Anti-Capitalist Convergence
Encyclopedia
Anti-Capitalist Convergences (ACC) are organizations which sprang up in North America
in the late 1990s and early 2000s as forms of coordinating activities by the growing social justice
, anarchist, and environmentalist
anti-capitalists
. Many of the ACCs were set up in anticipation of or as a result of a major protest.
Generally, Anti-Capitalist Convergences were assembled as umbrella organisations, to coordinate different groups and struggles. However, many have become groups unto themselves. In the wake of the "Battle of Seattle
" and a similar resurgence of anti-capitalist protest and organising, activists in cities such as Seattle; Washington, D.C.; and Chicago formed Convergences to carry out protests more effectively and to ensure that anti-capitalist organising would continue after major demonstrations had left the city. The Convergences were also billed as a counterweight to more mainstream coalitions and trade unions who radicals claimed dominated protests.
By far the most successful of the Anti-Capitalist Convergences has been the one, based in Montreal, best known by its French acronym: CLAC (Convergence des Luttes Anti-Capitalistes). Originally formed to coordinate protests at the Quebec City Summit of the Americas in April, 2001, it continued to operate afterwards, and provided the engine for the Take the Capital! protests the following year. It has also proven strong within its own community, launched anti-gentrification campaigns, and worked to help non-status immigrants.
As quickly as many ACCs sprung up, most of them have fallen apart. Montreal; Seattle; Colorado; Chicago; New York City; and Washington, D.C., have all seen their ACCs collapse. However, there are now ACCs active overseas in the Philippines and Japan and efforts are under way to revive an anti-capitalist umbrella group in Montreal.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in the late 1990s and early 2000s as forms of coordinating activities by the growing social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
, anarchist, and environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
anti-capitalists
Anti-capitalism
Anti-capitalism describes a wide variety of movements, ideas, and attitudes which oppose capitalism. Anti-capitalists, in the strict sense of the word, are those who wish to completely replace capitalism with another system....
. Many of the ACCs were set up in anticipation of or as a result of a major protest.
Generally, Anti-Capitalist Convergences were assembled as umbrella organisations, to coordinate different groups and struggles. However, many have become groups unto themselves. In the wake of the "Battle of Seattle
WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999 protest activity
Protest activity surrounding the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999, which was to be the launch of a new millennial round of trade negotiations, occurred on November 30, 1999 , when the World Trade Organization convened at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington,...
" and a similar resurgence of anti-capitalist protest and organising, activists in cities such as Seattle; Washington, D.C.; and Chicago formed Convergences to carry out protests more effectively and to ensure that anti-capitalist organising would continue after major demonstrations had left the city. The Convergences were also billed as a counterweight to more mainstream coalitions and trade unions who radicals claimed dominated protests.
By far the most successful of the Anti-Capitalist Convergences has been the one, based in Montreal, best known by its French acronym: CLAC (Convergence des Luttes Anti-Capitalistes). Originally formed to coordinate protests at the Quebec City Summit of the Americas in April, 2001, it continued to operate afterwards, and provided the engine for the Take the Capital! protests the following year. It has also proven strong within its own community, launched anti-gentrification campaigns, and worked to help non-status immigrants.
As quickly as many ACCs sprung up, most of them have fallen apart. Montreal; Seattle; Colorado; Chicago; New York City; and Washington, D.C., have all seen their ACCs collapse. However, there are now ACCs active overseas in the Philippines and Japan and efforts are under way to revive an anti-capitalist umbrella group in Montreal.