#stop fascismo

[elkoko]

La libertad guiando al pueblo.

#Francia #liberteegalitefraternite

[ferranhumor]

DAILY BOOMER, 24 mayo 2023

[bugattieb111]

faut rendre a cesar ce qui (€) appartient a cesar

Ainsi de 9.000.000.000€ post paria ... av. Les 8th de final 2020

Laurent Wauquiez a repercuter 3X la somme il nous doit la moitier de la somme fixer a < ~ > 13.000.000.000 € par le biais des maisons de campagne en marbre exterieur ou la salle de bain en marbre et le lavabo... il a construit 3 boites de nuit dont une avec restaurant fetes 18 ans auzances . . . Une a clermont ferrand et une a limoges .... refait une cathedrale nommer la cathedrale de saint jacques de compostelle ...

Parfait une autoroute jusqu' a lourdes et saint pe de bigore ( esp ) national N?

Avoir vendu les parts a de vinci pour des sous qui repartent sur la propreter des autoroutes ...

Bref il s' est bien demerder et il lui reste < ~ > 15.000.000.000€ ... c' est pour les regions centre auvergne descente en kayak etc... amusez vous bien et penser tjrs Sam c' est celui qui ne boit pas qui conduit et se comporte comme Capitaine de soiree des grd freres a leurs petite soeurs exemple (???)

Merci du soutient que tu m' as offert 100.000$ a noel pour un repas priver et rentrant les 96 avec une bouteille de vin a noel orthodoxe le 6 et 7 janvier ... j' adore ton (mon) clash a zuckerman : il n' y a que la verite qui bless ...

V. EXPLIQUES LUI LE PROCEDER DU PROG.

Soit 4.000.000.000$ sur de ta part ... (+) de 11.000.000.000 € dans vos caisses ... pensez a la confiture cuite aux chaudrons ok... stop fromagere ... mme devosge la laitiere elle y a mis du chocolat pot la laitiere ok... merci consoeur ... un confrere de (+) Golden pomme goldenberg apple juice austria ... bien ouej le credit apporter dont vs avez multiplier par 2 voila un bon point chacun 2nde part la votre soyez contents personne ne vous en veut !!!

Giorgia solo per vostro partito il nero fascismo ... il duce ... bel- ami cantica d' angelica .... delicio dei angeli immortale e .... chess master il totale a 18 € 5 decors per l' impressione 13€ albergho di vilacardi 600.000.000 € porta garibaldi stazione di treno fermata milano... inter media oak tree 500.000.000$

Renault alpine bwt F1 team ... 3.4 md da 2020... qualcosa vicino a ! Che risolve a piu' di 5.000.000.000$ benetton lutte contre les discrimations raciales et pas ceux du meme sexe ... une abomination paradoxale !!!

[allmoshnobrain]

NO-SKIP ALBUMS tag game

i was tagged by @nornsfate (tysm!!) and this seemed like such a fun idea i just had to do it! i tried picking albums that i felt had a big impact in my life and that i love listening to until today. i'm tagging @aplaceforyourhearttorest @hunter-sylvester @therockywhorerpictureshow and anyone who wants to do it (but ofc no pressure!)

rules: share the albums that you can listen to nonstop. those lightning in a bottle-albums that scratch ur brain just right. every single track, an absolute banger. u could not skip one if u tried. no notes. stunning, show-stopping, immaculate. ur no-skip albums.

bonus & optional rules: 1) add a track rec for us to listen to! AND 2) share ur favorite line(s) from that track!

albums and track recs:

MEGADETH - RUST IN PEACE

tornado of souls: Selective amnesia's the story / Believed foretold, but who'd suspect? / The military intelligence / Two words combined that can't make sense

VENOM - BLACK METAL

black metal: Lay down your souls to the gods rock 'n roll / Metal ten fold through the deadly black hole / Riding hell's stallions bareback and free / Taking our chances with raw energy

METALLICA - RIDE THE LIGHTNING

for whom the bell tolls: Take a look to the sky just before you die / It's the last time you will / Blackened roar, massive roar fills the crumbling sky / Shattered goal fills his soul with a ruthless cry

