a speaking tour on free radio and the anarchist movement in Mexico

*Dates* (posters and flyers for the events are available at www.nefac.net)

KINGSTON : Friday August 19th. The Sleepless Goat Cafe 91 Princess st. 9pm

OTTAWA : Saturday August 20th. Jack Purcell Community Centre 320 Jack Purcell Lane (corner Elgin and Gilmour) room 203A. 7pm

MONTRÉAL : Sunday August 21st. DIRA. 2035 St-Laurent. 7pm

MT. RADAR : Monday August 22nd. Campement jeunesse, Mt. Radar. 50 route Radar. 4pm

QUÉBEC : Tuesday August 23rd,. Pub l'Échouerie, 290 rue Saint-Joseph. 7pm

JOLIETTE : Friday August 26th. tba

With Katia and Jaime, Mexican anarchists involved in different projects such as the Bilbioteca Social Reconstruir, free radio at UNAM and Caravana Carlo Giuliani.

The Mexican anarchist movement benefits from a rich history and continues to be one of the more dynamic anarchist movements in the Americas. Katia and Jaime's presentation will allow us to know more about their successes and the different challenges they face.

The tour will stop in many cities in Québec and Ontario. We hope to be able to raise money during the tour and give it to the Biblioteca Social Reconstruir, an anarchist library located in Mexico City, rooted in its community for more then 20 years. It contains over 4000 books and thousands of newspapers and magazines, making it a fundamental center of anarchist ideas and working class knowledge and culture.

Right now, the Biblioteca is having financial difficulties (see text below). Your attendance at the Spreading Utopia! event in your city is a small way of supporting them!

*Dates* (posters and flyers for the events are available at www.nefac.net)

KINGSTON : Friday August 19th. The Sleepless Goat Cafe 91 Princess st. 9pm

OTTAWA : Saturday August 20th. Jack Purcell Community Centre 320 Jack Purcell Lane (corner Elgin and Gilmour) room 203A. 7pm

MONTRÉAL : Sunday August 21st. DIRA. 2035 St-Laurent. 7pm

MT. RADAR : Monday August 22nd. Campement jeunesse, Mt. Radar. 50 route Radar. 4pm

QUÉBEC : Tuesday August 23rd,. Pub l'Échouerie, 290 rue Saint-Joseph. 7pm

JOLIETTE : Friday August 26th. tba

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Biblioteca Social Reconstruir, an anarchist oasis in the city of Mexico

Biblioteca Social Reconstruir was founded in 1974 by Ricardo Mestre Ventura, an anarchist veteran of the Spanish Civil War. In 1984, it opened its doors to the public abd since it has become the main anarchist ressource in Mexico with its collection of more then 4000 books, amongst them 600 that are specifically related to anarchism.

The first documents that were part of the BSR collection were those of 4 Spanish anarchist militants who were members of the CNT-FAI : Benjamin Cano Ruiz, Marcos Alcon, Elisio Rojas and Ricardo Mestre. Amongst these there are original documents that have an enormous historical value, such as the first editions of the magazine Regeneracion, published at the beginning of the 20th century by the Flores Magon brothers, editions of books from Proudhon and Élisé Reclus dating back to the 19th century, the first anarchist books printed in Mexico and the magazine Revista Blanca, published by the family of Frederica Montseny.

The Bibliotheca space is open to everyone : students, researchers will find documents that are otherwise impossible to access and young people may find their first anarchist readings. But it isn't only a place for reading and reflecting, it is also a meeting space and a center for anarchist organizing in Mexico. Several groups meet there, amongst them the Caravana Libertaria Carlos Giuliani (the anti-capitalist convergence that initiated the mobilizations in Cancun, Monterey and Guadalajara), the Espacio anarco-punk project and the Anarchist Black Cross (prisoner support group).

When Ricardo Mestre died, financial support brought by certain Mexican intellectuals and their friends was ended. The Biblioteca was able to continue its activities by the only mean at its disposal, self management : pamphlets are self-produced and all kinds of fundraising projects and activites are constantly happening (concerts, cd's, etc.). Today however, the financial situation of the Biblioteca is difficult, because since May 2004, money gained from fundraisers has mostly gone to supporting comrades who were victims of police and state repression during the Guadalajara mobilizations against the European Union-Latin America summit.

Right now, the Biblioteca is an entire year behind in its rent payments, the equivalent of 6000$ Canadian (40 000 Mexican pesos). In the last few weeks, the owner of their building has started to put a lot of pressure on the project to pay its debt. There is, beyond the immediate risk of losing the space, the risk of losing the archives of immense value to the anarchist movement, as the owner wants to liquidate the Bibiloteca's possessions to reimburse himself. This is why we are asking for your solidarity.

To donate money internationally, please use the bank deposit key # 0121 8001 2999 4905 46 for account # 12999 49054 of the BBV Bancomer Bank under the name of Martha Cecilia Garcia. Please communicate with cara...@riseup.net and bibl...@libertad.org.mx to make note of your deposit.

Comradly
May solidarity and rebellion keep us united!

Biblioteca Social Reconstruir July 2005