as a
whole.
Home-grown politicians imagine that radical politics is a sort of miniature of big
politics — the activists are something like their party, or a youth group, and they
are its managers. This is a far cry from anarchist thinking, in which a movement is
a free association of free and equal people. However, this model took root at
Przychodnia,* has been in place at Rozbrat* and in the Anarchist Federation* for
years, and for many years Antoni Wiesztort tried to impose it on Syrena like a
saddle on a cow, until the group told him to move out. (BTW: dude who now
writes Rozbrat and WSL* statements at the speed of diarrhea, as if they were just
his next troll-accounts, without asking inconvenient activists for their opinion, and
in his spare time makes up and sends around people black legends straight from a
right-wing tabloid, about people with whom he has organized for years, to justify
the Sunday attack). It is also this very model that gives permission for violence
and prevents the movement from evolving in a direction of more equality. The
old-spirited activists, with egos as big and fragile as a crystal palace, are
confident that they are the only ones who know what should be done, said and thought, and are ready to force the unruly to submit by force. A particularly sad
example of this is the trend against direct action, in which people who have
already been repressed, convicted, imprisoned and tortured by the state
apparatus are oppressed, because some rusty dudes think it’s a terrible drama to
set fire to a police car or cut up a truck of a homophobic organization*. Arbitrary
convictions replace tactical discussion, and mud-throwing is supposed to chase
away “dangerous radicals” from the movement. For these could interrupt the
peaceful slumber of this (un)movement. The example of the eviction of the
Odzysk squat by Rozbrat* (the last text in this zine) was, until last Sunday, the
clearest symbol of this pathology, authoritarian anarchism. In this situation, Dima
has become barely a pretext, a “pawn in their game” (Dylan) for individuals and
groups carrying out their dirty politics.
The last aspect I will address in this note is the politics of exclusion and division.
Although mouths are full of platitudes about unity, many individuals and groups
allow themselves to arbitrarily divide oppressed groups and struggles into “real”
and “fake” based on irrational hatred or ignorance. Perhaps the most popular
form of such invalidation is class reductionism, i.e. the belief that the only truly
significant oppression is that associated with economic position. Accordingly,
social struggles — of workers or tenants — are supposed to be a) opposed to b)
more important than all other struggles. Both of these assumptions are wrong —
just as oppressions in one person’s life (e.g., “I’m poor, I’m a woman, I’m a
migrant”) are combined, so should be the struggles against them. However,
theories are built on these erroneous assumptions, detached from the practice of
our movement, which play into hands of conservatives and liberals. Other
examples include the division of women into “real” and “not real” by so-called
TERFs, or simply transphobes, busy putting up a wall across the women’s
community, or the sex-phobic attitude of parts of the labor or women’s movement
toward sex workers and their labor organizations. These kinds of exclusionary
policies are unfortunately nothing new on the left. In the face of overwhelming
pressure from the majority society, there is a temptation to exclude the “most
problematic” i.e. stigmatized people and create for oneself a polite image that the
rulers will like. Examples can be multiplied — the disintegration of the First
International, the support of the war by the Second, the nationalism and anti-Semitism of the pre-war socialist parties, the exclusion of blacks from the labor
movement and black women from the African-American movement in the U$A,
the strenuous battles over every letter in the LGBTQIA, the wars in the feminist
movement of the ‘70s.... without going into the nuances of these issues, well
described in many sources, everywhere ultimately these divisions sabotaged the
struggle and served the rulers, while inclusive united fronts served to strengthen
the combatants. At Syrena, we have always tried to take the latter route. The
division they managed to build out of hatred of the Syrena and what it has always
represented has yielded its harvest this Sunday.
*** **WHAT TO DO?**
At the moment, the main reaction to this issue is no reaction, or words. Of course,
words have their own weight — many of us are hurt by the lies spewed by
Rozbrat*, Przychodnia* and certain people from the WSL*, as well as the
significant silence of some Warsaw circles, and ignorant-ridiculous statements by
various internet smarties. The silence of all those who know what they should do
and say, but for convenience, out of opportunism or fear, choose the silence of a
passive witness and stare with gaping yawns at the development of events, unable
to do a thing, or even merrily spin on the merry-go-round of jokes in the social
media, is particularly ringing in the ears. It is strengthening and gratifying to hear
expressions of support and solidarity from dozens of groups in the city, the
country and the world.
However, what I think needs to be done is to take meaningful steps. Ostracize and
exclude from spaces, events, and anti-authoritarian groups all perpetrators and
participants in the attack on Syrena. Boycott their venues and events. Support the
affected individuals and groups, who have lost their place to live and organize, are
often in need of social, emotional, mental help of any kind. But most of all, make
sure that the same fungus that took away our whole house is not taking root in
your group. Zero tolerance for violent dudes, no more silence about the violence
suffered, no more going by the walls and hiding your oppression, no more
informal hierarchies and self-appointed leaders, no more personalizing political disputes, no more tolerance for right-wing bullshit after which you wipe your
mouth with “real people.” No more homophobia, misogyny, sexism, transphobia,
patriarchy — no more tolerating, silencing, relativizing them.
Revolutions are not big events and gunshots from battleships. Revolutions start
with small things, small gestures of resistance at work, at home, in a group, in a
relationship. As Tarde wrote, the French Revolution did not begin with the
storming of the Bastille or in the Tennis Court. It began when the first peasant boy
or girl somewhere in the south of France refused to tilt her hat in front of “her”
master. Then someone saw the gesture, someone repeated it, and little by little
feudalism began to crackle. I believe that the same can happen with pathologies
in our movement. Let’s start with small, annoying, everyday oppressions and
destroy them before they grow into a mob evicting us from our homes. If we can’t
purge the movement of these pathologies, it has no reason to exist — it will
become a club of dudes banging brews to this and not that music. (This is your
anarchy / [...] / You do not distinguish good from evil / Your system of values
does not exist). But in order to do this, words are not enough — if you want to help
us in a real way and show solidarity, then instead of mourning — organize and fight.
That’s the only way we can keep hope in all this dark — that we will someday come
together again under the black and purple — and — black and pink banner and
give each other some tenderness on the ruins of this fucking funfair.
“The facts of dictatorship must not be contrasted with words, but with the facts of
freedom. The functionaries of a dictatorship must not be contrasted with
functionaries who speak differently, but with people who live and act
differently” (Silone)
Revo-greetz,
Tadek Zinowski
** “You can’t force anyone to live with someone who uses constant threats and a knife. And nationality has nothing to do with it.”
*** **5.12**
We were there today and saw it with our own eyes. We were there four months
ago, three months ago, two weeks ago and a few days ago. We were there when
there were attempts at mediation, we were there today when guys from behind
the fence threw molotovs and firecrackers at windows (the bottles were probably
all empty, momory of a person who was under an impression molotovs were
thrown at her speaks to the situation...- red.). We were there today when the
refugee in question (it is interesting to reach for these categories just now) hit my
colleague in the head so hard she fell on the floor. There was no eviction. There
were requests, mediation and a final deadline to move out. Today that time has
passed. The person was thrown out of the house because he posed a threat.
Nothing happened to him during that move out. His partner was given time to
pack up. Moments later, bricks and firecrackers started flying at the windows.
You can’t force people to live together. You can’t force someone to live with a
person who uses constant threats, including a knife. And nationality has nothing to
do with it. The person was thrown out because he used emotional and physical
violence. The people who “kicked out” the violent guy today were 90% girls. The
same people who have participated in eviction blockades for years, unlike your
agressive colleague.
A bunch of macho dudes are always defending their own and making manly wars
out of it.
It has been this way, it is now, and will continue to be. Quintessential patriarchy.
Well fucking done, Przychodnia*. You have reached rock bottom.
*** **6.12**
I know over a dozen people — mostly women, girls — who over the course of the
past 20 years experienced some sort of sexual violence at squats in Poland. And
they know another dozens. Their stories were usually whispered in confidence to
each other. A quiet squattters’ version of #metoo. And it was always the same
pattern: it were the girls who moved out, withdrew from actions. They did it
silently or in the atmosphere of scandal. They disappeared or were thrown out.
You know what else all these stories had in commom? Fucking fellowship of the
dickheads. Solidarity of dudes: “that’s impossible, he’s a good comrade”, patting
each other on the back.
There is a place in Warsaw (it’s hard for me to use past tense) where we felt safe.
I’ve never smelled this distinct anarcho-macho stench there. I know fellow
anarchists will say that we are destroying the anarchist movement in Poland, but
you know what? I don’t give a fuck about this movement — the one in which girls
are being constantly stifled. They used to silence us with their disbelief, mockery,
contempt. Yesterday they did it using bricks.
This is a story about power. About how every time marginalized groups start to
do smething without macho approval, there has to be a macho reaction. In this
case it had a transphobic and homophobic dimension.
This is a story about anger. Who has the right to show anger. We [FLINTA
people] can do it politely — we are supposed to mediate, we are supposed to write
appeals, ask for support, negotiate. We are supposed to be patient and endlessly
try. Dudes can get angry all they want. They can even throw a brick, because a
mate (who also happens to be an abuser) is more important than female
colleagues, who were abused. We should’ve tried harder, organize another
mediations, endure another humiliation, staying nice the whole time — they were
just defending their mate.
I am so fucking sad. Something important has ended. It was Syrena where first
meeting of March for Safe Abortion was held, it was there we could make banners
for Warsaw’s Manifa. There was also the first meeting with Aunt Basia in Warsaw
in 2016 and with Abortion Network Amsterdam in 2018. And the first meetings
about taking abortion pills, going abroad for an abortion and getting help from
foreign collectives. The people from Syrena supported us in our actions. Syrena
was our community home.
And about those statements flying around and and alleged pack of masked
people who threw out “the leader of belarusian political activism” (see: statement
of belarusian anarchist in Warsaw), I wanna say; we weren’t masked. The person
received requests, invitations to meetings, mediations. It went on for 5 months.
After he boycotted everything we did, threatened to use a knife, to “take us away
to the forest” and kicked a person in the face, the community collective decided
to throw the guy out, beacuse you can’t live like this. You simply, truly cannot.
Everything was carried out in the most ‘vegan’ way possible. When during
negotiations D. hit one of us in the head, even then we didn’t use violence. We
weren’t even masked. What Przychodnia* did yesterday was a fucking attack and
I despise the critics who edify us and say we should have negotiated more. These
people wanted to fucking kill us there.
If you equate having to escape your own home, beacuse a bunch of dudes is
throwing bricks with a few months of negotiations, requests, meetings lasting long
hours then I think you suffer from severe symmetrism, or you are in the fucking
fellowship of the dickhead and your anarchism is machoanarchism. You know, in
cases of domestic violence, it is also the abuser who stays in the house and the
victim who has to flee.
We could and we can be angry in our own way. We can be fucking furious and
manage this fury in our own way. And despite that, everything that happened
yesterday was defense. Even the alleged mediator was throwing bricks at us.
Dudes may think they have power over all the activist spaces but Syrena was
much more than a bunch of macho punks. And I won’t stand this emotional bending over backwards anymore. If yesterday
your colleagues threw bricks at people with whom
they once blocked evictions then it is time to react.
If yesterday your colleagues acted as nazis do and
attacked someone’s home, where you were
numerous times, it is high time to react.
Or carry the weight of knowing, that it was you
who deprived over a dozen of people of a home,
and your relativism is defending an abuser, who
was given many chances and never took them. Or
maybe it wasn’t about him? Maybe it was about
taking over a building, that is supposed to be
yours, since you are the landlords.