AVENGED SEVENFOLD - AVENGED SEVENFOLD

unbound (the wild ride): This ride that takes me through life / Leads me into darkness but emerges into light / No one can ever slow me down / I'll stay unbound

GHOST - IMPERA

darkness at the heart of my love: Will you spill the wine / To summon the divine? / I'm with you always, always / Now paint a pair of eyes / And let's watch as it dries / Remember always, that love is all you need / Tell me who you wanna be / And I will set you free

THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS - DON'T YOU FAKE IT

cat and mouse: Am I supposed to be happy? / With all I ever wanted, it comes with a price

MEGADETH - THE SYSTEM HAS FAILED

the scorpion: As I climb onto your back, I will promise not to sting / I will tell you what you want hear, and not mean anything / Then I treat you like a dog as I shoot my venom in / You pretend you didn't know that I am a scorpion

TURISAS - STAND UP AND FIGHT

the march of the varangian guard: Guards of glory and of might / Red as blood and black as night / Flies our banner as we march / In the East, for the king of the Greek

LANA DEL REY - NORMAN FUCKING ROCKWELL

happiness is a butterfly: I said, "Don't be a jerk, don't call me a taxi" / Sitting in your sweatshirt, crying in the backseat / I just wanna dance with you

HOLE - NOBODY'S DAUGHTER

nobody's daughter: Nobody's daughter, she never was, she never will / Be beholden to anyone she cannot kill / You don't understand how damaged we really are / You don't understand how evil we really are

ANGRA - REBIRTH

rebirth: Ride the wind of a brand new day / High where mountains stand / Found my hope and pride again / Rebirth of a man

FLICTS - SINGELOS CONFRONTOS

desmascarar sua bandeira: Foda-se a bandeira do estado de São Paulo / Foda-se a bandeira e o hino nacional / Fascismo enrustido sob as cores do estandarte / Velando o ódio ao livre amar e a diversidade (english translation for my mutuals - guess which state i was born and raised in lol: Fuck the flag of the state of São Paulo / Fuck the flag and the national anthem / Closeted fascism under the colors of the banner / Veiling hate for free love and diversity)

MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS - ELECTRA HEART

teen idle: Yeah, I wish I'd been, I wish I'd been, a teen, teen idle / Wish I'd been a prom queen, fighting for the title / Instead of being sixteen and burning up a bible / Feeling super, super, super suicidal

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE - THE BLACK PARADE

famous last words: I am not afraid to keep on living / I am not afraid to walk this world alone / Honey, if you stay, I'll be forgiven / Nothing you can say can stop me going home

MODERN BASEBALL - YOU'RE GONNA MISS IT ALL

your graduation: You weren't the only one / Who thought of us that way / I spend most nights awake / Wide awake / I never thought that I / Oh, I would see the day / Where I'd just let you go / Let you walk away / Where I'd let you walk away

[zarathelonewolf]

Today is an important day.

Today, 79 years ago, Italy was freed from the fascist regime and the Nazi occupation.

Today, the 25 of Aprile 2024, we remember the culmination of the Resistance's efforts. And, as and Italian, I would like to remind you, readers, who aren't necessarily Italian, that although this day is of high importance to me it could be to you as well.

Fascism is a type of oppressive government, after all. It is mostly known for the way Benito Mussolini applied it, but there were others who used this form of government before and there are still States nowadays that are considering it a valid way to rule over their people, or like in Italy's case, still try to justify Mussolini's figure and politics and take away credit from the Resistance.

There are still States in which fascists and nazis are allowed to manifest... Remember what happened in Hungary recently?

The fight against fascism and nazism isn't over yet. There are still many who consider those the "glory days".

Today is the day we remember a victory against these forms of oppression, but it could also be our chance to remind ourselves that in general, oppression can be stopped.

And we can do it together.

ITALIAN TRANSLATION FOR POSSIBLE ITALIAN READERS WHO AREN'T PRACTICED IN ENGLISH

TRADUZIONE IN ITALIANO PER GLI EVENTUALI LETTORI ITALIANI CHE NON SONO PRATICI IN INGLESE

Oggi é un giorno importante.

Oggi, 79 anni fa, l'Italia é stata liberata dal regime fascista e dall'occupazione nazista.

