Anti-Capitalist Convergences (ACC) are organizations which sprang up in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

in the late 1990s and early 2000s as forms of coordinating activities by the growing

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...

, and

environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...

anti-capitalists Anti-capitalism is a political ideology and Political movement, movement encompassing a variety of attitudes and ideas that oppose capitalism. In this sense, anti-capitalists are those who wish to replace capitalism with another type of economi ...

. 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.Jill Bachelder, Janna Bryson and Igor Sadikov " May Day demonstrations sweep Montreal" ''The McGill Daily'', May 3, 2014
/ref> 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.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/28/nyregion/anarchy-has-image-problem-face-new-york-police-taste-for-conflict-wavers.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm , accessdate=February 15, 2012 , title=Anarchy Has an Image Problem; In the Face of New York Police, Taste for Conflict Wavers , first=Jacob H. , last=Fries , date=January 28, 2002 , work=The New York Times

External links

"Radical groups rise from the ashes of defunct anticapitalist organization" The McGill Daily 28 september 2006
Advocacy groups in the United Kingdom Anti-capitalist organizations Defunct anarchist organizations in North America Advocacy groups in Canada