I badly need a loud squatters’ #metoo. To overshadow the fellowship of the
dickheads with our solidarity.
** “It’s hard to believe just a week ago I was at the last event at Syrena”
I use the pronouns “she/her” (but then people often go “oh dear”). I am active in
feminist collectives, and am currently among other things a member of the
Women’s Alliance of March 8th.
It’s hard to believe that on Friday a week ago, at exactly the same time I started
writing this report, I was sitting in Cafe Kryzys located at Syrena at a meeting
with the FORK collective from Wroclaw. The topic was cyberfeminism and
techno-patriarch-capitalism. It seems that this was the last event at Syrena squat.
Because the current building on Wilcza 30 is no longer Syrena squat.
A twist of fate — a meeting about how the patriarchal-capitalist order controls
every space of our lives, including the Internet, took place two days before that
same order took over one of Poland’s few physical spaces of resistance against
the domination of patriarchy, capitalism, queerphobia and transphobia.
I link patriarchy and capitalism for a reason. First — they are inextricably linked.
Second — capitalism is a constant quest to multiply property. The bunch
associated with Przychodnia*, already owning “its” place of life and activity, on
5.12.2021 took over another physical space. What is more, it did so by using the
tools of authorities — through extreme violence, by moving to the margins the very
people and ideas that the current authorities hate. Ideas and people who most
strongly criticize and undermine the current status-quo.
Now about what I saw and felt on Sunday 5.12.2021 while being at Syrena and
what led to my presence there.
I had known for a long time that there was a problem with violence at Syrena and
that the collective was trying to solve this problem. I finally learned from the
collective’s members that their means of getting along with D — Syrena’s violent
inhabitant — had been exhausted. I joined the reactivated Syrena’s social
collective. I was already strongly connected with Syrena — I co-founded the collective when we wrote the first manifesto, when we opened the previous
venues, even before Wilcza 30 was opened, then I organized and lived there.
It’s obvious to me that when violence occurs, you have to mobilize and react to it.
That’s why I don’t understand the accusations that the current social collective is
not authorized to make decisions, because it only formed in response to the
problem. The social collective is made up of groups and individuals with activist
ties to Syrena who cared about preserving Wilcza 30 as a place torn out from an
order based on patriarchy, capitalism, queer- and transphobia. We have a stronger
legitimacy of action than anyone else. The persistence of Przychodnia*, Rozbrat*
and the rest of this corporation to call the Syrena collective a “Stop Bullshit
environment”* is a political tactic to marginalize us as a small interest group (but
of course I deeply respect SB).
During the meetings, which lasted several weeks, we discussed how to solve the
problem of a violent person living at Syrena, as well as with what actions to
sustain Syrena as a space as safe as possible for, to put it bluntly, people other
than cis-guys. Subsequent solutions, which you can read about in detail in
Syrena’s materials, have not worked. I want to strongly emphasize here that
Bartek, another resident of the building, is co-responsible for the failure of
attempts to solve the problem of domestic violence at Syrena, as I clearly saw
when he rarely (perhaps twice in a few weeks) appeared at the collective’s
meetings.
D. was asked to move out, he ignored this request, he received a letter with an
indicated date for moving out, he ignored this letter, people went to ask if and
when he would move out, he ignored this question. The social collective decided
to enforce the call to move out.
On Sunday, 5.12.2021, I was not inside the building by the D.‘s room. Together
with several people, I stood in the courtyard, watching what was happening at
Przychodnia, because we were afraid of their reaction from the beginning. This
fear itself is telling — it did not appear unfounded, as proved by what happened
next. At first, the courtyard of Przychodnia* was empty, you couldn’t even see anyone in the windows. At some point, I’m guessing after D’s partner “called for
the guys” (this announcement can be heard on the video she published of D.
being led out of the room) several members of the Przychodnia collective (they
were, without exception, cis cronies, including A...sz, holding a high position in
that collective) approached the wicket. They immediately demanded to be allowed
into Syrena’s premises. We talked for a relatively long time, explained to them that
they should not get involved, that this matter had nothing to do with Przychodnia,
that if they wanted to support D. then it would be best for them to help him find a
home. Our interlocutors still only demanded for the wicket to be opened. In the
meantime, we saw other groups of people exiting the building and approaching or
driving up to the gate of Przychodnia and invited into the yard. The previously
empty area was filling up. After dark I don’t see too well, but well enough to
recognize that they were dudes, especially since every now and then some of
them would come up to the fence to insult us, threaten us, yell things like “you’re
fucked up, you’ll see what happens, it won’t end like this,” etc. They threatened
and left, and didn’t listen to what we were saying. At one point, with a group of
dudes, ONE so-called “female gender” person actually came up, also to yell at us.
My advice is that next time she should shout from her diaphragm, because
otherwise she’ll rip her throat out.
After a long time, A., a member of the Przychodnia collective, grabbed the U-lock
we had put on the gate and asked: do you open or not? We denied. He replied:
“THIS IS THE DAY THIS SQUAT ENDS”.
Then A. brought an extension cord. Here a small anecdote. A.-if you still have a
mind-fuck and don’t know if you dreamed it, then know that you actually had to
look for a second extension cord. The first one we reached for through the fence
and after tugging even the plug let go, we managed to pull it all the way to us.
Anyway, A. brought the second extension cord, hooked up the angle grinder and
started cutting the u-lock. I doused the gate with water to stop the cutting. At
that moment, the first bottle thrown from the side of Przychodnia smashed next to
me. More bottles and stones flew, then firecrackers, smoke candles. Under their
hail, people from our side ran for more buckets of water to thwart the opening of
the wicket. I heard from people connected with Przychodnia* or the gang there that people from our side had helmets and goggles, that it was strange that we
prepared like that, since we just wanted to get D. out of the house. Yes, the people
from our side had helmets and goggles, because they knew what the band from
Przychodnia was capable of, and this was confirmed.
I wish I had a helmet. I didn’t live at Syrena recently, I didn’t have regular contact
with the gang from Przychodnia, and I couldn’t imagine that anyone who wasn’t
the police or nazis could do such a thing to us. Anyway, not wearing a helmet and
fearing for my life and health, I fled to the gate of Syrena from the objects thrown
from the side of Przychodnia. I don’t remember what I did for the next while, I
don’t even know if it was a few or several minutes or maybe even longer. I was in
complete shock. I do know that at some point I went into the building to look for
some of the people I had come with, to see if they were safe. I also remember
thinking that I needed to get warm, as I had been standing in the cold for several
hours. Now, knowing what happened later, I see how absurd that thought was.
And on the other hand, how “normal” — after all, the behavior of the gang from
Przychodnia and the subsequent development of events were unimaginable.
At some point, I think when the gang from Przychodnia had already cut the gate
and broke into Syrena’s yard, I joined the people watching the yard from the
windows of the building. “Our” people were no longer there. We took the bottles
we had prepared at the windows for 11.11 on the Wilcza side in case of an attack
by the Nazis. It turned out that Przychodnia did what the nazis couldn’t do. To
make sure that the gang from Przychodnia did not come to the gate of Syrena we
threw bottles into the courtyard. They threw bottles at the windows, and
unfortunately, I am ashamed to admit that even throwing from above, I had less
range than these dudes throwing from below. Seeing this bunch, their numbers
and militant preparation, I feared for my health and life. And it wasn’t an
unfounded fear, for fuck’s sake. I saw one of the people from our side with a face
drenched in blood, who, even before the Przychodnia gang entered the Syrena’s
premises, was hit by a bottle from them; in the ER it turned out that they had a
fractured skull. Another girl’s helmet broke from being hit by a rock — I don’t want
to imagine what her head would have looked like if she hadn’t been wearing a
helmet. I saw terrified people next to me who were only able to repeat “I want to get out of here, I want to get out of here.” In defense, I did what I could and knew
how to do, and if I had the ability and skill to do more, I certainly would have. That
bunch was like a cloud of football fans who are just waiting for an opportunity to
fuck something up and fuck someone up, and they are vandalizing the city
because legia (Warsaw football club) lost or legia won. They broke down the
doors of sheds, smashed furniture, tables, and, protecting themselves with them,
approached the building.
In the narrative after the events of 5.12, there was information from the side of
Przychodnia* about an alleged attempt at mediation, that supposedly the
mediator was not let through. This is some complete nonsense. First, the Food Not
Bombs group, which was cooking meals at the time (which, by the way, is quite
absurd), was let through the gate leading to Wilcza. Along with this group, some
people from our side left, in a state of panic and extreme terror. Then from
Przychodnia, someone shouted that someone was going to mediate, so we
shouldn’t throw stuff in the yard. But at the same time they themselves kept
throwing. We stopped throwing, they also stopped. Someone from the side of
Przychodnia walked across the courtyard to the gate of Syrena. But immediately
after this person, more people started to run and did not stop, even though the
protested from the windows.
Since we had heard the cry for mediation from below, the people below must have
heard our protests. Again, we began to defend ourselves.
Anyway, even then I totally didn’t understand what they meant by mediation — one
goes to mediate to the party that attacks, not to the one being attacked. Because
what would such a mediator supposedly say to us? “Give up?” That’s not
mediation. And what would such mediation achieve? That they would stop
attacking a little, and we would give up a little? At no time did Syrena attack
Przychodnia. They were the ones who cut the padlock, broke into the Syrena’s
yard and wanted to enter the building as well.
I saw crying, terrified people. A friend told me that she called friends of people
from various groups affiliated with Przychodnia* or people from Przychodnia to
calm this gang down, to tell them “what the fuck are you guys doing.” These
individuals did not answer.
More and more people amongst us talked about evacuation. Some had already
made this decision, some were still hesitating. Finally, information came from
somewhere that a gang from Przychodnia had broken into the building. We ran
away, not through the gate, not through the door. Along the way, I found myself in
a room that few people frequent. I felt like curling up somewhere in a dark corner,
under some furniture, and waiting until they went away, hoping they wouldn’t find
me. Because I saw such fierceness and aggression in them that I was sure they
would look for people around the house. And again it turned out that I was not
unfoundedly afraid — the next day we learned that all the locks on the doors of the
rooms had been smashed and the rooms rummaged through.
I have a Jewish background. This is exactly how I imagined a pogrom.
** “Eviction of Syrena was a culmination of what a right-wing deviation can look like”
Hi, it’s me. Some of you know me, some of you don’t know me at all, and some of
you probably do a little. For my own purposes in this text, I will remain
anonymous, since anyway there is a full negligee in it. I use mostly feminatives in
the text, but when I’m not writing about myself I write about the people of all
identities. It is difficult to include everything in one text, and this voice is
undoubtedly only part of the story. I write mainly from the perspective of personal
feelings.
I will not once again describe what happened. I won’t write about the letter, the
mediation, the door, who did what to resolve the growing conflict, who did
nothing, and who actively sabotaged the process. At this stage it should already
be clear why support needs to be on our side, if it isn’t already there. If anyone
needs further evidence in the case “before forming an opinion” (repeated like an
echo by facebook ghosts of long-time activists (TM), thus choosing the side of
their glans brothers), here is the ultimate proof: the building at 30 Wilcza St. Once
a place of resistance and initiatives, today a frightening hovel in which almost all
the windows on the side of the courtyard have been broken. We evacuated from
this building a month ago, and to this day I don’t know what would have happened
had we stayed there.
I understand the need to analyze what happened, because I think something very
bad did.
What happened is that a gang of furious, enraged by annihilating fury guys from a
neighboring squat could forcibly evict a dozen of its residents and their friends
from the building, in defense of a guy with whom the residents had long said they
did not want to live, because, as the practice of living together showed, it
threatened their safety. What happened?