Oggi, il 25 aprile 2024, ricordiamo la culminazione degli sforzi della Resistenza. E, in quanto italiana, vorrei ricordare a voi lettori, che non siete necessariamente italiani, che sebbene questo giorno sia di grande importanza per me, potrebbe esserlo anche per voi.

Il Fascismo é un tipo di governo oppressivo, di fatto. É principalmente conosciuto per il modo con cui Benito Mussolini lo ha applicato, ma ce ne furono altri che usarono questa forma di governo prima, e ci sono oggi degli Stati che ancora lo considerano una maniera valida di regnare sul proprio popolo, o come nel caso dell'Italia, cercano ancora di giustificare la figura e le politiche di Mussolini e di togliere meriti alla Resistenza.

Ci sono ancora degli Stati in cui a fascisti e nazisti é consentito manifestare... Ricordate cosa é successo in Ungheria di recente?

La lotta contro fascismo e nazismo non é ancora finita. Ci sono ancora molti che considerano quelli "i giorni di gloria".

Oggi é il giorno in cui ricordiamo una vittoria contro queste forme di oppressione, ma potrebbe anche essere una possibilità per ricordare che in generale, l'oppressione può essere fermata.

E possiamo farcela insieme.

[mesetacadre]

El Gobierno de la República reconoce a los internacionales que tan bravamente han luchado con nosotros, que ya puede decirse que son connaturales nuestros, el derecho a reclamar, una vez terminada la guerra, la ciudadanía española... España será siempre una patria vuestra. Y los españoles vuestros hermanos.

¡Madres! Cuando los años pasen y las heridas de la guerra se vayan restañando; cuando el recuerdo de estos días dolorosos y sangrientos se esfume en un presente de libertad, de paz y bienestar... hablad a vuestros hijos; habladles de estos hombres de las Brigadas Internacionales. Contadles cómo, atravesando mares y montañas... llegaron a vuestra patria, como cruzados de la libertad, a luchar y morir por la libertad y la independencia de España, amenazados por el fascismo alemán e italiano. Lo abandonaron todo: cariños, patria, hogar, fortuna, madre, mujer, hermanos, hijos... y vinieron a nosotros a decirnos: ¡Aquí estamos!; vuestra causa, la causa de España, es nuestra misma causa, es la causa común de toda la humanidad avanzada y progresista... No os olvidaremos; y cuando el olivo de la paz florezca, entrelazado con los laureles de la victoria de la República española, ¡volved!

Despedida a las Brigadas Internacionales, octubre de 1938, Juan Negrín y Dolores Ibárruri, respectivamente

The Government of the Republic recognizes the bravery of the internationals who have fought with us, it can now be said that they are connatural to us, the right to reclaim, once the war is over, the Spanish nationality... Spain will always be a homeland of yours. And the Spanish your siblings.

Mothers! When the years pass and the war wounds stop bleeding; when the memory of these painful and blood-soaked days fades in a present of liberty, peace, and well-being... talk to your children; talk to them about these men of the International Brigades. Tell them how, traveling through seas and mountains... came to your homeland, like crusaders of liberty, to fight and die for Spain's liberty and independence, threatened by German and Italian fascism. They abandoned everything: affections, homeland, home, fortune, mother, wife, siblings, children... and came here to tell us: Here we are!; your cause, Spain's cause, is our own cause, it's the common cause of all advanced and progressive humanity... We will not forget you; and when the olive of peace flowers, interweaving with the laurels of victory of the Spanish Republic, return!

Farewell to the International Brigades, October 1938, Juan Negrín and Dolores Ibárruri, respectively.

