Wednesday, June 18, 2008


MOUVEMENT ANARCHISTE DU CANADA/CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT:
WHAT'S IN A NAME ?:
I love it. I love it. I love it. On Sunday, June 15, anarchists from the NEFAC branch in Québec City celebrated the 400th anniversary of the founding of the city in their own way- by renamed rue Saint-Paul in Vieux-Québec after Edouard Beaudoire, an anarchist worker who was murdered by Canadian soldiers on this street in 1878. I reproduce both the French and English versions of this story below from the posts on the A-Infos board, though I have changed the English title so that it is closer to the French one. The French and English versions contain complementary references for those who want to see more about the action.



This exemplary action brings Molly into one of her infamous digressions. In a comment on a earlier post on this board Larry Gambone of Porkupine Blog fame remarked that he was impressed by the existence of the Lycée Louise Michel in France, and he asks us to make the migraine-producing effort to imagine an "Emma Goldman High School" in Canada or the USA. Well this got Molly's little fingers twitching, and she had to search down places across the world that are named after anarchists. In the USA there is indeed no "Emma Goldman High School". there is, howver, a Ricardo Flores Magon Academy in the Denver Colorado area. This is a kindergarten and primary school insitution, rather than a high school, but it at least a start. This school is what is called a "charter school" in the USA- something of an alternative education set-up, but it differs from many "free schools" in vehemently holding to high academic standards. Check it out.



In Russia Molly has long been familiar with the Moscow subway station named after Kropotkin, but she also discovered that there is a Moscow street named after old Peter as well. Down Italy way Bologna has a Via Malatesta Errico. Some other Italian cities such as Roma and Modena have streets or piazzas with the Malatesta sobriquent, but this may or may not be named after the anarchist Errico Malatesta, as there are other Malatestas in Italian history.



While visiting Barcelona some years back Molly became quite familiar with the Placa Joan Peiro, pretty much the central bus hub in downtown Barcelona, named after the Spanish anarchist who is one of Molly's favourite historical anarchists. There is also apparently a Calle Durruti somewhere out in the suburbs of Barcelona, but I never laid eyes on it, merely read its name on a city map. I also understand that there are other places in Mexico named after Magon, but I am unable to name them. takes a little more research.



In light of all this Molly proposes the following. Being as much more important world cities such as Moscow and Barcelona have seen fit to name transportation facilities after historical anarchists, Winnipeg Manitoba could do worse than name the new bus depot that Greyhound plans to build out near the airport after Winnipeg's most famous anarchist son- George Woodcock. I see it now- the George Woodcock Transport Centre. dream on Molly, dream on.



Molly would also like her readers to submit any other examples of places named after anarchists. But in the interum here is the story from Québec City. The city should really keep the name.
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Des anarchistes changent le nom d'une rue du Vieux-Quebec:
Dimanche le 15 juin 2008, des membres de la Fédération des communistes libertaires du nord-est (NEFAC) ont souligné à leur manière le 400e anniversaire de la ville de Québec : ils et elles ont « débaptisé » la rue Saint-Paul, à l'angle de la côte Dambourgès, en la renommant « rue Édouard-Beaudoire ».


Qui était Édouard Beaudoire?
Édouard Beaudoire était un ouvrier et un socialiste d'origine française ayant participé à la Commune de Paris. Le 12 juin 1878, il fut tué d'une balle dans latête par des militaires au coin de la rue Saint-Paul et de la côte Dambourgès. Beaudoire prenait part à une manifestation organisée en réaction aux mauvaises conditions de travail des ouvriers affectés à la construction d'édifices gouvernementaux.



Alors que la classe dirigeante de Québec, le maire Régis Labeaume en tête, s'apprête à offrir à l'armée canadienne le « Droit de cité », les membres de la NEFAC ont voulu rappeler par leur geste l'un des épisodes les plus tragiques de l'histoire des luttes ouvrières de la ville tout en dénonçant le rôle sanglant joué par les militaires dans la répression des revendications populaires. La vie et le combat d'Édouard Beaudoire nous rappellent que la lutte pour la justice et l'égalité reste plus que jamais une nécessité. Aujourd'hui comme hier, on a raison de se révolter !
Fédération des communistes libertaires du nord-est
N.b.: Il y a un petit vidéo de l'action sur notre blogue:
Nouveau: Le blogue de La NUIT


--Collectif anarchiste La Nuit (NEFAC-Québec)
a/s Groupe Émile-Henry
C.P. 55051,
138 St-Vallier Ouest
Québec (Qc),
G1K 1J0
--nefacquebec(a)yahoo.ca


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ANARCHISTS CHANGE THE NAME OF A STREET IN OLD QUÉBEC:
Sunday, June 15th, members of the Northeastern Federation of Anarcho-Communists (NEFAC) celebrated in their own way the 400th anniversary of Quebec City: they renamed Saint-Paul Street, at the corner of the Côte Dambourgès, the Edouard-Beaudoire Street.
---- Who was Edouard Beaudoire? ----
Edouard Beaudoire was a worker and a socialist of French origin who participated in the 1871 Paris Commune. On June 12th 1878, he was shot in the head by soldiers at the corner of the Saint-Paul Street and the Côte Dambourgès. Beaudoire took part in a demonstration organized in response to the poor working conditions of workers engaged in the construction of government buildings.
While the ruling class of Quebec, starting with the mayor Régis Labeaume, is preparing to offer the Canadian Army the "Droit de cité", members of NEFAC wanted by their gesture to remember one of the most tragic episodes in the history of working class struggles in the city, while denouncing the bloody role played by the military in suppressing popular demands. The life and struggle of Edouard Beaudoire remind us that the fight for justice and equality remains more than ever a necessity. Today as yesterday, we're right to rebel
Northeastern Federation of Anarcho-Communists
There's a little video of the action --our first ever try at video propaganda-- on our blog
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Pictures:
The magic of the red & black flag...

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