Media, politicians, neo-Nazis and even "decent people" have united in
order to bring to light today’s biggest threat: the unadapted. The
abusive characterization has began to live its own life. It is used for
denouncing anyone who is not a favorite: Roma, squatters, ravers, the
poor…
The unadaptability label seems to point out something about the
labeling society itself. It reveals what its principal value really is:
to adapt. It want us to be obedient career makers indifferent to our
environment, always ready to conform.
"Unadaptability", in
fact, threatens the most important thing we have – freedom. Adaptable
freedom is a contradiction in terms, we identify freedom precisely when
it does not adapt.
Supposedly "unadapted" are, in fact, groups that are expected to accept
their own deprivation. Roma nomadism was outlawed and now the society
is shocked that Romas don’t adapt to the lifestyle that has been forced
on them. Rave subculture was deprived of free movement, it was
dispersed while society attempted to co-opt free technivals. Squatters
were deprived of their home – the clearing out of Milada, the last
squat in the Czech Republic, meant that the last place dedicated to
alternative housing as well as culture has ceased to exist. Not only
those afflicted are deprived. These events represent acts against all
who value freedom and diversity in the society.
Our resistance against labeling does not mean that we defend any kind
of behavior that is so designated. Problems do exist but we have a
choice: either to look for real causes and deal with them or to find
supposed trespassers in order to demonize them.
We can demand our rights, issue complaints and remind others of all
that we have been deprived of by the acts of repression. At the same
time, we are convinced that if we achieve anything in this manner, we
get it in a distorted form. The last Czechtek, for example, has become
a caricature of itself. That is not what we want. We will manage our
freedom ourselves: we will squat other buildings, organize other
carnivals and parties.
The Czech initiative Freedom Not Fear has come to existence in reaction
to a world wide action against repression. Last year it helped to
organize Do It Yourself Street Parade against state repression –
cameras, restrictive laws and invasion of privacy. We would like to
continue these activities; this year we focus on violence not only one
provoked by the state but also violence incited by the society that
labels and excludes certain groups. This also arouses fear for it is
people who are described as a threat, and, as a result, our freedoms
are limited.