The promise made by Juan Negrín would not be fulfilled until 1996, and ratified in 2007 by the historical memory law in its article 18. By 2007, only 15 of those 35,000 Volunteers of Liberty were still alive, and the last died at 100 years old in 2021. The democratic memory law, passed in 2022, allowed in article 33 for the children and grandchildren of the brigadiers to also claim the Spanish nationality, without losing their own. The Association of Friends of the International Brigades, who participated in this law, assured that there were only about a hundred direct descendants of brigadiers, in places like Cuba, Argentina, Canada, Australia, Italy, France, the UK or Russia. The search for these descendants was done primarily thanks to the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History, digitized in 2011

[blog-oscar-iglesias-casado-23675]

Orgullo 2023. Tomemos las calles. ¡STOP FASCISMO! •

Reivindicamos el día del Orgullo como día de lucha, y renegamos de los intentos por despolitizar y descafeinar esta fecha. Pero recordamos que, más allá del 28 de junio, todos los días son el día del Orgullo. En estas épocas que nos ha tocado vivir nos va a tocar estar codo con codo en las calles luchando por nuestros derechos y contra el fascismo. — Leer en…

[elkoko]

La criminalización de los inmigrantes para sembrar odio, enfrentar a las clases bajas y desviar la atención de las cosas que realmente importan y nos afectan.

[ideeperscrittori]

UNA REGOLA MOLTO STRANA

Sono un tipo eccentrico e mi piacciono le cose bizzarre.

Il mondo è pieno di cose bizzarre, per fortuna, e le amo quasi tutte.

Ma ce n'è una che mi piace particolarmente.

È una regola molto strana, la più strana di tutte.

Ora fate attenzione, perché l'esatta applicazione di questa strana regola è una faccenda che mette tanta gente in difficoltà.

Per spiegare il suo funzionamento, faccio un esempio.

Sto passeggiando e vedo un albero.

Proprio così, un albero.

Ebbene, sapete come lo chiamo?

Riuscite a immaginarlo?

Lo chiamo "albero".

Spiazzante, eh?

Non triceratopo, giraffa, esponente del centrodestra moderato, teorema di Pitagora o termovalorizzatore.

Lo chiamo proprio "albero".

Questa strana regola è stata applicata dai giornalisti spagnoli che hanno defiinito Giorgia Meloni "fascista".

[L'Ideota]

[ellebori]

In Italia puoi ancora morire a vent’anni ammazzato di botte per strada da un gruppo di ragazzi dichiaratamente fascisti, mentre cercavi di difendere un amico. In Italia puoi ancora morire a vent’anni, ammazzata da tuo fratello per il semplice fatto che ami qualcuno. In Italia, si fa ancora fatica a scrivere negli articoli di giornali “relazione tra donna e uomo trans”, mentre il ragazzo non solo è stato massacrato di botte e si è visto morire davanti la persona che amava, ma deve anche sentirsi umiliato, non riconosciuto, invisibile in quanto persona trans.

In Italia, il popolino si fa ancora aizzare contro categorie di persone che non c’entrano niente con i mali della loro vita e i politici beceri marciano su questi cadaveri, soddisfatti, per raccogliere consensi.

Quanti martiri ancora serviranno per cambiare il modo in cui vediamo il mondo? Quante persone dovranno smettere di respirare perché gli altri la finiscano di sentirsi in diritto di porre fine a delle vite? Quando capiremo che ognuno di noi è responsabile di azioni come questa, che non sono lontane da noi ma vicinissime e che siamo di fronte ogni giorno a delle scelte che possono cambiare la vita degli altri? Che restare in silenzio è approvazione, che sorvolare su piccole cose, sulle parole e le battute sbagliate -che tanto che saranno mai- è accettare le discriminazioni?

Francamente non lo so, ma svegliarsi e sentirsi ogni giorno circondati di odio sfinisce anche l’animo più ottimista.

[marcocoppola82]

“Misure di prevenzione e contrasto della discriminazione e della violenza per motivi fondati sul sesso, sul genere, sull’orientamento sessuale, sull’identità di genere e sulla disabilità” è il titolo del ddl Zan. Nelll’articolo 1 del testo, viene specificato che "per sesso si intende il sesso biolo­gico o anagrafico; per genere si intende qualunque ma­nifestazione esteriore di una persona che sia conforme o contrastante con le aspettative sociali connesse al sesso; per orientamento sessuale si intende l’attrazione sessuale o affettiva nei confronti di persone di sesso opposto, dello stesso sesso, o di entrambi i sessi; per identità di genere si intende l’i­dentificazione percepita e manifestata di sé in relazione al genere, anche se non corri­spondente al sesso, indipendentemente dall’aver concluso un percorso di transizione". #omofobia #lgbt #fascismo #lilianasegre #governo #immigrati #mafia #stop #49milioni #apriteiporti #bibbiano #fdi #gay #leganord #loveislove #meloni #politica #amore #razzismo #restiamoumani #ddlzan #stopomofobia #stoptransphobia (presso Rimini, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNwhbbilx4W/?igshid=3g9m3d93b3ll