The brutal, forcible eviction of the Syrena residents carried out by the hands of
useful neighbors from across the fence (and supposedly from the same side of the
political line, although that’s just not true) was the culmination of what right-wing
backlash, hostility to feminism, and resentment of queer people can look like when
they are allowed to grow undisturbed. In my opinion it was — among many things —
an anti-feminist, anti-queer backlash. I want to write about it from the perspective of sensitivity. Most of who I am today, what I do, and what I base my security on,
is connected to this place, to Syrena. Over the years, being at Syrena has allowed
me to grow, build connections, learn, do political activism and explore different
areas of life and models of community. I had no prior experience in activism, I
didn’t fight nazis before I started crawling. I learned everything in action, through
contact with other people involved in activism (defined by them in different ways),
and it was an extremely developing time, filled with memories. Nevertheless, when
Syrena was evicted, I had no longer been its resident for several months, and I left
with a sense of cruel disappointment and weariness.
In the last months of my residency in the building on Wilcza Street, the phrase
“spit into the wind” became very useful to me, as it aptly described the state of
affairs in the house. While we were protesting the ongoing queer vilification (very
real and actual), the boys at home were invalidating our identities. When we
resisted the systemic violence against us (very real and actual), we heard that we
were the threat. When some of us were arrested, and most of us suffered police
violence (very real and actual), we heard at home that it was not a struggle but a
fad, and our experiences were belittled. When we strengthened our communities,
we heard that struggle was measured by the number of hours done in the
workplace — as if that was any value in itself! When we tried to win for ourselves a
piece of reality that finally would not threaten our difference, we were attacked.
All this took daily forms: abused trust, symbolic violence from the “community”
and finally domestic violence. Very real and actual. That was not something I
wanted to squander my energy on — especially since proposals to confront the
conflict were being ignored — because I wanted to get on with building solidarity
bonds and community, rather than spitting in the wind. So, over the summer, I left
the community directly connected to the house at 30 Wilcza St. and scattered to
others for a while. It was great, and I had a chance to heal from the admittedly
difficult (especially recently) experience of living at Syrena.
I returned to Syrena on 5.12, because I wanted for this situation devouring my
friends alive to end already. It was necessary to get rid of the nightmare and get
back to life. What happened next shattered me to pieces. It took me a month to
put myself back together a bit, although I still feel like I was only temporarily
stitched up.
I remember very little of that evening except the moment of evacuation, which
was like coming out of hell. I experienced tremendous violence and found that the
only thing I could do further was to expose myself and my guts completely. That I
no longer had the strength for anything, nor did I have the strength to hide my
belly. For one month I was taken out of my life, although I planned this time
differently. I could afford it because I have a community of radical care around me
who have experienced the same thing. I felt like I had been skinned, but the caring
hands of my friends helped embalm my wounds. It took away my fear of
vulnerability. I’m even more sure then before of who I am: I’m a feminist, I’m a
queer person. I want to be in this, I’m not afraid, despite many tragedies that
continue now and will continue in the future.
I’m not kidding and I’m not exaggerating when I say that we might not have
gotten out of this alive. But we are alive and I believe we are stronger. For me, the
first outing to the world after a month of gluing myself together was a few days
ago waiting outside the courthouse for a person detained for spraying about
techno on a church building. Because this is the reality: people suffer real
oppression for fighting for a place for themselves, for signaling their presence.
Sometimes they end up in detention centers, and sometimes colleagues take
matters into their own hands and deprive them of their homes. I don’t know who
hands out antifa IDs, and I don’t know if they would have awarded them to
anyone gathered outside the courthouse that day, but I don’t care.
What amazes me, however, is the auto-fixation of the “movement” and this
narrow conviction that now the struggle is still supposed to look the way the
fathers of anarchism saw it a hundred years ago. This will not be the case, even
more — this is not the case. The struggle is happening in many fields of activism, in
everyday resistance, to which we can testify with ourselves. No, struggle is not a
lifestyle, but it is part of the experience and life of individuals. We need
intersectional spaces where vulnerability is the place from which inspiration for
resistance comes. One of them was Syrena, which is no longer there. Let’s build
another ones and fuck the shitters!
** “We set a boundary for a violent guy and defended our home”
It’s been a little over a month since the attack, and it still hasn’t occurred to me
that Syrena is homeless. For almost three years it was my safe haven on the map
of this queerphobic country. Living as a transgender person in Poland, I felt worse
here with every passing year, but the actions initiated by Syrena always lifted my
spirits, gave me a sense of empowerment and faith that maybe things will be
beautiful one day.
One of my earliest memories from Syrena is of K., who at a birthday party of the
squat, walks up to an aggressive type two heads taller than her and tells him to
get the hell out of the yard because he’s spoiling our celebration. I remember
another birthday party, where we smashed the homophobic truck*. I remember all
those dances at sqaure near main metro station against the Ordo Iuris imbeciles.
Those moments when we screamed together that we are queers, this is our home
and we are not going anywhere.
On 5.12 we did exactly the same thing — we put up a boundary to the violent dude
and defended our home, our space. It was the only day in my life when I was
convinced I would end up in the hospital or the morgue at the end of the day. I
keep comparing it to what I felt at the pride march in Bialystok, well, but there at
least I was protected from stones by a helmet. After that march, I read comments
online from friends saying we were asking for it, we should not have flaunted our
presence in Podlasie. Now I’m reading the same things, supposedly it is
impossible to stand up for us — well, after all — we were also throwing the bottles.
This country doesn’t know what to do with alive queers. We should have let
Przychodnia* thugs in, let ourselves be meekly crucified, and then everyone
would have known which side to choose, because as a society we already have
practice in putting up candles with a rainbow ribbon.
Although I’ve never lived at Syrena, I feel as if
a very important pillar of my life has collapsed.
My whole faith in the new queer world was
crackeding piece by piece with each window
broken by the boys defending the old model of
Polish anarchism — the one which, shirtless,
with a beer in hand, shouts something about
‘fascist c*nts’ and gets pissed off if you tell him
it’s not ok. For a month now I’ve been feeling
defeated by these rusty pricks and on the
verge of giving up the field to them, giving up
on action and coming to terms with the
wisdom of life repeated to me since the day I
was born — “that’s just the way this world is,
you can’t help it”.
It has been mentioned many times before — Syrena is not a squat, it’s a strike, it’s
not a building, it’s people. It’s all true, the Syrena collective is still active, it still
brings together people very close to me, it’s still providing support for each other
in the most difficult situations. I am extremely grateful for all this, and at the same
time it is difficult for me to admit that I am in mourning for the building. For
Kryzys, with its beautiful floor. The stairs to the stage — I think it was only a
miracle that I never fell from them. The armchairs being the spot where one could
observe the entire charming courtyard. The bike shop, where I learned how to
change brake pads. The freeshop, always full of whatever I happened to be
looking for. This one room where I learned to smooth the walls. The gate where
someone mischievous sealed the keyhole and which separated the gray, hateful
world from the place that the efforts of dozens of people over the last decade
tried to make safer for everyone. Until the very end.
** “I knew living at a squat meant risk of eviction. I didn’t know it meant risk of four-hours long assault from neighboring squat”
We keep on repeating this at the activist scene.
Remaining silent is the worst. There is no third,
neutral side. If you think that by staying in between
the ones attacking and those being attacked you can
just look the other way and pretend you don’t see,
because “you don’t know anything about this”,
“both sides have good points” or “this can’t be that
bad” just know this: this is worse than throwing a
brick at us. You know I’m talking about you.
Syrena squat on Wilcza 30 was the first place where
I’ve ever felt at home. When I moved in along with
the keys I was given a map that allowed me to find
myself. On the 5th of December I haven’t lost a
place where I had lived for 7 years — I lived there for
a much shorter period of time. I was deprived of a piece of my future, the last
material thing that was keeping me in Poland. I knew that the risk of eviction is a
part of squatting. What I did not know is that it is a risk of an attack from another
squat. That people who formed me as an activist are those, who I never hope to
become as a human.
In what I do I demand a good life for all beings. A life worth living, that doesn’t
crush you, imprison you, break your back in the first 20 years. This is what queer
is to me. Bodily autonomy, workers’ rights, abolishing work, prisons, and borders
and private property, the right to shelter, to life and abortion, euthanasia. About
fighting the climate catastrophe. Syrena was supposed to be all of that.
So just imagine what was happening inside my head when after o year of the
topic being mainstream I was asked by a member of the house collective what’s
between my legs. Or when he said that “there were no queers in the [good] old
days”. Or when he joked about rape on our meetings. When no one seemed to understand why I feel like it’s not the best moment to make decisions when the
only people who stayed at meeting were a bunch of cis-boys and I. When it was
explained to me that if I can get pregnant, then I’m not a dude. Or when after half
a year of weekly skirmishes he still didn’t know whether I’m a dude or a chick.
When one of the boys currently occupying Wilcza 30 wondered whether police is
as bad as we make them out to be. I don’t know man, go to them and try to report
rape or an illegal eviction, we’ll see.
I was accepted into the collective by acclamation, without discussion. I
recognized that perhaps some work was needed, but in general these opinions are
exceptions. Three days later, however, it turned out that I was upsetting the
balance of things for the boys. The veto to me being accepted into the collective
was only the latest of many events in a long-standing resistance to any political
activity beyond ‘reprivatization — bad’. We hit a wall. We wrote a letter. We
expected the most aggressive dude to move out and his staunchest defender to
cool off. And that I would be able to stay. After attempts at talks, mediation, many
requests and demands, we hit the wall for the second time. Those who considered
themselves neutral decided to make a decision on who leaves and who stays — one
aggressive dude or six queers. For three months I lived from Thursday to
Thursday not knowing if I would have a place to live on Friday. I had nowhere to
go. And the situation escalated. Threats, humiliation and eviction are active
violence. You can do something about it, prepare, react. High-five yourself that
you didn’t lose your nerve.
What the neutral team did does not match it at all. When the dude sitting a meter
and a half away from me shouted at me that I should get the fuck out, that he
would come to my place at night, that he would throw me and my stuff out the
window, your neutrality consisted of a downcast look. When the dude repeated
the circus a week later, after four hours of debate and resort to all sorts of
rhetorical devices by the later evicted “side of the conflict,” you graciously
decided to ensure that in the event of physical aggression you would condemn the
attack. You will express regret. As we know, kind thoughts heal fractures and
prayers stitch up wounds.
When, after months of deliberation, the self-appointed neutral third party was
ready to pass judgment, when already a person was taking a breath to say what to
do next, one of you interrupted and said that actually she still had doubts. I left
because you wanted to determine what the issue was. when I returned, I learned
that if I agreed to meet with you and answer some questions, you would be
obliged, because there are still a few issues that are unclear. for the past three
months you must have overlooked them. I agreed, I really wanted the end. I asked
that the questions be given to me in writing, I don’t want to answer in front of the
committee. I was laughed at.
In a very physical way, I felt my heart lose its rhythm. what broke in my mind at
that moment is beyond repair. I packed my backpack, went to my friends. for a
while, to keep up with neglected duties. Wilcza 30 became for me a place of
disappointment, betrayal, imprisonment, small people determined to bring
everything down to their size. frightened cowards, able to respect only the
stronger. I’m not proud of the fact that I left my friends there at the time. I feared
for my life, that one more moment within those walls and I would stay there
forever.
The reactivation of the social collective was returning my hope with every
passing week. slowly I began to participate in the meetings, I could feel the juices
returning ito the dry leaves. I trusted and this time I recognized people who do
not accept neutrality.
