There is something deeply magical about social centres, for that matter any space utilised primarily for the community without any underhand purpose. In this capitalist society we are so used to our social space being a soulless void that only cares while you can pay.
Social Centres change all that. They are the hubs of their communities and the gathering points for rebels and revoltutionaries. These bastions of liberty provide an inestimable service to the people who use them. They should be supported at every turn, utilised and enjoyed,
Some these venues are also resources centres, art houses, cafes and even cinemas, with their voluteers and staff using their labour to build and maintain vital centers of culture for their communities. others act as critical points of protest and mutual aid, truly existing at coalface in the ongoing conflict with the capitalist state.
Many of these centres liase through the Social Centres Network (SCN) who aim to provide a portal to the world of social networks and aligned spaces as they inevitable ebb and flow. The SCN helps to keep the members and organisers linked in and communicating, in turn helping to keep these spaces alive and thriving.
Together with The Anarchist Party and Punx UK we are developing a global Anarchist Initiatives Database to help foster new links and build a stronger international culture of resistance. The first stage or this is developing the technology using British datasets, namely building a map of Social Centres.
For the purpose of testing we have kept a very strict definition of what a “Social Centre” is tho we have included the SCN database and venues with a specific Social Center remi. If we’ve missed one out, please add it via the website below.
Very shortly we shall be adding community cafes, solidarity centres, protest sites, co-ops etc until we have a full and robust map of our revolutionary community. ■
To see the WIP map for social spaces check out:-
organisemagazine.org.uk/social-centres
At 1 PM on August 2, 2024, a fairly large, angry crowd in black uniforms belonging to an ultraconservative organization known as the Old Dominican Order (Antigua Orden Dominicana, AOD) marched in the capital of the Dominican Republic. Having instigated outrage by claiming that Haitian immigrants are "occupying" the country's schools (despite official numbers stating […]
An anonomous comrade who has lived in The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) for a number of years, gives us their analysis of the balance of power with Turkey under a second Trump presidency. We Hope it provides a useful overview or starting point for research for those who are worried that […]
It is difficult to get a full view of a monster from up close. The connection between the claws and teeth and hooves and tail are obscured by the sheer immensity of the thing. All we can observe are the discrete violences waged by the various pieces that make up the monster. But the monster is so much more than a series of discreet phenomena.
The Valencian regional government, led by the right-wing president Carlos Mazón, failed to provide an effective or prompt response.
The reason why I think trade-union representation should do these things is because basically a union is a political organization, and in truth and in fact Africans and other Black people in these times cannot afford the luxury of any special organization for any special purpose.
When I first started my journey as an anarchist, I was incredibly privileged in both my environment and upbringing. I had grown up in a very upper-middle class suburb, neither knowing economic struggle nor of want when it came to my basic needs. I was, at that point in my life, a young 20 year […]