On Early June this year, an academic wave swept across the country protests against plans for neoliberal education reforms higher. Following the example of the University of Warsaw, where students and lecturers supported by local anarchists undertook occupation of university buildings, in many academic centres The protesters occupied the lecture rooms of their universities. Already in The first days of the protest became clear that in the ranks of the movement Both supporters are opposed to the improvement of the Govin maintaining the order of the colleges, as well as these, which require extremist change.
Example University of Łódź, where protesters cooperate students with anarchists were broken up due to intrigue and pressures taking part in the lecture show the reality of Polish higher education and the state of the governing mind Today, it's the technological staff. It is besides a good starting point to discussion on how to grow the social extremist base The left and the problems involved.
Impulse until the protests began was the business of Kazimierz Palace, seat of the Rector of the University of Warsaw. 5 June 2018 group about 30 students, PhD students and academic staff of universities occupied the rectory terrace, from which the banners: “The self-government our weapons” and “We demand Democratic universities’. Occupiers, among them Warsaw anti-fascist and sympathetic to anarchism lecturers, presented their demands, among which, in addition to demands democratising universities and stopping change, leading to replacing university autonomy with the autonomy of rectors also on strengthening labour rights at universities. W Within a fewer days the situation from Warsaw was repeated in a few other academic centres, and on Friday, June 8, the group students of the University of Łódź took the business of the faculty's hall Sociological University of Lodz. Like in others cities, at the head of their demands were rejected proposed by Minister of discipline and Higher Education, Jarosław A cow, alleged Act 2.0, assuming a strengthening of the leading academic centres at the expense of provincial universities and vocations with broad competences, university councils, composed of representatives of local political and business elites.
This one. first demonstration of extremist political activity in many years The student community was curious from the beginning Łódź section of the Anarchist Federation, so on the second day The occupations active are socialists from the Red Line group They asked the anarchists for help, didn't gotta long for it Wait. The chance for cooperation was transportation by participants of the Anarchist Federation to the occupied food hall from the surplus of the Food not Bombs collective. During the conversation with the occupiers It turned out that a protest in the hall was held with the approval of the authorities department and has no threat of its forceful termination, while themselves The protesters are able to proceed with their own forces. However, the problem is that of respective students and Professors conducting occupations only a fewer are clear certain leftist beliefs, while the remainder joined protest under the influence of the supporting technological staff, Most of the hardened neoliberals. Therefore, both the parties have determined that in order to coordinate protests in different cities and radicalisation of participants in the Łódź business should organise a gathering with a delegation of protesting students from Warsaw. This task was taken by anarchists, while on The occupied department began lectures and meetings as part of Free University, and its buildings and fences covered banners calling for support for business and aimed at neoliberal improvement of universities.
On meeting with delegates of the Warsaw occupation, organized within the framework of open lectures of the Free University on 12 June came a delegation from the Łódź FA. At the entrance to the hall he greeted one of their dormitories participating in the Łódź protest, Professor Jarosław Lung, who declared that against the erstwhile arrangements for the gathering are closed, and may only participants in the protest will participate. Although against the words of the prof. at the Hall were persons associated with the organization together and young women of the Democratic Left Alliance, after consulting Warsaw delegates activists of the Anarchist Federation left O.R., not wanting to break up the meeting. The only thing left in it is editor of the Black Flag portal, who appeared in the hall before Lung, along with the Warsaw delegation. Convinced to get free of Professor Lung presented the “unwanted element” then their imagination of student protests and their function in it is played by anarchists and another radicals. As he stated, they are best suited as “gun meat” there, where the opposition to the improvement of the Govin has no support in the university authorities and occupations of academic buildings are undertaken without them consent, but their besides visible presence may end "compromising" the business movement in the eyes of "serious forces" political negotiations to support Protest demands.
After That incidental that didn't respond participating in the business of students and declarations submitted by prof. Lung, Łódź section of the Federation Anarchist decided to retreat her support for the occupation The Sociology Department, and the full situation and reasons for this decision described in a message issued on 22 June. It remained published on the net after the Govin improvement project was withdrawn from the session, which was the beginning of the end Student occupations across the country.
Participation Łódź anarchists in business of the Department of Sociology, though alone in short and insignificant, but it allows to draw Conclusions specified as university situation and engagement prospects students in future social conflicts as well as dynamics disputes between the liberal and conservative parts of the ruling Today's the elite.
