This Text file is old! In a 🏛️Museum, an unsorted archive of (user-)pages. (Saved from Geocities in Oct-2009. The archival story: oocities.org)
--------------------------------------- (To 🚫report any bad content: archivehelp @ gmail.com)

THIS IS CLASS WAR



HISTORY







The first issue of Class war was produced in 1983 by a small group of people

based in Swansea. Their background was in the production of a local,populist,

agitational paper called the Alarm, which achieved some notoriety by exposing

the corrution of local council leaders. The first issues of Class War were aimed

at the large,punk ,anarchist and pacifist movement of the time,for instance

followers of bands like Crass. 

The articles in Class War slagged off pacifism and the Peace movement and

encouraged the idea that violence is necessary. They put forward a straigh

forward analysis, identifying the enemy not only as "the system" or the "State"

,but as the ruling class(not ony as a class,but also as individuals within that

class) .

The miner's strike started in 1984 and the paper and its followers reacted to it

swiftly. The writers of Class War had wanted to see the anarchist/punk ghetto

take up the rebellion unleashed by the inner-city riots of 1981. Now that anger

was taken up by thousands of miners throughout the country. To a large extent

the paper dropped its discussion of the inadequacies of the CND and called for

direct physical support for the miners. Class War alone supported the direct

action of the strikers. Readership soared, not least in mining areas. miners

queued 20 or more for the paper at the big Mansfield demonstration in 1984. 

Class war was now a paper with readers and supporters well beyond the wildest

expecations of its first producers. 

The Class War Collective decided that the time was ripe to go beyond the paper

and called a Bash. the Rich march in 1985, from Notting Hill to Kensington The

Stop the City demonstrations of the early 80's(which were not called by Class

War) Had reflected the new mood in the anarchist scene, and around 500 people

took part in this first incursion(albeit symbolic) of a hostile working class

mob into a rich area since the 19th century.

Another Bash the Rich march took place from Camden to Hampstead(well, yes,we did

get stopped halfway) and a very enjoyable day out to Henley Regatta took place

in 1986. What was significant about all this was that we went to them , to the

areas where they lived, which made them uncomfortable if only for a shortime.

The First Class war conference of some 50 people took place in 1985, and a rally

of over 200 people was held in Holloway. The inner-city riots of late1985 proved

to be another boost for Class War (12,000 papers were being sold each issue that

Autumn)but following the end of the Bash The Rich campaign,an increasing number

of people around the country wanted to consolidate the gains of the last three

years. 

A national conference in Manchester supported their proposal that the groups and

individuals who wrote and sold the paper should form "Class War" groups as part

of a National Federation with common 'aims and principles'. The reason we chose

to federate was that it is the most democratic form of organisation, whereby

groups within the federation have a large degree of freedom within an agreed set

of politics and strategy. Some people could not accept the idea of such a degree

of organisation and left - whoops! The end of the miners strike was the last

straw fo th British Left. They had failed dismally to come o terms with the

changing political climate and the strongest Tory government since the war. The

Labour Party went to the right, and groups like the Communist Party and the

Workes Revolutionary Party faded inot obscurity. The traditional areas of class

conflict had all but disappeared(eg. the work-place) The new battles were taking

places in the streets and the communities of our towns and cities,like the

yuppification of traditional working class areas. This is where Class War

politics came into the forefront. We thrived! 

In 1988 we launched an ambitious national tour called "Rock Against the Rich"

with ex-Clash singer Joe Strummer. This was to promote Class War's politics and

name far and wide. It was the biggest event or campaign ever put on by an

Anarchis/libertarian organisation in this country. Spring 1989 saw the

production and distribution of Class War start to improve. From being an eight

page bi-monthly we went to being a six-weekly,sixteen page,full colour tabloid. 

The Federation shot to prominence after the 1990 poll tax riot in Trafalgar

Square where the Metropolitan Police got a well deserved beating at the hands of

thousands of people from all over the country. In stark contrast to the Left,

particularly Militant,who all rushed to condemn the rioters, a Federation

spokesman said they were "working class heroes" on national TV and radio. The

Media was gobsmaked,questions were asked in parliament and Class War was read

out in the House of Commons and Lords. 

At the Autumn 1990 National Conference in Manchester the Federation voted to

become a membership organisation,with membership fees, and a straightforward

constitution. We decided to do this to pull together, more efficiently, the

Federation's resources,to make us a more effective national organisation and to

bring in increased democracy with the proper election of officials and

deligates. 

At the Victory March in late March 1991,celebrating the repeal of the Poll Tax,

the Class War Federation contingent was by far the biggest, with thousands of

people marching with us. Much to the annoyance of Militant and the Police,who

thought they were going to have it all their own way! In association with grass

roots anti-Poll Tax groups and prisoners support organisations the Federation

organised a successful Bailiff Day of Action,in July 1991,which saw poll tax

bailiffs intimidated and harassed all over the country,turning the tables on

these scum who profit out of misery and poverty. Class war has also taken off

internationally in the early 1990's with new Class War groups springing up in

Europe and the USA and an international conference in London in 1991.