For our twenty first reading group we will be reading Social Anarchism and Organisation by the Anarchist Federation of Rio de Janeiro (FARJ). We also have some additional suggested short readings about Platformism and the arguments around it to go along with the booklet. As FARJ describes the booklet:

The first Congress of the FARJ was held with the principal objective of deepening our reflections on the question of organisation and formalising them into a programme. This debate has been happening within our organisation since 2003. We have produced theoretical materials, established our thinking, learned from the successes and mistakes of our political practice it was becoming increasingly necessary to further the debate and to formalise it, spreading this knowledge both internally and externally. The document “Social Anarchism and Organisation” formalises our positions after all these reflections. More than a purely theoretical document, it reflects the conclusions realised after five years of practical application of anarchism in the social struggles of our people. The document is divided into 16 parts. It has already been published in Portuguese in a book co-published between Faísca and the FARJ.

A free version of Social Anarchism and Organisation can be found at the Anarchist Library here. While this is the main reading, the following article/essay length pieces will also be helpful in understanding some of the historical arguments within the anarchist movement that are relevant to Social Anarchism and Organisation:
Organisational Platform of the Libertarian Communists – Reflections on what went wrong for anarchism in the Russian Revolution and how to prevent it from happening again, which would lead to platformist anarchism
A Reply to the Platform – A response to the above, which would lead to synthesist anarchism of the kind still championed by the French anarchist federation.
A Reply to Anarchism’s Confusionists – A plaftformist response to the synthesist critique.
About the Platform – An exchange between Makhno and Malatesta about the platform.

Our friends at Freedom Press here host the reading group for free, so please support them by using them for your supply of radical books and zines.

The reading group will be meeting on Tuesday the 26th of May, 19:00, at Freedom Bookshop, 84b Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX. You are welcome to come and join in the discussion even if you have not finished the reading.

For our twentieth reading group we will be reading How Nonviolence Protects The State by Peter Gelderloos. From the blurb:

Since the civil rights era, the doctrine of nonviolence has enjoyed near-universal acceptance by the US Left. Today protest is often shaped by cooperation with state authorities–even organizers of rallies against police brutality apply for police permits, and anti-imperialists usually stop short of supporting self-defense and armed resistance. How Nonviolence Protects the State challenges the belief that nonviolence is the only way to fight for a better world. In a call bound to stir controversy and lively debate, Peter Gelderloos invites activists to consider diverse tactics, passionately arguing that exclusive nonviolence often acts to reinforce the same structures of oppression that activists seek to overthrow.

A free version of How Nonviolence Protects The State can be found at the Anarchist Library here and our friends at Freedom Press here have offered a 10% discount on physical copies for the reading group. Just quote “London SolFed Reading Group” or pop into Freedom for your general radical book buying needs.

The reading group will be meeting on Tuesday the 28th of April, 19:00, at Freedom Bookshop, 84b Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX. You are welcome to come and join in the discussion even if you have not finished the reading.

For out 19th reading group we will be doing something a little different; instead of reading a book we will be reading a set of articles suggested by different members of the reading group.

The articles chosen have been deliberately selected to give differing and conflicting perspectives on organising and resisting in the workplace in order to provoke discussion on the topic.

The article we are reading will be:
Anarcho-Synidcalism by Tom Wetzel – A short introduction to modern anarcho-syndicalism.
Trade Unionism by Anton Pannekoek – A short critique of trades unions/introduction to council communism.
Death to Rank and Filism! by pre-Proletarian Gob – A critique of rank and file organising in the British postal service in the 90s.
Dare to be a Daniel by Wilf McCartney – A short history of one the early British syndicalist unions from 1905 to the first world war.
A Critique of Syndicalist Methods by Alfredo Bonanno – A Longer piece that is a critique of syndicalism from an insurrectionary vantage point.
Strategy & Struggle by SolFed – A Longer piece that is an internal debate within the anarcho-syndicalist Solidarity Federation.

Our friends at Freedom Press here host the reading group for free, so please support them by using them for your supply of radical books and zines.

The reading group will be meeting on Tuesday the 31st of March, 19:00, at Freedom Bookshop, 84b Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX. You are welcome to come and join in the discussion even if you have not finished the reading.