I planned to return right after 5.12. I revived and wanted to incorporate this life
into Syrena at Wilcza 30.
Almost a month had passed since 5.12.
People have already written about pogrom, assault, anti-queer, anti-feminist
backlash, about cracked skull, bricks, bottles, firecrackers. that Przychodnia *with
WSL* did what the state and nazis failed to do. what comes back to me is the first
time picking up things, when within 15 minutes you had to decide what from the
apartment of three people is the most important to take, because you do not know how much time you have and whether they will let anyone in except you.
Each successive minute is another small, final decision. When you carry panties,
medicines, notes, books, flowers, shoes, cosmetics, clothes, tools, posters, cables,
(...), and with each bag, with each cardboard box you parade in front of a column
of taunting drunken winners.
You don’t know if this time they’ll stop you to see if they’re definitely your
panties. if this time you’ll be able to convince them that while that bowl isn’t
signed, you borrowed it from your mother. if you’ll still make it back upstairs, or if
they’ll throw you out the gate. well, and what to do next with those boxes.
There is a moment in queer life when you realize that you will not get another one.
it’s not easy to understand that everything in front of you will have a different
weight than it was supposed to have, that there is not and never was a place for
you. I chose this life and I knew it would be different. I knew that a big part of it
would be fighting, I’m a transqueer in poland. I didn’t know that it’s not those who
want to kill me who are the biggest threat.
To those who participated in and support the attack, I have nothing to say. that
night, I looked into the future and saw our death. the fact that we came out of it
showes the difference between you and us — we protect life. you carry death.
perverse, eh?
But to all the rest of the happy arbiters, right-minded philosophers, sensitive to all
wrongs only not those right next door, concerned about every violence only not
the one perpetrated by your buddy — when you say that you are neutral, that you
do not take a stand, that you do not know the situation, that both sides are equally
at fault, there aren’t really sides here, why do you have to take a side, or that, my
favorite, NOW THE LEFT WILL LOSE SUPPORT — every time you tell us, tell
me, that our lives are less important than your well-being. That our health is less
important than your sense of aesthetics. That you go after power and not what is
wise and good.
End this farce and openly stand by those who on December fifth made Syrena
homeless. A much more comfortable position than constantly swinging on the top
of the fence.
People who support us — we are a strong community and we are there for each
other. they have a tenement in one city and a piece of field in another. They will be
consumed by the mold from the walls, and the queer mycelium gives birth to
vigorous children.
** “Although I feared for my life that day, it was also the day I learned that I didn’t have to run away”
Although I have never lived in Warsaw, my fate has long been intertwined with
that of Syrena. I still remember what a big impression my first trips to Warsaw
made on me, almost a decade ago. I was as impressed then as I am today by many
of the activities of this collective. I can see their influence on me and my political
backbone. Syrena was made up of people I have known for years, or met more
recently. People I value, who are close to me, and some of them — the closest to
me. So it was difficult for me to pass by indifferently in the face of the voices that
had been reaching me for months about the problems plaguing the place.
I see myself, above else, as a feminist, so I didn’t question for a moment the stories
of those in the collective about how X used physical violence at Syrena. While
giving unconditional trust in such situations, in the same way, I expect that the
movement of which I am a part will not question my experiences of violence. I
consider such an attitude essential if we are ever to deal with this problem. Going
consistently one step further, I decided to take part in bringing X out of Syrena.
Even if anyone had doubts whether the decision was right, X dispelled them
himself in the first minutes of the conversation by raising his hand at A. There is no
excuse for such behavior. There is no place in our homes for such behavior.
Although I feared for my life that day, it was also the day I learned that I didn’t
have to run away. And so far I had been running away — from the family home,
where my mother’s nose was broken in front of me, later from the collective home,
where an alcoholic roommate slowly poisoned my life with shouts and insults.
Later, I escaped from the realization that a feminist partner who has no problem
jerking me around or smashing plates around me is neither a feminist, nor should
he be a partner. On that day at Syrena we did not run away. In line with what we
say at demonstrations and write in manifestos — alone, with agency, without court
or police, we, the vast majority of girls and queers, went to kick the violent dude
out of our space. And that fills me and my sisters and brothers in fight that day
with real pride. Despite the price we had to pay for it.
The attack from Przychodnia* that followed (already widely described by others)
is an unprecedented situation. Although a week has passed, I still find it hard to
believe that knowing the faces and names of the residents on the other side of the
fence, one can throw a stone at them. I don’t understand how one can break
windows and chop down the door of a house occupied with so much effort for
years. How is it that a group capable of heinous, pogrom-like and extreme acts of
violence can emerge in our movement? And another group ready to support them
in this? How many things have we neglected, how many mistakes have been
made? Let me repeat for those who make comments that are unnecessary,
relativizing, symmetrizing, and blurring the picture: there is no excuse for such
behavior. There is no place in our movement for such behavior.
When the glass was breaking on the facade of Syrena, my heart was breaking as
well. It breaks every time, when sitting in my room, I think of the dozen or so
Syrena residents who were thrown out of their home. It breaks when I recall their
eyes swallen from pepper spray or blood-soaked faces. It breaks when I realize
how much work we have to do in our environment, which, after all, we are trying
to make a refuge from the “outside” world filled with harm. I don’t know where to
start yet, but I know I won’t stop trying. And I know I won’t be alone.
Wiktoria Marzec
feminist, Wroclaw resident
** “Almost a year has passed, and I, except for the fact that we have lost our place and support statements were issued, see no change.”
Almost a year has passed, and I am still unable to describe my experience of the
attack on Syrena.
I am not able to recall everything. Remembering traumatic memories is funny. At
first you seem to remember everything, all too well. You don’t want to remember,
you try not to think, you repress.
Now I wish I could remember. At night when I can’t sleep I return more and more
to the moment of the 5.12 attack, I go back to the months of fear for the lives of
my closest friends. It’s easy for me to remember situations I’ve turned into jokes,
certainly the closer we get to December the more they fall out of me. I still wear
the “I just turned 18, there’s a whole world ahead of me” T-shirt I got from one of
them for my birthday less than a month before the attack. The whole world but get
the fuck out of here.
Those desperate or regular violent moments I don’t remember. Don’t get me
wrong, I know perfectly well what was going on, just going back to them I don’t
see myself in them. I cut myself off and retreat. When at night I try to process in
my head the fear that involuntarily returns — I can’t catch the bottle-throwing
moments for too long, I don’t feel the same courage I had then. Everything flies by
in the blink of an eye. I only feel the helplessness I remember most.
We were accused of having planned it, because we came to D. with goggles,
wearing helmets. And you know what? You’re right, we planned to defend
ourselves. We planned to defend ourselves, because we knew exactly what kind of
aggression we would have to face just because we didn’t condone violence from
one of our fellow residents.
I didn’t and still don’t know how to fight, I don’t know how to throw a bottle far.
But I know first aid and knew we would need it. On December 5th I was to be a
paramedic, I had already recalled how to take care of wounds a few nights before.
I had sat up all night learning or repeating how to dress all kinds of cuts, stab
wounds, abdominal rips, fractures, skull injuries, what to do if someone shoots you
in the face with an air gun, what to do when an eye falls out of the eye socket. It’s
not like we were there in helmets and gas masks to attack someone. We knew we
would meet with aggression, our lives would be in danger if D. went on a rampage
or Przychodnia* started attacking us, defending their fucked up mate.
Despite all the repetition, I just remember how helpless I felt when I heard A.
shouting to D.“don’t touch me, don’t touch me!”, how helpless I was when the
medicine cabinet prepared for 11.11 didn’t open, how it ran out of gazes and I
tamed the bleeding from a emple wound with tissues and a plastic triangular sling.
When a person took a brick that broke their helmet in two and told me “I have to
go back there, they will kill us.”
I felt helpless when I knew that there was a terrified cat in my room, which I had
no one to carry out before the whole event. Because contrary to all the fucked-up
opinions, we are not at all children from “good homes” with a second apartment
waiting for us. I ran every now and then between the living room, where I made a
first aid station, and the cat locked in a container in my room, ready for a quick
escape.
Some of the people had evacuated earlier, I knew I had to stay, I had to continue
dressing the wounds, rinsing people’s eyes of pepper spray, and when we ran out
of bottles to throw — to bring plates. I don’t know at what point we stopped
defending the house and started defending our lives. Not figuratively, but
physically, our health and lives. I remember that when I heard them cutting the
door with a flex I didn’t think “I can’t let them in the house” I thought “If they
come in here they will kill me.”
Very soon the whole building was full of smoke and pepper spray. At one point
someone reminded me that there are rats downstairs, their owner is not home now,
they will suffocate. It was already the moment when they cut the door with a flex.
Ula from WSL* who says we shot at her was with them, she hurried them.
We had nothing to put the rats in. We first put one in a plastic box. The other one
ran away in panic, the room was dark, full of pepper spray and smoke. I only had a
flashlight from my phone, which to catch the rat I threw on the bed. We managed
to catch both rats, but the phone I never recovered again. The plastic box broke, I
locked the rats in a pot covered with a colander. That’s how I carried them out of
Wilcza 30, on the way falling down the stairs when I tripped. I fell so I wouldn’t
drop the rats, because I wouldn’t catch them a second time.
I also felt powerless when I wrote on the Food Not Bombs Warsaw group that they
can not stand by. One of us was hit in the head with a brick, if it wasn’t for the
helmet she would have died, now you can’t look the other way and pretend
nothing is happening. I heard that it was our fault, we are all hurt by this, and in
general let’s not talk about it. I know that part of the Food sided with D. Now they
do events and benefits together, I hope it’s worth it to sell the collective members
and anti-violence values of the group for a dirty kitchen with bugs and beer with
shitters.
I remember it all well, until now when I am left alone with my thoughts I shake with
helplessness. A.‘s screams ring in my ears, it scares me more than the bang of
firecrackers or screams or the sound of the flex.
Almost a year has passed, and I, except for the fact that we have lost our place
and support statements were issued, see no change. It’s as if it was all for nothing.
I still feels powerless. I feel powerless because I feel that no one except the
people who have already talked about przychodnia’s* fuck-ups care about what
happened. I see the guys who threw rocks at us coming in places that declared
they wouldn’t allow people involved in the attack. I feel powerless when one has
to plead to enforce this and get these people the fuck out of your events or
workshops. When you still hold events with people from przychodnia, when you don’t kick them out of demonstrations about violence, when you allow them to be
at “queerfriendly” events. You still do things with them, you are together in
groups. Even we can’t function if we want to exclude all these people, or else
you’ll push us out of spaces and go on doing things with them like you used to.
We have to be the first to take part in demonstrations, or we have to agree to
some stinky agreements and false consensus.
I’m tired of reminding. I’m sick of having to explain it every time, as if the fact that
it’s a different event changes something, as if the fact that it’s your colleague
suddenly makes it so that he didn’t make a queerphobic attack.
I used to think that the anarchist movement was trying to oppose the hierarchy,
was anti-fascist. However, it turns out that if someone was your colleague, with
whom you have had some kind of private arrangement for a long time, then even
the loudest anti-fascist bragging about souring the snout to the nationalists
doesn’t mind that his mate did exactly the same thing, only this time instead of
doing it for the nation he does it for his squat and for his power and influence.
The problem isn’t just dudes from przychodnia* and dima. The problem is that in
our whole scene (I’m talking about the whole of poland, not just warsaw) in every
collective there are dudes who hold the power, who more or less take control, take
over the organization of events, have a little more voice, a little more rights. Any
such guy can be another dima, another przychodnia. Every person who tolerates
this is another przychodnia guy who defends her boyfriend/brother/friend who is
an agressor or a rapist.
