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Alternative Bookshop - EVICTED!

Anonyme, Miércoles, Agosto 18, 2004 - 17:53
()

Alternative Bookshop

Montreal's anarchist bookshop since 1973, the Alternative Bookshop, was evicted last night by the AEELI

(Une version française de cette communiqué va suivre dans les prochaines quelques heures)

(PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY)
Those who haved passed by the Alternative Bookshop (Montreal's anarchist
bookshop at 2033 boul. St-Laurent) today will have noticed that the
collective has left and all the stock has been removed. In effect, we
were evicted by the AEELI, the collective which controls the building, and
the Coalition of Libertarian Distributors, the group which has been
boycotting us which non-coincidentally controls the AEELI.

Following their coup, the AEELI will be opening a new bookshop in that
space, and our collective will be looking for a new space to begin
operating in the near future.

In the meantime, questions, comments, and messages of solidarity and
support to our collective can be sent to alte...@riseup.net. We will
also be setting up a website shortly for those to publicly express what
they've been feeling amidst this conflict.

Below is the resolution which was passed with consensus by our collective
on August 12th, 2004. We encourage you to read on.

More information to come.

In solidarity,
the Alternative Bookshop collective, Montreal

---------------------------

Proposal for a new bookshop

Whereas the Coalition of Libertarian Distributors took control of the
AEELI by means of a campaign of slander, harassment and intimidation,
justifying its takeover with a series of serious but unproven allegations
against four members (Aidan, Dale, Karl and Moishe)

Whereas the Coalition of Libertarian Distributors refused several
proposals that no structural changes to the AEELI take place until after a
neutral committee had been set up to examine the foundation of their
charges but instead proceeded with their takeover of the AEELI

Whereas the four members of the AEELI (Aidan, Dale, Karl, Moishe) have
been permanently expelled from the association after refusing to defend
themselves in front of a tribunal consisting of the very same individuals
who were accusing them in the first place

Whereas Jen, a bookshop member, quit the AEELI after repeated written
attacks and accusations

Whereas the other reaction to the various campaigns of slander and
intimidation on the part of the other new members of the AEELI has ranged
from silence to active participation

Whereas numerous members of the bookshop collective have been harassed,
humiliated, and insulted by current members of the AEELI
>
Whereas over the last year at least nine members have left the bookshop
collective because of the ongoing conflict with the AEELI and Coalition of
Libertarian Distributors
>
Whereas members of the AEELI have been spotted going through documents
in the bookshop after hours and without consent
>
Whereas the AEELI, as controlled by the Coalition of Libertarian
Distributors, has adopted an antagonistic relationship with the bookshop,
treating it not as an integral part of the building project but as the
most hostile landlord would treat their most defenseless tenant
>
> Whereas the bookshop collective has been unable to order any books in
the last 6 months due to the ongoing conflict
>
Whereas despite all attempts to come to an agreement, the Coalition of
Libertarian Distributors, which now controls the AEELI, continues to
conduct a boycott of the bookshop

Whereas the Coalition of Libertarian Distributors, which now controls the
AEELI, has refused repeated requests to explain why it did not show up for
a scheduled meeting to discuss the bookshop

Whereas the present Board of Directors of the AEELI, controlled by the
representatives of the Coalition of Libertarian Distributors, has ignored
all communication from the bookshop and refuses to confirm or deny wheter
or not it is responsible for removing the bookshop's chequebook from the
store

Whereas despite early promises to respect the autonomy of the bookshop
collective we now find that the AEELI plans to evict our collective and
replace it with a bookshop under their direction

Whereas it has come to our attention that the same individuals,
representatives of the Coalition of Libertarian Distributors, that are now
controlling the AEELI, seem to be employing similar heavy-handed tactics
in order to manipulate other anti-authoritarian political collectives

> Whereas the new AEELI has neglected the building, and as pipes have
burst and doors have been broken, the bookshop has been forced to handle
the problems on our own
>
> Whereas the bookshop collective has been stagnant over the last 6 months
due to low morale caused by this conflict
>
> Whereas we could use a better bookshop name, a space that doesn't freeze
up in the winter, and neighbours who care for our well-being
>
> Whereas our revolutionary potential has been sucked dry by the
capitalists and cops masquerading as anarchists in the AEELI
>
> WE HEREBY PROPOSE:
>
> That the bookshop collective leave our store at 2033 St-Laurent
>
> That we widely and publicly denounce the AEELI for their mismanagement
and anti-social, anti-revolutionary behaviour
>
> That we establish an outreach committee to seek the support and
> participation of other anarchists, anarchist groups, and militant
radicals in the creation of a new anti-authoritarian and bookshop.