On I think it is worth to draw attention to the fact that the wave of occupation universities, launched by a bottom-up Warsaw initiative The anti-fascist and anarchist communities, did not meet with peculiar interest or journalists of liberal media, nor politicians of the “democratic opposition”. possibly it's just a look. It's strange, since both of us have been lost. power is trying to usage social protests to build support and weakening of the ruling national conservatives (which By the way, it frequently brings rather grotesque effects, in the form of former ministers leading demonstrations with demands, They were never ready to fulfill themselves). But I am convinced that it is simply a clear disregard of the incumbents in the main the cities of the country of business were not a substance of chance or I don't know how to publicize protests. Political conflict – at least at the level of the declaration, it is expanding and with it The liberal opposition tightens its ranks. If during The first 2 years of the regulation of law and justice the opposition side passed clearly at the hands of the main parties political in the hands of more or little spontaneous movements social, declaring their independency from party Mainstream, that's all we've witnessed for at least a year. re-integration of the opposition and channelling it within Party structures. The Committee for Democracy Defence is catching up, and The beginning of his fall was a scandal with organizational fraud funds, revealed by traffic managers, his more radical faction in the form of Polish citizens seems also She has exhausted her formula, or at least does not aspire to the name the main opposition force. Through the efforts of the organization elites politics have returned from the street to politicians' offices. besides on Party scene continues concentration of forces in the face of upcoming electoral campaigns. Citizens' Platform, post-election defeat in a deep crisis, absorbed practically modern, and presently likewise consumes the Polish Katarzyna Initiative Nowacky. And all this with the applause of liberal media, Presenting today's start in elections outside the Liberal List The coalition almost as a betrayal of democracy.
Probably. It is crucial that the neoliberal improvement is established Higher education ideally closer to liberals than national Conservatives (finally the most controversial provisions of the reform The cattle were blocked by the most conservative elements the ruling camp itself). However, the decisive importance was that that student protests, despite dubious political affiliations, did not detonate at the initiative of liberal parties or were not by them completely controlled. Well, as it turns out, social protest is “good” erstwhile it is headed by “our people”. The best is 1 whose postulates do not violate neoliberal position quo. In the end, the nonsubjective of the current opposition is taking the national power of the right, not overthrowing power as One of those. The closer we get to the election, the more force it will be to the movements of opposition to sewage as part of organization politics, where The only acceptable form of expression is the electoral card, not business or street demonstration. All participants freedom movements wishing to work with representatives of any variety of “democratic opposition” They must remember that.
Protest Łódź students, most likely the same as occupations in others cities, was besides a test of the attitude of this social part elites who declare their opposition to the actions of the present authorities. The experience of the Łódź protest shows that it touches them A conflict of loyalty. On the 1 hand in an thought (and as in In the case of education reform, besides in economical terms, they fight with the government and that part of his own class that supports him, and disabled in the strategy of liberal capitalism social groups are in this fight their natural allies. On the another hand, Despite the perfect differences, conservative and liberal elites are still part of the same privileged class whose primary the interest is to keep its social position and to combat any extremist social change that could endanger him. How seems, the current authorities realize it, and skillfully "Share and rule" policy is pursued by any groups or cats inside the elite at the expense of others, but despite prosocial rhetoric makes certain that the strategy itself in which elites – these selectable and non-choiceable – have the privilege of controlling different social aspects of life. The consequence is “a unusual war” of power and the opposition and that part of the privileged class which is bound His destiny with 1 or the another side of the political dispute. Both the parties are ready to fight for their positions to fall, if only This will not jeopardise the stableness of the strategy from which both They get profits. A dispute about education improvement is simply a good one An example – the academic community of lecturers was not especially satisfied with the fact that he will gotta share authority in universities with government-appointed college councils, But his opposition was even greater. the creation of “workers' councils” composed of protesters students and social radicals. That's how the professor Lung, expelling anarchists from the business of the Department of Sociology proved that class divisions were above perfect kinship and attachment to university autonomy.
Assessment the attitude of the students themselves should be remembered that each university higher is simply a hierarchical institution where they are bound a network of formal and informal dependencies, while traditions The political engagement of students disappeared a long time ago. You have to. also remember that in a strategy of neoliberal capitalism in which our country has a function as a supplier of inexpensive labour and a circumstantial country – the assembly plant, is the wealth of the wallet, not the wealth of the wallet knowledge or education is simply a determinant of “life success.” Universities higher, partially due to conformist attitudes of researchers, and partially by action These nonsubjective factors are no longer critical thinking and the background of social rebellion. By entering The neoliberal ideology of "apolitics" became rather some kind of service facilities offering their graduates gaining rights giving (questionable) perspective higher earnings for lighter jobs. In this case, everyone demonstration of political activation of students and vaccination free or autonomous ideas in university departments deserves support, even if objectively The only thing that can be achieved in this way is to get the footholds for further action.
W this way must besides be assessed the engagement of the Łódź Anarchists in the June business of the Department of Sociology. Activists Anarchist Federation established fresh contacts in academic the environment, they besides gained valuable cognition about practices "Democratic opposition." Paraphrasing a classic, the only way to know reality is trying to change it, and that's the cognition about the dynamics of the relationship power – opposition is the most crucial fruit of commitment to A student protest. Popularisation of free ideas and autonomous Action tactics stay 1 of the most crucial tasks of the movement Anarchist, striving to implement it, it is worth utilizing how I think of the experience of protesting Łódź students.
Wila