This environment will never change when after a big attack, finally from the
compulsion of outside opinion your collective will say a forced “we don’t agree
with violence”. To make a difference we have to react on a daily basis, in every
group, even in the most pretend-inclusive one. Each of us.
** Od:Zysk not for sale — No means no!
*** **Translator’s notes/foreword**
The text is from 2015. In short, it tells the story of how the collective of the young
squat Od:Zysk, placed on the Marketsquare of the Old Town in Poznań (quite vis a
vis the city hall) got destroyed and the building got sold to the landlord for some
120 000 PLN (29,000 EUR) by the Anarchist Federation (FA)*, people running
the Rozbrat squat*; they took the money and made sure that the squatters will go.
Among the means used were creating divisions, threats and direct physical
violence.
The author belongs to the ones who left before the last wave of people
abandoned the building. To our knowledge, many people critical of the FA role
were threatened (even as recently as in 2021). Some engaged in other projects,
including squats, many dispersed around the country and the world. The building
stands empty until now (2022).
The criticism was silenced, there was virtually no public discussion. One could
encounter different opinions, some were saying that the text was emotional (we
leave the somewhat messy language) or exaggerating; some Od:Zysk people, who
took the FA side, just refuted everything without dispute, some even joined to live
at Rozbrat. Some people argued about some small details; the basic facts are
widely known, though. One could even hear some more graphic stories about
violence, told often with lowered voice. Regardless of the details and the flow of
time, as well as the fact, that FA or Rozbrat is not entirely monolothic or incapable
of _any_ changes, it still puts some light on their collective mindset (and the
reality of the Polish movement).
What happened to Syrena carries some similarities. Notably, by the time of the
Od:Zysk scandal, Syrena collective didn’t issue any statement, being unable to find
a consensus, with some important figures being close friends with FA Poznań.
[When the squat RC10 (Reaktor) in Cracow got evicted by the cops directly after
it was attacked by the macho ‘antifa’ (the sides were also tied to the two factions
of Poznań), again the controversies could be felt within the Syrena group.] These
friends of FAP moved to Rozbrat some years later and there was clearly some
involvement from behind the curtains on the macho side, even though it was not
shown super very openly until shit hit the fan. The Rozbrat’s support of the
Przychodnia* attack and the eviction of Syrena (to overtake the building) was
voiced just in their facebook post, although very clearly and it’s very visible, that
it’s their operating methods and influence, at least.
A couple of years before they managed to shut down another squat they couldn’t
control tightly enough and the movement was helpless, many of the critics were
just afraid of the threats and/or being beaten. They used the position of the oldest
squat (est. 1994), one of the few in Poland, and their skills, resources and influence,
their organised and disciplined environment. Przychodnia, in recent years their
ally, tried to adopt similar methods to dominate in Warsaw. It also helps to
understand why so many in Poland and in Warsaw preferred do be on the stronger
side or just didn’t want to antagonise them and didn’t want to say or do anything.
(There are also some other fucked up reasons, ofc.)
*** **Introduction**
Od:Zysk got sold. Not much of a shock. Every now and then our squats are being
bought and sold by a house-cleaner or a developer. This time it was different,
though. The whole situation looks like the Od:Zysk collective fought for a while
and finally, unable to find a solution, sold a building that they have been occupying
to the landlord for ~120 000 PLN (29,000 EUR). You can think about it with
admiration, as a smart move; here anarchists made a fool out of a rich investor.
Such a stance, however, causes a resistance and disagreement in me, even more
because of the much wider context behind the whole situation, known to me as a
participant.
Everything takes a completely different shape if we understand a few facts. First
of all, the collective Od:Zysk does not exist as an autonomous, independent being
for a long time already, nor does it decide in its own matters, consequently. This
situation continues and gets worse since at least a year and a half. A direct reason
is the moves of the Poznań section of the Anarchist Federation (FA). Secondly, the
decision to take money from the current legal owner of Od:Zysk is not a decision
of the Od:Zysk collective (for obvious reasons, lack of decision power), but the FA
decision, forced on the hull collective with formal games, threats, intimidation and
finally physical violence. This all means that the case of taking ~29,000 EUR by
anarchist collective is no longer a matter in the field of ethics and a question about
whether to take or not take. If it were, it should be probably protested (this
decision without a doubt influences the conditions, in which squatting movement
in Poland operates) and one could not say nothing more against it. It would only
be a decision of one collective. Questionable but autonomous. However, it’s not
that way. Paradoxically, we are dealing here with a situation that is best described
with the vocabulary taken from the area that we most fiercely criticize. There was
a hostile acquisition, robbery, house-cleaning (forced eviction) and finalizing the
entire project in the form of a sale. All this was made by the Anarchist Federation.
More, I am convinced it was completely deliberate. I will try to prove that this is a
logical consequence of the strategy adopted by the Poznań section of FA, which
influences also other anti-authoritarian collectives and organizations in Poland.
This text expresses concerns about potentially harmful impact of the Federation
on all of us here, even on those, to whom the Federation activities are completely
foreign. Moreover, as we see, speaking about FA Poznań, we can easily include
several other organizations and initiatives such as the Greater Poland Tenants’
Association (WSL, “Wielkopolskie Stowarzyszenie Lokatorów”), Rozbrat Squat,
the National Commission of the Workers’ Initiative (IP, “Inicjatywa Pracownicza”),
the Poznań Antifa, The Street Association (“Stowarzyszenie Ulica”) or Cafe-club
Revenge (“Klubokawiarnia Zemsta”). Their centralization and the structure of
operations will be described later, now I want to point out that Od:Zysk, despite
the wish to cooperate with them all, had a completely different vision of cooperation and was therefore destroyed.
I wrote the essay more than a week ago. I was wondering for a long time whether
to publish it and in what form. I decided to publish it for a few reasons. First, to
break the status quo. What happened and still happens in Poznań I consider only
an extreme manifestation of the disease that affects the whole Polish so-called
‘movement’. It is a disease of authoritarianism, lack of solidarity and mixing
personal conflicts with ideological ones. It is also a taboo disease. Silencing many
issues, faking activities and discussions. In my opinion it’s a theater in which no
one has an idea or courage to go beyond their role. Our political actions are
characterized by defensiveness and lack of vision. In these conditions, I am afraid
that any internal discussion would quickly end in the group of these among us,
who enjoy the strength and influence and probably the whole case would be
silenced in the name of the unity of the movement, unity that is only a unity of and
for the certain people.
Another thing is safety of those who would like to say something FA Poznań
doesn’t like. As there were serious threats and physical attacks against people
who did not agree with the FA line in Poznań, I believe that informing people
broadly should at least stop physical aggression. When the whole situation
becomes public, they need to be aware that “people are watching” (hopefully).
The text is quite long but covers more than two years. In fact, I think that it should
be longer and cover many more threads than just Od:Zysk and FA Poznań. I did
not do this as I hope for a broad public discussion. After all, none of us is ashamed
of own views and is not afraid to speak them aloud, right? I hope. What
convinced me in the end was the hypocritical statement of “Od:Zysk”. Especially
at the point where they mention that Od:Zysk is a part of a grassroots movement
that is not assumed to accept donations or grants but agrees to leave the building
in exchange for a grant to WSL (Greater Poland Tenants’ Association — please
note that Warsaw Tenants’ Association’s name is also shortened to WSL;
surprisingly(!) it seems to be a pure coincidence — translator’s note). Heroic
attitude; the thing is that WSL and FA are the same people. As it will turn out later
in the text, it is also symptomatic that the signature of the Anarchist Federation
got removed, even though for some time it has always appeared under every
statement of the Od:Zysk Collective. Interesting, considering that never before in
its short history has Od:Zysk been so dominated by FA members.
I also believe that in this situation every collective in this country should make a
statement!
I am a former member of the Od: Zysk collective. The text was published on the
Od:Zysk mailing list. So I believe that I have completed the formalities. The text is
only my position and not the R.O.D.‘s, who let me use its blog for the publication
(thanks).
*** **Od:Zysk — fight for sovereignty**
It is impossible to understand the situation of Od:Zysk if you do not know its
internal history, how it was born and the role that the Poznań FA played in it.
Without it, one can’t either get the FA’s claim to the right of extensive
interference in the activities of this collective.
*** **Capital Accumulation**
It is fairly basic to know that there are several types of capitals. Capital is people,
means of production, material goods, funds. We may not like the existence of
capital, but for the time being we operate in a society that is completely
subordinate to it. Any collective needs it to work, too. What can a newly formed
squatting group do if it does not have the money, tools and has little social capital
(generally understood here as ‘connections’)? It can start to develop slowly, quietly, in line with its ideas. Sometimes this takes a long time and goes along with
being kicked out of several locations several times. It allows you, though, to gain
experience and skills. With a bit of luck, „connections” are also made, thanks to
which it is easier to organize events, borrow a car or a screwdriver, or finally get
some money.
What if there is an organization called the Anarchist Federation right next door,
some of them live in the country’s oldest squat, with people, skills, connections,
money and tools? Isn’t it more rational to ask for help? In addition, it is a
‘federation’, a loose association of mutually supportive local anarchist initiatives.
The choice seems simple. In the case of Od:Zysk, the initiative group consisted in
part of people who considered themselves members of the federation. Before they
opened Od:Zysk, people associated with the federation at that time had tried
three times before. With the support of the FA — though sluggish. Their last action
before Od:Zysk — squatting a building named named The Workshop (not to be
confused with a contemporary project of the same name in Crakow — translator) —
ended with a brutal eviction, and the most part of FA’s support was to see at that
point. Here it should be added that the idea of opening a new squat in Poznań was
born during the FA meetings, and the reason was the overcrowding of Rozbrat
and the massive interest in living there by more people. FA had no particular idea
for a new site. If we think about it, it might sound strange; an association of
several groups should actively seek solutions and initiate new activities. In fact, FA
is a union of more than dozen people representing various organizations. The
central body administrating the rest. Because none of the ‘new’ squaters had a
high position in it (and there were moments when this or that person was at odds
with someone from the ‘top’), apart from solidarity support (eviction of The
Workshop) or purely technical (borrowing tools from individual people), FA was
not involved in the matters of the new place.
The situation started to change when Od:Zysk was created. But involved in this
squat were people not from the FA, or what we sometimes call ‘the scene’. I
believe that all initial successes (loud campaigns, successful opening, quick
restoration of the building, etc.) were due to the strong involvement of people
from the outside, who quickly became at least half of the inhabitants. They
brought with them human resources and over time FA began to look at it greedily.
The FA is the dominant political force, using anti-authoritarian and anarchist
slogans in Poznań. This allows it to greatly support (if they want) new groups.
However, it demands a payment for this support, and being a „monopolist” it sets
prices and has the means to force payback. In the case of Od:Zysk, it was an
adaptation to the political line of the FA and active involvement in IP (Inicjatywa
Pracownicza, Worker’s Initiative) and WSL (Greater Poland Tenants’ Association).
In turn, participation in the FA meant something like an internship. Your voice was
ignored (if you dare to speak up — meetings conducted by these people are a
traumatic experience for many) or politely silenced. You could take
responsibilities that other people were already bored with, come to pickets and
nod. There was not, and still isn’t, any room for any kind of spontaneity, creativity
or own ideas. Ethics or morality does not exist, only rationality, expressed within
the so-called media strategy (I hope to write a critique someday).
We were then busy with other matters, we ran our own campaigns. Despite this,
many of us took up the challenge and got involved in the activities of WSL or IP.
