Australian Anarchist Centenary Celebrations

One of the four posters produced for the celebrations

Part of the Politics series on Anarchism

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The Australian Anarchist Centenary Celebrations occurred on the 1st to the 4th of May, 1986 in Melbourne, Australia.

Preparations to celebrate the centenary of the formation of the first known anarchist organisation in Australia commenced in August of 1984 by the Libertarian Workers for a Self Managed Society (L.W.S.S.)^[1] The Melbourne Anarchist Club was formed on May 1st 1886 and included David Andrade and Chummy Fleming.^[2]

The Centenery Celebrations were used by some anarchists to rebuff the negative connotations placed on the word "anarchy". Dr Joseph Toscano told a reporter from the Sun "Anarchy is a bogy word: we are coming out of the closet, as it were, to show that we do not have horns or tails. We are simply Australians who have a different philosophy of life. We don't believe in Big Government: in fact, we don't believe in government at all. Government, any government is based on violence and power. If you don't believe it, just look at your headlines over the past few weeks. Anarchy doesn't mean bombs in the street or supersonic bomber raids, it means 'without rulers'. Anarchy means voluntary co-operation and self-management, equality, shared economic decision making."^[3]

The Centenary celebrations included a May Day march on May 1 of about 400 people, including several large puppets and many banners, and several visiting anarchists from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, USA, England, France and Spain.^[4] Over the weekend several events occurred including banner, poster and historical displays, a two day conference held at RMIT and Melbourne University, and a picnic in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne.^[5]

In conjunction with the conference, a two day anarchist film festival was held featureing films such as All our lives, a history of Mujeres Libres told by the women themselves; We Aim to Please a short Australian film on gender politics; Liberty My Love, an Italian anarchist film; Harry Hooton about an Australian poet; and Elsie: a study of a collective about a Sydney women's refuge; and many more^[6].

After the Anarchist Centenary Celebrations the Anarchist Media Institute was established by Dr Toscano and other Melbourne anarchists to increase the media profile of anarchists and correct bias and misconceptions about anarchism in the media.^[7]

Bibliography

• Anarchy is Order Government is Chaos. Australian Anarchist Centenary Celebrations (Ed) Joseph Toscano & others (1988) Melbourne, No ISBN
• The International Anarchist Film Festival. Melbourne May 2 - 4, 1986 Hilary May and Patrick Watson (Eds), Melbourne (1986) ISBN 0958902801

References

1. ^ Australian Anarchist Centenary posters Labadie Collection. Accessed May 1, 2007
2. ^ Reason in Revolt Source Documents of Australian Radicalism. Accessed May 1, 2007
3. ^ Anarchists come out of the closet with a friendly smile Herald Sun, April 24, 1986
4. ^ Anarchists celebrate 100 years, but the march confuses some The Age May 2, 1986
5. ^ Anarchists come out to clear their name The Age April 30, 1986
6. ^ Free Women of Spain The Age April 30, 1986
7. ^ Australian Press Council Adjudication No. 1239 (April 2004)

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