[corallorosso]

Flavio Briatore che da mesi spara ossessivamente contro Conte, i virologi e il governo, ha rilasciato un’intervista ad America oggi in cui definisce l’Italia un Paese guidato da “incapaci” e “comunisti”. E ha inanellato una serie di perle tipo: - "Il governo deve chiedere i danni alla Cina per il virus" (che è un po' come se il mondo chiedesse all'Italia i danni per la mafia e il fascismo). - "Zingaretti diceva di non allarmarsi". Dimenticando gli amici Salvini e Meloni che ancora a Marzo dicevano "aprite tutto". - "Speranza doveva mandare un ispettore a Wuhan (e che cazzo doveva fare l'ispettore a Wuhan?). - "Il governo ha informato gli ospedali della gravita del virus solo il 21 febbraio" (per lui i medici italiani non guardano manco la tv, capito? Erano ignari. E comunque lo Stato di Emergenza è stato decretato da Conte il 31 gennaio). E tante altre perle di questa lucentezza. Sarebbe interessante sapere cosa avrebbe fatto lui al posto di Conte. Avrebbe tenuto tutto aperto? Nonostante il lockdown in Italia abbiamo avuto a oggi 200.000 contagi, 26mila morti, 150 medici che hanno perso la vita, altre migliaia ammalatisi, o in lacrime per il dolore e la fatica. Sarebbe interessante chiedersi cosa ne sarebbe stato di noi se i luoghi in cui i contagi si verificavano (bar, ristoranti, cinema, stadi, concerti, studi, aziende, negozi, posti di lavoro, uffici, supermercati, pub, discoteche, ecc.) non fossero stati chiusi. E se tra la chiusura e l’ecatombe avesse scelto anche lui la chiusura, come avrebbe impedito la crisi economica? Conte ha stanziato per le aziende la seconda più grande garanzia d’Europa sui prestiti (500 miliardi). Però se le banche stanno facendo le stronze è colpa sua. Ha dato 600 euro a 5 milioni di partite Iva e ha trovato i soldi per pagare la cassa integrazione a milioni di lavoratori. La quantità di cui stiamo parlando è quella che di solito l’INPS smaltisce in 5 anni. Adesso è stata chiamata a farlo in un mese e con meno personale. E pur sapendo che di solito le pratiche per la Cassaintegrazione (anche quando sono poche) richiedono mesi e il coinvolgimento di regioni, sindacati, banche, ecc. a sto giro si sta cercando di farne milioni in poche settimane. Con molte Regioni e banche che non collaborano per accelerare il processo. E il cattivo è Conte. Ed ecco il colpo di genio del grande imprenditore: SOLDI A FONDO PERDUTO. Grande Flavio! Ed esattamente quanti ne vogliamo dare? Stop tasse, stop affitti, stop bollette e soldi a fondo perduto. Conte ha annunciato che ci saranno anche questi col prossimo decreto per le aziende più piccole. Ma a Flavio non basterà no? E magari ci dirà lui da dove prenderli tutti quei soldi. Se i mercati a cui già stiamo chiedendo 200 miliardi di euro in più rispetto ai soliti 300 non ci presteranno altri soldi li convince lui con una bottiglia di champagne al Billionaire? O i tassi di interesse esorbitanti poi li paga lui? Attendiamo ansiosi. Che a dire “diamo soldi a tutti” sono bravi pure i bambini di 5 anni e i leghisti. Dire da dove prenderli è un po’ più difficile. (Emilio Mola)

[abr]