As Od:Zysk, we joined the “Hanging of the Elites” campaign, which was the idea
of FA, to a large extent executed by us. Already then there emerged a conflict; the
line of division ran between what we want and what the FA demands.
*** **Are you an Anarchist?**
The conflict created by the FA made itself increasingly felt. We were more often
leaving the meetings disgusted; jokes about dictators, communists, parties and
Bolsheviks appeared. However, we did not take our intuitions too seriously. We
enjoyed enough autonomy, and the focus was on Od:Zysk. Most of us did not
know each other before, we were just building a collective (never finished). People
with Poznań experience were used to it. They still cared about building the
movement, unity, solidarity and mutual help.
Even before the official opening, there was a discussion on describing the nature
of the place. Simply put — whether is it an anarchist one. For the first time, FA
authoritarianism appeared here. It should be remembered that FA is an anarcho-
syndicalist formation and only such anarchism is right for them. At that time, this issue was not raised. The question was whether we want to be called an anarchist
squat or not. Most of us were declared anarchists and though we wanted the
place to be recognized as such, we wanted it to be available to everyone. It was
supposed to be open and support all these anti-authoritarian initiatives that had
no place. The plans were great. Theaters, different workshops. And everything
was to be bottom-up, self-organized. Only later, it turned out that we started to
resemble FA, there were hierarchies and specializations. We could see it when
many valuable people, disgusted by months-long discussions about how not to
collaborate with the system and preserve the ideological cleanliness (for example,
not to use workshops for private moneymaking — today it sounds like a bitter
joke) — just left. Like other issues, also this was solved by forcing. This is a usual
FA’s trick; pressure so long until the opposition simply gets tired and goes. But let
us show the nature of these ‘discussions’. One day, a well-known and experienced
syndicalist, scientific worker and author of several books, during the FA meeting
pointed finger at every newcomer and asked loudly: “Are you an anarchist?”.
If only someone got up then and said: “Well, if you put it this way, I’m not sure”...
or even better: “And you?” But we chickened. Not the first time and not the last
one. And as we speak of cowardice, one should say clearly that the only thing that
we’re guilty of — former and current members of the Od:Zysk collective — is
cowardice.
But put yourself in our shoes. From one side attacks by FA that in general we’re
not anarchist enough and we do not do what’s important, meaning we do not
engage in tenant and workers’ struggles (it’s telling, the exclusion of the activists
from the realm of “normal people”, when tenants refuse to pay rent is a rent
strike, when you are squatting a building, you have to do something else,
otherwise you are a parasite and an opportunist), from the other side, the
pressure of the city and the police, the struggle against the selling of the place
(after all, “Od:Zysk ain’t for sale” — do we still remember?).
And then yet another side: own actions, organizing meetings and everything that
creates the character of the place and the collective.
Pressure made by the FA influenced what was happening at Od:Zysk. The division
was there. And although over time the positions of individual people were
changing, internal cracks grew. I repeat once again: the collective was being
destroyed from the inside before it could actually form. The one that emerged saw
people unrelated to FA and not defining themselves as anarchists (though nothing
in their practice was faulty) quickly removed. This is an important fact, if you
interpret it as a purge. Such purges continue, and their frequency and brutality
will grow the more, the weaker will be the Od:Zysk collective.
*** **Formal issues**
How to get leverage on a group of people? Exploit an internal conflict. This is a
method known to any power. How to do it? You either create such a conflict or
use already existing one. To be able to do this, you need ‘your man’ to enter the
group — a provocateur. Such person was already inside our group, he often
sabotaged attempts for the autonomy and was one of the reasons the collective
reached a state of passive resistance (later about it). Epilogue of his business was
searching through residents’ rooms and kicking them out of the building at 2 am.
This was the last purge, which took place at the beginning of September and to
which we will come back.
Previous cracks inside the collective Od:Zysk turned into a split after action at the
University of Economics (*a queer protest during a lecture, pacified by the cops
illegally with tasers and much force — translator). As we do not want to reveal any
personal information here, we can not dwelve into this event too much. Action —
probably few people know — was organized spontaneously and without a larger
plan. And yet some arrangements were there and some people broke them, thus
leading to escalation at the University Hall.
It is irrelevant here if it was needed or not, it was important that because of it a
conflict grew enough to paralyze the collective processes for a few more weeks
and led to a weird decision, taken by Od:Zysk (although from where this idea
came — I do not know). From that point, all decisions taken at the Poznań
Federation meeting regarding the collective Od:Zysk were to be binding. The absurdity of this decision shows how effective was the dividing policy. Interesting,
those meetings of Od:Zysk were on Wednesdays, and Tuesdays — FA’s. That’s how
the ‘nodding’ process started: approving FA decisions at our meetings. Of course,
thanks to such arrangement of meetings, the Federation could easily impose its
point of view. What gained the provocateur? A rise in his informal position in
centralized structures of the Federation, and in the context of a new division of
tasks (passed into the hands of FA) greater influence within Od:Zysk itself.
What made the collective take such a decision? Lack of faith in own strength to
solve the internal conflict. Easily to see here, that FA, after all, was still perceived
by us as a friendly structure, faithful to the idea of anarchism (vide its inflexible
stance that Od:Zysk has to be anarchist by definition). In other words, we simply
expected help to get through a difficult period. Nobody predicted the loss of
identity and decision-making. These decisions were also supported by people
who are today thrown out of the building with force by... the anarchists.
*** **Anarchist Federation Section Poznań or Anarchy is a company**
*** **Formal issues, continued. — FA structure and the concept of ‘Movement’**
A lot about centralization and hierarchy in FA. It’s worth to explain and organise
everything. I wrote already about several groups that have their representatives in
FA. We also mentioned that FA was rather a management board than the forum of
these groups. Because FA is still an unregistered legally group, without official
bodies, all forms of centralization and hierarchy are also informal and hidden. This
makes the mimicry of this group as an anarchist difficult to see through for a
casual observer. If they only want, FA can preserve all forms of a group based on
equality, and make decisions in — it would seem — collective way, sometimes even
consensually. However, this is an absolutely false picture (just look at the silent lips
during plenums). This group should be perceived as a form of a party, and not
through the lens of the declared views, but practical activities.
FA meetings are open, but this does not mean that everyone who appears at them
is FA (even if the person thinks so). And although everyone has a voice, of course,
its importance varies. Standard behaviors during the meetings include shouting,
offending people or ignoring them. These are the forms of verbal intimidation and
psychological suppression. Instead of substantive discussion or analysis on
someone’s opinion, you can generally hear that what was told was stupid,
nonsense, dreamy, irrational or (ultimate argument) incompatible with the FA
strategy. For instance, a frequent argument (to which we will still come back)
against the self-determination of Od:Zysk, and rescuing it at all, it is that the
Od:Zysk collective was unable to develop their own strategy and policies and that
there were no sensible alternatives on its part.
Firstly, it’s illogical, when we take into account the fact that the decision that FA’s
decisions bind has never been withdrawn, which literally means that The
Federation is to take responsibility (and they took it, oh!) for Od:Zysk. Secondly,
all attempts for an alternative defense strategy and activities were cut by FA
before even a discussion could start. How symptomatic is such behavior for this
group will show when we describe the structure of what in Poznań is called ‘the
movement’. FA is the Board of the so-called Movement. Movement sometimes has
some extra parts, such as a tenants’ one, but this it’s not relevant. In general, it
should be understood as anarchist. FA are more than dozen people, each of which
is involved in one or two subsidiary organizations (the language of corporations
or party is very adequate here). Except for the Board, meetings are attended by
mid-level management. While the top management is the Activists, these others
are activists.
The mid-level stays silent, unless the discussion deals with the details of the
decision taken by the Management Board. As FA, though not so many, it is well
organized, generally the board can do what suits them. There’s also a group of
novices, acolytes who do what is said. While FA is the meeting of the
„movement’s” board, the individual sections like WSL, IP or Antifa reflect the FA
structure only as part of the specialization they do. Some people from the
Management Board flow between the subsidiary organizations due to lacks in
human resources, though they rarely share their capital (skills, contacts) and if so, then only with trusted mid-level members. They pass competence reluctantly,
which btw limits their structures numbers. They operate in the paradox space
between declared values and everyday practice. If they dared to cede the
decision to people whose fidelity to FA (not to anarchist ideas or even anarcho-
syndicalist ideas, but the Federation, understood as the highest form of
Movement) is not yet proven, it could happen that their political vision wouldn’t
be implemented. Precisely the belief in the strategy and its advantage over
another visions leads to such an aggressive centralization, and at the same time
deficiency of people.
This also explains why in the summer of 2014, when during the most intensive
struggle for saving Od:Zysk, FA pressure was growing and collective autonomy
was being gradually limited, so many people left Od:Zysk. In fact, they did not
leave the squat — which is dear to me and many other people to this day — but FA.
These people engaged in at least four other initiatives throughout the country,
also in Poznań, but also in Crakow and Warsaw. Collective Kłak, R.O.D. and
Reaktor (RC10), as well as groups organizing Anti-Frontex days or No One Is
Illegal movement, not to mention other initiatives. It’s important in the context of
bad word spread about Od:Zysk, suggestions that the group creating it is
worthless, inept people, for whom FA must think.
Summer 2014 saw another purge. Those who stayed were persons, who still had
faith or just were too strongly connected to Poznań to leave. Those who replaced
them weren’t at all worse, but they found themselves in a much worse situation. A
small part found a place in FA, most, it seems, fell into a passive-rebellion mode.
Not stupid, it was enough for them to go to FA meetings for a few times to find
out how it smells. The more so because with a weakening of Od:Zysk aggression
and contempt on the part of the Federation increased and only idiot could have
some illusions about the nature of this organization.
To sum up, FA is the Management Board; other organizations are departments or
subsidiary companies. And all in the name of what? Revolution? Maybe, we won’t
dig into it, although many years ago one of the board members said: “We realized
that we weren’t an avant-garde. That we wanted to change something here and now.” So probably no revolution (especially that a few years later, he ran for the
Old Town Council). We’re convinced it’s all about influence. But for this one needs
people, which is likely why at the very beginning FA did not interfere much in the
Od:Zysk matters. In their arrogance and self-righteousness, Od:Zysk probably
seemed to them a large resource of people who, if they are anarchists, ought to
naturally stick to FA and dependent organizations to somewhat relieve the old,
tired activists. Hence, I guess, the source of irritation with the “Are you an
anarchist?” at the time when it became clear that vision of people from Od:Zysk
and FA were at least incompatible.
I shall describe one more important feature of the FA organization —
specialization. It will help us understand another problem that FA people have
with Od:Zysk. Until its appearance the FA had: one Squat, one club/cafe/
bookstore, one tenant organization and one workers’ union. After the creation of
Od:Zysk there were two squats. And nobody (except for the squatters) knew what
to do with this. The problems that this situation has generated were reflected in
the complaints by FA (or people strongly associated), eg. regarding infoevents at
Od:Zysk — after all, it is a job of ‘The Revenge’. Do you want to compete? (A
frequent charge). Next example. Once at an Od:Zysk plenary there came up an
idea to open a free summer cafe; before it was even discussed, the same charge
was raised. But when FA tried to reanimate Od:Zysk politically in spring, the only
thing that they thought out was counselling for tenants (done by the WSL
anyway) in the arcades, next to pubs and the bustle. An idea was dubious, but
there were photos and an article in Gazeta Wyborcza (mainstream, liberal/centre-
right newspaper — translator). Similar doubts about the competition were also
brought up regarding concerts, especially punk ones. After all, this is a Rozbrat’s
job, do you want to make competition?
