11/04/2025
On November 4, 1936 the prominent anarchist activist Buenaventura Durruti delivers on the radio station "ECN1-Radio CNT-FAI" in Barcelona (Catalonia) an important speech that was transmitted throughout the State.
This speech addressed to the Catalan people, broadcast on the same day that the entry of four prominent anarchists (Frederica Montseny, Juan Garcia Oliver, Juan Lopez and Juan Peiró) is announced in the Republican government of Francisco Largo Caballero, calls on trade union and political organizations to unify forces against fascism, leaving aside the "intrigues" and "gut struggles", while rejecting the Militias Decree imposed by the government of the Generalita of Catalonia last October 24.
The immediate consequence of this speech was the convening of the next day, November 5, by the President of the Generalitat Lluis Companys, of an extraordinary meeting at the Generalitat Palace of all its advisors and representatives of all political and trade union organizations, to deal with the growing resistance to the compliance of the Militias Decree, as well as the dissolution of revolutionary committees and their replacement by town halls of the Popular Front.
Durruti was the direct cause of this debate, although everyone avoided saying his name, to deal with the growing resistance to compliance with the Militias Militarization Decree, as well as the dissolution of revolutionary committees and their replacement by popular front town halls.
Durruti's address👇👇
«Workers of Catalonia: I am addressing the Catalan people, to that generous people who four months ago knew how to undo the barrier of the militarots who wanted to subdue it under their boots. I bring you a greeting from the brothers and companions who fight on the front of Aragon a few kilometers from Zaragoza, and who are watching the towers of the Pilarica.
Despite the threat looming over Madrid, it must be kept in mind that there is a people standing, and for nothing in the world will they be pushed back. We will resist on the Aragon front, in front of the Aragon fascist hordes, and we are heading to the brothers of Madrid to tell them to resist, because the Catalonia militia will know how to do their duty, like when they threw themselves into the streets of Barcelona to crush fascism. Workers' organizations must not forget what should be the imperial duty of the present moments. At the front, as in the trenches, there is one thought, only one goal. It looks fixed, it looks ahead, with the sole purpose of crushing fascism.
We ask the people of Catalonia to end the intrigues, the gut struggles; to rise to the circumstances; leave the grudges and politics and think of war. The people of Catalonia have a duty to correspond to the efforts of those fighting on the front. There will be no other way than to mobilize the whole world; and they don't think that they have to mobilize themselves all the time. If the workers of Catalonia have to take on the responsibility of being at the front, the time has come to demand from the Catalan people the sacrifice of those who live in the cities. An effective mobilization of all rear guard workers is necessary, because those of us who are already in the front want to know which men we have behind us.
I'm addressing the organizations and asking them to stop being silly. Those from the front ask for sincerity, especially to the National Labor Confederation and the FAI. We ask our leaders to be sincere. It's not enough that they send us letters to the front encouraging us, and that they send us clothes, food and shells and rifles. It is also necessary to realize the circumstances, to anticipate the future. This war has all the aggravations of modern warfare and is costing Catalonia a lot. The leaders have to realize that if this war prolonges for a long time, we have to start by organizing the economy of Catalonia, we have to establish a code in the economic order. I am not willing to write more letters for colleagues or the son of a militia to eat another piece of bread or glass of milk, while there are councilors who have no tax to eat and spend. We are heading to the CNT-FAI to tell them that if as an organization they control the Catalonia economy, they must organize it properly. And let no one think now about wage increases and reduction of working hours. The duty of all workers, especially those of CNT is to sacrifice, to work whatever it takes.
If it's true that you are fighting for something higher, the militias who blush when they see in the press those subscriptions in favor of them, when they see those Easter cakes calling for help for them. Fascist planes throw us in their visits, newspapers in which subscription lists can be read for those who fight, no more or less than you do. That's why we have to tell you that we are not pious and therefore we do not accept charity under any concept. Fascism represents and is, in effect, social inequality, if you don't want us fighting to confuse those in the rear with our enemies, do your duty. The war we are currently waging serves to crush the enemy on the front, but is this the only one? : nope. The enemy is also the one who opposes the revolutionary conquests and stands among us, and whom we will crush equally.
If you want to shorten the danger, a granite block must be formed. Politics is the art of zancadilla, the art of living [as zángans], and this must be imitated by the art of work. Time has come to call on trade union organizations and political parties to end this once and for all. In the rear guard you have to know how to manage. Those of us at the front want behind a responsibility and a guarantee, and we demand that the organizations look after our women and our children.
If that militarization decreed by the Generalita is to scare us and to impose an iron discipline on us, they are wrong. You are wrong, counsellors, with the decree to militiate the militias. Since you talk about iron discipline, I say you come with me to the front. There we are who do not accept any discipline, because we are conscious to fulfill our duty. And you will see our order and our organization. Then we will come to Barcelona and ask you for your discipline, your order and your control, which you do not have.
Stay cool. At the front there is no chaos, no indiscipline. We are all responsible and we know the treasure you have entrusted to us. Sleep well. But we have left Catalonia relying on the economy. Hold yourself accountable, discipline yourself. Let's not provoke, with our incompetence, after this war, another civil war among us.
If everyone thinks that his party is more powerful to impose his politics, he is wrong, because in the face of fascist tyranny we must only oppose one force, there must only be one organization, with a single discipline.
For nothing in the world will those fascist tyrants pass where we are. This is the motto of the front. We said to them, “You shall not pass.” ». And it is your duty to shout: "They shall not pass!" ». »
