In March 2024, when the Montreal Anarchist Bookfair Collective (MABC) announced the cancellation of that year’s bookfair, a group of local anarchists got together to make sure it happened anyway. We launched Constellation, a weekend-long anarchist festival that would include a one-day bookfair. The initiative was well received and we decided to do it again in 2025, this time extending the festival to a week.

A few days ago, the MABC released a statement declaring their return. You can find it on their Mastodon and Facebook pages. It specifically mentions Constellation (although not by name) and we thought it would be useful to offer our insight on some of the points raised within.

The statement claims that we “appropriated” the bookfair. Anarchist bookfairs don’t belong to anyone. We find it disheartening that any group would claim ownership over a particular event, especially when they are unable to organize said event due to internal factors. We’re anarchists who want more anarchist events to take place and find it inspiring when others pick up the torch to keep important traditions alive.

It also states that we asked the MABC to transfer their funds to us. The collective receives yearly funding from QPIRG Concordia to help pay for an anarchist community event. Because they would not be organizing a bookfair in 2024, it seemed reasonable to ask for this money. Our event clearly met the fund’s mandate and we thought it would be better to put the money to use rather than let it sit in a bank account. The MABC denied our request.

There is much that has been said about the MABC in zines, social media posts, and elsewhere. We’re not interested in getting involved in the broader discussion and would rather dedicate our energy to organizing Constellation 2025 and beyond. However, it felt important to say something at this time. Thanks to everyone for all the support and we look forward to seeing you soon!