For our eighteenth reading group we will be reading Poll Tax Rebellion by Danny Burns. From the blurb:

This book tells the gripping inside story of the biggest mass movement in British history, which at its peak involved over 17 million people.

Using a combination of photos, text, and graphics, and drawing from the voices of activists and non-payers, it describes the everyday organisation of local anti-poll tax groups and chronicles the demonstrations and riots leading up to the battle of Trafalgar Square. It shows how the courts were blocked, the bailiffs resisted, and the Poll Tax destroyed. The final chapter draws from our experience to present a radically new vision of change from below.

A free version of Poll Tax Rebellion can be found at Libcom here and our friends at Freedom Press here have offered a 10% discount on physical copies for the reading group. Just quote “London SolFed Reading Group” or pop into Freedom for your general radical book buying needs.

The reading group will be meeting on Tuesday the 24th of February, 19:00, at Freedom Bookshop, 84b Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX. You are welcome to come and join in the discussion even if you have not finished the reading.

Unfortunately we had to cancel this event. Hopefully we will hold it later in the month. Apologies for late announcement.

For our seventeenth reading group we will finish reading Abolitionist Voices, a compilation edited by David Gordon Scott. From the blurb:

Why have so many radical thinkers advocated for the abolition of prisons and punishment? And why have their ideas been so difficult to popularize or garner the political will for change? This book outlines several different approaches to penal abolitionism and showcases their calls for the ending of legal coercion, domination, and repression.

This exciting and innovative edited collection shows how abolitionist ideas have continued topicality and relevance in the present day and how they can collectively help with devising new ways of thinking about social problems, as well as suggesting alternatives to existing penal policies, practices and institutions.

This month we will be finishing the book, reading Part III onward.

We normally link to a free online version of what we are reading, but this month we could not find one. If you would like to join the reading group but can no afford to buy Abolitionist Voices, please send us an email and we will try and get something sorted for you. Our friends at Freedom Press here kindly offer the space for our use, visit them for radical books, news, and events.

The reading group will be meeting on Tuesday the 27th of January, 19:00, at Freedom Bookshop, 84b Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX. You are welcome to come and join in the discussion even if you have not finished the reading.

For our sixteenth reading group we will be reading Abolitionist Voices, a compilation edited by David Gordon Scott. From the blurb:

Why have so many radical thinkers advocated for the abolition of prisons and punishment? And why have their ideas been so difficult to popularize or garner the political will for change? This book outlines several different approaches to penal abolitionism and showcases their calls for the ending of legal coercion, domination, and repression.

This exciting and innovative edited collection shows how abolitionist ideas have continued topicality and relevance in the present day and how they can collectively help with devising new ways of thinking about social problems, as well as suggesting alternatives to existing penal policies, practices and institutions.

We will be reading Abolitionist Voices over two sessions. This month we will be reading Part I and Part II.

We normally link to a free online version of what we are reading, but this month we could not find one. If you would like to join the reading group but can no afford to buy Abolitionist Voices, please send us an email and we will try and get something sorted for you. Our friends at Freedom Press here kindly offer the space for our use, visit them for radical books, news, and events.

The reading group will be meeting on Tuesday the 25th of November, 19:00, at Freedom Bookshop, 84b Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX. You are welcome to come and join in the discussion even if you have not finished the reading.

For our fifteenth reading group we will be reading What About The Rapists by Dysophia. From the blurb:

“This short book is aimed at anarchists thinking about how to deal with abuses of power and acts of domination in their communities. It brings together a collection of articles representing different approaches to this problem, from transformative justice-based accountability processes to retributive-based acts of survivor-led retaliation.

Focusing on lessons learnt from experiments in this field and concerns that persist about these methods, it offers possible ways forward for those looking for grassroots responses.”

A free version of What About The Rapists can be found on the Dysophia site here and our friends at Freedom Press here have offered a 10% discount on physical copies for the reading group. Just quote “London SolFed Reading Group” or pop into Freedom for your general radical book buying needs.

The reading group will be meeting on Tuesday the 28th of October, 19:00, at Freedom Bookshop, 84b Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX. You are welcome to come and join in the discussion even if you have not finished the reading.