Let a quote from one FA member sum it up. (A acolyte and a pricker, but I guess
he described accurately FA’s approach, btw we saw it also in a local newspaper
Głos Wielkopolski.) “We live in a bourgeois city, so we must also use such
language”. It would be interesting to dig to the point one day when bourgeois
language turned into bourgeois methods.
Taking all this into account, the Corporation Anarchist Movement FA decided to
close an unprofitable branch. I don’t know if they had such a goal already when
they imposed their power over us. We suspect that it happened a little later, when
they realized that despite taking over the power, they are not able to control the
Od:Zysk. After all, there lived anarchists (and still live there), who don’t care about
any power. Even power that calls itself anarchist. Pressured from both sides, by
the FA and the city and the owner, forced to give the strategy of the struggle for
the house to the hands of the Federation and deeply divided we could do one
thing — use passive resistance and absence.
*** **Od:Zysk fell, but does not give up**
“We need to regain control over Od:Zysk. We do not even know who lives there
now” — E-mail from the mailing list of the Poznań Anarchist Federation.
At one point, the turnover of people at Od:Zysk was beginning to resemble that of
a supermarket. Not only the Anarchist Federation did not know who actually lived
there, probably not even Od:Zysk knew, themselves. But we repeat again, they
were not some drunkards. Party mood is also one of the forms of the rebellion.
You can do nothing; you can leave or take care of your affairs and actions, in
which no one would interfere and tell you what you should think (many people
who stayed chose it). You can also drink in the ruins. Accusing new residents that
they led this place to fall is a misunderstanding. FA led to this state. These people
had come to a place that at some point had the opinion of one of the most radical
in the country. Possibly they had wanted to participate in it. However, they saw the
‘political line’ imposed from outside and internal, constantly sustained, conflict.
What could they do? Could they stand against it all?
Those who think so we ask to reread the part about the capital. Capital developed
by Od:Zysk was either taken over by FA or went away with those who have left
(and maybe they were rather exiled). New people did not have strength (and here
the argument from rationality is legitimate) to oppose FA or generate new
activities that could revive the place. In the city where ‘Movement’ is dominated
by FA, at the time when Od:Zysk was already taken over (from now on, we can already talk about Federation having grabbed it or just about a ‘hostile
acquisition’), every political event by Od:Zysk without prior consultation with the
Federation had to count with ostracism and excuses. In turn, consultation
attempts always ended under the umbrella of the Federation and, in the best case,
takeover or significant interference. That’s why there were drink and partying in
the ruins. At least this could not be forbidden. Their gang has not come inside yet.
Passivity in regard to FA decisions, absence at the meetings of both collectives —
because what sense was it making, since one is not decisive, and one had no voice
at the other? — This is the last stage of the conflict between FA and attempting at
bringing to Od:Zysk some quality. This possibility actually has already been
eliminated, so before we think about what next... Shit, let’s go drink. This is one of
the funniest but also sad moments of this story. So many efforts on the part of the
FA to somehow make the Od:Zysk people FA-like activists, and the only thing that
managed was to either chase them away, or cause a complete lack of interest,
resp. inspire a massive several-weeks lasting party. Well, what to do, if not put
responsibility on them once again, using the power of your capital (this time the
authority of one of the strongest activist/anarchist scenes in Poland). After all,
who would listen to people called useless by some known member of Poznań FA?
This way FA considered Od:Zysk as their own project, which suffered a loss not
by their fault and deserved closing. Just as corporations shutting down
unprofitable factories. Kick out people and sell out the bankruptcy estate for a
paltry penny. But it turned out these people, allegedly doing nothing but partying,
still have opinions. And they have rules, which they do not want to break in the
name of any ideas and know the value of prioritising principles over the idea. For
none of them the goal justified the means. Besides, none from FA explained the
goal.
Long ago, right after the Mr. Woźny bought the building, the buyer offered us a
small sum of money (1 or 2 thousands euro). Although the Federation mentioned
taking it at the plenary, the collective position was then clear and unanimous — no
money, for anything, ever. Even the provocateur put that clear by the time — no
way. Then negotiations started. The strategy was clear; we talk with Mr. Woźny to play on time, all the offers from the city and the investor we long consider, we
send the papers, we wait and we send next ones. Not everyone loved it. Under the
guise of tactical play, somewhere we felt that this was kind of self-deception. I
mean, let these negotiations take a year or more. How to explain it later? We were
already trapped in the so-called ‘media strategy’, pushed by the FA, so it was
obvious that we’d have to explain. What we gonna say, if the city finds us a
building, and Mr. Woźny gives money for the renovation, for instance? However,
not so. We want to be at the Marketsquare, hell! We have this right, not as
anarchists, but as people. And here we are fighting for ourselves and for others.
But we chickened. We didn’t confront the FA, and the situation seemed urgent. If
only we had the experience that we now have. But we didn’t, and the collective
was in disarray. We accepted this strategy. There were already voices saying — in
such case, give some alternative. But for that not only we seemed to lack time.
Moreover, according to the accepted framework, a decision concerning Od:Zysk
had to be presented and discussed at FA’s plenum. Few were eager to do it. So,
the solution seemed safe. It was a serious mistake. The second serious one after
commitment to the custody of the Federation. Because it got us into even greater
dependence. Just the condition remained still the same — we do not take money!
*** **And we take 29000 EUR, though. Who? Us?**
In Poznań, sentiments for the glorious past and the so-called great figures from
19th and early 20th century are strong. Od:Zysk once had a huge banner with
Bakunin. Quite often there are books about Makhno published (one of the house
members sometimes even used nick ‘Nestor Makhno’ — funny, I admit), about
Kronstadt or the Spanish Revolution. Ironically, all actions of the Federation in
regard to Od:Zysk have analogies in these books. Unfortunately, these analogies
do not run between FA and the Free Army of Ukraine, Kronstadt sailors of the FAI/
CNT. No, toutes proportions gardées, they bring to mind a pale reflection of
Bolsheviks and Stalinists. Well, it turned out that FA wanted to negotiate with Mr.
Woźny money for people moving out from Od:Zysk. Note that most people living
there did not belong to FA and were not attending its plenums. Still, Federation felt entitled. At the Od:Zysk plenary there was no decision taken; consensus could not
be reached. At the FA’s one, the provocateur scolded other Od:Zysk people, who
protested against the recognition of decision of accepting the money as a
decision of the entire collective, with words that if the decision was made, it was
valid and it did not matter how it happened. Well, it did, because part of the
people did not want to move out, regardless of FA’s decision.
Here, the whole story could finish. Let FA take money (in two installments, the first
time while handling keys to Mr. Woźny, and for a noble goal, because it was to be
transferred to WSL’s account — we will comment it), and those who want to stay
would stay and defend the house. Easy? No. For many reasons, this was
unacceptable for FA. All because of the „media strategy”, in which FA had trapped
itself long before and which is one of the reasons why FA changes into a political
party.
First of all, FA poses for an organization that almost never looses. They are
scrupulously building its powerful image. We can guess that sooner or later, the
police would drag people out from the barricaded building. FA perceives it as a
failure, so FA can not harm its brand with it. What a problem? Let FA not take
part in this — someone naive would say.
Of course, FA wouldn’t take part. They even withdrew the support. They also
threatened people who wanted to defend the place that they could not count on
the Federation or ABC. It’s been said more outright —
“you’re gonna stay there alone”.
The thing is that FA can not allow such a situation happen at all, because whether
it’d take part in defense or not, the media would write that it’s anarchists. FA itself
tried to ‘merge’ with Od:Zysk, and as result, these beings are inseparable for
media. Even the journalist Żytnicki, conditioned by this alleged journalistic
objectivity, would ask: “Well, how is it? It’s anarchists or not anarchists?” As FA always aimed at building one, united movement in Poznań since ever (from time to
time they look for a key to whole Poland), they can’t say, though, that they are
another anarchists. Well, if they are another anarchists, why don’t you support
them? And what is the poor FA supposed to say, then? It’s bad anarchists; we
keep contracts with a developer, they do not?
Once again, you can see the discrepancy between the proclaimed idea and
practice. This is the second reason; people who’d be in the with no help from FA
would bring it shame in the eyes of activists, anarchists and anti-authoritarians
around the country. Thus, FA was unenthusiastic, since people from management
were involved also elsewhere in Poland (through tenant movement and especially
trade union movement). They couldn’t harm their prestige (not to speak about
Rozbrat’s popularity). But refusing support was smallest of problems. They were a
pack of useless drunks, weren’t they? One could explain it.
But how to explain themselves to Mr. Woźny? Thanks for the money, but you
know... Well... several persons will stay. You gotta kick’em out. But I paid for them
not to stay! Yyyy... you know, we clean the house for the first time. Most left, but
the rest do not want. That would become a huge shitstorm, cause media wouldn’t
swallow it.
Personally, I think that taking money and staying would be fun and desirable. In
turn, keeping a contract with a developer, well, not very anarchist. But also this,
from the FA point of view, one bear. Although probably the journalist Żytnicki
would start inquiring again. And here is the last and most important reason.
The FA knows themselves, that however one approached the situation, it does not
look the best way possible. That’s why the building has to be emptied, blame
Od:Zysk as much as possible and limit the damage by imposing own narrative. Do
it all as quietly as possible and with the hands of outmaneuvered Od:Zysk itself.
This is also the reason for me to write this text. Something like that shall not pass;
and still we have not yet discovered everything.
The Federation must therefore force people to leave the building. During the
already mentioned plenary, when the option of taking money was ‘adopted’, there
happened much more. The head of the gang department (due to later events, it’s
difficult to still call them Antifa) announced that he’d personally beat up anyone
who’d stay at Od:Zysk after the move-out date (agreed with the developer). He
argued that the potential removal of such people from the building would offend
his honor (apparently selling the squat and playing a house-cleaner do not). Later
it was stated that today squatting today doesn’t make sense (the meeting took
place at Rozbrat (seriously!)) and the fate of The Workshop and Reaktor (RC10)
were used as examples.
Let’s stop for a moment over Reaktor (RC10). The situation with the eviction was
a complete surprise for this Cracow collective (police interest was an effect of a
surprise raid by some Antifa thugs — translator); everything took place within a
few days. A modest in numbers team managed to put alert and get interest from
the media during the weekend, organize support on spot and bring some people
to defend. Here let’s go back to the part about capital. The Cracow Reaktor
(RC10) was a tiny collective, consisting of several people, in a large part of
foreigners and former members of the collective... Od:Zysk. FA Poznań did not
think that Reaktor (RC10) was worth even symbolic support on their part, they
called them pathetic because they “begged for help”. These miserable people,
however, did a piece of such a good job that even right-wing media in Crakow
stood firmly behind them. In a few days they did something that FA couldn’t do
for 20 years.
On the other hand, the ‘defeat’ of The Workshop (the Poznań one, not the Cracow
one — translator) resulted in the creation of Od:Zysk, which took place an
atmosphere of openness and diversity and now it dies miserably, betrayed and
abandoned by those, on whose support they counted the most. Let’s remember
this lack of solidarity, cynicism and arrogance. There were many more words said
at this plenum that can be considered threats and intimidation, meant to surrender
and a ‘peaceful’ leave from the building. Did anyone wonder what would happen
to the tenants? No, because in the logic of FA, squaters are apparently not
tenants. Therefore media-oriented and legalist ways led an informal group to informal party-mafia and authoritarianism. For the rest of the plenum, a good few
hours, FA was already sharing the dreamed treasure and debated what would
they do with 47,800 EUR. As it turned out, not 47,500, but 29,000 EUR. There
were curiosal opinions expressed, for instance that anarchists are bandits, and
that some in the FA collective feel bandits, so the whole situation is fine, because
they rob the developer. And again, it didn’t come to anyone’s mind that they did
not rob a developer, but the collective Od:Zysk. Because the developer anyway
bought the building super cheaply and these 29,000 EUR makes little difference.
