25 May 1901: FORA founded

Description

On this day, 25 May 1901, 27 unions around Argentina gathered and together formed the the revolutionary anarchist union the Federacion Obrera Argentina (later renamed the FORA). It was committed to the methods of workers’ organisation and direct action as principal weapons in the struggle against the state. In October, the FOA organised its first general strike, a 24-hour strike in solidarity with striking sugar refinery workers in Rosario, one of whom was killed by police. In 1902, the union organised a general strike of bakery workers to demand the release of two bakery union members who had been arrested by police. The police raided the FOA headquarters, and large numbers of union members were arrested and tortured, eventually breaking the strike. FOA stevedores walked out on strike shortly thereafter. In an attempt to halt a wave of strikes, the government passed the Anti-Alien Act, enabling them to quickly deport “undesirable” migrants - namely, anarchists and union activists. A state of siege was then declared, and most union offices and radical publications were shut down. In spite of the repression, the union continued to grow, and in 1904 it was renamed Federación Obrera Regional Argentina (FORA). The FORA organised multiple other general strikes, and survived repeated raids and attacks by police and right-wing mobs. In the 1920s, faced with mass unemployment, the union launched a campaign for a maximum six-hour working day. A wave of strikes broke out once more in 1929. But shortly thereafter, in 1930, a right wing coup by a general José Félix Uriburu took place. Uriburu's regime declared martial law, and initiated a wave of terror against the anarchist and working-class movements, including the systematic use of torture, and secret executions. This broke both the FORA and the anarchist movement more generally. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9770/fora-anarchist-union-founded Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patre