Anarchism in Bosnia and Herzegovina
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[edit] Anarchist History
BiH's most known connection to anarchism comes from the revolutionary youth group, the Young Bosnians whose member Gavrilo Princip assassinated the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria Hungary in Sarajevo. The assassination in Sarajevo triggered World War I. The group did espouse anarchism
Anarchist thought and activity grew in the region from the DIY punk scene, but the socially-conscious subculture took a hard blow when the war began. Many activists fled the country, leaving the younger generation to start essentially from scratch. Additionally, this younger generation was raised in a war-torn environment where racism, nationalism and xenephobia ran rampant.
Since the war anarchism has slowly grown, mainly alongside the punk culture once again. Groups have formed in places such as Banja Luka and Mostar. These anarchist have been involved mostly in writing fanzines, distributing political music and literature and holding protests.
The group in Banja Luka's first action was a May Day demonstration in 1997. They distributed flyers on the history of May Day which also connected the conditions of workers at that period to current issues faced by workers due to the policies of institutions such as the IMF and World Bank.
Activity has continued to grow in the region, an organic farm based on permaculture and sustainable living is now established outside of Mostar. The farm provides free food to people, including a refugee camp of mixed-marriage families who are essentially shunned. A Food Not Bombs chapter also formed and helped organize protests to the Iraq War outside the US Consulate. They also coordinated with conscientious objector groups and provided free food to people on several occasions.
[edit] Active Groups
- Anarchist Collective "Slobodna Krajina" - Banjaluka; ab_useyu@yahoo.co.uk
- Anarchist Info from BiH