Asunto: 
 Fuck your smear campaign
Autor: 
 4ravach
Fecha: 
 Jue, 2004-08-19 04:21

What is this about??? If the coalition is so big, why are you fighting them? Who are capitalists? who the cops? It's Alternative bookshop that sold shitty books for 25$ who are capitalists.

Good riddanz to you fuckaz!

[ ]

Asunto: 
 A bunch of stupidity
Autor: 
 franky
Fecha: 
 Jue, 2004-08-19 10:22

This communiqué is nothing else than a bunch of lies. First of all, there are proven "allegations" against Moishe, Karl, Aiden and Dale. The AEELI never made those public because it was'nt meant to be. But now that you talk about it, we'll make it public soon.

FYI, I can tell right now that, during the transition between the old guard (i.e. Moishe and his crew), Moishe made a lot of obstuction, he kept important domcuments for himself, he gave the checks to the new administrator some 10 days after their election, etc... There are too much of these, I cannot remeber all, but I'll come back whit this. But there are real and "proven" reason why we expelled those 4 persons.

Also, this communiqué dont tell the whole truth. While it's true that only one member of the Coalition des Diffuseurs Libertaire showed up at one meeting set by Alternatives, we had 2 previous meetings. At one of these meetings, only 3 members of Alternatives showed up, including one new person that was'nt aware at all of the whole boycott. During this meeting, the Coalition des Diffuseurs Libertaire sent about 10 persons. Our mind change alot during this meeting. While we were agree to collaborate with Alternatives and make some effort to work togheter before this meeting, we saw that Alternatives was'nt considering us seriouly. They only brought 3 token members, which, by the way, was'nt event aware of all our griefs against Alternatives. We discuss about those, but they were'nt listening nor caring about these.

By the way, they never adressed the political questions we raised, questions that were essential to end the boycott. We stressed the fact that there was not enough french litterature, that there was not enough anarchist litterature, that the bookshop was not open enough to other tendencies. For all these reasons, we went on with the boycott. We want a new bookstore, largely open to the anarchis movement, which is not close 5 days a week like Alternative bookshop was.

The anarchist movement is larger than the very specific ID politics. We want a bookshop that will really be the reflect of the diversity of in the anarchist movement. Alternatives did not care at all about our culture or definition of anarchism, espacially the francophone anarchist culture, which is completly different than the main stream american anarchist culture. They failed to understand what we need, they never made any effort to understand; they only get what they deserve. Enough of this colonialist attitude, we now have our own bookshop.

[ ]

Asunto: 
 And...
Autor: 
 franky
Fecha: 
 Jue, 2004-08-19 10:34

Anyway, we see clearly that they dont even care to discuss of this in french, and it's like this since the begining.

[ ]

Asunto: 
 on this topic
Autor: 
 quoi?
Fecha: 
 Jue, 2004-08-19 12:50

read this article:

http://www.cmaq.net/en/node/15594

[ ]

Asunto: 
 Alternative must retract
Autor: 
 franky
Fecha: 
 Vie, 2004-08-20 12:56

You dont call someone a "cop" without any consequence. This accusation is serious. If Alternative can't prove there's a single cop in the Coalition des Diffuseurs, they need to retract immediatly and without any ambiguity.

This accusation is ridiculus, it standradize the repression we're all victim of. A lot of us were arrested, imprisoned and prosecuted; we've suffer from the arbirary repression of the state and justice. We cannot accept to be considered as cops.

This being said, if Alternative does'nt retract right now, we are going to take any mean necessary to exclude any member of Alternative who agrees on a such declaraition, from any event that we can jointly be present.

[ ]

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