"Basta tergiversare, dire subito sì al Mes". Nicola Zingaretti mette Giuseppe Conte con le spalle al muro e stavolta la pressione non arriva da un retroscena, ma da una lettera pubblica che il segretario del Pd ha inviato niente meno che al Corriere della Sera. "La danza immobile delle parole, slogan, furbizie lasciamoli alle destre, noi anche nel nostro partito dedichiamoci a dare risposte alle persone e ricostruire l'Italia uniti. Questa è la missione del Pd", esordisce Zinga (...). Poi l'affondo che farà fibrillare il Movimento 5 Stelle: "Non possiamo permetterci ancora di tergiversare" sul Mes in quanto può "migliorare la qualità dell'assistenza e della cura delle persone" e "dare un concreto impulso alla ripresa economica".

https://www.liberoquotidiano.it/news/politica/23506340/nicola-zingaretti-mes-basta-tergiversare-lettera-conte-m5s.html

Merkel chiama, Zinga risponde al volo. Rivendica senza indugi per il PD il ruolo che fu del fascismo sociale di Salò: cinghia di trasmissione dei BEFEHLEN (ordini) dal “BEFREUNDET PARTNER”. 

“La danza delle parole, slogan, furbizie lasciamole alle destre”: richiamo autobiografico al SUO governo, delle sinistre.  Quanto alle “chiacchiere” e “slogan”, o Zinga proprio un politicante di professione come te dovrebbe saperlo bene, sono l’unico prodotto della politica assieme a nomine e aiutini; ma se sono le parole giuste alle volte sono molto efficaci: ad es. “whatever it takes” di Draghi voluto alla BCE dalle destre, o  lo stop alle ONG della Tratta migranti voluto da Salveneeh (ebbe l’effetto del batter le mani in un pollaio).  

[elkoko]

Por el miedo a unos pocos menores la extrema derecha rompe sus acuerdos de gobierno con el PP en las comunidades autónomas.

[alexblack2409]

STOP RACISMO STOP FASCISMO NO NOS VENCERÁN NO DEJAREMOS DE GRITAR UNA MUERTE NO MAS RODILLAS ENCIMA

[infrastructuralist]

Collectivizations: The Trams of Revolutionary Barcelona

If you’ve ever taken a look into collectivization, or leftism in general, you’ve probably come across this image in some shape or form. It’s a tram operating under the control of the Spanish Confederación Nacional del Trabajo, or National Confederation of Labor.

Often, this image is posted without very much context. It's presented as a curiosity, or as the main component of an antifascist multi-track drifting meme. But, to those who were there – and those who listened to their tales – this image speaks to the spirit of a revolution.

[Photo of a tramway and street in front of Estacion de Francia, 1930’s]

The modern city is a complicated organism, requiring a robust circulatory system to keep itself alive. Nowhere was this more true than the Barcelona of the early 20th century. With the city cresting just over a million people¹, they needed a solution to get people where they needed to go with speed and efficiency. Here, public transit truly shined.

Barcelona boasted healthy taxi and bus services, two underground metro lines, and even two funicular railways. These, though, all paled in scale and importance to the tramways. Sixty routes darted across the city and its suburbs, carting thousands of people a day to and from its beating heart.

The Belgian financiers of the General Tramways Company, however, had no real stake in the wellbeing of their Catalan workers or customers. They desired only to please the pockets of themselves and their shareholders, and the system suffered greatly for it.

The city’s streets were littered with haphazardly placed power boxes and suspension poles for the overhead electrical wire. The tracks curved around these obstacles to compensate, but the sharp turns strained the poorly-maintained tracks and trams to their breaking point, causing many derailments and collisions. Nearly every tram in the fleet was in some state of disrepair, and many were inoperable – and the garages did not have the ability to fix them.

You see, one of the core problems of the GTC’s model was that the company used too many dissimilar models of tram cabs, most of which were imported. The mechanics, who already had limited access to tools, simply did not have the equipment to perform most critical services to the trams. They had to rely on importing pre-built spare parts that, often, were of such low quality they caused more problems than they solved.

Additionally, the trams operated on a fare zoning system with rates that varied depending on which part of the city you were headed to, as well as the time of day. Working-class neighborhoods were hurt most by this, almost entirely priced out of being able to ride.

The workers of the tramways, most of which lived in those neighborhoods, would often find themselves in that situation. Their jobs were thankless, dirty, and dangerous – and they couldn’t even afford to ride their own trams.

