The last weekend of May is important to many anarchists who live in this city. For years, this has been when the Montréal Anarchist Bookfair takes place. These few short days give us an opportunity to see old friends, learn new things, share ideas, plan for the year ahead, and generally get up to no good.
Unfortunately, this year’s bookfair has been cancelled. The collective cited the pandemic, the housing crisis, the rising tide of fascism, and the genocide in Gaza as reasons for their decision. While we acknowledge how much time and energy it takes to pull off such a massive event, we believe that these factors are exactly why it’s more important than ever for anarchists to come together.
So, we propose an experiment, and perhaps the start of a new tradition. We call on the wider anarchist community to help create something that doesn’t rely on just one institution. CONSTELLATION will be a decentralized series of events that will include tabling at the usual bookfair location (CÉDA & CCGV in Little Burgundy) as well as workshops, games, an anti-conference, a dance party, and other new, weird, fun shit you’ll have to come check out for yourself.
The success of this weekend is up to all of us! Talk to your friends and start scheming. Make your own anarchy. Organize a film screening, a martial arts training, a graffiti workshop, a punk show, or anything your heart desires. There are so many amazing anarchist spaces in the city; let’s get people out to them! We’ll help compile and promote a calendar of all the different things happening.
More info for tablers, workshoppers, and other interested folks coming soon! To get in touch, e-mail us at constellationmtl@riseup.net.