It’s amazing how the Capitalists from FA can rob the same people for a few times.
From freedom and dignity, and finally from the building. Things started to
accelerate.
*** **FA cleanses Od:Zysk from a ‘suspicious element’**
During the recent event at Od:Zysk, a group of militants appeared and brutally
expressed their approach to undermining the applicable political line. They
informed everyone that anyone criticizing FA actions, mentioning that Od:Zysk
had been sold, would be beaten up. We did not have to wait long until theory
changed into practice. Stencils criticizing FA have appeared at Od:Zysk. Soon a
group of thugs, with a provocateur at the forefront, came to the room of a person
suspected of this terrible crime. Screaming they searched the room, and though
they didn’t find the evidence, they took the keys and kicked that person out. All at
2 am. Some time earlier they treated another person in a similar way. One of the
survivors of the assault, reporting this incident, said directly: “I felt like at a police
interrogation, so I behaved like at such — I was silent.” Ones who protested
against these practices heard that it was a “corrective effect” (whatever it meant)
and that if they do not like something, they can, of course, fuck off. They were also
warned by other people that digging into these matters may “end badly”.
All this made me, a person once belonging to the collective Od:Zysk, who feels a
part of the squatting and anarchist movement to write this text and publish it.
Anxiety and a sense of threat due to the logic of actions that Poznań Anarchist
Federation seems to follow is not a matter of local environment. I find its influence
harmful and destructive, and now, when its actions come onto light, especially in retrospect, I have the right to think that FA would like to implement its strategy
also in other places. What’s more, FA’s ready to do it in the same brutal way, that
has nothing to do with anarchism.[1]
Also, I want to express my solidarity with intimidated people of Od:Zysk. They are
the most harmed, twice. Not only the threats and violence took away their house
but also by keeping the whole thing silent, they are being striped from dignity. Let
us not agree to it, let’s not let it be.
Od:Zysk is something more than just a building at the Old Marketsquare, and that
no one is able to sell or buy. Neither FA nor developers! And so for a reminder:
Solidarity our weapon! Against every aggression!
** Dictionary
**FA, Federacja Anarchistyczna (Anarchist Federation)** :: A
country-wide network established in the early 90’s, big for the local
measures. Dominated by Poznań city; the crew from there is very
closely tied to Rozbrat squat. Their doctrine is anarchist platformism,
the group aims to centralize the movement and claims a leadership
position.
**Hate trucks, aka homophobovans or fetus-vans** :: Small trucks
equipped with big loudspeakers and covered with banners, cruising
through cities’ downtowns with disgusting, deceiving and
aggressive propaganda of anti-choice and anti-lgbtq+ nature on
banners and via loudspeakers (for instance, linking lgbt to
pedophilia). They are part of an international radical catholic
network, influential in Poland, with connections to the government.
Before trucks got assigned police escorts, they were often blocked
and sometimes a tiny bit damaged, usually by very small groups of
people; results were often published. That was one of Stop Bullshit
(Stop Bzdurom) [*see note] activities; many unassociated ppl got
inspired and followed. During Syrena’s birthday celebration a year
prior, hate truck made a stop in front of the building. As the verbal
confrontation started, some rightist jumped out of nowhere and
punched a female comrade in the face. The reaction was still mild,
due for instance to the police station being 100 m away. What
followed were also damage to van banners and somewhat the van
itself (around/below 1kEUR/5 kPLN tho) + public prayers at our
gates + reportages at prime time in state TV + a few months of pre-
trial imprisonment of Margot in a jail for ‘male’ arrestees and very
much media coverage of the topic, eventually shifting the main
discourse to somewhat less queerphobic.
**PiS (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, Law and Justice)** :: The ruling
party in Poland, governing with more than enough support and
representation since 2015 (they also tried to establish a new, Fourth
Republic when in power the previous time). Far right, very catholic
and often xenophobic. Notorious for largely successful overtaking
of, among others, the media and judiciary system, routinely using
hate campaigns against migrants and sexual/gender minorities.
Fairly authoritarian, although less successful than their inspiration
from Hungary.
**Przychodnia** :: A squat in downtown Warsaw, since 2012, neighbors
of Syrena from another side of the fence, across the inner yard. A
punk one, counterculture oriented. Until 2018 relations were most of
the time complicated. Most of the times, topic of the conflicts was
sexist or homophobic and transphobic violence of Przychodnia
members or guests. In 2018, when a rape took place there and
various people from the movement pushed for a right response, its
collective enraged and disappointed so many, so much. Members,
who didn’t agree with the position of the majority got pushed out/
resigned and left. No meaningful appropriate steps were taken and
thus in 2019 a call out has been published (see https://
resiste.squat.net/?p=24396). Since then the two squats disliked
each other even more, relations being low-profile/tense/icy. Some
residents or even members of Syrena, though, ones more into
counterculture and/or unhappy with the struggles Syrena was
involved in and/or members of eastern diasporas seeking contact
with others of similar backgrounds, were visiting there frequently
and having friends.
Przychodnia and its circles were outspoken critics of Stop Bullshit
(Stop Bzdurom) for troublemaking and, with help of their trojan
horses, tried to force out many Syrena members thought to have acted against the homophobovan [*see note] in front of Syrena
gate. Before the 5.12 attack, Przychodnia let their territory be used
for a dozen armed guys attack against Syrena (which was fended
off), in defence of the same D., who went there after getting pepper-
sprayed, when he was punching, kicking and choking people
stopping his attempt to overtake and privatize for himself a few
more (public) rooms. It could be clear by that time, that the plan was
to overthrow Syrena sovereignty, install more machos and chase
away Syrena people easily. After this event D. came back himself,
using a knife to make sure he’d be able to stay and spreading
manipulated stories organized a few invasions of dozens of up to ca.
40 personal friends, hooligans, Przychodnia people and our
opponents from within the movement aimed at demonstrating
capabilities for violence and lower or higher profile threatening
behavior.
**Reprivatization scandals, WSL (Warszawskie Stowarzyszenie
Lokatorów, Warsaw Tenants’ Association), Jolanta Brzeska** :: After WWII city was close to 70% destroyed and had gotten
rebuilt with paid and unpaid work of the whole society. The state
had taken many private parcels, along with (usually ruined)
buildings. When capitalism was re-introduced, there emerged
claims to ownership — “legal” and phony — made by landlords’ heirs
and claim traders — often well-connected in courts and city hall,
often purchasing claims very cheaply from elderly people. City
returned many in full, now reconstructed, nicely located, worth tons
of bucks, with tenants given no protection and often quickly and
brutally made go. Some collected dozens of properties and claims.
The business was going so well, that the tenants’ movement couldn’t
do much; it was a taboo. In 2011 a 63 y.o. WSL (Warsaw Tenants’
Association) member Jolanta Brzeska got kidnapped from her flat and murdered, with authorities not looking for perpetrators too
much. WSL resided at Syrena, which got occupied the same year,
cooperated with WSL closely and was blocking evictions many
times; some people were members of both groups. A few years later
the thing became more interesting for the big media and it has
slowed down. Conservative far right, who took power, tried to use it
instrumentally against the previously ruling neoliberals, doing
nothing though, however providing us with many opportunities to
resist new, varying oppressions. WSL, slowly cleansed of more
radical members lean towards pro — government, reformist positions.
Brzeska’s daughter, feeling disrespected and disappointed, has cut
off from WSL. Being a one issue organization, WSL has consisted of
communists, anarchists, lawyers, anti-communists, catholics, mostly
old and poor people threatened with eviction or after it (also ones
who had been physically defended by us), sometimes not much
politicized; SWERFism, religious intolerance, transphobic etc
attitudes occur within ranks. Its former members have ended up on
both sides of the conflict at our place; the current base has
enthusiastically supported the macho against the queerfeminist side,
one member having taken part in the assault. They frame and praise
the brake-in and eviction of 12 people with robbing valuables,
performed by 30–40 largely veiled guys with heavy weaponry, as a
pro-tenant intervention.
**Rozbrat** :: A squat in Poznań, half-a-million city in western poland,
halfway between its capital Warsaw and Berlin. Established 1994.
Very closely tied to the city’s FA, Anarchist Federation. Well known,
much politicized, successful and important in PL. Its people were
involved in the tragic developments regarding the closing of
Od:Zysk squat [*see foreword + last essay in the zine] and received
money from the owner. By end of the decade, base for two prominent former members of Syrena since its beginning, important
in WSL, but with whom most other members didn’t want to
cooperate or co-live and who had to leave after a few years long
intense conflict. After 5.12 Rozbrat sided with the attackers on social
media and TG, even though it has not been taking any overt high-
profile action.
**Stop Bzdurom (Stop Bullshit)** :: A small and vocal queer anarchist
collective, active 2019–21. Focused mostly on challenging aggressive
and dehumanizing queer- and homophobic propaganda by the
Polish state and Catholic Church, often also supported by large part
of the media and “justice” institutions. Employed direct actions in
the public, much present in the internet and social and traditional
media, acting overtly. [*See note on homophobovans] Controversial
within left, somewhat also within lbtq+ circles (at least initially), ie.
because of the rude and troublemaking queer image — which has
been a novelty in poland, used to very polite, liberal, media-friendly
and law-abiding work, also in the context of general Polish
infospace (excl. far right) being relatively not too radical. The thing
got much traction and attention, especially after the jailing of
Margot, which has brought unusual interest and support from within
the mainstream, surprisingly wide and also from abroad; the arrest
caused massive demonstrations, provoked an open physical
confrontation between young queers and the police (before, a
pretty unknown thing here), who, following orders from above,
acted obviously more brutally than their sick standards were. The
events of that time got quite some coverage and heavily influenced
the public mindset. It seems kind of irreversible by now that the
existence of queers got somewhat normalized, resisting and solidary
attitudes got more popular and less condemned, and the hateful
campaigns were brought to the spotlight, more widely criticised and
forced to slow down.
**11.11** :: National holiday, anniversary of country’s independence.
Since 2007 celebrated by far right with marches, that got big
starting in 2010, often confronted directly or politically by
antifascist. The initiative became a core of nationalistic organizing,
eventually becoming the biggest far-right gathering in Europe. Size
of the march varies, but it always gathers several to tens of
thousands of people, including 20–50% of active far-right militants.
Thus, every year there are acts of violence e.g., in 2013, an
attempted attack on the squats and the burning of the rainbow
sculpture, frequent racist or homophobic assaults, arson of
apartments, etc.
[1] The more so because recently the National Commission of the trade union Workers’ Initiative/
Inicjatywa Pracownicza (dominated to a large extent by FA Poznań), still does not register one of the
Commissions, after a campaigns of lies. It still prolongs the registration process of a Commission
already achieving many successes and deems it to illegal existence, which exposes it to various
reprisals from employers and possibly legal sanctions. Instead, WI(IP) sent to Warsaw a person, who
can not be called other than a spy or provocateur, only to get into the Commission. These actions bring
live memories of these done by FA members against Od:Zysk, and from the historical perspective,
bring associations with the actions of stalinists to anarchists and syndicalists during the Spanish
revolution. A year ago at the anti-fascist demo same people beat a group of funny communists
carrying the portraits of Soviet genseks (secretary general). Did they want to reclaim the images?