Soon, they sought to unionize – something the GTC’s management refused to abide.

[Photo of militia personnel riding on a truck with “CNT” and “F.A.I.” painted on its side, 1936?]

From ‘33 to ‘36, the workforce and management of Barcelona’s tramways were locked in bitter conflict. Workers attempting to organize faced harsh retaliation, often becoming victims of targeted harassment and violence. Strikes were met with severe police repression and waves of scabs.

Despite their best efforts though, management would not succeed. Of their 7,000 employees, 6,500 would become dues-paying members of the CNT.

A final strike, the bloodiest and most costly of the entire affair, would occur in 1936. A months-long battle raged in the streets during the first half of the year, ended only by the fascist coup on July 19th and the proletarian revolution that followed. Fighting transformed the city into a battlefield that week, but come the 24th the smoke hanging over the city finally began to clear.

After victory was assured and the revolutionary government took root, people returned to work. Upon their arrival, though, they found their former management had vanished, taking the company’s coffers with them.

This economic sabotage, along with the post-battle destruction of the city’s already disheveled street infrastructure, made the prospect of rebuilding seem almost impossible.

With management gone, though, the keys to the castle were up for grabs – and the workers of Barcelona were ready to seize them.

[Photo of union workers painting a slogan onto the side of a collectivized tram, 1936-9?]

Immediately, the disparate companies that had made up the city’s public transit network were impounded, and their assets were expropriated to the CNT. The metro, bus, and tram services collected under their respective unions, and their committees gathered to assess the situation.

Despite the city still being in shambles, it was decided that returning the tramways to full working order was critical. Getting the economy up and running again required freedom of movement – something that, due to wartime restrictions on automobile travel, would be almost impossible without tram service. A general call was issued over the radio for all available engineers, technicians, and manual workers to assemble for the job.

In a mere three days, the people of Barcelona watched the first trams return to active service. In five, 700 newly-serviced trams², painted in the colors of the revolution, were operating throughout the city.

It was a herculean feat, only possible due to the industrial syndication of the CNT and its sister unions. A bunch of disparate trades and organized workplaces would, on their own, be a cacophony of disorganized rabble – but beneath the single banner of the syndicate, they meshed like the gears of a well-timed clock. Gaston Leval, combatant and historian of the Spanish revolution, had this to say on the subject:

[Image of a quote from Collectives discussing the high levels of organization within the industrial syndicate]

Cohesion and the free flow of ideas were ideals baked into the very fabric of the unions. No important decision could be made without the consultation and agreement of all workers involved. Not one voice was discounted, no matter who it came from.

[Photo of a collectivized tram with a graphic painted on its side, depicting stylized workers piercing a swastika with an arrow containing the words “TODOS CONTRA EL FASCISMO” (“All against fascism”), 1936-9?]

It wasn’t enough, though, to put the freshly-oiled and painted trams back on the tracks. No, the transport union had ambitions, and they set to work on fulfilling them immediately.

One of the first things they tackled were the electrical problems. The junction boxes and power poles in the middle of the road were not only interfering with the free flow of traffic, but were also a safety hazard. This was a job for the city's electrical utility union, and they solved the problem with ease. They relocated the boxes and poles to the sidewalk, and built new crosspans extending over the street to suspend the cables.

With the streets freed up, they could now focus on improving the rail infrastructure itself. Fully-electric, automated signals were added, and the city’s serpentine tracks were straightened and relaid – much to the relief of motorists and tram operators alike.

The sorry state of the garages was another hurdle. A lack of tools and parts left mechanics incapable of repairing the city’s fleet of trams. In response, the committee requisitioned the funds to buy state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment to bring things back to working order. This allowed the workers to service and refit the fleet, and rebuild the inoperable cabs. Quality spares were also produced en mass, reducing their reliance on imported parts from 85% down to an impressive 10%.

Of course, they weren’t content to stop there. The fleet was comprised of eight different models of cab, all of which came from separate companies with their own proprietary designs. A new model was needed, so they designed one made from local materials with local hands, with ease of assembly and care in mind. They began to introduce these new workhorses to the tramways, with the eventual goal of replacing the entire fleet.

Fares were also reduced – by half.

Rates that once went as high as .40 peseta fell to a flat rate of .20, something that would have been unthinkable under profit-driven management.

Throughout it all, the workers of the syndicate saw the quality of their lives dramatically increase. The transport union gained a healthcare and insurance program, as well as significant pay raises. Before the revolution, ‘peones’, or laborers, made only eight pesetas per day. Traffic controllers received 10, and engineers got 12. Afterward, though, wages were adjusted. Laborers began to earn 15 pesetas per day, while all skilled workers earned 16 – an average increase of about 61% across the board.

These massive improvements weren’t cheap, though. How did the tramways’ bottom line fare throughout all this?

[Image depicts a chart of the tramways’ total monthly income from September through December in 1935 and 1936, shown in 1936 peseta and 2019 euro values. A significant increase in profitability is shown after the collectivization of the service] ³

As it turns out, they were farther in the black under the new collectivized ownership! In September alone, they were up a full 300,000 pesetas over the pre-revolutionary system.

The system had to sustain lowered fares, increased labor costs, a shift to local manufacturing, and a 150% increase in the price of raw materials due to blockade. Yet, in spite of this, profits from the tramways increased by, on average, 12% per month.

It’s only when looking at these figures that one can see the true impact of the capitalist managerial class. The salary of the GTC’s old director alone clocked in at 132,000 pesetas per year (around 300,000 euros today). Factor in the lavish expenditures on corporate offices and highbrow events, and the waste totaled in the millions. Under worker-ownership, the syndicate cut the dead weight of bloated salaries and unnecessary expenses, allowing the tramways to grow and flourish.

Even after paying their massive overhead costs and continuing their ambitious expansion projects, the new tramways were capable of sustaining the entire city’s public transit on their own. There was even enough left over to donate large sums towards the war effort!

Some have argued that this spike in profit was actually due to wartime jobs and restrictions on automobile travel. These did, in fact, contribute heavily to the 62% increase in ridership in the first year of worker-managed service.

This is true... but only in part. Bear in mind that this profit margin is the system operating under enormous economic stress. They were rebuilding a city damaged by war, and revamping massive portions of their infrastructure. These investments were already paying off, but had the city been given the chance to return to a peacetime economy, the tramways likely would have blossomed into an outstandingly successful public institution.

[Photo of transit union workers in front of a collectivized tram, 1936-9?]

At the heart of revolutionary class struggle is the promise of a better tomorrow. It’s what drives us to pick up the torch and carry on the good fight of making that promise a reality.

Often, though, we aren't sure what that tomorrow would look like. We picture the revolution as a single, continuous battle, filled with glamour and glory. In truth, most of the work in a post-revolutionary society is of the most mundane and pedestrian variety.

Perhaps a bunch of trolley workers expropriating their bosses’ equipment and revamping their city’s rapid transit isn’t going to get its own chapter in the history books. But its only through these radical acts of creativity, community, and compassion that we truly build a better world.

¹ I’ve left this figure vague as I don’t really have a true source for the population of barcelona in the 1930′s. The best I could find at the time of writing is this uncited graph on a, frankly speaking, Pretty Sketchy website. If I come across a better source, I will update this accordingly.

² This figure is particularly impressive, considering the number of trams operating prior to the revolution hovered just below 600.

³ Original figures taken from Collectives, conversion and inflation adjustment to euros (rounded to the nearest whole number) made using measuringworth.com’s Spanish currency calculator.

Information derived from Collectivizations: The Constructive Achievements of the Spanish Revolution. Essays, Documents, and Reports by Augustin Souchy and Paul Folgare, The CNT In The Spanish Revolution by José Peirats, Collectives in the Spanish Revolution by Gaston Leval, Free Women of Spain: Anarchism and the Struggle for the Emancipation of Women by Martha A. Ackelsberg, The Collectivized CNT Taxis published by La Révolution Espagnole, Worker Management of the Barcelona Public Transit System, 1936-1939 by Tom Wetzel, and The Evolving Urban Form: Barcelona by Wendell Cox

Photos used from hippostcard.com, libcom.org, and anarchismus.at

Editorial assistance courtesy of John L. Moore